Hong Kong: FS attends World Economic Forum Financial Secretary Paul Chan described the latest state of Hong Kongs return to normalcy and development opportunities while meeting a number of political and business leaders as the World Economic Forum (WEF) opened yesterday in Davos, Switzerland. Using the annual meeting to his advantage, Mr Chan met Thai Minister of Finance Arkhom Termpittayapaisith. Apart from exchanging views on the current international economic and financial situation, they discussed further strengthening financial co-operation. Mr Chan pointed out that Hong Kongs financial markets are deepening and broadening with the continuous expansion and development of the mutual market access schemes with the Mainland, thus better converging international and Mainland capital. As such, he welcomed enterprises in Thailand to actively use Hong Kongs efficient fundraising platforms to finance large-scale infrastructure and other projects. The Financial Secretary also met Saudi Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan. While outlining Hong Kongs latest directions and prospects of development, Mr Chan indicated that the city, in its position as an international financial centre, could help countries in the Middle East region to diversify their investments and manage risks. He added that there is ample room for mutual co-operation on various aspects. Moreover, Mr Chan met the senior management of a number of international private equity firms and multinational companies, such as Managing Partner of EQT AB Marcus Brennecke and Founder & Chairman of Vista Equity Partners Robert Smith, to exchange views on capital market development, talent training and development opportunities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Mr Chan also attended the welcoming reception by the WEF in the evening. This story has been published on: 2023-01-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. 15th NA to convene third extraordinary meeting on January 18 The National Assembly Standing Committee has decided to convene the third extraordinary meeting of the 15th-tenure legislature to consider personnel affairs under its authority. At the opening of 15th NA's second extraordinary meeting (Photo: VNA) The meeting is scheduled to take place on January 18 afternoon at the NA House in Hanoi. The decision is pursuant to the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the revised Law on Organisation of the NA, NA session regulations issued in the NAs Resolution No. 102/2015/QH13 dated November 24, 2015, said NA Secretary General and Chairman of the NA Office Bui Van Cuong. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. The Agro Chem Federation of India (ACFI) has urged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to reduce import duty on crop protection chemicals and provide fiscal incentives to private players for undertaking research and development in the upcoming Union Budget for 2023-24. Observing that India has not invented any new crop protection chemical molecules in recent years because the cost is relatively high, Parikshit Mundhra, Chairman of ACFI in a release said that adequate incentives are needed to promote the domestic industry. "India presently has no choice but to import to ensure that Indian farmers are not deprived of new technological crop protection solutions," he said in the release on Monday. It also urged the government to bring down the GST on crop protection chemicals to 5 per cent at par with fertilisers. The federation said that the current GST of 18 per cent on chemicals is not in the interest of small and marginal farmers as they have to shell out more money to purchase crop protection chemicals. The industry body said the Department of Chemicals has shortlisted 40 molecules under the PLI scheme till the day, which includes seven crop protection chemical intermediates. As part of its Atmanirbhar plan, the Government launched Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes in varied sectors to make Indian manufacturers globally competitive, attract investments, enhance exports, integrate India into the global supply chain and reduce dependency on imports. ACFI now expects that some announcement regarding the extension of the PLI Scheme to more crop protection chemical intermediates will be made in the Budget. The government is in the process of finalising the Budget document to be presented on February 1. The formal exercise to prepare the annual Budget for the next financial year (2023-24) commenced on October 10. Budget 2023 is likely to be the last full Budget of the Modi government in its second term with the next Lok Sabha elections due in April-May of 2024. (ANI) Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], January 17 (ANI/PRNewswire): Groundwater levels are in a critical state globally. India is the largest user of groundwater in the world - accounting for over 25 per cent of global extraction, with 256 Districts across India having critical/ over-exploited groundwater levels. On the other hand, heavy rainfalls have decimated the quality of soil and hence the quality of the crops grown by the farmers. Period 2017-21 saw an increase in spoilage of crops like sugarcane and rice in the areas surrounding Maharashtra. Taking into consideration the plight of farmers due to the overflowing of rainwater caused by deforestation, the government decided to compensate the farmers most affected by the floods. PROJECT JALTARA JalTara is the vision of Sri Sri Ravishankar, the founder of Art of Living, to rejuvenate India from its current water problems. The project aims at bringing about a positive change in the fate of farmers and villagers to terminate the issues of over-flooding and drought in rural areas. The bold prospect aims at recharge of over 30 trillion litres of groundwater every year across India. JalTara Project is a mindful initiative to solve India's water scarcity problem. The focus is to train farmers and villagers, the most important stakeholders for this project, to enable them to conserve monsoon water every year and store them in underground aquifers-- an integrated team of experienced geologists, watershed & project management experts for the purpose deployed. THE APPREHENSIVE APPROACH BEHIND JALTARA The JalTara methodology is quite impactful, and the problem lies in the adequate disposal of rainwater and efficient groundwater management. Groundwater is the backbone of the agriculture of India. It is a source of meeting over 80 per cent of India's water and agricultural requirements, but in the past few years, the groundwater level has been descending quickly. Due to deforestation and a disrupted hydrological cycle in recent years, the availability has been hampered. It has led to multi-dimensional water stress situations in most of the villages and farms of India. The approach of JalTara targets this problem statement effectively. People must rely on more than just groundwater to satisfy their hydrological needs, and rainwater needs to be managed efficiently. The concept of recharge pits is initiated to increase India's groundwater storage by trillions per year and diminish the water crisis. The exemplary and relentless efforts of the sevaks at Art of Living have helped achieve a few litres, and there is more on the path to come. EMINENCE OF THE PROJECT JalTara aimed to expand its base to districts around the Maharashtrian vicinity in 2022. It has achieved the planned targets so far under the guidance of the Art of Living foundation. An increase in the water table or 12-14 feet has been observed with an impact of 6.06 lakh litres per pit & 30.3 Crore litre water per village. This enabled farmers' ability to water more frequently & reduce the impact of waterlogged fields, resulting in increased crop yield by 42 per cent and increased farmer's income by 120 per cent, even though not a single reported case of spoiled crops due to waterlogging was reported. The focus has been to educate the villagers about the long-term value of water rejuvenation through tree plantation, validating the 'recharge pit in every arable plot' methodology, and demonstrating the projected benefits. Simple, standard pits are massively scalable - digging 4.5 pits per hour. About VVKI-Art of Living The Art of Living is solving India's water crisis, and the impeccable success of the project has recharged 30 million litres per year across India, erasing the water crisis for aeons to come. For more updates:Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/artofliving_sp/Tweet us at: https://twitter.com/artofliving_spPlease message us at: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/artofliving-sp This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire) Sushant's sister, Priyanka Singh took to Twitter and shared a couple of pictures of Fudge, with the 'Kai Po Che' actor and announced the heartbreaking news. "So long Fudge! You joined your friend's Heavenly territory... will follow soon! Till then... so heart broken," she tweeted. https://twitter.com/withoutthemind/status/1615070196024348673 Soon after she shared the news, Sushant's fans took to the thread and offered heartfelt condolences to the family. "R.I.P. FUDGE Nothing to say ..this is very heart breaking news to us all...but he is a true friend of Sushant and went to his friend to live happily with him forever and ever... Sushant Lived InDMomen," a fan commented. https://twitter.com/MadhumitaroyC/status/1615163673860866050 Another fan wrote, "This is so heartbreaking Hope you both are united forever together in heaven." "I am saddened to come to know this. I can only imagine how heartbreaking it is for you all.. even for us. Fudge was a receiver and giver of SSRs pure love. Another part of his life leaves us," a fan wrote. https://twitter.com/justice4_ssr/status/1615076087884820482 https://twitter.com/tandav29257392/status/1615076829613948928 https://twitter.com/Tanutoor85/status/1615072045531791361 https://twitter.com/SandySR64457040/status/1615076149503365120 The heartbreaking news came a few days before Sushant Singh Rajput's birth anniversary on January 21. The actor was found dead at the age of 34 at his Bandra residence on June 14, 2020, which created a lot of controversies. Soon after his demise, the 'Chhichhore' actor's adorable photos and videos with Fudge had surfaced online. (ANI) The opposition AIADMK in Tamil Nadu will commence a state-wide door-to-door campaign against the ruling DMK after Pongal holidays to highlight the state government's 'misrule' among the people. AIADMK's interim general secretary, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, popularly known as EPS, said at a recent party office-bearers' meeting that a direct grassroots connect with the people of the state is the need of the hour. AIADMK is in a tight spot after the party's state coordinator and former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, popularly known as OPS, was expelled from the party in July 2021. Former interim general secretary of the party, V.K. Sasikala, who was a close aide of late J. Jayalalitha, was also expelled from the party along with her nephew, T.T.V. Dhinakaran. Both OPS and Sasikala belong to the powerful Thevar community that calls the shots in southern Tamil Nadu. With AIADMK being the preferred political party of the Thevar community, the expulsion of these leaders dealt a body blow to the party in these belts. At the meeting, EPS told the party leaders that the DMK government under M.K. Stalin is gaining support at the grassroots level and there has to be a strong opposition exposing the 'misdeeds' of the government. The party has to overcome its own organisational weakness to counter the powerful DMK and hence, it has chalked out a strategy of directly meeting the people of the state. While EPS will not be travelling across the state, he will be part of the direct door-to-door campaign of the party aimed at the 2024 general elections. The party will look to provide sufficient number of seats to the NDA, given the fact that the BJP is looking for a major expansion in south India where it has presence only in Karnataka. Sources in the AIADMK told IANS that BJP's national leadership is for unity among the warring factions of the AIADMK, but EPS is not agreeable to this and wants to prove the BJP leadership that he is in full control of the party. The BJP leadership is trying for a rapprochement between EPS, OPS and Sasikala so that the anti-DMK votes are not split in Tamil Nadu. G. Manonmani, a professor of political science, told IANS, "The AIADMK is a powerful political entity in Tamil Nadu. However, the party is now divided into several factions and it has to overcome its own organisational issues to pose a challenge to the DMK. The central leadership of the BJP is in for a truce between all the factions of the AIADMK, so that peace prevails and the party functions as a single entity against the DMK." The DMK had won 38 of the 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the 2019 general elections, and Chief Minister Stalin has openly called upon the party cadres and mid-level leaders to win all the seats for the DMK-led alliance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. --IANS aal/arm ( 498 Words) 2023-01-16-23:10:04 (IANS) Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai on Monday suggested Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to resign, or give a call of Goa bandh, or create a Constitutional crisis to pressurise the Central government to withdraw approval given to the Detailed Project Report of Karnataka. Sardesai was speaking at a mega public meeting over 'Save Mhadei' at Sanquelim in North Goa. Noted figures from all walks of life spoke on the occasion. "I give a deadline of 15 days to the government to get the DPR withdrawn, else they should give a call of Goa bandh. Let all political parties get united and make Goa Bandh successful. Even then if the Central government doesn't listen to the demand then the Chief Minister should resign and along with him rest all 39 MLAs should resign to create a Constitutional crisis," Sardesai said. Criticising the BJP government, Sardesai said that it has such an attitude that it is not giving opportunity to people to unite. "Government employees were threatened to transfer if they attended a meeting," he said. Making a sarcastic remark, he said: "You will not find the chief minister who sells the river of the state, you will find it only in Goa." He said that if a double engine is so powerful, "then why Sawant needed opposition to convince Amit Shah". "Even today, the Governor didn't utter a single word on Mhadei during his address in the assembly session. This government has betrayed the people of Goa," Sardesai said. He urged people to start a movement to protect the Mhadei river. "When the political class fails then people should rise and start an organic movement. Everyone should contribute for it," he said Environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar said that he along with others had started a movement to save Mhadei in 1998, and he had many times brought to the notice of all the previous governments about developments of Karnataka to divert water. "DPR has got approval in a hasty manner. Karnataka has already taken the water from Mhadei. We need to be united to protect our Mhadei," he said. Thousands of Mhadei issue supporters were present during this meeting. Many of the speakers attacked the state and central government for giving a nod to Karnataka's DPR. Ever since Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced that the Centre has cleared the much disputed Kalasa-Bhanduri dam project in his state, people have started holding public meetings against the Central government's decision. Goa and Karnataka are currently battling out a dispute over the Kalasa-Bhanduri dam project across the water of Mhadei river at a central tribunal. Mhadei originates in Karnataka and meets the Arabian Sea in Panaji. While the river traverses 28.8 km in Karnataka, it is 81.2 km in length in Goa. Karnataka plans to construct dams on the river, aimed at diverting the water into its water-starved Malaprabha basin in North Karnataka. --IANS sbk/pgh ( 494 Words) 2023-01-16-23:12:05 (IANS) "We have set up 14 nakas to ensure that there is no movement of illegal cash, weapons, narcotics and other material. Announcement for polls likely to happen in 1-2 days," AK Das, sub-divisional police officer, Sadar told ANI. The state Assembly elections in Tripura are slated to be held in March this year. Earlier, last week, a team from the Election Commission of India (ECI), led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar flew down to the poll-bound state of Tripura to review elections preparedness. The poll officers, including CEC Rajiv Kumar, EC Anup Chandra Pandey, and EC Arun Goel, reached Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport, Agartala. "An ECI team led by CEC Sh. Rajiv Kumar along with EC Sh. Anup Chandra Pandey and EC Sh. Arun Goel arrived at MBB airport, Agartala today to review the poll preparedness for forthcoming assembly elections in Tripura," the official Twitter handle of the Chief Election Officer read. (ANI) The incident pertains to Saturday night, while the woman was feeding the stray dogs at Chandigarh's Sector 53, furniture market was hit by a speeding vehicle. The woman was rushed to the hospital and is under treatment at Sector 16. According to the police, primarily investigations suggested that the speeding four-wheeler was travelling on the wrong side. "The main accused is absconding. A case has been registered into the matter," police said, adding that the condition of the woman is out of danger. Police's investigation into this matter is underway. (ANI) During the first day of the two-day-long Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national executive meeting in New Delhi on Monday, attendees discussed a nine-point political resolution, moved by Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, sources said. As per party sources, during the first day of the national executive meeting, Union Law Minister and party leader proposed a nine-point political resolution, which was seconded by Uttar Pradesh's Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya along with Karnataka's State Minister Govind Karjol. Union minister Kiren Rijiju highlighted several instances in the resolution accusing the opposition parties of running a negative campaign against the party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Addressing a press conference at NDMC Convention Centre, New Delhi, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that various topics were discussed during the meeting today which included the discussion on the Opposition's derogatory remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, G20, and Assembly elections. "Today a briefing has been held on how the activities of the 4 states are progressing which include Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Karnataka," she said. "There have been detailed discussions over 9 points introduced in the resolution for this year's NEC. The first discussion was on how opposition parties are using abusive language for attacking PM Modi ji," Sitharaman said. Accusing the Opposition of continuously running negative campaigns against the BJP and PM Modi, Nirmala Sitharaman said that the Supreme Court "crushed" their campaigns and "exposed them". "Opposition continuously ran negative campaigns against BJP and used abusive language to attack PM on many issues like Pegasus, Rafael deal, Enforcement Directorate money laundering, Central Vista, Economic basis-reservations, Demonetization. All these cases were fought in court and judgement has been in favour of the central govt. SC crushed Opposition's negative campaigns and exposed them through legal responses," she said. JP Nadda during the National Executive meeting said that the party has to win all nine state elections this year and then general elections in 2024. BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday briefed the mediapersons about party president JP Nadda's speech on the first day of the National Executive meeting. Addressing a press conference, Prasad said, "BJP chief JP Nadda said in the National Executive meeting that 2023 is very important and we have to fight and win nine state elections this year and then general elections in 2024." Prasad said Nadda called upon the entire executive to gear up for the elections to ensure victory in all nine States. "BJP chief also discussed recently concluded polls and that Gujarat's victory was historic and unprecedented. About Himachal polls, he said that we were supposed to change the tradition of changing government but we could not do that," Prasad said. He said 72,000 booths were marked in 100 Lok Sabha constituencies across the country where BJP was weak and where the party had to reach. "But reached 1.30 lakh booths and make people aware of the policies of the party," Prasad said. He said in the BJP National Executive meeting, Nadda highlighted the Panch Pran given by PM Modi which includes freedom from traces of the colonial past, holding pride in Indian tradition, commitment to making a developed India, unity in diversity, and making citizens responsible towards the nation. Prasad said that on the occasion of the completion of 200 years of Dayanand Saraswati, birth, BJP will organise a grand programme in February. He said the BJP chief also highlighted the work culture of New India citing the example of the COVID vaccination programme. "Putting an end to the past of slavery, we changed the 'Rajpath' which lasted for 75 years to 'Kartavya Path'. Taking pride in our traditions, we built the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, Mahakal Lok Corridor, restored the glory of Kedarnath and now the Ram Mandir," the BJP leader said. Quoting JP Nadda, Prasad said the BJP chief remarked that India has overtaken Britain to become the world's fifth-largest economy. Not only that, India has become the second largest manufacturer of mobile phones and more than 95 per cent of mobile phones used in the country are made in India. He said Nadda highlighted the fact that India is making semi-high-speed trains. India's fintech movement now contributes to 40 per cent of digital transactions worldwide. "This shows our resolve towards Make in India and making a developed India. Our resolution of a developed India seems to be coming true," he said. Quoting Nadda, Prasad said Defence deals during the BJP government are being done with complete honesty. "Border roads have been built up to 3,600 kms while the Defence Minister of Congress did not want to do so," Prasad said. Prasad said Nadda suggested that the BJP machinery learn from the Gujarat polls victory. He said Nadda asserted that BJP workers are working hard in Telangana and the party is confident to register a victory in the southern State. "During his address in the National Executive meeting, Nadda noted that it is for the first time that India's President comes from a tribal community and the deprived class has been respected by our party," he said. Ravi Shankar Prasad also cleared the buzz about the extension of the BJP president Nadda's tenure. He said, "There was no discussion on Nadda's tenure as BJP president which is scheduled to end this month." The two-day National Executive meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) started on Monday at the NDMC Convention Centre in Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president JP Nadda, Union Ministers including Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled States and other senior party leaders also participated at the key meeting. (ANI) The Bombay Stock Exchange Institute, in association with the District Administration Doda, and the Department of Labour and Employment on Monday started a 50-hour training programme under Mission Youth J&K for imparting training to unemployed youth in Banking, Insurance and Mutual Funds. Deputy Commissioner, Vishesh Paul Mahajan inaugurated the training programme in the presence of the ADDC, Pran Singh; Deputy Director, Employment, District Employment & Counselling Centre Idrees Lone; DIO DIPR, Doda Mohd Ashraf Wani, faculty members and participants (trainees) from across the district, read a press statement said on Monday. Deputy Commissioner, Vishesh Paul Mahajan asked the trainees to use the opportunity to groom their abilities to become employers to provide employment to unemployed youth. "The training programme aims to prepare them to become successful entrepreneurs with the startups capable of providing employment to others also," he said. Speaking on occasion, Pran Singh said that the training programme should upgrade the skills of youth in non-conventional economic sectors like Banking, Insurance, and Financial Services having high employability potential. Deputy Director of Employment, while giving a brief account of the training programme, informed that the 50-hour training was being conducted at Government Degree College Doda. "More than 50 unemployed youth have registered themselves on the first day today," he said, adding that the training was being imparted to unemployed youth under the Mission Youth initiative of the J&K UT Government. He said that more such training courses will be conducted in future to impart skills to enable unemployed youth to earn a dignified livelihood. Pran Singh also requested the aspirants to register on the designated portal Employment Department at www.jakemp.nic.in so that they can be called for such skill upgradation courses in the future. Faculty member Jyoti Parkash of the Bombay Stock Exchange Institute gave the detail of the 50-hour training courses and their scope for creating employment opportunities for trainees in different sectors across the country. (ANI) Union Minister of State (MoS) Ashwini Choubey on Monday slammed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and alleged that there were two attempts of attack upon him in Buxar in the last 24 hours. Addressing a press conference, the parliamentarian from Buxar said, "During my programme in Buxar, a day-long fast against the atrocities on farmers, some miscreants, just 5-6 feet away from me came with swinging their sticks on air in an attempt to attack me, but my bodyguards and the police personnel nabbed three persons and saved me. If they wouldn't have caught them I don't know what would have happened then." "Not only this one person ran away with a country-made pistol wading through the police personnel, who were present in the line of duty. The police remained mute spectators and did nothing," he added. He said that regarding this he wrote to the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Deputy Superintendent of Police and all the office bearers and informed them about the incident. "More importantly, when those policemen and the activists present there took those nabbed goons to the police station, surprisingly, to give protection to them, the police DSP there told our workers and PA that no problem, the minister is doing his work and the goons are doing their job. It is unfortunate to hear something like this from Bihar DSP," he said. He added that the three persons nabbed for attacking him were later released after being pressurised by some influential persons. "I want to ask Nitish Kumar, why the miscreants who were brought to the police station have not been arrested yet," he said, adding that he wants to ask under whose pressure the miscreants were released. "There were attempts of attack on me twice in the last 24 hours in Buxar", the Union Minister added. In what could be seen as a coincidence or otherwise, earlier on Sunday night, an escort vehicle in the convoy of Union Minister of State (MoS) Ashwini Choubey, overturned after an accident, while he was on his way from Buxar to Patna, wherein several cops were left injured. The Minister shared the video on Twitter in which he could be seen inspecting the escort vehicle that was overturned in the accident. Taking to Twitter, the minister said, "During the way from Buxar to Patna, the car of Koransarai police station, in the carcade has met with an accident in the canal of the road bridge of Dumrao's Mathila-Narayanpur road. Everyone is well by the grace of Lord Shriram. Going to Dumrao Sadar Hospital with the injured policemen and driver." The police personnel and the driver, with minor injuries, were rushed to Dumrao Sadar Hospital, where they are undergoing treatment. However, two cops with more injuries were shifted to the All India Medical Sciences, Patna. Ashwini Choubey had then informed that all the policemen and drivers were out of danger. "I have brought the injured policemen to Dumraon subdivision hospital. He is being given first aid. Two policemen have received more injuries. After first aid, I am leaving for AIIMS Patna with him. All policemen and drivers are out of danger," he said. (ANI) After the successful conclusion of the month-long cultural unity programme, Kashi-Tamil Sangamam in Varanasi last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi during BJP national executive meeting on Monday asked party workers to sketch such events in future for strong cultural national unity. As per sources, the first day of a two-day-long BJP national executive meeting also witnessed some non-political decisions too. Laying emphasis on programs that bind the nation in one thread, PM Modi asked party workers, to insist on organizing more programs like the Kashi-Tamil Sangam, so that all the states share their culture, civilization and heritage with each other and the country unites culturally in the one thread of unity. "PM also stressed that there should be an exchange of languages and culture between states," sources said. According to party sources, other programmes like Mann Ki Baat, wherein PM Modi continuously connects with the public on topics of public concern and motivates them, were also discussed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November last year inaugurated the 30-day long 'Kashi Tamil Sangamam' in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Reflecting the significance of PM Modi's efforts of 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat', the event aimed to celebrate, reaffirm and rediscover the age-old links between Kashi and Tamil Nadu - two of the country's most significant ancient origins for learning. Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday also told that the attendees of the BJP executive meeting thanked PM Modi for binding the nation firmly in a thread of unity through cultural heritage and cultural spirit. During the press briefing, about the first day of the national executive meeting, Union Minister and party leader Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters that the Kashi-Tamil Sangamam, held last year was also discussed. "Those who visited the Kashi-Tamil Sangamam have also been influenced and the program has also had an impact in Uttar Pradesh," Sitharaman told media persons. "And when the subject of Kashi-Tamil Sangam was discussed, the Prime Minister was congratulated for his cultural spirit to strengthen our heritage, whether it was the Kashi-Tamil Sangam or the fast progress in Ayodhya after the Supreme Court's decision. Be it the progress in Ujjain's Mahakaleshwar temple, the revival of the Buddha Circuit, work going on at Ram Circuit, for all these works, PM Modi was congratulated," Sitharaman said. She said that PM Modi's non-political programme related to the general public, Mann Ki Baat, where he incorporated the general public with a permanent bridge, a result of which people, across villages and the country, actively participated as a sense of service, whether it is of 'tree plantion', building roads, taking someone to hospitals, innovative photos, all these developments were discussed during the first day of the national executive meeting. (ANI) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has hit back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's "remote control" jibe at him, saying "I was made a CM by the people of Punjab, while you insulted the elected CM Captain Amarinder Singh." "Rahul ji, it is better if you don't speak rubbish in Punjab. The people of Punjab have made me the CM while Channiji was made by Rahul Gandhi. In just 2 minutes, you had removed the elected CM Captain Saheb from Delhi by insulting him. It is better you don't speak," tweeted Mann. https://twitter.com/BhagwantMann/status/1615013030529732610?s=20&t=yDq2Z-UMljypf0sSEsxAug Hitting back at the "remote control" jibe, Mann pointed out that he is an elected CM, unlike former CM Charanjit Singh Channi who was chosen by the Congress high command. Channi succeeded the elected CM Captain Amarinder Singh and remained the CM of Punjab for around 6 months from September 2021 to March 2022. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday took a swipe at Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, saying that he should run the state from Punjab instead of being a "remote control". Addressing a rally during the Punjab leg of his ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra, the former Congress national president said, "Every state of India has a history, language and lifestyle. Punjab should be run from Punjab only, and not from Delhi." He said Mann should listen to the plight of the farmers and labourers of his state and work towards addressing them. "I would like to say to Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, that you are the CM of the state, and you should run the state from here. You should not come under Kejriwalji's pressure. You should work independently by listening to the farmers and labourers of the state. You should not be a remote control in the hand of someone else," Rahul said. The Bharat Jodo Yatra, which started from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7, will end in Srinagar on January 30, with Rahul hoisting the tricolour there. (ANI) Uttarakhand Police, acting on a viral Facebook video, rescued a mentally unstable elderly woman Hema Devi, a resident of Bhikiyasain in Almora district, from Mumbai and brought her home on Monday. On January 9, a video of the elderly woman went viral. The man who shot the video appealed for help for the woman. Taking immediate cognisance of the viral video, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami directed Pradeep Kumar Rai, SSP Almora, to bring the elderly woman from Mumbai to Almora soon. Acting on the instructions of the Chief Minister, SSP Almora took immediate action and directed PRO/ANTF in-charge Saurabh Kumar Bharti to get the information about the person making the video and to contact him and inform the family members of Hema Devi. After reaching Mumbai, the Almora police team and local Mumbai Police checked CCTV footage at various places and continuously at different places in Borivali, Kandivali, Malad, Andheri West and Lokhandwala, bus stations, railway stations, under flyovers/bridges and langars. Constant efforts were made to search for the woman with visits to night shelters, dharamshalas along with pasting her photo/pamphlets and showing them to the people. Almora police team consisting of Constable Yogesh Kumar and Constable Sain Ansari worked day and night for three days with the help of Mumbai Police, social worker Dan Singh Rajput and his team along with the President of Human Rights Foundation Mumbai, Meenakshi Sawant to search for the woman. As a result of tireless efforts, on the morning of January 14, the woman was found safe by the police teams. The woman had an old leg injury and her leg was swollen. After getting her treatment and health test down, the Almora police team along with the woman left from Mumbai on the morning of January 15 and reached Almora safely on Monday, January 16. (ANI) In a shocking revelation, Rajasthan Director General of Police (DGP) Umesh Mishra on Monday said that 41 per cent of rape cases registered in the state are false. "It is noteworthy that out of the total cases of rape registered in our state, 41 per cent are found to be false, while at the national level, the percentage of false cases is only 8," Rajasthan DGP Mishra said while speaking to reporters during a press conference at the Rajasthan Police headquarters. Mishra also said that it is a misconception that Rajasthan ranks first in India in cases of rape, whereas the truth is that Madhya Pradesh ranks first and Rajasthan ranks second. He claimed that the reason behind this misconception is that the Rajasthan police register each and every such case. The reason for the low number of rape cases in Madhya Pradesh is the failure to register FIRs and not relatively less amount of crime. He mentioned that other states do not register cases in serious cases like rape and they start investigating them as complaints, instead. "Many times the criminals get the benefit of this and there is a danger of destruction of many important pieces of evidence," he added. He further stated that there are clear instructions to the police in Rajasthan that there should be no delay in registering a rape case. If there is a false case, FIR will be registered and legal action will be taken against those who have registered the false cases. "In the year 2022, there has been a total increase of 68 per cent in the proceedings against those who got false cases filed as compared to the previous year." He also said, "The national average of pending rape cases is 30 per cent, while in Rajasthan it is only 12 per cent, while the national average in getting punishment is 28 per cent. While in Rajasthan, the rate of getting punishment in such cases is 47.9," he added. Mishra said that the year 2022 was good for the Rajasthan Police in many ways. "There has been success in solving the cases of atrocities against women. In 2018, it used to take 211 days to dispose of these cases whereas now it is being disposed of in 69 days," he said. DGP Mishra said that the police are taking prompt action in the case of the POCSO Act also as a result, in the last 4 years, the death sentence was given in 12 such cases and 466 have been sentenced to life imprisonment or 20 years of rigorous imprisonment. DGP Mishra gave the account of the works of Rajasthan Police in 2022 by holding a press conference on Monday. Speaking on other issues, he said that digitisation is being done for paperless work. Also, weekly off for policemen has also started. DGP Mishra said that in the paper leak case, the police have launched an all-round attack on the accused. On the suggestion of the police, the government has assured to make an effective law to curb the mafias. Regarding the gang war in the state, he said that the Rajasthan Police has controlled the organized gangs to a considerable extent, although it still remains a challenge. Gangsters belonging to Haryana and Punjab come from the border districts. "This is a challenge but with the cooperation of the police of those states, we are tracking them down," he added. (ANI) A day after 26 people were injured and one died during the 'Jallikattu' in Palmedu village, Madurai District Collector Aneesh Sekhar has said that extra measures have been taken for the safe conduct of the annual bull-taming sport. "The administration has decided to take extra measures for the safe conduct of the Jallikattu. The display area has been made different from the play area to reduce the risk of injuries," Sekhar told ANI. A bull tamer, who was critically injured during a Jallikattu event at Palamedu in Madurai, died at Madurai's Rajaji Government Hospital on Monday. Only 300 bull tamers and 150 spectators were allowed in the Palamedu Jallikattu competition. On Sunday in Avaniyapuram also, around 60 people were hurt, with 20 suffering serious injuries, while on Tuesday the Jallikattu event is being held in Alanganallur. Over 9,690 bulls and 5,399 tamers have registered online to participate in the Jallikattu in Avaniyapuram, Palamedu, and Alanganallur in the district. The popular bull-taming sport 'Jallikattu' also known as 'Eru Thazhuvuthal' and 'Mancuvirattu' practised in Tamil Nadu as a part of Pongal celebrations on the day of Mattu Pongal. It is a sport where a bull is let loose among a crowd, and people participating in the sport are supposed to take control of the bull by holding on to its hump for as long as they can. The 'Mann Kuthal' process also takes place in which bulls are trained to develop their skills by digging their horns in the wet earth. Bulls are prepared to attack when someone tries to catch their hump. (ANI) The incident is said to have occurred around 5 pm on Sunday. The man who died was identified as Ramdavan. On getting the information about the incident, the team of forest department rushed to the spot and sent the body for post mortem. A team of officials from various divisions has reached to catch the leoprad. Sarguja Wildlife Forest Conservator K R Badhai said, "There are three incidents of death, including two deaths in Janakpur forest range due to leopard attacks reported so far. In view of those incidents, the forest department has installed cages and trap cameras to catch the leopard. But still failed to catch the leopard." "We have received permission from the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) to catch the leopard by tranquilising it. An expert team of doctors have also reached here and efforts are on to catch the leopard at the earliest," he added. Recently, on January 3, a woman died in due to a leopard attack. So far, three people have died, while a child sustained injuries, since December 2022 due to leopard attacks under Manendragarh forest division. (ANI) Ahead of Republic Day, Delhi Police is hunting for four other terror suspects, besides the two who were arrested last week from the Jahangirpuri area in the national capital, sources said on Tuesday. According to the Delhi Police Special Cell sources, the terror suspects recieved weapons from Pakistan through the drop-dead method and were in touch with their handlers on the other side of the border through a social media app. "Delhi Police looking for 4 other suspects. They received weapons from Pakistan through the drop-dead method and were in contact with handlers in Pak on the Signal app. They got weapons at an unidentified location in Uttarakhand which is being verified," sources said. This comes after two terrorists were arrested from the Jahangirpuri area in Delhi earlier in January who, according to the police, were tasked to carry out the targeted attacks in various states. In the latest development, the Delhi Police got information about the involvement of 8 persons in the module. The police suspect the possible presence of four suspects in India presently. "Their handlers sitting at the border sent instructions on the Signal app, after which they shared the location of the bag full of weapons through Google Maps. About 8 people are involved in this module of terrorists out of which 4 can still be present in India only. 2 terrorists were used to provide weapons and 2 were used to send the Google location of the weapons to their bosses by keeping the weapons at a particular location," sources said. According to sources, the weapons recovered from the terrorists were found at an unknown location in Uttarakhand which is now being verified. Meanwhile, the two terror suspects arrested from the Jahangirpuri area of the national capital on Thursday were assigned to carry out targeted killings of rightwing leaders on January 27 and January 31, sources in the Delhi Police claimed on Monday. The Delhi Police had earlier said it arrested two ''suspicious'' men and recovered two hand grenades from their house in the Bhalswa Dairy area of Jahangirpuri. The Special cell of the Delhi Police had arrested the two suspects -- identified as Jagjit Singh (29) and Naushad (56). They were produced before the Patiala House Court on Friday and sent to police remand for 14 days. Police sources later claimed that three rightwing leaders of Punjab and Delhi were on their hit list and they had even set a date and time to take out two of their targets. Further, according to sources, the suspects, now in police custody, had receed two of their targets and had even taken note of their movements and daily schedules. The sources added that the suspects were to receive Rs 50 lakh on killing the first target, Rs 1 crore for taking out the second and Rs 1.5 crore for eliminating the third. Both had received Rs 5 lakh as token money through hawala operators, sources claimed further. Police said they carried out a raid at their rented house at the Shradha Nand Colony in the Bhalswa Dairy police station limits on Friday, under relevant sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and recovered hand grenades. The police said they also recovered three pistols and 22 live cartridges from the suspects. A team from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) also visited the house and collected blood samples on Friday. According to sources, it is alleged that the suspects killed a person in the house and shared a video of the killing with their handler. The police said they were in the process of finding out who was killed. Delhi Police earlier said it has information that Jagjit Singh has links to Khalistani terrorist Arshdeep Dalla. He is also a member of the notorious Bambiha gang and has been receiving instructions from anti-national elements based abroad, the city police said, adding that he is also a parole jumper in a murder case in Uttarakhand. Naushad is also associated with Harkat-ul-Ansar (HUA), a terror group which is based in Pakistan and primarily operates in Jammu and Kashmir. He has been a life convict in two counts of murder and has also served a 10-year sentence in connection with a case under the Explosive Act. The accused took up residence at the rented house last year, during Diwali, adding that the construction of their own house is ongoing, according to the neighbours. (ANI) J&K Police and Army cordoned off the area in after gunshots were heard to nab the terrorists. "On specific input, the joint area domination party of Army & Police tried to stop one suspected vehicle, terrorists fired and in retaliation two terrorists were killed. Arms/ammunition recovered near Court Complex in District Budgam. Details shall follow," tweeted Kashmir Zone Police. https://twitter.com/KashmirPolice/status/1615218344956919808?s=20&t=Rzdr8pl1Cs0qb0D-18povQ Further details awaited. (ANI) Visiting high level delegation of China's Communist Party (CPC) on Monday promised that with regard to debt restricting, Sri Lanka would have "some good news soon". The delegation led by Vice Minister Chen Zhou, Head of the CPC International Department told this to Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena while assuring that China would stand by Sri Lanka in the current economic crisis. Responding to a query on China's assistance to Sri Lanka's debt restructuring, Chen Zhou has said: "Several Ministries and financial institutes of China are working closely on this issue for quite a long period. I'm confident that Sri Lanka will have good news very soon." "Sri Lanka is a very special friend of China and we are considering how we could assist Sri Lanka to get over the current crisis," Chen Zhou assured the Prime Minister. PM Gunawardena has said that Sri Lanka was looking forward to China's support in restructuring its debt at the moment and further strengthening its economy in the near future. Sri Lanka is desperately relying on $2.9 billion bridge loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that is expected to relieve country's crisis hit economy. But the region's super powers and leading creditors China and India are yet to announce their role on Indian Ocean island's debt restricting process. Recently, US Envoy for Sri Lanka Julie Chung stated that China is a "spoiler" as it keeps delaying in debt restructuring for Sri Lanka. The Chinese delegation also met President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Saturday and handed over letter from China's President Xi Jinping. During the meeting, President Wickremesinghe said Sri Lanka looks forward to China's support in restructuring its debt at the moment and its economy in the near future. Following China's CPC delegation, External Affairs Minister of India, S. Jaishankar is to visit Colombo on Thursday and media reports indicated that he is to talk about restricting of Sri Lanka's debt. "India is expected to give a positive response to Sri Lanka's requirements," media reports stated. --IANS sfl/pgh ( 349 Words) 2023-01-16-19:36:03 (IANS) United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for a probe into the killing of former Afghan parliamentarian Mursal Nabizada, who was shot dead in Kabul on Sunday. "I can tell you that the Secretary-General is shocked by the killings of Mursal Nabizada, a former member of the Afghan parliament, and a member of her security detail. This happened in Kabul yesterday," UN chief's Associate Spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay said during Monday's regular briefing for correspondents in New York. Guterres extended his condolences to the victims' families and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured. "The Secretary-General calls for a prompt, thorough, and transparent investigation and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice," Tremblay added. On Sunday, former Afghan lawmaker Mursal Nabizada and one of her security guards were killed in Kabul, Khaama Press reported. Kabul Security Department Spokesperson Khalid Zadran said that Nabizada, a former representative of Laghman province was killed by unknown gunmen in Kabul's 12th district. According to Zadar, unknown gunmen entered Mursal Nabizada's house in the "Ahmadsha Baba Mena" locality in the capital city. The gunmen shot dead two people, Khaama Press reported. Zadran said that those responsible had not been identified yet and the reason behind the killing remains unclear. During the attack, Nabizada's brother was also wounded. His family is, however, yet to comment on the incident. The Taliban representative said that further probe is underway into the killing of Nabizada. Nabizada, 32, was among the few female parliamentarians who stayed in the country after the Taliban seized power in August 2021. After the Taliban took over Afghanistan, it imposed policies severely restricting basic rights--particularly those of women and girls, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW). They dismissed all women from leadership posts in the civil service and prohibited girls in most provinces from attending secondary school. The radical Islamic outfit also imposed a ban on women from working in non-government organisations (NGOs). Several rights groups say Taliban forces have carried out revenge killings and enforced disappearances of former government officials and security force personnel. (ANI) The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Monday listed Pakistan-based terrorist Abdul Rehman Makki as a global terrorist under its ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee. This listing comes after China last year put on India's bid to name the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leader a global terrorist. In June 2022, India slammed China after it blocked the proposal to list terrorist Abdul Rehman Makki under the Sanctions Committee, also known as the UNSC 1267 Committee. "On 16 January 2023, the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning ISIL (Da'esh), Al-Qaida, and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities approved the addition of the entry specified below to its ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List of individuals and entities subject to the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo set out in paragraph 1 of Security Council resolution 2610 (2021) and adopted under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations," the UN said in a statement. India and the US have already listed Makki as a terrorist under their domestic laws. He has been involved in raising funds, recruiting and radicalizing youth to violence and planning attacks in India, especially in Jammu and Kashmir. Makki is the brother-in-law of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed. He has occupied various leadership roles within LeT, a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). He has also played a role in raising funds for LeT operations. In 2020, a Pakistani anti-terrorism court convicted Makki on one count of terrorism financing and sentenced him to prison, acccording to the US State Department. In the past, China has placed hurdles for the listing of known terrorists, particularly from Pakistan. It had repeatedly blocked proposals to designate Maulana Masood Azhar, chief of the Pakistan-based and UN-proscribed terrorist entity, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). (ANI) Nepal's newly elected Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal also the chairman of Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Center is set to expand his cabinet, one month after getting appointed to the post. On Monday evening, the top leaders of the ruling coalition agreed on ministerial allocations. The meeting of the chiefs of four ruling parties the CPN (Maoist Centre), the CPN-UML, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), and the Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) held at the prime minister's residence at Baluwatar on Monday reached the power-sharing deal. As per the agreement, the largest party in the coalition, the UML, will get a total of eight ministers along with two ministers of state; the CPN (Maoist Centre), which is leading the government, will get five ministries including the prime minister; and the Rastriya Swatantra Party and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party will get three ministries each along with one deputy prime minister each. The RSP will lead the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, and will also get one state minister. The party already has its chairman Rabi Lamichhane as deputy prime minister and home minister. From the RPP, its chairman Rajendra Lingden will join the government as deputy prime minister and energy, water resources and irrigation minister. Besides finance, the UML will get foreign, health, defence, agriculture and land management, among other ministries. But, according to a leader who was present at the meeting, there could be last minute changes in ministerial allocations before the swearing-in ceremony, which is scheduled for 1 am Tuesday. After Monday's meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane said the ruling coalition partners have finalised the ministerial allocations. But he did not disclose which parties got what ministries. "We will make the names public only after discussing today's decision in our respective parties," Lamichhane told journalists after the meeting at Baluwatar, adding that the President's Office has already been informed about the swearing-in ceremony. When asked if the Nagarik Unmukti Party and Loktantrik Samajbadi Party would also be joining the government anytime soon, he said, "It is unlikely that they will join immediately, but discussions are ongoing." According to him, the prime minister has called an all-party meeting for 4 pm Tuesday. JSP Chairman Upendra Yadav, however, said his party will not join the government now because it is not happy with the ministries offered to the party. "We have expressed our dissatisfaction over the power sharing deal," he said. Dahal, who was appointed the prime minister on December 25, was administered the oath of office and secrecy on the next day along with three deputy prime ministers and four ministers. Among three deputy prime ministers, UML's Bishnu Poudel leads the Finance Ministry, Maoist Centre's Narayan Kaji Shrestha leads Physical Infrastructure and Transportation and RSP's Rabi Lamichhane the Home Ministry. However, the four ministers three from the UML including Rajendra Rai, Jwala Kumari Sah and Damodar Bhandari, and Janamat Party's Abdul Khan have not yet been assigned portfolios. (ANI) United Nations Security Council has designated Abdul Rehman Makki, the brother-in-law of 26/11 mastermind and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed who has been given a safe haven in Pakistan, as a global terrorist under its ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee. India's perseverance has largely been responsible for the stepping up of international pressure to designate the Pakistan-based, LeT deputy chief Makki as a global terrorist. This listing is seen as a major win for New Delhi after China in June 2022 blocked a joint proposal by India and the US to get the UNSC to list Makki as a global terrorist. Beijing put a last-minute "technical hold" on the joint proposal to put Makki on the UNSC's 1267 list of terrorists linked to al Qaeda and ISIL. The move by Beijing was condemned by India as "extremely unfortunate." "On 16 January 2023, the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning ISIL (Da'esh), Al-Qaida, and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities approved the addition of the entry specified below to its ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List of individuals and entities subject to the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo set out in paragraph 1 of Security Council resolution 2610 (2021) and adopted under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations," the UN said in a statement on Monday. Resolution 1267 provides for sanctions against individuals and entities that support or finance the acts or activities of ISIL, Al-Qaida, associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities. Makki is the deputy leader of LeT, an organisation that was later renamed the Jamaat ud Dawa (JuD), as a terrorist. Just like LeT, the JuD is also a UN-designated terror group. Also known as Abdulrahman Maki, he served as the head of 'foreign relations' department of the LeT and a member of its governing body or Shura and contributed to raising money for the LeT operations. In India, Makki is on the UAPA list of designated terrorists and is wanted in for his involvement in the Red Fort attack in Delhi in 2000, the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, and attacks on security forces in Jammu and Kashmir. The US has also placed Makki on its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists and has announced a USD 2 million reward for information that would convict him. When it comes to counter-terrorism, Pakistan has made limited progress on the most difficult aspects of its 2015 National Action Plan, specifically in its pledge to dismantle all terrorist organizations without delay or discrimination, said the US State Department in its 2020 Country Reports on Terrorism. The country has failed to take adequate steps to counter-terrorism and prosecute terrorists including masterminds of the 2008 Mumbai attacks such as Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) founder Masood Azhar and LeT's Sajid Mir, the US-based report said. Moreover, China has also placed hurdles for the listing of known terrorists, particularly from Pakistan, repeatedly. The communist nation, an ally of Pakistan has blocked proposals to designate Maulana Masood Azhar, chief of the Pakistan-based and UN-proscribed terrorist entity, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). (ANI) After former Afghan parliamentarian Mursal Nabizada was shot dead in Kabul on Sunday, a group of Canadian Members of Parliament called for immediate action to bring back eight Afghan women MPs who are left behind in complete desperation in Kabul as the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan under Taliban rule have made the lives of people miserable, Khaama Press reported. Mursal Nabizada, a former Afghan MP, and her bodyguard were shot and killed in her house in the centre of Kabul, according to Kabul Police on Sunday. One of the few MPs who remained in Kabul when the Taliban retook power was Nabizada. The investigation regarding the killing of Nabizada is underway. In a joint statement, six Canadian MPs stated that they had been working on bringing the eight remaining Afghan women MPs to Canada for more than a year, according to Khaama Press. The statement further added that women and girls are not safe in Afghanistan, especially not these courageous female MPs who paved the road for Afghan women under the previous administration. "We urge the Canadian government to act on this matter urgently and take immediate actions to assist in getting these women to safety," the statement read. Moreover, Afghan women Members of Parliament from the previous government who remained in Kabul after the Taliban seized power in August 2021, now face immediate threats, Khaama Press reported. Under the Taliban's rule, Afghans' quality of life has drastically worsened, especially for women and girls. Women are increasingly prohibited from engaging in public spaces, sports, jobs, and education as time goes on. Since 15 August 2021, the de facto authorities have barred girls from attending secondary school, restricted women and girls' freedom of movement, excluded women from most areas of the workforce and banned women from using parks, gyms and public bath houses. These restrictions culminate with the confinement of Afghan women and girls to the four walls of their homes. According to a UNICEF report released in August, the fact that girls in Afghanistan are deprived of secondary education has cost the country's economy at least USD 500 million over the past 12 months, which amounts to 2.5 per cent of GDP. (ANI) (Corrects headline to clarify that Thunberg was detained but not arrested, spelling of town) LUETZERATH, Germany, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Climate campaigner Greta Thunberg was detained alongside other activists on Tuesday during protests against the demolition of the coal village of Luetzerath but the entire group will be released later in the day, according to police. "There is no reason to hold them for days. It might take hours or they will go immediately," a spokesperson for regional police in Aachen said, speaking about the whole group of demonstrators. Thunberg was held while protesting at the opencast coal mine of Garzweiler 2, some 9 km (5.6 miles) from Luetzerath, where she sat with a group of protesters near the edge of the mine. The clearing of the village in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia was agreed between RWE and the government in a deal that allowed the energy giant to demolish Luetzerath in exchange for its faster exit from coal and saving five villages originally slated for destruction. Activists have said Germany should not be mining any more lignite and should focus on expanding renewable energy instead. Riot police backed by bulldozers removed activists from buildings in the village with only a few left in trees and an underground tunnel by last weekend, but protesters including Thunberg remained at the site staging a sit-in into Tuesday. Thunberg was seen sitting alone in a large police bus after having been detained, a Reuters witness said. "We are going to use force to bring you to the identity check, so please cooperate," a policeman said to the group, according to Reuters footage. "Greta Thunberg was part of a group of activists who rushed towards the ledge. However, she was then stopped and carried by us with this group out of the immediate danger area to establish their identity," a spokesperson for Aachen police told Reuters, adding one activist had jumped into the mine. Story continues Thunberg was carried away by three policemen and held by one arm at a spot further away from the edge of the mine where she was previously sat with the group. She was then escorted back towards police vans. The Swedish climate activist addressed the around 6,000 protesters who marched towards Luetzerath on Saturday, calling the expansion of the mine a "betrayal of present and future generations." "Germany is one of the biggest polluters in the world and needs to be held accountable," she said. (Reporting by Wolfgang Rattay and Riham Alkousaa, Writing by Victoria Waldersee; Editing by Maria Sheahan, William Maclean) One person was taken to the hospital after a rollover crash in Preble County Monday. Crews were called to the intersection of state Route 503 and Pyrmont Road to reports of a single-car crash around 7:30 p.m. When crews arrived on the scene they found one car on its top with the driver still inside, according to Ohio State Highway Patrol. >> 2 taken to the hospital after 2 separate shootings in Xenia MedFlight was called to the scene but could not fly due to weather, troopers confirmed. The driver was taken to an area hospital by ambulance. Information about their condition was not available. We are working to learn how serious the drivers injuries are and what led up to the crash. We will update this story as we get new information. A 12-year-old girl had her leg amputated after she waited 10 hours in an emergency room for her fracture to be treated, according to a lawsuit filed against a New Mexico hospital. Meiah Tafoya fell while rushing to class at her middle school on Oct. 14, 2022, according to the complaint and a GoFundMe page organized by her mother. She went to the emergency room at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque where she waited for 10 hours before staff told her that she could not be adequately treated there and would need to transfer to a different hospital, according to the complaint, which names Presbyterian Healthcare Services, the company that owns the hospital, as a defendant. She was then taken to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where she underwent four surgeries, including having her injured leg amputated, according to the lawsuit. Had (she) been promptly treated at Presbyterian her leg would not have needed to be amputated, the lawsuit says. One or more of the surgeries she has undergone would also not have been necessary. A spokesperson for Presbyterian Healthcare Services said in a statement that the hospital had recently been served with the complaint. we will reserve comment on pending litigation for the appropriate venue, the statement says. The hospital wait When Tafoya went to the hospital on Oct. 14, 2022, she was given an initial assessment, including a leg X-ray, when she arrived, the complaint says. She was then told to wait, even though she was crying and visibly in pain, the complaint says. Her mother asked staff multiple times when her daughter would be seen, and they replied each time that they were busy seeing patients in more serious condition, according to the lawsuit. At some point during the 10-hour wait, the Tafoyas leg started to go cold. Her mother told an emergency room staff person, who said that they were still waiting on the results of her daughters X-ray, the complaint says. ... ER staff either did not read the X-ray or read the X-ray and did not promptly act upon the report, the complaint says. Story continues At no point during the wait did a doctor or nurse immobilize her leg, the lawsuit says. This contributed to internal blood loss and circulation issues, according to the complaint. A life changed Tafoya is now in a wheelchair and has not returned to school, Todd J. Bullion, a lawyer representing her and her mother, told McClatchy News. She is inspiring with her optimism and her bravery, he said. Its truly an inspiration talking with her and seeing her approach her therapy and everything, taking her best shot at living a happy and normal life. But the 12-year-old, who played trombone in the school band and enjoyed many activities, is now limited in what she can do and will eventually need to get a prosthetic leg. Her mother, Stephanie Sedillo, who is a single mom of four, has had to take a leave of absence from her job so that she can take care of her daughter full-time, according to a GoFundMe page. Bullion said the family is seeking damages to help cover the cost of Tafoyas medical expenses, as well as punitive damages. The family also hopes to prevent another incident like this from happening again. Youve got to push and advocate for yourself, but thats exactly what Meiahs mom did here, he said. She told the staff what was going on, what was wrong and it was just ignored. Our hope with this case is that were going to drive change here in New Mexico and make sure that this doesnt happen to anyone here again. 23-year-old dies in ambulance area after hospital ignores him for 7 hours, lawsuit says Doctor performs needless eye surgery that blinds patient, feds say. She will pay $1.8M Veteran who lost leg in motorcycle crash with Navy van to be paid millions, lawyers say A 13-year-old is behind bars after allegedly shooting and killing another 13-year-old in Clairton Monday night. According to Allegheny County police, the shooting happened in the 400 block of Wilson Avenue at around 9:19 p.m. The victim, 13-year-old Chase Jones, was pronounced deceased at the scene. Laquan Rich-Cabbagestalk, 13, has been charged with homicide in connection to the shooting and turned himself in to Allegheny County police Tuesday morning. According to a criminal complaint, four children, including Jones and Rich-Cabbagestalk, were playing video games The other two children, who police identified as classmates, told investigators they heard the gunshot, saw Cabbagestalk with a gun and then heard him say he was sorry before he ran from the home. Police say they found a handgun when they searched the area around the home. They say the gun had been reported stolen. Tuesday, 11 News spoke with Lee Davis, a violence prevention specialist, who stressed the need for counseling in communities where violence is more prevalent. We have to get trauma support in place and it cant just be a one and done we have to get parents and providers to understand this is very important, it has to be ongoing, Davis said. Davis, who works for Allegheny County, said if nothing else, parents and guardians have to get more involved to ensure that guns never fall into the hands of children. More parental involvement, more community involvement. We got to get back to the village, Davis said. Rich-Cabbagestalk is enrolled in the Clairton City School District, according to court documents. The district is closed Tuesday, according to a post on their website. Due to a tragedy that occurred in our community, school will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday January 17th. We thank you for your flexibility and understanding at this difficult time. Our condolences go out to all those involved. If your child is in need of counseling services, please contact your building principal, the message states, signed by Superintendent Dr. Tamara Allen-Thomas. Story continues Rich-Cabbagestalk is charged with criminal homicide and possession of a firearm by a minor. Hes currently lodged in the Allegheny County Jail awaiting arraignment. On Channel 11 News at 5 p.m., what a local advocate says needs to change to keep kids safe. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: Lisa Marie Presley death: What happens to Graceland? 13-year-old shot and killed, allegedly by another 13-year-old, identified 1 transported to hospital after train versus pedestrian incident in Fayette County VIDEO: 1 injured in Washington County house fire DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts Warning: Some posts include subjects of verbal abuse. Please proceed with caution. 1. "Throwback to when I told my boss I was in the hospital, and she sent me a paragraph saying she didn't understand why I couldn't work." 2. "My boss wanted me to come in on days that I requested off, then threatened me when I said no." 3. "I got yelled at for not checking my emails when I'm not at work. I'm salary, and easily reach 40 hours a week why should I be responsible for when I'm not at work? My boss then emailed the team and said we have to let him know when we are going to be out of contact during our time off." 4. "My former boss trying to tell people they have to clock out for bathroom breaks." 5. "My boss (who owns an insurance agency known for good hands) fired me because my mom died and my son had to quarantine on the same day." 6. "My boss sent out this email threatening discipline if we don't attend these weekly meetings, but I work nights from 7 p.m. to 7:30 a.m." 7. "I just started working here 3 days ago, and I received this in an email from my boss." 8. "My boss denied my medical request a month in advance, and it was the first time I've ever requested a day off." 9. "My boss refused to pay me for working 9 full hours." 10. "I texted [this to] my boss after I tested positive for COVID." 11. "I put in my notice because my boss asked me if I could change the day I put my dog to sleep." 12. "My abusive ex-boss emailed me today asking for code I already provided when I left 'by tomorrow.' I quit this job months ago." 13. "I asked my boss for a bonus after working overtime during one of the top 5 biggest events in my state." 14. "My 16-year-old daughter working her first summer job received this message from her boss." 15. "My boss went radio silent after I asked for my checks." 16. And: "I quit my job yesterday, and this was my boss's reply." Note: Some posts have been edited for length and/or clarity. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal noted that Ukraine expects to receive the first tranche of EUR 3 billion this week. This will help maintain macroeconomic stability going forward, he said. His action allegedly caused ammunition to detonate, ultimately killing at least three Russian conscripts and injuring a further 10. According to Baza, the explosion occurred in the building of the village hall. According to early reports, the soldier picked up the grenade initially "to win authority in the eyes of subordinates. The official is believed to have been working on a request from the Russian authorities, who claimed the children needed to be sent to Moscow for a family reunion. However, this transfer was done without the consent of the Ukrainian government, and the consent of the children was also not recorded. The official has been suspending pending an investigation. Minsk claims that the goal of the maneuvers is to increase interoperability during the joint execution of training and combat missions. During the exercises, Russian and Belarusian aviation plans to practice aerial reconnaissance, joint patrolling of airspace along the border, and aviation support of military groups. The Ukrainian military does not believe that these exercises pose an immediate threat to the capital. IAEA director Rafael Grossi said he is proud to head this mission to Ukraine, that will be deployed "in all of the countrys NPPs to provide assistance in nuclear safety and security. This expanded presence will be in addition to the IAEA presence already in the country, including a monitor stationed at the occupied Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. Story continues A rescue operation is underway, Turkish news agency Anadolu reported. No casualties or pollution is said to have occurred as a result of the accident. The vessel was en route from Ukraine to Istanbul under the flag of Palau, and is believed to have run aground due to a failure of the vessels rudder. Thats according to a new poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology. Additionally, almost 50% of respondents are sure that the end of hostilities will take place within six months to a year. More than 13% of respondents say that it will take several months. According to NABU, in his electronic income declaration for 2020, the legislator omitted information about a two-story duplex apartment and a parking space in the province of Alicante, Spain for EUR 190,000 (approximately $252,700 at the 2013 time of purchase). SAPO, in turn, reported that the lawmaker had failed to declare almost UAH 6.3 million in total assets (about $773,000 at the average 2013 exchange rate, or $172,279 on Jan. 16, 2023) in total. His whereabouts are currently unknown. According to the Ukrainian military, Ukrainian forces in and around the town are trying to bleed the enemy dry, as well as preventing a breakthrough of Ukrainian defense lines. Russian forces continue to insist that the town is captured, though footage of Ukrainian defenders in the area continues to appear on social media. The days long read: Six dangerous illusions about Russia Former Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko lays out the six biggest misconceptions Western policymakers still hold about the Russian state, and warns against building policy mired in illusion. Oleksiy Melnyk, director of foreign policy at the Razumkov Center, writes about the outlines of what a true victory would look like for Ukraine, and notes the possible conflicts that may occur between the Western and Ukrainian conceptions of peace. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Four men were arrested for suspected burglary early Tuesday morning. >> MORE: Dayton man killed in shooting at Dayton apartment complex identified Richmond Police in Indiana were called to a residence on Backmeyer Road after receiving reports of a burglary in progress, a spokesperson for the department stated. The responding officer was able to quickly apprehend a vehicle attempting to leave the residence, the spokesperson continued. The initial investigation revealed that the four men inside the vehicle were suspected of burglarizing the residence, the spokesperson said. All four were arrested for burglary, specifically Level 2 burglary, the spokesperson stated. The mens identities were released by authorities with the notice that all subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, the spokesperson said. A 40-foot sperm whale washed up dead on the shore of the Oregon coast, and officials believe a ship was likely the cause of the endangered animal's death. The sperm whale washed up on a beach just south of Fort Stevens State Park in northern Oregon Saturday, according to the Seaside Aquarium. A video shared by the aquarium showed large gashes in the whale that "had been dead for a while before washing ashore." Biologists on the scene performed a necropsy on the whale, and on Tuesday, officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's fisheries agency determined the cause of the whale's death. Speed limits in the ocean?: Massive ships are killing endangered whales each year. In this photo provided by Oregon State Parks, a dead sperm whale is seen washed up on the Oregon coast near Fort Stevens State Park in Clatsop County, Oregon on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. How did the sperm whale on the Oregon coast die? Officials said the whale was killed after it was struck by a ship and then washed ashore. "There was hemorrhaging, so that indicates that the animal was alive when it was struck," Michael Milstein, a spokesperson for NOAA Fisheries West Coast region, told the Associated Press. Biologists performed the necropsy where the whale washed up, examining the animal and taking samples in order to learn about the health and condition of the whale. Members of the NOAA's West Coast Marine Mammals Stranding Network removed the whales lower jaw and teeth in order to study them, but also to protect the remains from looters. "Sperm whale teeth and jaws are very prominent and quite lucrative on the black market. We removed the jaws so it did not get liberated by other means," Milstein said. The whale was an adult male around 20-year-old and "was generally in good health," Milstein said. In this photo provided by NOAA Fisheries, a NOAA employee conducts a necropsy of a dead sperm whale beached on the Oregon coast near Fort Stevens State Park in Clatsop County, Oregon, on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023, two days after it washed ashore. An endangered species Ships are one of the biggest dangers sperm whales face. There have been few instances of ships striking sperm whales, according to the NOAA, but the animals are known to "raft" the ocean surface for around 10 minutes, making them more susceptible to hits. The largest tooth whales in the world, sperm whales can be up to 60-feet long, weigh around 45 tons and live up to 60 years. They can be found throughout Earth's oceans, and usually are hunting for giant squid, sharks and other fish in the deep, dark sea waters, the NOAA says. Story continues The animal is listed as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act, as the population was badly decimated due to commercial whaling before the the International Whaling Commission banned commercial whaling in 1986. Officials believe the population is slowly increasing, but its unknown how many are alive worldwide. More: 21-foot-long Orca whale dies after beaching itself in Florida How can artificial intelligence protect whales?: Offshore wind company has a plan What will officials do with the sperm whale's body? Milstein said when whales wash ashore, they are often buried where they land. However he isn't sure if there is a plan to dispose of the carcass. The whale's body remains on the beach, but the Seaside Aquarium advises beachgoers to only look at not touch the body. "Any whale, dolphin, porpoise or pinniped can spread potential diseases to humans and pets," the aquarium said. Contributing: Claire Rush, Associated Press Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5. What's everyone talking about?: Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Endangered sperm whale found dead on Oregon coast was killed by ship The Kremlin denied responsibility for a missile strike on a central Ukraine apartment building that has killed at least 44 people, including five children. Russia claims Ukrainian air defense systems caused the damage. Hi, I'm Nicole with an update on Ukraine. National Police Chief Igor Klymenko said search and rescue operations have been completed at the site of the nine-story building that housed about 1,700 people in Dnipro. Sixteen children were among the 79 people injured 28 of them hospitalized, 10 in serious condition, Klymenko said in a Facebook update. Twenty people remain missing, including four children. Some people were trapped on upper floors, and some signaled for help with lights on their cellphones. There is no doubt: Every person guilty of this war crime will be identified and brought to justice, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said. On Monday, Ukraine authorities began "criminal proceedings" against Russian soldiers blamed for the missile strike. The Kremlin maintained the deadly civilian attack was Ukraine's fault: The Russian armed forces do not strike residential buildings or social infrastructure," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. "They strike military targets. More on the Russia-Ukraine crisis: Ukraines first lady Olena Zelenska scolded world leaders and corporate executives Tuesday at the World Economic Forums annual gathering in the snowy Swiss town of Davos for not all using their influence at a time when Russias invasion leaves children dying and a world struggling with food insecurity. Zelenska warned: We cannot allow a new Chernobyl to happen. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday that his country's military would increase its forces from the current 1.15 million servicemembers to 1.5 million by 2026. He also pledged to increase the number of training grounds including "in the new territories of Russia," apparently Ukraine. First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska delivers a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 44 dead in Ukraine apartments rubble MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) An attack by the al-Shabab extremist group on a military facility north of Somalia's capital on Tuesday killed five soldiers, officials said. Somali troops repelled the assault, killing 21 al-Shabab fighters. The group has claimed responsibility for the attack at the Hawaadley military facility in Xawaadley village in the Middle Shabelle region, 75 kilometers (about 45 miles) north of Mogadishu. Somalias Chief of Defense Forces Gen. Odawa Yusuf Rage said that the attackers were repulsed by the brave Somali soldiers who were on high alert." A senior military official, Col. Abshir Shataqey, was among those killed in the attack, Rage said. Abdi Hassan, a soldier who was at the military camp, told The Associated Press that 12 soldiers were wounded. He said that the military had prior intelligence about the attackers, including their vehicle license plates. Hassan said the morning attack started with a suicide car bombing at the camps entrance, and then two other suicide bombs exploded within the camp before a gunbattle ensued. Somalias government is leading what is being described as the most significant offensive against al-Shabab in more than a decade. The group has over the years held back the nations recovery from decades of conflict by carrying out brazen attacks in Mogadishu, and elsewhere. Police outside of a home in Goshen, California. Tulare County Sheriff's Office via AP A 6-month-old baby, her 17-year-old mother, and four others were killed on Monday in Goshen, California, in what law enforcement officials believe was an attack by a drug cartel. "The level of violence ... this was not your run-of-the-mill low-end gang member," Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux told the Los Angeles Times. The baby was found cradled in the arms of her mother, law enforcement officials said, and both had been shot in the head. An elderly woman and three men were also killed. Authorities said the massacre could be linked to a narcotics-related search warrant carried out at the residence last week. A man was arrested, and it is not clear if he was one of the victims found on Monday, Boudreaux said. Because of their injuries, at least two of the victims will have to be identified by DNA testing, he added. Two women who survived the attack told police that they spotted on surveillance cameras intruders coming onto the property. Authorities said they are searching for two suspects, but have not released any additional information. In a statement, Tulare County Supervisor Eddie Valero called the deaths "everyone's worst nightmare. These senseless acts of violence, especially with infants, children, and young adults, have no place in our communities." You may also like What is Blue Monday? Russia's weaponization of oil and gas exports to neuter Europe on Ukraine is backfiring badly Why are people angry about the new monument honoring MLK and Coretta Scott King's love story? FORT PIERCE St. Lucie County sheriff's detectives are investigating a shooting that left multiple people injured Monday during a Martin Luther King Jr. car show event. The incident happened around 5:20 p.m. at Ilous Ellis Park, according to the Sheriff's Office. Eight adults were shot and four others one of whom was a child were injured fleeing the scene, Tonya Woodworth, sheriff's spokesperson, confirmed Monday evening. One of the people shot was seriously injured, she said. This is an ongoing investigation and the Sheriff's Office is actively working on leads, Woodworth said. As of 10 p.m. Monday, no one was charged for the mass shooting, she said. Update:Woman dies after being shot at MLK Day car show in Fort Pierce, sheriff confirms Here's what we know:Mass shooting at Fort Pierce MLK Day celebration leaves 1 dead More from the shooting:Witness describes 'scary' scene in which 8 were shot Monday in Fort Pierce More than 1,000 people were at the event, according to St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Brian Hester. The event 772 MLK Car Show & Family Fun Day advertised live music, a local car show, kids bounce zone and more to honor and celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from noon to 6 p.m., a calendar listing said on the City of Fort Pierce's website. The attached flyer said the car show was at 3:30 p.m. There was at least one shooter, Hester said, adding he believes there is another involved. The shooting happened after a disagreement between two parties, according to a 10:30 p.m. update from the Sheriff's Office. "Its sad that during celebration of someone who represented peace and equality that a disagreement resulted in a use of guns and violence to solve that disagreement," Hester said. "... So many innocent people were injured or hurt that were not part of the disagreement. Mass shootings in 2023: MLK Day shooting in Fort Pierce is the 30th mass shooting in U.S. so far this year Story continues Two Sheriff's deputies were already on scene, working as security details for the event, Hester said. Neither of them saw who was shooting, he added. Hester referred to the scene as mass chaos. There were people laying behind cars, he said. It was kind of hard to tell who a victim was and who was just hiding. This story will be updated as more information is released. This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Fort Pierce, Florida shooting: 8 shot during MLK Day celebration BERLIN (AP) Police in western Germany carried Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and other protesters away Tuesday from the edge of an open coal pit mine where they demonstrated against the ongoing destruction of a village to make way for the mine's expansion, German news agency dpa reported. Thunberg was among hundreds of people who resumed anti-mining protests at multiple locations in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia a day after the last two climate activists holed up in a tunnel beneath the village of Luetzerath left the site. The German government reached a deal with energy company RWE last year allowing it to destroy the village in return for ending coal use by 2030, rather than 2038. Both argue the coal is needed to ensure Germanys energy security that's squeezed by the cut in supply of Russian gas due to the war in Ukraine. But environmentalists say bulldozing Luetzerath will result in vast greenhouse gas emissions. Germany is expected to miss its ambitious climate targets for the second year in a row. Amid the heated coal debate in Germany, the European Union pushed forward on Tuesday with a major clean tech industrial project designed to boost its plans for a greener future as the 27-nation bloc pursues the goal of being climate neutral by 2050. Elsewhere in western Germany, dozens of climate activists glued themselves to a main street in Germanys western city of Cologne and to a state government building in Duesseldorf. Near Rommerskirchen, a group of about 120 activists also occupied the coal railroad tracks to the Neurath power plant, according to police and RWE. Those who refused to leave the tracks were carried away, dpa reported. In addition, several people occupied a giant digger at the coal mine of Inden, while hundreds of other protesters joined a march near Luetzerath. The village itself was evacuated by the police in recent days and is sealed off. Once again, there were a few clashes with the police. Story continues Several activists ran over to the Garzweiler open pit mine, according to dpa. They stood at the brink of the open pit, which has a sharp break-off edge. Police said it was dangerous and people were prohibited from staying there. Thunberg had traveled to western Germany to participate in weekend demonstrations against the expanded mine and also took part in Tuesdays protest near Luetzerath. Police in nearby Aachen said a group of around 50 protesters got dangerously close to the rim of the mine and did not want to leave despite being asked to do so. All the people in that group had to be carried away from the edge of the mine and were then temporarily held to determine their identities, police said. Photos from the scene showed Thunberg was one of those whom officers took away. One protester was able to enter the mine, RWE said, calling the move very reckless, dpa said. A police spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity as is customary in Germany, said he was not permitted to give out any details on Thunberg or any other individuals who participated in the protest due to privacy rules. Police and RWE started evicting protesters from Luetzerath on Jan. 11, removing roadblocks, chopping down treehouses and bulldozing buildings. Activists have cited the symbolic importance of Luetzerath for years, and thousands of people demonstrated Saturday against the razing of the village by RWE for the expansion of the Garzweiler coal mine. ___ Follow APs coverage of the climate and environment at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment Jan. 16LEWISTON Keith Hamilton Cobb, an actor and playwright, shared an evocative, rousing call to action Monday for an audience of hundreds in the Gomes Chapel to kickoff the college's first in-person Martin Luther King Jr. Day since 2020. Best known for his roles in TV shows such as "All my Children" and "Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda," Cobb also received acclaim for writing "American Moor," an off-Broadway play that examines race, Shakespeare and America. "I don't suggest that any particular brand of activism is your job, or that if it is, it needs to be huge or sensational or internet worthy," Cobb said. "Rosa Parks simply said yes to saying no. And nothing was ever the same again. This is simply to say, should it one day dawn on you that it is your job? As inconvenient as it may be, you say yes." Activism, by its nature, is self-sacrificial, he said, noting that it can take many forms, both familiar and personal. Even "being wholly unapologetically who you are," is a form of activism, he said. But too many people have lived their lives avoiding discomfort, rather than embrace the life's purpose that is revealed to them, he later said. "Your radical yes need not be of the immensity of Martin Luther King's." He likened the world's current state to purgatory. "Neither heaven nor hell, it is designed to be just comfortable enough for you to forget that you don't like it," Cobb said. "That is its very definition and its inherent danger. Here is where our exceptional societies go to die." He challenged those in attendance not to "perpetuate sameness," but to create change. "Nothing but more of what this is that we're living already comes of your silence, your complacence, your doubting of your own intellectual agency, your stifled creativity," he said. "All men and women and the nonbinary are not created equal," Cobb said. "It's nonsense. What we are is equally human." Story continues The theme for Bates' MLK Day celebration this year was Art & Activism, the intersection of creation and change. Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Tyler Harper explained that it was an essay about civil disobedience written by poet and political activist Henry David Thoreau, which provided early inspiration for King, not a sociologist or political scientist as some might guess. "As Dr. King would later account, 'Here, in this courageous New Englander's refusal to pay his taxes and his choice of jail rather than support a war that would spread slavery's territory into Mexico, I made my first contact with the theory of nonviolent resistance," Harper recited. While Shakespeare may be little use in the operating room and reading Octavia Butler cannot teach us how to build a suspension bridge, Harper said that King "recognized the transformative power of art and activism, and of art as activism." "Black activism has reshaped our ability to love, listen and care for one another in restorative ways," said Sam Jean-Francois, Bates Class of 2023. "Complacency is a technology of white supremacy. It teaches us that racialization, exploitation and globalized anti-Blackness are natural parts of life, rather than the disrupters that they truly are." Beyond the keynote address, Cobb also led a viewing and discussion of his celebrated play, "American Moor," and facilitated a discussion about the legacy and racial politics of Shakespeare's infamous play, "Othello." "Speak your whole truth with all your voice," Cobb implored. "Emerge from the wilderness and deliver your epistles irrespective of who is ready to hear them. You are the bringer of light and change, not the jackass whisperer." Oleksii Arestovych, a non-staff adviser to Andrii Yermak, Head of the Presidents Office of Ukraine, has said that he has written a resignation letter after a "fundamental mistake". Source: Arestovych on Facebook Quote: "I have written a resignation letter. I want to show an example of civilised behaviour: a fundamental mistake [was made - ed.] , therefore I resign." Details: Arestovych has written a letter to Andrii Yermak, the Head of the Presidential Office. It is not yet known whether he has submitted a corresponding request to the Presidential Office and whether it has been granted. The adviser also "made a joke" under his own post on the social network. According to Arestovych, the last time he wanted to resign, a full-scale invasion had begun. After a Russian missile attack on a house in Dnipro, which has killed 44 people, Arestovych said that the missile was shot down by Ukrainian air defence forces, causing it to fall on a residential building. Russian propaganda and officials picked up Arestovych's words. After a public outcry, he had to apologise to Ukrainians and the victims of the attack. For reference: Arestovych is known for his "calming videos" as well as the statement that active combat actions on the territory of Ukraine will end "within 2-3 weeks". His phrases (and even his photo) often become memes. In 2017, Arestovych called the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) "a resort for boys". This statement caused a wave of outrage. Background: At the end of 2022, Andrii Yermak, the Head of the Presidential Office, said that Oleksiy Arestovych is in his place, has his own army of supporters, and communicates with them professionally. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! ALBANY Formerly incarcerated New Yorkers who are now making a difference in their communities will be honored Wednesday as advocates and lawmakers push for parole reforms. Supporters of a pair of bills that would overhaul the states parole system will celebrate the accomplishments of those who have served time and are now making a positive impact as they gather at the State Capitol. At the rally, state lawmakers will issue official proclamations to more than 30 of their formerly incarcerated constituents in recognition of their work and achievements post-prison, including mentoring young people, serving as HIV/AIDS peer counselors and addiction recovery specialists and running non-profits. The planned action is part of a push for the passage of the Elder Parole and the Fair and Timely Parole bills, two long-sought measures that would streamline the parole process and make it easier for older inmates to become eligible for release. Truly, its an honor to be able to formally recognize the incredible work of so many formerly incarcerated New Yorkers, whose contributions often go unseen, said Sen. Julia Salazar (D-Brooklyn), chair of the Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee. Many of those receiving proclamations from their elected representatives experienced firsthand the failures of government policies for much of their lives. According to the state Corrections and Community Supervision Department, more than 4,700 people in state prisons are considered older adults, meaning they are 55 or older. The Elder Parole bill would allow the state Board of Parole to conduct an evaluation for potential release for incarcerated people ages 55 and older who have already served 15 or more years. Last year, the Vera Institute of Justice reported that its review of 168 Parole Board hearing transcripts showed that most people who come before the board show significant signs of rehabilitation. Roughly 10,000 people a year appear before the Parole Board. About 60% of those people are denied parole. Story continues In roughly 90% of those denials, the Vera report said, the board refuses parole at least in part based on the original crime or vague concerns about public safety. Fair and Timely Parole would change the standards of parole, centering release on a persons rehabilitation while incarcerated, not on the original crime. Vanessa Santiago served 17 years in prison and now runs GIA Gift it Away, Inc., a mutual aid organization that provides free furniture and more to people in need. I knew when I was released that I wanted to be an asset to my community and I havent looked back since, said Santiago, who also serves as a Queens community leader for the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign. Of course there have been challenges, but persistence breaks down resistance. I organize with the RAPP Campaign because there are so many incredible women in prison I left behind, leading anti-violence programs and womens health programs and more, and I know they would do great work back home just like me if given the chance, she added. Backers of the bills argue that passage of the two bills together would be especially important for minority communities, since the overwhelming majority of prisoners in New York are Black or Latino. Currently and formerly incarcerated people have created some of the most effective anti-violence programs and victim awareness programs in our state, yet many are still languishing and dying behind bars with little or no hope of even being considered for release because of New Yorks outdated parole laws, said Jose Saldana, director of the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign. PARIS (Reuters) -Most trains will be cancelled in France on Thursday, with flights also affected and Paris' subway heavily disrupted, as part of a nationwide strike against the government's plan to make people work longer before they can retire. Opinion polls show a vast majority of French oppose the planned reform, which would see the retirement age pushed from 62 to 64, and Thursday will be a test of whether this can transform into a major headache for the government. Unions have called workers to massively walk out of their job on Jan. 19 and take to the streets across France. The government has said it will stand its ground and called on workers not to paralyse the country. Only one in three to one in five high-speed TGV lines will be operating, and only one in ten local TER trains, the SNCF train operator said. International traffic on the Eurostar and Thalys lines is set to be nearly normal, while the Lyria connection with Switzerland will be heavily disrupted and other international train connections will be entirely cancelled. In Paris, the vast majority of RER commuter trains will be cancelled, while three metro lines will be entirely shut down and many others will be disrupted, the RATP metro operator said. Meanwhile, one in five flights to and from Paris' Orly airport are set to be cancelled. The airport south of Paris, the city's second-largest, at this stage is the only one in the country where the strikes could lead to disruptions, a spokesperson for the DGAC aviation regulator said. Seven out of 10 teachers will be on strike in primary schools, the leading union SNUipp-FSU said on Tuesday, while other sectors, from refineries to banks, are also set to be on strike. France has a decades-long history of attempts to reform its pension system - one of the most generous and costly in Europe - and of protests to try to stop them. That worked in 1995, when millions took to the street in what were the country's most disruptive social protests since May 1968. But several other pension reforms have gone through since despite protests. Story continues The legal retirement age will gradually increase to 64 from 62, while the number of years of contributions needed for a full pension will rise faster than previously planned and will be set at 43 years from 2027, according to the government's plans. The reform is yet to be adopted in parliament, where President Emmanuel Macron does not have an absolute majority but is hoping to get the votes of the conservative Les Republicains. (Reporting by Tassilo Hummel and GV De Clercq; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Aurora Ellis) By Abdi Sheikh MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Islamist fighters from al Shabaab on Tuesday stormed a military base in a part of central Somalia they were forced from last year, killing at least seven soldiers, including the base commander, an officer said. Assailants from the al Qaeda affiliate rammed the base in the village of Hawadley with a suicide car bomb and then opened fire, Captain Aden Nur, a military officer in a nearby town, told Reuters. "We repelled al Shaabab. We lost seven soldiers, including our commander," Nur told Reuters. Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement, saying it had killed "many apostate soldiers and their commander". The base is located about 60 km (35 miles) north of the capital Mogadishu and was wrested from al Shabaab control in October last year by government forces and allied clan militias. The offensive, which began in August, has made significant gains. On Monday, the government announced it had captured Harardhere, an al Shabaab stronghold on the Indian Ocean coast that it had held for a decade. But as pressure on al Shabaab has grown, its fighters have struck back, stepping up gun and bomb attacks on the military and civilians, including in areas it has been chased from. The group has been fighting since 2007 to topple Somalia's central government and impose its strict interpretation of Islamic law. The insurgency has contributed to an acute food crisis in Somalia. More than 200,000 Somalis are suffering catastrophic food shortages, with some parts of central Somalia on the brink of famine. (Writing by Elias Biryabarema; additional reporting by Feisal Omar; editing by Aaron Ross and Nick Macfie) UPDATE: A 13-year-old shot and killed in Clairton has been identified. Chase Jones of Clairton was identified by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner as the teen shot and killed Monday night. Laquan Rich-Cabbagestalk, 13, been charged with homicide in connection to the shooting. According to the complaint, Jones, Rich-Cabbagestalk, and two others were playing video games in a home in the 400 block of Wilson Avenue when the shooting occurred. Rich-Cabbagestalk is enrolled in the Clairton City School District, according to court documents. The district is closed Tuesday, according to a post on their website. Due to a tragedy that occurred in our community, school will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday January 17th. We thank you for your flexibility and understanding at this difficult time. Our condolences go out to all those involved. If your child is in need of counseling services, please contact your building principal, the message states, signed by Superintendent Dr. Tamara Allen-Thomas. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as information becomes available. ____________ ORIGINAL STORY: A teenager was shot and killed in Clairton Monday night. According to Allegheny County 911, emergency crews were called to the 400 block of Wilson Avenue at 9:20 p.m. Once first responders arrived, they found a teenage boy suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. Anyone with information about this shooting is asked to contact Allegheny County police at 1-833-ALL-TIPS. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: Pedestrian flown to hospital after being struck by vehicle in Westmoreland County A sweet innocent life: Family looking for answers after woman killed in Ross Township hit-and-run A man of integrity: Family friend mourning 19-year-old shot, killed in Monroeville VIDEO: New Canon-McMillan Middle School opens for students DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts MILAN (Reuters) - Amazon does not plan to cut any jobs in Italy despite a drop in volumes last year, trade unions said on Tuesday after a video meeting with a company representative. Amazon.com Inc said earlier this month it planned to cut over 18,000 jobs globally and later disclosed it would shut three warehouses in Britain, sparking concerns there could be workforce reductions in other European countries. Italian trade unions FIT-CISL, Filt-CGIL and UIL Trasporti said in separate statements that during the meeting, called in response to news reports, an Amazon Italy manager said there was no reason for Italian workers to worry. The manager added that there would likely be cuts in the workforce in Britain and Spain, according to FIT-CISL. Amazon Italy declined to comment on the meeting but said the company stood by the comments made by Chief Executive Andy Jassy on Jan. 5 about its plans to cut over 18,000 jobs. (Reporting by Elvira Pollina, writing by Federico Maccioni; editing by Alvise Armellini, Jon Boyle and Jonathan Oatis) By Allison Lampert, Jamie Freed and Doyinsola Oladipo (Reuters) - U.S. and European airlines will benefit from pent-up demand for travel to China after its recent border reopening, but route approvals, fresh COVID-19 testing rules and not enough large aircraft remain barriers to rising sales, analysts and industry officials say. Travel is returning to China, the world's largest outbound tourism market worth $255 billion in 2019, after the country ended mandatory quarantines on Jan. 8. Airfares from China are now 160% higher than before the pandemic, data from travel firm ForwardKeys shows, due to limited supply. Iowa-based lawyer Jinying Zhan, 50, said he paid $1,600 for a one-way ticket in December to fly via Chicago and Dubai to Guangzhou. "I haven't visited my family in three years, so I will go to the spring festival with my sisters," he said. "Flights were very expensive." Before the pandemic, he used to pay $1,000 to $1,500 for a round trip direct flight from Chicago. A round-trip fare from San Francisco to Shanghai on United Airlines for a week-long trip in early March costs $3,852 in economy class and $18,369 in business class, according to a Reuters search on the airline's website. Global airlines are running only 11% of 2019 capacity levels to and from China in January, Cirium data shows, but the figure is expected to hit 25% by April. Booking website Expedia said it saw U.S.-China and Europe-China searches double after the reopening announcement. Chinese airlines, with ample staff and widebody planes, and a cost and time advantage of roughly two hours from flying a more direct route using Russian airspace, are expected to be early winners. But U.S. and European airlines, which have focused traditionally on the strong business travel market to China, and often cater more to the preferences of Western passengers, are poised to benefit from companies willing to pay a premium to rekindle face-to-face ties. Story continues Trips to China "are already on the books for many companies and travellers as they kick off a new business year," said Suzanne Neufang, chief executive of the Global Business Travel Association. APPROVALS NEEDED China's reopening comes as surging COVID infections have led the United States, Japan and others to require negative coronavirus tests from Chinese arrivals, discouraging travel. Since regulatory approval from both countries is required to add flights, at a time of U.S.-China trade tensions, short-term capacity could be limited, industry sources said. United, which had 584 flights to and from China in January 2019 according to Cirium, can now fly four times weekly from the U.S. to mainland China. United said it could add services pending government authorizations. Since Jan. 4, Air China, Hainan Airlines and China Southern Airlines have filed schedules with the U.S. Department of Transportation proposing to increase flights to as much as daily on some routes. "There are some things brewing," said U.S. Deputy Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg, but gave no further details on U.S. carriers adding more Chinese flights. Foreign carriers seeking to add flights to China require approvals from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, which did not respond to a request for comment. American Airlines said this week it would fly non-stop from Dallas to Shanghai twice-weekly from March, dropping a current stop in Seoul. However, other flights were paused as it assessed market demand and government regulations. Delta Air Lines expects to cautiously "rebuild capacity to China in line with demand starting later this year," President Glen Hauenstein said when the company reported quarterly results. China, which accounted for about 5% to 6% of long-haul travel from Europe in 2019, is also a key market for some European carriers including Germany's Lufthansa, Bernstein analyst Alex Irving said. But European and U.S. carriers may prioritize their widebody planes for lucrative trans-Atlantic travel this summer, leaving them stretched to accommodate fresh demand for China, said George Dimitroff, an analyst with Cirium. Many Western airlines parked large planes when international traffic plunged and production of new twin-aisle jets has been limited. (Reporting By Allison Lampert in Montreal, Jamie Freed in Sydney and Doyinsola Oladipo in New York; additional reporting by David Shepardson in Washington, Sophie Yu in Beijing, Nathan Gomes in Bangalore, Ilona Wissenbach in Frankfurt, Joanna Plucinska in London; editing by Ben Klayman and Chris Sanders) Andrew Tate, left, and Tristan Tate arrive at a courthouse in Bucharest on January 10. DANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP via Getty Images Andrew Tate's bodyguard described life in his entourage in an interview while his boss is in jail. Bogdan Stancu said Tate's Bucharest house thronged with women who thought they would marry him. Fooling women with a fake relationship is part of the "loverboy method" authorities say Tate used. Andrew Tate's bodyguard described how many of the women around him viewed the controversial influencer in an interview with the BBC. Bogdan Stancu, who has worked at Tate's compound in Bucharest, Romania for two years, told the outlet the women around Tate thought they would marry him. "Some of the girls misunderstood the reality and believed [they would] be his next wife," he said, describing their delusion. Stancu speculated, without giving specific evidence, that this could have led to the allegations against Tate. "When they realized the reality, it's easy to transform from a friend into an enemy, and make a statement to the police," he told the BBC. Stancu also told the BBC that he continues to support Tate, who is in jail while Romanian police continue to investigate him. There is another way to interpret Stancu's description of the women in Tate's circle. Wrongly believing you are in a relationship with somebody is a common feature of a type of human trafficking, which Romanian prosecutors have said Tate employed. They said he used the so-called "loverboy" strategy to manipulate women into creating porn for his online business. Romania's DIICOT investigations agency arrested Tate, his brother Tristan, and two Romanian women on December 29 for forming a criminal group. They face allegations of human trafficking and rape. A press release by DIICOT posted after Tate's arrest cited the "loverboy" method, which Umar Zeb, a senior partner at the law firm J D Spicer Zeb Solicitors, told Insider is common in trafficking cases. It works by "ensnaring vulnerable victims," Zeb said, and "tricking them into believing they are entering into a loving relationship." Story continues "Once the victims have essentially fallen in love, they are then coerced into various exploitative measures, including human trafficking for the sex industry," he said. Andrew Tate's Bucharest compound. DANIEL MIHAILESCU/Getty Images Tate has openly described how he recruited women for his business, in terms that closely resemble the loverboy method. For example, on his now-deleted website, he said he would get women to fall in love with him so "she'd do anything I say, and then get her on webcam so we could become rich together." Social media has played a huge part in enabling traffickers in the past few years, Zeb said when he spoke to Insider earlier for an article earlier in January. "Not only can victims be sourced more widely due to the reach, the methods of coercion have changed," he said. "What used to be a long-con, practiced over a lengthy time period, has now become a much quicker form of entrapment, as victims are threatened through blackmail, for example exposure of pornographic images, and violence." Stancu told the BBC he would "never doubt Andrew" and called the women who have come forward with allegations "young and stupid." Tate's lawyer Eugen Vidineac maintains that his clients are innocent, and disputes that there is any evidence against them. Vidineac also told Romanian outlet Gandul that Tate is not the "violent, uneducated, abusive character" he is thought to be, and argued what he has said on social media should not be used as evidence against him. Read the original article on Insider Andy Cohen is explaining comments he made previously about Jen Shah, the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City cast member who was recently sentenced to prison for her participation in a fraudulent scheme. The clarification came after CNN host Chris Wallace grilled Cohen, 54, about his previous comments, speaking to the "Watch What Happens Live" host in a recent interview. Wallace seemingly referred to a November US Weekly interview in which Cohen said he hoped Shah would not get jail time. Why would you take her side against the thousands of people she defrauded? Wallace asked Cohen in their interview, which aired Jan. 15. I think I was hoping that she was actually innocent, Cohen responded. I wouldnt have She pleaded guilty, Wallace interjected. That was before she pled guilty, that I said that, I would think? Cohen said. No, I think it was after, Wallace said. Cohen told Wallace, Look, I dont know what the context of me saying that was, but I think that the context was, people kept demanding of me, what is her status with the show? And Im like, its up to the judge. Shes about to get sentenced to a lot of jail time. On Jan. 17, Cohen further clarified his previous statements about Shah in a video in his Instagram story. In his Instagram story on Jan. 17, Cohen addressed his previous comments about Shah. (@bravoandy via Instagram) I got a lot of comments yesterday about the Chris Wallace interview, he said. The thing thats getting picked up is that I said that I didnt think Jen Shah deserved jail time, or I didnt want her to get jail time, or something like that. I just want to clarify the context of what I said, he added. I was saying it in response to people wanting to know if she was going to be back on the show, he continued. I knew that there had to be some context, and I should have asked (Wallace) what it was because the context is different from the quote on its own, as often happens, Cohen concluded. He then shared a screenshot of his quote to US Weekly about Shah from November 2022. Shes being sentenced on Dec. 15, so I dont know what to say to people who want her on the show, he told the publication at the time. I hope that she gets no jail time whatsoever and she can come right back but I have a feeling that shes not going to be available to be on the show. Story continues Shah, 49, was sentenced to more than six years in prison earlier this month after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The reality star was charged with participating in a telemarketing scheme that defrauded hundreds of people around the United States, according to a March 2021 press release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York. As part of the scheme, Shah and her assistant allegedly sold lead lists of contacts that their associates would then reach out to with so-called business opportunities that were, in reality, just fraudulent schemes, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a March 2021 statement. Shah was arrested in 2021 while filming the second season of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. This article was originally published on TODAY.com Shooting A man shot and killed a fellow customer at a north Phoenix eatery's drive-thru after being confronted about his time ordering, court documents say. Luis Fernando Parra Cruz, 39, of Phoenix has been charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Benigno Rivera Figueroa, 51, according to court documents. Parra Cruz was booked into jail Monday, and as of Tuesday morning, remained in custody on a $750,000 bond, jail records show. Just before 4 a.m., officers responded to shooting at the Julioberto's Fresh Mexican Food Restaurant drive-thru, located at 229 E. Dunlap Ave., and found a man with a gunshot wound to his head, according to police and charging documents. He died there, police said. A witness said a confrontation between Rivera Figueroa and his shooter ensued after Rivera Figueroa confronted the man in front of him at the drive-thru about "taking too long" at the window, according to court documents. The restaurant's surveillance video showed Rivera Figueroa got out of his vehicle and approached the driver's side window of an SUV. He, briefly exchanged words with the driver and then punched the window pillar, according to court documents. The man in the SUV then pulled out a black semi-automatic handgun and "immediately" fired at Rivera Figueroa at close range, charging documents detailed. The shooter was seen in the surveillance video talking with the drive-thru employee before driving off, according to court records. Witnesses said the shooter asked whether there were surveillance cameras in the drive-thru, court documents show. Investigators were able to identify Parra Cruz as their suspect through the license plate captured on the store's security video, according to charging documents. When taken into custody, Parra Cruz said he was acting in self-defense, according to charging documents. A .45 caliber handgun was retrieved from Parra Cruz's bedroom with investigators preliminarily linking it to the firearm used in the shooting at the restaurants, according to court documents. Parra Cruz's next court hearing is set for Monday, court records show. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Argument about time spent at Phoenix drive-thru leads to murder, arrest In the course of the past 24 hours, the Air Force of the defence forces of Ukraine carried out 10 strikes on clusters of manpower and military equipment, and a Su-25 attack aircraft was also shot down. Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, information as of 18:16 on 17 January Quote: "The enemy does not give up its intentions to seize Donetsk Oblast within the administrative borders. [Russian troops ed.] are concentrating its main efforts on conducting an offensive on the Bakhmut front. [Russians] are conducting unsuccessful offensive actions on the Avdiivka front." Details: During the day, the Russian occupiers launched four missile attacks, two of which hit a civilian target in the city of Kramatork, Donetsk Oblast. In addition, Russian forces launched 13 air strikes and carried out 23 attacks from multiple-launch missile systems. On the Kupiansk and Lyman fronts, Russian forces try to improve their tactical positions; on the Novopavlivka, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson fronts, the Russians are on the defensive. On the Volyn, Polissia, Sivershchyna and Slobozhanshchyna fronts, there are no significant changes, no signs of the formation of Russian offensive groups were detected. The Republic of Belarus continues to support Russian armed aggression, the rotation of Russian units undergoing training on the territory of Belarus continues. Russians deployed mortars and artillery to attack the areas of the settlements of Mykolaivka in Chernihiv Oblast; Atynske in Sumy Oblast; Veterynaryne, Lukiantsi, Staritsia, Hatyshche, Vovchansk, Rybalkyne, Nesterne, Zemlianky, Bolohivka, Kamianka, Dvorichna in Kharkiv Oblast. On the Kupiansk front, Russian troops fired in and around Kyslivka, Kotliarivka, Ivanivka in Kharkiv Oblast, as well as Novoselivske, Andriivka in Luhansk Oblast. On the Lyman front, the enemy used the entire range of artillery to attack the areas of settlements of Ploschanka, Chervonopivka, Kreminna, Dibrova in Luhansk Oblast; Terny and Yampolivka in Donetsk Oblast. Story continues On the Bakhmut front, Russian troops used artillery to fire on the areas of the settlements of Verkhnokamianske, Vyyimka, Bilohorivka, Vesele, Soledar, Krasna Hora, Bakhmut, Klishchiivka, Kurdyumivka, Druzhba, Zalizne, New-York in Donetsk Oblast. On the Avdiivka front, Avdiivka, Vodiane, Nevelske, Heorhiivka, Marinka and Novomykhailivka in Donetsk Oblast came under Russian fire. On the Novopavlivka front, Russian forces deployed artillery and mortars to attack the areas of the settlements of Vuhledar, Mykilski Dachi and Prechystivka in Donetsk Oblast. On the Zaporizhzhia front, over 10 settlements were affected by artillery fire, in particular, Vremivka, Novopil in Donetsk Oblast and Temyrivka, Poltavka, Malynivka, Huliaipole, Mala Tokmachka, Novoandriivka, Shcherbaky, Stepove, Kamianske and Plavni in Zaporizhia Oblast. On the Kherson front, occupiers continue terrorising civilians. In particular, Antonivka and Kherson were shelled by multiple-launch rocket systems, and civilians were injured. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Dan Evans clenches his fist during his victory over Facundo Bagnis (Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/AP) (AP) Dan Evans overcame the heat and Argentinian Facundo Bagnis to battle into the second round of the Australian Open. The British number two, who struggled with illness in the build-up to the tournament, was scheduled first up on what could be the hottest day of the fortnight. He toiled for nearly three hours to open up a two-sets-to-one lead before the threshold was met for a suspension of play that lasted three hours. On the resumption, Evans ensured he was not out on court for longer than was necessary, breaking serve in the seventh game for a 6-4 4-6 6-4 6-4 victory. The temperature was already above 30 degrees when play began, with Evans looking to repeat the result from the first round in 2017, when he defeated Bagnis in straight sets before making it to the fourth round. The 32-year-old Argentinian is ranked 91st and has never won a main-draw match in Melbourne so on paper this was a kind draw but Evans made a poor start, dropping serve in his opening game. He fought back well with a run of four games in a row but Bagnis was proving a dogged competitor and, although Evans recovered from 1-4 in the second set, a volley dumped into the tramlines allowed the Argentinian to level. It was nip and tuck in the third before Evans gained the advantage with a break for 4-3, and he took the set before organisers announced the heat stress scale had hit five, the mark where continuing play outside is deemed dangerous. Play finally resumed at 5pm, and Evans sealed the win after three hours and 29 minutes to set up a second-round clash with veteran Frenchman Jeremy Chardy. Camila Giorgi answered questions about her vaccination status in a press conference at Melbourne Park (Vince Caligiuri/Tennis Australia/AP) (AP) Italian player Camila Giorgi has denied obtaining a false Covid-19 vaccination certificate in order to compete in tournaments. Italian media reported last month that a doctor, Daniela Grillone, had named Giorgi as one of the people who came to her seeking fake documentation. Speaking for the first time about the allegations following a 6-0 6-1 victory over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the opening round of the Australian Open, Giorgi insisted she had done nothing wrong. The doctor has been investigated and she had troubles this year with the law a few times, said the 31-year-old, who is ranked 70th. I did all my vaccination in different places. So the trouble is hers. Not me. So with that, Im very calm. She (said) my name, of course, but there is more than 300 people who she give the names. Several countries on the tennis circuit required players to be vaccinated to enter in 2021 and 2022, including Australia and the USA. Giorgi admitted one of her vaccinations had been administered by Grillone and that she had used paperwork given by the doctor. But she denied deliberately seeking out false documents, saying: No, not at all. Giorgi, who reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2018, appeared not to understand when asked if she had attempted to check on the veracity of her vaccination or received an extra dose. By Jasper Ward (Reuters) - The Bahamas detained an increasing number of sea-borne Cuban migrants in 2022 compared with 2021, according to figures released to Reuters, as an economic crisis triggered an exodus from the Communist-run island. The Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) apprehended 623 Cuban migrants in 2022 compared with 17 the year before, according to RBDF figures provided to Reuters, with migrant interceptions picking up pace in recent months. Cuban vessels typically end up in Bahamian waters after being blown off course or navigating the wrong way while trying to reach Florida. Vessels are increasingly leaving from Cuba's central Ciego de Avila province, RBDF Commodore Dr. Raymond King told Reuters, an area that is closer to The Bahamas. "The number of Cuban migrants intercepted thus far has increased significantly during the past two months," King said, noting that 61 Cubans have been intercepted in Bahamian waters so far this year. Most Cuban migrants in 2022 arrived in the United States by the border with Mexico, though some still made perilous sea voyages. The frequency of vessel departures from Ciego de Avila has increased from two to six vessels on average per day, King said. There were also more Cubans onboard each improvised vessel, with an average of eight to 20 people. The expectation that the Biden administration would ease border restrictions known as "Title 42" was likely a factor in the increased migrant of 2022, he said. But the United States in January expanded Trump-era restrictions to rapidly expel Cuban, Nicaraguan and Haitian migrants caught illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, while allowing up to 30,000 people from those three countries plus Venezuela to enter the country by air each month. (Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington; Editing by Josie Kao) Pekic / iStock.com Gone are the days when you have to visit a physical bank branch to deposit a check, apply for a loan or open a credit card. And with the rise of online banks and neobanks, your choices of where to bank have expanded dramatically. But what does this all mean for you and your bottom line? Find Out: What To Know If You Deposit More Than $10K Into Your Checking Account Explore: Your Biggest Money Etiquette Questions Answered Heres a look at how the evolution of the banking industry affects consumers. Added Convenience and Flexibility The banking industry has undergone significant changes in recent years, with a shift towards digital banking and an increasing focus on user-friendly tools and customer experience, said Dennis Shirshikov, finance and economics expert and head of growth at Awning.com. Consumers now have access to their accounts 24/7 and can perform financial transactions whenever they want from wherever they are. For many people, this has been a major convenience, as it allows them to manage their finances on the go and avoid the hassle of visiting a physical bank branch, Shirshikov said. More Choices Another change in the banking industry has been the increasing availability of financial products and services. In the past, banks offered a relatively limited selection of financial products, such as checking and savings accounts, loans and credit cards, Shirshikov said. Today, banks and other financial institutions offer a much wider range of products, including investment products, insurance, and even online lending and wealth management services. This has given consumers more options and flexibility when it comes to managing their finances. In addition to being able to easily access more financial products and services, the availability of more options allows consumers to comparison shop to find the best accounts for their needs. Take Our Poll: Do You Think Bankruptcy Is an Acceptable Way To Escape Student Loan Debt? Easier Access to Funds Whether you want to take out a loan or send money to a friend, the rise of fintech firms has made giving and getting money much easier. Story continues Fintech firms have disrupted traditional banking models by offering innovative financial products and services that are often more convenient and cost-effective than those offered by traditional banks, Shirshikov said. For example, fintech firms have introduced new payment methods, such as mobile payments and peer-to-peer lending platforms, which have made it easier for consumers to manage their finances and access credit. New Risks While there are numerous advantages to being able to do all of your banking at the click of a button, there are also some risks involved. The shift towards digital banking has introduced new risks, such as the possibility of cyber attacks or financial fraud, Shirshikov said. Its important for consumers to stay informed and be proactive in managing their finances to ensure that they are taking advantage of the benefits of the evolving banking industry while also protecting themselves from potential risks. People Without Internet or the Non-Tech-Savvy Could Be Left Behind Another downside of the shift towards digital is that this could leave some people without access to banking. Theres an ongoing shift to digitize the banking industry, a concept which will take on a whole new reality as governments begin transitioning to central bank digital currencies, said Richard Gardner, financial technology expert and CEO of Modulus. This move will significantly affect consumers, particularly those who are aging and without technological access. More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Banking 2023: How Bankings Evolution Is Affecting Your Money The Indiana Senate race could perfectly encapsulate the Republican Partys internal struggles after a disappointing midterm. Jim Banks is diving into it first. With Mike Braun retiring from the Senate to run for governor in the Hoosier State, Banks is maneuvering to overwhelm any opposition early. But the four-term congressman and his allies are still preparing for a possible clash with Mitch Daniels, a two-term governor of the state who is weighing a bid of his own. I will be the first candidate in the race, Banks said in an interview about his bid for the seat. Mike Braun has been a good conservative senator and Indiana deserves a conservative senator to replace him. Theres more on the line than just a safe red seat. After November midterm voters rebuked several Trump-aligned candidates, the GOP is wrestling with its identity. The party is caught between two seemingly irreconcilable groups: a base animated by populist and provocative Trumpism, and influential independent and suburban voters. Indianas primary will be a vital marker for where the GOP ends up, regardless of whether Daniels runs. In some ways, the race has already begun, with Daniels already facing attacks from a wealthy outside group. And already its apparent where the fault lines would lie in a Daniels vs. Banks match-up. While Daniels called for a truce on social issues more than a decade ago, Banks is a pugnacious culture warrior who says Daniels view of issues is way out of vogue in the Republican Party. In the interview, he argued that social and cultural hot-button issues matter more than at any point in my lifetime. Hes vowing to prevent schools from teaching critical race theory, a framework that examines how racism has become ingrained in American institutions that most public schools deny teaching, and is pushing to restrict transgender athletes from competing in women's sports. I'll never be calling for a truce on social issues or cultural issues," Banks said, noting that Hoosiers are "looking for a fighter in the United States Senate," not someone who would call for a truce. Story continues The 43-year-old Navy Reserve officer and former state legislator, who is known for his sarcasm and wry smile, has risen steadily in the GOP, forging close ties with Speaker Kevin McCarthy over the years and leading the conservative Republican Study Committee. His bid to become GOP whip fell short last month, instead steering his ambitions to the prime Senate opportunity. Many Republicans see Banks as the favorite, but allies arent taking any chances. The conservative Club for Growth is running ads arguing that Daniels is not the right guy for Indiana anymore. Its a development that actually makes the former governor and Purdue University president more likely to take on Banks, according to Mark Lubbers, a close friend and adviser. He accused Banks of being up to his eyeballs in the [Club for Growth] smear campaign. For the sake of my friend Mitch Daniels, I hope he opts out of what these grifters have made of politics, Lubbers said. For the sake of my country, I hope Mitch runs and beats Banks to a pulp. In an interview, Club for Growth President David McIntosh said hes prepared to spend $10 million or more in the race. He likened Daniels to former Gov. Pat McCrory (R-N.C.), who the Club attacked relentlessly in the 2022 North Carolina Senate race. McCrory lost in the primary to Ted Budd, then a House Republican, and Budd went on to win the general election. If Mitch decides to run, it'll be like North Carolina, where it's the old Republican approach versus the new, more aggressive conservative base. And our donors are ready to take that on, said McIntosh, himself a former Indiana congressman. The Republican Party has changed greatly in the 10 years since Daniels left the governors office, shifting more toward Banks ideology, particularly when it comes to successful primary candidates. And while Daniels has strong name recognition in the state, moderates dont exactly dominate the Indiana GOP. Former Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) lost his 2012 primary to a more conservative rival, who then lost to a Democrat in the general election. This time, most Republicans think the primary is the whole ballgame. I'm endorsing Jim Banks, said Rep. Greg Pence (R-Ind.). He's got the energy, hes got the conservative bona-fides. Trumps now shaky stature within the GOP has Banks balancing his ties to the former president, walking a tricky line of seeking Trumps support and praising his past agenda while not yet fully embracing his presidential bid. Banks doesnt blame Trump for the GOP's underperformance in the midterms, instead castigating the party for not doing more when it last had congressional majorities. In a private call last week, Banks recalled telling Trump: I'd be very glad to have his support if hed give it to me. We'd love to have him come to Indiana to campaign with me. He's very popular." Daniels, on the other hand, spoke out when asked about MAGA Republicans in September. Like many rising conservatives, Banks went from voicing reservations about Trump in 2016 to leaning heavily on his relationship with the heavy-fisted president. He told POLITICO last July, before the midterms, that hed back Trump as soon as he gets in: If President Trump runs, he has my support. He echoed this view to other outlets as well days before the election, but then told Fox News Sunday afterward that hed save [his] endorsement for another place and time for the 2024 race. When asked in the POLITICO interview about whether he would endorse Trump, Banks said hes focused on launching the Senate race and presidential politics will come later. He similarly demurred on whether he would support Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell as GOP leader, calling it a hypothetical." And though Braun voted against McConnell for leader and is one of the most conservative votes in the Senate, his Indiana colleague takes a different approach. Republican Sen. Todd Young voted for bipartisan marriage equality, gun safety and microchip laws last Congress. Young will stay neutral in the primary and said Indiana is fortunate to have a deep bench of talented Hoosiers on the Republican side. And the field could get more interesting. Former Rep. Trey Hollingsworth (R-Ind.) could throw his name in the ring, and second-term Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) has signaled interest in the seat. I am not inclined to do it at this time, but many of my supporters would like me to still consider it, she said. I do not worry about who is in the race. Still, she may refrain from running if Daniels wades into the race, according to two Republicans familiar with the dynamics. Banks will make a show of strength this week, lining up endorsements from Reps. Pence and Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.). He is also expected to receive support from Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who he describes as a model senator. McIntosh said while the Club for Growth likes Banks, it's not officially endorsing yet. And Banks has a prime House perch as he fights for the Senate seat, leading the charge to push for spending cuts using the upcoming debt ceiling and government funding deadlines. He said his willingness to make moves like that will ultimately set him apart, whether or not Daniels makes the leap. I have one of the most fiscally conservative voting records in the House or Representatives. And we need more of that in the Senate, Banks said. DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) A trial in absentia opened Tuesday for Belarus' top opposition leader, who denounced the proceedings as a farce and urged the West to bolster support for the country's beleaguered opposition. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was the main challenger in the August 2020 presidential election that extended President Alexander Lukashenko's rule and was rejected by the Belarusian opposition and the West as a sham. Tsikhanouskaya, who left the ex-Soviet nation shortly after the vote under pressure from authorities, is on trial in absentia along with four other leading opposition figures. She is facing charges of high treason, conspiracy to seize power and undermining national security, and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Tsikhanouskaya said she learned from media reports about the closed-door trial, adding that she was unable to reach her lawyer appointed by the Belarusian authorities. "It looks like farce," Tsikhanouskaya told The Associated Press in an interview in Davos, Switzerland, where she is attending a global economic forum. I will be sentenced to years and years. The judge will give me so many years, as he is ordered to do. In Washington, Secretary of State Antony Blinken denounced the trial as politically motivated and said it relied on baseless charges. He said in a statement that the State Department slapped U.S. visa restrictions on 25 individuals for their involvement in undermining democracy. Those targeted include members of the National Assembly of Belarus who approved legislation authorizing the death penalty for people convicted of attempted acts of terrorism, a charge Blinken said is used to repress and intimidate the democratic opposition and civil society. We will not stand by as this regime continues to harass and repress peaceful protesters, the democratic opposition, journalists, unionists, activists, human rights defenders and everyday Belarusians, the statement said. Story continues In December 2021, Tsikhanouskaya's husband, Siarhei Tsikhanouski, was convicted and sentenced to 18 years in prison on charges of organizing mass unrest and inciting hatred, allegations which he rejected. On Monday, the authorities leveled new accusations against him. "The lawyer visits him once a week just to check if hes at least alive, because the conditions in prisons are awful," Tsikhanouskaya told the AP. He was put very often in punishment cells and when you are in prison, you do not have rights at all. Her husband, a popular video blogger and activist, planned to challenge Lukashenko in the August 2020 vote, but was arrested in May 2020, two days after he declared his candidacy. Tsikhanouskaya, a former English teacher, ran in his place. Tsikhanouskaya and other opposition activists rejected the official results that handed Lukashenko a sixth term in office as fraudulent. The vote triggered a months-long wave of unprecedented mass protests, the largest of which saw about 200,000 people taking to the streets of the Belarusian capital, Minsk. Lukashenkos government responded with a violent crackdown on demonstrations, arresting more than 35,000 and brutally beating thousands. The authorities have continued their repression, and 1,438 people in Belarus are in prisons on politically motivated charges, according to human rights groups. Tsikhanouskaya urged the West to state a clear strategy on Belarus and support the countrys opposition. She emphasized that backing the opposition is particularly important because Russia used Belarus territory to invade Ukraine last Feb. 24 and stations its troops and weapons on Belarusian territory. Tsikhanouskaya noted that opposition activists in Belarus help gather information about Russian troop movements, adding that we deliver this information to Ukraine. I dont want the world to overlook Belarus, to explain once again why Belarus is important, that without a safe, free, democratic Belarus, there will not be stable peace in the region," Tsikhanouskaya said. ___ Yuras Karmanau contributed to this report from Tallinn, Estonia. By Tom Balmforth and John Irish (Reuters) - Belarus put exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on trial in absentia on treason charges on Tuesday, in what the outspoken critic of veteran leader Alexander Lukashenko said would be a "farce and a show". Tsikhanouskaya, 40, fled Belarus after running against Lukashenko in the 2020 presidential election which was followed by mass protests over alleged electoral fraud. She faces a possible jail term of up to 15 years. Following a crackdown on protesters, she became the head of an opposition-in-exile and denounced the election after Lukashenko, in power since 1994, declared himself the winner. Tsikhanouskaya, who now lives in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, told Reuters in the Swiss resort of Davos that she did not expect the trial to be fair. "In Belarus there are no honest trials. We live in absolute lawlessness in our country so tomorrow's trial will be a farce and a show but not real justice," Tsikhanouskaya said on Monday in an interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum. She said she had asked for the necessary documents from the court-appointed lawyer, but had not received anything. The BelTa state news agency said the trial had started on Tuesday morning. Tsikhanouskaya and several others were to be tried on charges of treason and attempting to seize power, the court said before the trial. "Tsikhanouskaya, while on the territory of the Republic of Lithuania, proclaimed herself the winner of the last election... and the only national leader elected by the Belarusian people," the General Prosecutor's Office said. A day before the trial was due to begin, Belarus brought new criminal charges against Tsikhanouskaya's jailed husband, a 44-year-old video blogger, who was arrested in 2020 while attempting to run for office against Lukashenko himself. His arrest prompted Tsikhanouskaya to run for office in his place despite having no public profile, and she was allowed onto the ballot. Story continues Rights activists estimate about 1,500 people are in jail in Belarus on politically motivated charges. Lukashenko, a close ally of Russia who has been in power since 1994, is a pariah in the West and a close ally of Russia. Belarus also put rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Byalyatski, and two others, on trial this month on charges of financing protests and smuggling money. They could face from seven to 12 years in jail on charges of financing protests and smuggling money. (Reporting by Tom Balmforth in Kyiv and John Irish in Davos; Editing by Timothy Heritage) As the world's elite convenes in Davos, Switzerland, for the 2023 World Economic Forum (WEF), all eyes will be on the attendees gathering to discuss top political and economic issues. President Biden won't be among the WEF guests this year, though the U.S. is sending a delegation of officials. Meanwhile at home, the impending debt limit crisis continues to loom over Washington. Here are the top three stories in politics to watch this week: Sen. Chris Coons, Gov. Brian Kemp, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Sen. Joe Manchin, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, and Rep. Mikie Sherrill attend a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) Biden skips Davos President Biden is skipping the World Economic Forum and instead sending a delegation of officials, including Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and climate envoy John Kerry. Former President Trump did not attend the WEF in 2019 but appeared at the gathering of world elites in 2018 and 2020, despite pressure from his former adviser Steve Bannon to not be seen as too much of a globalist by attending the forum. With the exception of Trump's attendance, Biden skipping the event is not unusual for presidents in recent decades: Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and George H.W. Bush all skipped Davos during their presidencies. A number of senators will be in attendance, however. CNBC reported that Sens. Chris Coons (D-DE), Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) are attending this year's meetings. Yellen to meet with Chinese Vice Premier Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will meet with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He while traveling abroad in Zurich, Switzerland, on Wednesday, marking the first time Yellen will meet with her Chinese counterpart. The meeting this week follows up Biden's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last November on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Indonesia. It comes as China has faced increased scrutiny over its zero-COVID policies that prompted rare protests within the world's second-largest economy. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks at the Treasury Department in Washington, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) The U.S.-China talks also follow news that China's population shrank by 850,000 last year to 1.4 billion people the first time China's population has declined since the 1960s, according to CNN. Story continues New economic data showed that China's GDP grew by 3% in 2022, which beat analysts' expectations slightly but still notched the second-worst year of GDP growth in China since 1976, according to the Wall Street Journal. U.S. nears debt limit The U.S. is expected to hit its debt limit on Thursday, according to a letter Sec. Yellen sent to Congress at the end of last week. The Treasury Department will use "extraordinary measures" to keep paying the government's bills on time, but that will likely run out sometime toward the end of the summer. The so-called "X Date," when the government can no longer fulfill its obligations, is set to kick off what could be the most contentious political policy battle in quite some time. U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaks to members of the news media outside of a Steering Committee meeting at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, U.S., January 11, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis Conservatives argue that there should be cuts to entitlement programs, and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is signaling that Republicans will push to reduce government funding. Lets sit down together lets look at the places that we can change our behavior, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said in an interview on Fox News. Why would we sit back and be so arrogant to say, No, theres no waste in government? But that argument is not getting much traction from Democrats: "Fiscally demented" was how President Biden described Republicans on the issue when speaking at a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day breakfast in Washington on Monday. Kevin Cirilli is a visiting media fellow at the Atlantic Council's Global China Hub and the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue. Follow him on LinkedIn here. Click here for politics news related to business and money Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Download the Yahoo Finance app for Apple or Android Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, and YouTube [Source] Before you read: The White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI) launched the first-ever National Strategy to Advance Equity, Justice and Opportunity for Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) Communities. On Tuesday, a virtual event was hosted to release and discuss the latest strategy, which comprises action plans from 32 federal agencies, including all 15 executive departments in the Presidents Cabinet. In the summer of 2022, the agencies began action plans aligned with the Biden-Harris Administrations broader equity agenda, representing a historic first for the federal government. More from NextShark: Journalist critical of Duterte and Marcos administrations shot dead in the Philippines Senior Biden-Harris Administration officials and national community leaders discussed issue areas highlighted in WHIAANHPIs annual report and efforts to address anti-Asian hate, prioritize data disaggregation, promote language access and ensure an equitable COVID-19 recovery. Today signifies a historic commitment across government to advancing equity, justice and opportunity for our communities, said actor Daniel Dae Kim, a member of the Presidents Advisory Commission on AA and NHPIs. More from NextShark: China's 'Internet Queen' Sparks Outrage After Giving Baby Her Husband's Last Name Over the last few years of the pandemic, we have seen a disturbing uptick in violence and hate disproportionately affecting Asian American women and elders. From Atlanta to New York City to Dallas to San Francisco, our communities have experienced pain and trauma with lasting mental health impacts, including depression and anxiety. But history has also taught us how resilient and strong our communities are, and how the richest of our stories and lived experiences make up the very fabric of America. Story continues We hope this government approach gives our community access to resources, programs, funding and much needed support as our nation continues to recover from the health and economic impacts of the pandemic, he concluded The 54-year-old actor also urged the AA and NHPI communities to engage in the strategy by sending in ideas and feedback to the federal government. More from NextShark: 'Person of Interest' in Attacks of 3 Elderly People in Oakland Chinatown Identified, In Police Custody On May 28, 2021, President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 14031 as anti-Asian hate surged throughout the nation, re-establishing and reinvigorating the WHIAANHPI. During his administration, Biden directed the development of a government-wide interagency plan to advance equity, justice and opportunity for AA and NHPI communities. The WHIAANHPI focuses on seven strategic priority areas of concern: More from NextShark: Video of China plane carrying 132 passengers shows nosedive before mountain crash Priority 1: Promoting belonging, inclusion, and combating anti-Asian hate and discrimination Priority 2: Data disaggregation for AA and NHPI communities Priority 3: Language access for AA and NHPI communities Priority 4: Promoting equitable and inclusive COVID-19 response and recovery efforts Priority 5: Capacity building for AA and NHPI communities Priority 6: Federal workforce diversity Priority 7: Outreach and engagement to AA and NHPI communities Under the new strategy, information from the federal government will now be accessible in different languages to help the AAPI community. The Internal Revenue Service developed landing pages on IRS.gov in 20 foreign languages, including Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Vietnamese, Korean, Tagalog, Khmer, Japanese, Urdu, Arabic, Gujarati, Bengali, and Punjabi. Federal agencies have also begun working to provide greater funding to the AAPI community. In the last two years, the Small Business Administration has provided over $5 billion worth of loans to AAPI business owners. Federal spending from the Department of the Treasury and the Department of Agriculture on Hawaii and the Pacific Islands have also increased by over $80 million. Related Stories: On Monday morning, thousands of residents flooded the historic Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in southeast Washington, D.C. -- the throughway for the city's annual peace walk and parade in commemoration of the late civil rights icon. More than 120 organizations registered to participate in the parade, the event's first return to force since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. "Just don't give up the fight. And that's what it means for me today," Denise Rolark Barnes, co-chair of the MLK Holiday DC Committee, told ABC News. PHOTO: Attendees at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day peace walk and parade in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 16, 2023. (ABC News) PHOTO: A large group gathers to watch a wreath-laying ceremony at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Washington, Jan. 16, 2023. (Andrew Harnik/AP) "We have to continue to support each other, to fortify ourselves in the best way that we can," Barnes said of the significance of Monday's event. Organizers also warned of the commercialization of the national holiday that to many may be seen as more of a day off from work and school than a moment to reflect and engage in activism. "The holiday, as they say, is not a day off -- it's a day on," said Philip Pannell, executive director of the Anacostia Coordinating Council. "Dr. King said everyone can be great because everyone can serve. So if people can do something to help make this a better community, then we're keeping the spirit of Dr King alive," Pannell said. The peace walk and parade, attended by hundreds of area organizations and thousands of participants, commenced at the R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center, where groups geared up for a music-filled march ending at Anacostia Park in southeast Washington. The parade and walk featured bands and choreographed dance troops, and community organizations set up stands offering free food, coffee and personal care products for attendees. PHOTO: Philip Pannell, executive director of the Anacostia Coordinating Council, and Rev. Dr. Wanda Thompson of the Ambassador Baptist Church discuss the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day peace walk and parade in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 16, 2023. (ABC News) PHOTO: People sing during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Washington, D.C., Jan. 16, 2023. (Andrew Harnik/AP) Across Washington, President Joe Biden commemorated the holiday alongside Rev. Al Sharpton at the National Action Network's annual breakfast for King. In a keynote address, Biden touted the work that he said his administration has undertaken to improve the lives of Black and brown Americans. "We have a lot of unfinished work to do though," he said. "A lot of unfinished work. We have to keep building on it and defend our progress because of this new Congress." Story continues Biden, who also gave a sermon on Sunday at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist, where King had preached, highlighted investments in historically Black colleges and universities and Black-owned small businesses. He told the audience, including civil rights leaders and members of Congress, that the United States stands at an "inflection point" on King's project of racial equality. Martin Luther King III, right, the son of Martin Luther King Jr., accompanied by his wife Arndrea Waters King, left, speaks during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Washington, Jan. 16, 2023. (Andrew Harnik/AP) Biden received robust applause after noting his historic nomination of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to serve on the high court. "She's about the smartest one of all of 'em," he said. Of what he called unfinished promises, Biden said he didn't want to hear a word from "the other side" about his college student debt forgiveness program, which is being challenged in court. He criticized Republicans for what he called efforts to stall debt cancellation that would largely benefit Black students, 70% of whom, he noted, receive Pell grants that would be wiped out completely if his program is enacted. "The path is clear: To go forward, we need to go together. So let's be guided by Dr. King's light," Biden said, "and by the charge of scripture which is 'let us never grow weary in doing what is right.'" PHOTO: President Joe Biden speaks to supporters at the National Action Network's Annual Martin Luther King Day Breakfast, Jan. 16, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images) Vice President Kamala Harris marked the holiday at George Washington University, where she participated in a leadership and service event alongside students and staff and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. Harris said the holiday was an opportunity to "work toward the ideals upon which our nation was founded, that we still have yet to achieve but we get closer each day when we believe in what is possible." And at the National Mall, King's son Martin Luther King III, Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield and others gathered for a wreath-laying ceremony at King's memorial. ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett contributed to this report. Biden, Harris and thousands of DC residents celebrate MLK at local events originally appeared on abcnews.go.com WASHINGTON (AP) Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Tuesday that his country plans to "join the U.S. and Germany's efforts to train and arm Ukraine with advanced Patriot defense systems. Rutte signaled the Netherlands' intentions at the start of a White House meeting with President Joe Biden. The Dutch defense ministry said that Rutte's announcement came after Ukraine had asked the Netherlands to provide Patriot capacity. We have the intention to join what you are doing with Germany on the Patriot project," Rutte told Biden. I think that its important we join that." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address that the Netherlands had agreed to send Ukraine a Patriot battery. "So, there are now three guaranteed batteries. But this is only the beginning. We are working on new solutions to strengthen our air defense, Zelenskyy said. Rutte, who said he also spoke with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday about the potential assistance, was more vague about the commitment in his public comments. He told Dutch broadcaster NOS that his government is in talks about what exactly it can contribute. The Dutch military has four Patriot systems, one of which is not in service, according to the defense ministry. The idea is not only training, but also equipment, Rutte told NOS. He added that the Dutch military is now reviewing what exactly we have, how can we ensure that it works well with the American and German systems. He added during a forum at Georgetown University that the decision was a recognition that we all have to do more as Ukraine enters a critical phase in the war. Rutte spoke about the potential assistance as Ukrainian troops arrived at Oklahomas Fort Sill Army base to begin training on operating and maintaining the Patriot missile defense system. The Patriot is the most advanced surface-to-air missile system the West has provided to Ukraine to help repel Russian aerial attacks. Story continues Pentagon spokesman Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said that training will last for several months, and train 90 to 100 Ukrainian troops on how to use the Patriot missile system. Biden also used Tuesday's meeting to discuss U.S. efforts to further limit Chinas access to advanced semiconductors through export restrictions. The administration has been trying to get the Netherlands on the same page since the U.S. Commerce Department announced in October new export controls aimed at China. The restrictions are intended to limit Chinas ability to access advanced computing chips, develop and maintain supercomputers, and make advanced semiconductors. Together were working on how to keep a free and open Indo Pacific, and quite frankly the challenges of China," Biden said at the start of the meeting. Administration officials have reasoned that the export restrictions are necessary because China can use semiconductors to create advanced military systems including weapons of mass destruction; commit human rights abuses; and improve the speed and accuracy of its military decision making, planning and logistics. The Netherlands-based tech giant ASML is a major manufacturer of lithography machines that design and produce semiconductors. China is one of ASML's biggest clients. CEO Peter Wennink played down the impact of the U.S. export control regulations soon after the administration unveiled them last fall. ASML said last year that it expected company-wide 2022 sales to be around 21 billion euros. The U.S. has also been in talks with Japan on tougher export restrictions to limit the sale of semiconductor manufacturing technology to China. Rutte's visit comes after Biden hosted Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last week for talks. The U.S. and Japan, in a joint statement following meeting, said the two sides agreed to sharpen our shared edge on economic security, including protection and promotion of critical and emerging technologies. Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin last week called on Japan and the Netherlands to resist U.S. pressure. We hope the relevant countries will do the right thing and work together to uphold the multilateral trade regime and safeguard the stability of the global industrial and supply chains, he said. This will also serve to protect their own long-term interests. Biden praised Netherlands as one of the United States strongest allies, and one that's proven very, very stalwart in its support for Ukraine since Russia launched in its invasion in February. The Netherlands has committed about $2.7 billion (2.5 billion euros) in support for Ukraine this year. The money will be spent on military equipment, humanitarian and diplomatic efforts. The Netherlands providing Ukraine with Patriot assistance whether the weapons systems, missiles or training would be a major move for the NATO ally. The training of Ukraine forces now underway in Oklahoma is to focus, in part, on how to maintain the battery that will be sent by the U.S. to Ukraine once training is complete. Each system has multiple components, including a phased array radar, a control station, computers and generators, and typically requires about 90 soldiers to operate and maintain, however only three soldiers are needed to actually fire it, according to the Army. Some of the ongoing maintenance support, once the Patriot is on the battlefield, will be done remotely, Ryder said. The Dutch prime minister, for his part, praised Biden for leading the international effort to back Ukraine. I am convinced history will judge in 2022 if the United States had not stepped up like you did things would have been very different, Rutte said. ___ Corder reported from The Hague, Netherlands. Associated Press writers Lynn Berry, Tara Copp and Colleen Long contributed reporting. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said after meeting his British counterpart on Tuesday that Washington welcomed apparent progress in talks between Britain and the European Union aimed at resolving a post-Brexit trade row over Northern Ireland. Blinken and Britain's Foreign Secretary James Cleverly's talks at the State Department in Washington focused on support for Ukraine in its war with Russia but also touched on issues including ongoing talks regarding Northern Ireland. Blinken reiterated the U.S. position that there must be a negotiated settlement that is acceptable to all sides. "And we're heartened that in recent days the United Kingdom and the European Union have made substantive progress toward a negotiated solution," Blinken told a news conference after the meeting. Cleverly told reporters he updated Blinken on the negotiations, which he said were "conducted in good faith with a genuine desire to get resolution to these important issues." U.S. President Joe Biden, who often speaks with pride of his Irish roots, has underscored the importance of the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement that ended decades of bloodshed in Northern Ireland, although U.S. officials say Washington will not take sides over the rift. Britain and the European Union agreed on Monday to press on with talks, despite gaps remaining between the two sides, amid renewed optimism after months of deadlock and hostility. (Reporting by Simon Lewis and Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Josie Kao) (Bloomberg) -- A few Brazilians following Jair Bolsonaro in Florida, where hes been on vacation since before his term ended last year, have one message to the former Brazilian president: dont go home. Most Read from Bloomberg A group with about a dozen supporters gathered outside the home where he has been staying in Orlando, according to a video published by Brazilian website Metropoles on Monday. It was a throwback to his years in office, when Bolsonaro often had informal chats with supporters when coming in and out from his official residence in Brasilia. In the video, a smiling Bolsonaro cites a list of his government achievements to the group, who cheer him on with comments like youre the best. While the former president said last week he was planning on cutting his vacation short after a brief stint at a local hospital, he didnt acknowledge when one of his fans told him not to return to Brazil, where he is now being investigated for allegedly inciting rioters who stormed the nations capital on Jan. 8. Bolsonaros presence in the US is becoming a growing headache for President Joe Biden. In as letter last week, 46 congressional Democrats urged him to expel the conservative leader from the country, writing that the US must not provide shelter for Bolsonaro after supporters incensed by his allegations of voter fraud ransacked government buildings in Brasilia. Read More: Brazil Ups Pressure on Bolsonaro With Probe, Minister Arrest Bolsonaros former Justice Minister Anderson Torres, who was also vacationing in Florida, was arrested upon landing in Brasilia on Saturday as part of an investigation into his alleged role in Jan. 8 attacks. Story continues In the video, which runs nearly 2 minutes, Bolsonaro said he fells sorry for what happened on Jan. 8, an unbelievable thing. Wearing a puffer jacket, he also said he had a few missteps while in government, without going into details. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. The Telegraph The precise veracity of the large cache of intelligence documents that have apparently been leaked from the Pentagon might be open to question, but there can be little doubt about the negative impact that they are having on Ukraines war effort. Even if the release of the documents turns out to be part of a clever disinformation campaign by the Kremlins cyber-trolls, it could nevertheless prompt Ukraines high command to rethink its long-planned counteroffensive against Russian forces. By Sachin Ravikumar LONDON (Reuters) -Britain will seek to ban conversion therapy targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, cracking down on so-called treatments that claim to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. Culture minister Michelle Donelan said on Tuesday the government would publish draft legislation soon, setting out proposals to ban conversion practices in England and Wales. "The Bill will protect everyone, including those targeted on the basis of their sexuality, or being transgender," Donelan said in a statement. Conversion practices, which may include extreme or harmful methods, are aimed at suppressing or preventing a person from being gay or existing as a gender different from the sex recorded at birth. A 2017 national LGBT survey people found that 5% of respondents had been offered conversion therapy and 2% had undergone it, with over half of it done by religious groups. The British government said in 2021 it would introduce a ban on conversion therapy for LGBT people to prevent "abhorrent practices which can cause mental and physical harm", but later decided the ban would only cover lesbian, gay or bisexual people. Donelan said on Tuesday the draft legislation will aim to cover transgender people as well, and that the government will ask for pre-legislative scrutiny of the bill by a joint committee. Many campaigners have long called for a ban on conversion therapy, but others have argued that any ban should not outlaw conversations with clinicians or therapists helping people with gender issues. "The legislation must not, through a lack of clarity, harm the growing number of children and young adults experiencing gender related distress, through inadvertently criminalising or chilling legitimate conversations parents or clinicians may have with their children," Donelan said. Over two dozen health and counselling groups signed an updated memorandum of understanding last year, agreeing that "conversion therapy, whether in relation to sexual orientation or gender identity, is unethical and potentially harmful." Separately, Britain said on Monday it would block a bill passed by Scotland's devolved parliament that makes it easier for people to change their legal gender. (Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar; editing by William James and Bernadette Baum) The British comedian and podcaster Konstantin Kisin helped win over the crowd at a recent Oxford Union debate on wokeness by focusing on the example of climate activists who prefer showy displays of victimhood, such as the defacing of priceless works of art, to pragmatic approaches to addressing the problem. There is only one thing we can do in this country to stop climate change and that is to make scientific and technological breakthroughs that will create the clean energy that is not only clean but also cheap, Kisin said during his remarks. The only thing wokeness has to offer in exchange is to brainwash bright young minds like you to believe that you are victims, to believe that you have no agency, to believe that what you must do to improve the world is to complain, is to protest, is to throw soup on paintings. My speech at the Oxford Union is finally available. The debate was "This House Believes Woke Culture Has Gone Too Far". As promised, I didn't hold back pic.twitter.com/yV0bAPqAQB Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) January 13, 2023 Kisin laid much of the blame at the feet of progressives for ignoring the environmental policies of non-Western countries such as China and India despite their status as leading global contributors of CO2 emissions. If Britain was to sink into the sea right now, it would make absolutely no difference to the issue of climate change. You know why? Cause the future of the climate is going to be decided in Asia and Latin America: by poor people who couldnt give a sh** about saving the planet. Since the residents of developing countries will never sacrifice quality-of-life gains to combat climate change, the West should focus on innovating new technology that will make green energy cheaper, rather than pushing people to consume less energy, Kisin argued. Story continues Kisin followed the prominent American public intellectual James Lindsay. Although Lindsay is an outspoken critic of wokeness, he argued against the motion. Its not just that wokeness has not gone too far, Lindsay told the audience. It cannot go too far. Prior to the debate, campus reporting revealed that Oxford Union president Ahmad Nawaz had faced stiff internal opposition for hosting the discussion. One member, Kajaanan Vijitharan, told the university paper that the main reason for her departure was that I could not justify serving under a President whom I believed to be morally reprehensible. One example that comes to mind is, when the motion This House Believes Woke Culture Has Gone Too Far was proposed, multiple members of committee raised to the Presidents attention that the motion pandered to a right-wing ideology. The debate resonated with a raucous audience that interjected occasionally to note objections and saw Kisins side carry the motion by a margin of 89-60, the Oxford Student reported. Oxford Union, which defends the principle of free speech, is celebrating its bicentennial this year. The group reportedly held a motion on the right to offend earlier More from National Review Suspected mass killer Bryan Kohberger should get an F in his criminology class after the damning affidavit laid out evidence linking him to the murders of four University of Idaho students, according to a prominent criminal defence attorney. Duncan Levin, the former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan DAs office and attorney at Levin & Associates who has represented clients including Harvey Weinstein and Anna Delvey, spoke exclusively to The Independent about the strength of the criminal case against the 28-year-old PhD student. Based on the evidence outlined in the probable cause affidavit, Mr Levin said that Mr Kohberger did a poor job of covering his tracks and that the prosecution has a very strong case against him. In short he should get an F in criminology class, he said. He did not do a good job of covering his tracks. Mr Kohberger, who is presumed innocent until proven guilty at trial, is facing the death penalty for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin at a student rental home in Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November. He was tied to the murders through DNA evidence, cellphone data, an eyewitness account and his white Hyundai Elantra, according to the bombshell probable cause affidavit released earlier this month. At the time of his 30 December arrest, Mr Kohberger had just completed his first semester as a PhD student in criminal justice at Washington State University. For years, he had shown a keen interest in criminals and the criminal mind, studying criminology at DeSales University in his home state of Pennsylvania first as an undergraduate and then finishing his graduate studies in June 2022 before moving to the Washington-Idaho border town of Pullman to begin his PhD program. While at DeSales, he studied under renowned forensic psychologist and leading expert on the BTK killer Katherine Ramsland and also carried out a research project seeking to understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime. Story continues But, despite the suspects knowledge of the criminal justice system, Mr Levin said that the affidavit indicates investigators were able to find several damning pieces of evidence all pointing to him as the lone suspect. Its an exceedingly detailed probable cause affidavit and frankly its pretty surprising that the prosecutors would include the level of detail they included in it, he said. Bryan Kohberger enters Latah County Court in Moscow on 12 January for his status hearing (AP) Usually probable cause affidavits are very bare bones as at the early stage of the investigation the police and prosecution dont want to lay out the entire case to the defence. Here it was unusually detailed and I have to say looking at it it is a perfect case of where theres smoke theres fire. He added: Theres so many damning pieces of evidence. The information here all points to Kohberger as the only person to have committed the crime. The DNA evidence is one very, very important piece of information, Mr Levin said. The affidavit revealed for the first time that a knife sheath had been left behind at the crime scene on the bed next to the bodies of Mogen and Goncalves. DNA found on the sheath was matched to Mr Kohberger, using DNA obtained from trash taken from his parents home and a genetic genealogy database. As well as the DNA evidence, cellphone data suggests that Mr Kohberger stalked the student home at least 12 times in the run-up to the night of the murders, according to the affidavit. The exact dates and times of these instances were not revealed in the affidavit but all bar one were in the late evening or early morning hours. At the time of the murders, investigators believe Mr Kohberger then turned his cellphone off in order to try to avoid detection. However, cellphone data places him close to the home on King Road at around 9am on 13 November suggesting that he returned to the scene of the crime just hours after allegedly murdering the four victims at around 4am. One of the victims surviving roommates was also able to partially describe the killer to investigators after she came face to face with him in the home. Her description matched that of Mr Kohberger. Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle left to right (Zach Wilkinson/Moscow-Pullman Daily News/AP) He was also tracked down through his white Hyundai Elantra, after investigators said a vehicle matching that description was spotted at the crime scene at the time of the murders. On their own, each piece of evidence can be picked apart at trial, said Mr Levin but altogether it makes an extremely tight case. Any one of these could be drawn apart and attacked but when you put all of these strands together, you get an extremely tight case so far and it is still ongoing, he said. We dont know for example if theres more DNA in the Elantra. I expect the prosecution will take his car down to the studs and you cant possibly clean a car well enough these days to outsmart technology. Further evidence and the cases that both the defence and the prosecution plan to lay out will likely remain under wraps until Mr Kohbergers next court appearance in the summer. The preliminary hearing was scheduled for 26 June at the request of Mr Kohbergers attorneys. The entire week has been set aside for the hearing when evidence of the case against Mr Kohberger will be laid out for the first time in court and when he is likely to enter a plea on the charges. Until then, Mr Kohberger will be held behind bars at Latah County Jail after the judge ordered him to be held without bail. The motive for the murders is unknown and it remains unclear why Mr Kohberger allegedly targeted the victims, with no known connection between the four students and the suspect. The murder weapon a fixed-blade knife is also yet to be found. Generally, when a single insider buys stock, it is usually not a big deal. However, when several insiders are buying, like in the case of Cipherpoint Limited (ASX:CPT), it sends a favourable message to the company's shareholders. While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. Check out our latest analysis for Cipherpoint Cipherpoint Insider Transactions Over The Last Year In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when insider Carl Charalambous bought AU$254k worth of shares at a price of AU$0.024 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being AU$0.006). While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing shares. As a general rule, we feel more positive about a stock if insiders have bought shares at above current prices, because that suggests they viewed the stock as good value, even at a higher price. While Cipherpoint insiders bought shares during the last year, they didn't sell. The average buy price was around AU$0.006. This is nice to see since it implies that insiders might see value around current prices. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction! There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). Insiders At Cipherpoint Have Bought Stock Recently It's good to see that Cipherpoint insiders have made notable investments in the company's shares. In total, insiders bought AU$198k worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any sales whatsoever. This is a positive in our book as it implies some confidence. Story continues Does Cipherpoint Boast High Insider Ownership? I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Cipherpoint insiders own about AU$2.1m worth of shares. That equates to 36% of the company. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders. What Might The Insider Transactions At Cipherpoint Tell Us? It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchases. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. But on the other hand, the company made a loss during the last year, which makes us a little cautious. Insiders likely see value in Cipherpoint shares, given these transactions (along with notable insider ownership of the company). So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 6 warning signs for Cipherpoint (of which 5 are concerning!) you should know about. If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here Welcome to The Hills Campaign Report, tracking the latest news on campaigns and elections. You can expect this newsletter in your inbox Tuesdays and Thursdays. Email us tips and feedback: Max Greenwood, Julia Manchester and Caroline Vakil. Someone forward this newsletter to you? Subscribe here. McDaniel gets a boost from GOP donors While Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel may be facing a challenge to her leadership in the GOP, theres one group that she can count on for support: donors. In a letter obtained by The Hill, more than 150 Republican donors came out in support of McDaniel as she seeks another term as RNC chair, saying that her role in beefing up the partys fundraising and voter registration efforts should be enough to earn her another two years at the helm. Ronna is a tireless fundraiser and a trustworthy steward of donor resources, the donors wrote in the letter, which was sent to RNC members. We are confident her continued leadership will put us in the best position to conduct a smooth and victorious 2024 Presidential election. As investors in the Party and successful leaders in our businesses and communities, we believe Ronna should be elected to another term to continue this important work, which she will do with skill and determination, they added. The letter was a much-needed show of support for McDaniel by some of the GOPs most prominent funders. Among those who signed on to the letter were mega-donors like Steve Wynn and Liz Uihlein, as well as former Trump administration officials like ex-Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and former Ambassador to Slovenia Linda Blanchard. The context: McDaniel, who was hand-picked to lead the RNC by former President Trump after he was elected in 2016, is facing an open rebellion from many in the GOPs right flank. RNC members are set to meet in Dana Point, Calif. next week when theyll decide whether to give her another term as chair or replace her with someone else. Story continues Two other hopefuls are running for McDaniels job: RNC committee member Harmeet Dhillon and pillow salesman Mike Lindell, who has become one of the most vocal proponents of Trumps false claim that the 2020 election was rigged against him. Dillon is seen as the more serious challenger to McDaniel, and has also received public support from another group of Republican donors. Also worth noting: Trump isnt taking a stance, despite his close relationship with McDaniel, telling the conservative podcast The Water Cooler on Monday that he would leave McDaniel and Dhillon to fight it out. The 2024 Senate map Its no secret that 2024 is shaping up to be a tough year for Senate Democrats. Theyre defending more than twice as many seats as Republicans are, including in a handful of GOP-leaning states. Whats more, at least one Democratic incumbent, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), is retiring, and there are questions about whether others will do the same. Heres a quick look at the eight Senate seats that appear most likely to change party hands in 2024: Arizona: Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) is facing challenges from both sides after she left the Democratic Party to become an Independent. A three-way race could give Republicans a better chance to flip the seat. Michigan: Stabenows retirement gives Republicans an open seat to target, while Democrats still have to figure out who they want to succeed the longtime senator. Montana: Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) hasnt yet said whether he will run for reelection in 2024. At the same time, Montana isnt exactly a swing state. Trump carried it in 2020 by more than 16 points, while Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) won reelection that same year by 10 points. Nevada: Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) is facing her first reelection bid in the state that played host to one of the closest Senate contests in the country last year. Ohio: Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) won reelection in 2018 in a state that has lurched to the right in recent years. But Ohio has only continued to move toward Republicans since then, and Brown likely has a steep challenge ahead. Pennsylvania: Democrats may have pulled out a win in Pennsylvanias 2022 Senate race, but the states a perennial battleground that is sure to be a top priority for both parties come 2024, when Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) will face reelection. West Virginia: Like Tester, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) hasnt said whether he will run for reelection in 2022. If he decides to retire, it would almost certainly take the seat out of play for Democrats, given West Virginias deep-red hue. Wisconsin: Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) will face reelection in another perennial battleground where voters just reelected Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), a conservative Trump ally, in November. CHICAGO MAYORAL CANDIDATES READY FOR DEBATE Some of the countrys largest cities are set to elect their top executives this year, and topping the list is Chicagos mayoral race. Mayor Lori Lightfoot is seeking a second term in office after making history in 2019 when she was elected as Chicagos first Black lesbian mayor. But shes frustrated many progressives, who say that shes failed to deliver on her promises after nearly four years in office. Lightfoot now faces eight challengers, including Rep. Jesus Chuy Garcia (D-Ill.), who appears to be her most formidable opponent. All nine candidates are set to meet for a debate on Thursday, giving them a chance to make their case to voters ahead of the Feb. 28 election. It appears unlikely that the race will end then. A candidate must receive at least half the vote to win the election outright, and given the crowded field of candidates, that would seem to be a tall order. If no candidate emerges victorious on Feb. 28, the race will head to an April 4 runoff between the two top vote-getters Of course, Chicago isnt the only big city with a mayoral election this year. Houston, Philadelphia, Dallas and Denver are all slated to select new mayors in 2023. Caroline has a breakdown of those races here. DOLAN JUMPS INTO 2024 OHIO SENATE RACE Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) officially has his first big-name challenger. Ohio state Sen. Matt Dolan jumped into the race for Browns seat on Monday. Dolan previously ran for his states other Senate seat last year, but came in third place in the primary. Republican J.D. Vance ultimately went on to win that race against now-former Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio). A lot can change in thirty years, but in that time Sherrod Browns commitment to his party has remained the same, Dolan said in a statement. Together with Joe Biden, Sherrod Brown has kicked Americas problems down the road for a generation. Their time is up. Thats it for today. Thanks for reading and check out The Hills Campaign page for the latest news and coverage. See you Thursday. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A 10-month-old baby and his 16-year-old mother have been identified among the six victims shot dead in a cartel-style execution in a home in Goshen, California. Alissa Parraz and her infant son Nycholas Nolan Parraz were found in a ditch outside the home in the early hours of Monday morning. Both victims had been shot in the head, the young baby found cradled in his mothers arms. Police said that it appeared the mother had been trying to flee when she and her son were killed. Parrazs grandfather Samuel Pina told the Associated Press that he cant wrap my head around what kind of monster would do this, as he confirmed that Parrazs uncle, her dads cousin, and her grandmother and great-grandmother were also killed. Mr Pina said Parraz and her baby were living with her fathers side of the family in Goshen at the time of the attack. In a heartbreaking Facebook post, Parrazs mother Shyla Pina spoke out about the pain of losing her daughter and grandson who she was yet to meet. My heart is broken I am lost for words my beautiful daughter Alissa Parraz was only 16 teen and handsome grandson that I never got to meet in person was only 10 months old my kids family I hurt for u I dont wish this one any one, she wrote. Alissa mommy loves u and my grandson so much I miss u more then u know, I wish u were here in my hands. Investigators believe that two gunmen entered the address in Harvest Road, Goshen, and fired multiple rounds in the early hours of Monday morning. The Tulore County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said at a press conference that officers were called to the home just after 3.30am local time to reports of multiple shots fired. Actually the report was that an active shooter was in the area because of the number of shots that were being fired, he said. Teen mom and infant son killed in Goshen shooting (Facebook) Officers arrived on the scene to two victims dead on the street, and a third victim in the doorway. Three more victims were then discovered inside the home, one of whom was still alive and rushed to hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Story continues In totaln, six people were killed while another two people who were inside the home survived after hiding from the gunmen, officials said. Investigators are searching for at least two experienced kilers who targeted the family. We also believe this was not a random act of violence. We believe this was a targeted family, said the sheriff. The attack is believed to be gang-related, he added, coming just one week after police executed a search warrant for drugs at the family home. The search resulted in one arrest and the seizure of guns, marijuana and methamphetamine. I think its specifically connected to the cartel. The level of violence this was not your run-of-the-mill, low-end gang member, said the sheriff, adding that the killers who what they are doing. If [they] are specifically shooting everyone in the head, they know what they are doing ... [and] they are comfortable with what they are doing, he told The Los Angeles Times. Goshen is a semi-rural community of about 3,000 residents 35 miles southeast of Fresno in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley. HONG KONG China said Tuesday that its population declined last year for the first time in six decades, a historic shift with profound implications for the worlds second-largest economy. Officials from the National Bureau of Statistics said mainland China had 1.41175 billion people at the end of 2022, compared with 1.41260 billion a year earlier, a decrease of 850,000. There were 9.56 million births a record low birth rate of 6.77 per thousand and 10.41 million deaths. The announcement was part of a larger release of economic data for 2022, a year when President Xi Jinpings strict zero-Covid policies weighed heavily on growth. Officials reported a 3% increase in gross domestic product, beating expectations but still one of the weakest figures in decades. The economy is expected to improve in 2023 as China emerges from pandemic isolation, Kang Yi, director of the National Bureau of Statistics, said at a news briefing in Beijing. He also said that Chinas population decline was not cause for worry and that the overall labor supply still exceeded demand. The number of births in China has been declining for about a decade, undermining the ruling Communist Partys consumption-driven growth model and raising questions about whether China can overtake the U.S. as the worlds largest economy. The United Nations has said India will surpass China as the worlds most populous nation later this year. Chinas 9.56 million births are a decrease of almost 10% from 2021, when about 10.6 million babies were born. The death rate of 7.37 per 1,000 people was up from 7.18 in 2021, when China recorded 10.14 million deaths. As in other countries, a decline in births means an aging work force for China, which built its economic might largely on a manufacturing sector dependent on cheap labor. Officials said Tuesday that working-age people ages 16 to 59 made up 62% of the national population down from about 70% a decade ago while people 60 and older accounted for almost 20%. Story continues A major reason for Chinas declining population is the rise of the middle class, said Kent Deng, a professor of economic history at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Once you have well-qualified, well-educated urban people, they will decide not to produce a lot of kids, he said, especially given Chinas rising cost of living. Covid is also believed to have played a role, although China appears to have experienced the vast majority of its cases and deaths in the last few months. After international criticism that it has not been transparent about the severity of its current outbreak, China said over the weekend it had recorded almost 60,000 Covid-related deaths since early December, when it abruptly ended three years of anti-Covid measures after rare mass protests. Experts say the true death toll could reach 1 million or more in the coming months. Chinas total number of deaths from all causes in December is not yet known, Kang said, and is not reflected in the 2022 population statistics. The figures announced Tuesday are the start of what is expected to be a long decline in Chinas population, which the U.N. says could reach 800 million by the end of the century. The U.S. population, by contrast, is predicted to grow from its current 337 million, mostly through immigration. The worlds overall population reached 8 billion in November, according to the U.N. Although populations are declining in many countries, this is the first time Chinas population has contracted since 1961, after a three-year famine spurred by then-leader Mao Zedongs Great Leap Forward industrialization drive, which is estimated to have killed tens of millions of people. The country then experienced explosive growth through the second half of the 20th century, its population more than doubling. Concerned that overpopulation could hurt development, Chinese officials introduced a number of reproductive restrictions centered on the one-child policy, which was in force from 1980 to 2015. While the one-child policy was effective in curbing population growth, critics say it resulted in rights abuses and a disproportionate number of men compared with women, especially in the countryside. It also fundamentally changed Chinese ideas about family size, Deng said, as parents realized they could achieve upward social mobility by investing more in educating a single child. They can see the result, because they can send their kids to the best schools and then to the best universities, he said. Chinese officials have anticipated the demographic crisis, allowing couples to have two children since 2016 and up to three children since 2021. A national policy document issued last year encouraged employers to provide child care and flexible working arrangements and local governments to offer preferential housing and other incentives. Xi promised additional measures to increase the birth rate at a party congress in October. But the public has largely responded with indifference. A study published last year by the YuWa Population Research Institute, a think tank based in Beijing, found that Chinese peoples desire to have children was among the lowest in the world. On Tuesday, the hashtag boosting enthusiasm for childbearing begins with reducing the burden was a top trending topic on Weibo, a popular Chinese social media platform. The best way to reverse the trend, Deng said, is to provide family allowances of the kind offered by some governments in Europe. You need a lot of resources to persuade the young Chinese that it is actually profitable to have a second child, he said. The relative lack of support makes motherhood especially unappealing to young urban women like Beijing resident Nora Yang, who said she is 80% against having her own children. The working environment is really unfriendly to mothers, said Yang, 24. Once they have a baby, its really hard to make more progress in their career. Yang agreed with Deng that the government is not doing enough to change her mind. If Chinese officials really want to encourage children, they should give money to those who have more babies, she said. Otherwise theyll fail. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com By Brenda Goh and Mark John DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - China's Vice-Premier Liu He welcomed foreign investment and declared his country open to the world on Tuesday after three years of pandemic isolation. Liu's explicit pitch to global leaders gathered in Davos made it clear China wants international investors to play a key role in Beijing's attempts to revive its slowing economy. "Foreign investments are welcome in China, and the door to China will only open up further," Liu, a top economic tsar and confidant of President Xi Jinping, said. His speech to the World Economic Forum's (WEF) annual meeting mentioned "strengthening international cooperation" and "maintaining world peace" 11 times. Liu made his speech as the release of new population data sounded an alarm on a demographic crisis with profound implications for the world's second largest economy. New GDP data also showed economic growth slumped in 2022 to the worst level in nearly half a century. Liu's visit to the Swiss ski resort is the first trip abroad by a high-level Chinese delegation since Beijing abruptly began dropping its "zero-COVID" curbs that shielded its 1.4 billion people from the coronavirus last month. That policy also cut off China from the rest of the world for the past three years, stifling foreign investment. At Davos, Liu is sitting down with CEOs of finance, tech, consumer and industrial companies, a Chinese official familiar with the matter told Reuters. He will also meet other world leaders. In his speech, Liu said he had caught up with many old friends, having last attended Davos in 2018. Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers told Reuters he spoke with Liu on Monday for more than an hour, without giving details. On Wednesday, Liu will meet U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in Zurich for their first in-person meeting, although they have met virtually three time since she took office. Story continues Liu's speech was another sign of Beijing's increased engagement with other countries in recent weeks. A recent thawing of relations with Australia paved the way for China to resume imports of Australian coal after a three year halt. And in November, Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden met on the Indonesian island of Bali where they agreed to follow-ups, including a planned visit to China by Secretary of State Antony Blinken in early 2023. The visit by the high-level Chinese delegation to Davos also contrasted with the conspicuous absence of Russia, a key ally whose invasion of Ukraine China has refused to condemn. WILL THE WEST BITE? China's relations with the U.S. and its allies have grown more tense throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with Beijing and Washington sparring on issues from technology to Taiwan. The bosses of global investor Fidelity International and accountancy giant EY on Tuesday were among the business leaders attending Davos who voiced concern about a potential decoupling of the two economies. Liu's speech was aimed at addressing investor concerns, said Xingdong Chen, Chief China Economist and Head of BNPP Markets. "Liu He, on behalf of Xi, wants to clarify the policy confusion and misunderstanding, and to reassure the world China will continue the market-oriented reform and opening." The speech, he said, explained key concepts the ruling Communist Party has been pushing, such as the Chinese model of modernization and common prosperity. "It seems the new leaders are reversing leftward policy changes and re-embarking on Deng Xiaopings line of reform and opening," he added. Whether global investors and leaders buy into China's new sales pitch remains to be seen. U.S. Congressman Seth Moulton, also in Davos, said he was highly worried about China's stance on Taiwan. Moulton, a Democrat, said the shift in tone did nothing to allay his fears. Earlier, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe must seek to work and trade with China, rather than decouple from it. But she cautioned that Chinese subsidies were restricting access to the clean tech sector for European companies. In addition to zero-COVID, the Chinese economy has been squeezed by a crisis in its vast property sector and a wide-ranging regulatory crackdown on sectors from technology to education, which have in turn hit foreign investment sentiment. Liu referred to efforts by Chinese authorities to resolve a liquidity crunch in its real estate sector. He also said the country would continue to promote entrepreneurship and support the private sector, echoing recent signals from top Chinese officials that they would ease the crackdown. Beijing was confident that China's economy would likely return to its normal growth trend in 2023 and was expecting more imports, corporate investment and consumption, he added. He also called for more international cooperation, saying that more attention should be paid to the negative spillover effect of major countries' rate hikes on emerging markets and developing countries. He did not name the United States or the ECB, which have both hiked interest rates to stem inflation. Asked about China's current COVID situation, Liu said that it was now steady and described the speed at which people were recovering as a surprise. After lifting curbs, China has been hit by a wave of COVID cases that has emptied pharmacies, overwhelmed hospitals in many parts of the country and prompted some countries to impose entry restrictions on travellers from China. (Reporting by Brenda Goh and Mark John; Additional reporting by Lananh Nguyen in Davos, Eduardo Baptista and Ma Rong in Beijing; Editing by Leela de Kretser and Alexander Smith) A popular reality TV star convicted of fraud and tax evasion is set to serve her sentence in a Lexington prison. Julie Chrisley, 50, the star of her familys show, Chrisley Knows Best, was scheduled to begin her seven-year sentence at the Lexington Federal Medical Center on Tuesday at noon. Chrisley Knows Best is a reality show that followed the Georgia family, formerly known for their wealth acquired by real estate. The show ran for nine seasons. FMC Lexington is an administrative security federal medical center with an adjacent minimum security satellite camp serving 1,360 inmates, according to their website. According to court documents, she was sentenced to seven years in prison for 10 charges related to bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, tax evasion, wire fraud, and obstruction. She was allowed to self-report to the facility, court documents state. Chrisley was originally supposed to serve her sentence at a facility in Florida. Her husband, Todd Chrisley, 53, was also sentenced to 12 years in prison for similar crimes. He also self-reported on Tuesday to a minimum-security prison in Pensacola, Fla. MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Monday he would not accept any "order for the arrest" of his defense minister after a Guatemalan prosecutor accused the official of illegal acts. Earlier on Monday, the head of Guatemala's Special Prosecutor's Office Against Impunity Rafael Curruchiche said his unit would begin "legal actions" against Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez, a former UN anti-corruption investigator in Guatemala. While Curruchiche announced arrest warrants for several individuals, including Guatemala's former Attorney General Thelma Aldana, he did not say Velasquez had been issued one. Instead, the prosecutor said Velasquez would need to answer for "illegal, arbitrary and abusive acts" relating to an investigation into alleged bribery involving the Brazilian construction conglomerate Odebrecht. Velasquez, 67, led the UN-backed International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala from 2013-2019, drawing global attention in 2015 for the body's investigations into a criminal ring that implicated Guatemala's then-president, who resigned and was arrested. Velasquez "showed how to fight against corruption and we won't permit corruption to come after him," Petro wrote on Twitter, adding that he had summoned Colombia's ambassador in Guatemala to discuss the issue. On Monday, Velasquez issued a statement on the "alleged investigation," saying that he had not been notified of any requests from Guatemalan authorities involving him. "I have the peace of mind that the work carried out in the Central American country was done with total transparency and within the legal framework that supported CICIG's operations," Velasquez said in the statement. (Reporting by Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by Christian Schmollinger) Queen Elizabeth II, left, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on July 10, 2018. (Chris Jackson / Getty Images) In his memoir, Spare, Prince Harry spills more British tea than a certain band of revolutionaries did 250 years ago with results that may be just as upsetting to the current monarch as the Boston Tea Party was to George III. Many wondered if the tell-all, published last week, would contain enough new revelations to sustain public interest in the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, whose six-part docuseries Harry & Meghan premiered just last month on Netflix. The answer, so far, is a resounding yes: Spare is breaking sales records and has inspired more breathless headlines than virtually any other book in recent memory. When it comes to juicy anecdotes, Spare is anything but: No tidbit is too salacious, too trifling or too controversial to make the cut. The erstwhile prince writes about losing his virginity to an older woman in a field behind a pub, tripping on mushrooms in Courteney Coxs bathroom and sexy rendezvous with his now-wife, the former Meghan Markle, early in their courtship. He also offers more sobering details, like the exact number of people he killed while serving in Afghanistan (25) and the belief he clung to for many years that his mother, Princess Diana, did not die in a Paris car crash but had actually disappeared. And he is unflinching when it comes to his family, portraying the Windsors as a cold, dysfunctional and ruthless clan in which hugs are beyond the pale but leaking stories to the Sun about your own kin is standard practice. In Harrys telling, Charles is detached and relentlessly self-serving, William dull and peevish and Camilla a conniving stepmother straight out of Disney-villain central casting. For all his anguished soul-baring and scandalous confessing, though, Harry cant bring himself to identify, much less condemn, the real source of his woes: the monarchy itself. As I eagerly gobbled up every gossipy morsel about wedding seating Harry was willing to share, I kept waiting for him to go there and critique the institution that fostered such wild entitlement and bitter resentment in the first place. Story continues Instead, he spends nearly 400 pages building a de facto case against the very concept of a hereditary sovereign surely no one would choose to have an emotionally stunted dilettante like Charles in charge if they could but ultimately dodges the very pertinent questions he raises about the dynasty he once epitomized. For Harry, frostbitten todgers are fair game, but the M word is apparently the last real taboo. No one wants to hear a prince argue for the existence of a monarchy, any more than they want to hear a prince argue against it, he writes in the closing pages of Spare. My emotions are complicated on this subject, naturally, but my bottom-line position isnt. Ill forever support my Queen, my Commander in Chief, my Granny. Even after shes gone. My problem has never been with the monarchy, or the concept of monarchy. Its been with the press and the sick relationship thats evolved between it and the Palace. The claim that Harry who called his book Spare, after all has no problem with the concept of a hereditary monarchy, one that almost inevitably pit him against his older brother and his father against them both, seems disingenuous. He devotes many of the memoirs pages to detailing the ways, overt and subtle, he was made to feel disposable and inferior from the moment of his birth, for no reason other than William got there first. Early on, Harry recalls how their bedroom at Balmoral was divided into two halves his brothers larger and more luxuriously appointed. Later, in adulthood, this tension curdles in unexpected ways. William, allegedly resentful that he didnt get to pick what he wore on his own wedding day, tries to bully Harry into shaving his beard. Charles does not come off any better, looking the other way as his wife, Camilla, allegedly feeds stories to the tabloids about her stepsons in exchange for favorable coverage and constantly putting his personal interests ahead of theirs because, well, he can. The pettiness described in Spare is staggering, with inane disputes over lip gloss rising to near-constitutional crises. And British republicans, sensing a moment of opportunity to revive their campaign against the monarchy after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, have glommed onto the ugly family drama. Copies of "Spare" displayed at a book store in London earlier this month. (Kin Cheung / Associated Press) This row is destroying the monarchy and any sense of mystery or mythology that has sustained it in the past. We can now see very ordinary, unimpressive people who are prone to quick tempers, fits of violence and petty jealousies, said Graham Smith, chief executive of the anti-monarchist group Republic, in a recent press release. Harry has also highlighted the cruelty of an institution that raises children according to a rigid pecking order, telling the younger ones they must always defer to the rights and rank of their siblings. This is no way to raise a family, it is no way to govern a country." Indeed, it doesn't take a child psychologist to know that Harry grew up in an unhealthy environment, deprived of physical affection while being made to perform for the cameras. No matter how much you might love someone, you could never cross the chasm between, say, monarch and child. Or heir and spare. Physically but also emotionally, he writes. The older generation maintained a nearly zero-tolerance prohibition on physical contact. No hugs, no kisses, no pats. This, apparently, included moments of intense tragedy, like Dianas death. (Harry got a hand on the knee from his father.) When William embraced Harry upon his return home after a scary incident on the front lines in Afghanistan, it amounted to a flamboyant, unprecedented display of physical affection. Whether hes being willfully naive or is simply in denial, Harry also seems to believe there is a meaningful distinction between the British press and the institution of the monarchy. Yet the two organisms share a deeply symbiotic relationship, and function as interdependent parts of a system that preserves wealth and power for a scant few. Saying my problem is not with the monarchy, its with the press is like saying my problem is not with sharks, its with their teeth. And, on some level, Harry knows the institution is difficult to defend in a democratic, post-colonial era. As James Holt, a former palace spokesperson who now runs the Archewell Foundation, says in the first episode of Harry & Meghan: When you actually put [the monarchy] under pressure and you say that there is a family anointed by God, by blood, to rule over this country and other countries around the world, its a difficult conversation to have. And so in order for the institution to survive, it has to modernize, but it also has to have mass popular support. That support, in turn, depends on a constant stream of publicity most of it the good kind, celebrating the lavish weddings, jubilees and funerals but also the countless dutiful ribbon-cutting ceremonies. Put another way: The royals need the press to cover all their good deeds, otherwise we might start asking where those tiaras came from. And this dependence on publicity breeds paranoia and resentment within the family. Harry recalls a particularly tense Christmas at Sandringham, marred by bitterness over the Court Circular the annual record of the royal familys official engagements, which inspired the press to draw conclusions each year about who was a lazy mooch and who was a workhorse. Maybe the stress around all this stemmed from the overarching stress about the monarchy itself, Harry writes. The family was feeling the tremors of global change, hearing the cries of critics who said the monarchy was outdated. Harry may be reluctant to condemn the institution more forcefully because of how fully he seems to have internalized the imperialist mindset. He devotes nearly a third of "Spare" to his military service in Iraq and Afghanistan, without thoroughly contemplating the role of the British Empire in their histories. And some of the more cringeworthy passages in Spare pertain to his experiences in Africa, a continent he seems genuinely to love but writes about using naive cliches: In Africa all distance dissolved. All creatures mingled freely. He even admits to considering getting a tattoo of Botswana on his foot during a drunken trip to Las Vegas. Instead, he winds up back in the tabloids after losing a round of strip poker. Since they walked away from royal life three years ago, Harry and Meghan have assiduously rebranded themselves as progressive-ish celebrity philanthropists and multimedia entrepreneurs. Meghans Spotify podcast Archetypes aims to dismantle the labels that try to hold women back, while the docuseries Live to Lead, their second project at Netflix, earnestly profiles left-leaning icons like Ruth Bader Ginsburg. They earned their liberal cred, such as it is, by distancing themselves from an archaic institution and calling out unfair treatment Meghan received based on her race, class and gender. Yet the Sussexes have yet to renounce their royal titles. In an otherwise friendly interview for 60 Minutes, Anderson Cooper pointedly asked why they hadnt taken this final step. The (still) Duke of Sussex responded with a shrug: And what difference would that make? The answer is: a big one. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Republican lawmakers unveiled a series of policy proposals in Hartford on Tuesday aimed at reducing energy costs, increasing reliability and strengthening oversight of utility companies. Under their plan, Republican leaders said Connecticut families would save $362 million each year during a time of soaring fuel costs and rate hikes. Individuals are facing unbelievable choices in their life because they cant afford a basic necessity in this state, Senate Republican Leader Kevin Kelly said. We can do better, particularly now when we have the resources to meet that challenge. But we have to look at both short-term and long-term solutions. Republicans said their plan would immediately slash charges for all energy customers, diversify the states grid in the long term by expanding green energy options, and give rate regulators more independence and flexibility to protect consumers by separating the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The central pillar of the proposal would remove state-mandated charges that account for roughly 15 public policy line items from customer bills and shift the expense to the state budget a move that Republicans said would save the average Connecticut family $210 a year, and allow legislators to better vet the cost and benefit of each program. Specifically, the proposal seeks to nix the federally mandated congestion delivery charge and combined public benefits charge which fund certain state energy contracts, renewable and energy-efficiency programs, as well as electric costs for customers on education or financial hardship programs. On Connecticut energy bills, these show up as the FMCC Delivery Charge and Comb Public Benefit Charge for Eversource customers and Non-Bypassable FMCC per kwh and Combined Public Benefits Charge for United Illuminating customers. Thats an added cost to somebodys basic necessity, Kelly said. When people get their bills, they find other costs, other charges, other policy decisions that really rightfully belong in our general fund. For transparency and honesty purposes, those need to be on the budget, [and] off the bill. Story continues The Republican proposal comes on the heels of Gov. Ned Lamonts Energy Action Plan which looked towards the states wind farms and foreign energy sources to gain long-term sustainability capitalizing on federal and state-funded payment relief options to fill the gaps for residents struggling to pay bills this winter. One Republican-supported item on Lamonts agenda is the long-term goal of supplying Connecticut with Canadian hydroelectric power via a channel through Vermont. Republicans, including ranking member of the Energy and Technology Committee Rep. Bill Buckbee, said that a Hydro-Quebec partnership would diversify energy options in the state grid. On the point of increasing competition, Buckbee said that he also wants to examine the reason behind Connecticuts lack of utility options and talk to companies about why they no longer do business in Connecticut. Buckbee said he and his Republican colleagues are not looking to place blame, but to achieve solutions. Were not looking to throw rocks and throw bricks. We want to find solutions and thats the critical piece we have to do right now because were just saying its not, this isnt something that affects one part of the population. This is every single person. We all worry about paying the bills. We want to make sure that light goes on. So the reliability of the grid is huge. The affordability of the grid is huge. And of course, we want to make [it as] green and environmentally friendly as we can, Buckbee said. Sen Ryan Fazio, a ranking member of the Energy and Technology Committee, said that eliminating the states dual renewable energy classification and bringing all types of green energy, including hydropower, nuclear and trash-to-energy facilities, to the table would further this goal of sustainability and diverse competition. Fazio and others said they are not seeking to further politicize this issue and that they are prepared to collaborate with Democratic lawmakers to realize their goals. Connecticuts electricity costs have been far too high for far too long, Fazio said. This is an earnest attempt to actually reduce peoples costs and make Connecticut more affordable for everybody. Its not a political statement, its a solution, its a plan. Alison Cross can be reached at across@courant.com. Photo: Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket (Getty Images) Matt Schlapp, the chair of the American Conservative Union, has been sued by the same anonymous Republican operative who accused him of sexual assault at the beginning of the year. The operative was working on Herschel Walkers failed Georgia Senate campaign when Schlapp allegedly groped him in Atlanta. Schlapp was aggressively fondling the accusers crotch and made repeated unsolicited and undesired advances against his accuser, the lawsuit filed in Virginia alleges. The mans attorneys said the accusations are corroborated by extensive contemporaneous evidence in a statement shared with The Daily Beast. We intend to keep a singular focus: to demonstrated that Matt Schlapp is a sexual predator who assaulted our client, the accusers lawyers at Hyland Law said in a letter. Read more Schlapp has denied the allegations. This anonymous complaint demonstrates the accusers real agenda, working in concert with [The] Daily Beast to attack and harm the Schlapp family, Charlie Spies, Schlapps attorney, said in a statement to the Daily Beast. The complaint is false, and the Schlapp family is suffering unbearable pain and stress due to the false allegation from an anonymous individual. No family should ever go through this, and the Schlapps and their legal team are assessing counter-lawsuit options. Though the Daily Beast was the first outlet to report on the allegations, CNN, the New York Times and others have since done so as well. The operative is also suing Schlapp and his wife, former Trump administration employee Mercedes Schlapp, for defamation and conspiracy, according to the New York Times. The defamation charges stem from initial statements denying the allegations, as well as a group text (you read that right) sent by Mercedes Schlapp to her neighbors, saying the 30-something man was a troubled individual whod been fired for lying. Story continues So far, the conservative movement is standing behind Schlapp. The American Conservative Union and its board (which oversees the CPAC), said they have full confidence in Schlapp. We know Matt Schlapps heart and his character, ACU board members Charlie Gerow and Carolyn Meadows said in a statement on Jan. 6. And we believe this latest attempt at character assassination is false. More from Jezebel Sign up for Jezebel's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. gop conspiracies - Credit: Composite based on a photograph by Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc./Getty Images Republicans launched their control of the House of Representatives with a sprawling, paranoid new initiative: The Select Committee on the Weaponization of Government, an interrogation of alleged efforts to silence and punish conservatives across federal agencies. The undertaking signaled the obvious political goal among Republican lawmakers to score points against the Biden administration and their Democratic opponents. It also signaled something more ominous: that Republicans intend to use their newfound power to turn fringe theories into mainstream politics. The most noxious online conspiracies, the ones that a public official would once have been exiled for relaying and disseminating with any gravity, are now the focus of official congressional inquiries. The committee would also have full freedom to investigate any civil liberties-related issue and scrutinize how the federal government collected and used information about Americans, fueling right-wing paranoia about government overreach. But its not just this committee from which Republicans are launching conspiracies into the mainstream. Such thinking has leached into every corner of the GOP Houses agenda, from the first bills it passed to which Democrats will potentially be stripped of their committee assignments. More from Rolling Stone Some in the party are sticking to the old model use these to drum up controversy, and then pursue the usual Republican fare. For others, getting people focused on these theories isnt a means, its an end. Heres a guide to the conspiracies fueling the GOP-held House. The Covid-19 Lab Leak Theory And Other Pandemic Conspiracies House Republicans voted last week to establish a new panel under the House Oversight Committee to investigate the U.S governments response to Covid-19. The committee will interrogate the development of vaccines and treatments, a nod to unfounded vaccine skepticism that the GOP has embraced. Comer has specifically noted interest in investigating the effectiveness of the vaccines and the concerns that people are starting to raise with respect to side effects, he told The Washington Post last week, and has vowed congressional investigators would talk to the researchers and all of the people that were involved in vaccine development. Under Comers leadership, Oversight Republicans had also previously raised questions about the Surgeon Generals pandemic-related social media guidelines, which had been an effort to combat the disinformation now at the about the virus and vaccines. Comer had slammed the effort as actively censoring medical information and opinions on social media in a letter to Surgeon General Vivek Murthy last July. Story continues The committees chief preoccupation, however, is an unsupported claim that the pandemic began when the virus either created through bioengineering or obtained from bats escaped a lab in Wuhan, China. Both Comer and House Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) have asserted that Dr. Anthony Fauci and other Biden officials misled Americans about the virus origins because the alleged Wuhan lab received U.S. funding. Fauci was warned early on that the virus appeared manmade and pointed to a lab leak and instead of blowing the whistle may have attempted to cover it up, Comer alleged. Under the new panel, Republicans will investigate what the U.S. government knew regarding the origins of COVID-19 and when the government knew it, he said. The so-called lab leak theory has never been substantiated. There is no evidence that the virus had been in a laboratory prior to the start of the pandemic and peer-reviewed scientific papers have put forth overwhelming evidence that the pathogen likely lept from animals to humans. Nevertheless, Comer and Jordan sent requests to more than 40 government officials and academic scientists last month, including the president of the nonprofit that subcontracted a U.S. grant to the Wuhan laboratory and four co-authors on an academic study that concluded Covid-19 was not engineered in a lab. (Fauci, for his part, has previously said he has a completely open mind about whether the outbreak originated in a lab, though has pushed back against lawmakers who have asserted the lab-leak theory in past hearings.) The Disinformation Governance Board, an Orwellian Ministry of Truth The new Select Committee on Weaponization of Government has included the Department of Homeland Securitys Disinformation Governance Board among its targets, Axios reported. The defunct effort had been charged with stopping disinformation from misleading Americans about threats to their safety. Lets say that there was a deep fake video about how to access disaster aid or how to get out of a city during a disaster released by a malign actor like Russia, China or Iran in order to put Americans in danger, Nina Jankowicz, the boards leader, told NPR last summer. With an ominous-sounding name and a vague mandate, the board quickly fell victim to the very sort of campaign it was meant to combat. Right-wing lawmakers christened the effort as the Ministry of Truth, a nod to a government manipulation and propaganda effort in George Orwells 1984. Right-wing provocateurs, meanwhile, launched vicious, coordinated online attacks targeting Jankowicz. Just three weeks after the boards efforts began, DHS announced it would suspend it. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas conceded that the board could have done a better job of communicating what it is and what it isnt enough for the boards very brief existence to come under scrutiny from House Republicans looking to retread the falsehoods surrounding it. House Republicans have delighted over the prospect of grilling Mayorkas over his agencys border enforcement efforts. This is yet another reason to haul him up to the Hill. Rep. Eric Swalwells Ties To A Chinese Spy Almost a decade ago, the FBI informed the California Democrat that one of his campaign volunteers was working for Chinese intelligence. Swalwell cooperated with the FBI to remove the spy from the country and privately informed then-Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Intelligence Committee chair Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) of his efforts. That was the end of it until a Trump intelligence official leaked details of the episode in 2020. The FBI repeatedly stressed that Swalwell did nothing wrong, but that didnt stop conspiracies about Swalwells ties from taking root. Now, McCarthy is repeating those claims as rationale for removing Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee. If you got the briefing I got from the FBI, you wouldnt have Swalwell on any committee, McCarthy said during a press conference on Thursday. My cooperation was leaked out of vengeance for my role in impeachment and is now weaponized by McCarthy as political payback, Swalwell tells Rolling Stone. The consequences are bigger than losing a committee seat: Swalwell has been fielding thousands of death threats to me and my family over McCarthys elevation of dubious ties. The Justice Departments Investigation of Conservative Parents as Domestic Terrorists Speaker McCarthy said that the new Select Committee on the Weaponization of Government will be tasked, in part, with interrogating how the Justice Department treated conservative protesters at school board meetings. The mandate stems from a warped interpretation of a memo Attorney General Merrick Garland issued in October 2021 that noted a disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school officials and staff and asked the FBI to discuss strategies for addressing threats. The disturbing spike arose at a moment when conservative parents had inundated school board meetings across the country under the banner of parents rights, a catchall for the anti-mask mandate, anti-critical race theory, anti-LBGTQ sentiment that emerged during the pandemic. Republicans claimed Garlands words equated concerned parents with domestic terrorists, as Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.) said at the time, though no such assertion was made. It nevertheless became the Republican line: Why did he go after parents, and call them terrorists, simply because they wanted to go to a school board meeting? he told Fox News last year. Now, that false claim becomes a point of interrogation against Garland and his agency. 87,000 Internal Revenue Service Agents Our very first bill will repeal the funding for 87,000 new IRS agents, McCarthy promised after he finally ascended to the speakership. He made good on that vow when House Republicans voted last week to strip $71 billion from the IRS budget. Promises made, promises kept, it seems save for the fact that the Biden administration never set out to hire 87,000 IRS agents to go after families and small businesses, as Republicans alleged in a one-page description of their legislation. The conspiratorial claim took hold after Democrats added funding to the IRS last year to hire some new IRS agents to scrutinize the wealthy and businesses, not the middle class, for underpaying on taxes. GOP lawmakers nevertheless began pushing the talking point that nearly 90,000 mostly armed new agents would hunt down and kill middle class taxpayers that dont pay enough, as Fox News commentator Brian Kilmeade put it. (In fact, only a fraction of IRS agents carry firearms.) Though Republicans have enshrined the falsehood in its first legislative act, the effort goes no further: The Democrat-controlled Senate refuses to take up the bill and Biden has vowed to veto it. Big Tech Censorship When Republicans assumed control of the chamber, there were obvious claims on which the party would train its attention, such as lawmakers obsession with Hunter Biden, his laptop, and whether Big Tech coordinated with Democrats to suppress important details about it before the 2020 presidential election. That effort began in earnest last week when House Oversight Committee chair James Comer (R-Ky.) sent letters to three former Twitter executives demanding details on the incident. But Hunter Bidens laptop is but a narrow slice of the larger GOP conspiracies over Big Tech censorship. The origins of the new Weaponization of Government panel come, in part, from revelations shared in the Twitter Files, a collaboration between Twitter owner Elon Musk and conservative journalists to illustrate cooperation between government agencies and social media platforms to achieve that objective. Jordan and Comer jointly wrote letters in December to top tech platforms to inquire about collusion with the Biden administration on the suppression of conservative voices in December. Best of Rolling Stone Click here to read the full article. Daniel Ambriz, 43, and Drew Ramey, 39, were respectively killed on Dec. 31 and Jan. 8 in the area of an I-15 overpass on Barstow's East Main Street. Two men who recently died on a high-traffic Interstate 15 exit in Barstow have been identified by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's coroner. Daniel Ambriz, 43, and Drew Ramey, 39, were killed within a week of each other Dec. 31 and Jan. 8 in the area of an I-15 overpass on Barstow's East Main Street, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Coroner Division website. The Barstow men were killed in separate incidents after being hit by vehicles late at night. The California Highway Patrol got a call around 2:10 a.m. Dec. 31 about Ambriz walking across traffic lanes of northbound Interstate 15, just south of East Main Street, within Barstow's city limits. He then walked into the path of a 2019 Cadillac CTS, driven by a 24-year-old Lakewood man, according to CHP. Ambriz died at the scene. An obituary published earlier this month includes a request from his family that people consider a donation in Ambriz's name to the Wounded Warrior Project or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. A week after Ambriz's death, Ramey was found unconscious in the East Main Street roadway near the I-15 exits and given CPR by Barstow first responders, but he died at the scene. Barstow Detective Austyn Willis took over the investigation, and closed off both sides of the I-15 overpass for several hours. Officers spoke with the driver of a vehicle that hit Ramey, Eric Zinn. The 42-year-old man showed signs of "being under the influence of alcohol," according to detectives. Zinn was arrested and booked that night into High Desert Detention Center. Officers booked him on suspicion of murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, but he was released from jail on Jan. 10, according to booking records. Charlie McGee covers Californias High Desert for the Daily Press, focusing on the city of Barstow and its surrounding communities. He is also a Report for America corps member with The GroundTruth Project, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization dedicated to supporting the next generation of journalists in the U.S. and around the world. McGee may be reached at 760-955-5341 or cmcgee@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @bycharliemcgee. This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Coroner IDs people killed in alleged car strikes at Barstow I-15 exit On the 70th anniversary of the original Corvette reveal in New York City, a first-of-its-kind, all-wheel drive Corvette is here. The 2024 Corvette E-Ray is the first ever electrified, hybrid Corvette featuring all-wheel drive. Chevrolet (GM) says the E-Ray is the only sports car pairing a naturally-aspirated (meaning non-turbocharged) V-8 engine with an electric motor. While the 6.2 liter V8 powers the rear wheels, the front axle is connected to an electric motor that can give the Corvette eAWD as Chevrolet calls it. This all-wheel drive system means this Corvette "can handle all seasons," Chevrolet says in the E-Ray launch video, meaning owners can use the car year round even in snow. Passenger side front 3/4 view of 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray 3LZ convertible in Silver Flare with Electric Blue stripe package driving on a curved mountain road. Pre-production model shown. Actual production model may vary. Model year 2024 Corvette E-Ray available 2023. Corvettes must provide an exhilarating driving experience on backroads and tracks, and E-Ray nails it, said Tadge Juechter, Corvette executive chief engineer in a statement. The electrification technology enhances the feeling of control in all conditions, adding an unexpected degree of composure. Combined, the V8s 495 hp and 470 lb.-ft of torque with the electric motors 160hp and 125 lb. ft. of torque give the E-Ray a combined 655 hp and 595 lb. ft. of torque. The non-plug-in, mild hybrid system uses a 1.9 kWh battery pack. All told, the the electrified powertrain will send the E-Ray from 0-60 mph in a brisk 2.5 seconds, with the quarter-mile coming in at 10.5 seconds. Both of these figures are 0.1 seconds quicker than the top-of-the-line Corvette Z06. The Corvette E-Ray with eAWD shown driving in the snow. In addition, the E-Ray features a stealth mode, as Chevrolet calls it, allowing the car to operate in electric mode on the street up to speeds of 45 mph. Once the battery is depleted, the E-Ray will then switch to gas-powered mode and harvest energy through driving and braking to recharge the battery. Chevrolet also says the E-Rays Active Fuel Management system uses the electric motor to extend 4-cylinder operation in different driving conditions. Chevrolet did not release any estimated figures on mileage or electric-only range. The E-Ray will go on sale in 2023, starting at $104,295 in base 1LZ trim. Story continues View from driveras seat in 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray 3LZ coupe in Silver Flare with Two Tone Blue Interior. Pre-production model shown. Actual production model may vary. Model year 2024 Corvette E-Ray available 2023. Pras Subramanian is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on Twitter and on Instagram. Click here for the latest trending stock tickers of the Yahoo Finance platform Click here for the latest stock market news and in-depth analysis, including events that move stocks Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Download the Yahoo Finance app for Apple or Android Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, and YouTube Calgary, Alberta --News Direct-- Crestview Exploration Inc. Calgary, AB - TheNewswire - January 17, 2023 - Crestview Exploration Inc. (CSE:CRS) (Frankfurt:CE7) (Crestview or the Company) is pleased to announce the results from the 2022 Hybrid-Source Audio Magnetotellurics (HSAMT) survey at the Rock Creek and Falcon gold-silver prospects in the Tuscarora Mountains of Elko County, Nevada. Four survey lines were carried out at Rock Creek and one lines was conducted at Falcon, for a total of approximately 6,800 meters surveyed. Please refer to Table 1 for line length and location coordinates. Table 1 Survey Line Locations - UTM Zone 11N Line Length (meters) Easting Start Northing Start Easting End Northing End Rock Creek 1 1200 550938 4581198 552137 4581197 Rock Creek 2 1700 550584 4582207 552282 4582209 Rock Creek 3 1300 550482 4582981 551782 4582970 Rock Creek 4 1300 550481 4584280 551782 4584286 Falcon 1 1300 550424 4577320 551726 4577300 The lines were oriented E-W to cross the dominant structural fabric in the area. Please refer to Figure 1 for approximate locations and corresponding surface geology at Rock Creek. The four lines at Rock Creek were widely spaced across the length of the property, and the Falcon line was chosen to offset the inherited Falcon CSAMT data in the area of the historic mine. The survey penetrated to approximately 800 meters depth, providing strong indicators for major structural and possible lithological changes. The uninterpreted figures for the line data is provided in Figures 2-6. Figure 1 Click Image To View Full Size Figure 2 Rock Creek Line 1 Click Image To View Full Size Figure 3 Rock Creek Line 2 Click Image To View Full Size Figure 4 Rock Creek Line 3 Click Image To View Full Size Figure 5 Rock Creek Line 4 Click Image To View Full Size Figure 6 Falcon Line 1 Click Image To View Full Size Story continues Crestview is in the process of integrating this data with the other results taken to date, including the 2022 high-resolution mapping at Rock Creek. The surface lithologies and interpreted stratigraphic sections are being utilized to interpret possible lithology/Formation changes. Additionally, the vertical/sub-vertical structures (which reach the surface) in the HSAMT sections correspond well with the mapped faults. There appear to be deep-penetrating anomalies in all of the HSAMT sections, which may represent favorable structures for hydrothermal fluid flow and subsequent alteration and mineralization. There is also a marked horizontal contrast in resistivity at Rock Creek, approximately below the 1,700-1,800 meter mark where the contour spacing begins to widen significantly. This contrast may represent a paleosurface between the upper volcanic sequence and the underlying Paleozoic metasedimentary sequence. The section at Falcon corresponds well with the nearest CSAMT section Crestview inherited with the Falcon data (Ironwood Gold Corp.: Preliminary Assessment of Falcon Mine Property, 2012). In the inherited report, the low-resistivity signal at depth (below approximately the 1,800 meter mark) is interpreted to indicate extremely conductive altered carbonaceous lower plate sediments (Ironwood Gold Corp.: Preliminary Assessment of Falcon Mine Property, 2012). Crestview is utilizing this and all other data collected to date to update and finalize drill targets for the 2023 program. The company aims to drill between 8,000 to 12,000 feet at Rock Creek, and another 2,000 to 3,000 feet at Divide in the coming field season. Crestviews CEO, Chris Wensley, commented, we are very encouraged and excited by what we are seeing in the HSAMT data and how it corresponds with our mapping efforts. Crestview has now accomplished all of the preliminary work set out ahead of drilling at Rock Creek, including mapping, sampling, and collecting geophysical and geochemical data. We are now in a position to pick the best possible drill targets at Rock Creek, and we are eager to test the targets in 2023. This News Release was prepared by J.A. Lowe, M.Sc. Geology, and has been approved by Alan Morris, M.Sc., CPG #10550. Alan J. Morris is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and has reviewed the scientific and technical disclosure included in this news release. On Behalf of the Board of Directors, Chris Wensley, CEO About Crestview Exploration Inc: Crestview Exploration is an experienced exploration company focused on the exploration and development of its portfolio of gold and silver properties located in prolific mining districts of Nevada. The Rock Creek gold project is Crestview's flagship asset, with 74 unpatented lode mining claims wholly owned and controlled by CRS. The Rock Creek property was acquired in 2017, and the company went public in 2019. Emboldened by the results coming out of Rock Creek, Crestview strategically expanded on the land position with the acquisition of the nearby Divide Mine prospect in April 2020, and the acquisition of the Falcon silver-gold prospect in September 2022. Between the three properties, all targeting similar mineralization and likely the same hydrothermal system, Crestview now holds 260 total claims in close proximity of one another. These three gold prospects, along with the nearby Castile prospect, are situated in a region with proven "world class" gold deposits (including Midas, Jerritt Canyon, Betze-Post, Meikle, and Gold Quarry), where the potential of finding large, high-grade gold-silver deposits is favorable. The Cimarron project is located in the San Antonio Mountains of Nye County, Nevada, and is comprised of 31 unpatented lode mining claims, including control of 6 historically producing claims associated with the historic San Antonio mine. The property is located in the prolific Walker-Lane trend, approximately 44 kms south of the "world class" Round Mountain deposit. For further information please contact: Chris Wensley, Chief Executive Officer Tel: 1-778-887-3900 Email: Chris@crestviewexploration.com Forward-Looking Information This news release includes certain information that may be deemed forward-looking information under applicable securities laws. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address acquisition of the Property and future work thereon, mineral resource and reserve potential, exploration activities and events or developments that the Company expects is forward-looking information. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the statements. There are certain factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking information. These include the results of the Companys due diligence investigations, market prices, exploration successes, continued availability of capital financing, and general economic, market or business conditions, and those additionally described in the Companys filings with the Canadian securities authorities. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. For more information on the Company, investors are encouraged to review the Companys public filings at www.sedar.com. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward- looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law. NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER HAS REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/crestview-exploration-announces-results-from-the-2022-hsamt-survey-at-the-rock-creek-and-falcon-gold-prospects-in-elko-county-nevada-613453583 At the break of 2023, Croatia joined the Schengen Area and completely upped its attraction for tourists. European tourists will now be able to travel to the country with even more ease. British travelers and those outside of the Eurozone, may find increased difficulties. Internal land and sea borders are no more. Croatia now issues Schengen visas. In addition to becoming a Schengen Area, Croatia also joined the eurozone on January 1, 2023. March 26, 2023 is the next important date to keep in mind concerning travel to Croatia. Internal air borders will soon be lifted then. The European Travel Information and Authorisation (ETIAS) will apply to all Schengen members and official candidate countries. Now that Croatia has joined the Schengen Area, ETIAS regulation will apply. This means that Schengen Area security systems will ensure travelers are eligible to travel through the region without a visa. In November 2022, the European Parliament approved the lifting of internal border controls between the Schengen Area and Croatia. In a statement, Paulo Rangel MEP, EU rapporteur said Croatia is ready to join the Schengen free-travel area. It has fulfilled all the necessary conditions. Croatia met 281 recommendations in 8 areas of the Schengen acquis and underwent the most comprehensive evaluation for Schengen membership of any country so far. Related: Turn Up The Heat In These Sexy Cities And Regions In Europe What is the Schengen Area? The Schengen Area is often described as one of the main achievements of the European project. It initially began with EU countries such as France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. Since then, it has gradually expanded to include 27 European countries. It is now one of the most prevalent free travel areas in the world. According to ETIAS, Croatia is the 27th member of the Schengen Area. The country joined the Schengen Area on January 1, 2023. Being a part of the Schengen Area means there are no internal border controls. This means that between countries in the Schengen Area, there are no checks at internal borders and there are harmonized controls at the external borders. Story continues According to Consilium Europa, the Schengen Area now covers 4 million square kilometers with a population of about 420 million people. Here's why people travel to Croatia Croatia has many destinations that pull travelers in each year. There are gorgeous Croatian islands and locations, including The Brijuni Islands, Crew (the second-largest island in the Adriatic, near Rijeka), Split, and Losinj. Traveling to Croatia also guarantees you will experience crystal clear waters and historic coastal towns. Many people travel to Croatia for a different European experience in Europe. While Spain, Portugal, and Italy have long been top destinations for international travelers, Croatia appeals to those looking for something different. With over 1,000 islands, ample coastlines, and numerous ports, there is enough to keep travelers busy. There are eight National Parks in Croatia, ideal for hiking or just taking in the gorgeous views. Those looking for activities and excursions are in for a treat, as the country is known for having great things to keep the adrenaline going. Expect really warm temperatures during most parts of the year. The cities of Dubrovnik and Split were used as filming locations for the HBO hit series Game of Thrones. Dubrovnik was used extensively, serving as Kings Landing, the capital city of Westeros. Fans of the show visit from all over the world to see the city for themselves. Croatias capital Zagreb is a popular tourist spot, too. There are endless things to see, including gorgeous cafes, restaurants, bars, and a thriving nightlife scene. The winter is an equally impressive time to visit; Advent Zagreb was awarded European Destinations Best Christmas Market for three years running. Related: 10 Reasons To Visit Croatia The expertise of Cubas light rum masters now appears on UNESCOs list of intangible heritage. The recognition acknowledges an eight-generation legacy on the island. It is a recognition of the generations of Cuban rum masters and of the tradition of Cuban rum, rum master Asbel Morales, 54, told AFP. In 1862, the islands first master rum producers perfected their abilities around Santiago de Cuba in the islands east. Today, they appear in local rum distilleries across the Caribbean. Light rum manufacturers have passed down the secrets of the distilling process from generation to generation. Cane juice is the ingredient most associated with agricultural rum. However, for light rum, it is molasses, a thick black syrup obtained from sugar cane. It is the rum most commonly used in cocktail recipes and has a 40% alcohol level. The Cuban distillers stated in their submission to the United Nations cultural organization UNESCO that master knowledge is more than simply a collection of talented distillers and that it also includes moral guidelines for public and private behavior. Excellent practices Master rum producers are also well-versed in its history and excellent practices, which extend beyond brand names and marketing. In Cuba, there are now 14 master rum makers: three first masters, seven masters, and four apprentices. In the past, the craft was a 100% male trade. However, that has changed and today there are two female masters and three female trainees. Most of the members of this guild have studied chemistry. However, they must also have extensive taste, scent training, and many years of experience. Rum is not only a spirit but also an important part of our cultural expression. It represents an important part of our culture, said Morales, who has been a master since 1993. Master rum makers understand the composition and history of every barrel, cask rotations or repairs. They know combinations that give specific aroma, color, and body, according to the UNESCO proposal. Story continues Other Cuban practices have already been classified as intangible human heritage, such as the Tuma Francesa (2008). The Tumba Francesa (French drum) is a set of songs and dances accompanied by percussion. This dance arrived in Cuba with French colonists and their Haitian slaves in the late 18th century. Other Cuban cultural manifestations have also received this status from UNESCO. They are Cuban Rumba (2016), Punto Cubano (2017), and Las Parrandas (2018). History Cuban light rum emerged in 1862 in the city of Santiago de Cuba. An uninterrupted transmission of the Cuban light rum masters knowledge was passed along in aging cellars, mixture areas, and laboratories. This knowledge is a set of traditional, scientific, sensory knowledge and techniques transmission that ensures the safeguarding of the Cuban light rum manufacturing process. Regardless of brand, light rum masters follow an ethical code centered on respect for Cuban rum culture and its history and good practices, with ecoculture and harmony with the environment at its core. The transmission of light rums master knowledge is a life-long learning process passed down from generation to generation and includes protecting aging cellars, knowing their contents and characteristics and the history of each barrel, and knowing which mixtures result in a given appearance, aroma, taste, and texture. Masters form a guild-type community with selective admission that advocates for responsible consumption and acts as a cultural bridge between Cuba and the rest of the world. Recently, Delta Air Lines announced it is resuming its operations from Miami to Cuba. The two daily nonstop flights will start on April 10, 2023, and they will connect Miami International Airport to the Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuba. Related: What I Wish I Knew Before Solo Traveling To Cuba Investigators have established a dedicated tip line to help find 35-year-old Brittany Tee, who has been missing for a week, the district attorney said Tuesday. The tip line, which will take information from callers who wish to remain anonymous, is 508-453-7589. It does allow us to move more quickly when we can eliminate different things and thats what the tips give us, Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early, who for a third day in a row urged citizens to search their own properties -- sheds and garages, for instance -- to try to locate Tee. His words came after the State Police Air Wing searched for Tee on Tuesday, as field crews continued their search for Tee, who was reported missing on Friday, Jan. 13. She was last seen leaving a Brookfield residence on Tuesday, Jan. 10 around 8:30 p.m. Investigators are also combing through Tees laptop and vehicle to try and find clues related to her sudden disappearance, Early said. Give us a call: Air search planned, police urge publics help to find missing Brookfield woman Theres an awful lot of people involved doing as much as they can to try and find some answers, Early said. On Sunday, field crews used drones and cadaver dogs to search for Tee. The district attorney said police believe Tee left on foot, as investigators are in possession of her car. When asked by media whether Tee may have been kidnapped, Early said, We have nothing that suggests she was kidnapped. Its a search. Its not a crime scene. Its a search, he said. He also said that Tees boyfriend has been cooperative with investigators. The boyfriend has been very cooperative with us. Everyone has been very cooperative with us, Early said. Investigators have established a dedicated Tip Line for info about Brittany Tee, 35, who has been missing from her #Brookfield home since 1/10. Our search by ground and air units and interviews by detectives continue. Please call 508-453-7589 if you have info or have seen her. pic.twitter.com/UL2gOAhh29 Mass State Police (@MassStatePolice) January 17, 2023 Brookfield Police Chief Michael Blanchard said investigators are working hard to find Tee. Story continues The longer this goes on, the more frustration and anxiety builds amongst people, Blanchard said. Blanchard asked everyone to remain positive and hopeful for her safe return. He and Early both urged the public to contact police with any information on Tees whereabouts or if they see anything suspicious. Brittanys sister, Bethany Tee, told Boston 25 that Brittany always stayed in touch with family and that her sudden lack of communication is highly unusual. Shes loving, hardworking. She loves her niece and nephew very much. She would not leave on purpose, Bethany said earlier this week. We always talked to her almost daily. This is so out of the norm for her and thats what scares us. I just dont know. Brittany Tee is described as 56, 120 pounds, and has brown hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a black winter coat, a hoodie, jeans, and work boots. Tee is the latest case of a missing woman in Massachusetts to garner media attention in recent weeks. Investigators are working two other unrelated missing person cases, including that of Ana Walshe, 39, a mother-of-three young children who suddenly disappeared from her Cohasset home on New Years Day, and that of Reyna Morales Rojas, 41, of East Boston, who was last seen in November 2022 after being dropped off in Somerville. In the Walshe case, Anas husband, Brian Walshe, 46, of Cohasset, is now facing a murder charge in connection with his wifes death, Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey announced Tuesday. He is also accused of misleading police in their investigation into her disappearance. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Dan Evans celebrates during his win over Facundo Bagnis (Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/AP) (AP) Dan Evans revealed he does not wear a cap because of his big ears after battling through the heat to defeat Facundo Bagnis in the opening round of the Australian Open. The British number two, who struggled with illness in the build-up to the tournament, was scheduled first up on what could be the hottest day of the fortnight. He toiled for nearly three hours to open up a two-sets-to-one lead against his Argentinian opponent before the temperature threshold was met for a suspension of play that lasted from 2pm and 5pm. On the resumption, 25th seed Evans ensured he was not out on court for longer than was necessary, breaking serve in the seventh game for a 6-4 4-6 6-4 6-4 victory. The temperature was already above 30 degrees when play began, with Evans looking to repeat the result from the first round in 2017, when he defeated Bagnis in straight sets before making it to the fourth round. Evans was bothered by the sun on his serve from one end and, asked why he did not wear a cap, said: Im pretty good in the heat, doesnt bother me. I have just never worn a hat and I have never liked wearing one. Doesnt feel comfortable. Big ears, I guess. I was obviously very unlucky. I was first (on the schedule), and thats where the sun was, and it was super bright. I was messing around with the ball toss. Thats probably the reason I lost the second set. Bagnis is ranked 91 and has never won a main-draw match in Melbourne but he made a good fight of the match. Evans recovered from 2-0 down in the opening set and then fought back from 1-4 in the second only for Bagnis to break again. He had just made the breakthrough by taking the third set when he was informed the match would be suspended. I never even knew about the rule, to be honest, said Evans. I came back from the toilet, and then the guy said, Youre going in. I just knew it was hot. Once the wind stopped, it was horrible. Evans would rather have carried on, though, adding: I had won the third. I felt like he was struggling. He was going to the towel a lot at the back of the court. And then it was quite long, and I had to start again. I didnt feel great going back out. But then I actually played very well. The 32-year-old wrapped up victory after three hours and 29 minutes and will next meet veteran Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, who is playing his first tournament since the US Open in 2021 following knee surgery. By John Irish DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Germany's allies on Tuesday ramped up pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz to allow the supply of German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine for deployment against Russia's invasion, ahead of a crunch defence ministers meeting on Friday. Berlin has so far resisted providing the modern tanks or allowing partners which have them to do so, saying Western tanks should only be supplied to Ukraine if there is agreement among Kyiv's main allies, particularly the United States. Leopard battle tanks - the workhorse of armies across Europe - are widely seen as the only plausible choice to supply Ukraine with the large-scale tank force it needs. But they cannot be delivered without German re-export approval, so far withheld. Western officials want to strike a balance between ensuring Ukraine can defend itself and not supplying arms that could encourage Kyiv to attack Russia itself or draw NATO into conflict with Moscow. A day before Scholz heads to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, some of Ukraine's closest allies already at the WEF sought to pressure him into changing his mind. "We hope and are trying to organise bigger support for Ukraine. We hope a few partners, allies, will give tanks to Ukraine," Polish President Andrzej Duda said at a WEF panel. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said he "strongly believes" Germany would provide Leopard tanks to Ukraine. "We don't have the luxury for such delays. It must be done fast," he said, adding that the tank deliveries would be a strategic part of the next phase of the Ukraine conflict. TANKS TOP GERMANY'S UKRAINE AGENDA German Defence Secretary Christine Lambrecht quit on Monday, and Berlin said on Tuesday that a decision on tanks would be the first item on her successor's agenda. Two sources told Reuters that the Social Democratic (SPD) interior minister of the state of Lower Saxony, Boris Pistorius, would be appointed. Story continues In an interview with Reuters at the WEF, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said Helsinki was ready to supply Leopards but was still awaiting a German green light. "Finland has some of these tanks, but (just) a couple is not enough, but if there is a chain of service and delivery then it's valuable," he said. "Ukraine needs it, but Germany has a key role in this." He said part of the talks between allies also involved training and how to provide spare parts for the Leopard tanks. Some German officials have signalled a softening of their view ahead of a meeting of Ukraine's allies in Ramstein in Germany on Friday where governments will announce their latest pledges of military support for Kyiv. Germany has been cautious about approving weapons that could be seen as an escalation. Many allies say that concern is misplaced, with Russia showing no sign of backing down from its assault on its neighbour. Britain broke the taboo over sending heavy tanks to Ukraine last weekend, pledging a squadron of its Challengers. But it has too few for them to form the basis of a Ukrainian force. U.S. Abrams battle tanks are also seen as inappropriate in large numbers because they run on turbine engines that burn too much fuel to be practical for energy-strapped Ukraine. France has said it is considering giving tanks to Ukraine but defence sources have said its Leclerc model is not necessarily the best for Ukraine's situation. Germany's new defence minister is expected to host U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday ahead of Friday's big meeting of allies at Ramstein air base. "Important decisions will be made," Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares Bueno said, adding that Madrid was at this point not able to supply Leopard tanks, which it also possesses. (Reporting by John Irish and Anne Kauranen in Helsinki; Editing by Timothy Heritage and Alex Richardson) By John Irish DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Spain's foreign minister said on Tuesday that Madrid and London were closing in on a deal to find a definitive solution settling the post-Brexit status of Gibraltar. The status of Gibraltar and how to police the border with Spain has been a point of contention since Britain's 2016 vote to leave the European Union. The peninsula was excluded from the exit deal reached between Britain and the EU. "I see a constructive spirit from the British side on the agreement related to Gibraltar," Spain's Foreign Affairs Minister Jose Manuel Albares told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Spain, Britain and the European Union agreed on Dec. 31, 2020, hours before Britain's full exit from the bloc, that Gibraltar would remain part of EU agreements such as the Schengen Area and Spain would police the port and the airport, pending a lasting solution. The European Commission and Spain sent Britain a proposal including keep Gibraltar's land border to Spain open in late 2022 and ensuring free flow of people between Spain and the enclave. "I think we are very close to the deal. Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, but from the meetings I had with (British Foreign Secretary) James Cleverly I see that we both want the agreement and are really working on it," Albares said, without giving a timeframe. "My experience with Brexit is that any timetable has never been respected," he said. Spain ceded the rocky outpost at the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea to Britain in 1713 but has long called for it to be returned. In 2002, 99% of voters in Gibraltar rejected the idea of Britain sharing sovereignty with Spain. (Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Alexandra Hudson) Party Central Committee relieves Nguyen Xuan Phuc of Presidency, Party positions Nguyen Xuan Phuc, 68 years old, has stepped down as President of Vietnam after a number of senior officials were found to have committed violations in connection with COVID-19 test kits and repatriation flights. Nguyen Xuan Phuc, former President of Vietnam. The 13th-tenure Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam convened on Tuesday and decided to relieve Nguyen Xuan Phuc of all duties, including the Presidency, Politburo and Party Central Committee membership, and Chairman of the National Defence and Security Council for the 2021-26 term. According to the announcement from the Party Central Committee, Nguyen Xuan Phuc is a key leader of the Vietnamese Party and State, born to a family with rich revolutionary history, and matured politically from the grassroots level. He was entrusted by the Party Central Committee and the Politburo to hold many important Party and State leadership roles. In the 2016-21, as he served as the Prime Minister of Vietnam, the Party recognised that Phuc had made many efforts in leading the national COVID-19 response and achieved important accomplishments. Delegates voted at the meeting of the Party Central Committee on Tuesday in Hanoi. However, the Party Central Committee noted that during his term, Phuc must bear the "political responsibility of the leader" as many officials, including two Deputy Prime Ministers and three ministers, had committed violations and shortcomings, causing very serious consequences. Two former Deputy Prime Ministers, Pham Binh Minh and Vu uc am, have resigned from their positions, while two former ministers former Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long and former Minister of Science and Technology Chu Ngoc Anh and many officials have been criminally handled, in connection with the COVID-19 test kits and repatriation flights scandals. "Fully aware of his responsibilities before the Party and people, Comrade Nguyen Xuan Phuc has submitted an application to resign from his assigned positions, and retire," the announcement from the Party Central Committee reads. Based on the current regulations of the Party and State and considering the wishes of Nguyen Xuan Phuc, the Party Central Committee has agreed to let him resign from the positions of the member of the Politburo, member of the 13th-tenure Party Central Committee, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and Chairman of the National Defence and Security Council for the 2021-26 term. The Party Central Committee assigned the Politburo to direct relevant agencies to implement the procedures in line with regulations. DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) The World Economic Forum says billionaire Elon Musk wasn't on the guest list for the annual meeting of business executives, global leaders and cultural trend-setters in Davos, Switzerland despite what the Twitter owner claims. Notables from European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen to actor Idris Elba are gathering in the ritzy Alpine town this week to talk about global issues ranging from war to climate change and technology's effects on security. Musk wasn't there, though he says he was invited. Forum spokesman Yann Zopf knocked that down Tuesday, saying the last time the Tesla CEO got an invitation was not this year and not recently last time in 2015. Musk said in a tweet Dec. 22: My reason for declining the Davos invitation was not because I thought they were engaged in diabolical scheming, but because it sounded boring af lol." He didnt specify when he got the invitation, but the tweet's timing suggested it was for this year. Musk did not immediately respond to requests from The Associated Press for comment Tuesday. Organizers did extend invitations to Musk, as the boss of Tesla, to join a few times in the 2010s the last being in 2015 but he never registered or attended the annual meeting, Zopf said. The gathering has been criticized for a lack of concrete action that emerges after a series of sessions and speeches, while the forum itself has been the target of online conspiracy theories from those who believe the meeting involves a group of elites manipulating global events for their own benefit. Multibillionaire Musk, one of the worlds richest people, can certainly afford to attend Davos. Forum members pay between 120,000 to 850,000 Swiss francs ($130,000 to $921,000) for annual memberships depending on the level of affiliation they want. Many executives trek to Davos to ride the coattails of the meeting and hobnob with corporate executives who flock to town, at times taking potshots at the forum from the sidelines. For example, Richard Branson, the British tycoon behind Virgin, has reputedly come to town several times without attending the meeting itself. Story continues Musk might be a bit busy to be palling around with the powerful in snowy Switzerland anyway. While still grappling with the fallout from buying Twitter last year for $44 billion, Musk is facing trial over his tweet about taking Tesla private in 2018. Jury selection begins this week and he'll have to explain his actions under oath in court in San Francisco after tweeting that he had lined up the financing to pay for a $72 billion buyout of the electric carmaker, which never happened. It culminated in a $40 million settlement with U.S. securities regulators that also required him to step down as the companys chairman. He's also planning to step down as CEO but remain owner of Twitter, which he succeeded in taking private last summer but has alienated some users and advertisers with chaotic job cuts and changes to content moderation policies. ___ Follow APs coverage of the World Economic Forum meeting at https://apnews.com/hub/world-economic-forum. A DeKalb County teenager has been arrested and charged in connection to a shooting at the Mall of America that left a 19-year-old dead just days before Christmas. According to police in Bloomington, Minnesota, two groups of people began fighting inside the Nordstrom location at the mall when someone pulled out a gun and began firing. They say the entire incident lasted 30 seconds. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] A 19-year-old was killed in the shooting and another person was grazed by a bullet. Neither victims identity has been released. By the next day, Christmas Eve, five people had been arrested, two 18-year-olds and three 17-year-olds. The U.S. Marshals have now arrested 17-year-old Lavon Longstreet in connection to the deadly shooting. Longstreet was arrested at his home in Decatur on Tuesday. It is unclear where the other suspects were from or why Longstreet was in Minnesota. TRENDING STORIES: He is currently being held in the DeKalb County Jail while he awaits extradition. He is facing murder and assault charges. This is another example of guns being placed in the hands of immature young people, resulting in deadly consequences in what was once safe public places. The U.S. Marshals Service will continue to work with our state and local partners to get these guns off the streets and enhance the security of our communities, U.S. Marshal Thomas Brown said. It is unclear when Longstreet will be extradited to Minnesota. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: Jan. 16A Delhi man is accused of carrying a deadly weapon while committing a burglary last summer. Delaware County Acting District Attorney Shawn J. Smith announced Brock T. Freer, 45, was arraigned by Acting County Court Judge Gary A. Rosa on an indictment, a media release said. Freer was charged with first-degree burglary, a class B violent felony; fourth-degree criminal mischief and petit larceny, both class A misdemeanors. According to the release, the indictment alleges that Freer entered or remained in a town of Delhi home on Aug. 28, "while armed with a deadly weapon a loaded shotgun." While at the house, it is alleged Freer damaged a window screen and casement and stole food and alcohol beverages owned by the complainant, the release said. Freer pleaded not guilty to the three-count indictment, the release said. He was committed to the custody of the Delaware County Sheriff's Office in lieu of $50,000 cash bail. The case is scheduled for a conference in Delaware County Court on Jan. 23, 2023, the release said. Shaiitarrio Brown and a pregnant Brittany King were residing in their vehicle when the toxins from the pepper balls rendered it uninhabitable, according to their lawsuit. The city of Denver has agreed to pay $325,000 to a couple whose car was pepper ball-blasted in 2020 during demonstrations over the death of George Floyd, rallies in which they werent participating. According to The Denver Post, Shaiitarrio Brown and Brittany King, who sued the city in 2021 for their injuries, were awarded settlement payments on Monday, which the Denver City Council approved. The two claimed in their federal lawsuit that on May 30, 2020, they were driving close to Denvers Civic Center while doing their jobs for food delivery service DoorDash and were not harming anyone, The Post reported. A video of the early-morning incident that a bystander captured showed no sizable protester gatherings nearby. (From left) Brittany King and Shaiitarrio Brown, who sued Denver, Colorado in 2021 for injuries sustained when police officers blasted their car with pepper balls, received a $325,000 settlement from the city this week. (Photo: Screenshot/YouTube.com/9News) At an intersection, a Denver officer fired a small plastic ball known as a pepper ball which contain irritating chemicals that burn the skin and eyes at the couples car, causing Brown to step out of it and yell at authorities, You shot a car with a pregnant woman in it! Per the bystander footage, officers reacted by firing dozens of pepper balls at Brown and the automobile, striking King who was 19 weeks pregnant at the time in the stomach and Brown in the face through an open car window. It was pretty vicious, Brown reportedly told The Washington Post. Toxins from the pepper balls filled their cars interior, in which Brown and King were residing at the time, The Denver Post reported. The polices actions rendered their vehicle uninhabitable due to the irritants. According to The Washington Post, the couple claimed that officers confronted them after they drove away and went to an ambulance for medical attention. King had chemical burns and a broken hand, while Brown sustained wounds and bruises. King said tests at the hospital revealed that the pepper balls chemicals were in her system, and she struggled to swallow or eat for months due to burns in her throat. According to the lawsuit, the pepper balls also included substances that could result in pregnancy loss or birth defects. Story continues When I was pregnant, it was just hoping, King recalled, according to The Washington Post. I was just waiting for birth. To see her that first time, to make sure shes okay. The couples daughter, Brooklyn, was born in October 2020. She exhibited severe developmental deficits at the age of nine months, per their lawsuit. King said Brooklyn had hip dysplasia, a disorder that causes the hip joint of a newborn to be deformed. According to an internal review of the incident conducted by Denvers Office of the Independent Monitor, there was no policy violation based on the available evidence. Following the Black Lives Matter protests, Denver police were the target of numerous lawsuits. Twelve protestors hurt by police using pepper spray and non-lethal weapons received a $14 million jury verdict in March. Denver had already paid well over $1 million to resolve several previous cases involving protests by that point. Brown and King, who are now engaged, left Denver because they claimed police there continue to make them feel uneasy. Brooklyn, now two years old, continues seeing specialists and has reportedly progressed. We got money out of it, Brown said, The Washington Post reported. But weve still got no accountability, so theres no closure for us at the end of the day. TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today! The post Denver to pay $325,000 for blasting couples car with pepper balls appeared first on TheGrio. Rain boots came in handy for Lola Weiselman, 7, at a flooded Kenneth Hahn Park Playground on Martin Luther King Jr. Day after a weekend of rain in Southern California. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) As the skies begin to clear and a relentless series of atmospheric rivers starts to move out, Californians are finally catching a break as they assess the aftermath of weeks of downed trees, landslides and devastating flooding. River levels are receding in some areas, top climate officials reported in a briefing Monday, and the worst of the rain appears to be over. One more storm system is forecast to roll through California on Wednesday, said California State Climatologist Mike Anderson, but it won't pack as much of a punch as the previous ones. The rain, which isn't expected to hit farther south than Santa Barbara, appears barely strong enough to qualify as an atmospheric river. But officials caution the public to remain vigilant. Landslides, sinkholes and other hazards could still strike because the ground has received such a soaking, and tree branches dried up from years of drought and whiplashed by high winds remain a deadly hazard. On Saturday, a woman was struck dead by a falling branch in San Franciscos Golden Gate Park, bringing the total number of storm-related deaths statewide to at least 20. Flood watches from the National Weather Service remain in effect for some parts of the Bay Area and Central Coast, and a number of rivers in Southern California are forecast to reach close-to-flood levels later this week as excess water makes its way down the watershed. The twice-annual "king tide," an exceptionally high tide that occurs when the sun, moon and Earth are in gravitational alignment, is also expected to bring high water levels to the coast this weekend. Across the state, some roads remain so damaged that it will take weeks to clean up and months to repair them. As evacuees return to their homes and businesses, the full extent of the flood damage will come to light in the coming days. Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order on Monday to bolster staffing for emergency responses, and President Biden is expected to visit the Central Coast later this week to assess what additional federal support is needed. Story continues "Local flood managers across the state still have some work to do as the water recedes," said Jeremy Arrich, who manages the flood division at the California Department of Water Resources. Arrich noted that in the last two weeks, the states Flood Operations Center has delivered almost 1 million sandbags and deployed staff to 50 incidents to help with broken levees, erosion and sinkholes. "Maintaining agencies will need to inspect and patrol their levees to look for any damage that may have occurred and then evaluate any long-term repairs that may be necessary," he said. As for the ongoing drought, state water officials were cautiously optimistic in a briefing on Monday. They noted that the snowpack a critical bank of water for the state during dry summer months is at "epic levels" and that Lake Oroville, the largest reservoir in the State Water Project, has risen 120 feet since early December and is now at 101% of its historical average for this time of year. A few other reservoirs across the state have filled up so much in recent weeks that officials have had to release some water from them. That said, two of Californias most critical reservoirs Lake Shasta, at 51% of total capacity, and Trinity Lake, at 29% still have a long way to go before getting back to average conditions, officials said. Communities across the Southwest largely relying on the Colorado River are also still very much in drought. Anderson, the state climatologist, noted that unlike last winter, which began with some intense bursts of rain and then quickly dried out, another wet spell could possibly hit this winter because the infamously dry La Nina climate cycle appears to be transitioning back into neutral conditions. But for now, Californians can look forward to at least two weeks of clear skies. When Anderson pulled up a precipitation map for the rest of the month, not a storm was in sight. "First time weve seen that in a long time," he said. "No precipitation forecast for anywhere in the state." This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. As recently as the 1990s, space exploration and travel were the exclusive domain of national or transnational governments. But in recent years private companies have begun cutting into that governmental dominance and their encroachment is opening up vistas of opportunity for risk-tolerant investors. Some estimates put the eventual value say, by the 2030s of the private space industry at $1 trillion or more. Potential sectors that investors should watch are space tourism, satellite launching, geospatial imaging, solar power generation, possibly even asteroid mining. So, lets take a look at two space stocks, potential winners at two very different ends of this arena. But for all their differences, both are considered Strong Buys on Wall Street, and both offer investors opportunity for triple-digit upside in the coming year, according to TipRanks' database. Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (RKLB) Well start with Rocket Lab, a firm working in the space-launch segment and a leader in the development of reusable small-payload launch vehicles. This is a high-potential niche, combining two major trends in orbital space travel and Rocket Lab has taken a strong position. The companys Electron rocket, its flagship launch vehicle, is capable of putting a 300 kilogram payload into low Earth orbit, and over the course of 32 launches has successfully deployed 152 satellites. Electron is currently the only reusable small launch vehicle in service, and Rocket Lab is working to supplement its capabilities through development of the larger Neutron rocket an ambitious program that will see a reusable rocket capable of putting a 13,000 kilo payload into Earth orbit, or carrying 1,500 kilograms to Mars or Venus. Rocket Lab has been launching its missions from its New Zealand facility, but starting this month it will also be able to launch Electron rockets from US soil. The company has scheduled its first US launch from a launch complex at the Virginia Space Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport of the NASA Wallops Flight Facility on January 23. The US launch site will facilitate Rocket Labs work with customers from the US, both government and commercial entities. Overall, Rocket Lab hit 9 successful launches in 2022, a company record for one calendar year. Story continues The companys revenues have been showing consistent quarter-over-quarter gains. In the last reported quarter, 3Q22, the company showed a top line of $63.1 million, for a gain of 14% sequentially and an impressive 1,093% year-over-year. Covering this space launch firm for Morgan Stanley, analyst Kristine Liwag describes Rocket Lab as a diamond in the rough, and writes: We see opportunity in the markets indiscriminate treatment of Space companies and view RKLBs recent price performance presenting attractive risk / reward proposition for an early space mover with real revenue, an increasingly visible growth profile and initiatives underway that could potentially upend traditional launch economics." "Moreover," the analyst added, "we expect satellite manufacturers reduced risk appetite in the current economic environment, along with recent setbacks to global launch capacity, to provide tailwinds to RKLB given its relatively strong space heritage (2nd most launched US rocket). We continue to view RKLB as a small launch standout with exciting potential as Neutrons development progresses and management makes headway toward long-term profitability goals while upholding its execution track record. Liwag doesnt just write up an optimistic outlook, he backs it with an Overweight (i.e. Buy) rating on RKLB shares and a $10 price target that implies a one-year upside potential of 101% from current levels. (To watch Liwags track record, click here) While the Morgan Stanley outlook is bullish, the Street generally is even more so. Rocket Lab has 7 recent analyst reviews, with a 6 to 1 breakdown favoring Buys over Holds and the $10.96 average price target implies a 120% upside over the next 12 months, from the current trading price of $4.97. (See RKLB stock forecast) AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (ASTS) The second space stock well look at, AST SpaceMobile, is based in Midland, Texas, and like Rocket Lab is closely involved with the private satellite industry. But where Rocket Lab focuses on launch technology, AST focuses on the satellites and what they can do. Specifically, the company is working on putting satellites into low Earth orbit to provide space-based cellular broadband networking. The companys goal is to make space-based broadband into the global standard. AST has achieved a number of important milestones over the past few months. Chief among those was the successful launch and deployment of the companys BlueWalker 3 satellite. This is a test platform for the technology, and will act as predecessor for the more ambitious constellation of five Block 1 Blue Bird satellites, tentatively set for launch before the end of this year. For now, BlueWalker 3 boasts the largest communications array every deployed on a commercial satellite in low Earth orbit. In another important milestone, one with a vital impact on intellectual property, AST had, as of November 14 of last year, more than 2,600 granted patents and patent claims pending. In fields as competitive as private satellite launch and broadband networking, the protection of proprietary tech is as important as successfully deploying that tech. On the financial end, AST reported revenues of $4.17 million in 3Q22, and a gross profit of $1.64 million. These numbers compare favorably to the $2.45 million top line and $347K profit in the prior-year quarter. The companys net loss per share came to 18 cents. Deutsche Bank analyst Bryan Kraft has been covering AST SpaceMobile for several years, and is impressed with what he sees. Looking at the companys recent milestone achievements, he writes: In our view, AST's progress with BlueWalker 3 has substantially reduced the technical risks for the business plan. AST's first satellite was launched into orbit on September 10 and is currently testing various mechanical and technical elements for the system in space for the first time. On November 14, AST confirmed that BW3's array was successfully unfolded in low earth orbit, which represents a significant testing milestone, in our view." "We remain bullish on AST SpaceMobile's long-term business opportunity given the company's large TAM, highly differentiated technology, partnerships with many of the world's largest mobile network operators (MNOs), and attractive wholesale/revenue share business model," Kraft summed up. Kraft goes on to give this stock a Buy rating, and a $32 price target to indicate room for a stunning 516% share appreciation in the year ahead. (To watch Krafts track record, click here) AST SpaceMobile is admittedly still a highly speculative company but it has picked up 3 recent analyst reviews and they are all positive, making the Strong Buy consensus rating unanimous. Shares are trading for $5.19 and have an average price target of $20.67, suggesting a robust 298% upside on the one-year horizon. (See ASTS stock forecast) To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment. A diesel fuel spill has shut down a highway in Cherokee County. The Cherokee County Sheriffs Office tweeted Tuesday that Knox Bridge Highway will be closed for an indefinite period west of the bridge due to the spill. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] At the time of their tweet, deputies were waiting on officials from the Georgia Department of Transportation to respond to the site of the spill. There is no word on what caused the fuel spill. TRENDING STORIES: ROAD CLOSURE ALERT!! Knox Bridge Highway west of the bridge will be shutdown for an indefinite period of time while deputies wait on GDOT to respond to a major diesel spill . pic.twitter.com/wKq9FP6OZl Cherokee Sheriffs Office (@CherokeeSO) January 17, 2023 [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: Disney (DIS) has hit back at activist investor Nelson Peltz amid its ongoing proxy battle with the hedge fund billionaire. "Nelson Peltz does not understand Disney's businesses and lacks the skills and experience to assist the board in delivering shareholder value in a rapidly shifting media ecosystem," Disney said in an updated proxy statement on Tuesday, adding: "The current Disney board is the right board for shareholders." The company once again defended its stock performance under CEO Bob Iger's watch, noting during his first bout as chief executive Disney's total shareholder return totaled 554%, topping the 244% total return realized by the S&P 500 over that period. Additionally, amid Peltz's repeated criticism of the company's $71.3 billion purchase of 20th Century Fox in 2019, Disney doubled down on its Iger-era acquisitions, which also included Marvel in 2009 and Lucasfilm in 2012. The company argued the deals "transformed" the business into the media powerhouse it is today after Peltz told CNBC in a recent interview: "Fox hurt this company. Fox took the dividend away. Fox turned what was once a pristine balance sheet into a mess." Disney shares, which were little-changed in early trading on Tuesday, are up about 4.5% since Peltz first announced his proxy battle on January 11. At the time of that announcement, Disney revealed Nike executive chairman Mike Parker would take over Susan Arnold's position as chairman of the board and also recommended shareholders vote against Peltz in his efforts to win a seat on the company's board. Peltz's Trian Fund Management said it owns approximately 9.4 million shares of Disney's stock, which equates to roughly $900 million. The hedge fund, which disapproved of Iger's surprise return, is pushing for additional cost cuts, operational adjustments, and a post-Iger successor something the company wants as well. Story continues "Trian believes that Disneys recent performance reflects the hard truth that it is a company in crisis with many challenges weighing on investor sentiment," the hedge fund said in a statement last week. "While we acknowledge that Disney, like many media companies, is undergoing a challenging pivot to streaming, Disney also benefits from owning best-in-class intellectual property, a more diversified business mix, and a Parks business that is enjoying all-time high profitability. As such, we believe that the Companys current problems are primarily self-inflicted and need to be addressed immediately." Nelson Peltz founding partner of Trian Fund Management LP. speak at the WSJD Live conference in Laguna Beach, California October 25, 2016. The activist investor is currently engaged in a proxy battle with Disney. Disney faced a rough 2022 as shares slid about 45%, marking the worst annual stock performance for the company since 1974. Streaming profitability, the future of Hulu, and a possible ESPN spin-off all hang in the balance as Iger continues to navigate a bruised business beset with leadership challenges, unfavorable price increases, and a direct-to-consumer division struggling to turn a profit. Alexandra is a Senior Entertainment and Media Reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @alliecanal8193 and email her at alexandra.canal@yahoofinance.com Click here for the latest trending stock tickers of the Yahoo Finance platform Click here for the latest stock market news and in-depth analysis, including events that move stocks Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Download the Yahoo Finance app for Apple or Android Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, and YouTube By Dawn Chmielewski LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co on Tuesday defended its decision to deny Nelson Peltz a board seat, saying the activist investor "lacked the skills and experience" to help the media and entertainment giant. The house of Mickey Mouse in a letter to shareholders also underlined the company's successes under Chief Executive Bob Iger, who recently returned from retirement to lead the company for a second time. "Peltz does not understand Disney's businesses and lacks the skills and experience to assist the board in delivering shareholder value in a rapidly shifting media ecosystem," Disney said. The billionaire last week formally launched his bid for a board seat to rescue the company from what he called a "crisis" of overspending on the streaming business, the purchase of 21st Century Fox and failed succession planning. Peltz had an internal advocate, Marvel Entertainment Chairman Isaac "Ike" Perlmutter, who asked that the activist investor be added to Disney's board on a half-dozen occasions, according to Disney's preliminary proxy statement and accompanying materials filed with regulators. Perlmutter has been pressing the issue since July 2022, contacting former CEO Bob Chapek, director Safra Catz and other senior executives on behalf of Peltz. Peltz's move is seen as a serious challenge to Iger and pits one of the most popular executives in Hollywood against the activist investor known for his work at consumer firms. The billionaire investor told CNBC last week that Disney should buy the remaining stake in Hulu it does not already own or exit the streaming business. Disney has an agreement to acquire Comcast Corp's one-third interest in the Hulu streaming service as soon as January 2024. Disney also needs to boost capital expenditure at its parks business, where it probably raised ticket prices "too hard," he said then. DISNEY HITS BACK Story continues In its filing Tuesday, Disney said it was already working to improve profitability at the Disney+ streaming business that Iger helped launch in 2019 and was rolling out broader cost-cutting measures. The company defended the acquisitions it made under the since-returned CEO Iger, including for Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm. It said they were transformative and enhanced the companys value. As early as July 11, 2022, Disney had been engaging in conversations with Peltz, according to the preliminary proxy filed on Tuesday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The activist expressed his support for then-CEO Chapek, and presented himself as someone who could be helpful if he joined the board. Perlmutter, a Disney employee and shareholder, added his voice to Peltz's campaign to join the board, arguing at one point that the activist could help the embattled Chapek "solidify his position as CEO." Without Peltz's help, the Marvel chairman warned, "former executives including Mr. Iger, would be back at Disney." As Peltz and Perlmutter continued to press their case, another activist was pounding on Disney's door - Daniel Loeb, chief executive officer of Third Point. In August, Loeb contacted Chapek and Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy to say he had invested in Disney and recommended changes. He agreed to a standstill with the Sept. 23 appointment of an independent director, Carolyn Everson. Meanwhile, Peltz's campaign for a board seat intensified. He notified Chapek on Nov. 8 that he had acquired $500 million in Disney stock, and planned to increase his stake to $1 billion. Peltz said his Trian group intended to nominate a sale of directors at the 2023 annual meeting unless he was named to the board. The activist continued to seek a directorship even after the board fired Chapek on Nov. 20 and brought back Iger. In a video call three days later, Peltz rejected Iger and McCarthy's suggestion that they find a mutually acceptable independent director to serve on the board. Peltz said he would accept only the addition of himself to the board, according to Disney's account. Disney's board elected not to offer Peltz a seat, citing concerns about "introducing further disruption to Disney's management team nine days into Mr. Iger's return." On Jan. 11, Peltz took matters into his own hands. His Trian Fund Management issued a news release announcing its nominee to the board, Peltz, setting in motion the proxy battle. Trian Fund Management, which owns a 0.5% stake, or roughly $900 million in Disney, declined to comment on Tuesday. Unless Peltz settles with Disney, investors will vote this year on whether he should sit on the company's board. Last year, the annual shareholder meeting was held on March 9. (Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles and Eva Mathews and Aditya Soni in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli and Matthew Lewis) MILFORD A Douglas man is charged with attempted murder after police say he fired a gun at another man on Sunday outside a Water Street bar. Police arrested Domingos Joao Texeira, 22, on Monday morning at his Douglas apartment after an investigation. Milford police Detective Carlos Sousa said the incident occurred early Sunday outside of TD's Pub, 68 Water St., but no one immediately reported the incident. The alleged victim did so later that day, at 4:30 p.m., to the Hopedale Police Department. "They contacted us and said they had a resident there saying they were a victim of shooting," Sousa said. Dramatic rescue:A Hopedale man was missing for more than 24 hours. Here's how rescuers found him Police began an investigation and discovered a shell casing outside the bar. The alleged victim and Texeira are "acquaintances," but the man said he had no idea why Texeira fired a gun at him. "It appears Texeira had been involved in a verbal confrontation with someone earlier behind TD's, but the victim did not know why he was shot at," Sousa said. No one was hit by the bullet, despite there being several people in the area, Sousa said. "Everyone was very fortunate to be able to walk away and that no one was hurt," the detective said. Wrongly convicted:Man linked to 1979 murder files federal lawsuit against Milford police, town Milford police, along with the Douglas and Hopedale police departments and the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section, arrested Texeira Monday at his Douglas apartment at 13 A St. Texeira faces charges of attempted murder; assault with a dangerous weapon; discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling; carrying a firearm without an FID card; disturbing the peace; and disorderly conduct. Police have not found a gun, Sousa said. Texeira was ordered held without bail Tuesday during his arraignment in Milford District Court. He is due back in court Friday for a hearing to determine whether he is a danger to the public. Story continues Texeira's lawyer, Daniel Doyle, could not be reached for comment on Tuesday. Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on Twitter @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime. This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Douglas man charged after shooting outside downtown Milford bar People in our area and across the country honored Doctor Martin Luther King Junior on Monday. Dr. King was assassinated in 1968 but his message of love and unity still resonates with people today. >>PHOTOS: Dayton celebrates MLKs legacy with march News Center 7s Gabrielle Enright said the cold weather did not stop people from marching and honoring a man who did so much. Dr. King made the ultimate sacrifice, said Angela Worley, Dayton Pubic School Coordinator of Community Outreach Family Engagement and Student Activities. He gave his life for helping others for what he believed was right. What Dr. King believed in was equality for everyone, something he spoke about in Alabama and Washington D.C. before he was shot and killed in April 1968. >>Photos: The life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Enright says Worley helped organize Dayton Public Schools community drive-thru donation event. She said she wanted to continue Dr. Kings message in her own way. This really helps us to teach us to take care of our own, to support our own, said Worley. We are donating and we are contributing but its all staying right back in our community and right back supporting us. Each person who drove through got a special bag filled with personal care items. It was a small token to let them know someone cares. >>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: MLK Day events planned across the Miami Valley Enright says Daytons chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the First African American sorority, also stepped up and helped made a difference in their community, just like Dr. King did. (Monday) Today is Martin Luther King Day and as you know he was a community servant, said Cynthia Booker-Neilson. This day we celebrate MLK not as a day off, but a day of service, our mission is service to all mankind. >>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: City of Dayton to hold events commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The City of Fairborn also hosted several events in honor MLK Day. About two dozen people took part in a unity walk and then many participated in an art and essay contest. Story continues Martin Luther King Junior day was officially recognized as a national holiday in 1986. January 15 was chosen because it is Doctor Kings birthday. Courtesy of WHIO Courtesy of WHIO Courtesy of WHIO Courtesy of WHIO Courtesy of WHIO Courtesy of WHIO Courtesy of WHIO King at the age of 6. (Handout) King graduated from Morehouse College in 1948 and from Boston University in 1955. (Southern Christian Leadership Conference/Handout) While in Boston, he met Coretta Scott. They married in 1953 and would eventually have four children: Yolanda, Martin III, Dexter and Bernice. (Bahnsen Negative Collection/Handout) In 1955, as the pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, King was elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association, the organization that was responsible for the successful Montgomery Bus Boycott from 1955 to 1956. (Gene Herrick/AP) King's battle with the law continued. He was arrested thirty times for his participation in civil rights activities. Here he is being charged with loitering in 1958. (Charles Moore) When he wasn't part of the civil rights struggle, King was a family man. He's seen here with his wife, Coretta, and four children (from left to right) Dexter, Yolanda, Martin Luther King III and Bernice. In August 1963, thousands gathered for the March on Washington where King gave his famous In 1964, King received the Nobel Peace Prize from the hands of Gunnar Jahn, Chairman of the Nobel Committee, in Oslo, Norway. At the time he was the youngest man ever to receive the prize. (File photo/AP) On July 2, 1964, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, with King and other civil rights leaders present. (File photo/AP) Bishop B. Jlian Smith, of the Episcopal District of the Christian Methodist Church (left), King (center), and Rev. Ralph Abernathy (right) during a civil rights march in Memphis, Tenn. in 1968. (File photo/AP) The next day, an assassin's bullet struck King as he once again stood on the balcony. In June, James Early Ray was arrested in London and charged with King's murder. (File photo/AP/Time Inc.) The family of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. walk in the funeral procession of the slain civil rights leader on April 9, 1968. (File photo) A 30-year-old man was driving with a female passenger when they ran out of gas on a Michigan interstate, authorities said. The woman called the Detroit Regional Communications Center twice, requesting a quick response from the Freeway Courtesy Patrol, a program designed to help drivers in distress, according to Michigan State Police. Before authorities responded late Monday, Jan. 16, the driver also called the dispatch center, according to a series of tweets from Michigan State Police Second District. He reported that a man in a purple SRT car fired 150 shots into his vehicle with an AK-47, officials said. State troopers responded to Interstate 94, in Detroit, at about 11:10 p.m. Troopers arrived on scene to find no one injured and the vehicle was not struck, officials said. It was determined that the driver called 911 to get a quick police response due to his vehicle being out of gas. Investigators also learned the driver was drunk, had a suspended drivers license and was wanted on fugitive warrants, according to the posts. The driver was arrested on a charge of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, officials said. The driver was reported to have a blood alcohol content of .16, double the states legal limit. The man was booked into the Detroit Detention Center, officials said. Dad lied about baby being in stolen Jeep to get a better response, Texas sheriff says Drunk driver swapped seats with passenger after crash that killed one, Florida cops say I need help. Boy calls 911 to report drunk dad driving him to Las Vegas, CA cops say Police are investigating a crash that left a 7-year-old cheerleader fighting for her life. Now, the family is wondering why police havent charged the driver who hit them. Channel 2s Tyisha Fernandes was in DeKalb County, where the crash happened on I-85 South in Chamblee just two days before Christmas. Ashley Askew said that the family car broke down on the highway, so she let the car drift to the to the HOV lane and stop on the left shoulder, which is when a woman slammed into their car. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The child, Leyla Askew, was preparing for a big cheerleading competition in Las Vegas. Now, shes in the hospital with a traumatic brain injury. My vehicle decided to stop, Ashley Marion, Leylas mother, said. Theres no way I can get all the way to the right when the speedometer is dropping and all these cars are flying past, so I was like, The closest lane is the HOV lane. TRENDING STORIES: Marion said several other cars moved out of the HOV lane to avoid hitting them, but one car didnt. I was immediately knocked unconscious. I had no idea we were in an accident, Marion said. We get to the hospital and I found out my baby suffered a traumatic brain injury and she has to undergo surgery. I had to watch my baby for 17 days hooked up to a ventilator. According to the police report, the driver stopped and gave her information to paramedics, but when a police officer told her to stand by, she left the scene with a relative. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Police are not classifying the crash as a hit-and-run, but said they are still investigating. Thats still leaving the scene of an accident, Marion said. Fernandes did some digging and found that the driver, Juaoquim Washington, has a warrant out of Douglas County for failing to appear in court on speeding and drug charges. Story continues Fernandes spoke to Washington on the phone, who said DeKalb police let her leave the scene and that even she was surprised she wasnt arrested for that warrant out of Douglas County. DeKalb County police said they stand by what they wrote in the police report, saying Washington left the scene before they could give her a citation. The family has set up a GoFundMe to help with medical expenses. During a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden on Jan. 17, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that the Netherlands would join the U.S. and Germany in sending Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine. I think that its important we join that, and I discussed it also this morning with Olaf Scholz of Germany, Rutte said, as quoted by Reuters. Patriot systems are the most advanced air defense weapon in the U.S. arsenal that Kyiv has been long pleading for. The U.S. announced it would supply Patriots to Ukraine at the end of December, ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskys visit to Washington, D.C. Germany also committed a Patriot battery in early January. The systems aim to significantly improve the defense of Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure against regular Russian missile attacks. Ruttes announcement comes ahead of the Ramstein defense summit on Jan. 20, where Western allies are expected to announce additional military aid for Ukraine. Ramstein summits are held to coordinate efforts to provide military aid to Ukraine. They were named after Germanys Ramstain Air Base, where the first summit was held in April 2022. THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) Dutch authorities arrested a Syrian man on Tuesday who is suspected of having been a security chief for the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra extremist groups during Syria's grinding civil war, prosecutors said. It is suspected that from his position at IS he also contributed to the war crimes that the organization committed in Syria, the National Public Prosecutors Office said in a statement. The 37-year-old man, whose name wasn't released, was detained in the small village of Arkel, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of the port city of Rotterdam, prosecutors said in a statement. The man is suspected of holding a managerial position in the security service of IS from 2015-2018, prosecutors said. For two years prior to that, he allegedly carried out the same work for Jabhat al-Nusra. Prosecutors say he held both functions in and around the Yarmouk refugee camp south of the Syrian capital, Damascus. The suspect applied for asylum in the Netherlands in 2019 and later settled in Arkel, prosecutors said. He was scheduled to appear before an examining magistrate in The Hague on Feb. 20. It wasn't the first time Dutch authorities arrested a suspect from the Syrian conflict. Last year, a Dutch court convicted two Syrian brothers of holding senior roles in Jabhat al-Nusra between 2011 and 2014. Mark Rutte, the Dutch Prime Minister, told Joe Biden, the United States President, on Tuesday that the Netherlands would suggest passing a Patriot missile system to Ukraine, following the same offers from the USA and Germany. Source: Reuters, citing Mark Rutte's statement during the visit with Joe Biden at the White House; European Pravda "I think that it's important we join that, and I discussed it [offering Patriot missiles to Ukraine ed.] also this morning with Olaf Scholz of Germany," Rutte said, not mentioning how many anti-aircraft systems Ukraine would receive, or the specific time of their arrival. Earlier, the Bloomberg agency reported that the Dutch government can make a decision concerning sending a Patriot system to Ukraine, joining the US and Germany. During the meeting with the US President, the Dutch Prime Minister recalled that the Netherlands had decided to spend an additional 2.5 billion euros to support Ukraine. Biden also thanked Rutte for being "very very stalwart" in this regard. Biden and Rutte are expected to discuss further support to Ukraine, "as well as further cooperation in the fields of defence and security and strengthening of the bilateral trade relationship." Background: On 21 December, the USA announced a new military aid package for Ukraine worth $1.85 billion, which for the first time includes the transfer of the Patriot air defence system. Thereafter, Germany also pledged to provide Ukraine with Patriots. This week, about a 100 Ukrainian military personnel, who will be trained to operate and maintain Patriot air defence systems, have arrived at a base in Oklahoma. At this stage, 90 to 100 Ukrainian military personnel will be trained; these will be the operators or those who will be engaged in systems maintenance. The training will last several months. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch tech industry group FME on Tuesday called for the European Commission to draft a position on whether and how to restrict computer chip technology exports to China, saying "more unified and powerful action" was needed from Europe. The call comes as Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte visits U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington. The leaders are expected to discuss U.S. requests for the Netherlands to adopt U.S. rules introduced in October aimed at hobbling China's chipmaking industry to slow its technological and military advances. The Netherlands is home to ASML Holding NV, a key maker of semiconductor manufacturing equipment. It had 15% of its sales to China in 2021, or 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion)worth, that could be affected if the Netherlands were to adopt the new U.S. rules. "In these times ... of geopolitical tensions, national and European strategic autonomy is of great importance," said FME chairman Theo Henrar. "The Netherlands would be helped by more unified and powerful action by the European Union." Some European politicians, including Belgium's prime minister, have questioned whether the Netherlands should be left to negotiate chip policy with the U.S. alone, but Rutte on Friday denied feeling pressured by Washington over the matter. The Dutch trade minister on Sunday said she shared U.S. concerns about over-reliance on Asian chipmakers and that chip technology had military applications, but the Netherlands would not simply adopt American rules. FME represents the interests of 2,200 Dutch technology firms, including ASML and smaller equipment maker ASM International. ($1 = 0.9269 euros) (Reporting by Toby Sterling; Editing by Mark Potter) The Duval Republican Party is calling on Governor Ron DeSantis to petition the Florida Supreme Court to commence a statewide grandy jury to investigate the JEA scandal. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< The resolution calls for the proposed statewide grand jury to investigate violations of Florida law and report on actions of public officials, private individuals and business entities who misled Duval citizens on the proposed sale of JEA. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] We need to know what happened, said Robin Lumb. Lumb, who serves Duval County Republican Executive Committee, helped draft the resolution, which was unanimously approved by the local party Monday night. He said he believes the federal grandy jury investigating the scandal, which led to the indictment of former JEA CEO Aaron Zahn, has run its course. Zahn and another former JEA executive face federal conspiracy and wire fraud charges in connection with attempts to privatize the public utility. INVESTIGATES: Councilmember Dennis offered job to resign, remove opposition to botched JEA sale Lumb said unlike federal grand juries, which either decide to issue an indictment or not, a state grand jury would publish a report detailing not just criminal conduct, but a full account of what occurred. There are people that were at the center of this, who were not necessarily working employees of city government, but whos conduct is to this day shrouded in mystery, said Lumb. UNF political science professor Dr. Michael Binder said the resolution isnt binding, but it does signal where local Republican voters stand. And says, hey. Look, this JEA matter is a mess. Wed like the state to look into it even further and I dont know anybody that disagrees with that outside Aaron Zahn, said Binder. The resolution comes in the middle of a mayoral race where candidates have been taking shots at one another over alleged ties to the proposed sale of JEA. Story continues Republican mayoral candidates LeAnna Cumber and Daniel Davis have been the most aggressive on the airwaves, with Cumbers PAC putting out an ad hitting Davis over the JEA scandal last week. Watch: Testimony on failed JEA sale Davis took over $300,000 from JEA to promote privatization, said the narrator in the ad. Cumber said the push for a statewide grand jury creates an opportunity for the public to learn more about Davis involvement in the push for privatization as head of the Jax Chamber. Hes hanging around with Aaron Zahn and with everyone else involved and so hes got a lot to answer for, said Cumber. But Dr. Binder pointed out Davis isnt alone in his proximity to the JEA scandal. Three mayoral candidates are at least tangentially involved in this whether they were on Council or running the Chamber at the time, said Binder. Read: JEA sale off the table Aside from Cumber being on city council during the fallout, her husband Husein Cumber previously served as a JEA board member for years and even voted to confirm Zahn as CEO of the utility in 2018. Cumber pushed back on the suggestion she or her husband had any involvement, and noted her husband was the second to testify against Zahn. Including the fact that he had a resolution. It was his resolution that said that there would be no discussion of privatization at JEA and they ignored him, said Cumber. The Davis campaign declined to comment on the resolution calling for the grand jury. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] The Governors Office also did not respond for a request for comment. STAY UPDATED: Download the Action News Jax app for live updates on breaking stories NEW YORK (AP) Emerson Electric Co. is going public with its $7.6 billion bid for National Instruments, saying the company has avoided serious buyout negotiations since early last year. Emerson bumped up its cash offer for the maker of scientific measuring equipment and software to $53 per share in November, up from a per-share offer of $48 that it had made back in May. Shares of National Instruments jumped, closing Tuesday up nearly 11%. Emerson said that it's tried numerous times to initiate private discussions with National Instruments Corp. since May. The St. Louis company said that when it provided its increased bid in November, National Instruments said it had formed a group to look at the proposal and evaluate options. But Emerson said since that time National Instruments has resisted engaging. Emerson, which makes process controls systems, valves and analytical instruments, noted that it did meet with National Instruments earlier this month, but that National Instruments shared limited, high-level information about its business and was unwilling to provide more detailed information. Emerson said it was told by National Instruments that would be the extent of its engagement. Last week National Instruments Corp. said that it was conducting a strategic review and put in place a poison pill, a financial maneuver that companies use to ward off unwelcome suitors. The elements of each poison pill vary, but theyre all designed to give corporate boards an option to flood the market with so much newly created stock that a takeover becomes prohibitively expensive. Although Emerson would have preferred to reach an agreement privately, given National Instruments announcement that it is undertaking a strategic review, and after refusing to work with us toward a premium cash transaction over the past eight months, we are making our interest public for the benefit of all National Instruments shareholders, Emerson President and CEO Lal Karsanbhai said in a prepared statement. Story continues National Instruments, which is based in Austin, Texas, said in a statement on Tuesday that it will evaluate Emerson's proposal and wants to pursue a comprehensive strategic review process inclusive of other counterparties rather than negotiate exclusively with Emerson, which (National Instruments) believes would be detrimental to shareholder interests. Emerson is interested in National Instruments' differentiated electronic test and measurement offerings and technology stack of intelligent devices, controls and software. Emerson has purchased 2.3 million shares of National Instruments and says that it has approval to increase its stake. Shares of Emerson ended Tuesday down almost 7%. A former Republican candidate was arrested in connection with shootings at Democratic officials' homes. China's birth rate declined for the first time in decades. And Tom Brady's career is at a crossroads after one of the worst playoff losses of his 23-year career. Hello! It's Julius with Tuesday's news! But first: Could Jack and Rose both fit on the debris in "Titanic?" A National Geographic special with director James Cameron will investigate the theory. The Short List is a snappy USA TODAY news roundup. Subscribe to the newsletter here. Details emerge about ex-GOP candidate linked to New Mexico shootings Solomon Pena, a former Republican state legislative candidate in New Mexico, was booked into jail Tuesday in connection with a spate of drive-by shootings at Democratic elected officials' homes. Pena, who lost his bid for a state house seat in November, is accused of conspiring with and paying four other men to shoot at the homes. Bullets fired into one of the lawmakers' homes caused sheetrock and dust to land in the face of a 10-year-old girl as she slept, according to the criminal complaint. The complaint also reveals Pena was "upset he had not won the election for public office," adding that he encouraged accomplices to shoot at the homes during waking hours and "intended to (seriously injure) or cause death." Here's what we know about Pena's arrest. Solomon Pena, center, a former Republican candidate for New Mexico House District 14, was arrested in connection with a recent series of drive-by shootings targeting Democratic lawmakers in New Mexico. 'Notoriously inaccurate' missile blamed for deadly blast in Ukraine Six children were among at least 45 people killed when a "notoriously inaccurate" Russian missile slammed into an apartment building in Ukraine last week, authorities said Tuesday. National Police Chief Igor Klymenko said search and rescue operations have been completed at the site of the nine-story building that housed about 1,700 people in Dnipro. Sixteen children were among the 79 people injured 28 of them hospitalized, 10 in serious condition, Klymenko said in a Facebook update. Twenty people were still missing. Some people were trapped on upper floors, and some signaled for help with lights on their cellphones. Read the latest updates on Ukraine. Before-and-after images capture devastation of Ukrainian apartment complex after missile attack Emergency workers clear the rubble after a Russian rocket hit a multistory building leaving many people under debris in Dnipro, Ukraine, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023. What everyone's talking about The Short List is free, but several stories we link to are subscriber-only. Consider supporting our journalism and become a USA TODAY digital subscriber today. Greene, Gosar reinstated to committees Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia GOP congresswoman stripped of her committee assignments two years ago by the Democratic-led House after a series of menacing social media posts, has been reinstated by the Republicans who now run the chamber. Greene was named Tuesday to the Homeland Security Committee, her spokesman confirmed to USA TODAY. Arizona GOP Rep. Paul Gosar was also reinstated. He had been removed from his committees after being censured in 2021 for posting an anime video that was edited to show him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and attacking President Joe Biden. Gosar was named to the Committee on Natural Resources, media reports said. Read more. Bidens most vocal Republican antagonists emerge from the sidelines with subpoena power Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) talks to reporters on November 15, 2022 in Washington, DC. Greene was reinstated to a House committee assignment Tuesday. How China's birth rate decline could affect the global economy China's birthrate has declined for the first time in decades, China's National Bureau of Statistics reported Tuesday, a shift that experts say could influence the global economy. The world's most populous country's birthrate was 6.77 births per 1,000 people, a fall from 7.52 births per 1,000 in 2021, according to the statistics agency. Researchers believe the lower population growth rate could mean higher labor costs in China because of a smaller pool of workers. A shrinking labor force could make it harder for China's government to fund its public health and welfare costs, which would suppress China's economy. Read more. Real quick What's next for Tom Brady? After the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 31-14 shellacking by the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night, quarterback Tom Brady's illustrious career has reached a new crossroads. The NFL's most decorated player heads into the offseason with an expiring contract yet seemingly several viable paths forward. But with a humiliating defeat serving as the capstone to his first sub-.500 pro season, one checkered with professional and personal adversity, Brady wasn't ready to discuss his future Monday, saying, "Its just been one day at a time, truly. Should he retire? Should he sign with a new team? Here's what Brady could do next. Personally, I think one last run with the New England Patriots would be a nice way to cap off his career. Tom Brady leaves the field after the wild-card playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys. A break from the news This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Subscribe to the newsletter here. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tom Brady, Ukraine, Solomon Pena: The Short List LOUISIANA, Mo. (AP) The former police chief of a small northeast Missouri town is facing second-degree murder charges after his girlfriend's brother died of a drug overdose in his home last year. William E. Jones, 50, the former police chief in Louisiana, Missouri, was indicted by a Pike County grand jury on seven charges in the death of 24-year-old Gabriel Thone, who was found dead on the floor of a bedroom in Jones' house in October. Jones was arrested Friday and is being held on $1 million cash bail, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Thone was the brother of Jones girlfriend, Alexis Thone. Another of Thone's brothers also overdosed at the home but was revived by paramedics. Jones was charged in October with several felonies, including drug trafficking and stealing the from police department's evidence locker. He was fired as police chief when those charges were filed. Second-degree murder alleges a person died as the result of someone committing a felony. The underlying felony that prosecutors allege in Jones case is trafficking fentanyl. Jones lawyer, Christopher Lozano, said Jones is innocent. Hes only guilty of loving somebody with a drug problem the girlfriend, Lozano said. Her two brothers were house guests, and its tragic. Thats it. The girlfriend, Alexis Thone, 25, of O'Fallon, told investigators she didnt know where her brother got the drugs. Jones said he had no idea illegal drugs were being used in his home, court documents said. Louisiana, a town of about 3,200 residents, is about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northwest of St. Louis. In the case filed in October, Jones was accused in court documents of taking methamphetamine from the police department's evidence locker and throwing narcotic test kits in a dumpster before deputies arrived. Alexis Thone also was charged with second-degree drug trafficking and possession of a controlled substance in October. By Norihiko Shirouzu and Gilles Guillaume BEIJING/PARIS (Reuters) -Renault SA and China's Geely Automobile Holdings are working to finalise a deal to bring Saudi Aramco in as an investor and partner to develop and supply gasoline engines and hybrid technologies, three people with knowledge of the talks said. The Saudi oil producer has been involved in advanced discussions to take a stake of up to 20% in a previously announced but still-unnamed Geely-Renault powertrain technology company that the automakers are working to establish, the three people told Reuters. Big oil firms have worked with automakers to develop sustainable fuels and hydrogen engines in recent years. But if a deal is agreed, Aramco would be the first major oil producer to invest in the car business, as the rise of electric cars threatens to cut demand for conventional fuels. According to a document prepared by the companies and viewed by Reuters, the aim is to establish a powertrain company this year with a production capacity of more than 5 million "low-emission and hybrid engines and transmissions" annually. A 20% stake for Aramco would leave Renault and Geely with 40% each in the joint venture, which would combine a carve-out of the French automaker's existing combustion-engine production with Geely's gasoline and hybrid technology and related assets, the people told Reuters. Renault and Geely both declined to comment. Aramco did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. The new joint-venture codenamed "Horse" by Renault and "Rubik" by Geely is aimed at developing more-efficient gasoline engines and hybrid systems at a time when the focus of much of the automobile industry has been on the capital-intensive transition to purely electric vehicles, two of the people said. The financial terms of the potential investment by Aramco in the joint venture were not immediately known. According to the document, Aramco's investment would be used to support development of decarbonisation technologies for gasoline engines. Story continues Aramco would also contribute to research and development of powertrain technologies, especially synthetic fuel solutions and next-generation hydrogen technologies, the document said. The people who described the outline of the deal being negotiated asked not to be named because it has not been announced. Last year, Aramco announced a partnership with Hyundai Motor Co to study advanced fuels that could be used in hybrid engines to reduce CO2 emissions. SUBJECT TO BOARD APPROVALS Aramco's deal with Geely and Renault still needs approval by the boards of the automakers, one of the people said. The three companies are working to complete a letter of intent in the coming weeks, one of the sources said. Geely and Renault when they announced the new venture last year said it would employ 19,000 people at 17 powertrain factories and three research and development hubs. By carving out its internal-combustion-engine business, Renault plans to focus on electric cars, part of the French automaker's effort to revamp its alliance with Nissan Motor Co. As part of that, Renault is trying to convince Nissan to invest in its new electric vehicle unit. For Geely, the deal with Renault extends its pattern of building partnerships to expand beyond China. A strategic focus for the joint venture will likely be on an advanced four-cylinder engine, two of the sources said. One way to use those engines would be as a dedicated power generator to supply a charge to a hybrid car's battery system, rather than powering the vehicle directly when the battery charge was low, one of them said. In that kind of arrangement, gasoline engines could be designed to operate in an "exceptionally efficient mode", one of the sources said. Geely previously announced a hybrid gasoline engine development deal with Mercedes-Benz and holds a stake in the German automaker. The new Geely-Renault joint venture is not the only company betting on the view that fuel-efficient hybrids will remain part of the mix even as more automakers roll out electric vehicles. Toyota Motor Corp CEO Akio Toyoda has defended his company's continued investment in hybrids, such as the Prius, saying that electric vehicles remain expensive and that charging infrastructure is incomplete. (Reporting by Norihiko Shirouzu in Beijing, Gilles Guillaume in Paris, and Maha El Dahan in Dubai; editing by Bradley Perrett and Jason Neely) Explosions rocked Russian Belgorod city on the night of 16-17 January. The governor of the oblast has stated that the air defence systems have been deployed. Source: Vyacheslav Gladkov, Governor of Belgorod Oblast in the Russian Federation, on Telegram Quote: "Our air defence system was activated over Belgorod and the Belgorod district. Emergency services are establishing the aftermath on the ground. According to preliminary information, there were no casualties or damage." Background: Mikhail Razvozhayev, the so-called governor of Sevastopol (Crimea), announced the shooting down of a drone over the city on 16 January. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Birmingham had to come from behind to beat Forest Green of League One (Getty_Sport_All_Published_Images) Birmingham City produced a second-half comeback to avoid an FA Cup upset with a 2-1 win at Forest Green Rovers. On a night of third-round replays, this tie saw the sides going at it for the first time - after their initial attempt to play the game 10 days ago was scuppered by a frozen pitch. Goals from Lukas Jutkiewicz and Kevin Long ultimately sent the Championship Blues through after Rovers, currently bottom of League One, had gone ahead through Ben Stevensons stunning effort. Birmingham now face a trip to Blackburn in the fourth round as reward for their efforts in Nailsworth. Elsewhere, Harvey Elliotts sensational strike helped Liverpool put their Premier League woes to one side as they moved into the FA Cup fourth round by edging out Wolverhampton at Molineux. After collecting the ball in his own half, Elliott took advantage of the backpedalling Wolves defence before lashing a 25-yard effort high into the net, beyond the reach of an out-of-position Jose Sa. Elliott scored the only goal of the game for Liverpool (REUTERS) Fabio Carvalho had a goal disallowed for offside but Elliotts goal was enough to secure a 1-0 win for the defending champions in this replay, with their initial fixture ending in a contentious 2-2 draw. Earlier this month, Toti Gomes strike which would have secured a Wolves win was dubiously ruled out amid a VAR failure, but there was no such drama this time around. Liverpools reward for prevailing in the Midlands is a trip later this month to Brighton, where Jurgen Klopps side were handily beaten 3-0 in the league to leave the Merseysiders ninth in the table. Meanwhile, Sam Bell scored a superb winner nine minutes from the end of extra time to carry Bristol City to a 2-1 win at Swansea City. The teams shared a 1-1 draw in their first encounter and could not be split over another 90 minutes as Mark Sykes opener for the Robins was cancelled out by Swans substitute Ollie Cooper. But Bell cut in from the left in extra time and fired past Andy Fisher in the Swansea goal to settle the replay and reward his club with a home tie against West Bromwich Albion in an all-Championship clash. Story continues The Baggies ruthlessly exposed the 70-place gap between themselves and National League Chesterfield to prevail 4-0 at The Hawthorns. Rogic scored one of West Broms four goals (PA) John Swift scored the first then had a hand in the next two goals from Tom Rogic and Jake Livermore before substitute Jovan Malcolm headed in a fourth for West Brom, who were taken to a replay after a thrilling 3-3 draw at the Technique Stadium 10 days ago. It was a 10th win in 12 games in all competitions for Carlos Corberans in-form side. Elijah Adebayo scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner as Luton Town defeated Wigan Athletic 2-1. Thelo Aasgaard volleyed Wigan ahead within seconds of the second half starting but Cauley Woodrow scored at the second attempt five minutes later after goalkeeper Ben Amos had done well to initially parry away. Extra-time loomed but there was to be one final twist, with the ball being played in from the Luton left and Adebayo firing home from close range to earn the Hatters a clash against Grimsby. Eky Akmal/EyeEm via Getty A New York City private school for special-needs children with brain disorders is allegedly so filthy that students wheelchairs are teeming with cockroaches, and is run by a scandal-ridden chiropractor masquerading as a neurologist who preys on female staffers. The disturbing accusations are detailed in a lawsuit obtained by The Daily Beast, which was filed Monday by a one-time employee who in December quit her job at the International Institute for the Brain (iBRAIN) on Manhattans Upper East Side. In it, former iBRAIN publicity associate Katelyn Newman also claims, among other things, that the school hired at least one convicted felon who fraudulently posed for years as a doctor and fake U.S. Navy officer, subjects children to scientific experiments without proper consent, and lacks basic classroom necessities like pencils and chairs even as the state forks over up to $350,000 per student for tuition. This is major crime, Newmans attorney, Kenneth McCallion, told The Daily Beast on Tuesday, noting his client was severely damaged by the entire experience, and had to start seeing a therapist to recover. A former prosecutor now litigating civil cases, McCallionwho has previously contributed a handful of opinion pieces to The Daily Beastsaid he hopes to pique the interest of the Attorney General and the Board of Ed with the filing. When Newman began working at iBRAIN in August 2022, the first thing she noticed was that the facility located on East 91st Street was extremely filthy and unsanitary, her lawsuit states. The floors were generally left unwashed, spiders and bugs everywhere, with often no toilet paper, paper towels, soap, hand sanitizer, or running water in the bathroom. Cockroaches were so prevalent that they were sometimes nested in students wheelchairs, the filing goes on, noting that there was no working A/C at the height of the summer heat, and that plumbing leaks were routinely stuffed up with Dorito bags or whatever else was readily available. Story continues At one-point, some disgusting and gross-smelling residue started falling from the ceiling in [the] therapists office area, but there were no immediate instructions given to vacate the premises, it continues. The carcass of a rat could be seen for an extended time period before it was finally removed, and the ceiling over the entryway where the children entered the building was falling down. But that wasnt the worst of it, according to Newmans lawsuit. iBRAINs so-called chief innovations officer, Dr. Victor Pedro, who claims to have once treated 80s pop star Paula Abdul with an experimental method medical experts say is quackery, held himself out as a neurologist or neuroscientist, Newman claims. However, he was a chiropractor from Rhode Island, not a neurologist or neuroscientist as he represented himself to be. Pedro called his innovative therapy Cortical Integrated Therapy (CIT), but he seemed to be the only practitioner of this controversial (and largely rejected) so-called therapy, Newman alleges, noting that iBRAIN administrators participated in neuro-conferences as part of their work. Upon further digging, [Newman] found out that Dr. Pedro had graduated with a B.S. from the University of Vermont in 1981, moved on to Boston University to study dentistry, but ultimately became a chiropractor, graduating from the New York Chiropractic College in 1983, the suit states, adding that Pedros chiropractic license expired in December 2021. In 2017, the suit continues, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) rejected CIT as having shown no scientific evidence verifying the efficacy of CIT, nor any indication that CIT was subject to such evaluation. Newman alleges Pedro showed her a presentation deck of brain power points... promoting various controversial techniques that had not been approved by the FDA or apparently any other governmental agency, and which basically, in [Newmans] view, used children as human guinea pigs for his experiments. Her lawsuit further accuses Pedro of sexual harassment, including making inappropriate comments about Newmans appearance and clothing, and regularly crossing the line from harmless flirtation over to something far more sinister. Pedro and iBRAIN officials did not immediately respond to emails and voicemails from The Daily Beast on Tuesday seeking comment. iBRAIN administrators routinely forged paperwork and falsified reports about the progress students were making, and performed proceduressuch as fixing childrens gastric feeding tubesthat they were not certified to do, according to Newman, who alleges one student had to go to the hospital [from a poorly-executed gastric tube adjustment] because his circulation was impeded, and his legs swelled up. Other kids showed up to the school nurse with bruises, cuts, bloody noses, and other evidence of neglect abuse, Newmans suit claims. Eventually, Newman says she became concerned for her own safety and the children when she heard from other staff members and teachers at iBRAIN that there were ex-cons working there who had not been properly vetted with background checks. One of these employees was a Dr. Alim Shariff, who claimed to be a Harvard-educated behavioral psychologist and Naval Reserve officer, according to Newman. Shariff, whose real name is Rodney Robinson and is now facing federal prison over his alleged years-long ruse, was in meetings with upper management and worked with special-needs children every day, Newman states in her lawsuit, yet was not challenged regarding his phony credentials or the so-called clinical work he was engaged in, which, upon information and belief, turned out to be a complete fraud. It is unclear specifically when Robinson, who was arrested and charged in February 2021, worked at iBRAIN; his name is no longer listed on the schools website. However, a criminal complaint filed in Manhattan federal court says Robinson spent years posing as Shariff, and gained employment at multiple New York City area social service and rehabilitation providers using fake identification documents. The longer she was there, the more suspicious Newman became of iBRAIN, which has a second location in Brooklyn. The school, which was the first in the U.S. to reopen as the pandemic continued to rampage across the nation, received some $1.8 million in emergency COVID funds under the federal Paycheck Protection Program, but paychecks were starting to bounce. Some staffers were told to pick up their salaries in cash from the school founders doorman on Central Park West. Others were paid by the founder himself, a lawyer named Patrick Donohue, who allegedly cut personal checks to cover iBRAINs payroll. (Donohue did not respond to multiple emails or a voicemail message left on his cellphone Tuesday.) During COVID outbreaks, faculty and staff were allegedly forbidden from wearing face masks, even around immunocompromised children/teens, which, according to Newman, contravened New York States public health orders at the time. And while New York State was perhaps iBrains biggest benefactor, providing between $100,000 to $350,000 per student for tuition at iBRAIN, depending on the severity of the students disability, Newman says in her suit that she still saw a lack of basic materials necessary to effectively address student goals, such as educational toys, oral motor tools, sensory regulation objects, iPads, educational software, chairs, pencils, and other educational equipment. Tuesday is going to be a #ParentWave since parents finally have an opportunity to take back control of their children's lives. Go to @Parent_Party platform to find candidates who took the #ParentPartyPledge https://t.co/kza9QDQf64 Patrick B. Donohue, JD, MBA (@SarahJanesDad) November 6, 2022 Last November, after being constantly degraded and disrespected by higher-ups, claiming she was subjected to verbal abuse and humiliation so severe she started seeing a therapist, Newman says she tried to quit. Her bosses promised theyd change their ways, and Newman gave it a shot. But the issues persisted, Newman claims, and on Dec. 13, she tendered her resignation. After resigning but staying in touch with present and former employees, Newmans suit says iBrain administrators sent letters to her parents, fiancee, and several business and professional contacts, falsely alleging that she had violated the New York State Child Abuse and Neglect statutes, and that she had spread false, inaccurate and unfounded information that is damaging to iBRAIN. This, according to Newman, was retaliation meant to destroy her personal and professional reputation. In totality, McCallion told The Daily Beast, it amounted to nothing less than psychological torture. Newman is seeking a jury trial and damages to be determined in court. Read more at The Daily Beast. Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. The family of a Memphis, Tennessee, man who was hospitalized and died after a traffic stop by police are demanding the official release of body camera and security video of the encounter. Tyre Nichols was taken to the hospital in critical condition after Memphis police officers stopped him for reckless driving on Jan. 7, the police department said in a statement the next day. Nichols died in the hospital three days later. Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing the family, is asking for police to release video from the stop, saying in a statement that "all of the available information tells us that this was the tragic and preventable death of a young man." Tyre Nichols. (Courtesy family) "Nobody should ever die from a simple traffic stop the footage is the only way to discern the true narrative of why and how that happened to Tyre," Crump said. Family members also demonstrated outside the National Civil Rights Museum with protesters Monday, holding signs with photos of Nichols. Rodney Wells, Nichols' stepfather, was among the relatives protesting over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, NBC affiliate WMC reported. "You shouldn't be on a dialysis machine, press machine, looking like this because of a traffic stop," Wells told WMC. Police said a "confrontation" between Nichols and the officers occurred when they approached his car on Jan. 7. He ran away, and the officers pursued, police said. "While attempting to take the suspect into custody, another confrontation occurred; however, the suspect was ultimately apprehended," the police department said in the statement Jan. 8. "Afterward, the suspect complained of having a shortness of breath, at which time an ambulance was called to the scene." Police gave no details about the confrontation. A photo provided by his stepfather showed Nichols in the hospital with blood on his face and what appeared to be a swollen eye. Relatives of Tyre Nichols at a news conference in Memphis, Tenn., on Monday. (WMC) The police department said in its initial statement that the district attorney general's office had been contacted and that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation had been asked to investigate. The officers, who were not publicly identified, were relieved of duty pending the outcome, a routine practice. Story continues Police Chief C.J. Davis said Sunday that the department was "serving notice" to the officers of "impending administrative actions." The department's statement said it expected to conclude the "administrative disciplinary and investigative process" in the next week. "After reviewing various sources of information involving this incident, I have found that it is necessary to take immediate and appropriate action," Davis said. Mayor Jim Strickland told residents that the city was "prepared to take immediate and appropriate actions" once the investigation was concluded. "Make no doubt, we take departmental violations very seriously, and while we must complete the investigation process, it is our top priority to ensure that swift justice is served," Strickland said. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has met General Mark Milley, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, in Poland. Source: General Staff of the Armed Force of Ukraine, Associated Press Quote from Zaluzhnyi: "Today, I had my first personal meeting with General Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, in Poland. I have thanked General Milley for the unwavering support and assistance provided by the United States and its allies to Ukraine. I have outlined the urgent needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the meeting of which will accelerate our [Ukraine's ed.] victory." Details: It was not only the first meeting between Zaluzhnyi and Milley, but also the first foreign visit of the Ukrainian General since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. On Tuesday, the top American military officer, US Army General Mark Milley, visited a place near the Ukrainian-Polish border and spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart in person for the first time. The place of the meeting was not disclosed. The meeting underscored the growing ties between the two militaries and came at a critical time as Russia's war with Ukraine approaches the one-year mark, AP writes. Milley and Zaluzhnyi's meeting lasted for a few hours. Before that, the two military leaders often talked about Ukraine's needs and the state of the war over the past year, but they had never met before. Milleys spokesman, Army Col. Dave Butler, told two reporters travelling with the Chairman that the two generals felt it was important to meet in person. The reporters did not accompany Milley to the meeting and, under conditions set by the military, agreed to not identify the military base in southeastern Poland where they were located. Quote from Bulter: "These guys [Milley and Zaluzhyi ed.] have been talking on a very regular basis for about a year now, and theyve gotten to know each other," Butler said. "Theyve talked in detail about the defence that Ukraine is trying to do against Russias aggression. And its important when you have two military professionals looking each other in the eye and talking about very, very important topics, theres a difference." Story continues Details: Butler said there had been some hope that Zaluzhnyi would travel to Brussels for a meeting of NATO and other defence chiefs this week, but when it became clear on Monday that it would not happen, they quickly decided to meet in Poland, near the border. While a number of U.S. civilian leaders have gone into Ukraine, the Biden administration has clarified that no uniformed military service members will go into Ukraine besides those connected to the embassy in Kyiv. Butler said only a small group Milley and six of his senior staff members travelled by car to the meeting. The spokesman said that the meeting would allow Milley to relay Zaluzhnyis concerns and information to the other military leaders during the NATO chiefs meeting. According to Bulter, Milley will be able to "describe the tactical and operational conditions on the battlefield and what the military needs are for that", and the way he [Milley ed.] does that is one by understanding it himself but by also by how Zaluzhny understands it. Milley also will be able to describe the new training of Ukrainian forces that the U.S. is doing at the Grafenwoehr training area in Germany. Milley, who got his first look at the new, so-called combined arms instruction during a nearly two-hour visit there on Monday, has said it will better prepare Ukrainian troops to launch an offensive or counter any surge in Russian attacks. Milley and Zaluzhnyis meeting kicks off a series of high-level gatherings of military and defence leaders this week. Milley and other chiefs of defence will meet in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday, and then the so-called Ukraine Contact Group will gather at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Thursday and Friday. That group consists of about 50 top defence officials, including Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, and they work to coordinate military contributions to Ukraine. AP also states that the meeting comes as the international community ramps up the military assistance to Ukraine, including expanded training of Ukrainian troops by the U.S. and the provision of a Patriot missile battery, tanks and increased air defence and other weapons systems by the U.S. and a coalition of European and other nations. "It also marks a key time in the war. Ukraines troops face fierce fighting in the eastern Donetsk province, where Russian forces supplemented by thousands of private Wagner Group contractors seek to turn the tide after a series of battlefield setbacks in recent months," AP adds. Background: On 16 January, American General Mark Milley visited a training ground in Germany, where Ukrainian servicemen began training the day before. More than 600 Ukrainian troops began the expanded training program at the camp just a day before Milley arrived. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! The New Mexico and U.S. flags. Robert Alexander/Getty Images A former New Mexico House candidate was arrested in Albuquerque on Monday, accused of conspiring to shoot at the homes of four Democratic lawmakers in December and January. Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina announced on Monday evening that Solomon Pena, 39, has been "accused of conspiring with and paying four other men to shoot at the homes of two county commissioners and two state legislators." A Republican, Pena ran for House District 14 in the November election, and lost to the Democratic incumbent, Miguel Garcia. The shootings took place Dec. 4 at Bernalillo County Commissioner Adrian Barboa's home, Dec. 8 at New Mexico House Speaker Javier Martinez's home, Dec. 11 at outgoing Bernalillo County Commissioner Debbie O'Malley's home, and Jan. 3 at state Sen. Linda Lopez's home. No one was injured. Police said Pena, who served nearly seven years in prison after being convicted in 2007 of burglary, larceny, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and receiving stolen property, was arrested in a SWAT raid, and is one of five suspects in the conspiracy. "The evidence we have is not only firearms, it's also cell phones and electric records, surveillance video, and multiple witnesses inside and outside this conspiracy that have helped us weave together what occurred," said Kyle Hartsock, deputy commander of Albuquerque Police's Criminal Investigations Division. "On the last shooting, we now have evidence too that Pena himself went on the shooting and actually pulled the trigger on at least one of the firearms that was used." Police also revealed that after Pena lost the November election, he went "uninvited" to the homes of Barboa, O'Malley, and Lopez, and "provided them with documents that he said indicated fraud in the election results." Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller called the shootings "politically motivated" and an example of "right-wing radicalism," which is a "threat to our nation." You may also like What is Blue Monday? Russia's weaponization of oil and gas exports to neuter Europe on Ukraine is backfiring badly Why are people angry about the new monument honoring MLK and Coretta Scott King's love story? Lexington police have arrested a man who allegedly fired shots at the headquarters of a company he used to work with, according to police. Juan Ramos, 31, was arrested hours after the incident and charged with burglary and wanton endangerment, according to police. Jail records indicate Ramos was arrested near the scene of the incident. Lt. Joe Anderson with the Lexington Police Department said officers were dispatched to the area of 2845 Palumbo Drive at 5:55 a.m. Tuesday for a report of shots fired. Ramos, who was recently terminated, fired approximately six shots at a Valvoline building nearby, according to Anderson. According to court records, Ramos fired at Valvolines headquarters, which are located at 100 Valvoline Way in Lexington. Police said Ramos was an employee at Valvoline, but a Valvoline representative later clarified to the Herald-Leader that Ramos was a contractor. Court records say Ramos had been banned from the building and was escorted off the companys property before he fired the gun. Prior to the shooting, Ramos was inadvertently let inside the building and attempted to steal a television when he was told to leave, Anderson said. Ramos did not leave with the TV and fired the shots towards the building after leaving the property and crossing the street. Nobody was hurt and no property was damaged, according to Anderson. Shell casings were found on scene, Anderson said. Editors note: This story has been updated after a Valvoline representative clarified that Ramos was a contractor, not an employee of Valvoline. Andrei Medvedev According to Medvedevs lawyer Brynjulf Risnes, the former Wagner mercenary is currently in custody in the Oslo area. Risnes stated that his client fled from Russia after witnessing war crimes in Ukraine. Read also: Wagner Group has brought in more than 38,000 prison inmates: Podolyak According to him, Medvedev witnessed the execution of deserters by Wagners internal security service. In short, he felt betrayed and wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, Risnes said. The lawyer said he believed Medvedev had brought some evidence of war crimes with him to Norway and intended to share his information with war crimes investigation teams. Read also: Ukraine to push for UN tribunal to investigate Russian crimes In response, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder and financier of the Wagner Group, made a sarcastic statement in which he noted that Medvedev served in a non-existent Norwegian unit of the Wagner Group called Nidhyog, as he had Norwegian citizenship. Prigozhin accused Medvedev of cruel treatment of prisoners and called his former employee very dangerous. Risnes said that Prigozhins statements were untrue. Read also: Ukraines SBU interrogates PMC Wagner members, digs more proof of war crimes Russian human rights project Gulagu.net reported that Medvedev, after participating in a full-scale war against Ukraine, requested political asylum in Norway and is ready to testify after Prigozhin. According to the projects reports, Medvedev who was the commander and the entire 1st detachment of the 4th platoon of the 7th assault detachment of the Wagner Group escaped from Russia on Jan. 12. He was placed in a center for violators of immigration law in Oslo. Read also: Russias Wagner mercenary company recruiting political prisoners from Chechnya, says Ukrainian intel Medvedev was the commander of Yevgeny Nuzhin, a convict and Wagner mercenary who surrendered to Ukrainian forces and was then exchanged in a prisoner swap. After Nuzhin was exchanged and returned to Wagner, he was murdered by a sledgehammer blow to the head. Wagner mercenaries filmed the murder and posted the video online. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Maternity line Hatch has a new investor and a new set of sister brands. Marquee Brands quietly took a minority stake in Hatch, and has created the Hatch Collective, which will also operate Motherhood Maternity, A Pea in the Pod and Destination Maternity. More from WWD Hatchs founder and chief executive officer Ariane Goldman who launched the modern maternitywear brand in 2011 is heading up the collective, which debuted a new site Tuesday. The structural shift comes more than three years after Marquee Brands bought Motherhood Maternity, A Pea in the Pod and Destination Maternity out of bankruptcy. Goldman declined to pinpoint the financials of Marquees investment in Hatch. There is growth potential in the maternity category, according to a report by Technavio, which said the segment could grow $2.91 billion between 2020 and 2025, driven in part by increased demand from emerging countries. The fertility rate in the U.S. declined from 2015 to 2020, with a low of fewer than six births per 100 women between the ages of 15 and 44, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Hatch is known for its modern maternity offerings, but theres limited competition in the maternity sector, though Adidas, Asos and H&M all sell maternity clothing. Motherhood Maternity and Destination Maternity do not have any freestanding stores, and there are plans to close Pea in the Pods New York and Chicago locations in the next few months. Destination Maternitys current business consists only of a licensing deal with Walmart. Maternity is not a sexy category, Goldman said, noting that she was inspired to dive into the sector because people overlook this need. They think it is a finite period of time. The truth is that a freshman class of pregnant women come in round and round again, looking for a brand to offer them these solutions. Story continues With many mothers and mothers-to-be self-styling the clothes they wear during their pregnancies, the concept of maternitywear is dated for millions. It is kind of dated. I like to look at it as new motherhood. Our offering is to provide her with solutions as she embarks on pregnancy and to get her through. Also, fourth trimester and after has become an explosive category for us. Through nursing, getting back to [feeling like] herself and getting back to work, we have extended that timeline to the first year of having a child, Goldman said. Earlier this month, the 68 corporate employees and 12 store workers across the brands learned about the new vision and integration via a town hall meeting. Goldman has no plans to dissolve any of the brands, she said, and will focus on differentiating the targeted customer base and value of each brand. Destination Maternity once had hundreds of stores, and still has a lot of brand equity, she said, though the current deal with Walmart is quite small. The plan is to elaborate and blow out Motherhood Maternity, which wholesales to major retailers like Amazon and Macys with affordable pieces and is the real revenue driver, Goldman said. Her goal is to modernize the product to reach more women at that price point, she said. When she started Hatch following the birth of her first daughter, Goldman set out to create a company that played up modern maternitywear. What started as a 10-piece assortment has evolved into an omnichannel business that includes beauty, retail stores and broader wholesale relationships. With three Hatch stores in SoHo and the Upper East Side in New York and Brentwood, California, the company is scouting another location for this year possibly in Boston or Dallas. The next year is going to be spent digesting these businesses, recognizing the synergies, understanding our strategy in the brand architecture, Goldman said. Individual strategies are expected to be devised for each brand within the next six months whether that be wholesale, direct-to-consumer or other channels. Geared for women to wear before, during and after their pregnancies, the aspirational Hatch assortment is pricier compared to standard maternity clothes, with prices venturing into the hundreds of dollars and longevity meant to be a selling point. Motherhood Maternity offers options with more value pricing. Its a different customer, a different household and likely different geographies, Goldman said. Its Pea in the Pod that we have to figure out who the customer is and where she sits. I like to think of her of a more fashion-forward, higher-spending consumer, when it come to dresses. The brands dress prices fall between Hatch and Motherhood Maternity, with online styles priced from $66 to $178. Pea in the Pod also needs some analysis to determine its place in the marketplace, Goldman noted. Prior to launching Hatch, Goldman started and ran another apparel company, Twobirds, which made bridesmaids dresses that were designed to be worn again. She sold the company to a manufacturing partner in the summer of 2020, but declined to reveal the price. Under the new plan, none of the maternity brands will be renamed, but fresher products, content, online services and customer experiences will be freshened up. In line with that, the Babe by Hatch online content platform will be extended with additional content and partnerships to give more women the opportunity to connect. To build community, Hatch has hosted meet-and-greets for mothers-to-be, sleep training, CPR classes and diaper-changing tutorials for new fathers. During the pandemic, those events were digitalized and 25,000 people have since tuned in. As of now, Babe by Hatch covers topics such as more stylish options than hospital gowns, vibrators during pregnancy, tips on safe exercise and self care based on moon signs. Free from any images of crying babies or harried mothers, the homepage targets mothers keen on fitness and self care, despite that not being a reality for many mothers. Goldman said, Babe will be retooled and will be very thoughtful about how we can service all three brands. The common denominator is motherhood and that comes in any shape, form, skin colors or household income. What Im really excited about is thinking through how Babe can foster that conversation, she said. Goldman said she never expected Hatch to evolve as it has. I never imagined that I would be absorbing the competition and having the pen to architect what this category looks like. Fox News and the rest of the conservative-leaning side of the media wants to move on from Donald Trump, a recent Fox panellist claimed. "Theres no doubt that the majority of conservative media Fox first and foremost has a strong desire to move on from Donald Trump and are not paying enough attention and giving him enough airtime and ink as they used to," NPR journalist and Fox News contributor Mara Liasson argued on MediaBuzz on Sunday. Liasson added that its a different question whether conservative voters are also tiring of Mr Trump. The NPR reporter pointed to recent examples like Mr Trumps often supportive hometown paper, the New York Post, derisively referring to him as a Florida retiree , and only covering his recent 2024 campaign announcement on page 26. The Rupert Murdoch-owned Post has previously praised Mr Trump. The Independent has contacted Fox News for comment. Mr Trump rose to prominence in part because of his ability to attract around-the-clock news coverage on Fox News and beyond, but the relationship between the former president and the network has been fraying for years. NY Post: Florida Man Makes Announcement > story deep inside on page 26. pic.twitter.com/rccr3OcD1P Christine Romans (@ChristineRomans) November 16, 2022 Today's cover: Heres how Donald Trump sabotaged the Republican midterms https://t.co/YUtDosSGfp pic.twitter.com/vpI94nKuBh New York Post (@nypost) November 10, 2022 Mr Trumps team reportedly hammered Rupert Murdoch after Fox News called the state of Arizona for the Biden campaign during the 2020 election . Story continues The media magnate has fired right back, publicly admonishing Mr Trump not to remain fixated on the past. It is crucial that conservatives play an active, forceful role in that debate, but that will not happen if President Trump stays focused on the past, Mr Murdoch said at a News Corp stockholders meeting not long after the election. The past is the past, and the country is now in a contest to define the future. Fox News rarely airs full Trump rallies anymore, and the former president is getting increasingly vocal in his criticism of his former ally. He recently posted on Truth Social that he felt like the media was returning to its 2016 attitudes towards him, dismissing his political ambitions until he pulled off a shock win. "Fox News and The Wall [Street] Journal were terrible to me, much like today, UNTIL I WON THE ELECTION. CNN, when they actually had great ratings, was terrificThey covered me no matter where I went, 24/7, Mr Trump wrote . The tensions between Trump and the conservative establishment at large have been growing since Mr Trumps promised red wave of Republican victories didnt materialise during the 2022 midterms. As The Independent reported , election-denier candidates copying the Trump style fared particularly poorly across the country. A Fox News contributor on Sunday said the conservative network has a strong desire to move on from former President Donald Trump. Mara Liasson, who is also a national political correspondent for NPR, made the comment during Fox News Media Buzz on Sunday. Theres no doubt that the majority of conservative media Fox first and foremost has a strong desire to move on from Donald Trump, Liasson said, and [they] are not paying enough attention and giving him enough airtime and ink as they used to. She noted that some coverage of Trumps 2024 presidential announcement by conservative media was less than enthusiastic. I think you can just look at the New York Post or Fox News and remember, when he announced his election campaign, Florida man announces reelection, page 26, she said. Shes not exaggerating. When Trump launched his campaign in November, the Post, which is part of Rupert Murdochs right-wing media empire, buried the news on page 26. The front page of the tabloid included a bottom-of-the-page note reading Florida Man Makes Announcement. The Wall Street Journal, also owned by Murdoch, called Trump the Republican partys biggest loser in an editorial after the midterm elections. Meanwhile, several pundits on Fox News suggested that Trumps star had faded, and even Tucker Carlson wouldnt say which candidate he would support in a hypothetical Republican primary in 2024. Murdoch has reportedly sought to distance his businesses from Trump and is turning instead to his potential 2024 rival for the Republican nomination, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. FRAMINGHAM Police said a missing Framingham woman has been found. Madeline DeShavo, 33, was last seen about 6 a.m. last Thursdsay. But on Tuesday afternoon, she was discovered to be in Boston with family members and safe, police spokeswoman Lt. Rachel Mickens said. Madeline DeShavo DeShavo is described as being 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing 230 pounds. She is white with brown hair and hazel eyes. Earlier:Framingham police say man not heard from since Dec. 6 is found and 'safe' Police said it is believed DeShavo was driving her vehicle, a black Honda CRV with a state of Washington license plate BFC2456. Police said she may be wearing white pants and a baggy white and yellow jacket. Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on Twitter @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime. This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Framingham police say woman missing since last week is found safe TotalEnergies suspected of supplying fuel for Russian fighter jets Paris prosecutors reasoned that the evidence base and proof of intentionality were insufficient to launch an official probe. Read also: Paris restaurant manager forced to eat his words after kicking out two Ukrainian women, praising Putin In August 2022, French newspaper Le Monde published a report that showed TotalEnergies remains active on the Russian market, supplying Moscow with gas condensate, which is then turned into aviation fuel for Russian warplanes. Read also: French Supreme Court upholds $1.1 billion verdict in favor of Ukraines Oschadbank Ukrainian people continue to suffer from daily vicious Russian war crimes, recently in Dnipro, that are funded by sales of Russian fossil fuels, often with collaboration of European fossil fuel companies, the message quotes Svitlana Romanko, founder and Director of Razom We Stand. Read also: Ukrainian billionaire Zhevaho released from jail in France on bail of 1 million euros TotalEnergies collaboration with Russia has been well documented and they must be held accountable. Darwin Climax Coalition and Razom We Stand said they intend to appeal the decision, hoping the case may eventually get taken up by French authorities. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Workers at Honda of America are still looking for missing money and the company is now admitting to employees theyre dealing with two different issues. Today was the day that the company had promised employees lump sum payments all in an effort to make things right after last weeks checks were wrong for many employees. >> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Some Honda workers will get less in their paychecks because of tax withholding errors News Center 7s Mike Campbell spoke with a wife of a Honda worker, who didnt want to be identified because of fear of retaliation by the company against her husbands job. She told him that they checked their account Tuesday morning to find that her husband had been paid $234. Their check didnt show up at all last Friday and they didnt receive a lump sum payment. They also said that their efforts to call hotlines and get help online havent helped so far. Its extremely frustrating, she said. Were on the line of losing our place because of this. The woman said her husbands paycheck has been wrong for several pay periods and now theyre in danger of being evicted. We have my wedding ring, his wedding ring that we can sell, she said. I hate to do that, but I dont want to lose the place Im staying at. A spokesperson for Honda said that lump sum payments went out to associates over the weekend and are reaching associates at various times depending on their banking institution. News Center 7 previously reported that Honda told workers on Jan. 12 that employees with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) had tax withholding errors, making their checks short. In internal emails obtained by News Center 7, we learned that company now admits to ITS employees that there is a second systemic issue. >> Shocked more than anything else; Some Honda workers hundreds of dollars short after payroll error The HSA problem and tax withholding elections incorrectly transitioned to the companys new Human Resources and Payroll system. Many workers had their tax withholding defaulted to the highest tax bracket, which is married filing single. That caused their checks to also be much smaller than expected. Story continues The company told employees they are working to fix those two systemic issues, as well as scattered, individual issues. We are investigating all reports received and will begin to correct pay discrepancies as soon as our next payday, Honda officials said in a statement. Honda believes these payroll issues are a one-time glitch with their new payroll platform and that, starting with the next checks scheduled for Jan. 27, everything should go smoothly for their employees. Over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian military repeled Russian attacks near over 20 settlements in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. They also targeted a control point, 11 Russian temporary bases, fuel storage and an ammunition depot, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said in Jan. 17 report. Russian forces continue to focus their efforts on attempts to capture the whole of Donetsk Oblast. According to the Ukrainian military, the Russian army launched two missiles, seven air strikes, and over 70 MLRS attacks against Ukraine, targeting civilian infrastructure. Familes have been working for days to pick up the pieces after at least five tornadoes moved through parts of Georgia last week. Channel 2s Ashli Lincoln was in LaGrange Monday, where it still looks like a bomb went off in one neighborhood. Victims Lincoln spoke to said that while they do have home insurance, right now they are strapped for cash trying to deal with hotel and moving expenses. Kim and Dwayne Fields said theyre loading up and salvaging items from their tornado-ransacked home in the Lexington Park subdivision. Gods got a better plan for us, Dwayne Fields said. We thought this was our forever home, but its not. He got something in store [DOWNLOAD: Free Severe Weather Team 2 App for alerts wherever you go] The Winston family said theyve still got a mortgage and other bills to deal with while they try to figure out a place to live, a car to drive and how to move forward. Both the Winstons and the Fields anticipate spending more than $1,000 on temporary living and moving expenses. Its been sleepless nights, Derek Winston said. Its been very stressful. We never went through anything like this before. Krnisha Gamble is left trying to figure out where she and her two kids are going to live. She moved in with her aunt over the summer for a better home life after fleeing a crime-riddled LaGrange neighborhood. Tornadoes destroyed her aunts home. TRENDING STORIES: Its an unfortunate situation to happen twice back-to-back, but the main thing, like I said, Were still here, Gamble said. The City of LaGrange has set up a GoFundMe to help tornado victims. You can donate to it HERE. Officials in Spalding County said they will have to rebuild their power grid after 60% of it was damaged in the twisters. Power crews from 27 different cities in Georgia, as well as from Alabama and Florida, are helping them. There are still nearly 3,000 customers without power. Story continues About 400 students in Spalding cant live in their homes right now, prompting school officials to keep schools closed at least through Wednesday of this week. [UPLOAD PHOTOS: Share your weather photos with us here] Channel 2s Veronica Griffin was at a news conference Monday where county officials made a call for additional volunteers and donations during the continued recovery phase. In Butts County, a man who lives in a mobile home park in Jenkinsburg said the owner of the park turned the Red Cross away on Sunday afternoon despite the fact that residents needed supplies. The worker of Red Cross came back over and said, I apologize, we can not help youll out. The owner of this park has told us to get off the property, he said. I was heartbroken. It broke my heart. The parks manager said the owner did turn the Red Cross away because the worker appeared to only be taking photos and didnt have emergency supplies on hand. The owner was concerned the photos would be used to shed a bad light on the mobile home park. Residents said that the needs of the community should have come first. Theres a lot of kids that live in that park, the man said. Theres a lot of families that are in need right now. Anyone who needs help can call 1-800-RED-CROSS. LUETZERATH, Germany (Reuters) -Climate campaigner Greta Thunberg was detained alongside other activists on Tuesday during protests against the demolition of a village to make way for a coal mine expansion but was released after an identity check, according to police. Thunberg was held while protesting at the opencast coal mine of Garzweiler 2, some 9 km (5.6 miles) from the village of Luetzerath, after police warned that the group would be removed by force if they did not move away from the edge of the mine. The village in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia is being cleared to allow for the expansion of the mine. The mine's owner, RWE, agreed with the government that it could demolish Luetzerath in exchange for its faster exit from coal and the saving of five villages originally slated for destruction. Activists have said Germany should not be mining any more lignite, or brown coal, and should focus on expanding renewable energy instead. Riot police backed by bulldozers removed activists from buildings in the abandoned village last week, with only a few left in trees and an underground tunnel by last weekend, but protesters including Thunberg remained at the site staging a sit-in into Tuesday. "We are going to use force to bring you to the identity check, so please cooperate," a policeman said to the group, according to Reuters footage. "Greta Thunberg was part of a group of activists who rushed towards the ledge. However, she was then stopped and carried by us with this group out of the immediate danger area to establish their identity," a spokesperson for Aachen police told Reuters, adding that one activist had jumped into the mine. Thunberg was carried away by three police officers and held by one arm at a spot away from the edge of the mine and was then escorted back towards police vans. The Swedish climate activist addressed the around 6,000 protesters who marched towards Luetzerath on Saturday, calling the expansion of the mine a "betrayal of present and future generations." "Germany is one of the biggest polluters in the world and needs to be held accountable," she said. (Reporting by Wolfgang Rattay and Riham Alkousaa, Writing by Victoria Waldersee; Editing by Maria Sheahan, William Maclean and Rosalba O'Brien) Last September Getty Images banned the inclusion of AI-generated works in its commercial database over copyright concerns. On Tuesday, Getty Images announced that it is suing Stability AI, maker of the popular AI art tool Stable Diffusion, in a London court over alleged copyright violations. "It is Getty Images position that Stability AI unlawfully copied and processed millions of images protected by copyright and the associated metadata owned or represented by Getty Images absent a license to benefit Stability AIs commercial interests and to the detriment of the content creators," Getty Images wrote in a press statement released Tuesday. "Getty Images believes artificial intelligence has the potential to stimulate creative endeavors." "Getty Images provided licenses to leading technology innovators for purposes related to training artificial intelligence systems in a manner that respects personal and intellectual property rights," the company continued. "Stability AI did not seek any such license from Getty Images and instead, we believe, chose to ignore viable licensing options and longstanding legal protections in pursuit of their standalone commercial interests." The details of the lawsuit have not been made public, though Getty Images CEO Craig Peters told The Verge, that charges would include copyright and site TOS violations like web scraping. Furthermore, Peters explained that the company is not seeking monetary damages in this case so as much as it is hoping to establish a favorable precedent for future litigation. Text-to-image generation tools like Stable Diffusion, Dall-E and Midjourney don't create the artwork that they produce in the same way people do there is no imagination from which these ideas can spring forth. Like other generative AI, these tools are trained to do what they do using massive databases of annotated images think, hundreds of thousands of frog pictures labelled "frog" used to teach a computer algorithm what a frog looks like. And why go through the trouble of assembling and annotating a database of your own when there's an entire internet's worth of content there for the taking? AI firms like Clearview and Voyager Labs have already tried and been massively, repeatedly fined for scraping image data from the public web and social media sites. An independent study conducted last August concluded that a notable portion of Stable Diffusion's data was likely pulled directly from the Getty Images site, in part as evidenced by the art tool's habit of recreating the Getty watermark. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Republican Rep. Jim Banks, a combative defender of former President Donald Trump, announced on Tuesday that he is running for the U.S. Senate seat from Indiana being vacated by GOP Sen. Mike Braun. Banks is the first candidate to formally enter the Senate race since Braun said in December that he would forgo a 2024 reelection bid and run instead for Indiana governor. Banks announcement comes days after Donald Trump Jr. and the Washington-based anti-tax Club for Growth began attacking former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels as insufficiently conservative while Daniels ponders whether to also seek the Senate seat. Banks criticized current Senate Republicans for cooperating too much with the Biden administration and allowing passage of a massive $1.7 trillion spending bill just before Christmas. I just believe now more than ever that we need conservatives in the Senate who are going to fight back against radical Democrat policies instead of going along with it, Banks told The Associated Press. Republican primary voters are looking for a conservative fighter, someone to go to Washington and fight for Hoosier family values and against the radical, socialist and woke agenda that Democrats are pushing in Washington. Banks released a campaign video announcement that invokes disputes over transgender girls' sports, blames China for COVID-19 and claims that anti-Americanism is being pushed in schools and the military, saying the radical Democrats and the spineless Republicans are going to do everything that they can to stop me. Banks, 43, was first elected to Congress from a heavily Republican district in northeastern Indiana in 2016, the year after he returned from an eight-month military deployment to Afghanistan with the Navy Reserve. He has since become a frequent Fox News Channel guest and Trump ally who voted against certifying Joe Bidens presidential election victory after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., months later rejected Republican leader Kevin McCarthys pick of Banks as the top GOP member on the committee investigating the deadly Capitol insurrection, citing the need to protect the reviews integrity. Story continues Banks backed McCarthy throughout his fight to become House speaker this month and has kept up ties with Trump, visiting with him since he left the White House and joining him on a 2021 trip to the U.S.-Mexico border. Banks said that last week he told Trump who won Indiana by wide margins in 2016 and 2020 of his decision to enter the Senate race. I told him Id like to have his support, hope he comes to Indiana and campaigns with me, Banks said. I was proud to fight alongside him for the America First policies and agenda that he pushed when he was president and believe strongly we need to go back to that. Banks announcement could be the start of a competitive race for the Republican nomination in the GOP-dominated state, with one potential candidate being Ukrainian-born Rep. Victoria Spartz, who has been critical at times of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyys government since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began last February. But the biggest factor could be whether Daniels decides to enter the race. The 73-year-old Daniels completed two terms as governor in early 2013 with high approval ratings and finished a decade as the high-profile president of Purdue University at the end of December. Not waiting for Daniels' decision, the conservative Club for Growth released an ad last week reaching back to his time as President George W. Bushs budget director to criticize him for increasing the federal debt. It calls Daniels an old guard Republican clinging to the old ways of the bad old days. Club for Growth President David McIntosh, who was an Indiana congressman in the 1990s, said the deep-pocketed group is ready to spend what it takes to make sure Hoosiers have a conservative in that Senate seat. The group said Tuesday it was endorsing Banks in the race. We think very highly of Jim Banks, McIntosh said. He is that type of new, young Republican leadership that people are looking for. Mark Lubbers, a longtime Daniels friend and adviser, said the Club for Growth helped push failed Republican candidates as the party fell short of recapturing the Senate in last years election. Sad to see that Jim Banks has thrown in with them, Lubbers said. And apparently they think its political genius to poke the bear with a sharp stick. Well see how that works out. Banks, who was 31 when he was first elected to the state Senate in 2010 while Daniels was governor, has been eager to pull at political divides. His congressional office Twitter account was suspended for a couple weeks in 2021 after he responded to a post about Biden administration official Dr. Rachel Levine becoming the first transgender four-star officer in the U.S. uniformed services by writing: The title of first female four-star officer gets taken by a man. Banks also lined up last year against Republican Indiana Gov. Eric Holcombs veto of a bill banning transgender females from competing in girls' school sports. He urged state lawmakers, who later overrode the veto, to send a message to the rest of the nation that Indiana values women. Former president Trump said Monday that hell handle it if Florida governor Ron DeSantis decides to run against him in the 2024 presidential race. While DeSantis has not formally announced whether he intends to run, he is largely considered a top GOP contender. DeSantis is likely to wait to make an announcement until after Floridas legislative session ends in May, according to several reports. I got him elected, pure and simple, Trump said during an appearance on The Water Cooler podcast hosted by the Christian Broadcasting Networks David Brody. The former president credited the rallies he hosted for DeSantis with helping get the Florida Republican elected against Democrat Andrew Gillum in 2018. So, now I hear he might want to run against me. So, well handle that the way I handle things, Trump said. Trump previously lashed out against DeSantis shortly after the midterms in November, dubbing the governor Ron DeSanctimonious and taking credit for the Florida governors political rise. DeSantis had handily won a second term, while Trump was the subject of intense criticism among Republicans after many of his handpicked candidates failed to win on Election Day. Ron came to me in desperate shape in 2017 he was politically dead, losing in a landslide to a very good Agriculture Commissioner, Adam Putnam, who was loaded up with cash and great poll numbers. Ron had low approval, bad polls, and no money, but he said that if I would Endorse him, he could win, Trump said in November. He said he later boosted DeSantis past Gillum, then the star of the Democratic Party. Trump said he fixed DeSantiss campaign, which had completely fallen apart, by holding two massive Rallies. And now, Ron DeSanctimonious is playing games! The Fake News asks him if hes going to run if President Trump runs, and he says, Im only focused on the Governors race, Im not looking into the future. Well, in terms of loyalty and class, thats really not the right answer, Trump said at the time. Story continues In the wake of the midterms, polling has shown mixed results for Trump, a FiveThirtyEight analysis found. Averages compiled by the election forecaster show that DeSantis is typically ahead in head-to-head polling against Trump, with DeSantis at 48 percent and Trump at 43 percent. However, adding in other potential candidates seems to chip away at the governors lead. In national polling matchups that include DeSantis, Trump, and at least one other potential candidate, Trump has had an average lead of 41 percent to 31 percent since the midterms, per FiveThirtyEight. On Monday, Trump also went on to criticize evangelical leaders who have not endorsed him after he announced his 2024 run, saying it is a sign of disloyalty. Theres great disloyalty is the world of politics, and thats a sign of disloyalty, he said. Because nobody as you know better than anybody because you do such a great job nobody has ever done more for right-to-life than Donald Trump. More from National Review WASHINGTON Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia GOP congresswoman stripped of her committee assignments two years ago by the Democratic-led House following a series of menacing social media posts, has been reinstated by the Republicans who now run the chamber. Greene was named Tuesday to the Oversight and Accountability Committee, a post she had said she wanted. The panel will be at the forefront of investigating the Biden Administration. Greene also won a seat on the Homeland Security Committee. "We will return the role of the Oversight Committee to investigating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement of the federal government, which is exactly what the American people are fed up with," according to a statement Greene issued Tuesday. "Joe Biden, be prepared." In addition, Republicans reinstated Arizona GOP Rep. Paul Gosar, who similarly had been removed from his committees after being censured in 2021 for posting an anime video that was edited to show him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and attacking President Joe Biden. Gosar was named to the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Oversight and Accountability according to his spokesperson. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., takes a selfie with the newly elected House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Jan. 6, 2023. Neither move is a surprise since GOP leader Kevin McCarthy had vowed to reassign them to committees before he was elected House speaker earlier this month. Greene had voted for McCarthy as speaker in each of the 15 rounds it took to finally elect him. Gosar had initially supported other candidates before getting behind the California Republican in the later rounds. New York GOP Rep. George Santos, who has faced growing calls from within his party to step down, was named Tuesday to the Small Business and Science, Space and Technology committees, according to MSNBC and CNN. Both are considered minor panels but his appointment suggests Republican leaders are not pressuring him to resign despite revelations he lied during the campaign about his background and resume. Story continues More: Investigating the investigators: GOP creates panels to probe DOJ, China Greene stripped of committees for threatening posts Greene had been removed for a litany of social media posts that opponents deemed threatening and dangerous. At one point in the floor debate over her fate nearly two years ago, then-Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., walked to the well of the House floor holding a poster board depicting a since-removed Facebook campaign ad by Greene showing her holding an assault weapon next to photos of three Democratic Reps. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, part of a group known as part of the "Squad." The ad read: "Squad's Worst Nightmare." "I urge my colleagues to look at that image and tell me what message you think it sends," Hoyer said as he addressed his Republican colleagues. "Imagine your faces on this poster." McCarthy responded at the time that "this resolution sets a a dangerous new standard that will only deepen division within this House. For all their talk about norms and institutions, it's the Democrats who've acted to undermine the People's House at every turn." Gosar censured by House over controversial video Gosar faced widespread criticism after he posted an edited anime-style video to his social media accounts appearing to show him killing his colleague, Ocasio-Cortez, and attacking Biden. It mimicked the theme song and introduction of Attack on Titan, a popular Japanese animation series. Twitter flagged the video for violating its rules against calls for violence. It was later deleted. The House voted in favor of censuring Rep. Paul Gosar for posting an animated video that depicted him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Gosar was defiant about being censured: "I do not espouse violence against anyone. I never have," he said. "There is no threat in the cartoon other than the threat that immigration poses to our country." He had released an open letter apologizing to his colleagues but not to Ocasio-Cortez, stating that his staff had released the video and that nothing hateful was intended by the imagery. Amid fallout, Santos receives committee assignments Despite the growing calls from Republicans for the freshman lawmaker to resign after misleading New York voters during his run for office, McCarthy told reporters last week he still planned to allow Santos to serve on committees. GOP Rep. George Santos says he'll respond to allegations about his background 'soon' "The voters have elected George Santos. If there is a concern, he will go through ethics (committee)," McCarthy said during a press conference Thursday. "If there is something that is found, he will be dealt with in that manner but they have a voice in this process. GOP leadership assigned Santos to the Small Business and Science, Space and Technology committees both lower tier assignments. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: House GOP places Marjorie Taylor Greene, Paul Gosar back on committees Greta Thunberg has been detained during a protest at a coal mine in Germany. The Swedish climate activist was photographed being carried away from the mine in North Rhine-Westphalia by multiple police offiers and was later witnessed sitting alone on a large police bus. Demonstrators have long opposed the deal struck by the German government to demolish the village of Luetzerath to make way for the expansion of the Garzweiler 2 coal mine but protests came to a head last week as police cleared the village, leading to violent clashes. Ms Thunberg was among 11 demonstrators forcibly ejected by police on Sunday, and was again carried away by officers on Tuesday after police claimed she was among a group of demonstrators who rushed towards the ledge of the opencast mine. It was not yet clear what would happen to Ms Thunberg or the group she was detained with, or whether an activist who supposedly jumped into the mine was injured, Aachen Police said. Key Points Greta Thunberg detained at coal mine protest, German police say Swedish climate activist physically removed from protest site two days earlier Police officers pictured carrying activist away 18:00 , Andy Gregory Here are images from the scene taken by photojournalist, showing Greta Thunberg being carried away by police officers and sitting alone on what is reportedly a large police bus: Police officers carry Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg away from the edge of the Garzweiler II opencast lignite mine (AP) (REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay) Greta Thunberg detained during coal mine protest in Germany, police say 17:54 , Andy Gregory Here is what the police have said about Greta Thunbergs detention, while protesting the expansion of a coal mine in North Rhine-Westphalia and destruction of a nearby village. Greta Thunberg was part of a group of activists who rushed towards the ledge. However, she was then stopped and carried by us with this group out of the immediate danger area to establish their identity, a spokesperson for Aachen police told Reuters, adding that one activist had jumped into the mine. Footage showed a police officer telling the group: We are going to use force to bring you to the identity check, so please cooperate. 17:52 , Andy Gregory Good afternoon, were setting up this liveblog to keep you informed of the latest developments after police said Greta Thunberg had been detained at a protest in Germany. Photo of Greta Thunberg being carried by cops German police carted off and detained Greta Thunberg along with multiple other activists. Police claimed none would be charged, and that the detainment was to verify identities. Greta Thunberg was briefly detained by German police at a demonstration over a coal mine expansion along with multiple other demonstrators on Tuesday. Thunberg was carried off by cops and was eventually seen sitting in a police bus alone. However, just a few hours later, the 20-year old Swedish climate activist was let go after her identification was verified, police reportedly told Reuters. The police claimed all the other protestors would also be released without official arrest or charges, following ID checks, according to Reuters. Read more Police detained the activists amid ongoing protests against the expansion of an open-pit lignite mine near Lutzerath in western Germany. Lignite is known as the dirtiest form of coal. It is a soft, brown fossil fuelless energy dense than its shiny, black counterpartand it produces more CO2 emissions and other pollutants per unit energy than gas or any other type of coal. The mine near Lutzerath already yields about 25 million metric tons of lignite every year, and German utility RWE is aiming to increase that production capacity. In order to complete the planned expansion, German authorities granted RWE permission to demolish the small village of Lutzerath. The towns residents were evicted in preparation, and the village had mostly been cleared of occupants by 2017. But then, environmental activists started moving in, in an attempt to occupy the site and slow down or stop the mines development. Police removed almost all of those occupiers last week, some after two years of continual inhabitance in the condemned village, using what many activists described as excessive force. One video showed police charging protestors with batons. (In contrast, another video showed police, decked out head-to-toe in riot gear, struggling to stand upright in thick mud while being taunted and pushed over by a person seemingly in some sort of monk costume.) Story continues And though police stated on Friday, there are no further activists in the village of Lutzerath, thousands showed up to protests over the weekend, including Thunberg. In an address to the crowd on Saturday, she called the expansion of the mine a betrayal of present and future generations. The German government has previously said its aiming to phase out coal as a power source by 2030. RWE agreed to end lignite-based energy generation on the same timeframe. In November, the countrys cabinet approved a draft law to shut down all but two coal-fired power plants in one northwestern German state. But a lack of Russian natural gas resources resulting from the war in Ukraine has thrown a wrench in the countrys planned energy transition, according to German authorities and government officials. A lignite mine expansion seems entirely counter to the elimination of coal power within seven years, but RWE has claimed the deposits underneath Lutzerath are necessary, even for this winter, according to the BBC. The coal under the former settlement of Lutzerath, which is located close to the current edge of the Garzweiler opencast mine, is needed to make optimal use of the lignite fleet during the energy crisis, the energy company wrote in a press statement. More from Gizmodo Sign up for Gizmodo's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. By Neil Marks GEORGETOWN (Reuters) - Guyana expects to soon receive a proposal from India for long-term purchases of the South American country's oil, President Irfaan Ali said on Tuesday, a new attempt to reach a government-to-government deal potentially leading to better sale terms for Guyana. Guyana's government is entitled to a share of crude produced off the nation's coast by a consortium led by Exxon Mobil Corp . In 2022, Ali's government received a total of 13 cargoes of crude, and it expects to receive and export 17 cargoes this year, the finance minister said earlier this week. "India has made it very clear that they have an interest in being one of the purchasers of Guyana's oil," said Ali in a press conference at the State House residence in Georgetown. "The technical teams will work and see what proposals India puts forward." Ali traveled to India earlier this month, where he met with India's Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and encouraged oil companies to participate in an incoming bidding round for crude and gas explorations blocks. India's ONGC Videsh is considering a bid for some of the 14 areas on offer, and refiner Indian Oil Corp also is looking to work in Guyana in collaboration with ONGC Videsh, two people close to the talks told Reuters. Guyana and India in 2021 failed to reach an agreement for direct sales of Guyana's sweet crude to Indian state refiners. (Reporting by Neil Marks; writing by Marianna Parraga) By Nell Mackenzie LONDON (Reuters) - Hedge fund manager Boaz Weinstein doesn't believe Credit Suisse will default on its debt but if it does, the derivatives trade he has on the bank may win big, highlighting just how hedge funds use volatile markets to try and generate juicy returns. Speculators increased bearish bets on the Swiss bank last year on concern about how much capital it would need to bolster its balance sheet in a confidence crisis deepened by unsubstantiated social media reports on the bank's financial health. Hedge funds and other speculators borrowed just over a fifth of Credit Suisse's stock in order to short it as of Oct. 31, the highest level since at least 2006, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. Weinstein told Reuters that he holds a dual long and short position on Credit Suisse's credit default swaps (CDS), derivative contracts that offer insurance protection and pay out when a company defaults on its debt. He is long 2-year and short 10-year protection on the bank. "The curve trade in Credit Suisse reflects my view that one way or the other, in the next two years the drama around Credit Suisse will resolve for better or for worse. I believe it will be for better and that they recover," said Weinstein, offering a glimpse of his trading strategy. Weinstein led a proprietary trading fund at Deutsche Bank which was spun out to start Saba Capital Management in 2009. Famously, the fund bet against JP Morgan's "London Whale" trading position in CDS indices in 2012. Demand for a company's CDS can also attract investors seeking protection against the firm or betting on its demise. Credit Suisse's CDS surged in price through late November after the bank's $2.4 billion rights issue and the stock of the company fell to the lowest level in its 166-year history. While bearish bets against Credit Suisse mounted in late 2022, Weinstein says he watched Credit Suisse's CDS price curve make less and less sense: the 2-year protection on the bank cost about the same as the 10-year. Story continues "I think Credit Suisses CDS and bond curves are mis-priced because they imply that the bank will be seen as similarly risky many years down the road as it is today," said Weinstein. So, he bought the 2-year CDS and sold the 10-year CDS, what market traders sometimes call, a spread or straddle. Weinstein's $4.8 billion hedge fund does best when markets are volatile. Amid 54 major central bank rate hikes, his main fund returned over 28% in 2022, according to industry research. In 2020, the same fund returned 73% after losses in 2021 and 2019, the research showed. Investors have increasingly turned to CDS derivatives trades either to protect themselves or express a bearish view. CDS indices such as the iTraxx and CDX saw over $30 trillion traded in 2022, the most since during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, according to research by S&P Global Market Intelligence. Credit Suisse declined to comment. (Reporting by Nell Mackenzie; editing by Dhara Ranasinghe and Susan Fenton) Terrell Scott has always cared about the McDonough neighborhood where he grew up. But he told Channel 2s Berndt Petersen that hell never forget the guy who used to terrorize his block. He brought more devastation and desolation to a community that did not need it. He was feeding the next generation and young people drugs, Scott said. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Scott was that guy. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his crimes. But he found a bible while behind bars, and with the help of a girl he grew up with and later married, he came back to that neighborhood a changed man. I knew if he would be changed, hed impact other people. He led people when he was doing wrong, Scotts wife, Brandy, said. He could lead people doing right. Several years ago, Scott, now known as Pastor Scott, founded Passion-Life Church and The River Refuge, a nonprofit that serves local children and families. Many people are struggling to make ends meet, and sometimes struggling to keep their kids out of trouble. TRENDING STORIES: A few months ago, the nonprofit broke ground on whats known as The Malachi Project, a large community and youth center on Rodgers Street. Its being built right in the middle of the neighborhood Scott knows so well. Scott admits he once did some bad things around there, but now hes setting things right and aims to help as many children as he can. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] We are working to bring up the literacy rate, to equip them and just spend time with them. Father them so they dont get into gangs and a lifestyle like I was, Scott said. If youd like to learn more about The Malachi Project, visit https://www.theriverrefuge.org/. Story continues IN OTHER NEWS: Attorney Ben Crump speaks to reporters during a press conference to announce the filing of a civil lawsuit on behalf of Patrick Lyoyas family against the City of Grand Rapids and former Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr at the Westin in Detroit on Wednesday, December 7, 2022. Nationally known civil rights attorney Ben Crump has been retained by the family of Earl L. Moore Jr., a homicide victim in Springfield on Dec. 18. During a forum Monday, Springfield NAACP president Teresa Haley said Crump will be in Springfield on Thursday when two LifeStar emergency medical services workers have 9 a.m. appearances in Sangamon County court. Peggy Jill Finley, 44, and Peter J. Cadigan, 50, both of Springfield, have been charged with first-degree murder of Moore, 35, who died from "compression and positional asphyxia," according to a forensic pathologist. More:Family of Earl Moore Jr. retains attorney Ben Crump to represent them Body cam footage from three Springfield Police officers captured the early-morning call that was originally received as a "shots fired" case in the 1100 block of North 11th Street. Moore was placed face down on the stretcher and secured in with straps before being transported to HSHS St. John's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later. Who is Ben Crump? The Tallahassee, Fla.-based Crump has represented families in several high-profile civil rights cases, including Trayvon Martin, who was killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer in Sanford, Florida, in 2012; Michael Brown, who was killed by a law enforcement officer in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014 and Stephon Clark, who was killed by police officers in Sacramento, California, in 2018 and Ahmaud Arbery, who was shot and killed by three men in Brunswick, Georgia, in 2021. Crump helped reach a $641 million settlement for Flint, Michigan, families, who were affected by poisoned water from the Flint River. Crump also helped reach settlements for the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Most recently, Crump took on the case of Jalen Randle, who was shot dead by a Houston police officer while fleeing on April 27. Crump, 53, is a native of Lumberton, North Carolina. He graduated from Florida State University, majoring in criminal justice, and received his law degree from FSU College of Law. He is married to Dr. Genae Angelique Crump and has one child. Story continues Crump is the president and founder of Ben Crump Law, PLLC. Crump hosted the A&E legal docudrama Who Killed Tupac: The Search For Justice and is the author of "Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People." He is a frequent contributor to MSNBC, CNN and USA Today. Crump is being joined by Bob Hilliard of Hilliard Martinez Gonzales, a Texas-based trial law firm specializing in personal injury cases. Crump on the Earl Moore Jr. case In an earlier press statement, Crump said there is "no excuse" for the actions taken by Finley and Cadigan. "EMS workers respond to some of the hardest moments in peoples lives, and their occupation calls for them to operate with care and compassion," the statement read. "Earl saw neither care nor compassion in his last moments when he was suffocating, strapped face down to a stretcher by LifeStar employees. Currently, no lawsuits have been filed on behalf of Moore in Sangamon County Circuit Court or federal court. Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie. This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Ben Crump has been retained by the Earl Moore Jr. family in Springfield A small seaside city in New England could soon see an influx in visitors after it was included on the New York Times list of 52 places to go in 2023. In its report, the newspaper wrote, Travels rebound has revealed the depth of our drive to explore the world. Why do we travel? For food, culture, adventure, natural beauty? This years list has all those elements, and more. The walkable and bikeable coastal city of New Haven, Connecticut, was one of just nine destinations in the United States to crack the global roundup of suggested travel spots. New Haven, the Constitution States third-largest city, was founded in 1638 and its now home to 134,000 people. New Haven boasts distinctive neighborhoods, an encyclopedic collection of great American architecture, a thriving cultural life and one of the best food scenes in the country for a city of its size, the NYT wrote. The NYT recommended visitors check into the new Hotel Marcel, named for its architect, Marcel Breuer. It was recently renovated and is the first completely solar-powered, energy-neutral hotel in the country. The report also highlighted NXTHVN, a cutting-edge, community-focused arts center that was built inside of two abandoned factory buildings in 2019. Other American destinations on the list include: Palm Spring, California Greenville, South Carolina Tucson, Arizona The Alaskan Railroad Charleston, South Carolina Louisville, Kentucky Grand Junction, Colorado The Black Hills, South Dakota To view the full report, click here. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Crimes of fashion: A handful of Margot Robbies Chanel red carpet looks since 2021 (Getty/Shutterstock) There is a woman who needs our help. Fans have been calling for her emancipation. They are concerned shes being held hostage. Stressing that she must be set free as soon as possible. But the thing she must be liberated from is somewhat unconventional. Its not a person. Its not some sort of corrupt conservatorship, or a dingy cell. The captor in question is, in fact, a luxury fashion brand. Its victim? Margot Robbie. For months now, fashionistas and Robbie fans have been using the aforementioned language of entrapment a little too seriously, actually to describe her ongoing partnership with Chanel. The general consensus among them is that Robbie has been shackled by the French labels chains since she became one of its brand ambassadors in 2018. Namely, that shes been forced into a series of designs she doesnt actually like. Whether theres any modicum of truth in this theory is impossible to tell. Nonetheless, in recent months, Robbies fans have been furiously pointing out the difference between the actors expression when wearing Chanel compared to other luxury brands. Margot Robbie in Bottega in Chanel, tweeted one person alongside a series of photographs of the 32-year-old in the brands respective designs. Her face says it all they added. Another viral tweet simply stated Margot Robbie when shes not in Chanel, alongside four recent snaps of the actor smiling in various ensembles by the likes of Bottega Veneta and Versace it generated more than 21,700 likes and thousands of comments from people calling for an end to Robbies deal with Chanel. The theory has gone so far that some have even started to suggest that Chanel has intentionally dressed the actor badly, with celebrity stylist Elliot Garnaut labeling her the worst-dressed celebrity, teasing that someone at Chanel obviously hates her. Even Vogue heralded Robbies new style era when she stepped out in an emerald green Bottega Veneta dress at the Governors Awards in LA last November. Story continues The comments have been circulating the internet for several months, but they picked up pace at the start of this year ahead of awards season the time in which the red carpet becomes the most important stage for any fashion designer partnered with a celebrity to showcase their latest designs. Given that Robbie hadnt been seen in Chanel for a while, fans were hopeful that the partnership was over. Much to their disappointment, the actor showed up to the Golden Globes last week in a custom haute couture gown from the label that involved more than 750 hours of work. The blush pink, crystal-covered halter-neck gown encapsulated a delicate, girlish aesthetic that marks a stark contrast from some of Robbies recent non-Chanel choices see the variations of loose-fitting, leather tailoring she has been wearing to promote her latest film, Babylon, or the oversized pinstripe shirt she paired with thigh-high boots on a recent outing in London. The main gripe, then, seems to be that by sticking by Chanel, Robbie is being made to wear clothes that simply dont reflect her personal taste. With a whole host of award ceremonies still to come, theres no telling just how much more Chanel looks the actors fans will have to suffer through. But she is hardly the first celebrity to become embroiled in a brand partnership that many believe to be out of sync with their natural style. At the 2011 Oscars, Jennifer Lawrence famously wore a slim-fitting scarlet gown by Calvin Klein, a dress that evoked an old Hollywood silhouette. Its casual sensibility also seemed to reflect Lawrences own low-key, girl-next-door approach to fashion at the time. This all changed, though, when Lawrence struck up a $15m deal with Dior and swiftly started wearing grander, more lavish designs on red carpets remember the strapless Cinderella-style ball gown she famously took a tumble in at the 2013 Oscars? Before she got Dior-d, Jennifer Lawrence was famous for her low-key, girl-next-door red carpet looks like her 2011 Calvin Klein Oscar dress (Getty Images) From a financial perspective, it makes sense for big brands to partner with big stars, which is why such arrangements have been a staple of Hollywood culture for years. But it seems like years of people wearing the same designer over and over again could soon be behind us. Even if the brands aesthetic does match yours, style is nothing if not an evolutionary process, something that changes over time alongside life experiences, personal politics, and the relationships we have with our bodies. All of these things have a huge impact on how we want to dress; one brand couldnt possibly account for so many transitions. Moreover, the one-brand-fits-all model is wildly out of touch with the sartorial zeitgeist, which is predicated around cult vintage finds. Gone are the days where custom designer gowns packed the biggest red carpet punch. Oh no. If you want to make headlines for your look, its archival only, darling. Celebrities have long favoured vintage, of course. In recent years, though, acquiring famous looks from the past has become fashions greatest pursuit, reflecting a degree of status that simply couldnt be achieved in anything new. The most obvious example is Kim Kardashian at last years Met Gala she wore the iconic beaded dress worn by Marilyn Monroe to serenade John F Kennedy on his 45th birthday in 1962. Worth $4.8m, the dress was loaned to Kardashian by the historical memorabilia organisation Ripleys Believe it or Not!, and the reality TV star underwent an extreme weight-loss regime in order to fit into it. Robbies vintage Versace dress at this weeks Sydney premiere of Babylon drew mixed (if better than usual) reviews (Getty) This might be an isolated example, but seeking standout vintage items to wear on the red carpet has become common practice for celebrities. Its something weve seen from all of fashions major players in the last year, including Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, Zendaya and Rihanna. Robbie has even been dabbling in it recently herself, sporting a vintage Versace gown from the 1990s at the Babylon Australia premiere on Monday. The look was almost a resounding hit among Robbies increasingly eagle-eyes fans had it not been for the red lace that had been attached to the dresss slit. Still, at least she was able to express some individuality. With all this in mind, then, perhaps the death knell for long-standing celebrity brand partnerships is on its way. No matter how large the paycheck, theres only so many times one can continue wearing outfits they dont feel comfortable in. And while having to wear Chanel all the time is hardly a prison sentence, limiting oneself in this way defies the very thing that fashion is supposed to be about: taking risks, pushing boundaries, finding new ways to express yourself. Robbie will find her feet, Im sure. In the meantime, her fans could benefit from toning it down a tad. Otherwise its only a matter of time until #FreeMargot takes hold of the internet. As uninspiring as some of her recent red carpet looks have been, Im not convinced a global liberation movement is the best approach. The death of a woman who was being held in the Jefferson County Jail in Mount Vernon is under investigation by Illinois State Police. Cady Moore, 31, of Mount Vernon was found unresponsive in her jail cell Sunday, the state police said in a news release Tuesday. Jail personnel activated EMS and performed CPR. Moore was transported by ambulance to an area hospital where she was pronounced deceased, according to the news release. An autopsy is pending, and no other information about the death was released. The news release did not say why Moore was being held in the county jail. Illinois State Police is conducting the investigation at the request of the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office. Getty Russian President Vladimir Putin is ordering Russian forces to seize the Donbas in eastern Ukraine by March, according to Andrei Yusov, a representative of Ukraines Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense. Still, we can talk about the priority direction for the Rashiststhis is the Donbas, Yusov said Tuesday. This is the goal of capturing Donbas and the formation of a certain security zone there, already before March. The alleged orders come just days after Putin called on Gen. Valery Gerasimov, who previously led Russias forces in Ukraine in the early days of the war last year, and promoted him to command Russias troops once again. The decision has raised questions about whether Putin is interested in standing up a new offensive operation. Ukrainian intelligence, however, is not confident that Russia will be successful in seizing the Donbas by March, given that the Kremlins armed forces have failed to complete what was supposed to be a quick takeover campaign last February. These are not the first dates. Each time these deadlines were postponed. It has been a year since the beginning of a full-scale invasion, and a year since they take Kyiv for three days, Yusov said. Nothing will work this time. Putin: I Could Never Have Foreseen 2022s Unexpected Crises That I Created The Kremlin has dodged questions about the Donbas orders in recent days. When asked to comment on the reports of the new aims, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov demurred. No, I cannot [comment on it] and have zero intention of doing it, Peskov said, according to TASS. Ukrainian authorities, including Ukrainian President Zelensky himself, have been suggesting that Moscow may be willing to launch a new assault in the new year to try to seize any initiative it can after a series of routs on the battlefield. Following months of logistics and morale problems among Russian forces, Ukraine launched numerous counteroffensives last year, forcing Russia out of territories in south and northeast Ukraine, including in Kherson. Story continues The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has begun recognizing that the war may be about to enter a new phase. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the war was entering a decisive time, urging NATO Allies to send more weaponry to Ukraine to help secure a victory against Russia. We are in a crucial phase of the war, Stoltenberg told German outlet Handelsblatt. It is therefore important that we provide Ukraine with the weapons it needs to win. In the intervening days, Russia has continued its attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, according to a Tuesday briefing from Ukraines military. Just this weekend, Russian attacks rained down on an apartment complex in Dnipro, killing 44 people, according to the Mayor of Dnipro, Borys Filatov. Having no significant achievements in the battlefield, the opponent strikes peaceful settlements, Spokesman of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Andriy Kovalev said. The Russian aggressor continues to destroy infrastructure and civilian homes. Russia has recently claimed that it is making gains in Soledar, where fierce fighting has taken hold. But despite moments of apparent success, Russias war effort has been riddled with infighting; Russias military claimed victory in Soledar, only to be contradicted by fighters from the mercenary group the Wagner Group, which has accused Russias government of taking credit for Wagners work in Soledar. And although Russia has already staked its claim on Soledar, reports indicate Ukrainians are still fighting, RFE/RL reported. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. For most investors, how much a stock's price changes over time is important. This factor can impact your investment portfolio as well as help you compare investment results across sectors and industries. Another thing that can drive investing is the fear of missing out, or FOMO. This particularly applies to tech giants and popular consumer-facing stocks. What if you'd invested in MercadoLibre (MELI) ten years ago? It may not have been easy to hold on to MELI for all that time, but if you did, how much would your investment be worth today? MercadoLibre's Business In-Depth With that in mind, let's take a look at MercadoLibre's main business drivers. Buenos Aires, Argentina based MercadoLibre, Inc. is one of the largest e-commerce platforms in Latin America. The company is a market leader in e-commerce in Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Peru, Mexico, and Uruguay based on unique visitors and page views. The company also operates e-commerce platform in Honduras, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Salvador, Panama, Guatemala, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Portugal. MercadoLibre reported revenues of $7.1 billion in 2021. The company offers a bunch of six integrated e-commerce services: MercadoLibre Marketplace enables businesses and individuals to conduct sales, purchase online and list their merchandise. MercadoLibre Classifieds offers online classified listing services for motor vehicles, real estate and services. These listing charge only optional placement fees and hence they are different from Marketplace listings. MercadoPago FinTech platform allows users to send and receive payments seamlessly within MercadoLibres marketplace. Outside of this, merchants are allowed to process payments via websites, mobile apps and mobile point of sale. MercadoLibre advertising program enables advertisers and seller to display their product ads on the companys webpages. MercadoShops online webstores solution aids users in managing and promoting their online stores. MercadoEnvios logistics service provides integration with third-party carriers and logistics service providers to the sellers on the companys platform. MercadoLibre has four reportable geographic segments Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Other Countries. In 2021, Brazil generated 55.3% of the companys revenues. Argentina, Mexico and Other Countries generated 21.7%, 16.6% and 6.5% of revenues, respectively. Effective Dec 1, 2017, MercadoLibre deconsolidated its Venezuelan subsidiaries. The company no longer includes the balances, results of operations and cash flows of the Venezuelan subsidiaries in its consolidated financial statements. Story continues Bottom Line Anyone can invest, but building a successful investment portfolio requires research, patience, and a little bit of risk. So, if you had invested in MercadoLibre ten years ago, you're likely feeling pretty good about your investment today. According to our calculations, a $1000 investment made in January 2013 would be worth $12,476.04, or a 1,147.60% gain, as of January 17, 2023. Investors should keep in mind that this return excludes dividends but includes price appreciation. The S&P 500 rose 171.56% and the price of gold increased 9.43% over the same time frame in comparison. Looking ahead, analysts are expecting more upside for MELI. MercadoLibre is benefiting from strength in the commerce and fintech businesses. Robust product offerings and credit portfolio expansion are respectively driving the companys commerce and fintech revenues. We expect commerce and fintech revenues to be up 25.6% and 30% in 2022 year over year, respectively. Further, robust mobile-point-of-sale business and growing adoption of MercadoPago are driving the total payment volume growth of the company. Our estimate suggests that the total payment volume is likely to witness a 60.5% rise in the current year from the last years figure. Also, rapid adoption of Mobile Wallet remains a positive. However, mounting expenses related to warehousing, free shipping subsidies and mPOS discounts are major concerns. Also, rising e-commerce competition from players like Amazon and Rakuten poses a serious risk. The stock is up 22.47% over the past four weeks, and no earnings estimate has gone lower in the past two months, compared to 1 higher, for fiscal 2022. The consensus estimate has moved up as well. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research One simple way to benefit from the stock market is to buy an index fund. But if you choose individual stocks with prowess, you can make superior returns. For example, Sungei Bagan Rubber Company (Malaya) Berhad (KLSE:SBAGAN) shareholders have seen the share price rise 14% over three years, well in excess of the market decline (4.6%, not including dividends). On the other hand, the returns haven't been quite so good recently, with shareholders up just 5.3% , including dividends . Let's take a look at the underlying fundamentals over the longer term, and see if they've been consistent with shareholders returns. Check out our latest analysis for Sungei Bagan Rubber Company (Malaya) Berhad Sungei Bagan Rubber Company (Malaya) Berhad wasn't profitable in the last twelve months, it is unlikely we'll see a strong correlation between its share price and its earnings per share (EPS). Arguably revenue is our next best option. When a company doesn't make profits, we'd generally expect to see good revenue growth. That's because fast revenue growth can be easily extrapolated to forecast profits, often of considerable size. Over the last three years Sungei Bagan Rubber Company (Malaya) Berhad has grown its revenue at 41% annually. That's well above most pre-profit companies. While the compound gain of 5% per year over three years is pretty good, you might argue it doesn't fully reflect the strong revenue growth. If that's the case, now might be the time to take a close look at Sungei Bagan Rubber Company (Malaya) Berhad. A window of opportunity may reveal itself with time, if the business can trend to profitability. The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers). You can see how its balance sheet has strengthened (or weakened) over time in this free interactive graphic. 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 is a return calculation that accounts for the value of cash dividends (assuming that any dividend received was reinvested) and the calculated value of any discounted capital raisings and spin-offs. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. In the case of Sungei Bagan Rubber Company (Malaya) Berhad, it has a TSR of 20% for the last 3 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. And there's no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence! Story continues A Different Perspective We're pleased to report that Sungei Bagan Rubber Company (Malaya) Berhad shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 5.3% over one year. Of course, that includes the dividend. That's better than the annualised return of 3% over half a decade, implying that the company is doing better recently. Given the share price momentum remains strong, it might be worth taking a closer look at the stock, lest you miss an opportunity. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Sungei Bagan Rubber Company (Malaya) Berhad better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should be aware of the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Sungei Bagan Rubber Company (Malaya) Berhad . We will like Sungei Bagan Rubber Company (Malaya) Berhad better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on MY 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. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here Prince Harrys remarks on killing Taliban fighters mean the UK is in no position to preach over the execution of a British-Iranian, Tehran has said. Irans foreign ministry announced at the weekend that Alireza Akbari formerly a high-ranking official in Tehrans defence ministry was hanged. His death provoked widespread international backlash, with Rishi Sunak branding the killing cowardly. Prince Harry faced backlash in the UK and Afghanistan for his comments about his kills Now the Duke of Sussex has been drawn into the row by Irans foreign ministry, as it attempted to use recent comments about his military service in Afghanistan to portray the UK as hypocritical. The British regime, whose royal family member, sees the killing of 25 innocent people as removal of chess pieces and has no regrets over the issue, and those who turn a blind eye to this war crime, are in no position to preach others on human rights, the foreign ministry tweeted on Tuesday. The dukes remarks revealing the number of lives he took as an Apache helicopter pilot were criticised by fellow veterans as ill-judged when reports of them first surfaced ahead of the ghostwritten books publication last week. But the estranged royal later hit out at what he claimed was a very dangerous media spin that he somehow boasted about what he described in the book as the taking of human lives over six missions. British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari has been executed in Iran (Davoud Hosseini, IRNA via AP) In his memoir Spare, he wrote that it was not a number that fills me with satisfaction, but nor does it embarrass me, and recalled having viewed enemy combatants in the heat of battle as chess pieces that had been taken off the board. Following the execution of 62-year-old Mr Akbari, Tehrans foreign ministry said: Britains encroachment on the national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran has been met with a decisive response from the Iranian intelligence and judiciary. Tehran also insisted the British regimes uproar and the support of some European self-proclaimed defenders of human rights was only a sign of their evasion and violation of law. Story continues Britain sanctioned Irans prosecutor-general Mohammad Jafar Montazeri on Saturday in response to Mr Akbaris execution. Foreign secretary James Cleverly said the government was holding the regime to account for its appalling human rights violation, which prime minister Rishi Sunak condemned as a callous and cowardly killing by a barbaric regime with no respect for the human rights of their own people. On Monday, Mr Akbaris Labour MP Andy Slaughter said he had been told by his family the regime had refused to release, and has threatened to destroy, his body. Last week, United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk warned that criminal proceedings and the death penalty had been weaponised to stamp out dissent in Iran and punish people for exercising their basic rights in what he alleged amounts to state-sanctioned killing. At least four people have been executed since the protests began, according to the judiciary, and state media reported last week that three more anti-government protesters had been sentenced to death on charges of waging war on God. ANKARA, Turkey (AP) Iran welcomes steps toward a reconciliation between Turkey and Syria and is ready to help move the efforts forward, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said Tuesday. The Iranian minister made the comments in Ankara, weeks after the Turkish and Syrian defense ministers held talks in Moscow. It was the first ministerial-level meeting between Damascus and Ankara since relations broke down with the start of the Syrian civil war nearly 12 years ago. We are very pleased that the relations between Damascus and Ankara have undergone a change recently, Amirabdollahian said during a joint news conference with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu. We think that any development between Ankara and Damascus this positive development will benefit our region, the two countries and (Iran). Considering its close relationship with these two countries, as the Islamic Republic of Iran, we will do our best to achieve this goal as soon as possible. Turkey and Syria have stood on opposing sides of the Syrian conflict, with Turkey backing rebels trying to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad. Iran, along with Russia, has supported Assads government. Pressed by Russia, Turkey has agreed to engage with the Syrian government. Cavusoglu has said he could meet Syrias foreign minister next month. Damascus has denounced Turkeys hold over stretches of northern Syria seized in a series of military incursions since 2016 to drive away Kurdish rebels. A statement from Assads office last week said that Moscow-backed talks with Turkey should aim to end the occupation and the support of terrorism" -- a reference to Turkeys backing of insurgents in Syria. In todays meetings we emphasized that Irans contributions (to rapprochement with Syria) are very important, Cavusoglu said. In the process ahead, we will work in close cooperation with Iran on next steps and on steps that will bring solutions. JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian militant in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, the latest in a bout of surging violence between Israelis and Palestinians. The Palestinian Health Ministry said the 40-year-old man, identified as Hamdi Shaker Abdullah Abu Dayyah, was shot and killed by Israeli forces in Halhul, north of the West Bank city of Hebron. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade an armed militia affiliated with Fatah, the secular political party that controls the Palestinian Authority claimed the man as a fighter and said he had also been an officer in the Palestinian security forces. The Israeli military said in a statement that troops in the area were fired upon and returned fire. It added that Israeli forces were investigating reports that the killed Palestinian was connected to an earlier shooting attack on an Israeli bus. Tensions have soared in the West Bank, where the Israeli military has been conducting near-nightly arrest raids since last spring, after a wave of Palestinian attacks against Israelis that killed 19 people. Another 10 Israelis were killed in a second string of attacks later last year. Israel says the raids are meant to dismantle militant networks and thwart future attacks. The Palestinians see them as further entrenchment of Israels open-ended, 55-year occupation of lands they seek for their future state. On Monday, Israeli security forces shot and killed a 14-year-old Palestinian during an early morning raid in the West Bank, Palestinian health officials said. The Israeli army said forces entered the Dheisha camp and were bombarded by Molotov cocktails and rocks. It said soldiers responded with live fire. Violence and unrest have raged for months in the West Bank, which Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip territories the Palestinians want for their hoped-for state. Some half-million Israelis now live in about 130 settlements across the West Bank. The Palestinians and much of the international community view the settlements as an obstacle to peace. Story continues Settler attacks in the West Bank have escalated in recent months, with the U.N. reporting last fall that Israeli settlers and civilians perpetrated over a hundred attacks against Palestinians last year, resulting in damage to Palestinian property and dozens of Palestinian injuries. On Tuesday, the United States condemned an assault against a group of hikers, among them Palestinians and Americans, that happened last Friday at a nature reserve north of the West Bank city of Jericho. Footage widely shared online shows Israeli settlers, cloaked in hoodies and waving sticks, ambushing the hikers from behind on a dirt path. Women scream and cry as one of the settlers hits them with his club. I'll break your head! he shouts at them in Arabic. The Israeli police have not announced any arrests of the suspects. The U.S. Palestinian Affairs Office described the brazen assault as shocking. Those who incite violence and exacerbate tensions must stop, it said. Nearly 150 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank and east Jerusalem in 2022, according to figures by the Israeli rights group BTselem, making it the deadliest year since 2004. Israel says most of the dead were militants. But Palestinian stone-throwers, youths protesting the incursions and others not involved in confrontations also have been killed. ___ Associated Press writer Isabel DeBre in Jerusalem contributed to this report. Italy's Most Wanted Mafia Boss Matteo Messina Denaro Arrested In Sicily Italian newspapers with the news of fugitive Matteo Messina Denaro's arrest on January 17, 2023 in Bari, Italy. Credit - Donato FasanoGetty Images After 30 years on the run, Matteo Messina Denaro, one of Italys most wanted men, was arrested on Monday at a private clinic in Palermo, Sicily, where he was undergoing treatment for cancer. One of the bosses of the Cosa Nostra Mafia in Sicily, Denaro was one of Europols most wanted fugitives, known for his alleged involvement in dozens of Mafia-related murders and fatal bombings in Milan, Florence and Rome in the 1990s. Denaro, whose location was well-protected for years, once allegedly boasted that a graveyard could be filled with the people hes killed. Heres what to know. A history of deadly crimes Crime ran in Deranos family. His father and godfather were both members of the mob, as were his siblings. His brother, Salvatore Messina Denaro, was arrested in 2010 but refused to testify about Matteos whereabouts. In 2013, his sister, Patrizia Messina Denaro, was arrested and later sentenced to 14 years in prison for being a member of the Mafia. He has been a fugitive since 1993, allegedly spotted in Brazil, Spain, Britain, and Austria but never captured. Journalist Andrea Purgatori told the BBC that until the 1990s, murders were being committed on an almost daily basis. Messina Denaro committed some of the most violent and cruel crimes Italy can remember, Purgatori said. His crimes were expansive. He was accused of killing two anti-Mafia judges in 1992, as well as strangling the partner of a rival Mafia boss, who was pregnant at the time of her death. He also allegedly kidnapped the 12-year-old son of a man who was testifying against him, holding him hostage for two years before strangling the boy then dissolving his body in acid to prevent the family from burying him. In 2002, Denaro was convicted of a number of crimes in absentia and sentenced to life in prison. Italys most wanted man There have been numerous failed attempts to capture Denaro over the years. In May 2011, police were surveilling him at a farmhouse near his home town of Castelvetrano, but failed to arrest him, despite the involvement of hundreds of officers. His DNA was later found at the site. And in 2021, a British man was arrested at a restaurant in the Hague after anti-mafia police wrongly identified him as Denaro. Story continues Carabinieri General Pasquale Angelosanto, who heads the police forces special operations squad, said Messina Denaros health, along with a mix of old-school policing and modern technology, were key to his capture. With time, police began weakening the tightly protected circle around Denaro that helped him long evade capture. Over a decade, police cracked down on anyone suspected of aiding or protecting Denaro, arresting over a hundred people. Several of his collaborators were arrested in 2020, making him more vulnerable. Police wiretapped the homes of his family members, wholikely knowing they were being tappedonly spoke generally of people with cancer and cancer surgeries. This was enough for police to assume that Denaro was seeking treatment of some sort. Investigators then gathered the details of all male cancer patients born in 1962 near Trapani, in western Sicily, and slowly narrowed down the search to five suspects. They identified a man who had booked a treatment under the name of Andrea Bonafede, the nephew of deceased Mafia boss Leonardo Bonafede. But after analyzing Bonafedes phone records, they discovered that he was far from the clinic where he was meant to be having surgery one day, confirming that Denaro was likely using the name as an alias. It all led to todays date [when] he would have come for some tests and treatment at the clinic where he was arrested, Angelosanto told reporters. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni traveled to Sciliy to congratulate the police after the arrest. Speaking outside the prosecutors office, Meloni said that while Italy had not yet won the war against the Mafia, this was a battle that was fundamental to win. Its a day we can celebrate and tell our children that the Mafia can be defeated, she said. Ash Jurberg with his wife and kids in Japan. Courtesy Ash Jurberg I've always loved traveling and wanted to pass that love on to my twin boys. My sons, my wife, and I plan our vacations together and have traveled to four continents. Here's how we plan our vacations together to make sure we all have a good time. To say I'm obsessed with travel is an understatement. While I didn't have the opportunity to travel before graduating from college, I've since made up for it: I've visited 105 countries, worked for various travel companies, and spent a lot of time dreaming of travel. Travel is in my soul, and I was hoping to pass this on to my twin sons. I wanted my children to see the world from a young age. We live in Australia, which is a long distance from most places, so a lot of planning and budgeting is required for overseas trips. I knew if I wanted them to be as passionate about travel as I was, I had to get them to be involved in the planning process and give input into our travels. Here's how we make it work and plan vacations together we all enjoy. We discuss where we want to go together My wife, my two sons, and I all put three destinations on our wish list while planning a trip and talk about why we want to go to those places. It can stir up some lively debate, but most of the time, there is overlap, so picking the winning destination for our next family trip usually isn't too hard. The discussion itself is fun to have, and we've found that involving the boys in the decision of where we travel ensures they get excited about where we're going. It's never too early to learn about travel One of the first books I bought for my sons was a travel book directed at young children. It was full of activities they could do, including travel-related puzzles and games, as well as sections where they could list dream travel activities, destinations, and attractions. It was a way to get them to think about the opportunities that travel presented. They started writing in this book when they were 8, and now that they're 16, it's fun to look back at their earliest thoughts. Story continues Jurberg's son Charlie's travel book. Courtesy Ash Jurberg We get them involved in our travels by making games for them and asking them to pick restaurants Our first big overseas vacation was a safari in Namibia. This involved several days of long drives. Before we left, we printed out a list of birds and animals that we could spot. We all had sheets, and as we drove, we played a game of "I spy" as we attempted to find wildlife on the list. This ensured they remained engaged on the drives and off their iPad. Jurberg with his wife and kids in Fiji. Courtesy Ash Jurberg We also ask our children to select one restaurant they want to eat at on each trip. This ensures they do some research on the destination and investigate the food culture of a place. We give them a budget, though, so they don't accidentally pick a Michelin-starred restaurant. We do the same process with tourist attractions; we ask them to list one must-do attraction or tour. My kids are interested in Japanese anime, so before we visited Japan, we asked them to come up with a list of stores and places to visit. Walking the streets of Tokyo, they excitedly pointed out points of interest they had seen in videos and Japanese movies they had watched. We spent a few hours visiting famous locations well, famous to them and this was a great way to explore Tokyo. At the end of each day on vacation, we all list our top 3 things from the day I keep a list of these in the notes app on my phone and now have a series of them from all past trips. This serves two purposes: It gives us something to discuss while we're there and bestows upon us memories for when we are home. These notes also help us plan trips because we can look back on highlights to incorporate similar activities in future trips. We don't shy away from a balance of educational activities and the fun stuff Last year, we visited Washington, DC, for the first time, and anyone who has been there knows it is home to some of the world's best museums. While museums aren't often high on the list of things a child wants to do, the boys enjoy them from time to time. We created a list of museums in Washington and asked the boys to look at them and pick the two that most interested them. Because they felt like they were the decision-makers, they put time and effort into this and chose two very interesting museums for us all to visit: the Holocaust Museum and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Jurberg and his sons in Washington, DC. Courtesy Ash Jurberg We also try to find interesting ways to get around while we're traveling My sons aren't overly fond of walking, so we try to find more-fun ways to see a city. We have done tours on electric bikes, e-scooters, and even sand-dune buggies. This makes it more than just a sightseeing tour. Jurberg with his wife and kids in Namibia. Courtesy Ash Jurberg Perhaps the most important thing is to allow for plenty of downtime One sure way to ruin a family holiday is to overschedule. Children can run out of energy and lose enthusiasm, so we always have time built into the schedule for relaxation. We also try not to overdo early-morning starts so the kids have some days when they can sleep in. It's also vital to schedule some things for just me and my wife, so on every trip, we have an adults-only dinner. When the boys were younger, we would find a local babysitter, but now we can save the cost because they can stay by themselves. This gives them the chance to recharge their batteries while we get some adult time and maybe a few drinks. By having everyone involved in the planning and research, we make it fun. Dreaming about our next vacation also helps pass the time between our trips. I'm hoping both my sons will pass this love of travel down to their children. Who knows, maybe they'll even hand down their first travel-planning book. Read the original article on Insider By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Japan is engaged deeply on issues in Ukraine and is expected to roll out plans at the "appropriate time" to support Kyiv against Russia's invasion, White House Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell said on Tuesday. "Prime Minister Kishida has a game plan and is already engaged deeply on issues in Ukraine," Campbell told a Center for Strategic and International Studies event. U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met last week when Kishida was in Washington on the last stop in a tour of the G7 industrial powers. "I fully expect that at appropriate time Japan will be rolling out specific plans to support Ukraine in a variety of ways. They are active in many of the contact group discussions about support for Ukraine and they are just a key member," Campbell said, adding that Japan was "stepping up". Kishida last week stressed the importance of standing up to Russia's invasion, saying that if a unilateral change to the status quo went unchallenged, the same would happen elsewhere, including in Asia - an apparent reference to China's vow to reunite with self-ruled Taiwan, by force if necessary. The Japanese premier also said the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May should demonstrate a strong will to uphold international order and rule of law after Russia's invasion. Earlier in January, Kishida said he had told Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy in a phone call that he would consider an invitation to visit Kyiv depending on "various circumstances", but nothing had yet been decided. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions driven from their homes since Russia launched in February last year what it calls a "special military operation" to eliminate security threats in Ukraine. Kyiv and its Western backers call Russia's actions an unprovoked land grab. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh, Michael Martina and David Brunnstrom in Washington, editing by Mark Heinrich) Jeremy Renner has returned home. Late on Monday night, Renner, 52, replied to a Twitter post from the official Mayor of Kingstown account about the series' season two premiere. In his tweet, the actor indicated he was able to watch the new episode of his Paramount+ series from the comfort of his own home. "Outside my brain fog in recovery, I was very excited to watch episode 201 with my family at home ," the Avengers star shared on Twitter. Earlier on Monday, Renner had shared a photo to his Instagram Story showcasing a snowy scene at what appears to be his Reno-area, Nevada home, with a significant amount of snow piled high up on snowbanks and on top of roofs and trees in the area. "Missing my happy place ..." Renner wrote in the caption, seemingly hours before he returned from the hospital amid his recovery after a New Year's Day snowplow accident on the property. RELATED: Jeremy Renner's Family Is 'Thrilled with His Progress' Following Snowplow Accident, Says His Sister Outside my brain fog in recovery, I was very excited to watch episode 201 with my family at home Jeremy Renner (@JeremyRenner) January 17, 2023 Renner also shared a separate photo of a snowy road that appears to be in the area near his home to his Instagram Story late Monday night, in which he implored residents of the area to travel carefully. "It's a rough ride over the pass," the actor wrote alongside the photo, which shows a significant amount of snow in the area. "Be safe out there Reno / Tahoe." Jeremy Renner Posts Photo of Snowy Cabin as He Recovers at Hospital: 'Missing My Happy Place' Jeremy Renner/Instagram Renner was airlifted to a local medical center on Jan. 1 after he was ran over by an "extremely large piece of snow-removal equipment" he owns. The accident occurred as he cleared his driveway and helped his neighbors remove snow after a significant snowfall in the area, reps and Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam said in the days after the incident. Story continues Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. He suffered "blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries," according to a statement from his rep, and underwent emergency surgery the next day. Renner, who spent his 52nd birthday in the hospital on Jan. 7, previously shared an update last Friday, when he posted a video of himself being taken into a room by a nurse for a medical scan to his Instagram Story. TAORMINA, ITALY - JUNE 18: Jeremy Renner attends Baume & Mercier - 62 Taormina Film Fest Gala Dinner on June 18, 2016 in Taormina, Italy. (Photo by Venturelli/Getty Images) Venturelli/Getty RELATED: Jeremy Renner's Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 Premieres amid Star's Recovery from Snowplow Accident "I wish you all a very special night," he wrote over the clip. A source close to Renner told PEOPLE last Wednesday that while the actor is on the mend, he faces "a long road to recovery." "Jeremy is making positive progress," continued the source, echoing a sentiment from Renner's sister Kym, who also told PEOPLE that The Avengers star was "crushing all progress goals." Joe Manganiello attends the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. Rich Fury/VF22/Getty Images for Vanity Fair Joe Manganiello learned that he's a descendant of slaves on PBS's "Finding Your Roots." He's also descended from an escapee of the Armenian Genocide. Manganiello told Rolling Stone his relatives are "survivors." PBS's docuseries "Finding Your Roots" has changed "True Blood" star Joe Manganiello's understanding of himself forever. In a clip of the show, which helps celebrities trace their ancestry, shared with Rolling Stone, host Henry Louis Gates tells Manganiello he's 7% Sub-Saharan African, which means he's descended from slaves. Shockingly, the "Magic Mike XXL" star also learned that none of his DNA matches the Manganiello name. That means that the man Manganiello thought was his grandfather, Emilio Manganiello, isn't. His father's DNA revealed that his great-grandparents were William Henry Cutler, a Black man, and Nellie Alton, a white woman. Because of the magnitude of the revelations, the show implemented its "ethics protocol," which allowed Manganiello to opt out of the episode if he wanted. "We give them the option of getting out of the series if they want. Then nobody will know except me and a couple of producers. And there are a couple of people that have withdrawn over the years," Gates told Rolling Stone. But Manganiello decided to share his family secrets on the show. "There are things that make sense now," he told the outlet. "I'm descended from survivors." Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images Manganiello's great grandparents, Cutler and Alton, married in 1887, nearly a century before Loving V. Virginia was overturned, which allowed interracial couples to wed in modern-day America. A few generations before that, Manganiello's fifth great-grandfather, Plato Turner, was born in Africa and came to the US as a child slave, Rolling Stone revealed. Turner eventually served as a soldier for the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Manganiello pointed out what a long journey Turner took "to come from West Africa in chains, on a ship, and to come to the United States and earn your freedom." Story continues He also noted that it was "backwards" that Turner fought in the Revolutionary War in an unsegregated army under the promise that "all men are created equal" only for there to be a Civil War to abolish slavery 100 years later. The Late Late Show With James Corden/YouTube The fact that he's a descendant of slaves considerably shifted Manganiello's sense of identity, he said, because he believed his father was "F.B.I." or "full-blooded Italian" growing up in Boston. The family thought that if they had Black ancestors, it would be because they were Sicilian. "All of a sudden, I can see myself clearly for the first time," he admitted, adding that he felt like the person he saw in the mirror was "mirror completely out of focus" until now. Manganiello's episode of "Finding Your Roots" airs on PBS February 9. Read the original article on Insider JERUSALEM (AP) Jordan summoned the Israeli ambassador to Amman on Tuesday to protest a move by Israeli police to block the Jordanian envoy from entering a volatile holy site in Jerusalem. The incident quickly escalated tensions between the neighbors and reflected the heightened sensitivity around the sacred compound under Israels new ultranationalist government. Jordan's Foreign Ministry said its ambassador to Israel, Ghassan Majali, was blocked from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalems Old City, the third-holiest site in Islam. The site, sitting on a sprawling plateau also home to the iconic golden Dome of the Rock, is revered by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and by Jews as the Temple Mount. The compound is administered by Jordanian religious authorities as part of an unofficial agreement after Israel won control of east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel is in charge of security at the site. The Israeli police said that Majali arrived at the holy site without any prior coordination with police officials, prompting an officer at the compound entrance who didn't recognize the diplomat to notify his commander about the unexpected visit. While awaiting instructions, officers held up Majali, along with Azzam al-Khatib, the director of the Jerusalem Waqf. The ambassador refused to wait and decided to leave, Israeli police said. Some two hours later, Jordanian state-run media reported that Majali finally entered the compound without showing any kind of permission and held talks with al-Khatib, who briefed him about the Israeli violations in Al-Aqsa. Footage widely shared online shows Majali, among other Muslim worshippers, at the limestone Lions Gate entrance to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City. An Israeli police officer blocks his path and yells at Majali in Arabic to go back, according to the video. Al-Khatib gets on the phone as the visitors argue with the officers amid the crackle of the policeman's walkie-talkie. Story continues Had the ambassador briefly waited a few more minutes for the officer to be updated, the group would have entered, the police said, stressing that coordination with Israeli police was routine ahead of such visits. But Jordan described the move as an unusual provocation. The Jordanian Foreign Ministry said the Israeli ambassador had received a strongly worded letter of protest to be conveyed immediately to his government. It said Jordanian officials do not need permission to enter the site because of the country's role as the official custodian and cautioned Israel against taking any actions that would prejudice the sanctity of the holy places. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli Foreign Ministry. Tuesday marked the second time that Jordan has summoned the Israeli ambassador to Amman since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new right-wing and religiously conservative government took power. Earlier this month, Israels minister of national security, the ultranationalist Itamar Ben-Gvir, visited the Jerusalem holy site despite threats from the Hamas militant group and a cascade of condemnations from across the Arab world. Jordan, along with the Palestinians and many Muslims, views Israeli visits to the compound as an attempt to alter the status of the site and give Jewish worshipers more rights there. Ben-Gvir and other far-right ministers who vow a hard-line stance against the Palestinians have threatened to test Israel's ties with Arab states including Jordan and Egypt that have maintained decades-long peace treaties with Israel. On Tuesday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi hosted Jordanian and Palestinian leaders for talks on the state of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In a joint statement, el-Sissi, King Abdullah II of Jordan and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for Israel to halt all illegitimate, unilateral measures that undermine the creation of an independent Palestinian state and to maintain the status quo at the Noble Sanctuary. The smallest change at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound one of the regions most contested sites could become a major new flashpoint between Israel and the Muslim world. Past Israeli actions there have triggered violent protests and wider conflicts. ___ Associated Press writers Omar Akour in Amman, Jordan, and Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report. An exterior view of Conner High School, Hebron, Kentucky as of 2016 Google Maps A teen expelled for making a 'kill list' of fellow students is set to return to school in Kentucky. The principal's own child was reportedly among the listed targets, local reports said. Parents at the Kentucky school district voiced their alarm at a board meeting last week. A student at a Kentucky school is set to return to class despite being accused of writing a "kill list" of fellow pupils, according to multiple reports. The unnamed 14-year-old in Boone County, Kentucky, was charged with second-degree terroristic threats and expelled for a year after reports that he threatened a mass shooting online, NBC News affiliate WLWT reported. Police said the teen admitted making the threats, per WLWT, but the current status of his charges is unknown as his record is sealed, NBC News reported. He is now rejoining classes, at Conner High School, after a year's absence. Parents several of whom have kids who were named on the alleged list voiced concerns at a school board meeting last week. "When I received a call from the principal, it was emotionally devastating. All I could think about was my child in danger when they did nothing wrong," said Rob Bidleman, a parent of one of the children listed, according to WLWT. Some parents who disagreed with the decision sympathized with principal Andy Wyckoff, whose own child was reportedly on the list, the outlet reported. "I think it puts an unnecessary burden on Mr. Wycoff with his own son being on that list," the outlet quoted parent Karen Wells as saying. "He has to be impartial every day ... Obviously, this kid needs a community to get behind him to help him because one day he's going to be in our society." After the meeting, Boone County School District Superintendent Matthew Turner sent a letter to parents saying that "all appropriate safety measures have been taken and are in place," according to WLWT. "The Kentucky Constitution guarantees the right to a public education for every child without prejudice, and we are obligated to follow state law," he wrote, according to the report. Story continues While state regulations do not list any rules governing the return of a pupil after they have been expelled, a spokesperson for the Boone County School District told Insider that public school districts are not legally permitted to permanently expel a student. As such, schools often need to find ways to reintegrate students who previously had significant behavioral struggles, they said. January 17, 2023: This story has been updated to reflect information received from the Boone County School District. Read the original article on Insider Kevin McCarthy (right) says he won't push George Santos (left) out of office. Alex Brandon/AP Photo; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Kevin McCarthy told MSNBC he's always "had a few questions" about George Santos' CV. A Santos staffer has been accused of impersonating McCarthy's chief of staff in 2020 and 2022. McCarthy told MSNBC he has spoken to Santos about the impersonation scandal. Speaker Kevin McCarthy says he's always had "questions" about beleaguered GOP Rep. George Santos' resume. Speaking to MSNBC on Monday, McCarthy said: "I never knew all about his resume or not, but I always had a few questions about it." MSNBC also asked McCarthy about a CNBC report published in January about Sam Miele, a Santos staffer. Miele impersonated McCarthy's chief of staff Dan Meyer during fundraising phone calls while Santos was running for office in 2020 and 2022, CNBC reported, citing people familiar with the matter. "You know, I didn't know about that. It happened and I know they corrected it, but I was not notified about that till a later date," he said. McCarthy added that he had spoken to Santos about the impersonation scandal. McCarthy, who has not taken a strong stance against Santos, said on January 11 that he will not force Santos out and will let the "voters decide" what to do with the New York congressman. The voters won't get to vote again on Santos' seat until November 2024. The scandal-ridden Santos has admitted that he has lied about his education, heritage, and work experience, including made-up stints at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. Questions about the congressman's real name have also been raised after he was seen introducing himself as "Anthony Devolder" in a video clip from 2019. Prosecutors in Long Island said on December 28 that they have opened an investigation into Santos. Long Island Republicans and the New York State GOP in January also called on Santos to resign, but Santos has refused to do so. Representatives for Santos and McCarthy did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider Kevin Spacey was given a lifetime achievement award by Italys National Museum of Cinema in Turin on Monday (16 January). At the event, the actor gave his first speaking engagement in more than five years, during which time the actor has faced a string of sexual abuse allegations. I have been so honoured to have been part of the creative process with so many remarkable people, Spacey told his Turin audience, per Variety. The actor gave his gratitude to the museum for having had Le Palle [Italian for balls] to invite me tonight. He also thanked the museums director Domenico De Gaetano: By presenting this award, they are making a strong defence of artistic achievement and for that, they should be applauded. Prior to the event, Spacey denied going underground since the allegations against him surfaced in 2017. Kevin Spacey (Jonathan Brady/PA Wire/PA Images) I live my life every day, I go to restaurants, I meet people, drive, play tennis, Ive always managed to meet generous, genuine, compassionate people, Spacey told Italian news outlets, refusing to speak to international press. I havent hidden away, I havent gone to live in a cave, he said. Italy has proved kind to the embattled actor. He is currently promoting his first film since 2017, which was filmed in Turin, Franco Neros detective tale The Man Who Drew God. Last week, a new complainant came forward with seven sexual offence charges against Spacey that allegedly occurred between 2001 and 2005, which Spacey denies. The American Beauty star has previously denied five allegations relating to three other men. In October last year, a New York jury concluded that Spacey did not molest actor Anthony Rapp, who had sought $40m (36m) in damages after alleging that a then-26-year-old Spacey made an unwanted sexual advance towards him when he was 14. Spacey is due to go on trial in London in June to face sex offence charges spanning a period between 2001 and 2013 for several years of which he was the artistic director of the Old Vic theatre. Jury selection in a civil trial against Elon Musk will begin Tuesday in San Francisco, after the Tesla CEO in 2018 misleadingly suggested via tweet that a $72 billion buyout was on the horizon. That online missive later landed the billionaire in hot water with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, who alleged Musk knew such a deal wasn't poised to materialize. Musk and Tesla were each fined $20 million following an SEC investigation into the matter; Musk was also required to give up his seat as company chair for at least three years, NPR reports. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. But investors who owned Tesla stock during the period Aug. 7-17, 2018, later filed a class-action lawsuit against the billionaire, alleging he caused them financial harm with his tweets beginning Aug. 7. Per shareholders, the electric car company's stock prices "swung by roughly $14 billion" during the 10-day period addressed by the lawsuit, NPR summarizes. The judge in the case previously ruled that Musk's tweets were reckless and false meaning the jury must now decide whether Musk knew they were misleading and if they caused material harm to investors. His defense team has argued that their client was, in fact, planning to take Tesla private, even if his claims about the deal were ultimately inaccurate. Still, Musk's lawyers will face "an uphill battle" in the trial, especially considering the judge's prior verdict regarding the tweets, securities law professor Jill Fisch told The Wall Street Journal. Depending on the outcome, Musk stands to suffer yet another significant financial blow, added law professor Adam Pritchard, speaking with Bloomberg. "Elon enjoys a good fight," Pritchard said. "He has a lot of money, and is apparently willing to take substantial risks with that money." The proceedings will also likely shed light on "Musk's management style, given the witness list includes some of Tesla's current and former top executives and board members," like James Murdoch, son of media giant Rupert Murdoch, The Associated Press writes. Story continues Musk is expected to appear on the stand "as early as Wednesday," the Journal writes, and the trial is expected to last about three weeks, per The Guardian. You may also like What is Blue Monday? Russia's weaponization of oil and gas exports to neuter Europe on Ukraine is backfiring badly Why are people angry about the new monument honoring MLK and Coretta Scott King's love story? Bryan Kohberger told a fellow Washington State University graduate student living in the same on-campus housing complex that he submitted his DNA for consumer genetic testing to explore his ancestry, the neighbor told the Idaho Statesman. Kohberger, 28, was a Ph.D. student in WSUs criminal justice and criminology department. He now stands charged with four counts of first-degree murder and felony burglary in the killing of four University of Idaho students on Nov. 13. Kohbergers neighbor said the two became acquainted while crossing paths on the residential property a handful of times after they each moved there in August. The WSU Ph.D. student lives across from the apartment where Kohberger resided until recently, and he said the two traded cellphone numbers. In their longest interaction, on the first Friday night of the fall semester, they spent about an hour chatting, the man said. The Statesman agreed to grant him anonymity over privacy concerns to publish his account of his exchanges with Kohberger, including that conversation months before Kohberger was arrested. Moscow homicides suspect Bryan Kohbergers apartment, in Pullman, Washington, on Jan. 15, 2023. The large on-campus housing complex serves many Washington State University graduate students. That August evening, the two grad students ran into each other in the large housing complexs parking lot next to their buildings, the man said during an interview at his apartment. Kohberger then asked him if he wanted to walk and talk, he said, and the two got to know each other a little while taking laps around the asphalt parking area. During their discussion, Kohberger asked his neighbor, who is not from the U.S., whether he could identify Kohbergers ancestral background, the man said. The neighbor said he guessed Italy before Kohberger stated that he was of German descent. He talked about his ancestors, the 30-year-old neighbor said. He had some sort of DNA test. I dont know how he got to that point. It was just interesting to him. The detail could shed new light on growing reports that investigators used public genealogy databases to land on Kohberger as the alleged killer. Citing law enforcement sources, multiple news outlets, including Fox News, CNN and ABC News, reported as early as the day after Kohbergers arrest that police employed the forensic technique to narrow their focus to Kohberger, while making no mention of the contentious method in the probable cause affidavit used to justify taking him into custody. Story continues A single source of male DNA was recovered from the button snap on a Ka-Bar brand leather knife sheath found on the bed next to the body of one of the four victims, police said. Police later matched the DNA from trash discarded at the Kohberger home in eastern Pennsylvania, where Bryan Kohberger was visiting his family for the winter break, to the profile taken from the knife sheath, according to the affidavit. However, investigators didnt hone in on Kohberger and seek a search warrant for his cellphone data until after the investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) results came back identifying him, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation told Slate. Police said they first became aware of Kohberger on Nov. 29, when a WSU Police officer researched white Hyundai Elantras at the university while seeking information about such vehicles related to the crime, according to the affidavit. About a half-hour later, another WSU officer located Kohbergers vehicle parked outside his on-campus apartment, police said. Law enforcement obtained search warrants for records of cellphones that used cell towers close to the area of the King Road home in Moscow where the victims were killed as part of this investigation, the affidavit read, without providing a date. Based on evidence, police believe the homicides occurred between 4 a.m. and 4:25 a.m., but Kohbergers phone did not register in the area between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. On Dec. 23, investigators obtained another search warrant for expanded records of Kohbergers cellphone dating to when police said he opened the account with AT&T on June 23, 2022, the affidavit read. The records showed him in the vicinity of his WSU apartment at 2:42 a.m. and appearing to leave the area five minutes later, with his phone not reporting to the network again until 4:48 a.m., south of Moscow along U.S. 95, near Blaine, Idaho, and north of Genesee. Further review of the records showed Kohbergers cellphone in the area of the King Road home from 9:12 a.m. to 9:21 a.m. on Nov. 13, police said. In addition, his cellphone appeared to be in the same area at least a dozen times prior to that date, according to the affidavit. A very serious person Kohbergers neighbor told the Statesman that he was back in his home nation for WSUs winter break when he heard police arrested a suspect in the Moscow case. A friend posted a message in a group WhatsApp thread, he said, noting that the person lived in the mans housing complex. He said he immediately searched for more information on Google, and saw that Kohberger was the person accused in the deaths of U of I seniors Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, junior Xana Kernodle and freshman Ethan Chapin. Its shocking, the man said. Still seeing his picture on the news, its very shocking. He thought back to Kohberger owning a white Hyundai Elantra that he parked in the lot where they walked together several months earlier. Moscow police were seeking information about anyone driving such a vehicle after they obtained video footage from the early morning hours of Nov. 13 that showed a white sedan in the area of the King Road homicides. The last time he saw Kohberger, the man said, was either the last week of November or first week of December two or three weeks after the incident roughly 9 miles away, which quickly drew national attention to the region. The neighbor said they greeted each other in passing, and he didnt notice or remember anything different about Kohberger from that short interaction. He jogged his memory with the Statesman on Sunday, recalling his walk with Kohberger in August what he said was his only substantive conversation with his neighbor. Their other exchanges entailed the two students just saying hello, and Kohberger suggesting they go on a hike together sometime. As they strolled the complexs parking lot at the end of the fall semesters first week of classes, they talked over the sounds in the area of college students socializing, he said. Many people here were partying, and you could hear it all over the city, the neighbor said. He said he was not into partying. He said theyre wasting their time, something like that. Kohberger shared with him that he ate only one meal per day, the man said. Kohberger is vegan and has requested his meals in jail be in accordance with his preferred diet, NewsNation reported. Bryan Kohberger enters an Idaho courtroom in Moscow for a status hearing, on Jan. 12, 2023. The accused killer waived his right to a quick preliminary hearing and is scheduled to appear again in court on June 26. Over the course of Kohberger and his neighbors conversation, which included discussion of their areas of research in separate WSU doctoral programs, the man said he couldnt recall Kohberger ever smiling or laughing. He was kind of serious a very serious person, the neighbor said. Investigators also appear interested in the mans recollections of Kohberger. Detectives with the Moscow Police Department last week contacted him about their relationship, he said, after they found his cellphone number in Kohbergers phone. Just how we met each other, what was his personality, these kinds of things, he told the Statesman, declining to offer more specifics, citing the nature of the situation and law enforcements involvement. Moscow Police Capt. Anthony Dahlinger, spokesperson for the department, would not confirm to the Statesman that investigators contacted and interviewed the neighbor, citing a gag order in the case. Latah County Judge Megan Marshall issued the nondissemination order on Jan. 3, barring law enforcement and attorneys from making statements outside of submitted court records. The neighbor also said he provided police with a screenshot of his and Kohbergers brief text thread, which included just two messages, starting off with the man confirming his number to Kohberger after their Aug. 26 walk. The screenshot, reviewed by the Statesman, included a phone number with an eastern Washington area code, with the last four digits 8458. In the affidavit, police previously identified Kohbergers cellphone number having the same last four digits. Hey (neighbor)! How is your semester so far? a text dated Sept. 21 that appeared to be from Kohberger read. The neighbor said he was too busy to reply at the time, and then later forgot. The two didnt text again, he said. The neighbor said he didnt return to Pullman until after investigators performed a search of Kohbergers apartment on Dec. 30. A Whitman County Superior Court judge sealed those search warrants until March 1, citing threats to the public and law enforcement, and maintaining the integrity of the investigation. Premature public disclosure of the details of this law enforcement investigation will create a serious and imminent threat to law enforcement, and could result in the premature end of this investigation which could create a threat to public safety, Judge Gary Libey wrote in the records, obtained by the Statesman. Other neighbors recall night owl, mention of homicides On Sunday, when a Statesman reporter visited Kohbergers apartment building, nearby tenants were mostly reluctant to answer questions. The resident directly below Kohbergers second-story unit had a sign taped to the front door: No Interviews. Thank you. Several other neighbors either declined Statesman requests to speak about Kohberger or said they didnt know him. Angela Alvarez, a WSU senior psychology major, lives with her family in the other first-floor unit in Kohbergers building, but said she was unavailable to talk. She previously told The Daily Beast that Kohberger was a night owl who generally kept to himself. He was frequently gone, Alvarez said, and shed rarely see him before midnight. He would usually park his white Elantra right in front of her unit, she said. I always see his headlights flash in my front windows, Alvarez said. The parking space was one of the few vacant in front of the building Sunday. As police took Kohberger into custody in eastern Pennsylvania, they also seized his vehicle. Moscow homicides suspect Bryan Kohbergers student housing complex, in Pullman, Washington, on Jan. 15, 2023. Kohberger usually took the parking spot for his white Hyundai Elantra outside her first-floor window, according to a neighbor. Another unidentified neighbor told CBS News last week that Kohberger at one point mentioned the Moscow killings to him. He brought it up in conversation, asked if I had heard about the murders, which I did, the man said. And then he said, It seems like they have no leads. It seems like it was a crime of passion. Moscow Mayor Art Bettge used the same phrase a day after the homicides in an interview with The New York Times, before walking it back as just one of a number of possibilities. A classmate of Kohbergers in WSUs graduate criminal justice and criminology program told the Statesman earlier this month that Kohberger was known for being outspoken and sharing his opinions during class. But when the nearby homicides were brought up during a class discussion, Kohberger stayed quiet. He was completely silent, the classmate said. Kohberger made his second appearance in Idaho court last week and remains in Latah County Jail with no bond. He is next scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on June 26. KYIV (Reuters) - Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Tuesday he had held talks with German Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck on further support and assistance for Ukraine, including the transfer of weapons, and that "positive decisions" had been made. He gave no other details of the meeting, which took place while the two were attending the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort of Davos, but Ukraine hopes Germany will provide it with tanks to resist Russia's invasion. "We discussed further support and assistance. In particular, the transfer of weapons. Positive decisions have been made. Good news coming soon," Klitschko wrote on the Telegram messaging app. (Reporting by Max Hunder, Editing by Timothy Heritage) On Tuesday, 17 January, Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraines First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, and Jozef Sikela, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, reached an agreement on setting up a working group for involving Czech enterprises in the reconstruction of Ukraine. Source: Svyrydenko, at the Global Economic Forum in Davos, cited by the press service of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and European Pravda "We are grateful to Czechia for its military, financial and humanitarian aid in these dramatic times. Czechia is one of Ukraines key European partners, providing Ukraine with significant political and practical help, and one of our countrys five key weapons suppliers," Svyrydenko said. Svyrydenko and Sikela discussed the upcoming meeting of the intergovernmental Ukrainian-Czech commission to be held in March 2023, and also reached an agreement on further cooperation in the energy sector and the integration of electricity markets. Ukraines Ministry of Economy reports that the Czech government has been providing Ukraine with weapons and ammunition since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, specifically the ground combat systems and anti-tank and anti-aircraft equipment that the Ukrainian army needs. The Czech Republic has provided Ukraine with 3 billion Czech crowns (about US$130 million) worth of military aid. Background: In October 2022, the Czech government approved a programme of humanitarian, stabilisation, reconstruction and economic aid to Ukraine. It is expected that 500 million crowns will be allocated for this purpose annually over the period from 2023 to 2025. In January 2023, the Czech Cabinet of Ministers appointed former deputy Defence Minister Tomas Kopechny as governmental ombudsman for the reconstruction of Ukraine. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Washington DC teacher Keenan Anderson was Tased for several minutes by LAPD officers before he died (Courtesy of Patrisse Cullors) The LAPD has been accused of smearing the cousin of a Black Lives Matter co-founder who died after being repeatedly tased by officers. High school teacher Keenan Anderson was tased six times after trying to run away from police following a traffic accident in Venice, Los Angeles, on 3 January. A toxicology report released by police showed Anderson, 31, had cannabinoids and cocaine metabolite in his system when he died later in hospital after going into cardiac arrest. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has not yet ruled on his cause of death. LAPD police chief Michel Moore told a press conference last week they were awaiting an autopsy report to determine a cause of death. According to police, Anderson was in the process of committing a felony hit-and-run when he tried to run from officers. Bodycam footage shows him in a distressed state begging for help, and at one point saying, Theyre trying to George Floyd me. Anderson, the cousin of BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors, was on a winter break from Washington DC when he was killed. He was the third Black or brown man to die after an encounter with the LAPD in 2023. Melanie Ochoa, the director of police practices at American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, told VICE that the LAPDs statements about officer-involved killings were public relations actions, they are not a public information service. I think the goal of the LAPDs PR machine is to have the public believe that the victim somehow caused their own death, she told VICE. Similarly to after the death of George Floyd in 2020, right-wing commentators linked Andersons death to the evidence of drugs in his system in the toxicology report. However, the presence of cocaine metabolite can remain in the system for anywhere from a few days to several months, depending on the test type and other factors, according to Healthline.com experts. The LAPD and the ACLU did not immediately respond to inquiries from The Independent. In a video statement accompanying the bodycam footage, LAPD Captain Kelly Muniz said investigations into deaths after use of force can often take up to a year to complete and often change as additional evidence is collected, analyzed and reviewed. On January 14, during Russia's massive attack on Ukraine, a Russian missile hit a residential building in Dnipro According to UK intelligence, Russia falsely implied a Ukrainian air defence missile was responsible. The department stressed that as with the previous eight waves of strikes since Oct. 11, 2022, Russia primarily targeted the Ukrainian electricity grid. (The Kh-22) is notoriously inaccurate when used against ground targets, as its radar guidance system is poor at differentiating targets in urban areas, reads the report. Read also: Ukraine unable to shoot down Kh-22 missiles, says Air Force While some missiles such as (the Kh-22) are unsuitable for precision strike, evidence from the Ukraine war suggests that the dysfunction of Russias long-range strike capability is more profound. It highly likely struggles to dynamically identify targets, and to access rapid and accurate battle damage assessment. The agency reiterated similar weapons had been responsible for other incidents of civilian mass-casualties, including the Kremenchuk shopping centre strike of June 27, 2022. According to Ukraines Air Force Command, five Kh-22 cruise missiles were fired from five Tu-22M3 long-range Russian bombers during the Jan. 14 mass missile attack. Additional missiles were launched from Russias Kursk Oblast and the Sea of Azov. One of the Kh-22 missiles, which was launched from the air over Kursk Oblast at about 3.30 p.m. on Jan. 14, hit a high-rise residential building in the city of Dnipro, completely demolishing a nine-story section of the building. Over 40 people are known to have been killed in the strike on the building, and 79 injured, 10 of whom are in a serious condition in hospital. Another 25 residents of the building are still listed as missing. Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said Ukraine has no means to intercept Kh-22 missiles. The cruise missiles, which move at supersonic speeds (up to 4.6 times the speed of sound), are 5.8 tons in weight and carry a one-tone high-explosive warhead. They have a low accuracy, and can strike anywhere within 100 to 300 meters of their intended target. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Jan. 16Southeastern Connecticut's casinos are on board with a Bridgeport lawmaker's revival of a plan to extend hours of liquor service in certain locales, though two top New London officials don't think it would be such a hot idea in the city. Democratic state Rep. Christopher Rosario has introduced a bill that would establish a pilot program allowing liquor to be served until 4 a.m. at licensed locations in Bridgeport, Danbury, Hartford, New Haven, New London, Norwalk, Stamford, Waterbury and West Hartford as well as at Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun. Currently, liquor can be sold until 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday nights and until 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday. Rosario had floated a similar proposal in 2019, a year after the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe had begun pushing for later last calls at its Foxwoods Resort Casino in anticipation of a competing resort casino opening in Springfield, Mass. Since then, state and local authorities in the Bay State have authorized late liquor sales for patrons "actively" engaged in gambling at MGM Springfield and at Encore Boston Harbor in Everett. In 2018, the Mashantucket and Mohegan tribes were planning on developing a third Connecticut casino in East Windsor, about 15 miles from Springfield, a project that's been put on hold. "Our position is unchanged" Jason Guyot, Foxwoods' president and chief executive officer, said Monday of extended liquor hours. "We still feel it's important to stay competitive with entertainment venues in other states. ... Guests have choices, and we want to keep them in the state of Connecticut." Guyot said there's no better place for later hours of liquor service than a casino, pointing to Foxwoods' more than 2,000 hotel rooms and numerous restaurants that can accommodate late gamblers. He said there's no data to support the argument that later liquor-service hours will create more unsafe highway conditions due to patrons hurrying to make last call at the casinos. Story continues More than 30% of Foxwoods' clientele comes from Massachusetts, Guyot said. "The Mohegan position has been that such a time (4 a.m.) would make us more competitive and likely stop people from chugging at last call, and we could implement quickly," Chuck Bunnell, the Mohegan Tribe's chief of staff, wrote in an email. "We also feel that if expanded for certain cities it needs to be in casino licenses as well." Rosario, in widening the scope of his bill, proposed three years ago the creation of "nightlife entertainment zones" to help businesses in designated locales compete with establishments in neighboring states where alcohol is served until 4 a.m. He said such competition primarily affects bars and entertainment venues in Fairfield County that compete for millennials with New York venues that have later hours of service. Attempts to reach Rosario on Monday were unsuccessful. "He's got to do what's right for his district, but I don't know how something like that (later hours of service) would be welcome here," Michael Passero, New London's mayor, said. "You're talking about the biggest city in the state (Bridgeport) and the smallest (New London). It doesn't sound like a good idea to me." Passero said he would want assurances that municipalities have the right to opt out of any legislation extending hours of liquor service. "It would have to be a local decision," he said. "I'd want to be sure the vast majority of people in the city supported it." Brian Wright, the New London police chief, said he was against Rosario's proposal. "As it is, bars and entertainment spots tend to be hotspots for police departments around closing time," he said. "They draw a lot of resources. You extend their hours and you're going to stretch the resources in an around those areas for longer periods of time. I don't think the benefits (of longer hours) would outweigh the possible perils." "How much more revenue are you really going to generate in two more hours?" Wright asked. "In Connecticut, law enforcement in general is already understaffed." b.hallenbeck@theday.com Sabrina Davis chose a vivid pink blouse to wear to her Orlando presentation. It stood out amid the muted browns and greys of the Orange County government meeting room surrounding her. She walked up to the podium, slightly nervous, and glanced at the lawmakers assembled before her. Im here today to share my dads story, she told them. On Thursday, October 15 [2020], my dad stood up and died. That presentation was not Davis first, nor did it promise to be her last. It was a continuation of a two-year effort to bring an end to Floridas medical malpractice loophole its critics have sarcastically dubbed the free kill law. >>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<< Five days to kill Davis remembers the phone call from her dad the first of a series that would lead to his heart blockage. It was a Saturday. His complaint was about pain in his knee. He told her he couldnt walk. She, like any dutiful daughter, suggested the former military man see a doctor, expecting him to waive it off. He avoided hospitals at all costs, but I knew it was serious when he agreed, she recalled. They drove to a Tampa-area facility near where he lived to get him checked out. His leg was red and swollen and felt warmer than usual to the touch. She and the family physician told the doctor that her father had a history of blood clots and suggested he order an ultrasound. She also told the doctor her father was taking blood thinners. Davis said the doctor waived the recommendations, ordering her father to five days of bed rest instead. Luke Sukhram (left), 8, and his mother Sabrina Davis (right) stand with a photo of her father, Keith Davis, in Gainesville, Fla. on Monday, November 1, 2021. Davis was a United States Navy veteran who passed away in 2020 due to medical negligence. (Photo by Kiara Cline) My dad was awake, eating, drinking alive talking, making plans, she said. On Thursday, I was on the phone with my dad, when [the doctor] came in the room and said, Today, youre being discharged for physical therapy. Davis said the doctor was in the room for mere seconds. Nineteen minutes after we last spoke, I got a call from the hospital stating my dad was Code Blue, she said, a term for a patient with no pulse. Story continues Davis later found out her father toppled over when he tried to stand up. When the doctor refused to order an autopsy, Davis said she paid for one out of pocket, knowing what the results would be. Read: Girlfriend charged in boyfriends murder after he was killed during robbery, police say Your dad has a 9-inch-long blood clot, that moved from his leg to his chest, she recalled him saying. 100% preventable. Davis filed a complaint with the Florida Board of Medicine, which later settled with the doctor. Settlement documents show the doctor admitted no fault but, had the accusations been proven, admitted they wouldve been violations of multiple state laws. The doctor agreed to several fines and five hours of education classes about blood clots. However, Davis found no success when she tried to take the doctor and the hospital to court. Lawyers kept asking how old she was (30) and if her dad was married (no). They said they cant help me, she remembered. David ran into Floridas medical malpractice exemption, also known as the free kill law. Buried in the codes about wrongful deaths is a specific carve-out limiting who can file a medical malpractice suit in the Sunshine State. Read: Daytona Beach couple charged with child abuse, kidnapping, police say Minor children of the decedent, and all children of the decedent if there is no surviving spouse, may also recover for lost parental companionship, instruction, and guidance and for mental pain and suffering from the date of injury, the law reads. The damages specified shall not be recoverable by adult children and by parents of an adult child with respect to claims for medical negligence. In other words, if the person is an adult, unmarried and has no young children, no one can legally sue the doctor. In the past, insurers argued the law is necessary to keep malpractice insurance costs down, saying Florida is one of the most expensive states in the nation. Davis says the practice is unfair, citing the fact that Florida is one of two states with a law like this on its books. Theyre still billing my fathers estate for any unpaid medical bills and theres nothing I can do because no lawyer can help me and take my case because of this law, Davis said. Increasing calls for change There have been past attempts to strike free kill off Floridas books, with little success so far. However, the tides appear to be shifting thanks to efforts by Davis and other activists. Florida legislators tried to get a bill striking the loophole from the books in 2022 but ran into headwinds in the Senate despite being backed by lawmakers in both parties. The two bills died in the judiciary committee. No bills have been formally filed ahead of the current session, but Davis said has a sponsor in both the Senate, where Miami-area Republican Ana Maria Rodriguez appeared to be poised to repeat her attempt to spearhead the effort. Read: Three Central Floridians indicted for the kidnapping of immigrant working in Florida Rodriguez and her staff did not respond to interview requests Monday, though many lawmakers were busy moving to Tallahassee ahead of committee meetings. Davis trip to Orlando last week was in search of a House sponsor, who are limited in the number of bills they can introduce each year. Her story and her bright pink blouse got the attention she needed. I would like to file the law, freshman Rep. Carolina Amesty (R-Windermere) said, smiling warmly. She told Davis to get in touch with her aide in the audience after her presentation. Both Democrats and other Republicans voiced their support, with one Democrat offering to co-sponsor the legislation. Reached by phone, Amesty said she was touched by Davis presentation and didnt believe the situation was right. She said she would spend her week in Tallahassee finalizing which bills shed introduce but sounded optimistic that the free kill legislation would be among them. Read: Hundreds gather to honor Orlandos first Black city council member Davis wasnt sure this attempt would succeed but said she was hopeful. Its just overwhelming, she said. Sometimes I question myself when we speak. Are we really heard? [Amesty] reminded me that we are. Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Guangxi's first China-Europe freight train of 2023 departs from Liuzhou for Moscow People's Daily Online) 18:43, January 16, 2023 Photo shows a China-Europe freight train bound for the Russian capital Moscow from Liuzhou city in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Photo/Zhou Yijie) A China-Europe freight train departed from the Liuzhou railway port in Liuzhou city, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Jan. 15, 2023, carrying 55 containers of heavy machinery such as graders, loaders and rollers bound for the Russian capital Moscow. This marks the first trip made by the Liuzhou-Moscow freight train service this year. Since China Railway Nanning Bureau Group Co., Ltd. launched the Liuzhou-Moscow freight train service in May 2021, Liuzhou railway port and the Nanning international railway port have continuously been launching freight trains carrying heavy machinery. As of Jan. 15, 2023, 21 such trains had been operated and 2,057 containers of construction machinery had been shipped. So far, heavy machinery from Guangxi, including loaders and rollers, has been sold to over 170 countries and regions. China and Russia signed a customs agreement on mutual Authorized Economic Operators (AEO) to facilitate customs clearance for enterprises in February 2022. Chinese machinery manufacturer Guangxi Liugong Machinery Co., Ltd. is one of the companies listed as an AEO enterprise. A crane moves a container in Liuzhou city in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Photo/Lin He) Our export volume through the China-Europe freight train service doubled year on year in 2022 to over 270 million yuan (about $40.35 million), said Li Kailiang, an international business director of the company. Li explained that Liugong will give full play to the AEO system between China and Russia and the companys 120-plus outlets in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) regions to expand its overseas market. Tang Guide, director of the Liuzhou freight center of China Railway Nanning Bureau Group Co., Ltd., said the Chinese railway department will leverage the AEO system between China and Russia and the driving force of the RCEP, guarantee the safe and smooth operations of the China-Europe freight train service, and encourage more local export enterprises to develop business in Belt and Road countries using China-Europe freight trains. (Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Du Mingming) Protesters confront officers at People's Park in Berkeley on Aug. 3. (Stuart Leavenworth / Los Angeles Times) To the editor: Once again, UC Berkeley wants to use People's Park for student housing, and once again, students and others have erupted in protest. This time, I am on the side of university officials and the cops. People's Park in Berkeley has always seen a collection of stoners and others who lived on the margins. In 1969, the student body president-elect at UC Berkeley egged on the cops by announcing a march to retake the park. My girlfriend and I were on our way to class, trying to avoid all of the racket. Our books were under our arms. A California Highway Patrol officer aimed his shotgun at us. We fled but still ended up in the hospital. It was a dumb idea to provoke the cops, some of whom loved to chase people with billy clubs. One kid died and another was blinded. Calling that day sacred is a hippie fantasy. We should have focused on stopping the Vietnam War, not picking a fight we were never going to win. Mike Roddy, Alameda, Calif. .. To the editor: A state court of appeals is concerned that loud partying by students residing in a dorm to be built on the site of People's Park might disturb the neighbors. Is it serious? People's Park is in a gritty neighborhood populated mostly by students near Telegraph Avenue. There are several enormous dorms in the immediate vicinity already. This is not a quiet suburban neighborhood. It's a perfect place for a dorm. Erica Hahn, Monrovia This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) The Latest on the World Economic Forum gathering in Davos, Switzerland: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned against the rise of far-right political movements inside the European Union and called for unity to fight what he described as the rotten seeds (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has planted in our countries." In a speech Tuesday at the World Economic Forum gathering in Davos, Switzerland, Sanchez shared his concerns about far-right political parties being able to reach institutions and destroying the EU from the inside. The socialist leader says he's especially concerned about it in those countries where these far-right forces have the support of the main conservative parties, that are opening the doors of governments for them. He didnt mention any specific country or political party. The center-left socialist leader faces general elections this year. Early polls suggest that the oppositions main conservative leader would need the support of a hard-right party to replace Sanchez. ___ Several minerals and mining executives and government executives say there are shortages of critical metals and minerals needed to advance the clean energy transition. Anne-Laure de Chammard, executive board member and executive vice president at Siemens Energy AG, said on a Davos panel Tuesday that financing isn't a bottleneck for clean energy anymore, it is the supply chain and the availability of precious metals. Mike Henry, CEO of mining giant BHP Group Ltd., says that with mines in decline, the world is going to need a lot more copper, cobalt and nickel. As a miner, said Jeremy Weir, chair and CEO of commodities trading giant Trafigura Group Pte Ltd., the constraint is getting more metals and minerals out of the ground faster. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has some of the greatest mineral wealth in the world. But President Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, also on the panel, said violence and illegal mineral extraction in the eastern part of the country is scaring investors. Story continues He also said international mining companies need to provide more things that will improve the daily lives of our communities, such as schools and hospitals. ___ KEY DEVELOPMENTS: Ukraines first lady urges leaders to use influence amid war EU chief offers clean tech plan to compete with China, US World Food Program postpones, not averts Somali famine Elon Musk apparently wasn't on the Davos guest list Follow APs coverage of the World Economic Forum meeting at https://apnews.com/hub/world-economic-forum ___ U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema says democracy is still alive despite her refusal to eliminate the filibuster so Democrats could pass legislation securing voting rights ahead of the 2022 election. Sinema says Congress didnt pass the voting rights bill, then we had a free and fair election. She spoke Tuesday in a panel session with a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers and governors at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Sinema is a moderate senator from Arizona known for bipartisan deal-making. Her support for a Senate rule requiring support from 60% of lawmakers to pass most legislation was a major tension in her strained relationship with Democrats, who worry that allies of former U.S. President Donald Trump will interfere with elections. Sinema left the Democratic Party late last year, registering as an independent as she nears the end of her first term. She hasnt said whether she will run for reelection in 2024. The Arizona senator added that the push by one political party to eliminate an important guardrail and an institution in our country may have been premature and overreaching, in order to get the short-term victories they wanted. She and West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, another holdout on eliminating the filibuster rule, shared a high-five. Sinema said the era of divided government is an opportunity for the country to reckon with extreme partisanship. Lawmakers from both parties said theyre confident the United States will keep supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia despite a group of lawmakers who want to cut off aid. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, a Republican from Florida, said were going to liberate Europe, quote unquote, in 2023 just like we did in 1945. We understand that that is our duty. __ The World Economic Forum says billionaire Elon Musk wasnt on the guest list for the annual meeting of business executives, global leaders and cultural trend-setters in Davos, Switzerland despite what the Twitter owner claims. Musk isnt among the notables gathering in the ritzy Alpine town this week to talk about global issues, though he says he was invited. Forum spokesman Yann Zopf knocked that down Tuesday, saying the last time the Tesla CEO got an invitation was not this year and not recently last time in 2015. Zopf says Musk has never registered or attended the annual meeting. Musk said in a tweet Dec. 22: My reason for declining the Davos invitation was because it sounded boring. He didnt specify when he got the invitation, but the tweets timing suggested it was for this year. Musk did not immediately respond to requests from The Associated Press for comment Tuesday. ___ Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has repeated similar comments from last year that Ukraine should consider territorial concessions as a way to end Russias invasion, a suggestion that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticized. Kissinger spoke by video link Tuesday at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, saying various lines will need to be drawn to prevent the war from escalating. The 99-year-old again proposed that a cease-fire along the lines of invasion is a reasonable outcome of the military actions and not necessarily the outcome of a later peace negotiation. He said the U.S. should support Ukraine and intensify military aid until a cease-fire line is either reached or accepted in discussions. He says this also would give Russia an opportunity to rejoin the international system and reassess its reliance on military force. Kissinger notes that the destruction of Russia as state would open up the nuclear-armed territory to internal conflict and outside intervention. He expressed admiration for Zelenskyy and the heroism of the Ukrainian people. Kissinger said that while he previously opposed Ukraines membership in NATO because he feared a conflict with Russia, he now believes Ukrainian membership in NATO too would be an appropriate outcome of the cease-fire process he describes. Ukrainian leaders reject land concessions. Last years comments from Kissinger drew a retort from Zelenskyy that it was tantamount to European powers in 1938 letting Nazi Germany claim parts of Czechoslovakia to curb Adolf Hitlers aggression. ___ Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin says that if Russia were to win the war in Ukraine, it would show that invading another country leads to gains of land or natural resources. She says Europe and other Western democracies should send Putin the message that we will support as long as needed five years, 10 years, 15 years, whatever it takes we will support Ukraine, and this will not stop. Speaking Tuesday at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Marin added that its for Ukrainians to decide when they are ready to negotiate, when they are ready to make some peace agreement. She says the story might have been very different if Western is allies had acted stronger when Russia illegally annexed Ukraines Crimea peninsula in 2014. The European Union member that shares a long border with Russia is seeking NATO membership. Marin says Finland believed it was best to stay out of the alliance for its own security but then it saw Russia is attacking another neighbor and we cannot rely on that relations anymore, so we have to seek partnership elsewhere. All 30 NATO states must approve Finland and Sweden joining the Western military alliance, with just Turkey and Hungary yet to sign on. Turkey is demanding the Nordic countries tighten counterterrorism measures. Marin says she has spoken with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who relayed to her that there arent big issues with Finland, maybe Sweden. She emphasized that Finland and Sweden must join NATO together. ___ The head of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning World Food Program says support from donors like the United States and Germany have allowed it to postpone though not entirely avert famine in Somalia. But WFP Executive Director David Beasley stressed that were not out of this yet. He told The Associated Press that countries in the Horn of Africa have faced unprecedented climate impact from years of drought, and the U.N. agency had been expecting to announce famine in Somalia before donors stepped up in magnificent ways. Speaking Tuesday at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Beasley warned that we still could end up with a famine technically in Somalia because famine-like conditions already exist. When Beasley took the job in 2017, some 80 million people worldwide were on the brink of starvation and faced chronic hunger. Conflict, climate change and COVID-19 have caused that to balloon to 350 million today because of economic devastation and supply-chain disruptions. ___ The head of the International Monetary Fund is warning that letting international tensions fragment the global economy could cost trillions in lost growth. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva urged business and political leaders during the World Economic Forums gathering in Davos, Switzerland, to wake up and preserve global trade even as they look to insulate their supply sources from disruption. Georgieva says the pandemic and Russias war in Ukraine showed that some redundancy is needed when it comes to where businesses source parts and raw materials. But the smart way is to keep that to the level where we make the world economy more resilient and not drag the world into a place where we will be all poorer and we will be less secure. Reorganizing supply chains in a way that doesnt restrict trade would reduce global growth by only 0.2% of global output. But if trade collapses, that could balloon to 7% of global economy over time, or $7 trillion the size of the economies of Japan and Germany together. My fear is, we are sleepwalking into this world. But hey, here is Davos! Wake up! Do the right thing! she said, drawing a round of applause. ___ Two top Ukrainian officials said reforms to the countrys economy to attract investors cant wait until the end of the war, even as utility workers struggle to repair infrastructure destroyed by Russian missiles. Oleksiy Chernyshov, head of state energy company Naftogaz, said cutting red tape and reforming the countrys judiciary will be key in finding new investment to help rebuild the country. He spoke Tuesday during a panel on Ukraines future during the World Economic Forum's gathering in Davos, Switzerland, with First Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, who is also economy minister. Svyrydenko said the governments aim is to make Ukraine a favored destination for investors on the second day after the victory. Before the war, Ukraine struggled to curb the influence of politically connected business figures known as oligarchs and to reform its legal system. Economists working on the countrys reconstruction issues say the war offers the chance to accelerate reforms by making them an issue of patriotism and national survival. ___ Samantha Power, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, announced that USAID would be providing more support for the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation. Power, speaking during a panel discussion on democracy Tuesday at World Economic Forums gathering in Davos, Switzerland, said the program was developed in conjunction with the forum, with the private sector saying business is hard to do certain countries and asking USAID and other government actors to make it easier. She says were going to surge support to Ecuador, Tanzania, countries like that again are doing those hard things to try to facilitate trade and not merely again the classic tool toolkit for democracy promotion. Power said many countries are taking difficult steps to address problems as they try to implement political reforms. She said those efforts could be helped by public-private partnerships. She urged businesses to check about investment opportunities in countries that are doing hard things, that are fighting for more transparency, fighting those anti-democratic forces. ___ Polish President Andrzej Duda says efforts to build an international coalition that could send at least an armored brigade to Ukraine will take some time." Duda stressed that Ukraine is asking for modern Western weapons and tanks as it has been fighting for Russia's invasion since February and is counting on the allies to each give a few or about a dozen tanks. Speaking to Polish reporters after a panel at he World Economic Forum gathering in Davos, Switzerland, he said he's counting on Finland and on other European countries, including Germany, which have Leopard tanks. Duda stressed that Germanys permission will be required for the German-made Leopard tanks to be handed over to Ukraine. Britain has offered to provide its Challenger tanks, with Duda expressing thanks for the U.K. government. ___ Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore emphasized the need to reform multilateral development banks if the world wants to rapidly decarbonize and meet its climate goals. He pointed to the World Bank, whose leader David Malpass faced criticism in September for not directly answering when asked whether the burning of fossil fuels has contributed to global warming. Instead, he said, I am not a scientist. He has denied Gore's accusations of being a climate denier. Fore said during a panel session at the World Economic Forum gathering in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday that if we have a global allocation system for capital that deprives the vast majority of people that live in developing countries from any meaningful access then we are kidding ourselves." According to Gore, 88% of the projected increase in emissions of planet-warming gases will come from the developing world but most of them dont have access to private capital today. He said that Nigerians, for example, have to pay an interest rate that is seven times higher than those in a European or North American country. ___ The leader of the Belarus opposition says a trial against her opening in Minsk is a farce and that she still hasnt been made aware of the charges. Speaking to The Associated Press on Tuesday during the World Economic Forum gathering in the Swiss town of Davos, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said she feared Belarus was being overlooked by the war in Ukraine and warned that without a democratic Belarus there would be no stability in the region. The elite gathering of political leaders, business executives and cultural trend-setters will tackle issues facing a divided world as 2023 begins with conflict and economic pressures. Tsikhanouskaya said she would welcome a meeting with Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska, who is also attending the meeting, or the Ukraine government but understood the sensitivity and the fears it could provoke Belrusian President Alexander Lukashenko. ___ Chinese Vice Premier Liu He laid out an optimistic vision for the worlds second largest economy following the battering it took over nearly three years of lockdowns, quarantines and strict COVID-19 containment measures. Liu, a senior economic official on the State Cabinet, Chinas Cabinet, said Tuesday in an address at the World Economic Forum gathering in Davos, Switzerland, that if we work hard enough, we are confident that in 2023, Chinas growth will most likely return to its normal trend. The Chinese economy will see a significant improvement. Liu said China expects to see a major rise in its imports, more investment by companies and return to regular consumption habits over the coming months. He says easing COVID restrictions ending quarantines for people arriving from abroad are key factors in the economys recovery. His remarks come after China on Tuesday released data showing Chinas economic growth fell to its second-lowest level in at least four decades last year under pressure from anti-virus controls and a real estate slump. Chinas economy grew by 3% in 2022, less than half of the previous years 8.1% rate. That was the second-lowest annual rate since at least the 1970s after 2020, when growth fell to 2.4%. Liu emphasized government efforts to manage the earlier decline, particularly in supporting the real estate industry that accounts for 40% of all bank lending and 50% of local government revenue. After years of breakneck economic growth, he says Chinas goal is high quality economic development, reforming state-owned enterprises and supporting the private sector. He also reiterated Chinas commitment to its carbon reduction goals and to improving its environment. China has said it will peak carbon output by 2030 and become carbon neutral by 2060. He says China will do so through a mix of renewables. China, the worlds largest carbon emitter, relies on coal to generate most of its energy. ___ U.S. climate envoy John Kerry says that despite nearly a $1 trillion committed by global philanthropies for various causes over the last few years, only 2% of this amount goes toward climate action. He said Tuesday during a panel session at the World Economic Forum in Davos that it's estimated from $7.5 billion to $12.5 billion of global philanthropy is directed toward climate action. He and others urged philanthropies across the world to come together and contribute more to climate action. So how do we get there? Kerry asked about keeping global climate goals alive. He answered, Well, the lesson Ive learned in the last year I learned it as secretary of state and it has since been reinforced in spades, is money, money, money, money, money, money, money. The panel session also launched GAEAs Call to Action, the World Economic Forums new global effort to raise additional philanthropy that can fund climate action. ___ The European Union is pushing forward with a massive clean tech industrial plan that not only should keep the continent in the vanguard of plotting a greener future but also guarantee its economic survival as it faces challenges from China and the United States. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented the outlines for her Green Deal Industrial Plan that will make it much easier to push through subsidies for green industries and pool EU wide projects that are boosted with major funding as the EU pursues the goal to be climate neutral by 2050. Speaking Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, von der Leyen says the 27-nation bloc will become much more forceful in countering unfair trading practices, if they come from Washington, or more important, from Beijing. Von der Leyens outline will now become the key driver for debate among the member nations before their 27 leaders meet for a Feb. 9-10 summit on the issue. ___ Ukraine's first lady hit out at Russia as the anniversary of the war in Ukraine nears, saying parents are in tears watching doctors trying to save their children, farmers are afraid to go back to their fields filled with explosive mines and that we cannot allow a new Chernobyl to happen." Olena Zelenska also scolded government leaders and corporate executives in a speech Tuesday at the World Economic Forum gathering in the Swiss town of Davos for not always using their influence to do enough. With the war raising inflation and expanding food insecurity in developing nations, she called it an insult to mankind and human nature to have mass starvation." She says the war can expand beyond Ukraine's borders and worsen the crises but unity is what brings peace back." Zelenska says she brought letters from Ukrainian leadership to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and to Chinese President Xi Jinping that she will give to Vice Premier Liu He, who's speaking Tuesday at Davos along with von der Leyen. ___ The head of the International Energy Agency says Russias invasion of Ukraine has spurred new support for renewable energy as worries over security of supply join environmental concerns. But IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said Tuesday during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that investment in clean energy still lags far behind whats needed. He says the disruption of oil and natural gas supplies from Russia means that the biggest driver of renewable energy growth today is energy security ... because home-grown renewables are the energy of peace. Birol cited as progress the shift to battery-powered cars, saying they were only 3 in every 100 vehicles sold in 2019 but reached 13% last year. He says every other car in major markets will be electric by 2030. He welcomed government support like the Inflation Reduction Act in the U.S. and the EUs Fit for 55 goals but warned that rich countries efforts wont be enough if developing nations cant afford the transition to energy sources that emit less climate-changing carbon dioxide. Right now, Birol says there is $1.50 in investment in clean energy for every $1 investment in fossil fuels: If we want to reach our target, the ratio needs to be one to nine. ___ Polish President Andrzej Duda is predicting that the German government will agree one day to send powerful Leopard tanks to Ukraine, citing Germanys membership in NATO and rising public support for Ukrainians beleaguered by Russias war. The Polish leader quipped during a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday: We dont mention that Ukraine will win this war, we mention that Ukraine will not lose this war, before chuckling. His Lithuanian counterpart, Gitanas Nauseda, quickly replied: I mention that Ukraine will win this war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have been clamoring for more supplies of Western weaponry like tanks and air defense systems nearly a year into the war. Duda said it was an important moment that NATO members, like Britain have vowed to send modern tanks to Ukraine, which could affect the thinking of Chancellor Olaf Scholzs government. Scholz, who is speaking at Davos on Wednesday, has said Germany will weigh every step carefully and consult with its allies on further weapons deliveries to Ukraine. Duda also said German public opinion was becoming stronger and stronger and stronger in favor of Ukraine, and he hoped that would result in the very needed decision to send Leopards to Ukraine. CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) Arthur Ravenel, the former congressman and state lawmaker who helped build the Republican Party in South Carolina and get money for the graceful bridge that dominates the Charleston skyline and bears his name, has died. He was 95. His family announced in a short statement that he died Monday. The statement did not give a cause. Ravenel spent six decades in public service, elected to the state Senate, the state House and Congress. He also ran for governor and, late in life after retiring from the Senate, returned to public service as a member of the Charleston County School Board. The $632 million bridge over the Cooper River connecting Charleston to Mount Pleasant is named in his honor, a thank you for the years he spent in Washington trying to get money for an iconic span that would fit the charming city where he spent most of his life. Known to political friends and foes alike as Cousin Arthur, Ravenels ancestors fought for the Confederacy, and during the heated debate over removing the Confederate flag from the Statehouse dome in 2000, he once referred to the NAACP as the National Association for Retarded People, bringing calls for his resignation. He later voted to remove the flag from the dome and place a similar one at the Confederate Soldier Monument on Statehouse grounds. Ravenel defended his actions by saying he didn't have a racist bone in his body, and African American colleagues said he was willing at times to help get their bills passed. Ravenel recalled in a 2004 interview with The Associated Press that he was first elected to the House in 1952 as a Democrat when there were virtually no Republicans in the state. You just heard about Republicans, he quipped. Sherman was one. Ten years later, Ravenel got involved in the states fledgling Republican Party and was a national convention delegate in 1964 when Barry Goldwater was nominated for president. Ravenel was elected to the state Senate as a Republican in 1980. Story continues The Democratic Party was getting more and more liberal, Ravenel recalled. As it got more liberal, we were able to recruit more and more people to run. In 1986, Ravenel was elected to Congress from the coastal 1st Congressional District. He left eight years later to seek the Governors Mansion, but lost the GOP runoff to David Beasley, who went on to become governor. Two years later, Ravenel returned to the state Senate on a platform of creating an infrastructure bank to pay for costly highway projects. The bank was instrumental in helping build the Charleston bridge, which had been discussed for decades but for which money could not be found. Ravenel, a businessperson and private investor, loved the Senate above his other posts. Youre dealing with people with soft Southern voices, and everyone is very polite, he recalled. Its small, and with 46 members, you can get something done. Ravenel had six children, including a son, Thomas, who was elected state treasurer in 2006 but resigned the following year after his indictment on drug charges. The younger Ravenel later pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison. He has spent his recent years as a star for five seasons on the reality television show Southern Charm, which chronicles Charleston socialites. ___ Bruce Smith, a longtime Associated Press journalist who retired in 2016, was the principal writer of this obituary. AP journalist Jeffrey Collins in Columbia confirmed the news. The New Mexico GOP candidate accused of plotting shootings of Democrats' homes was "aggressive" and "erratic." Police accused Solomon Pena of being the "mastermind" of a plot to shoot the homes of four Democratic elected officials in the state. One official told NBC News that Pena appeared at his house after the election and spouted election conspiracies. The failed New Mexico GOP candidate who police accused of plotting shootings at elected officials' homes in the state went to their houses shortly after he lost his election and was "erratic" and "aggressive," some of the targeted officials told NBC News. Police said failed Republican candidate Solomon Pena was arrested on Monday in connection with the shootings and had gone to the targets' houses after he lost his local election. Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa told NBC News that Pena showed up at her house right after the November election. "He was sort of erratic in the points he was trying to make about the election, and about how many doors he knocked on and how the number of votes didn't match," Barboa said. She told NBC she called the police following the incident. "He was at my door and he was aggressive. He was an election denier," said Barboa. Barboa's home was one of the four targeted, Albuquerque police said. She had eight shots fired at her house on December 4, NBC News reported. Former County Commissioner Debbie O'Malley another whose home was allegedly targeted by Pena shared a similar experience with NBC News, saying that Pena first showed up at her former home before tracking her to her new address. Her house was later hit by 12 bullets overnight on December 11, police said. "This guy came to my home. I was very concerned about it and it was very unsettling. He was angry about losing the election," she said. "He felt the election was unfair and untrue." O'Malley told NBC that he did not threaten her at the time but she quickly called the police after he came by. Story continues Police believe Pena was the "mastermind" of a plot to shoot at the homes of four Democratic elected officials in the state, including two Bernalillo County commissioners and two state legislators. New Mexico police accused Pena of hiring four men to carry out the shootings; he may have also personally shot at one of the houses himself. Police believe Pena was motivated by anger over losing his election, which he lost to incumbent Democrat Miguel P. Garcia by nearly 50% of the vote. He has previously dubbed himself "the MAGA king" and said he was "researching his options" after his loss, refusing to concede to his opponent in a tweet the day after the election. Read the original article on Business Insider Peggy Johnson is the CEO of Magic Leap, and could soon be competing against Apple if it launches a headset as expected. Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images Magic Leap's CEO said more money coming into the augmented reality space from competitors is "good." Under CEO Peggy Johnson, the company has pivoted to building enterprise-focused AR headsets. Apple is rumored to be readying its own headset, which would compete against Magic Leap and Microsoft. DAVOS, Switzerland Having more competition, including one day Apple, enter the augmented reality space is "a good thing," Magic Leap CEO Peggy Johnson told Insider. Apple is reportedly gearing up to launch its own headset this year, which would compete against other offerings from Magic Leap and Microsoft. "I think anytime more money is coming into the space is a good thing," the AR tech company CEO said during an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "The company's over 12 years old, so we've been carrying all of the water for a long time, for years, and so it's good to have others in this space, even competitive in nature. It's a positive for the space overall." Johnson said more companies entering the AR space "brings more" momentum, energy, and developers, and that Magic Leap is focused on developing the 3D imagery ecosystem. Under Johnson, Magic Leap has pivoted toward building its Magic Leap 2 AR headset for enterprise use rather marketing it at consumers. In its Early Access Program, Magic Leap worked with companies including Cisco, NeuroSync, and Brainlab to "refine and improve" its headset to be used for training, communication, and remote assistance, in settings like clinics, industrial environments, retail stores, and even defense. But AR technology is cutting-edge, and that means it's not cheap. The Magic Leap 2 was made commercially available in the US, Canada, UK, EU, and Saudi Arabia last September, and has three editions ranging between $3,299 and $4,999 USD. Microsoft's Hololens 2 ranges from $3,500 to $5,200. Apple is currently planning on announcing its long-rumored AR and VR headset this year, and will likely retail to consumers for somewhere between $2,000 and $3,000, Bloomberg reported. The headset is reported to look somewhat like ski goggles, and include auto-adjusting lenses and a physical dial to switch between virtual reality and the real world. Story continues If Apple's AR/VR headset does come out this year, it will be the company's newest product group since the Apple Watch in 2015. Johnson pointed out that Apple is more consumer-focused, while Magic Leap is enterprise-focused, but said at some point, "we'll come circle back to consumer." She said it will take time for the headset itself to shrink in size to be more acceptable for consumer use the way mobile phones developed. Read the original article on Business Insider FILE - Gregory McMichael at a motion in Gwynn County Superior Court on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021. McMichael, who was convicted for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, recently was transferred to the Augusta State Medical Prison near Grovetown, Georgia. One of the men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery in February 2020 recently was transferred to the Augusta State Medical Prison in Grovetown, Georgia, according to Georgia Department of Corrections records. Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, was fatally shot on Feb. 23, 2020 while jogging in Glynn County. Gregory McMichael; his son, Travis; and, neighbor William Bryan followed Arbery in their trucks before assaulting and shooting him with a shotgun. A mother's pain:'There was just blood everywhere': Mother details attack of 3 pit bulls on young son Naked and beaten:Two men charged after 17-year-old boy beaten, left naked on the street Gregory McMichael, 67, of Glynn County, was sentenced on Aug. 8 to life in prison for murder and committing a federal hate crime. He was initially booked into the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison in Jackson, Georgia on Aug. 23, but was recently transferred to the Augusta State Medical Prison, according to DOC records. The medical prison provides "centralized acute, specialized medical ... services for male and female offenders," according to the DOC website. The DOC has not released the reason for the transfer. This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Ahmaud Arbery murder convict transferred to Georgia medical prison Rescuers inspect the wreckage at the site of a Yeti Airlines plane crash in Pokhara on January 16, 2023. PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP via Getty Images A passenger on the plane that crashed in Nepal live-streamed the final moments before the disaster. Sonu Jaiswal, 29, filmed himself and his three friends as their flight prepared to land in Pokhara. The harrowing footage also shows flames and a loud crash as the plane went down. An Indian passenger live-streamed himself and his three friends on a passenger plane just seconds before it crashed in Nepal on Sunday, recording a harrowing glimpse into the fatal aviation disaster. Sonu Jaiswal, 29, a father of three from Ghazipur, India, was traveling with his friends from Kathmandu to Pokhara when their Yeti Airlines flight crashed in a gorge, The Guardian reported. They had planned to visit Nepal's temples and go paragliding in the Annapurna mountain range, before taking a train home in the evening, the outlet wrote. Moments before the crash Nepal's deadliest in 30 years Jaiswal was streaming the plane ride on a Facebook live video, per The Guardian. In the video seen by Insider, Jaiswal recorded the rolling landscape outside the window. The flight appeared to be proceeding normally, with Jaiswal smiling on camera and his three friends laughing and chatting. The camera then began to shake violently, and screams and shouts were heard before bright flashes filled the screen. Flames and burning debris appeared on-screen before the footage cut out. The Guardian spoke to Jaiswal's friend, Vishal Koswal, 21, who confirmed the video's authenticity. He told The Guardian he was meant to travel to Nepal with the group, but missed the trip because a relative died. Koswal identified Jaiswal's companions in the video as Anil Rajbhar, 28, Vishal Sharma, 23, and Abhishek Singh Kushwaha, 23, saying the four were like "brothers" to him," per The Guardian. "This all seems like a nightmare, I still cannot believe we have lost all of them," he told The Guardian. Jaiswal's friends and family said they were watching his video on his Facebook account, and also verified that the footage was streamed from Jaiswal's account, the BBC reported. Story continues Insider was unable to independently verify the video's authenticity. Nepalese army along with the police personnel recover the bodies from the wreckage of domestic Yeti Airlines that crashed with 72 people on board dead in Pokhara, Nepal on Monday, January 16, 2023. Saroj Baizu/NurPhoto via Getty Images None of the 72 people on board are expected to have survived the crash, and 70 bodies have so far been recovered, Nepal's civil aviation authority said on Tuesday. Another video filmed from the ground appears to show the plane moments before the disaster. The aircraft can be seen flying low before spinning sharply, and a loud boom can be heard shortly after. Authorities are still investigating what caused the ATR 72 passenger aircraft to crash, and said searchers recovered the plane's black boxes on Tuesday, per Reuters. The Ghazipur District magistrate's office did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Read the original article on Insider (Bloomberg) -- As Democrats wring their hands about who might run and win once Joe Biden leaves office, Maryland Governor-elect Wes Moore emerges as if he were created in a political lab: a person of color who rose from poverty and served in combat. A Rhodes scholar and best-selling author on Oprah Winfreys radar. And through his work on Wall Street and the Robin Hood Foundation, he boasts a network of celebrity and hedge fund contacts.Moore has another trick up his sleeve. He embraces traditional Republican issues such as crime and the economy, a tactic that led him to the statehouse and offers his party a national blueprint for success. Moore scored a blowout November victory over Donald Trump-backed Republican Dan Cox to become the states first Black chief executive and just the third African-American ever elected governor. Most Read from Bloomberg We went all around the state, even in places that weren't Democratic areas. We went out and we talked about the importance of patriotism, not because it was the thing to talk about, because most people were not, Moore said in an interview. I talked about it because it was personal and added a measure of an element of urgency to why we needed people to take this moment very seriously, he noted in a nod to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.And people responded, he added. He also amassed a $14 million war chest sprinkled with the kind of names that boosts political careers. Winfrey cut an ad for him. His donor list includes hedge fund billionaires Paul Tudor Jones and Steven Cohen; Netflix Inc. co-founder Reed Hastings, Miguel and Jacklyn Bezos, the parents of Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos, as well as entertainers Samuel L. Jackson and Gwyneth Paltrow. Moore is reminiscent of another governor of a small Southern state Bill Clinton, like Moore a Rhodes scholar who rose to the presidency with a similar strategy of turning Republican-favored ideas into Democratic-sounding themes. And the comparisons to the first Black US president, Barack Obama, are unavoidable.I think it's important for all of us to be unapologetic. I think it's important for all of us to be ourselves, Moore said about discussing largely conservative themes like patriotism. Story continues The 44-year-old married father of two is scheduled to be inaugurated Wednesday in Annapolis. His resounding victory, sprawling network and background have placed him on the relatively short Democratic list of possible presidential candidates that includes Vice President Kamala Harris, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.Republicans are also looking to a younger generation of governors to fill their bench, including Floridas Ron DeSantis, 44; South Dakotas Kristi Noem, 51; Virginias Glenn Youngkin, 56 and Georgias Brian Kemp, 59. In an especially divisive political time, Moore benefits by having a smooth transition from outgoing Republican Larry Hogan, who cast himself as a conservative alternative to the populist politics of Trump. He said he will present his budget two days after inauguration and unveil a legislative package the following day that will address education, transportation investments and filling a large number of state government vacancies. But Moore also will be judged on how quickly he can jumpstart a Maryland economy thats had a sluggish post-pandemic recovery. And he will have to navigate thorny issues like the states economic competitiveness, education and crime, bringing together progressives and law enforcement. That will determine whether he remains in the White House conversation. Chryl Laird, a University of Maryland political scientist, said she felt Obama vibes immediately when she heard Moores victory called. I was like, Hes giving Obama, she said. He could have a good run at a time when the Democratic party has to be thinking about their young talent. In the interview, Moore insisted that hes focused only on his new job and repeatedly demurred to any White House ambitions. But after prodding, he acknowledged that hes heard the chatter. I'm humbled by the fact that people are paying attention to what took place in this race. I mean, we won Democrats, we won independents, we won a big chunk of Republicans. So it's humbling that people are paying attention to what we just pulled off, he said. Maryland is a traditionally Democratic state that Biden won by a 2-to-1 margin. Its his cross-party appeal that gives national Democrats hope. During his campaign, Moore secured an endorsement from the Maryland Fraternal Order of Police, a group that traditionally favors Republicans. Laird said Moore also brings to mind the late former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a Republican. Laird said that Moore takes the reins of a state in relatively solid shape, so hell be evaluated on his stewardship of it and needs to serve a full term in order to have a track record that he could use as a possible springboard to greater ambitions. His background underscores his ability to succeed in disparate environments. Moore, of Jamaican ancestry, attended community college and Johns Hopkins University before attending Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. He served as a US Army captain and paratrooper in Afghanistan. And, as his best-selling memoir recounted, he had a brush with the law at age 11. Moore and a friend were spray painting around their neighborhood when a police officer pulled up and put them in handcuffs. The officer gave the terrified Moore a stern lecture, urging him to choose a different life. Moores mother convinced her parents to borrow money so she could send him to a military boarding school. His book also outlined the divergent path of a Black man also named Wes Moore in Baltimore who didnt have the same opportunities and was sent to prison with a life sentence. Moore ended up working in finance for about six years before succeeding David Saltzman as chief executive officer of Robin Hood. Ray McGuire, one of Wall Streets most senior Black executives and a mentor of Moore, said he can envision Marylands governor-elect as a White House aspirant. There is no ceiling for Wes Moore, McGuire said. Wes Moore has demonstrated the rare and unique ability to exist where the air is thin and the oxygen is limited. --With assistance from Bill Allison, Cecile Daurat and Alexandre Tanzi. (Updates with additional color from memoir in third to last paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. A metro Atlanta teacher was charged with sexual assault and child molestation against a 13-year-old, police told Channel 2 Action News. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The teacher, Holly McQueen, recently worked for the Fulton County school district and, before that, worked at the Smitha Middle School in Cobb County. Although McQueens last employment was with the Fulton County School District, the charges stem from incidents that allegedly happened at the middle school in Cobb County. Channel 2s Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell spoke to parents in the district who are outraged at the claims against McQueen. I Im livid. Im very, very angry as a parent that a child should go through this, one parent said. I think they did a good thing by putting that person in jail. TRENDING STORIES: McQueen is facing several charges, including sexual assault and molestation. Investigators believe the crimes occurred when McQueen worked at Smitha Middle School in Cobb County. According to the warrant, she engaged in sexual conduct with a 13-year-old victim multiple times during the spring semester of 2022, both at the school and the victims house. Some allegations include McQueen convincing the victim to send her a nude photo on social media. My children went to Cobb County Schools, but I didnt hear anything like this, a parent said. If I did, I would have pulled them out. McQueens most recent employment was at the Fulton County School District. The district sent Newell a statement saying, Last week, the River Trail Middle School administration was notified by the Fulton County Schools Police Department of the charges made against Ms. McQueen related to incidents occurring in Cobb County. McQueen is no longer an employee of Fulton County Schools. Story continues The Cobb County School District said they cant comment because the case is still an active investigation. Newell has filed an open records request for McQueens employment history. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] For the first time in weeks, the Mexican prosecutor who issued an arrest warrant is commenting on the Shanquella Robinson death investigation. Baja California Sur Attorney General Daniel de la Rosa Anaya made the comments during a press conference last Friday. Channel 9s news partners, Telemundo Charlotte, translated the nearly two-minute remarks. ALSO READ: Balloon release held in honor of Shanquella Robinsons birthday There is no impunity in this case, de la Rosa Anaya said. Everything is under investigation. De la Rosa Anaya says his office has asked for the extradition of the person responsible for killing Robinson. He previously said she died from a direct aggressor and made the comments after a video surfaced showing her being attacked. The suspect has not been officially named. De la Rosa Anaya says his office is working with U.S. authorities. His investigators asked the U.S. for interviews with the other people who went on the trip to determine if they should face charges, as well. It is important to obtain the court order with regard to whoever is responsible for this, but also if there were any accomplices, he said. The FBI is also investigating Robinsons death. The lack of information and developments, in this case, could potentially be due to red tape. A former federal prosecutor told Channel 9 that a U.S. Attorneys Office cant just unilaterally bring a murder charge when a U.S. citizen kills another U.S. citizen in a foreign country. It must be approved by the main Department of Justice in consultation with the Secretary of State. De La Rosa Anaya says an immigration alert has been requested if the suspect enters or exits the country. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: MEXICO CITY (AP) The environmental and financial costs of Mexicos Maya Train tourism project are already massive, but authorities revealed another, unexpected cost of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obradors pet project on Tuesday. The Defense Department said the project will require over 6,500 soldiers and National Guard officers to permanently guard its tracks and stations, out of the country's total 166,000-member combined force. Even though the railway is still under construction, the troops were already listed as assigned to the duty this week. In comparison, that is more than double the number of officers assigned to drug eradication nationwide, and more officers than are assigned to all but three of Mexico's 32 states. The 6,500 number is similar to the 10,000 officers assigned to protect all sensitive government installations nationwide. It was not immediately clear why so many guards would be needed. A similar number of Guard officers were deployed in the Mexico City subway last week after city authorities expressed fears of sabotage. However, the government hasnt expressed any public concerns about sabotage on the Maya Train. The 950-mile (1,500-kilometer) Maya Train line is meant to run in a rough loop around the Yucatan Peninsula, connecting beach resorts and archaeological sites. Originally projected to cost around $8 billion, the train line now appears likely to rise to between $11 billion and $15 billion. Because no real feasibility studies were done, it is not clear whether the train will draw enough tourists or recoup its costs. While some stretches of the train line run over existing tracks or alongside existing roads, other parts are being cut through the jungle, including a controversial stretch that cuts a 68-mile (110-kilometer) swath between the resorts of Cancun and Tulum. Former Mexican Secretary of Public Security Genaro Garcia Luna, shown in 2010, is on trial in the U.S. on federal charges of conspiring to traffic cocaine. (Marco Ugarte / Associated Press) Just a few days into the trial of drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, a witness dropped a bombshell allegation: A Sinaloa cartel associate testified that he had personally given Mexicos top drug cop briefcases full of cash millions in bribes to let the cartel operate with impunity. Now, the man who had been considered an architect of Mexicos anti-drug battle and a key partner of U.S. law enforcement is on trial in the same New York federal court. Genaro Garcia Luna head of Mexicos version of the FBI from 2001 to 2006 and public security minister from 2006 to 2012 is accused of conspiring with the criminals he was ostensibly aiming to take down. Jury selection began Tuesday. Garcia Luna, 54, who was arrested in December 2019, is the highest ranking Mexican official to face trial in the U.S. on drug-trafficking charges four counts of conspiracy to traffic cocaine. Its as if the head of the FBI or Drug Enforcement Agency was accused of taking millions in drug money. Garcia Luna frequently met with top U.S. security officials while in office and was often portrayed as the public face of Mexicos drug war. But prosecutors say they plan to show that Mexico's former top cop provided the cartel with safe passage for its drug shipments and with sensitive information about investigations into the cartel or rival gangs. This is the most important national security and drug-trafficking trial of this century, even more so than El Chapos, said Rodolfo Soriano Nunez, a sociologist and former professor who has long studied the use of military force in Mexico. We knew Chapo was dirty, Soriano said, but Chapo is nothing but a peasant from rural Sinaloa. Garcia Luna, by contrast, was a powerful public official who held the trust of Mexicos president from 2006 to 2012, Felipe Calderon, who mobilized the military and federal police in what became a bloody, more than decade-long battle against drug cartels. It has the potential to unveil one of the key aspects of the so-called war on drugs here in Mexico, Soriano said, which is that of the ties, the links, the connection between political power and the so-called drug gangs. Story continues Mexico's President Felipe Calderon speaks to reporters in 2010 as Genaro Garcia Luna, then security minister, stands behind him. (Alexandre Meneghini / Associated Press) The stakes of the trial The testimony and evidence that could come out at the trial could have far-reaching consequences on both sides of the border. With a career spanning three decades, Garcia Luna has intimate knowledge of the drug war in Mexico and ties to the countrys administrations going back to the early 2000s. And he had a particularly close relationship with the DEA and FBI from the latter part of President George W. Bush's second administration through President Obamas first, said Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, a professor at George Mason University. Revelations from the trial could be a major stain on past administrations in Mexico. To critics of the drug war, a conviction would confirm the failure of the joint U.S.-Mexico effort, which received billions of dollars in U.S. aid and was blamed for tens of thousands of deaths but did little to reduce cartel violence or smuggling. The collaboration has not resulted in the dismantling of drug-trafficking networks, said Correa-Cabrera. Today, the United States consumes more drugs than ever before, and through the border more drugs than ever before enter the United States. The trial could put additional strain on declining security cooperation between the two countries. During the Calderon years, U.S. security agencies had essentially a free pass to go wherever they wanted in Mexico, Correa-Cabrera said. Las agencias entraban hasta la cocina, said Correa-Cabrera, using a Mexican expression that translates as The agencies made it all the way into the kitchen. She noted that Mexicos current administration has shifted toward more limited cooperation with U.S. security agencies on Mexican territory. And with the 2024 U.S. presidential election in sight, experts say the United States doesnt hold a lot of leverage to pressure Mexican authorities to change that, considering how much Washington relies on Mexico City to control U.S.-bound migration through Mexico. Who is Garcia Luna? As minister of public security from 2006 to 2012, Garcia Luna is widely regarded as the architect of Calderons controversial war on the drug cartels. Garcia Luna started his career at the National Intelligence Center, Mexicos CIA equivalent, in 1989 and joined a special counterterrorism unit. After nearly a decade, he joined the federal police, and in 2001 then-President Vicente Fox named him head of the new Federal Investigation Agency. At the agency, known as the AFI, which has since been dissolved, Garcia Luna led what was hailed as a transformation of Mexicos police forces. In a series of interviews that Correa-Cabrera had with Garcia Luna in 2017 and 2018, he said that the federal judicial police had ties to drug trafficking and that he had been given the responsibility to clean it up. AFI was the promise of a better police, one not connected to drug trafficking, she said. The Mexican government at the time likened the new agency to the FBI. When Calderon took the presidency in 2006, he elevated Garcia Luna to his Cabinet. Genaro Garcia Luna speaks during a 2011 ceremony in Mexico City. (Alexandre Meneghini / Associated Press) Rumors and cold trails Soon after Fox took office in 2000, the government captured several Sinaloa cartel members. But after that initial sprint, things quieted down. Opposition politicians and security experts started to question why the governments hunt for the elusive cartel leader El Chapo seemed to have gone cold. Calderons declared war on the drug cartels shattered old alliances and drove drug lords to fight over the territory. There were high-profile arrests, but they were mostly from rival organizations such as the Zetas or the Beltran Leyva organization. Rumors of government favoritism toward the Sinaloa cartel grew louder. During the heat of the drug wars in 2008, Mexicans in several states woke up to banners, or narcomantas, hanging from bridges or spread across the entrance to a cathedral that accused Garcia Luna of protecting drug dealers. One of the most controversial claims appeared in a letter published in November 2012 in the pages of the well-regarded national newspaper Reforma. Writing from prison, Edgar "La Barbie" Valdez Villareal, a drug kingpin from the Beltran Leyva cartel, accused Garcia Luna and his closest associates of receiving narco money since 2002. I can attest that he has received money from me, from drug-trafficking groups and organized crime, said Valdez, before adding, I may be guilty of a lot, but they, the officials, are part of the criminal structure of this country. Officials said the accusations were an attempt by Valdez to gain privileges while in prison; Garcia Luna remained untouched. (Valdez was sentenced in 2018 by a U.S. judge to 49 years in prison.) Garcia Lunas life in Miami When Calderons term ended in 2012, Garcia Luna fell out of the public eye. Married with two children, he was granted permanent residency in the United States and was soon a routine guest at conferences hosted by American universities. He started a private security consulting and risk management firm with offices in Miami and Mexico City. His clientele included foreign governments and companies, and his primary client was the Mexican government, his defense said in pretrial filings. In 2018, he applied to become a naturalized U.S. citizen. Before his arrest in Miami, he was living in a waterside mansion with a dock and boat for his use, all given to him by his business partners because he had no wealth to speak of at the time, Garcia Lunas defense wrote in a court filing. Because his business partners wanted to ensure Mr. Garcia Lunas continued involvement with their business, they provided him a place to live in Miami, the defense wrote. On to Brooklyn It seems unlikely that Garcia Lunas trial which is expected to last two months will be as theatrical as that of Guzman, who was famous worldwide as an escape artist who had long eluded arrest. But prosecutors have telegraphed in court filings that they expect to present numerous witnesses including former high-ranking members of the Sinaloa cartel to testify about the bribes Garcia Luna is accused of accepting. The judge granted prosecutors' requests for an anonymous and partially sequestered jury, the same protections that were used during Guzmans trial. The documents in the case are voluminous. Garcia Lunas public defender, assigned by the court after the defendants assets were seized, complained in initial court appearances about having to go through millions of pages of evidence with little support. If found guilty, Garcia Luna could face a minimum of about 20 years and a maximum of life in prison. Another arrest, at LAX Mexico's current president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, has called the case against Garcia Luna emblematic of the institutional corruption of his predecessors, especially Calderon, a longtime political adversary. However, Lopez Obrador was furious when, the year after Garcia Lunas arrest in Dallas, U.S. authorities detained a former Mexican defense secretary, Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda, moments after he landed with his family at Los Angeles International Airport. Like Garcia Luna, Cienfuegos was charged with collaborating with Mexican drug cartels while in office. Lopez Obrador, facing fierce backlash from the powerful military, denounced the charges against Cienfuegos and demanded that Washington release the retired general. The Trump administration ultimately dropped the charges and returned Cienfuegos to Mexico, where he went free. In Mexico, Lopez Obrador who once assailed the deployment of the military against drug cartels has been harshly criticized for greatly expanding the militarys role in internal security. He is repeating the same mistakes" as Calderon, Soriano said. Corona is a special correspondent. Times Mexico City bureau chief Patrick J. McDonnell contributed to this report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft: Blockchain needs a 'ChatGPT style break-out moment'. Photo: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters Microsoft (MSFT) CEO Satya Nadella told attendees at this year's World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday that he believes in blockchain, web3 and metaverse innovations, but feels the sector needs a "ChatGPT moment". "Blockchain is a technology that has a set of use cases, we at Microsoft support it today. A distributed database is a good thing, it has its uses. "All of these three things, web3, blockchain and the metaverse, are all going to happen. "But you need to have the killer apps, what is the use case that gets broad adoption, what is the ChatGPT moment for blockchain?" Artificial intelligence (AI) tool ChatGPT was launched in November 2022 and has since racked up over a million users. Read more: ChatGPT: three steps to master this AI tool This is a leap into mass adoption that took social media platform Facebook (META) 10 months and streaming platform Netflix (NFLX) three years to match. The new application's agility in capturing mass appeal has outpaced the more slowly evolving blockchain industry that began in earnest when Satoshi Nakamoto published the bitcoin (BTC-USD) white paper in 2008. ChatGPT has eclipsed web3 as the prime tech buzzword of 2023. But, as the year progresses, whether it will be as disruptive to our personal and professional lives as has been forecasted remains to be seen. Microsoft is going all in on ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI) technology that could power a new search engine that could disrupt the dominance of Google (GOOG). News site Semafor reported on Tuesday that Microsoft is investing $10bn (8.2bn) in OpenAI, the artificial intelligence firm behind ChatGPT. This will value the San Francisco-based firm at $29bn, and industry analysts say that Google should pay close attention to the deal. Watch: This AI tool could kill human creativity and is worrying the art world | The Crypto Mile What is ChatGPT? ChatGPT is trained on a massive data set, and has been described as one of the most powerful language processing models ever created. Story continues It is a highly articulate artificial intelligence application which can write computer code as well as different types of text from haiku to jokes, corporate emails, business plans, academic essays and even piece of original fiction in the style of any writer you want, from Joyce and Dostoyevsky, to Shakespeare. Read more: ChatGPT: What you need to know about the most talked about AI tool What sets it apart from previous AI chat tools, is how it can respond to user prompts in natural-sounding language, responses that could easily be mistaken for a chat with a real human. ChatGPT uses a combination of natural language processing, machine learning, and graph theory to measure a chatbot's ability to understand and respond accurately to customer inquiries. Watch: Web3 sectors to watch in 2023 | The Crypto Mile By Jeffrey Dastin (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp on Monday said it is widening access to hugely popular software from OpenAI, a startup it is backing whose futuristic ChatGPT chatbot has captivated Silicon Valley. Microsoft said the startup's tech, which it so far has previewed to its cloud-computing customers in a program it called the Azure OpenAI Service, was now generally available, a distinction that's expected to bring a flood of new usage. The news comes as Microsoft has looked at adding to the $1 billion stake in OpenAI it announced in 2019, two people familiar with the matter previously told Reuters. The news site Semafor reported earlier this month that Microsoft might invest $10 billion; Microsoft declined to comment on any potential deal. Public interest in OpenAI surged following its November release of ChatGPT, a text-based chatbot that can draft prose, poetry or even computer code on command. ChatGPT is powered by generative artificial intelligence, which conjures new content after training on vast amounts of data -- tech that Microsoft is letting more customers apply to use. ChatGPT itself, not just its underlying tech, will soon be available via Microsoft's cloud, it said in a blog post. Microsoft said it is vetting customers' applications to mitigate potential abuse of the software, and its filters can screen for harmful content users might input or the tech might produce. The business potential of such software has garnered massive venture-capital investment in startups producing it, at a time funding has otherwise dried up. Already, some companies have used the tech to create marketing content or demonstrate how it could negotiate a cable bill. Microsoft said CarMax, KPMG and others were using its Azure OpenAI service. Its press release quoted an Al Jazeera vice president as saying the service could help the news organization summarize and translate content. (Reporting By Jeffrey Dastin; Editing by Leslie Adler) A Massachusetts man recently charged with impeding authorities in their search for his missing wife is now charged with her murder, prosecutors announced Tuesday. Brian Walshe, 47, who has been behind bars since Jan. 7 on the charge mentioned above, will be arraigned Wednesday on this new charge related to his missing wife, Ana Walshe, 39, the Norfolk District Attorneys Office said. The evidence supporting the charge is likely to be disclosed at his arraignment, District Attorney Michael Morrisey said in a video address. Any other details will not be disclosed until then, he added. The murder charge comes one week after a prosecutor said a search of the couples home in Cohasset, southeast of Boston, found blood, as well as a damaged knife with blood on it, inside the basement. Investigators are seen at the home of Brian and Ana Walshe on Jan. 9 after she went missing on New Year's Day. Investigators are seen at the home of Brian and Ana Walshe on Jan. 9 after she went missing on New Year's Day. Brian Walshe told investigators that he last saw his wife on the morning of Jan. 1 as she headed to catch a flight to Washington, D.C., for a work emergency. The following day, he was seen on surveillance video at a local Home Depot purchasing $450 worth of cleaning supplies, Norfolk First Assistant District Attorney Lynn M. Beland told a Quincy District Court judge during his initial arraignment. It wasnt until Jan. 4 that the mother of three was reported missing to authorities. By then, Beland said Walshe had gone on a solo drive around the area, possibly violating court-ordered probation for a past federal wire fraud conviction. He allegedly later provided a number of inconsistencies to the police when asked where he had gone. The fact that he was asked a specific question and he gave an untruthful answer that led investigators out of the area caused a clear delay in the search for the missing person, Ana Walshe, the previous police affidavit states. [Brian] Walshe intentionally gave the untruthful statement knowing investigators would need to travel and corroborate such statements. Story continues Brian Walshe has pled not guilty to the initial charge of impeding a police investigation. His attorney did not immediately respond to HuffPosts request for comment Tuesday. Related... Another gathering. More shots ringing out. More people running. And more people hurt or killed. The shooting at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration in a park in Fort Pierce was the 30th mass shooting in the United States so far in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive. That's an average of two mass shootings a day. MLK Day shooting:Woman dies after being shot at MLK Day car show in Fort Pierce, sheriff confirms From the scene:Witness describes 'scary' scene in which 8 shot Monday in Fort Pierce Here's what we know: Mass shooting at Fort Pierce MLK Day celebration leaves 8 shot, 1 dead What happened in the MLK Day shooting in Fort Pierce, Florida? An apparent feud between two rival gangs erupted into shots fired at a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration and car show with over 1,000 people present, according to St. Lucie County Chief Deputy Brian Hester. Eight people were shot, and four more one of them a child were injured in the ensuing rush to get away. One of the people shot, a 30-year-old woman who was at the party with her 6-year-old daughter, died the next morning. #BREAKING #Update At least 8 people have been shot at Martin Luther King event in Fort Pierce, Florida pic.twitter.com/cOduFUiqer RawNews1st (@Raw_News1st) January 17, 2023 What is considered a mass shooting? There isn't a firm definition. The Gun Violence Archive (and the Congressional Research Service) defines a mass shooting only on the number of people shot: four or more, not including the shooter. "The FBI does not define Mass Shooting in any form," the GVA says on its methodology page. "They do define Mass Killing but that includes all forms of weapon, not just guns."The FBI also defines mass murder, which is four or more people killed by gun violence, bombings or any other intentional means. Story continues There may be a distinction made between private and public mass shootings, and mass shootings committed by foreign terrorists are not included no matter where the shooting occurs or how many people are killed. The GVA numbers may differ from the FBI or CDC as they collect their data from 7,500 law enforcement, government and media sources. The CDC uses death certificates for gun deaths, according to the GVA, and they and the FBI rely on a sampling of courses and then extrapolate the numbers to get estimated totals. Incidents that cannot be verified are not included. Mass killing database: Revealing trends, details and anguish of every US event since 2006 What was the last mass shooting before the MLK Day incident at Fort Pierce's Ilous Ellis Park? Earlier Monday at least six people, including an infant, were shot and killed in Goshen, California. Authorities believe there were at least two shooters, and the incident wasn't a "random act of violence." How many of the mass shootings in 2023 have happened in Florida? As of Jan. 16, there have been five mass shootings in Florida. Just over two weeks into the new year, 16.7% of all mass shootings in the U.S. so far have happened in Florida. Police: Two killed, four injured in New Year's Day shooting in Ocala Constitutional carry:DeSantis dodges 'heart beat' abortion bill question, says he's 'ready' for gun bill 'Dont knee cap the rights':Gov. DeSantis wont reform Florida gun laws, bats down Democrats demand for special session How many people have died from gun violence so far in 2023? According to GVA 1,948 people have died from gun violence in the United States as of midday Jan. 17. Of those, 826 were classified as homicide, murder or defensive gun use (DGU), 1,122 were suicides. Gun violence has taken the lives of 16 children nationwide, with 23 more injured. 72 teenagers aged 12-17 have died, and 165 injured. Two officers have been killed, 12 injured, and law enforcement has killed 52 people and injured 32 more in officer-involved incidents, the GVA said. Unintentional shootings accounted for 65 more deaths, the GVA said, and 65 people were killed by someone defending themselves. There were 35 murder-suicides. 'A bad day for ... hope': Another school shooting. More dead kids. Why gun control advocates see no end in sight How many people died from gun violence in 2022? 44,272 people died from firearms last year, according to the GVA. There were 31 mass shootings in Florida in 2022. Mass shootings in the U.S.:How many mass killings were there in 2022, and how does that compare with other years? Rising death tolls:Bullet sales are rising and so are death totals in mass shootings. Can they be stopped? Hurting the young:A record number of America's kids were injured or killed by gunfire in 2022 C. A. Bridges is a Digital Producer for the USA TODAY Network, working with multiple newsrooms across Florida. Local journalists work hard to keep you informed about the things you care about, and you can support them by subscribing to your local news organization. Read more articles by Chris here and follow him on Twitter at @cabridges This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Fort Pierce, Florida MLK Day attack is 30th mass shooting in 2023 A mother has died after rushing back into her burning home in an attempt to rescue her 6-year-old daughter stuck inside who also ended up dying in the fire. The incident occurred at approximately 12:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, according to ABC News https://abc7ny.com/mother-daughter-deadly-fire-hazlet/12709478/Your text to link..., when flames began to envelop a single family home in Hazlet, New Jersey, that housed the Montanaro family. MORE: 12-year-old girl stabs 9-year-old brother to death, police say William Montonaro, along with his 40-year-old wife, Jackie Montanaro, their two daughters -- 8-year-old Elena and 6-year-old Madelyn -- and their Goldendoodle named Duchess were all sleeping inside their home approximately 40 miles south of New York City when the fire erupted. William Montonaro, his wife Jackie and 8-year-old Elena were able to escape from the burning home but when the Montonaros realized that 6-year-old Madelyn was nowhere to be seen, both parents rushed back into the house in an attempt to save her from the burning building. MORE: Mom and 4 kids run over at school bus stop by driver trying to escape police Neither Jackie nor her daughter Madelyn made it out alive. Jackie was a hero, William Montonaro said in a statement obtained by WABC. When I rushed back into the house for Madelyn I became enveloped with a massive amount of thick, hot black smoke. Without hesitation, Jackie then charged in with a mothers love and the courage of a police officer fueling her attempt to save our daughter. PHOTO: A mother has died after rushing back into her burning home in an attempt to rescue her 6-year-old daughter stuck inside who also ended up dying in the fire in Hazlet, New Jersey, on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023. (WABC) The familys dog, Duchess, also died in the fire. "I am heartbroken. I have lost the love of my life - my beautiful wife, Jackie - and my sweet, loving, spunky little girl, Madelyn," Montanaros statement read. "We are extremely devastated Duchess is no longer with us, but we must remember she is now at rest alongside Jackie and Madelyn. MORE: Incredible body camera footage shows hero cop catch people jumping from building engulfed in flames Story continues A GoFundMe page for the family has already raised over a quarter-of-a-million dollars in just a few days with nearly 3,500 people donating in support of the family so far, according to WABC. This township is like a family and when a neighbor is hurting, a family member is hurting, Hazlet Deputy Mayor Peter Terranova told WABC in an interview following the tragedy. Weve been overwhelmed by the amount of support. MORE: Suspected forest arsonist detained and tied to tree by local residents before arrest Terranova said the family were very popular in town and were very helpful, [a] very community-knit family and we are all grieving. It is a tremendous loss. The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office told WABC that the fire does not appear to be suspicious in nature hough the cause of the fire has not yet been determined. MORE: 2 people charged with attempted murder after lighting man on fire during argument Funeral arrangements have now been made for Jackie and Madelyn Montanaro with viewings for the two taking place on Wednesday and Thursday before they will both be laid to rest following their funeral service at St. Benedict R.C. Church in Holmdel, New Jersey, this Friday. A candlelight vigil for the family will take place at Hazlet Town Hall on Tuesday evening. Mom dies trying to rescue 6-year-old daughter as family home burned down originally appeared on abcnews.go.com By Saeed Azhar NEW YORK (Reuters) - Morgan Stanley is comfortable with its headcount after recent action to reduce jobs in December, Chief Financial Officer Sharon Yeshaya told Reuters on Tuesday. "We're comfortable with where we are," she said when asked if more job cuts were being considered after a 2% reduction late last year. Her comments came after Morgan Stanley reported a smaller-than-expected 41% drop in fourth-quarter profit on Tuesday as the bank's trading business got a boost from market volatility, offsetting the hit from sluggish dealmaking. Morgan Stanley had cut 2% of its headcount in December, or about 1,600 jobs, a source had told Reuters earlier. The latest comments came after Goldman Sachs Inc became the first major bank to commence large layoffs this year, letting go of more than 3,000 employees in its biggest round of job cuts since the 2008 financial crisis. She also said the bank's mark-to-market losses on corporate loans include debt to Twitter Inc. Morgan Stanley and Bank of America Corp are among the banks that provided a $13 billion loan to finance Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter. Bank of America Chief Financial Officer Alastair Borthwick last week said the company accounts for any mark-to-market losses on leveraged loans in its results, without giving details on any large deals. "We mark our positions every week, and books profits or losses via its investment banking and trading arms, Borthwick said. Yeshaya also said that the bank has 200 basis points of excess capital, which gives it the flexibility from an investment perspective and return of capital to shareholders. "We remain committed to our buybacks and committed to our capital return strategy," she said, adding that the bank had bought $10 billion of stock last year. Morgan Stanley had 15.3% in Common Equity Tier 1 capital or CET1. (Reporting by Saeed Azhar; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Mark Porter) Dmytro Lubynets and Tatyana Moskalkova at negotiations in Turkey This task is within the competence of the Ministry of Defence, Moskalkova claimed on Telegram on Jan. 17. Read also: Russia cancels prisoner swap at last moment "In our talks with Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets in Ankara we never raised the question of a (mass) POW swap, as I have always emphasized that such tasks are within the competence of the Russia's Ministry of Defence," she wrote on Telegram. Moskalkova added the swap in question concerns 800 Ukrainians on the one hand and 200 Russians on the other hand. She said she considers such an exchange as "unequal" and "unjust." Russia's Ombudsperson added that repatriation of wounded servicemen "has a completely different legal nature and different approaches laid down by the Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War of 1949." Read also: Ukraine initiates international mission to monitor conditions of Ukrainian POWs In January a series of meetings of the Ukrainian and Russian Commissioners for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets and Tetiana Moskalkova, took place in Ankara, mediated by Turkey. Lubinets said they discussed the issue of civilians Russia has held prisoner since 2014. The list of political prisoners of the Kremlin from Ukraine contains 158 names, mostly Crimean Tatars. Turkish Ombudsman Seref Malkoc claimed Ukraine and Russia discussed a mass POW swap. He said Ukraine prepared a list of 800 prisoners and Russia named 200 people. Read also: Ukrainian ombudsman speaks out about Russias abuse of POWs The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced his intent to establish a humanitarian corridor to Turkey for soldiers injured in the war in Ukraine. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Photo: The Canadian Press The group that regulates the practice of medicine in Ontario says it is limiting public access to its buildings due to safety concerns. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario says it has been receiving up to 200 emails a month consisting of serious threats against staff and council members. A woman types on a keyboard, in North Vancouver, B.C., Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward The group that regulates the practice of medicine in Ontario says it is limiting public access to its buildings due to safety concerns. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario says it has been receiving up to 200 emails a month consisting of serious threats against staff and council members. The public can now observe the group's quarterly council meetings via a livestream, as the college says its safety is a priority. In an email to The Canadian Press, a spokesperson for the college sent excerpts of some messages it has received in recent months. Some messages indirectly threaten the group's members stating they should "settle their affairs." Others call the group "satanists" and "monsters" for encouraging injections of COVID-19 vaccines to curb the spread of the virus. Prince Harry has talked about his struggle with accepting the death of his mother, Princess Diana. Netflix; Peter Jordan/PA Images/PA Images/Getty Images In interviews and in his memoir, "Spare," Prince Harry has spoken openly about Princess Diana. He wrote he needed "proof" she had actually died he believed she could still be alive until he was 23. Prince Harry said that for many years after his mother's death, he only cried once. Prince Harry said he doesn't have many childhood memories of Princess Diana because he "blocked them out." Princess Diana, Prince Harry, and Prince William at Highgrove House in 1986. Tim Graham / Contributor / Getty Images In the first episode of "Harry & Meghan," Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Netflix docuseries, Prince Harry says he doesn't remember much of his younger years with his mother, Princess Diana. Diana died in Paris in 1997 at the age of 36 as her limousine drove away from the paparazzi. "I don't have many early memories of my mum. It was almost like, internally, I sort of blocked them out," he said during a confessional interview in the series, which premiered December 8. "But I always remember her laugh, her cheeky laugh. Her always saying to me, 'You can get in trouble, just don't get caught.' I'll always be that cheeky person inside." Harry said he felt pressure to have a public royal wedding because he was "Diana's boy." Prince Harry and Meghan Markle emerge from Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018 after their wedding ceremony. BEN BIRCHALL/AFP via Getty Images "There was an expectation, right? Diana's boy," Harry said in episode four of the couple's docuseries, pointing to himself. "There was an expectation to have a public wedding." "It was like, 'Mission complete with William,'" Harry said of his brother's wedding to Kate Middleton. "'Now let's see if this goes the distance with Harry and then we can actually go, "Job done."'" Then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana were married in a spectacular televised ceremony on July 29, 1981, in what was dubbed "the wedding of the century." A record-breaking 750 million people across 74 different countries tuned in to watch the couple tie the knot, in addition to the 600,000 spectators who lined the streets of London. According to the BBC, it marked "a high point" in the popularity of the British royal family in the 1980s, largely due to Diana's growing celebrity status. Story continues A reported 162 million viewers from around the world tuned in to watch William and Kate's royal wedding in April 2011, including nearly 22.8 million viewers in the US, according to Nielsen. Harry and Meghan also had a televised wedding ceremony, in May 2018, which was viewed by more than 29 million people in the US, Nielsen reported at the time. He also said that Los Angeles was a place where his "mum was going to potentially live." Prince Harry in "Harry & Meghan." Netflix While Harry and Meghan's move to Los Angeles was seemingly unprecedented, Harry revealed in the sixth and final episode of "Harry & Meghan" that Princess Diana may have also had plans to move to the American city. When discussing his own reasons for moving to LA, Harry said, "I came here because I was changed. I changed to the point that I had outgrown my environment." "Therefore, this was the most obvious place to come," he continued. "You know, it's one of the places where I think my mum was probably gonna end up living potentially." Before her death in 1997, Princess Diana had been planning to start a new life with her sons in Malibu, California, according to her former butler Paul Burrell and ABC News. "She said, 'This is our new life, just won't it be great, think of the lifestyle the boys nobody's judgmental here in America, you don't have the class system, you don't have the establishment,'" Burrell told "Good Morning America" in 2003. Prince Harry said he "refused to accept" Princess Diana's death and believed she was still alive until he was 23. A tribute to Princess Diana outside Kensington Palace in 1998. Fiona Hanson - PA Images/PA Images/Getty Images "I say 100 percent it's a defense mechanism, right? I think for anyone, especially if you're a kid you know, I was 12 years old," Harry told ABC's Michael Strahan ahead of the release of "Spare" in January. "I refused to accept that that was what had happened." "I just refused to accept she was gone," Harry added in an interview with Anderson Cooper on "60 Minutes." "Part of, she would never do this to us, but also, part of, maybe this is all part of a plan." He told Cooper that he held out hope for "many years" that she would call and reveal where she was. It was only when he visited Paris, France, for the first time that he accepted her death, Insider's Lauren Edmonds reported. He said that, for many years after his mother's death, he only cried once. King Charles and Prince Harry at Westminster Abbey for the funeral service for Diana, Princess of Wales, September 6, 1997. Jayne Fincher/Getty Images Harry explained that despite witnessing an outpouring of emotion from the British public and people around the world, he himself only cried once in the many years following the death of his mother. "I cried once, at the burial, and you know I go into detail about how strange it was and how actually there was some guilt that I felt," Harry told Tom Bradby in ITV's "Harry: The Interview," which aired in January. He also said he felt guilty that strangers appeared to be more outwardly devastated over Diana's death than he was. Prince Harry receiving floral tributes at Kensington Palace after the death of his mother. Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images "Actually there was some guilt that I felt, and I think William felt as well, by walking around the outside of Kensington Palace," Harry told Bradby. "There were 50,000 bouquets of flowers to our mother and there we were shaking people's hands, smiling." "I've looked back over it all, and the wet hands that we were shaking but it was all the tears that they were wiping away," he said. "Everyone thought and felt like they knew our mom," Harry added. "And the two closest people to her, the two most loved by her were unable to show any emotion at that moment." He went into more detail in "Spare." "I disliked the touch of those hands. What's more, I disliked how they made me feel: guilty," he wrote. "Why was there all that crying from people when I neither cried nor had cried? I wanted to cry, and I had tried, because my mother's life had been so sad ... but I couldn't ... not a drop." "Perhaps I had learnt too well, had absorbed too thoroughly the family maxim that crying was never an option never," he continued. Harry said he resorted to drinking and drug use to cope with the pain of his mother's death. Prince Harry leaving a bar in 2003. Jon Buckle/Getty Images "It was obvious to us as kids the British press' part in our mother's misery and I had a lot of anger inside of me that luckily, I never expressed to anybody," he told Anderson Cooper for "60 Minutes." "But I resorted to drinking heavily. Because I wanted to numb the feeling, or I wanted to distract myself from how whatever I was thinking. And I would, you know, resort to drugs as well," he continued. Harry admitted in "Spare" that in addition to drinking heavily, he had also used cocaine in his teenage years. Harry told Cooper that he experimented with psychedelics as a form of "medicine" for what he was going through internally. "I would never recommend people to do this recreationally but doing it with the right people if you are suffering from a huge amount of loss, grief or trauma, then these things have a way of working as a medicine," he said. "For me, they cleared the windshield, the windshield of the misery of loss. They cleared away this idea that I had in my head that that my mother, that I needed to cry to prove to my mother that I missed her. When in fact, all she wanted was for me to be happy." Prince Harry recounted in "Spare" how he drove through the tunnel where Princess Diana died at the same speed to see if "it was possible" for the car to lose control. The scene of Princess Diana's fatal 1997 car accident. JACK GUEZ / Staff / Getty Images "I wanted to see whether it was possible, driving at the speed that [Diana's driver] Henry Paul was driving, that you could lose control of a car and plow into a pillar, killing almost everybody in that car. I need to take this journey. I need to ride the same route," Harry wrote. "I sat back. Quietly I said: 'Is that all of it? It'snothing. Just a straight tunnel,'" he wrote. "I'd always imagined the tunnel as some treacherous passageway, inherently dangerous, but it was just a short, simple, no-frills tunnel." "No reason anyone should ever die inside it," Harry said after going through the tunnel, according to the excerpt. The prince wrote that he hoped the experience would bring him closure. However, he explained that despite feeling less "doubt" over what had happened, it only brought up more questions and pain. "I'd thought driving the tunnel would bring an end, or brief cessation, to the pain, the decade of unrelenting pain," Harry added. "Instead it brought on the start of Pain, Part Deux." Read the original article on Insider ATLANTA (AP) Dejounte Murray scored 12 of his 28 points in the final period as the Atlanta Hawks held off Miami's comeback attempt and beat the Heat 121-113 on Monday for their third straight win. The Hawks (22-22), coming off back-to-back road wins against Indiana and Toronto, matched their season-best winning streak. We've won three games against three good teams, Murray said. We just have to be consistent. That's the main thing for the rest of the year. Trae Young added 24 points as the Hawks, who never trailed, moved back to .500. In the matchup of teams trying to move up from their current spot as Eastern Conference play-in teams, Miami (24-21) had its three-game winning streak end despite Jimmy Butler's 34 points. Bam Adebayo added 20 points and 13 rebounds. The Hawks made 8 of 12 3s and shot 67% overall from the field (26 of 39) to lead 70-50 at halftime. Miami outscored Atlanta 63-51 in the second half. Tale of two halves, said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who said the stark difference in his team's defensive effort was born out of them blowing the doors off us in the first half. Added Spoelstra: There were too many mistakes to overcome in the second half. The hot-shooting Hawks led by 26 points in the first half, but Miami pulled to within 111-106 on a jam by Butler. Murray, shooting over Victor Oladipo's tight defense, answered with a 3-pointer to push the lead to eight points with 1:36 remaining. Tyler Herro kept Miami close with two last-minute baskets, including a 3-pointer. A jam by Butler pulled the Heat to within 102-94 before the Hawks' seven consecutive points, including a 3-pointer by Young, stretched the lead back to 15 points. Herro had 15 points in his return after missing three games due to left Achilles soreness. Miami's other usual backcourt starter, Kyle Lowry, missed his fourth consecutive game with a sore left knee. AJ Griffin scored 12 points off the bench in the second quarter to help Atlanta keep its momentum following a 38-point opening period. Story continues Butler's jam sparked an 11-0 Miami run in the third period. Butler's two free throws ended the run which trimmed Atlanta's lead to 80-72. Atlanta played up-tempo on offense, pushing the pace, in contrast to its 106-98 loss at Miami on Nov. 27, when the Heat ended the Hawks' streak of 40 games scoring 100 or more points. After missing the last 10 games with a strained right calf, center Clint Capela had 12 points off the bench. PICKING UP THE PACE For the game, Atlanta shot 59.2% from the field (45 of 76) and made 13 of 27 3s. I like the pace we are playing with on the offensive end of the floor, said Hawks coach Nate McMillan, who said before the game it was important his team was aggressive, but did not settle for quick 3s. That was my mentality, be aggressive and get into the paint, Young said. ... We're just making more shots and getting more stops. That's the difference. HONORING KING'S DREAM A sellout crowd of 18,007, including former Atlanta mayor Andrew Young, attended the game. The 90-year-old Young worked with Martin Luther King in Atlanta as a leader in the civil rights movement. The dReam Center Church of Atlanta choir performed and there was a halftime tribute to King. We need to make sure we continue to honor the day and continue to fight for his dream, McMillan said. TIP-INS Heat: PG Gabe Vincent made his fourth start for Lowry. F Caleb Martin returned from a strained left quad and had seven points. ... Also missing the game were F Nikola Jovic (lower back stress reaction), F Duncan Robinson (right finger surgery) and C Omer Yurtseven (left ankle surgery). Hawks: Atlanta ended a streak of three straight home losses. ... Young set a season high with four steals but matched his high with 10 turnovers. ... G Bogdan Bogdanovic (left quad soreness) had eight points in his return after missing one game. ... The Hawks played only their second home game after six road games in January. UP NEXT Heat: Continue three-game trip at New Orleans on Wednesday night. Hawks: Visit Dallas on Wednesday night. ___ AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports An artist's concept of LUVOIR, a 15-meter telescope that was an early NASA concept for a future space telescope. An artists concept of LUVOIR, a 15-meter telescope that was an early NASA concept for a future space telescope. The newly described Habitable Worlds Telescope wouldnt be quite as large as this. NASA officials disclosed information about a planned next-generation space telescope, the Habitable Worlds Observatory, during a recent session of the American Astronomical Society, In the session, Mark Clampin, the Astrophysics Division Director NASAs Science Mission Directorate, offered a few details about the telescope, which could be operational in the early 2040s. Read more The need for such an observatory is outlined in the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicines decadal survey on astronomy and astrophysics, a report assembled by hundreds of industry experts that serves as a reference document for the fields future goals. One of the key findings of the most recent decadal survey was the necessity of finding habitable worlds beyond our own, using a telescope tailored specifically for such a purpose. The report suggested an $11 billion observatoryone with a 6-meter telescope that would take in light at optical, ultraviolet, and near-infrared wavelengths. (Hubble Space Telescope sees mostly in optical and ultraviolet light, while the more recently launched Webb Space Telescope images at mid-infrared and near-infrared wavelengths.) The authors of the decadal survey suggested the Habitable Worlds Observatory as the first in a new Great Observatories program; basically, the linchpin in the next generation of 21st-century space telescopes. As Science reported, the decadal reports suggestion of an exoplanet-focused space telescope falls somewhere between two older NASA proposals, telescope concepts named HabEx and LUVOIR. Exoplanets are found with regularity; its finding worlds with conditions that can host life as we know it thats tricky. Webb has spotted exoplanets and deduced aspects of their atmospheric chemistry, and other telescopes (even planned ones, like the Roman Space Telescope) are turning their gaze toward these alien worlds. Story continues An artists impression of the exoplanet, LHS 475 b, and the star it orbits. An artists impression of the exoplanet LHS 475 b, recently discovered by Webb, and the star it orbits. Unlike other telescopesboth operational and those still on the drawing boardthe planned Habitable Worlds Observatory would look specifically for so-called Goldilocks planets, worlds with conditions that could foster life. The search for extraterrestrial life is a relentless goal of NASA. The Perseverance rover on Mars is collecting rock samples on Mars to learn, among other things, whether theres any evidence for ancient microbial life in a region of the planet that once was a flowing river delta. (An environment, its important to note, that scientists believe was similar to that where Earths first known life materialized.) Beyond Mars, scientists harbor hope that future probes can poke around for signs of life in the subsurface ocean on Jupiters moon Europa or the methane sea on Saturns moon Titan. But those are just venuesand hostile ones, compared to Earthwithin our solar system. Missions like TESS and the Kepler Space Telescope have detected thousands of exoplanets, but the fraction that are Earth-like is vanishingly small. Like the Webb telescope, the future observatory will be located at L2, a region of space one million miles from Earth that allows objects to remain in position with relatively little fuel burn. (By saving fuel, the missions lifespans are prolonged.) As reported by Science, Clampin said that the Habitable Worlds Observatory would be designed for maintenance and upgrades, which Webb is not. That could make the next observatory a more permanent presence in NASAs menagerie of space telescopes. Hubble was famously serviced by humans in low-Earth orbit multiple times, due to a number of mechanical snafus and issues that have arisen over the telescopes 32-year tenure in space. The Habitable Worlds Observatory repairs and upgrades (which would take place a million miles from Eartha little far for human repairs) would be done robotically, more in the style of a Star Wars droid than a hand from the IT department. Space News reported that NASA will imminently begin seeking out nominations for people to join the Science, Technology, Architecture Review Team (START) for the new observatory. The first phase of the observatorys development is slated for 2029. In November, Clampin told a House subcommittee that the Webb telescope had suffered 14 strikes from micrometeoroidsvery small bits of fast-traveling space rock that can damage the telescopes mirrors. Clampin said the NASA team was making some operational changes to make sure we avoid any future impacts, and the telescope was slightly repositioned to reduce the risk of future strikes. One of the telescopes mirror segments was damaged by a micrometeoroid strike, but an analysis by the team found the telescope should meet its optical performance requirements for many years. Of paramount importance to the astronomical community is that the budget and timeline of the new observatory stay on track. The Webb project was years late and way over budget. Space News reports that some scientists are calling for an expedited timeline that could see the Habitable Worlds Observatory launch by 2035. The ball is well and truly rolling on the telescopes of the future. The question is how Sisyphean the roll of the ball will be. More: Webb Telescope Spots Ancient Galaxy Built Like the Milky Way More from Gizmodo Sign up for Gizmodo's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. BUCHAREST (Reuters) -A NATO surveillance plane arrived in Romania on Tuesday to bolster the military alliance's eastern flank and help monitor Russian military activity. The plane, the first to be deployed, landed at an air base near Bucharest and two more are expected to land later in the day and on Wednesday. They are due to stay for several weeks. NATO announced last week it would deploy the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) surveillance planes to Bucharest, where they will start reconnaissance flights solely over NATO territory. "In the context of Russia's illegal war against Ukraine, NATO will monitor military activity on the eastern flank with the help of AWACS aircraft," Romanian Defence Minister Angel Tilvar said on Facebook. NATO has boosted its air presence in eastern Europe and the Baltics since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, using fighter jets, surveillance planes and tankers. The aircraft deployed to Romania belong to a fleet of 14 NATO surveillance aircraft usually based in Germany. They can detect other aircraft hundreds of kilometres away, NATO said. "As Russias illegal war in Ukraine continues to threaten peace and security in Europe, there must be no doubt about NATOs resolve to protect and defend every inch of Allied territory," NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said in a Jan. 12 statement on the deployment. (Reporting by Octav Ganea in Bucharest and Jason Hovet in Prague; Editing by Angus MacSwan) LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) Nebraskas newly minted Gov. Jim Pillen proposed Tuesday to vastly increase K-12 public education funding using money from the state's huge cash reserve. It's a plan that even those typically critical of Republican education reform efforts say holds promise. The plan, spread over measures to be introduced by at least three lawmakers, proposes to increase education funding by $2.5 billion through 2030 while still cutting property taxes. Pillen said the money would be in addition to current state aid funding to schools. Currently, Nebraska's public schools are funded largely through local property taxes. The state provides equalization funding to schools to cover funding gaps in those districts with low tax revenues, high enrollment and/or large numbers of disadvantaged students. Pillen held a news conference Tuesday with Republican lawmakers to unveil a plan that would provide $1,500 for each student, primarily those in the 180 school districts that either don't receive state equalization funding or receive less than $1,500 per student. Districts that receive more than $1,500 per student in state aid would not see that funding reduced. No district will receive less aid than what they have today, Pillen said. The plan would put up $1 billion in the first year, then $250 million each of the following six years, said Sen. Rob Clements of Elmwood, who plans to introduce the funding portion of the package. Another portion of the package would lower property taxes by limiting year-over-year tax-collection increases. It would enact a cap of a 3% increase in revenue per year. This provides dollar-for-dollar property tax relief, Clements said. Sen. Tom Briese of Albion, who introduced the revenue cap Tuesday, said the cap has built-in flexibility for those districts that have a need to raise more revenue in a year than the cap allows. They can do that with a supermajority vote of the school board or voters, he said. The cap does not apply to proposed school bond issues, which are adopted or rejected at the ballot box. Story continues The package would also provide millions in additional funding to teach special education students. Nebraska is nearly last in the country in education funding by the state, Briese said. This package can chip away at that dynamic. Briese said proponents expect to be able to maintain the increased funding beyond 2030, but he did not detail how. Nebraska ended the fiscal year in mid-2022 with a nearly $1 billion cash reserve, and fiscal forecasters predict a balance of $2.3 billion by this summer. Much of that additional revenue was garnered through federal pandemic recovery funding and boosts from rising inflation. Pillen campaigned, in part, on changing Nebraskas school-funding formula to a per-student basis, often repeating his mantra of leave no child behind. Critics had thumped a plan that would have dumped equalization funding in favor of educational savings accounts which have been proposed in at least a dozen other states this year saying it could cost Nebraska's largest districts up to $270 million. But the plan announced Tuesday by Pillen was received with cautious optimism by those who usually find themselves squaring off against Republican-led education funding proposals. Tim Royers, president of the Millard Education Association, spoke Tuesday for the Nebraska State Education Association, the union representing about 28,000 of the state's public school teachers. We think there's a lot of promise in this, Royers said. For a long time, there's been a lack of state-level investment in our kids, and now we have a $2.5 billion proposal to do just that. That's exactly what we wanted to hear. OpenSky Policy Institute, a Nebraska tax policy think tank that has long been critical of tax-cutting proposals, said it wants to study the plan to better gauge its long-term sustainability and affect on schools. But OpenSky executive director Rebecca Firestone offered rare praise for the effort. We have long noted that the best way to address property taxes in Nebraska is to increase the share of state support for public K-12 education, she said. After Dipak Pokhrel died in a crash while piloting a small Yeti Airlines passenger plane in 2006, his wife Anju Khatiwada used the money she got from her husband's insurance to pay for her own pilot training. On Sunday, Khatiwada was the co-pilot flying the Yeti Airlines plane that crashed on its descent into a new airport in Pokhara, Nepal, killing all 72 people on board. A spokesman for the airline confirmed the fate of Khatiwada, 44, to various news agencies on Monday. "She was flying the plane with an instructor pilot, which is the standard procedure of the airline," an unnamed airline official, who said they knew Khatiwada personally, told Reuters. "She was always ready to take up any duty and had flown to Pokhara earlier." Khatiwada had regularly flown the popular tourist route between the country's capital Kathmandu and its second largest city Pokhara. A rescue team recovers the body of a victim from the site of the plane crash of a Yeti Airlines operated aircraft, in Pokhara, Nepal on Jan. 16, 2023. / Credit: STRINGER / REUTERS Yeti Airlines spokesperson Pemba Sherpa said Kathiwada was a "skilled pilot" with a "friendly nature" who had risen to the rank of captain after thousands of hours of flying time. "We have lost our best," Sherpa told the Associated Press. Kathiwada's remains had not been identified amid the pulverized wreckage of the ATR-72 turboprop aircraft. It remains unclear what caused the crash. A witness on the ground who recorded video of the plane's descent from his balcony said he saw it flying low before suddenly veering to the left and diving. "I saw that and I was shocked... I thought that today everything will be finished here after it crashes, I will also be dead," Diwas Bohora was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. An Indian passenger's harrowing 90-second video showed himself and his friends enjoying the descent into Pokhara before a sudden jolt knocks the camera unsteady, and the shot quickly fills with smoke and flames as passengers scream amid the chaos. The videos appear to corroborate reports that something brought the plane down with little or no warning. A spokesman for Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority and Yeti Airlines confirmed that both the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder the so-called black boxes were recovered from the site on Monday, which should help investigators determine the cause of the crash. Nepal is home to some of the world's largest mountains, including Mount Everest, and the rough terrain and accompanying dramatic weather changes make for dangerous flying. Story continues Assessing the risk of after classified documents found at Biden's home and former office London police officer admits sexually abusing women over nearly two decades Exclusive discounts from CBS Mornings Deals As the fifth week of the double murder trial of accused family killer Richard "Alex" Murdaugh begins in Walterboro, S.C., Netflix is set to air its three-part docuseries, Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal, on Wednesday, Feb. 22. All three episodes will be available the same day for viewers to binge watch and explore the scandals and criminal allegations surrounding the disbarred South Carolina attorney and the fall of his disgraced family dynasty. E! News recently published a sneak peek of Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal, calling it a "closely involved attempt to make sense of the years of dishonesty, misdeeds and misfortune that followed around a powerful familyand forever changed a small town in the process." As Gannett/USA TODAY Network journalist Michael DeWitt Jr., who has covered the story for years and offers his experience and insight of the case in all three episodes, says in the trailer, "For over a century, the Murdaughs were law and order here in the 14th Circuit." While other true-crime documentaries have explored the Murdaugh saga, Netflix hopes to take a deeper dive into this gripping, real-life Southern Gothic tale that has captured international audiences. The series explores the fatal February 2019 boat crash involving Murdaugh's younger son, Paul, the unsolved 2015 homicide of Hampton County teen Stephen Smith that has been linked to the Murdaugh family for undisclosed reasons by state police, and the June 2021 murders of Paul and his mother, Maggie, that Murdaugh was charged for, along with more than 100 other crimes. The Murdaughs were one of South Carolinas most prominent families, but the death of teenager Mallory Beach in a drunken boating accident began the unraveling of their legacy. When Paul Murdaugh the alleged driver of the boat and his mother Maggie are found brutally murdered two years after the crash, a century of corruption, power, and cover-ups in the Lowcountry is brought to light. According to a Netflix media release, the three-part series will feature first-hand accounts from those on the boat that fateful night, many of whom have not spoken about the crash or double homicide of Maggie and Paul - until now. Story continues Alex Murdaugh's defense team:Here are some potential strategies for the defense in double murder trial Who is in Netflix's Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal? The docuseries includes interviews with victims, survivors and several S.C. Lowcountry residents close to the Murdaugh family - and the alleged victims of several crimes. The three-part series will feature interviews with some of those close to the multiple Murdaugh cases, some of whom are speaking for the first time, including Paul's longtime girlfriend Morgan Doughty, Mallory's childhood friends Miley Altman and Connor Cook and Mallory's boyfriend Anthony Cook. Courtroom analysis: The State's evidence likely to impact the Colleton County jury Alex Murdaugh trial updates:State rests, but Murdaugh asks for case to be tossed out Also featured is Hampton's own Michael DeWitt Jr., the Gannett/USA TODAY journalist and editor of The Hampton County Guardian who has been covering the crime saga since 2015, and has covered the Murdaugh family for almost two decades in his hometown. DeWitt was recently featured on "48 Hours," "Dateline NBC," and "ABC's 20/20" for his professional, firsthand reporting of the Murdaugh crime saga and its impact on Hampton County. The S.C. Press Association has recently announced that DeWitt and his fellow Gannett journalists have earned several news and feature writing awards for their coverage of the crime saga and its impact on the S.C. Lowcountry community. Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal. promo image in Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal. Cr. Netflix 2023 More about this Netflix series Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal is directed by Julia Willoughby Nason and Jenner Furst (LuLa Rich; The Pharmacist). Executive producers are Michael Gasparro (showrunner), Julia Willoughby Nason, Jenner Furst (LuLa Rich; The Pharmacist). Netflix is the world's leading streaming entertainment service with 223 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries, feature films and mobile games across a wide variety of genres and languages, according to the release. Alex Murdaugh saga has specials on HBO Max and CNN too The HBO Max three-part series, "Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty," explores the legacy of the Murdaugh family, whose decades of powerful influence over the legal system in the South Carolina Lowcountry unravel amid accusations of fraud, deception and murder. It first aired Nov. 3, 2022. A CNN Special Report aired Oct. 23, 2022. This special, The Murdaugh Murders: A Twisted Tale of Power and Money, has three roundtable discussions with journalists, attorneys and alleged victims of the Murdaughs. Whose who:Alex Murdaugh murder trial: Meet the SC lawyers, judge that will be in the spotlight Bracing for the trial:Walterboro, Colleton County, SC braces for 'unprecedented' Murdaugh murder trial What is the status of the Alex Murdaugh cases? Murdaugh's double murder trial began Jan. 23 in the deaths of his wife and son and is expected to last until the end of February or early March. Following the deposition of that trial, Murdaugh must then stand trial on the 100-plus other criminal charges levied against him. Trial dates and locations have not been set in these cases yet. Along with the criminal charges, there is a slew of civil court cases against the disbarred South Carolina attorney. Murdaugh has already signed a $4.3 million confession of judgment in one lawsuit involving the Gloria Satterfield Estate. The wrongful death suit of Mallory Beach could be heard as early as summer 2023, according to a report by John Monk of The State newspaper. Trial dates have not been set for the remaining civil suits against Murdaugh. This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Netflix docuseries on Murdaugh murders and SC crime saga set to air Mark Rutte During his meeting with the U.S. President Joe Biden, Rutte said the Netherlands will join the U.S.-German initiative to equip Ukraine with modern anti-air defenses. Read also: Biden confirms Ukraine could soon receive Bradley fighting vehicles The PM said he already discussed the matter with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. On Jan. 16, Ukrainian soldiers arrived in the United States to train in operating Patriot SAM systems. Read also: Allies to transfer Bradley & Marder IFVs, second Patriot battery to Ukraine Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak earlier said Ukraine expects to receive Patriot batteries by mid-Spring 2023, as it would take several months for Ukrainian troops to master the system. On Dec. 21, 2022, the United States announced plans to provide Kyiv with a Patriot battery. The German government made a similar statement on Jan. 5. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Photo: . Former Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart. Photo supplied The one-term former mayor of Vancouver has returned to Simon Fraser University, three months after losing the mayoral race to Ken Sim. Kennedy Stewart announced Monday on Twitter that he has become the new director of the Centre for Public Policy Research and has a book deal based on his four years at city hall, from 2018 to 2022. Stewart had shut down his Twitter account in November, after losing to Sim of ABC Vancouver. Stewart was an associate professor when he took a leave of absence in 2011 to become the NDP member of Parliament for Burnaby-Douglas. He was re-elected in Burnaby South in 2015 and then quit to run for mayor of Vancouver in 2018. The universitys announcement of his new position touted Stewarts historical opposition to the Trans Mountain Pipeline, and his leadership of the campaign to bring electronic petitions to the House of Commons. It did not mention his $500 contempt of court fine for violating the protest injunction in 2018 or the broken campaign promise in 2018 to bring a similar electronic petition system to Vancouver city hall. As mayor, Stewart led an organization with a $1.7 billion operating budget through the COVID-19 pandemic, moved forward reconciliation efforts, secured over $1 billion in social housing investment, oversaw the adoption of the Broadway Plan, and led the push to decriminalize drugs in British Columbia, said the news release. Stewart became the 40th mayor of Vancouver, narrowly defeating then NPA candidate Sim in 2018 to succeed Vision Vancouvers thrice-elected Gregor Robertson. Stewart lost Oct. 15 to Sim by 36,139 votes, becoming the first incumbent voted out of office since Mike Harcourt defeated Jack Volrich in 1980. Sims new party won a supermajority on city council and park board, promising to hire more police officers, restore public safety in Chinatown and approve more housing. Stewart was originally elected in 2018 as an independent backed by the Vancouver and District Labour Council. In 2022, he formed a party called Forward Together and ran a slate of six council candidates under the banner, including his wife, Douglas College political science professor Jeanette Ashe, press secretary Alvin Singh and Premier David Ebys riding office manager Dulcy Anderson. Anderson came closest to being elected, falling 3,285 votes shy of Green incumbent Pete Fry for the 10th seat on council. Stewart also announced Monday that his next book is due for publication later this year, Decrim: How We Decriminalized Drugs in British Columbia, through Douglas and McIntyre. Stewarts previous title for the publisher was a co-editing project with Conservative MP Michael Chong and former Liberal MP Scott Simms called Turning Parliament Inside Out: Practical Ideas for Reforming Canadas Democracy. Everything started for me while I was a graduate student at SFU in the 1990s, so I am excited to return and lead the Centre for Public Policy Research, said Stewart in the news release. SFU is an amazing place to learn and innovate and I hope the practical experience Ive gained from a decade in politics will add to the incredible environment at one of Canadas top universities. A 14-year-old Kentucky student, who was expelled for allegedly writing a kill list last year, was allowed to return to school this month, sparking anger and outrage from parents who raised concerns over the safety of their children. The parents spoke out against the decision to allow the teenager back during a recent school board meeting, saying it is emotionally devastating and dangerous to see their children attending the school with someone who threatened them. The Boone County Board of Education allowed the student to attend Conner High School despite being charged with second-degree terroristic threats. The eighth grade student had allegedly made threats against other classmates, including the son of the principal at Conner High School. As a father of a child on the active kill list, my statements will reflect my opinions based on the information I received from Conner High School, said Rob Bidleman, a father of a student who he says was on the students active kill list, according to WLWT. When I received a call from the principal, it was emotionally devastating. All I could think about was my child in danger when they did nothing wrong. A mother, Deanne Corbin, told the school board meeting in Boone County: Whatever help he has gotten, he is still a threat to be in an environment which fostered him to want to do a mass shooting and make a list of our students of Conner Middle School that are now at Conner High School. The allegations against the student came to light in November 2021 after a school resource officer was told about the students notebook. It allegedly had specific acts of violence in it and identified individuals, WXIX reported. The student, who was interviewed by a school official, said he was merely writing the thoughts down that were in his head. The principals own son was on this childs list of death threats, said a mother, Jenny Murray, according to WXIX. As dedicated and hard-working as he is how is he not distracted by stress and anxiety, knowing that his son could be in danger? Story continues On Friday, Boone County School District Superintendent Matthew Turner wrote a letter to parents, saying said his hands are tied and urged them to talk to your local state legislator. The Kentucky Constitution guarantees the right to a public education for every child without prejudice, and we are obligated to follow state law, Mr Turner wrote. I can assure you all appropriate safety measures have been taken and are in place, he wrote. Conner High School remains a safe school. The following items were taken from Niles Police Department bulletins. An arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt. Nicio Delgado, 25, of the 1800 block of 61st Street, Cicero, was arrested Jan. 5 for driving on a suspended drivers license at the intersection of Ballard and Dee Roads, police said. A court date is set for Jan. 20. Wilman Torres Valencia, 32, of the 3300 block of Cuyler Avenue, Chicago, was arrested Jan. 5 for driving without a drivers license on the 6800 block of Caldwell Avenue, police said. A court date is set for Jan. 20. Elvira Holguin, 45, of the 4300 block of Howard Street, Skokie, was arrested Jan. 7 for driving without a drivers license at the intersection of Howard Street and Milwaukee Avenue, police said. A court date is set for Feb. 23. Syed Asad, 21, of the 2800 block of Glenlake Avenue, Chicago, was arrested Jan. 7 for driving on a suspended drivers license and operating a vehicle with expired registration at the intersection of Oakton Street and Waukegan Road, police said. A court date is set for Feb. 17. Darneisha McCoy, 25, of the 6000 block of Kenmore Avenue, Chicago, was arrested Jan. 7 for driving on a suspended drivers license at the intersection of Oakton Street and Ozanam Avenue, police said. A court date is set for Feb. 23. Dwayne Williams, 34, of the 1300 block of Austin Avenue, Chicago, was arrested Jan. 8 for driving on a suspended drivers license at the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and Octavia Street, police said. A court date is set for Feb. 17. Jerzie Ghirsy, 51, of the 1600 block of Mason Avenue, Chicago, was arrested Jan. 8 for operating a vehicle with its registration suspended at the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and Elmore Street, police said. A court date is set for Feb. 17. Public intoxication Billy Parker, 25, of the 2400 block of Joe Adler Drive, Plainfield, was arrested Jan. 8 on the 7300 block of Harlem Avenue for public intoxication and requiring emergency services, police said. A court date is set for Feb. 17. Story continues Criminal Defacement A residence on the 7800 block of Monroe Avenue was spray painted with graffiti overnight Jan. 8, police said. Burglary A locker left locked in a locker room at the LA Fitness Center on the 5700 block of Touhy Avenue was found open with its contents taken Jan. 8, police said. Speeding Hansel Lopez-Perez, 20, of the 4900 block of Springfield Avenue, Chicago, was arrested Jan. 7 for speeding 69 mph in a 35 mph zone at the intersection of Dempster Street and Milwaukee Avenue, police said. A court date is set for Jan. 26. Battery David Falzone, 61, of the 7400 block of Oriole Avenue, Chicago, was arrested Jan. 7 with battery, simple assault and disorderly conduct after he pushed a juvenile employee of Walmart in the chest on the 8500 block of Golf Road, police said. Driving under the influence Mark Pasquinelli, 25, of the 600 block of Florence Drive, Park Ridge, was arrested Jan. 6 for driving under the influence of alcohol outside Chasers bar on the 9000 block of Milwaukee Avenue, police said. Jamie Antonio, 33, of the 4800 block of Nelson Street, Chicago, was arrested Jan. 6 for driving under the influence after being seen asleep in a vehicle at the intersection of Howard and Lehigh Streets, police said. A court date is set for Feb. 23. Alvin Varghese, 32, of the 8000 block of Odell Avenue, Chicago, was arrested Jan. 6 for driving under the influence of alcohol at the intersection of Harlem Street and Monroe Avenue, police said. A court date is set for Feb. 15. Theft Deonta Williams, 24, of the 700 block of Pearson Street, Des Plaines, was arrested Jan. 6 for removing $186 worth of merchandise from the Walmart on the 8500 block of Golf Road without paying, police said. North Carolina license plates Motorists in North Carolina can request personalized license plates that include terms related to the LGBTQ+ community after more than 200 previously forbidden terms were removed from the state's Do Not Issue list. License plates with the words "GAYPRIDE," "LESBIAN," and "QUEER" were previously not available to purchase, public radio station WFDD reports. However, for the first time in twenty years, the state's department of motor vehicles reviewed its policies on forbidden words at the direction of DMV Commissioner Wayne Goodwin, according to the station. Initially, a team from the department's vehicle services division reviewed the list. Then, after identifying entries as questionable, they referred them to a committee of communications and legal staffers from the Department of Transportation and the Office of Civil Rights. As a result, 239 items were removed from the list, including more than two dozen terms related to LGBTQ+ communities. "Anything on the do not issue list should not include the LGBT community," Goodwin told the station. "I don't know how long the terms that relate to the LGBT community were on that list. But with my administration they are coming off." Still prohibited, however, are the terms "BISEXUAL" and "GAYS0K," as well as some terms relating to reproduction and ethnicity. Goodwin said that the review process is ongoing and that words currently on the list may not be there forever. "Things can slip through," Goodwin explained. "My aim is to be consistent with our approach, no plates of hate in this state." To that end, his office has recalled at least eight license plates issued in error and containing offensive terms. All of them included combinations of spellings that resulted in antisemitic phrases, WFDD reports. Goodwin acknowledged the challenges in policing language but notes that some applicants try to be slick. "Folks are crafty and conniving with the combination of letters," Goodwin said. "And then there are folks who say that, 'Well, this is the name of my child,' but the name of their child happens to be a name that in general parlance is not considered a name, but is considered offensive." COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) The Norwegian police unit that investigates war crimes said Tuesday that it wants to talk to a Russian asylum-seeker who reportedly is a former high-ranking member of the private Russian military contractor Wagner Group. Norways National Criminal Investigation Service, which takes part in the investigation of war crimes in Ukraine with the International Criminal Court, said it was in contact with Andrey Medvedev and his Norwegian lawyer and would like to conduct an interrogation of him in the near future. Medvedev has the status of a witness. Last week, Medvedev, who says he's fears for his life, fled to Norway where he sought asylum. In a video posted by the Russian dissident group Gulagu.net, Medvedev said he came under Russian gunfire before he crossed into the Scandinavian country. Medvedev explained he had left the Wagner after his contract, initially from July to November, was extended without his consent, and was willing to testify about any war crimes he witnessed and denied he had participated in any. In the video interview with France-based Gulagu, the ex-fighter says he feared experiencing the same fate as another recruit whose head was reportedly smashed in by a sledgehammer by the Wagner Group in a public execution. In a segment apparently filmed before he fled Russia, he asks for help from Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Federal Security Service, or FSB, among others. Gulagu's Vladimir Osechkin said that Medvedev and another man reached out for help in December. He himself has said that he has been part of the Wagner Group, and it is interesting for the National Criminal Investigation Service to get more information about this period, the Norwegian police said in a statement. Last week, police in Arctic Norway said a person had illegally entered from Russia by crossing the border, which is 198 kilometers (123 miles) long. The man was detained by Norwegian border guards and the arrest was undramatic, police said, adding that he went to a private house in the border area and asked for help. Police in Norway said that they had been notified late Thursday by Russian border guards who discovered traces in the snow that could indicate that someone had crossed the border illegally. Story continues The Wagner Group, owned by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a millionaire with ties to Putin, includes a large number of convicts recruited in Russian prisons who have spearheaded attacks in the war with Ukraine. The group has has become increasingly influential in Africa, where it has been pushing Russian disinformation, building alliances with governments and gaining access to oil, gas, gold, diamonds and valuable minerals. ___ Lori Hinnant contributed to this report from Paris. ___ Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine By Jennifer Rigby LONDON (Reuters) - It is not right for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to play such a big role in global health funding, but the group will not back away until others step up, its chief executive said. The Gates Foundation has faced criticism that it has too much power and influence in the global health realm, including within the World Health Organization, without the requisite accountability. In his annual letter released on Tuesday, chief executive Mark Suzman hit back at the criticism as he revealed that the foundation would spend $8.3 billion this year, its highest ever annual budget. "It's not right for a private philanthropy to be one of the largest funders of multinational global health efforts," he said, adding that countries ought to be leading the charge. "But make no mistake- where there's a solution that can improve livelihoods and save lives, we'll advocate persistently for it. We won't stop using our influence, along with our monetary commitments, to find solutions." Suzman said the aim of the fund was not to set the agenda for the WHO or other global health groups, but to provide them with better options and data as they make key decisions. Bill and Melinda Gates, the tech billionaires-turned-philanthropists who set up the foundation, have long defended their efforts amid questions over whether their vast payouts give them undue influence and impact in global development. Alongside funding efforts to eradicate diseases like malaria and polio, the Gates Foundation is also the second biggest donor to the WHO, one of the issues that critics have regularly raised about its role, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. "I'd love it if many more governments would pass us on that list - because that would mean more lives saved," wrote Suzman. Last year, the WHO agreed a deal that would see member states increase their guaranteed contributions, reducing the role of private donors and allowing the United Nations agency more flexibility on spending. (Reporting by Jennifer Rigby; Editing by Mark Heinrich) Democratic Rep. Richie Torres (N.Y.) in a new op-ed called fellow Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) a danger to our democracy and national security amid the slew of federal investigations the embattled first-term lawmaker is currently facing. In a piece published by NBC News on Tuesday, Torres said that Santos, who defeated Democrat Robert Zimmerman in New Yorks 3rd Congressional District in Novembers midterm elections, lied to voters on almost every aspect of his personal and professional life, noting Santoss failures to tell the truth about his family heritage, education, business dealings, and philanthropic endeavors. Under normal circumstances, the depth and breadth of his deception would shame one into resigning from public office, Torres wrote in his op-ed. But these are not normal times, and Santos is shameless not only in lying but in lying about his lying. Torres also noted Santoss recent appearance on a podcast hosted by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) where he told the lawmaker that he has lived an honest life. Never mind all the lies Santos has told and the multiple criminal investigations accusing him of wrongdoing, Torres noted in his op-ed. Torres added that every American should be worried about the risk of Santos gaining access to classified information within his congressional duties, saying that it boggles the mind how anyone who could mislead people could be trusted to serve in a position in Congress. The presence of this man in Congress is a danger to our democracy and national security, a disgrace to this institution, and a major distraction from the pressing problems that are far more worthy of our time, energy and attention, Torres wrote in his op-ed. Its time for Santos to recognize that he cannot serve the public he defrauded. His ability to govern has been weakened by a complete collapse of credibility. Torres is the latest among New York-based lawmakers who have called for Santos to resign from his position in Congress. Story continues Santos, 34, is currently facing investigations from federal authorities over potential campaign finance violations and an investigation from Nassau County over the fabrications and lies he made during his campaign. Torres, along with fellow New York Rep. Dan Goldman (D), earlier this month introduced legislation called the Santos Act that would require potential candidates to file more information about themselves when running for public office. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. American Exchange Group is once again starting off the new year with a major deal. A year after the New York-based company acquired the Aerosoles brand, American Exchange Group said today it has completed the purchase of White Mountain Footwear for an undisclosed amount. More from Footwear News The privately owned White Mountain company has been based in Lisbon, N.H., since its founding in 1979. Its fashion-comfort collections which include two made-in-China labels, White Mountain and Cliffs are carried at top national retail chains such as Macys, DSW, Kohls, Boscovs, Amazon, Famous Footwear and Shoe Carnival. With this acquisition, American Exchange Group said it plans to integrate White Mountains sourcing and manufacturing capabilities, structure and management with the Aerosoles brand, in order to expand the retail distribution for both brands, and also introduce the White Mountain and Cliffs lines to new categories and audiences. I have been truly impressed with White Mountains experienced executive leadership team and their long, dedicated, tenured staff that has supported the brands growth over many years. I look forward to seeing them bring that success, commitment and enthusiasm to Aerosoles, said Alen Mamrout, CEO of American Exchange Group, in a statement. A company representative confirmed that White Mountains leadership team will remain on board and it will keep its offices in New Hampshire. White Mountain chief revenue officer Robert Geller said in a statement, We are looking forward to carrying on the 40-year tradition of the White Mountain brand under new ownership. Teaming up with American Exchange Group will allow us to grow and expand our business, add additional product categories and leverage synergies. American Exchange Group is indeed a fitting partner for category expansion. The company is a designer, manufacturer and wholesale provider of fashion accessories for men, women and kids, producing everything from footwear, belts, socks and hats to smart watches and fitness trackers. Story continues It has already unleashed an aggressive expansion plan for Aerosoles. Earlier this month, the brand made a foray in the kids market with a line of girls shoes, and for spring 23, the label will introduce mens and womens flip-flops, mens socks, slippers and roller skates. In a recent interview with FN, American Exchange Groups VP of licensing and brand development, Cynthia Nixon, said even more launches are in the works for Aerosoles. Im in conversation with multiple other companies with expertise in a vast array of product categories, from home to travel to sleepwear and, of course, apparel, she said. Sign up for FN's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Photo: The Canadian Press Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) President Warren (Smokey) Thomas speaks to reporters at Queen's Park in Toronto on January 21, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young The Ontario Public Service Employees' Union has filed a lawsuit against three former executives, alleging financial improprieties. The union is seeking nearly $6 million it alleges was unlawfully transferred to former president Warren (Smokey) Thomas, former first vice-president/treasurer Eduardo Almeida and former financial services administrator Maurice Gabay, as well as millions more in damages. OPSEU says since Thomas and Almeida left their positions last April, the union has been doing a forensic audit and alleges it has uncovered that Thomas and Almeida paid themselves "significant compensation" they weren't entitled to, used union money for non-business purposes, transferred union vehicles to themselves or family members and paid out strike fund cash to themselves and Gabay. OPSEU's statement of claim alleges union money was used to pay the home repairs and moving expenses for someone with whom Gabay had a personal relationship. The allegations have not been tested in court. None of the defendants could be reached for comment and it is unclear if any has filed a statement of defence. Current OPSEU president JP Hornick wrote in an update to members Monday that the allegations are "troubling." "I want to be clear to you, our staff and members, and the people of Ontario who we dutifully serve, that we will not waiver in our commitment to seeking justice in this matter, and we have the full support of the Board to pursue all available legal avenues," Hornick wrote. Close-up shot of lights on a police cruiser with a blurred background and dim lighting. The male driver of what police said was a stolen truck died Monday after a pursuit that came dangerously close to the downtown Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade, authorities said. Police said the pursuit started around 12:30 p.m. near NW 63 and MacArthur Boulevard when an officer ran the tag on the truck and learned it was stolen. Police Master Sgt. Gary Knight said the driver refused to stop for the officer. A 50-minute pursuit ensued, with officers at one point giving up the chase while an Oklahoma City police helicopter followed the vehicle, Knight said. When the driver got closer to downtown and the scheduled MLK parade, patrol officers picked up the pursuit and used a tactical vehicle intervention to stop the suspect, Knight said. The vehicle rolled over near Oklahoma City Boulevard and South Lee Avenue. Knight said the driver was found dead. Police did not release the exact cause of death Monday afternoon. Knight did not speculate as to whether the suspect intended to drive into the parade. It became a point where he was getting very close and we had to bring it to an end before he could reach the people at the parade, Knight told The Oklahoman. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Suspect dead after police pursuit near King parade in Oklahoma City STORY: Thunberg was detained while protesting at the opencast coal mine of Garzweiler 2, some 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) from Luetzerath, where she sat with a group of protesters near the edge of the mine. Thunberg was carried away by three policemen and held by one arm at a spot further away from the edge of the mine where she previously sat with the group. She was then escorted back towards police vans. A man from Grays Hill faces felony assault charges for allegedly attacking a woman with a pocketknife in his home after she rejected his requests for sex, according to the Beaufort County Sheriffs Office. Ronnie Fripp, 65, was charged early Tuesday morning with assault and battery in the first degree, jail records show. Deputies were called around 2 a.m. Tuesday to Fripps home on Paradise Lane in Grays Hill, just north of Beauforts city limits. Fripp told officers he had invited a woman over to help her stay out of the cold, but while the two were in bed, the woman suddenly began attacking him. He claimed he hit the woman with a hard object to stop her, according to Maj. Angela Viens, a spokesperson for the Beaufort County Sheriffs Office. But the woman had a different story. She told police that after she declined Fripps sexual advances, he became violent and attacked her with a pocketknife, according to Viens. The womans injuries corroborated her story: Officers found a five-inch laceration on her back, which police believe came from the pocketknife. Fripp did not appear to have any physical injuries, Viens said. In South Carolina, first-degree assault and battery is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Fripps usage of the pocketknife to assault the woman elevated the crime to a first-degree charge. Fripp was released Tuesday on a $5,000 surety bond from the Beaufort County Detention Center, court records show. When we publish mugshots The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette publishes police booking photos, or mugshots, in the following instances: In situations where a public figure or someone in a position of public trust is arrested In cases where there is an immediate and widespread threat to public safety In cases where the arrested person is accused of a crime reporters have evidence to believe involved numerous, unknown victims Reporters will avoid using mugshots as lead images for online articles in order to limit their circulation on social media, except in cases where the public is served by the immediate identification of the accused. Reporters and editors may use discretion in situations that dont meet the criteria outlined in this policy but still present a compelling reason to publish a mugshot. A Pocono Summit man is facing charges of terroristic threats and assault following a road rage incident that led to a confrontation near the Mount Pocono McDonald's Tuesday morning. According to Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department, officers were dispatched to the fast food location on Route 940 just before 10 a.m. on Jan. 17, 2023, where they were advised a male suspect was wielding a machete. The suspect, later identified as Matthew T. Eannuzzi, 31, of Pocono Summit, allegedly fled the scene prior to the arrival of police, though no injuries were reported. During the course of the investigation, police determined the altercation started as a verbal argument during a road rage incident. Eannuzzi allegedly got out of his vehicle with the machete, making threats to kill unidentified victims. Officers were able to positively identify Eannuzzi and locate him at his home. The machete was confiscated, and charges including a first-degree misdemeanor count of terroristic threats, a second-degree misdemeanor count of simple assault, a third-degree count of disorderly conduct, and a harassment charge are pending. This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Poconos man charged after police say he threatened people with machete LOS ANGELES (AP) A Los Angeles judge on Tuesday declared that porn performer Ron Jeremy is mentally incompetent to stand trial on dozens of rape and sexual assault counts. Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Harris said in a hearing that after reviewing reports from both prosecutors and Jeremy's defense that he is in incurable neurocognitive decline" from which he is unlikely to recover. Prosecutors asked that he be periodically reevaluated. A hearing on placing the 69-year-old Jeremy, whose legal name is Ronald Hyatt, in a state hospital will be held next month. Jeremy pleaded not guilty after a grand jury indicted him on 34 counts of sexual assault, including 12 counts of rape. When he was arrested two years ago I said he would be found innocent of all charges, Jeremy's attorney Stuart Goldfarb said in an email. Two years have passed and with the additional discovery I received I believed he would have have been found innocent. It is unfortunate due to mental condition he will not go to trial and have the the opportunity to clear his name." Jeremy, who has remained in jail since his arrest in 2020, did not attend the hearing. An email seeking comment Tuesday from the District Attorney's Office was not immediately returned. Nicknamed The Hedgehog, Jeremy has been among the best known and most prolific actors in the porn industry for decades, and became a recognizable pop cultural novelty through reality shows, public appearances and music videos. He has long been a magnet for seekers of autographs and selfies, which is how he first encountered most of the women and girls aged 15 to 51 he is accused of assaulting between the 1990s and 2019. According to transcripts of grand jury testimony from the women and girls obtained by The Associated Press, Jeremy would lure them into a small secluded space, often the bathroom of a West Hollywood bar and grill he frequents, trap them and sexually assault them. The Los Angeles Times first reported that Jeremy would not be going to trial. Story continues The charges stemmed from a district attorney's task force set up to investigate entertainment industry sexual misconduct after reports about Harvey Weinstein in 2017 made the #metoo movement an international phenomenon. Jeremy was among a very few men charged in the task force's work, along with Weinstein himself, who was convicted of rape and sexual assault in December. Prosecutors are still deciding whether to retry Weinstein on several counts for which his jury was deadlocked. They plan to retry actor Danny Masterson on three rape counts after his jury failed to reach verdicts last month. ___ Follow AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton on Twitter: https://twitter.com/andyjamesdalton Photo: . The Canadian Coast Guard is looking for people who want to work in remote areas of B.C. as assistant lightkeepers. Instead of one position, a pool of qualified candidates is being put together to staff positions in various locations. In order to do the job, people will need to depart from Victoria, Port Hardy, Tofino, Bella Bella or Prince Rupert. The deadline to apply is Dec. 31, 2023. As the Assistant Lightkeeper you will be responsible for keeping watch at the station to ensure mariners are safe as they transit Canadas beautiful coastal regions, states the posting. Kiri Westnedge, a communications advisor with the Canadian Coast Guard, says there are 58 lightstations in B.C., 27 of which are staffed. "The position of lightkeeper involves being comfortable working in remote areas with few people, travel by boat or helicopter, and living on the edge of the ocean. It is a very unique job but it is not a job for everyone, says Westnedge. Those who are successful in applying will act as "relief," she adds. "Relief lightkeepers fill in for our resident lightkeepers so that they can take time off for purposes like vacation, training and medical appointments, she tells Glacier Media. The lightstations ensure safe passage of mariners in the most beautiful, remote and rugged locations on B.C.s breathtaking coastline, the posting says. Duties include handiwork, machine operation, maintenance and VHF (very high frequency) radio communication in remote marine environments, plus: reporting local weather observations to MCTS (Marine Communications and Traffic Services); relaying radio messages; grounds maintenance of station; dipping diesel fuel tanks from atop a ladder; helping to refuel domestic diesel tanks; dipping cisterns of rainwater collection; scraping and painting buildings, decks and walkways; testing the fire pump and hoses, and checking fire extinguisher. Requirements for the job include maintenance experience with power tools, grounds work and knowledge of Microsoft Office. "Experience working in isolated or semi-isolate locations is also helpful. During the job, the individual must be prepared to travel by helicopter or boat, work 24/7 shifts in all-weather conditions and possess a valid restricted operators certificate (Maritime) or higher certificate. They must also have health Canada medical clearance and reliability status security clearance. Assistant lightkeepers earn $45,241 to $60,707 per year. Dotdash Meredith and Yahoo Inc. may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. A tense interview between Prince Harry and Prince William has resurfaced amid the release of Spare. The Duke of Sussex's unprecedented memoir hit shelves on Jan. 10, and his relationship with his elder brother was a major theme throughout. At one point in the text, Prince Harry, 38, recalled the time that he and Prince William lived together in Shropshire while training to be pilots at RAF Shawbury. The royal siblings were on different paths; Harry would learn to fly elite Apache helicopters, looking toward a second deployment in Afghanistan, while William was training to be a search and rescue pilot as it was deemed too dangerous for the then-second in line to the throne to see combat. In Spare, Prince Harry wrote that he and "Willy" enjoyed sharing a cottage 10 minutes from the Royal Air Force base in 2009, their first time living together since Eton. He referenced a tense joint interview they gave at RAF Shawbury where his brother put him down, which has recently reemerged online. RELATED: Prince William Steps Out for Solo Appearance as Royal Family Stays Silent Amid Spare Allegations Prince William and Prince Harry attend a photocall during his military helecopter training course at RAF Shawbury on June 18, 2009 in Shawbury, England. Anwar Hussein/WireImage "How much inter-service rivalry is there between you two?" a reporter asked the brothers, who stood before a helicopter in army green flight suits. "None at all," Harry said, as William agreed, and they began to speak simultaneously. "Everyone knows the Army is a part of the RAF, so " Harry said, as William cut him off. "I'm an old Household Calvary boy anyway, so it's fine," he said, referencing the regiment. "And would you live together again, in as much experience being the same?" a journalist asked. "Well, bear in mind, I cook him and feed him basically every day. I think he's done rather well," William said, as another reporter inquired about Harry's recent comment that he handled the dishes. Prince William and Prince Harry attend a photocall during his military helecopter training course at RAF Shawbury on June 18, 2009 in Shawbury, England. Anwar Hussein/WireImage Story continues "He does do a bit of the washing up, then he leaves most of it in the sink, and then it comes back in the morning and I have to wash it up," William said, as Harry replied and shook his head with a smile, "Oh, the lies." "You find yourself tidying up after him?" a reporter asked, to which William answered, "Yeah, a bit of tidying. He snores a lot as well. It keeps me up all night long." RELATED: Prince William Ignores Reporter When Asked If He's Read Prince Harry's Memoir "They'll think we're sharing a bed now," Harry chimed in, eliciting a laugh from the press pack. TRH Prince William and Prince Harry pose with their trainers (r) Daz Mitchell and (l) Craig Finch in front of a Griffin helicopter during a photocall at RAF Shawbury on June 18, 2009 in Shrewsbury, England. Chris Jackson/Getty Pointing to William's upcoming 27th birthday, another journalist asked if he expected to receive anything from Harry. "Basically, he's probably only literally just realized that you said that now and hasn't got me a present, but I wouldn't expect anything else anyways. I'll be lucky to get a card," William said. Elaborating on his ongoing pilot training, William said he was enjoying the instruction and excited about the future. "It's quite a long way to go before I'm finished, but I'm looking forward to the challenges ahead and flying. To me, I didn't join the forces to be molly-coddled or treated any different. And as far as I'm concerned, in my eyes, if Harry can do it, then I can do it," he said. "I don't really separate us in that much difference." Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! "And I think as a future head of the armed forces, it's really important that I at least get the opportunity to be credible and to do the job that I signed up for and to do the best I can. And that's all I ever wanted to do," he added. Prince Harry book PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE The book jacket of Prince Harry's memoir 'Spare' Sharing his side of the story in Spare, Prince Harry reflected, "While sharing that cottage we agreed to a rare joint interview, in an airplane hangar in Shawbury, during which Willy griped endlessly about my bad habits. Harry's a slob, he said. Harry snores." "I cleaned up after myself, and I didn't snore. Besides, our rooms were separated by thick walls, so even if I did snore there was no way he heard," he said. "The reporters were having fits of giggles about it all, but I cut in: Lies! Lies! That only made them laugh harder. Willy too." "I laughed as well, because we often bantered like that, but when I look back on it now, I can't help but wonder if there wasn't something else at play. I was training to get to the front lines, the same place Willy had been training to get, but the Palace had scuttled his plans," Harry wrote. "The Spare, sure, let him run around a battlefield like a chicken with his head cut off, if that's what he likes. But the Heir? No." Prince Harry cover rollout Jenna Jones Prince Harry covers this week's exclusive issue of PEOPLE, now on newsstands, where he opened up about what he hopes his family takes away from his memoir. "I want people to read my memoir and come to their own conclusions I don't want to tell anyone what to think of it, and that includes my family," Prince Harry says. "This book and its truths are in many ways a continuation of my own mental health journey. It's a raw account of my life the good, the bad and everything in between." From the cost of tuition to the course requirements, incoming students consider a lot of different factors when picking a college that is right for them. But that information isnt always clear or even accurate in some cases. Now a new watchdog report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is calling on the U.S. Department of Education to improve how it investigates and penalizes misleading colleges and universities. Education has not completed written procedures for investigating colleges and has not updated its written procedures for imposing penalties for substantial misrepresentation, the report said. Having complete and updated written procedures will help Education investigate the highest-risk colleges and impose appropriate penalties on those the agency finds to have engaged in substantial misrepresentation. Students we spoke with said information on cost especially can determine how a student prepares financially and getting wrong information can have long-lasting consequences. I feel like they can be more transparent, said Howard University student Sydney Kates. What youre thinking youre going to pay is right here and then you realize oh wait thats a lot more money than I thought. I dont have that kind of money. I didnt apply for this scholarship because I didnt think I needed to. Students and parents deserve to be told the truth about college programs and the Department of Education needs to be held accountable for telling that truth to students, said Melissa Emrey-Arras, a Director in the Education, Workforce and Income Security Team for GAO. The report points to concerns about colleges being misleading about things like the nature of their educational programs and the employability of their graduates. It said the Department of Education imposed penalties on 13 colleges for substantial misrepresentation in FY 2016-2021. If students are lied to, they may not be able to graduate from their programs, said Emrey-Arras. They may have trouble getting a job and they may have trouble paying back their student loans. Story continues In response to the report, the Department of Education agreed with the recommended changes and said it is working on updating and revising its policies for investigating and penalizing misleading colleges. Download the FOX13 Memphis app to receive alerts from breaking news in your neighborhood. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD Trending stories: The Moscow, Idaho, home where four University of Idaho students were killed on November 13. Nate Schweber/Insider I traveled to Moscow, Idaho, after Bryan Kohberger was charged with killing four students there. I knocked on doors across town, meeting locals wary of intense media scrutiny. I was called a "creep" by some and greeted warmly by others. "Tell them it was a Sasquatch." That was a silver-haired Moscow man's advice for what his friend should say to the next out-of-town journalist asking about the quadruple homicide in November. I traveled to Moscow, Idaho, for the first time after the December 30 arrest of Bryan Kohberger, 28, on charges of first-degree murder. Kohberger studied criminology at Washington State University in neighboring Pullman, Washington. Besides watching him grind his jaw during two brief court appearances, I knocked on doors and visited business all around trying to learn anything I could about him. I met nerve-rattled people weary and wary of the intense media scrutiny. "It's crazy watching world news and seeing Moscow mentioned with Moscow," said grocer John Connelly, 35, a native who alternated his pronunciations between "oh" and "ow." Something recurrent struck me. I had read that the last murder in Moscow was in 2015. In conversation, numerous people told me unprompted exactly where they were when it happened. Downtown buying a birthday card. In the kitchen fixing lunch. At a playground with friends. I realized how viscerally people would always remember the stabbings of the four shining University of Idaho students. Missoula, Montana, another Pacific Northwest college town, is where I was born and raised. It made me relate to Moscow, with its walkable downtown of old brick buildings surrounded by some of the West's great scenery. The Palouse region is a hilly dreamscape, contour-plowed for wheat, vermiculited with snow, and specked with red barns. In the distances rise blue-forested mountains. The sunsets go on forever. The region around Moscow is a hilly dreamscape. Nate Schweber/Insider My search for details put me into some uncomfortable situations. Seeing reports that Kohberger was a vegan who drank craft beer, I asked around at Rants & Raves Brewery in Moscow, which serves a filling vegan burger. By chance, a pair of traveling comics were on, and I craved some levity. The show was disrupted by the misogynistic shoutings of a marijuana farmer who proclaimed himself "a 27-year-old incel" because no woman could meet his standards. When I texted about this event to a dear college friend living in Boise, she replied: "North Idaho is a WEIRD place." Story continues Orofino native and pawn shop owner Sid Ulery, 69, pulled open his camouflage jacket, Superman-style, to make sure I saw the handgun strapped to his chest. We were talking about how Kohberger was from Pennsylvania. "That's the reason we try to keep things as reclusive as we do," Ulery said, his eyes filling with tears. "We don't like it tainted. Anything that comes in from the outside is." Bad feelings about outside scrutiny were acute in the apartment-packed neighborhood around the victims' house near campus. Some neighbors described it as a destination for cliquish and prickly fraternity brothers and sorority sisters. I've been a professional street reporter for 18 years and have never been called "creep," "creeper," and "gross" as much as when I canvassed this area. The Corner Club bar, a Moscow favorite since 1948. Nate Schweber/Insider But there were funny encounters where I heard a familiar resilience and irreverence. When I asked Kate Miller, 30, proprietor of a Clarkston, Washington, coffee stand, her reaction to security cameras showing Kohberger close to her on the day of the murders, she was coolly philosophical. "If you work long enough in customer service," she said, "statistics show you have a good percent chance of meeting a serial killer." In the windowless Corner Club, a Moscow favorite since 1948, where two of the victims socialized, a bartender told me the name of its popular pink cocktail served in a large plastic tumblers was "The Kinda Fruity." But after 2007 it was renamed for ultraconservative Idaho Senator Larry Craig. My "Larry Craig" cocktail. Nate Schweber/Insider When I asked teenage members of Christ's Church if they now think Moscow is more dangerous, one young man answered yes. "We saw a bull moose downtown," he said. My beer at Slice Taphouse. Nate Schweber/Insider All of us warmed ourselves around a crackling wood fire that burns on clear nights outside Slice Taphouse just off Main Street. At closing time, an employee locking up invited me to stay as long as I pleased, throw more wood on the fire, and leave it to burn itself out. Faith in humanity? It's still in Moscow. Pronounced with an "oh." Read the original article on Insider The search and rescue operation in Dnipro at the site of the house destroyed by Russia lasted 69 hours The death toll from the deadly missile strike on Jan. 14 now stands at 44 killed, including five children, Read also: SBU identifies Russian soldiers involved in deadly Jan. 14 attack in Dnipro After 69 hours of rescue work around the clock, 39 residents of the building were rescued from the rubble, including six children. A total of 79 people were injured in the missile strike, including 16 children. Deputy Head of the Presidents Office Kyrylo Tymoshenko said 47 missing persons reports were received by the authorities. Of these, 23 were identified among the dead, while another four of them were found staying with relatives or being treated in hospital. Read also: On Jan. 14, a Russian supersonic cruise missile struck the multi-storey building with about 1,700 residents in Dnipro. Two apartment blocks were completely ruined in the attack with dozens of people trapped under the rubble. About 200 apartments were damaged or destroyed, according to the presidential office. Read also: Russia may have hundreds more Kh-22 missiles like the one used in Dnipro, Ukrainian Air Force says The people who have lost their homes were provided with housing. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Rev. Bernice King. Paras Griffin/Getty Images Politicians may like to quote Martin Luther King Jr., his youngest daughter, the Rev. Bernice King, said on Monday, but they aren't actually doing the work necessary to bring about the change he sought. "We love to quote King in and around the holiday, but then we refuse to live King 365 days of the year," she said during an address at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where her father was once a pastor. King said she is "exhausted, exasperated, and, frankly, disappointed" to hear elected officials repeat her father's words but "not set aside politics" to end police brutality and voter suppression. "He was God's prophet sent to this nation and even the world to guide us and forewarn us," she said. "A prophetic word calls for an inconvenience because it challenges us to change our hearts, our minds, and our behavior. Dr. King, the inconvenient King, puts some demands on us to change our ways." Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), who leads the Ebenezer Baptist Church and is Georgia's first Black senator, said Martin Luther King Jr. was both a civil rights and faith leader, and "faith was the foundation upon which he did everything he did. You don't face down dogs and water hoses because you read Nietzsche or Niebuhr. You gotta tap into that thing, that God he said he met anew in Montgomery when someone threatened to bomb his house and kill his wife and his new child. He left the comfort of a filter that made the whole world his parish," and his faith became "the creative weapon of love and nonviolence." Warnock was born in 1969, the year after King was assassinated. He said the two senators representing Georgia at the time were segregationists, with one loving "the Negro" as long as he was "in his place at the back door." There has been progress, though, and "because of what Dr. King and because of what you did ... I now sit in his seat," Warnock said. You may also like What is Blue Monday? Russia's weaponization of oil and gas exports to neuter Europe on Ukraine is backfiring badly Why are people angry about the new monument honoring MLK and Coretta Scott King's love story? "Rikers: An Oral History," by Graham Rayman and Reuven Blau (Random House) In these times, when people disagree about seemingly everything, just about everyone interviewed for this book concurs on the thesis: the New York City jails on Rikers Island stand as a failure in every way. For inmates, a stay at Rikers can be harrowing. Inmate-on-inmate attacks are common a buck fifty in Rikers parlance is a razor slash that requires 150 stitches to close. How do blades get in? The same way drugs, phones and weapons infiltrate visitors, incoming inmates and friendly guards. Gangs often emerge as the governance inside. Rats, mice and roaches infest the place. The smells of vomit, body odor, urine and feces are pervasive. Medical care is uneven at best. The mentally ill estimated to be 40 percent of the jail population suffer the most, preyed on by the stronger inmates and often relegated to solitary confinement. This book presents the experiences of inmates, staff, lawyers and groups who work with those incarcerated at Rikers. Some held there plead guilty, even if they are innocent, just to get out of the nightmare, said Soffiyah Elijah, executive director of the Alliance of Families for Justice. Staff, up to and including wardens, offer some of the most compelling critiques. A corrections officer the authors say those staffers hate the term guard said he beat an inmate for an hour, including flushing the toilet while holding the inmates head in the bowl all because the inmate disrespected him. At 425 pages, the sheer number of voices in the book sometimes become repetitive and the speakers sometimes are incoherent. Nonetheless, the assembly of testimony presents a powerful portrait of a failed institution. The city had said it plans to close the facility by 2027. Will the book foster some original thinking on what to do with people arrested, awaiting trial, unable to raise bail, serving sentences for relatively minor crimes or convicted of serious crimes and not yet transferred to state prison? Story continues Political will certainly seems missing in action. Perhaps the most telling conclusion, and call to action, comes early on in the book: No one comes out of Rikers better than they entered. You internalize the dehumanization (and) thats how you treat other people, said Eddie Rosario, who spent part of 1990 at Rikers. Youre never the same person again. Photo: The Canadian Press European Parliament President Roberta Metsola. Senior members of the European Unions parliament conceded Tuesday that a corruption scandal ravaging the assemblys reputation could have happened to any political group, as Belgian prosecutors focus on lawmakers and an assistant from the main center-left bloc. The leaders of a number of political groups in the European Parliament said that corruption inside the house the EUs only publicly-elected institution is almost impossible to stop, particularly if its carried out by a few determined members with criminal intent. German lawmaker Manfred Weber, leader of the conservative European Peoples Party (EPP) parliaments largest bloc said the cash-for-influence affair has caused huge damage for the reputation of this house. He insisted, however, that this scandal is not a party political issue. So far, six people are suspected of links to a crime gang paid by Qatar and Morocco to influence parliamentary decisions. Both countries reject the allegations. The accused include Greek Socialist and Democrats lawmaker Eva Kaili and her boyfriend Francesco Giorgi, an assistant to another S&D member. The S&D forms the second biggest group in the 705-seat assembly. Prosecutors want the parliamentary immunity of two group lawmakers lifted. Others have resigned from senior posts. A long-serving political advisor was also suspended over serious misconduct related to the ongoing judicial investigation. Parliament President Roberta Metsola has unveiled an overhaul of the assemblys rules, aiming to prevent former lawmakers from lobbying on behalf of businesses or governments soon after they leave office and to make publicly available the names of current members who violate the code. Metsola also seeks tougher controls on all lobbyists and the public listing of any meetings that lawmakers may have with them. Spot checks would be introduced on lawmakers financial disclosures and their links to any country outside the 27-nation EU. But its unclear whether the reforms can change old, bad habits. Current rules are already routinely ignored. Cases of foreign funded travel continue without members declaring the paid trips, and few lawmakers signal when they are given gifts worth more than 150 euros ($163), as they must do. There is a lot of readiness when there are a lot of journalists looking at what is happening, but very quickly, when the media attention has gone, also the willingness to implement reforms is gone, Greens group leader Terry Reintke told reporters in Strasbourg, France. Manon Aubry, leader of the far-left group known as The Left, acknowledged that any new rules meant to discourage offenders must be enforced. Without a stick, there will be deputies who continue to sell themselves and to sell democracy, she said. In any case, Reintke said, curbing influence-peddling by a determined few is extremely difficult. Things like what we have seen with Eva Kaili even when you have more transparency if you have this amount of criminal energy you probably cannot 100% prevent them from happening, she said. Kaili was removed as parliament vice president last month after she was jailed on suspicion of corruption, money laundering and membership of a criminal organization. The S&D has nominated Luxembourg lawmaker Marc Angel to replace her. A vote will be held on the matter on Wednesday. The Greens will not support him. Theyre promoting French member Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield instead. So far, opposition groups have mostly avoided taking cheap shots at the S&D, which is in the process of launching an independent inquiry. Lawmakers, advisors and parliament insiders concede that the corruption scandal the biggest to hit the EU could well have struck any party. Nonetheless, the group does have a special responsibility to take action. The Socialists must be more committed to solve the problem and that is not yet the case, said Weber, the EPP leader. Asked by The Associated Press whether she could have done more to stop S&D lawmakers from going astray, or voting against party policy, before the scandal came to light, group President Iratxe Garcia Perez said: Im sure we could have done something, but we need to know what it is that we could have done. The challenge, she said, is in distinguishing misconduct from legitimate duties. If were constantly second guessing why a person voted one way or not, because there might be some possible link to corruption, then our work becomes impossible, Garcia said. President Metsola hopes to have the new access and lobbying rules in place within a month. (Reuters) - Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said late on Monday that British Foreign Minister James Cleverly, who has been sanctioned by Moscow over Ukraine, is yet to answer for his support of Kyiv. Cleverly said on Monday he had been sanctioned by the Russian government and added that if that were the price for supporting Ukraine - he was happy to be sanctioned. "Dear James, you don't understand," Zakharova wrote on her Telegram messaging app. "This is for the anti-Russian course and personal sanctions. But you still have to answer for the support of the Kyiv regime and neo-Nazism." Russia framed its invasion of Ukraine as a battle against Nazism but Kyiv and its allies say this is a lie used to justify an unprovoked, imperialist land grab. Britain said on Saturday it would send 14 of its Challenger 2 main battle tanks as well as other advanced artillery support in the coming weeks in what could be the first shipment of Western-made tanks to Ukraine. (Reporting in Melbourne by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Michael Perry) Re. B. Moores letter Unhappy with Strata Act (Castanet, Jan. 16) I agree with B. Moore that (B.C. Premier) David Eby's knee-jerk reaction to put together ill-conceived changes to the Strata Property Act is a total disgrace. Nothing was mentioned during his tenure as housing minister, but then again he didn't do much anyways. Now as premier, he feels he can dictate whatever he wants. Basically his changes are outright trespassing on our private property, which I am sure is illegal if challenged in the courts. There was no chance for the Opposition to speak about the changes as the premier closed discussion and the Legislature for the Christmas break immediately after a quick vote on the changes. Where is our democracy going if this premier thinks he can thwart all discussion at will? I am sure he would argue vigorously if the City of Vancouver decided to reduce their carbon footprint by creating a community garbage bin on his wide driveway for the neighbourhood to use in an effort to reduce the multiple bins lined up on the streets. Our 16-unit self-managed townhouse strata has been around for 28 years. All current and previous residents wanted to live here because it is a quiet retirement community. Everyone pitches in to help with maintenance. Opening up our complex to a Lower Mainland investor who would find our $500,000 and less units very desirable as rental units will create a major headache for all of us. Renters do not have any interest in maintaining the property. The landlord could care less as any losses are tax deductible. We then would have to apply to Residential Tenancy Branch. which has long been known for slow, meaningless action against renters. Thank you very much Mr. Eby. Does the government even care? I wrote to the newly appointed parliamentary secretary for Seniors Services and Long-Term Care, who happens to be the MLA for Vernon-Monashee, and she could care less about this issue her government has created for seniors throughout the province. I guess as an up and comer, she doesn't want to rock the boat. I have also written to the premier's office and the new housing minister's office twice. You guessed it, no acknowledgement or reply. Total arrogance. We have just had our special meeting to approve the creation of a 55-plus bylaw to protect our age limit. It is now at the lawyers for processing. However, we cannot stop rentals, so that only prevents one aspect of the problems. We have also passed a motion to create a no short-term rental bylaw to prevent AirBnB's operating in our complex. It should be noted, the housing minister said the government did not think the 55-plus bylaws would be that prevalent in the community, as most complexes would not be able to muster the 75% approval to make the change. Is a class action law suit needed to force the government to retract their aggressive changes to the Strata Property Act? Are the housing minister and the premier prepared to attend a public meeting in the Okanagan to listen to the people? I doubt it, as we would not be able to provide the executive lunches and dinners that a meeting with rich landlords in the Lower Mainland could provide them. It is often said people have a very low respect for our elected officials. This is one example of why we feel that way. L. Thachuk, Armstrong Anthony Scaramucci detailed his close relationship with former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, his family, and how he felt after the extent of the FTX collapse came to light during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos. "I had a close relationship with [Sam Bankman-Fried], I considered him a friend," Scaramucci said during Casper Labs Blockchain Hub event. "So I have to tell you that the betrayal and fraudit's bad on a lot of different levels. It certainly hurt me reputationally." While getting to know Bankman-Fried, Scaramucci said he also got to know his father, who was a tenured professor at Stanford Law School, and worked on a charity with Bankman-Frieds aunt. He also recalled traveling to Miami with Bankman-Fried and Shark Tanks Kevin OLeary, a former FTX spokesman, to host a mock Shark Tank for children. I felt close to him, and I felt close to his family, he said. Scaramucci Backs Former FTX US Execs New Crypto Venture: Report Scaramucci, co-founder and managing partner of investment management firm SkyBridge Capital, told the audience that while he did not want to call FTX out for fraud in the past, he felt comfortable doing so now. If anybody here has read Dante Alighieris Inferno, you know what the ninth circle of Hell is reserved for, Scaramucci said. Its for the betrayal of a friend who lives with the devilthe ninth circle of hell on the frozen lake, he said. Despite the dark imagery, Scaramucci said that Bankman-Fried's actions don't mean the end of blockchain or crypto. "That's why we have blockchain and crypto, because we're trying to create a decentralized situation where we don't have to like or trust each other," he said. "We can transact with each other in a way where the technology basically sanctifies." "I am not going to stop the risk taking," he added, wrapping up the panel that was titled, "Not for the Faint of Heart: Reflecting on Decades of Wins, Losses, Bulls & Bears." Story continues SkyBridge's Scaramucci to SBF: 'Tell the Truth' On November 11, 2022, FTX and several of its subsidiaries filed for bankruptcy, days after a bank run on its FTT token. The following month, Bankman-Fried was arrested in the Bahamas and extradited to the United States to face eight conspiracy counts. Before his arrest, Bankman-Fried made several appearances, including an interview with New York Times columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin at the 2022 Deal Book Summitagainst his attorney's wishesduring which he attempted to explain the situation and apologize. "I thought Sam was the Mark Zuckerberg of crypto, I did not think he was the Bernie Madoff of crypto," Scaramucci said. "I got it wrong." Before the collapse of FTX, Bankman-Fried offered bailouts to several crypto firms as the 2022 crypto winter dragged on. "The reason that I have been doing it, frankly, is because it doesn't seem clear to me that there are others who are stepping up and doing that," Bankman-Fried said during an interview on the Decrypt GM Podcast. In September 2022, two months before FTX filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, FTX Ventures bought a 30% stake in Scaramucci's SkyBridge Capital, worth around $45 million. At the time, Scaramucci's tone was more amicable towards the former billionaire, who now faces life in prison if found guilty on all charges. "Sam is a visionary who has built incredible businesses that are synergistic with the future of SkyBridge," Scaramucci said at the time. (Bloomberg) -- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said hes in talks with allies over potentially supplying heavy tanks to Ukraine, but cautioned that any announcements would have to come in lockstep with others. Most Read from Bloomberg I am always thinking about the situation, Scholz said in an interview on Tuesday with Bloomberg News Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait. We always act together with our allies and friends we never go alone. Scholz has been under pressure from allies to send German-made heavy Leopard battle tanks to Kyiv in the event that fighting intensifies in the spring. The chancellor has been criticized for his cautiousness as he held back from supplying heavy weapons, arguing that would risk provoking Russian President Vladimir Putin into escalating his conflict in Ukraine. The chancellor won some respite earlier this month with an agreement to send 40 Marder combat vehicles and a Patriot air-defense system to Ukraine as part of a joint announcement with the US, yet the calls for more powerful Leopard tanks have continued. Read More: Scholz Sees Germany Riding Out War in Ukraine Without Recession We are supporting Ukraine for as long as necessary with all the means that we can use, Scholz said, adding that the aim is to avoid that this is going to be a war between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The UK on Saturday became the first country to confirm it will send its battle tanks to Ukraine, and European officials who deal with Berlin have said they expect Germany to follow suit in the near future. The government is expected to make a decision on tanks ahead of a meeting of senior defense officials from allied nations on Friday at the US airbase in Ramstein, Germany. Story continues Russias Move Scholz emphasized that Russia must withdraw its troops from Ukraine in order for any negotiations to happen, and that Germany would support Kyiv for as long as necessary. I am very happy that the Ukrainian president is ready for peace, Scholz said. Russia has to do something which they are as far as we see not ready to do and this is withdrawing troops we are waiting for that. Since Russia invaded Ukraine last year, the German chancellor abandoned Berlins postwar policy of not sending lethal weapons into combat zones and earmarked 100 billion euros ($108 billion) to modernize the armed forces on top of an increase in annual defense spending that is set to reach NATOs target of 2% of GDP next year. The German government is in position to unlock dozens of German-made Leopard tanks for Ukraine, which could significantly boost Kyivs capabilities. Twelve other European countries have Leopards in their arsenals, but they need Berlins approval before they can transfer the tanks. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Washington Post Shannon Smith had been to Bali before, but it was her first trip back since the pandemic. This time, the Cairns, Australia, resident had come to Indonesia's "Island of the Gods" for a work conference in Nusa Dua, a resort hub at Bali's southern tip. While bouncing between Nusa Dua and popular tourist areas such as Kuta and Seminyak, Smith, who works in hotel management, noticed a few changes. There was more traffic on the roads, fewer visitors from Asia and more Russians. But the Balinese people Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) are set to test each others mettle as they battle over the debt limit, government funding and the 2024 election. The two leaders dont have much of a personal relationship, according to congressional aides and strategists, and their working relationship is off to a rocky start, with Schumer accusing McCarthy and his House GOP colleagues of pushing an extreme agenda that would undercut womens health care and cut Medicare and Social Security benefits. Despite the shots, Schumer is hoping to develop enough rapport with McCarthy to avoid a government shutdown and to pass a debt ceiling hike that would prevent a downgrading of the nations credit rating or worse. Bigger legislative deals are much less likely, as is a warmer working relationship. Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Morning Report newsletter Theres been no reason up until now for them to have a relationship, said Rodell Mollineau, a Democratic strategist and former aide to the late Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). He noted that it doesnt help McCarthy with his own GOP conference to be compromising with Schumer. So openly and publicly having a good relationship with Schumer doesnt help him, Mollineau said. McCarthy has developed a back channel relationship of sorts with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), according to GOP aides. McCarthy and McConnell dont often make public appearances together, but aides say they have a good relationship and meet regularly. A GOP leadership aide told The Hill the two leaders try to meet at least once every congressional work period and rotate meetings between their two offices, using a private hallway between the two chambers. McConnell and McCarthy have repeatedly split in public over high-profile bills, such as the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, legislation to address gun violence after the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, a $280 billion bill to help the domestic semi-conductor industry, and the year-end $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package. Story continues McConnell voted for all four major bills while McCarthy voted against all of them. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) are seen during a ceremony on Tuesday, December 6, 2022 to present Congressional Gold Medals to police officers who served during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. (Greg Nash) McCarthys relationship with Schumer will be far more complicated in the 118th Congress because the new Speaker doesnt have the same freedom he had in 2021 and 2022 to vote against bipartisan and must-pass bills. Its always a balancing act when different parties control different chamber. Obviously there will be some things they have to get done, and thats a three-way relationship with President Biden, as well, said Mike Lux, a Democratic strategist. If McCarthy refuses to put legislation on the House floor to raise the debt limit or fund the government that can also get 60 votes to pass the Senate, it could lead to a default or shutdown. The problem for McCarthy is that if he brings a compromise bill to the House floor, it could trigger a snap vote on whether he remains as Speaker. McCarthy agreed to a rules package that allows just one conservative to force a vote on a new Speaker. I think McCarthy is going to be extremely dysfunctional because his caucus is extremely dysfunctional and the [House] rules package is ridiculous, Lux said. Democrats are going to need to press on getting the things done that have to get done such as raising the debt limit and funding government and we cant expect to get done many other things. McCarthy in a television interview Sunday pointed out that the new House GOP majority has already passed legislation, such as a bill to cancel $72 billion in funding to hire new Internal Revenue Service agents and beef up the agencys auditing power. McCarthy told Foxs Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo that he would like to see Senate Democrats from Republican-leaning states put pressure on their leadership to bring the House-passed legislation to the Senate floor for a vote. He called on Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who are up for re-election next year, and others who say theyre moderates to work with the House. Schumer has shown an ability to partner with Republicans. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., walks through Statuary Hall for final passage of the Republican tax reform bill, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) The Democratic leader worked with Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), who at the time was the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, to introduce the Endless Frontier Act in 2020, which later became the basis for last years $280 billion Chips and Science Act. Schumer told CNN in an interview Friday that he hopes the new House GOP majority will mellow over the next few months and mainstream Republicans in the lower chamber will look to strike deals with Senate Democrats and the White House. I dont want to have them just investigate and pass the crazy bills led by a few extremists, he said. I do believe not in the next two weeks but in the next few months many of the mainstream Republicans when you talk to them privately, they despise what the MAGA folks have done, will come back and that gives McCarthy some ability to come back and negotiate and get some real things done for the American people. At the same time, Schumer is counting on the most conservative members of the House to overplay their hands, giving his party plenty of material to use in the 2024 elections. Senate Democrats face a difficult map in that cycle. Accordingly, Schumer is mixing entreaties for common ground with sharp attacks portraying the House GOP conference as controlled by extreme conservative ideologues. Unfortunately, what weve seen this week from House Republicans is more chaos and ultra MAGA proposals, he write in a Dear Colleague letter circulated on Friday. Schumer, Jeffries team takes shape Schumer, Jeffries call on MAGA Republicans to avoid default McCarthy weighs in on defense spending cuts amid GOP divisions I want to work with Speaker McCarthy to get things done, but so far, House Republicans have been focused on delivering for wealthy special interests and the extreme win of their party, he wrote. Some House Republicans are talking about increasing the age for when future Social Security and Medicare benefits kick in as well as changing benefits for beneficiaries in their early 50s and younger. Democratic strategists say that will help Biden and Democrats up for reelection in tough states, such as Sens. Jon Tester (Mont.), Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Sherrod Brown (Ohio), in 2024. Democratic strategists say Schumer and Biden are relying on the House GOP providing them plenty of political ammo heading into the presidential election. The House Republicans are going to pass some crazy things on their side, things that are outside the mainstream, things that will offend independent voters, different constituencies and I think thats the way Democrats will play up the MAGA extremism, Mollineau said. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., speaks during New York Gov. Kathy Hochuls inauguration ceremony, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink) Schumer pledged in his letter to colleagues that Senate Democrats will be a firewall against House Republican extremism, pointing to the House GOPs formation of a new powerful Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. The Democratic leader argued the panel will undermine and threaten law enforcement and shows theyre more interested in defending Jan. 6th insurrectionists and carrying water for the disgraced former president than protecting democracy, referring to former President Trump. Democratic strategists say, however, that Schumer and Senate Democratic committee chairmen have limited power to counter House GOP investigations of the Biden administration other than to invite Cabinet officials to the Senate to tell their side of the story. Senate Democrats can help the administration fight back against the House GOP by utilizing hearings with Cabinet secretaries and administration officials to refute the narratives coming from the Republicans. Every hearing will be an opportunity for Senate Democrats to help the White House set the record straight, said Matt House, a Democratic strategist and former senior aide to Schumer. Schumer, however, hasnt said whether he expects Democratic-controlled Senate committees to take up investigations into Trumps involvement in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol or his personal business dealings. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Young Tibetan entrepreneurs committed to developing hometown People's Daily Online) 07:50, January 17, 2023 Suonanmu Cairang holds a meeting with his team. (Photo/Chinanews.com) "The reason why I started a business is not to make big money, but to promote the development of my hometown based on the new development philosophy". After graduating from college in Chongqing, Suonanmu Cairang, a Tibetan man, returned to his hometown in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province to start a business instead of working at his college. Before he started his business, he prepared by working in local internet, finance and tax companies. In 2017, he received investment by a Fortune 500 company to set up a technology enterprise in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, which marked the start of his business journey. He brought his team with him to several cities and counties to carry out promotion work and expand the market. His enterprise then became the first Alibaba cooperative service provider in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. "The government's support is crucial to innovation and entrepreneurship," he said. Governments at all levels in China have introduced many preferential policies for small and micro enterprises. With the help of the local government, his team enjoyed three years of not having to pay rent. As a member of the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Youth Chamber of Commerce, interpretation of taxation and other related laws and policies are provided to help his enterprise. His enterprise has become the service provider of intelligent offices for many government departments and enterprises in the prefecture, and received a number of accolades. Gannan Youth Chamber of Commerce helps students in need. (Photo/Chinanews.com) Combining Gannan culture with products to showcase the beauty of Tibetan culture from a modern perspective was the original aspiration for Tibetan Ning Shaoxian when he created the cultural and creative brand BOOJIA. This post-90s entrepreneur and his team designed a wide range of products such as Tibetan lithographs, cultural and creative lipstick, backpacks with Tibetan characteristics, and Tibetan postcards to popularize Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Ning is also the director of the Youth Chamber of Commerce in the prefecture, which was founded in December 2018, a platform that offers resource exchanges and free consultations to young entrepreneurs and enterprises. In recent years, the Youth Chamber of Commerce has taken on its social responsibilities, helping in poverty alleviation and setting up a long-term student aid foundation at a local primary school. Ning hopes that all young entrepreneurs can join hands and pool their wisdom, and work together to realize their entrepreneurial dreams. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Du Mingming) Photo: The Canadian Press Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tours the Vital Metals rare earth elements processing plant in Saskatoon during a media event on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says the Prime Minister's Office has apologized for leaving him off the invite list. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office has apologized for not informing him about a visit to the province this week. Trudeau was in Saskatoon on Monday to tour a rare earth elements processing plant along with the city's mayor, Charlie Clark. The premier was not on the invite list. Moe complained on Twitter, calling the snub "disappointing" since the federal and provincial governments see eye-to-eye on the development of critical and rare earth minerals. "The province was left off the list for reasons I don't know. Are my feelings hurt by this? No, certainly not. But this is a missed opportunity," he said Monday. Moe told reporters in Regina that he wanted to "briefly" speak with Trudeau about further investments on rare earth elements in Saskatchewan and net-zero emissions strategies for processing plants. Trudeau's office later apologized for not informing him of the visit to the province ahead of time, the premier said. When asked about the tweet on Monday, Trudeau said there have been many opportunities to make announcements with Moe over the years. A spokeswoman for the Prime Minister's Office said Tuesday they have "nothing further to add." Moe said he found out Trudeau was visiting Vital Metals in Saskatoon through the media on Monday morning, and that he would have attended the tour if he was invited. "I got up and read the newspaper and was like, 'Whoa'," Moe said. "When I go to Ottawa, I let the prime minister know I'm going to be in Ottawa. He can do the same." Critical minerals were among the issues Trudeau, U.S. President Joe Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador discussed during a summit last week in Mexico. Moe said that Trudeau "likely would have been informed" about a discussion between Saskatchewan and the U.S. on the same topic. In December, Moe traveled to Washington, D.C., and met with several members of the Biden administration to discuss North American energy security. Moe called the lack of co-operation a "missed opportunity" and said that "the perception of a provincial government and federal government not getting along isn't the way it should be." Ottawa has signalled it wants Canada to become a global competitor in the market for rare earth elements used in products such as cell phones, televisions, computers, automobiles, wind turbines and jet aircrafts. Canada has some of the largest known reserves of such metals in the world, said Natural Resources Canada, many of which are found in Saskatchewan. China is currently the world's largest producer of rare earth elements, accounting for almost 60 per cent of global annual production, with most of the remaining 40 per cent shared between the U.S., Myanmar, Australia and Madagascar, the department said. The premier wasn't the only one who described being snubbed by Trudeau's Saskatchewan visit on Monday. The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations said it was dismayed that Trudeau did not visit Star Blanket Cree Nation, which reported last week that it found more than 2,000 anomalies in the ground near a former residential school site, including what is believed to be a fragment of a child's jawbone. Trudeau said he spoke with the First Nation's chief on Friday to offer support from the federal government as the community seeks "healing and closure." MUNCIE, Ind. U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., visited Monday with area GOP officials at Republican headquarters in Muncie, talking about the future, including his effort to be elected Indiana governor in 2024. Braun met with elected Republicans from Delaware, Madison and Henry counties Monday afternoon to talk about ongoing business in the U.S. Senate and listen to concerns as he campaigns to be elected governor as Gov. Eric Holcomb ends his second term next year. Braun filed paperwork to run for governor in November. Two other Republicans have already announced a run to become Indiana's chief executive in 2024, including Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and Fort Wayne businessman Eric Doden. Holcomb cannot run for governor again due to term limits. He has been mentioned as a likely candidate for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Braun. Mayor Dan Ridenour (left) and Council Member Ro Selvey (center) listen as U.S. Senator Mike Braun (right) talks about issues facing the U.S. Senate. Braun, R-Indiana, visited Muncie Monday as his campaign for Indiana Governor in 2024 gets underway in earnest. Braun told the Star Press that his campaign for governor already has about the same amount of money as his two opponents. Earlier this month, Crouch said she has $3.1 million so far for her run. Braun's campaign reported $2.9 million and the Doden campaign reported $2.8 million. Braun said he can use funds collected when he was considered a likely candidate for re-election to the Senate instead in his run for governor. "I believe in term limits," Braun said of his decision to to not seek a second term. He had planned to seek re-election to the Senate and serve one more term, but said he thinks he can accomplish more as governor than dealing with the way government works in Washington, D.C. "You have to ask yourself where would your time be better spent," he said. He said it takes "political backbone" to stand up and even address some issues in Washington. Important matters, such as fixing problems with Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, don't get properly dealt with because the slightest mention of reform results in the opposition saying you are taking these things away, when that is not the case. Braun said the problems can be fixed. Washington just "has to be run and managed better." Story continues The businessman from Jasper built a business distributing auto parts. He owns Meyer Distributing, which is operated by his children, but "they come to me for advice" every so often. The company now employs about 1,500 people. He began his political career as a school board member. It's important that issues regarding education, including what will be taught in schools, be managed at the state level, he said. There are a number of people interested in replacing Braun in the U.S. Senate. In addition to Gov. Holcomb, who has not said if he will run, U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., said Tuesday he was running for Braun's spot. Banks is a conservative who represents much of Northeast Indiana. U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., has expressed an interest is running for the U.S. Senate. She represents much of East Central Indiana, including Muncie. This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Sen. Braun huddles with local GOP as bid for governor gains traction Jan. 16CHEYENNE In hopes of addressing health care provider shortages and increasing access to mental health services, health care advocates pushed for two compact bills to move forward. They were among the majority of stakeholders to testify Monday in the Senate Labor, Health and Social Services Committee, which worked on the two pieces of legislation throughout the morning. Both bills passed the committee 3-2, with Laramie County Republican Sens. Lynn Hutchings and Anthony Bouchard voting no. Senate File 10 was the first bill considered, and it is designed to increase the number of licensed professional counselors who can practice in-state. Wyoming would enter into an agreement with 16 other states, and counselors could "exercise multistate licensure privilege in other states" that are part of the compact. This would apply to both in-person and telehealth care. "Our professional counselors would not bring this to you if they didn't feel confident that it was good for Wyoming, and good for our people," said Vicki Swenson, a member of the Wyoming National Alliance on Mental Illness Board. Health care advocates said the compact would attract more counselors to the state, as well as give rural health care providers the opportunity to stay. Wyoming Association of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers Executive Director Andi Summerville told lawmakers that rural health care providers are difficult to retain because they can't build a thriving private practice in a very small area, and the "burden of getting licenses in other states to be able to do telehealth sometimes is prohibitive." "This would allow some of those therapists in those rural communities to be able to provide services out of state and build out that practice," she said. "That is a huge benefit for our community mental health centers to be able to actually have physical folks in those communities." Story continues AARP Wyoming Director Tom Lacock also argued in support of the bill, and said the compact maintains the rights of the state's existing mental health licensure boards and the Legislature's power to determine who is able to practice, while also allowing for multiple delivery methods. "For our members, access to care through telehealth means choices and independence, from issues such as weather, transportation or lack of providers in their own communities," he said. "We know the nation's older Americans have taken to telehealth visits, which previously only reimbursed when the visit originated from another physician's office." While all of the testimony on the bill was positive and came from a variety of health care organizations, there were still concerns voiced by Hutchings and Bouchard. "One of the things I find troubling is that this is not like a compact where we're bringing in mechanics to fix cars, doctors or dentists to work on teeth. This is psychology," Hutchings said. "This is dealing with our minds and the souls of the people in Wyoming. And as guardians of the people's liberties and their monies, and what we set forth as laws, it's important to me to do the right thing." Hutchings said entering the compact with "God knows how many other states," who may be more liberal-minded or have unique issues, would give them the power to make rules and create a bylaw. Wyoming Counseling Association representative Lindsay Simineo and Sen. Stephan Pappas, R-Cheyenne, testified that this would not be the case. Counselors who practiced in Wyoming would have to follow the state's rules and statutes. "We believe it increases public safety for two reasons," said Simineo. "It lets those within the compact be on notice of what our state statutes are, and what our rules are, as well as we get to participate in that interstate database. We get to know who's in the database, who's practicing where and if there are any bad actors." Pappas assured Hutchings that passing the bill would only clarify how the compact would operate and its limits, not change any Wyoming state law. He said he "didn't see where this fear of them being able to change something in Wyoming law is coming from. I just don't see that, because it can't happen." Similar concerns were introduced by Hutchings when it came to Senate File 26, the other compact bill passed by the Senate Labor Committee. Despite pushback from the two Cheyenne lawmakers, it passed, as well. The Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact authorizes psychologists not licensed in Wyoming to provide temporary in-person and telemedicine services for residents, which advocates argued would increase access to needed services. "This compact is not about standard of care. It's not about limiting access. It is about licensure, and increasing the opportunity for access to care, and as well as for providers to easily practice across state lines," said Tammy Perrault, a representative from the Department of Defense State Liaison Office. "And that's why we at the Department of Defense support this and all other compacts." Both bills passed the full Senate on first reading Monday and must get two more votes of support to move on to the House. Jasmine Hall is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's state government reporter. She can be reached by email at jhall@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3167. Follow her on Twitter @jasminerhphotos and on Instagram @jhrose25. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic asked Russia to stop recruiting mercenaries in Serbia for the war in Ukraine. Vucic criticized Russian websites and social media groups that publish recruitment ads by Russian state-backed mercenary company Wagner Group, a private army of tens of thousands which has played a prominent role in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Serbian legislature bans its citizens from participating in foreign conflicts. Why do you, from Wagner, call anyone from Serbia when you know that it is against our regulations? Vucic said on Serbian television on Jan. 17. The Ukrainian National Resistance Center, an organization operated by Ukraine's Special Forces, stated that Russia gets the bulk of its mercenaries from the Balkans. A key recruiter is Serbian sniper Deyan Berich, who has fought for Russia since 2014. Lauren Boebert has been lambasted for a tweet in which she quoted Dr Martin Luther King on the federal holiday honouring his legacy. The far-right Colorado Republican tweeted a quote from Dr King on Monday. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy, Ms Boebert tweeted, quoting Dr King from his 1963 book Strength to Love. On this day, we remember his incredible legacy and contributions to this great nation, she said. It didnt take long for Twitter users to slam Ms Boebert for invoking the memory of Dr King. Your party is literally seeking to ban the teaching of his speeches in public schools, Lauren, Charlotte Clymer wrote. They wont be able to remember his legacy when people like you want to ban schools from teaching children about it because you think it teaches them to hate America, Lauren, Twitter user Jax Persists wrote. Several Twitter users used quotes by Dr King to criticise the GOP lawmaker. A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death, Christian Christensen tweeted. Call it democracy, or call it democratic socialism, but there must be a better distribution of wealth within this country for all Gods children, he added in another quotation of the civil rights leader, also noting that Dr King said that the evils of capitalism are as real as the evils of militarism and evils of racism. The solution to poverty is to abolish it directly by a now widely discussed matter: the guaranteed incomeThe curse of poverty has no justification in our age. It is socially as cruel and blind as the practice of cannibalism at the dawn of civilization he added in a separate quote. Malynda Hale responded to Ms Boebert, tweeting that using his words to push your narrative that he would be vehemently against is really something. Story continues #MLK would be revolted by you, Alex Skolnick said. Either do a 180 and start behaving in a manner that reflects someone at least remotely aware of what he stood for (unlikely) or just stop. Full stop. I cant begin to imagine what King would have to say about your crimes against the people of this country, political science professor Cynthia Boaz tweeted. There is no way she doesnt see the sick irony, right? You shouldnt speak his name, much less use his words, North Carolina Democrat Erik Davis wrote. California Democratic US Representative Robert Garcia tweeted that it was insane to me that extremists like Lauren Boebert, who are trying to destroy the social safety net, are quoting Dr King. Truly one of the most get his name out of your mouth tweets on this day of MLK Jr remembrance, Jeff Yang wrote. Which member of your staff put this out for you? I find it very hard to believe you could ever possibly know anything that Dr Martin Luther King had to say. You stand for everything he fought against. Shame on you, Twitter user Sandra Dee Bonadonna said. The parents of a teenager say she graduated high school early and was headed out of state with her boyfriend to start a new life. Now the teen and her boyfriend are dead after police say a wrong-way driver hit and killed them. The teens mother told Channel 2s Tom Jones that it was a drunk driver who hit them. They were just starting their lives, Tracie Lester said about her daughter Rylee Lester, 18, and her boyfriend Sebastian Arnold, 23. Lester shared video that Rylee shot as she and Sebastian drove from Georgia headed for a new life in Oklahoma last week, Rylee loved imitating dogs and cats. Woof, woof, woof. Meow, she said to the camera as Sebastian urged her to do it again. The two were having so much fun as they traveled to their new homes. Four hours later both Rylee and Sebastian were dead. She was my baby, Rylees mom said through tears. TRENDING STORIES: Lester said Rylee graduated early from high school in December. Sebastian was in school in Oklahoma and Rylee was joining him to attend school there, too. As they drove through Arkansas on Interstate 40 around 2 a.m., tragedy struck. This driver on the expressway going the wrong direction, and he was drunk. And they hit head on, is what Lester said police told her. Rylee and Sebastian were killed. The driver was taken to the hospital. Rylees mother is urging drivers, if you have too much to drink, put your keys down. Call somebody. Theres no reason to get behind the wheel, Lester said. Rylees parents told Jones that their hearts are broken. Lester hangs on to the last words she said to her daughter before she left for Oklahoma. And I just remember telling her that shes all I ever wanted. That I was so proud of her, Lester said. Story continues Funeral services for Sebastian were held Wednesday. Rylees funeral is Friday. To help Rylees family with funeral expenses. CLICK HERE. IN OTHER NEWS: COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) Human rights groups urged Sri Lanka's government to release a prominent student activist who was arrested five months ago during anti-government protests triggered by the country's worst economic crisis and has been held without charges under harsh anti-terrorism laws. Wasantha Mudalige was brought before a magistrate in Colombo on Tuesday who ordered him to be remanded until Jan. 31. Seven human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, said that under the powerful Prevention of Terrorism Act, which has been used since 1979, courts routinely deny bail if it's opposed by the attorney general. Mudalige is the convenor of the Inter-University Students Federation and was involved in months of anti-government demonstrations last year. The protesters demanded wide-ranging reforms to resolve the economic crisis that caused severe shortages of essential goods, fuel and medicine after Sri Lanka defaulted on its massive debt. The protests culminated in the flight and resignation of then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa after thousands of people stormed his residence in July. His successor, Ranil Wickremesinghe, initiated talks with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout package that is contingent on reforms and debt restructuring. Wickremesinghe's government also gave sweeping powers to the authorities to crack down on the protests, arresting scores of activists. Rights groups say the military has sought to curtail protests through intimidation, surveillance and arbitrary arrests since Wickremesinghe took office in July. Many of those detained have been released on bail, but the rights group say authorities have used extraordinary powers to keep Mudalige in detention despite having produced no evidence of his involvement in terrorism. The groups said in a statement Monday that for much of the time, Mudalige has been held in solitary confinement and poor conditions, which can violate the prohibition on torture or other ill-treatment under international human rights law. Story continues Mudalige was also arrested and jailed for more than three months in 2021 after protesting for the right to free education. For months, opposition lawmakers, rights and student activists have been demanding the release of Mudalige and an end to the government crackdown on demonstrations linked to the economic crisis. Government spokespeople did not immediately return a call seeking comment on Mudalige. The rights groups also urged the government to repeal the anti-terror law, which allows for up to a year of detention without charge on the orders of the defense minister, a position currently held by Wickremesinghe. In March, the government introduced some reforms to the anti-terror law. However, opposition and rights groups called them cosmetic and said the law still allows the detention of suspects without warrants and the use of confessions obtained through torture. They say the law, introduced during the countrys civil war in 1979, has been widely abused, causing a large number of innocent people to spend years in prison without trial. Wickremesinghe was elected by Parliament to complete Rajapaksas term, which ends in 2024. He is unpopular because he is supported by lawmakers who are still backed by the Rajapaksa family, which ruled Sri Lanka for most of the past two decades. Many accuse Wickremesinghe of protecting the Rajapaksas, who are widely blamed for corruption and misrule that led to the crisis. Sri Lanka is effectively bankrupt and has suspended repayment of nearly $7 billion in foreign debt due this year pending the outcome of talks with the IMF. The countrys total foreign debt exceeds $51 billion, of which $28 billion has to be repaid by 2027. Photo: The Canadian Press A 69-year-old man has been convicted of a 2021 sexual assault that occurred while he was driving for Uber. The assault happened on an August 2021 trip from Vancouver to Coquitlam. During the drive, Mohammed Abu Sayed sexually assaulted his female passenger, who was 21 at the time. "(He) was given a six-month conditional sentence that includes two months house arrest, followed by 18 months of probation," states the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) in a press release. During his probation, he's banned from driving for any ride-share services, taxis, limousines, or similar services. He's also been banned from any place minors are prohibited by a liquor license, including bars, liquor stores, and pubs. Jan. 17Beginning on Wednesday, Hawaii lawmakers will start mulling what they think we need. Beginning on Wednesday, Hawaii lawmakers will start mulling what they think we need. Whatev. What we really want is to legalize some form of gambling in Hawaii. Oh, we can tsk-tsk here and tsk-tsk there. But most of us love to gamblefinancially, emotionally, pridefully. We bet on golf holes, on birth announcements ("who had 7 pounds, 2 ounces ?"), on Merrie Monarch performances. We drool, like Pavlov's dog, when we hear the "Wheel ... of ... Fortune " chant a minute after Joe Moore's sign-off. There's a reason the Omni de-boarding area at Harry Reid International Airport has rows of wheelchairs, like an Indy start. Retired local folks will find a way to Vegas to play the double-bonus poker machines. Free tacos are the reason University of Hawaii basketball fans root for that 62nd point. It starts when we're young ("last one in is a rotten egg ") and goes to get-off-my-lawn age. At my late mother's assisted-living complex, residents would play bingo for canned goods. Nothing like the humming of "We Are the Champions " while hoisting corned beef or Spam. Newspapers print point spreads. It was Football Fever, not just their rugged attractiveness, why the mugs of sports editor Curtis Murayama and columnist Dave Reardon appeared weekly during the fall. One of the most clipped features in a sports section is the NCAA Tournament bracket. Our need to wager is why a lifelong 49ers fan will root for a Ram and his fantasy-football points. It is why Auntie uses her mind's abacus to calculate the number of M &M's in a jar at the baby shower. It is why the okole-dialing uncle can figure out how to use his iPhone stopwatch to time the national anthem at the Super Bowl party. (Easy-money tip : Always bet the "over " when anybody from "The Voice " sings.) Legalizing gambling would create a symbiotic partnership. Winning participants would get a rush, the state would get moolah from taxes and the juice. The revenue could go toward public schools, the University of Hawaii, affordable-housing construction, assisting the homeless, patching our streets ... Story continues Constituents are reasonable people, and we know there should be limits. While the two lawmakers propose making sports betting and poker legal on Oahu, this is a way to make it work :Gambling in Hawaii should be limited to sports betting. While lotteries and scratch-off could produce more revenue for the state, the number of winners would be lower. Because we're a crab-in-the-bucket society, we wouldn't cheer for the neighbor who wins the lotto jackpot, anyway. Sports-only wagering eliminates the envy factor. By not including table games, there would be no need to build casinos. And poker should be kept as an activity among friends, where trading lies and pulling off bluffs are greater rewards than the pot.Implement a betting cap. One of the arguments against gambling is to protect those susceptible to blowing their entire Friday paychecks by Friday night. Let's assume we're our braddah's keepera cap of, say, $200 a week, would curb outrageous betting. Wagers would be placed in person at one of the state-run facilities. Requiring a social-security number and valid ID would prevent using different names to circumvent the cap. Wagers also would be placed with a credit card, which would ensure betting within a person's meansand credit score. The credit-card company will tell you when you've bet enough. And the losers get to keep their kneecaps intact.No betting on Hawaii teams or individuals. It's just better optics not to be able to wager on local high schools, the University of Hawaii, or Little League games. There's still Vegas for that. Could some form of legal gambling work in Hawaii ? Probably. Is it something many people would embrace ? You can bet on it. Washington state is now trying to do away with the so-called Pink Tax or gender-based pricing, thanks to a group of high school students who have brought forward a new bill. The Pink Tax refers to the idea that some products cost more for women than men, including razors, deodorant, body wash, feminine products and even car insurance. A group of students from Lake Washington High School are behind the bill, which aims to ban gender-based pricing across the state. If the legislation passes, retailers would be unable to sell products or services at different prices based on gender. In 2020, the Washington state legislature passed a bill that exempted sales and use taxes for feminine hygiene products. The bill discussed in a public hearing on Monday would affect the pricing of many more products. Past studies have found this issue disproportionately affects women, though it can happen to men as well, which is all the more reason to address it, said Gabrielle Heuer, a student at LWHS. To be clear, the intention of this law is not to needlessly regulate the economy, but rather to prevent discrimination. A 2018 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office says no federal law currently prevents firms from charging different prices for mens and womens products. While the office couldnt definitively conclude there was a Pink Tax on womens products, it did observe that womens versions of several types of personal care products sold at a statistically significant higher average price than versions of those products marketed towards men. Some retailers have already taken action against gender-based pricing, including CVS, which said it plans to reduce prices on its store-brand menstrual products nationwide. State Senator Manka Dhingra is sponsoring the bill, which is based on similar legislation previously passed in New York and California. According to Dhingra, the law wouldnt affect products marketed to women with a legitimate reason to be more expensive, such as using more expensive ingredients. There is absolutely no reason why one product should be more expensive than the other when they do not have different ingredients, said Dhingra. Frankly, we should be more inclusive than simply pink or blue. The scene of what police said was an organized retail fraud outside the Ulta Beauty store at the Green Oak Village Place mall on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023. Five women have been charged in connection with an organized retail theft incident and police shooting at the Ulta Beauty store Thursday in Green Oak Township. Prosecutors this week charged Shanel Webster, 29, Tirezah Scott, 50, Joya Williams, 36, all of Detroit, and Laronda Chase, 25, and Kari Williams, 27, whose addresses are not clear, with multiple felonies in connection with the incident. According to court records, Webster has been arraigned on 11 charges: organized retail crime, first-degree retail fraud, stolen property, uttering and publishing counterfeit bills or notes, assault with a dangerous weapon, two charges of fleeing a police officer in the third degree, two counts of assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer and two counts of malicious destruction of fire or police property. She is being held at the Livingston County Jail in lieu of a $500,000 bond. Scott has been arraigned on five charges: organized retail crime, first-degree retail fraud, assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer, stolen property and deactivation/removal of a theft detection device. She is being held in the Livingston County Jail on a $250,000 bond. Williams has been arraigned on four charges: organized retail crime, stolen property, first-degree retail fraud and driving while license was suspended/revoked/denied. She is being held in the Livingston County Jail with a $100,000 bond. Chase and Williams were both arraigned on three charges: organized retail crime, stolen property and second-degree retail fraud. They have posted $100,000 bonds and are not currently in the Livingston County Jail. All five women are all scheduled for probable cause conferences Jan. 31. Livingston County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Carolyn Henry and Green Oak Township Deputy Police Chief Jason Pless could not be reached for comment Tuesday. The incident began when officers "responded to a report of four suspects, later determined to be five, who entered Ulta and were filling a bag with merchandise," at about 8 p.m., Green Oak police said in a press release. Story continues As officers arrived, one suspect fled on foot and was pursued by officers. Other suspects made it to two separate vehicles and were able to drive away. One vehicle was stopped in the parking lot by officers, including Michigan State troopers. While one trooper was attempting to arrest the woman who fled on foot, a vehicle involved drove directly at the trooper, according to Michigan State Police. The trooper fired his weapon at the vehicle and the car was struck, but no one was injured. Then, the vehicle was stopped in the parking lot after colliding with the back of the Men's Wearhouse store in the mall. State Police First District Public Information Officer Lt. Rene Gonzalez said there has been a string of incidents across the country at Ulta Beauty stores, but police did not yet know if this incident was connected. Ulta stores sell cosmetics and other beauty products. Employees at the Ulta store declined to comment, but the company issued a statement. "Organized retail crime impacts manufacturers, consumers, employees and communities," Ulta Beauty Director of Public Relations Crystal Carroll said in a statement Friday. "As our assortment, store footprint and brand awareness have grown, Ulta Beauty has increasingly become a target for these criminals." Sophia Lada is a reporter for the Livingston Daily. Contact her at slada@gannett.com or 517-377-1065. Follow her on Twitter @sophia_lada. This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Suspects from Ulta robbery identified and arraigned on charges Yury Martyanov/Kommersant Photo/AFP via Getty LONDONSwitzerland will return millions of stolen dollars to sanctioned Russians accused of taking part in one of the worlds most notorious frauds, according to a court order seen by The Daily Beast. The Swiss authorities have rejected an appeal against the decision to send back the stolen loot despite the knowledge that their investigation into the crime was corrupted by a Russian influence operation orchestrated by the notorious Trump Tower lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. Veselnitskaya held secret meetings with a consultant to the Swiss Federal Prosecutors Office who was fired and convicted after it emerged that he had been gifted luxury Russian vacationsincluding a bear hunting tripwhile he was working on the case. On one such trip he was joined by Swiss prosecutor Patrick Lamon and attorney general Michael Lauber, who posed for a photo together with senior Russian officials. All three of the Swiss officials were involved in investigating the Magnitsky affair; a $230 million fraud uncovered by Sergei Magnitsky, who was jailed, beaten, and left to die in a prison cell after blowing the whistle on a massive tax scam against Hermitage Capital that implicated a number of Russia officials. Since Magnitskys death, Bill Browder, the CEO of Hermitage, has led a global campaign for justice, which has succeeded in introducing anti-corruption sanctions laws in numerous countries including the U.S. and the U.K. Several of the key players in the scam have since been sanctioned under those laws for playing a part in what many Western governments describe as a huge criminal conspiracy. An organised criminal group was involved in serious corruption through the misappropriation of the equivalent of $230m of Russian state property, according to the U.K. government. The sanctioned individuals include Olga Stepanova, a senior Moscow tax official who signed off on documents relating to the fraud, and her husband, as well as Dmitry Klyuev, a banker who the U.K. government says planned the whole fraud. Story continues Trump Tower Lawyer Veselnitskaya Accused of Brand New Crime in Leaked Docs All three of them will receive cash that was frozen in Switzerland by officials who were supposed to be tracing the stolen money. Despite the conclusions made in London and Washington, D.C., Swiss authorities have gone along with Moscows claim that there was no criminal organization running the operation, which means they will not seize the totality of funds that have been traced from the frozen Swiss bank accounts to the massive fraud. It would not have been possible to ascertain the existence of a criminal organization, or a gang involved in all the operations, reads a Swiss Federal Criminal Court Order issued on Nov. 23 and seen by The Daily Beast. Switzerland will return 55 percent of the frozen funds to the Stepanovs, totaling $5.5 million, and 100 percent of the money frozen in Klyuevs account ($37,673). They will also return 99 percent of the money traced to an account belonging to Denis Katsyv, the son of a Moscow government official, who was employing Veselnitskaya during her infamous attempt to lobby the Trump campaign back in 2016. She was in New York at the time as part of another trial related to the same $230 million fraud. Katsyv ultimately agreed to pay the U.S. $6 million to settle the suit which alleged he had laundered some of the stolen proceeds through his company Prevezon. Veselnitskaya was later indicted for obstruction of justice when it emerged that she had secretly helped draft a supposedly independent statement from the Russian prosecutors office submitted to the court during the Prevezon case. The Swiss, by contrast, are happy to send back $8.1 million to Katsyv. The dilution of the forfeitures is part of the lax Swiss regulations on money laundering, which go against United Nations best practice and lessens the amount that can be seized every time the illicit cash is funneled through another account. Mark Pieth, a former member of the G7s Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering and head of section on economic and organized crime at the Swiss Federal Office of Justice, said the way the punishment was watered down demonstrated the weakness of the Swiss system. In a nutshell the main challenge for Swiss prosecutors and courts is that they apply a theory that lets the forfeitable funds shrink continuously with every stage of laundering. The Swiss judiciary therefore privileges the cunning launderer, this on top of the general risks this country poses! he told The Daily Beast. The court also deprived Hermitage of victim status in the case, which means the companys voice can no longer be heard in the process, even though Swiss officials originally said they had opened the probe because of the evidence presented to them by Hermitage. Through this decision, Switzerland has truly gone to the dark side. At a time when everybody is coming down hard on Russia, the Swiss are moving in the other direction, Browder told The Daily Beast. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. [Source] Before you read: As the country strengthens its forces against threats from China, Taiwans military has announced its plans to allow women in its reservist training for the first time. On Tuesday, Taipeis defense ministry permitted about 200 discharged female soldiers to enroll in voluntary reservist training in the second quarter of this year as a means to bolster the nations forces. This is the first year to include women in the reservists training so this year will be a trial program, Major General Yu Wen-cheng of the ministrys All-Out Defense Mobilization Agency said, according to Agence France-Presse. We will plan the training capacities according to the number of applicants. More from NextShark: Air Force Veteran Beaten, Called 'Chinese Virus' in Unprovoked Attack in LA's Koreatown According to Yu, the voluntary programs aim to strengthen the effectiveness of the retraining of reserve troops in combat skills to help improve the combat capabilities of reservists. Taiwans first female leader, Tsai Ing-wen, noted that the extension of military service was needed to ensure the democratic way of life for our future generations. No one wants war... but my fellow countrymen, peace will not fall from the sky, Tsai said. More from NextShark: Elderly Couple's Food Stand Gets Huge Boost After YouTuber Helps Them Go Viral In December 2022, Taiwan said it would increase the four-month mandatory military service for men to one year, citing Chinas recent threats of military force. Although women can volunteer to serve in the armed forces, only Taiwanese men are required to complete mandatory military service and reservist training. Many military analysts have reportedly urged Taiwan to take additional measures to better prepare its civilian population for defense, including allowing women to train. Story continues More from NextShark: Vietnamese American MC Records Neighbor Shouting Racist Things at Her for HOURS Taiwan has been living under the constant fear of invasion as Beijing continues to claim Taipei as part of its territory. China has vowed to seize the island one day, by force if necessary. In recent years, Chinas threats have intensified under President Xi Jinping. More from NextShark: Neo-Nazi group disrupts reading of 'The Communist Manifesto' at Rhode Island library Russias invasion of Ukraine has also exacerbated worries in the East Asian island as speculation has swirled that Beijing might move similarly. Related Stories: TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan's economy likely expanded much more slowly in the fourth quarter compared to the prior quarter due to increased global economic headwinds denting demand for technology which is a key export, a Reuters poll showed on Tuesday. Gross domestic product (GDP) likely grew just 1.3% in October-December versus a year earlier, the poll of 20 economists shows, after it expanded 4.01% year-on-year in the third quarter. Policymakers have said they expect full-year 2022 growth of around or less than 3%, slower than the 6.45% logged for 2021. That was the fastest rate in over a decade since it expanded 10.25% in 2010. Economists' forecasts for preliminary GDP data due on Wednesday varied widely from a contraction of 0.1% to growth of 3.5%. GDP last year peaked in the second and third quarters, with the fourth quarter hit by weakening electronics demand, and also coming off a high base, First Capital Management analyst Chengyu Liu said. "Recent economic data released by the United States is also weak," Liu added. "It is expected that Taiwan's GDP in the first and second quarters of this year will not be good, with growth in the first quarter only 1.1%." Demand for Taiwanese goods has been hit by COVID-19 controls and outbreaks in China, as well as soaring global inflation and tightening monetary policy. The economy in China, Taiwan's largest trading partner, expanded 2.9% in the fourth quarter year-on-year, and 3.0% for the full year of 2022, badly missing the official target of "around 5.5%". Taiwan's exports fell for a fourth straight month in December. Exports dropped 12.1% by value last month from a year earlier to $35.75 billion, the lowest level in 20 months. Taiwan is a key hub in the global technology supply chain for giants such as Apple Inc, and home to the world's largest contract chipmaker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC). Taiwan's preliminary figures will be released in a statement with minimal commentary. Revised figures will be released a few weeks later, with more details and forward-looking forecasts. (Poll compiled by Madhumita Gokhale, Susobhan Sarkar and Carol Lee; Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Roger Tung; Editing by Rashmi Aich) A Middletown man charged last week with child porn had just started teaching middle schoolers at a private Catholic school roughly five months ago. Todd Philip Napolitano is now on administrative leave. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia said in a press statement the seventh- and eighth-grade teacher at St. Charles Borromeo School had passed all of his background checks and child abuse clearances before he began working at the school in September. "There was no prior indication that Mr. Napolitano was potentially involved in activity of this nature and no allegations of inappropriate behavior had been lodged against him during his brief time at Saint Charles Borromeo Parish School," the statement reads in part. The Bucks County District Attorney's Office said Napolitano was sharing and downloading child pornography in November. He was arraigned on Friday on felony charges of possessing child pornography, disseminating photography of child sex acts and criminal use of a communications facility. He was sent to Bucks County Prison on $1 million bail. Woman charged in overdose death:Bensalem woman charged with giving drugs that led to overdose death in Warrington Teen charged in killing:Bensalem teen sent Instagram video asking for help after killing teen girl, 13: court documents For subscribers:Retired Bensalem cop is working to solve cold cases, and fund new DNA technology The charges against Napolitano are allegations; he has not been convicted of any crime in this case. A Bensalem detective monitoring use of a specific file-sharing program discovered 19 images of child pornography in mid-November, according to Napolitano's criminal complaint. Investigators tracked the IP address of the computer to the teacher's home, police said. While serving a search warrant at the home Friday, Napolitano told authorities he used the program to download files, court documents state. He told investigators he did download the files that contained child pornography, but then deleted them, Bensalem police said. Story continues The Archdiocese and the DA's office said the alleged activity did not involve any students. Napolitano was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the case, according to the statement. A message left for his attorney seeking comment Tuesday was not immediately returned. Napolitano's preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for Jan. 26. This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: St. Charles Borromeo School teacher charged with possessing child porn By Andrew MacAskill and Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) - Tech bosses could be jailed in Britain if their platforms fail to protect children from online harm after the government agreed to toughen a proposed law to avoid the prospect of a first parliamentary defeat for the prime minister. Rishi Sunak faced losing a vote in the House of Commons on Tuesday after 50 Conservative lawmakers and the main opposition party said they would support another amendment to the long-delayed Online Safety Bill. The rebels had tabled an amendment proposing jail sentences of up to two years for tech bosses for failing to protect children from content such as child abuse and self-harm. Michelle Donelan, the culture and digital minister, said in a written statement to parliament that the government agreed to changes to the legislation so executives could be jailed if they "consent or connive" to ignoring the new rules. "This amendment will not affect those who have acted in good faith," she said. But it would provide "additional teeth to deliver change and ensure that people are held to account if they fail to properly protect children". This is the third time that Sunak, who has a majority of 67, has backed down in the face of similar revolts in parliament since he took office in October. He previously gave in after rebellions on housing targets and restrictions on onshore wind farms. Britain, like the European Union and other countries, has been grappling to protect social media users, and in particular children, from harmful content without damaging free speech. The bill was originally designed to create one of the toughest regimes for regulating platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. It aimed to make companies stamp out illegal content on their sites, such as revenge pornography and encouraging suicide. However, the proposals were watered down in November, when the requirement to stop "legal but harmful content" was removed on the grounds that it could damage free speech. Instead platforms would be required to enforce age restrictions, the government said. Story continues Companies could face fines of up to 10% of turnover if they do not take measures to remove illegal content or restrict underage access. Industry body techUK said threatening executives with jail would not help deliver an effective regime to protect children, but it would damage Britain's digital economy. "The bill as drafted does have 'teeth' that will ensure compliance," it said, adding that the amendment created "significant legal jeopardy for firms" and would make Britain a less attractive destination for investors. (Reporting by Andrew MacAskill and Paul Sandle; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Alex Richardson) Photo: The Canadian Press A Montreal hospital emergency room reopened this morning after being forced to reduce operations overnight following a sit-in by nurses who had threatened to resign if changes were not made. Maisonneuve-Rosemont hospital is seen in Montreal on Aug. 23, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson Officials at a major Montreal hospital are promising changes after almost 100 emergency room nurses demanded the resignation of their unit chief. The ER at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont hospital was forced to reduce operations last night because of a nurse-led protest. Jean-Francois Fortin-Verreault, head of the health authority for east-end Montreal, told reporters today his goal is to keep the ER open and improve working conditions for nurses. Fortin-Verreault says ambulances will transfer fewer patients to the ER to reduce the nurses' workload, adding that the unit chief has been moved to another part of the health network. More than 90 of 115 nurses in the hospital's ER signed a petition demanding the unit chief resign, and many nurses have threatened to quit because they can no longer accept working mandatory overtime. Health Minister Christian Dube is scheduled to speak with media today about the situation at the hospital, as well as the staffing shortages and ER overcrowding that are plaguing the province's health network. (AFP via Getty Images) A Texas man accused of killing 23 people in a racist attack at a Walmart store in El Paso will not face the death penalty if convicted, federal prosecutors have announced. Patrick Crusius has been charged with 90 counts under federal hate crime laws and is set to face trial for the killings in January 2024. The US Department of Justice announced its decision to not seek the death penalty against Mr Crusius, who is white, in a required filing in the federal court in El Paso on Tuesday. The United States of America hereby notifies the Court and Defendant PATRICK WOOD CRUSIUS that the Government will not seek the death penalty in the instant case, the filing stated. Investigators say that the suspect told authorities he had been targeting Mexicans when he drove 10 hours from Allen, Texas, to carry out the mass shooting on 3 August 2019. No federal executions are being scheduled while the Justice Department carries out a review of death penalty reviews and procedures, which was ordered by attorney general Merrick Garland in 2021. Mr Crusius has already pleaded not guilty in the state case where prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. The announcement comes weeks after Jaime Esparza, the former El Paso district attorney, became the US attorney for West Texas. Mr Esparza said in his previous job that he would seek the death penalty for Mr Crusius. Yvonne Rosales, the previous district attorney leading the states case against Mr Crusius, resigned in November amid criticism about her handling of the case, and hundreds of others in El Paso. A replacement prosecutor was appointed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott in December. Simon Bird thinks bringing back The Inbetweeners would be 'creepy'. (Getty Images) The Inbetweeners star Simon Bird has said he thinks bringing back the show would be "sad and creepy". The 38-year-old actor rose to fame as teenage schoolboy Will McKenzie alongside Joe Thomas, James Buckley and Blake Harrison in the hit E4 sitcom which ended in 2010. Bird told the Radio Times when asked about bringing back the comedy: "My instinct is it would be a terrible idea. What was funny about these characters was the stage of life they were at. Read more: Inbetweeners' James Buckley 'Struggles with anxiety make me scared to leave house' "They could get away with some of the terrible things they said and did because they were still essentially children. Blake Harrison, James Buckley, Simon Bird and Joe Thomas starred as Neil, Jay, Will and Simon in The Inbetweeners. (Getty Images) "If they got back together now, Im not sure that would be funny. I think it might just be sort of sad and creepy." The Inbetweeners, which also starred Emily Head, Emily Atack, Hannah Tointon and Greg Davies ran for three series between 2008 and 2010, following the antics of a group of teenage boys doing their A-Levels at comprehensive school. The Inbetweeners Movie, released in cinemans in 2011, followed them on a lads holiday to Crete to mark the end of their exams and the sequel Inbetweeners 2 saw the friends travel to Australia. A US adaptation of the series aire on MTV in 2011 but was cancelled after one season due to low ratings. Joe Thomas, James Buckley, Simon Bird and Blake Harrison as Simon, Jay, Will and Neil in The Inbetweeners. (Getty Images) The Inbetweeners Movie took over 2.5 million in cinemas on its opening weekend, making it the most successful opening weekend for a comedy film ever in the UK. This record was beaten by The Inbtweeners 2 which took 2.75 million in its opening weekend. In 2019 the cast reunited for reunion special, Fwends Reunited, an interview with comedian Jimmy Carr. Bird, who is also known for his starrigng role in Channel 4 comedy Friday Night Dinner, married writer Lisa Owens in 2012 and they have two children together. The actor has previously said he does not believe The Inbetweeners would be commissioned today, due to the sexism and homphobia expressed by the characters. Story continues Simon Bird with wife Lisa Owens (C) with Tim Key, Tamsin Greig,and Earl Cave at the 2019 London Film Festival. (Getty Images) Bird told The Telegraph: "I rationalise it to myself by saying that at the time it was an accurate representation of the way teenagers talk to each other. Is that still the case now? I assume not. Read more: Emily Atack criticises 'perverts' who are sending her inappropriate messages "Although the programme was set in the 2000s, it was based on a pilot set in 1990, so even in the 2000s it wasn't really an accurate reflection of how teenagers spoke." Watch: Inbetweeners star James Buckley and wife Clair talk about marriage While other US states (and the rest of the world) inch towards goals of banning gasoline-powered cars, Wyoming is going in the opposite direction. The states legislature is considering a resolution that calls for a phase-out of new electric vehicle sales by 2035. Introduced on Friday, Senate Joint Resolution 4 has support from members of the states House of Representatives and Senate. The resolution says the state would need to build massive amounts of new power generation to sustain the misadventure of electric vehicles. Its goal is to phase out the sales of EVs entirely by 2035. Yes, EVs. In the proposal, a group of lawmakers led by Senator Jim Anderson says Wyomings proud and valued oil and gas industry has created countless jobs and contributed revenue to the state. They add that a lack of charging infrastructure in Wyoming would make the widespread use of EVs impracticable. The legislation may partially be a political stunt, but Wyoming produced 85.43 million barrels of oil in 2021 its a crucial part of the states economy. But, Wyomings Carbon County also has one of the largest wind farms in the US. Mat Smith The Morning After isnt just a newsletter its also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here. The biggest stories you might have missed They could be the first Macs with WiFi 6E. Multiple sources suggest Apple is prepping new MacBook Pro models for launch very soon. Bloombergs Mark Gurman teased last fall that these systems would share the same design as the M1 variants released in late 2021. They would center around new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips that would feature up to 12 CPU cores and 38 GPU cores in the Max. Dont expect a touchscreen or other major revisions. At least, not yet. They might be the first Macs to include WiFi 6E, though. Story continues Continue reading. Googles game-streaming service shutters tomorrow. Google has confirmed it will release a tool to enable Bluetooth support on the Stadia controller. You'll have to wait until next week to download it, but this should make the device useful for just about any title with gamepad support. Stadia as we know it is about to end, but Google's Immersive Stream for Games should ensure the cloud functionality lives on for other companies offering game streams. The team behind Stadia has also released a Snake clone, Worm Game, as a final gift to users. Continue reading. The technology could protect rocket launchpads and power plants. TMA Lightning rods, your time is up. European researchers have successfully tested a system that uses terawatt-level laser pulses to steer lightning toward a 26-foot rod. It's not limited by its height and can cover much wider areas in this case, 590 feet while penetrating clouds and fog. The laser ionizes nitrogen and oxygen molecules, releasing electrons and creating a plasma that conducts electricity. As the laser fires at a very quick 1,000 pulses per second, it's more likely to intercept lightning as it forms. Continue reading. (Reuters) - The London Stock Exchange Group and Thomson Reuters Corp will expand a long-term partnership that will include investments in the newsroom and an agreement to launch consumer subscription products, the companies said on Tuesday. The agreement resolves a dispute over plans by Reuters News in 2021 to launch a subscription paywall for the Reuters.com website. The two companies did not specify a date when the paywall will launch. Reuters, a division of Thomson Reuters, had planned to start charging for news on Reuters.com in 2021 but postponed plans shortly after announcing the launch. The LSE bought financial news and information business Refinitiv, formerly a division of Thomson Reuters. It pays Thomson Reuters for news it distributes on Refinitiv terminals. Thomson Reuters holds a minority stake in LSEG. At Thomson Reuters we are committed to investing in world leading journalism and talent, taking our partnership with LSEG to the next level, Steve Hasker, CEO of Thomson Reuters, said in a prepared statement. The agreement will include an investment in 100 editorial roles in the Reuters newsroom focused on financial and markets coverage. It will include a "significant expansion" of Reuters India's financial file and China equities coverage. PLX AI, a recently acquired financial news service powered by artificial intelligence that is integrated into Reuters News, will be expanded across additional markets. "This collaboration will broaden our news offering, enhancing the speed and analysis of breaking news and increasing the value of services provided to LSEG customers, David Schwimmer, CEO of LSEG, said in a prepared statement. (Reporting by Kenneth Li in New York; Editing by Howard Goller) DES MOINES, Iowa The internet is in love with a long-held tradition at the Iowa State Fair. A TikTok video, posted by the account @_rhinestonecowboy, of the 2017 Iowa State Fair husband calling contest is currently going viral, amassing more than 1 million views so far on the video-sharing platform. According to the Iowa State Fairs marketing director Mindy Williamson, the husband calling contest is a part of the Heritage competitions held in Pioneer Hall at the Fairgrounds and features about 12 to 15 entries every year. Other contests include mom calling, hog calling, and more competitive family-friendly events. The schedule of contests is posted in mid-summer before the fair starts and potential entrants can typically sign up an hour before the competitions begin at Pioneer Hall. 'Fully vaccinated queens': First vaccine for honeybees approved in US The TikTok video, clipped from an Iowa PBS video of the contest, illustrates that years top five finalists' efforts to win the grand prize of $5. All participants received a ribbon. The video begins with the fifth-place finalist yelping, in-part, "Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob, hurry up. I don't want be late," before the fourth-place finisher yodels her life partner's name. Then, the third-place finalist opens her presentation by singing her husband's name followed by a clip of the second placeholder, who shouted "DARRYL!" The husband calling contest during the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines in August 2022. Finally, the champion Bonnie Swalwell Eilert yelled her husband's name and then said, "Can you hear me? You get yourself in here right now. Come on! You know you're gonna be late again and you know that I want to get there on time," before repeatedly resuming calling her husband Roy's name. Swalwell Eilert has participated in multiple Iowa State Fair competitions through the years. Bonnie Swalwell Eilert of Newton tosses in the 51 and over category of the Ladies' Rubber Chicken Throwing Contest at the Iowa State Fair, Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2018, in Des Moines, Iowa. Bonnie Swalwell-Eilert of Newton, Ia., finishes the last morsels of her corndog in the corndog chomp at the Iowa State Fair in 2008 More: Maren Morris apologizes for how country music treats LGBTQ+ people on 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Planes nearly collide at JFK Airport: FAA investigating American Airlines, Delta Air Lines near collision Story continues According to a 2017 Des Moines Register report, Eilert has won multiple husband calling contests and even appeared on the NBC talent show "Little Big Shots: Forever Young." The top two comments as of Jan. 13 are, "Is this... real??" which received more than 111,000 likes and, "Sadly, as an Iowan, this is real. Welcome to the Iowa state fair," accompanied by two emojis and another 58,000 likes. The Iowa State Fair is held each summer in Des Moines and this year's is scheduled for Aug. 10-20. For more information visit iowastatefair.org. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State Fair's husband calling contest on Tiktok is a real thing Tomorrow X Together has unveiled Asia and U.S. dates for its Act: Sweet Mirage world tour that kicks off with two nights in Seoul, South Korea. The U.S. leg of the 21-date trek will begin May 6 in Charlotte, North Carolina before wrapping up in Los Angeles. This will be the second world tour, a follow-up to 2022s Act: Love Sick, for the K-pop boy band composed of members Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun and Hueningkai. Act: Love Sick took place across 13 cities with 19 shows and was the first concert tour headlined by the band in support of its second full album The Chaos Chapter: Freeze, which debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 in 2021. More from Variety After opening night in South Korea, the band will hit Singapore on April 1 before heading out to Taipei, Taiwan four days later. Theyre set to play two nights each at four locations in Japan: Osaka, Saitama, Kanagawa and Aichi. Theyll similarly play two nights in Belmont Park, followed by Washington D.C., Duluth, San Antonio, Texas and will conclude in Los Angeles. As of now, on-sale dates are still pending as the tour schedule on the bands site reads coming soon next to the dates and highlights a more to come notice. The boy band will be releasing its 5th EP, The Name Chapter: Temptation, on Jan. 27; the collection will be the groups first full-length release since 2021. Story continues Tomorrow X Togethers Act: Sweet Mirage World Tour Dates: March Saturday-Sunday 25-26: Seoul, South Korea April Saturday 1: Singapore Wednesday 5: Taipei, Taiwan Friday-Saturday 14-15: Osaka, Japan Tuesday-Wednesday 18-19: Saitama, Japan Tuesday-Wednesday 25-26: Kanagawa, Japan Saturday-Sunday 29-30: Aichi, Japan May Saturday 6: Charlotte, North Carolina Tuesday-Wednesday 9-10: Belmont Park Tuesday 16: Washington, D.C. Friday-Saturday 19-20: Duluth Tuesday-Wednesday 23-24: San Antonio Saturday 27: Los Angeles Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Valerii Zaluzhnyi and Mark Milley My first personal meeting with General Milley, CJCS, happened in Poland, Zaluzhnyi wrote. Read also: Ukrainians name army commander Zaluzhnyi politician No. 2 poll Extended my gratitude for the unwavering support & assistance provided by the United States and allies to Ukraine. Outlined the urgent needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, meeting which will accelerate our victory. Read also: Zaluzhnyi sends NATO Christmas greetings and thanks for support On Jan. 3, Zaluzhnyi had a phone call with Milley to discuss developments in the operational and strategic situation in Ukraine. On Dec. 15, 2022, they discussed the supply of weapons, ammunition and equipment to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear the appeal of a 33-year-old transgender woman from Guatemala who is seeking asylum in a case her attorney calls life or death. Estrella Santos Zacarias, whose claims of gender violence and discrimination were rejected by American immigration officials was deported to Mexico in 2019 where she has faced ongoing health and safety challenges, according to a sworn affidavit from her reviewed by ABC News. Most recently, she was beaten at a bus stop by three people and, months prior, she was bludgeoned unconscious at her workplace, her affidavit states. MORE: Mexico draws more asylum-seekers despite grisly violence "A transgender woman who was deported by the US to Honduras earlier this year was murdered in the capital city of Tegucigalpa," Santos Zacarias' attorney, Sunny Shah, wrote in a letter to officials at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services seeking immediate humanitarian parole while her case is pending other appeals. "This is the harsh reality that Estrella will likely face if she is denied this request for parole." Her legal team is seeking federal court review of an immigration judge's ruling that she had not demonstrated adequate evidence of likely future persecution and therefore didn't qualify for asylum. PHOTO: Estrella Santos Zacarias, a Guatemala native and transgender woman, is seeking asylum in the U.S. Her case will be heard at the Supreme Court on Jan. 17, 2023. (Estrella Santos Zacarias) The Biden administration argues in court documents that federal judges shouldn't get involved in the case, primarily because Santos Zacarias failed to exhaust other administrative appeals available to her at the time. Immigration authorities also say they should generally have broad discretion over their decisions, free from the possibility of unnecessary judicial interference. While Santos Zacarias' case hinges on technical arguments over jurisdiction and immigration procedure, its outcome could have significant implications for thousands of asylum-seekers hoping to challenge removal orders in court, immigrant advocates say. More than 283,000 migrants applied for asylum to enter the U.S. between 2018 and 2020, according to the most recent data available from the Department of Homeland Security. Roughly 11% of them -- or 31,429 people -- were granted asylum during the same period. Story continues A 2021 study by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law found an estimated 30,900 LGBTQ people applied for asylum in the United States between 2012 and 2017, with nearly 4,000 seeking asylum due to fear of persecution on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Most were natives of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. MORE: Transgender immigrants who fled Latin America still face uncertainty in the US Upholding a requirement that applicants like Santos Zacarias file an additional appeal for reconsideration -- within the immigration system -- when their claims are rejected would further strain an apparatus already backlogged and overwhelmed, a group of legal services advisers told the high court. PHOTO: The sun sets on the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., Jan. 26, 2022. (Joshua Roberts/Reuters, FILE) For Santos Zacarias, a Supreme Court decision in her favor could mean another shot at asylum and escaping what her attorney calls "imminent danger." She has said, according to immigration records, that she first fled Guatemala for the U.S. as a teenager after suffering multiple sexual assaults, death threats, harassment and discrimination because of her gender identity. "I am constantly living in fear wondering who will try to attack me next," she wrote in the signed affidavit to USCIS dated Nov. 1, 2022. "This has weighed heavy on me ... I desperately need your permission to return to the U.S. where I can live safely while my case is processing." A Supreme Court ruling is expected in the spring. Trans asylum-seeker appeals to Supreme Court as attorney warns of 'imminent danger' originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Photo: The Canadian Press B.C. Premier David Eby speaks in Vancouver, on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. The B.C. government is promising up to $90 million over three years towards new industrial and manufacturing projects in response to the forest industry downturn. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck The British Columbia government is promising up to $90 million over three years to support new industrial and manufacturing projects in communities hurt by the downturn in the forestry industry. Premier David Eby made the announcement in Prince George, where Canfor Pulp Products said last week it was closing the pulp line at its mill, eliminating 300 jobs by the end of the year. The program will take applications for support from all manufacturing sectors, but the government says the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund is aimed at areas experiencing economic impacts from changes in the forestry sector. The funding could be used by a forestry company to buy new equipment to support new product lines, for example, or by a company that wants to build or expand a plastics-alternative manufacturing facility in a rural community. The money is on top of $185 million in the current budget for supports to offset any economic impacts from the changing forestry industry. In mandate letters to his ministers last year, Eby acknowledged that the province's forest sector has "never been under greater stress," and that change is needed to ensure the forest industry is sustainable. TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A man charged with threatening to kill a Kansas congressman is harmless, believing he has a special relationship with God and his weapons are meteors and plagues, not knives and guns, a defense attorney argued Tuesday during a federal criminal trial. The trial for Chase Neill, 32, began amid what authorities says is a sharp rise in threats to the nation's lawmakers and their families. Prosecutors say Neill became fixated on U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner and threatened to kill him in a June 5 voicemail left with the Republican congressman's Topeka office. Prosecutors argue that Neill was upset with LaTurner, meant the June message as a death threat and prompted LaTurner and his staff to beef up security at his Topeka office. But defense attorneys argued that Neill also threatened everyone in the universe in the same call, and his concerns included witchcraft, unidentified flying objects and Neill's claim that a host of U.S. government agencies were monitoring him. Kirk Redmond, a federal public defender representing Neill, told jurors in his opening statement that authorities in Neill's northeastern Kansas hometown of Lawrence concluded after the June call that he was harmless and did not need to be arrested or sent to a mental hospital. Redmond said Neill never went anywhere near the congressman because he believes he can speak a word and it happens. His weapons aren't knives and guns, Redmond said. His weapons are meteors and plagues. Members of Congress have faced a sharp rise in threats in the two years since the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. In October, an intruder attacked and severely beat former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosis husband with a hammer in their San Francisco home. Local school board members and election workers across the U.S. also have endured harassment, intimidation and threats of violence. Police in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Monday arrested a former Republican candidate for a state House seat in a series of shootings targeting the homes or offices of elected Democratic officials, though none were injured. Story continues LaTurner was a Kansas state senator and state treasurer before winning his U.S. House seat in 2020. Until the Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature redrew political boundaries last year, LaTurners eastern Kansas district included Lawrence, home to the main University of Kansas campus, which is among the states most liberal communities. In Neill's trial, after one of LaTurner's staffers testified as the first witness, Neill said he wants to represent himself. He had previously made that request through his attorneys Friday but withdrew it in court Tuesday morning before his jury was selected. U.S. District Judge Holly Teeter ended the day early so that Neill could think more about his request overnight and told him, I think it is an unwise decision. Neill said his attorneys weren't accurately portraying his beliefs. He said he didn't represent himself as God but conveyed messages from God using an Old Testament perspective, like prophets who spoke for God in the first person. A pretrial report on Neill said he saw himself as the Messiah. When the first witness said Neill had talked about UFOs in a call in May, Neill interrupted by saying, I think the UFOs made national headlines. He added, Just so I don't look crazy in the courtroom. In court Tuesday, Neill wore khaki pants, a dress shirt and a navy blue jacket without a tie. He had a full beard. His ankles remained chained throughout the trial. Teeter concluded during a hearing last month that "a preponderance of the evidence showed Neill was mentally competent to stand trial. The official notes from the hearing showed Teeter relied on a psychological evaluation of Neill, but that document is sealed and closed to the public. In a separate order in August, a U.S. magistrate judge who refused to released Neill from custody said in that order that Neill suffered a head injury four or five years ago characterized as a head fracture. Assistant U.S. Attorney Skip Jacobs played part of the June call during his opening statement. Jurors heard Neill identify himself as the Messiah and the Son of Man, a common description of Jesus in the New Testament of the Bible. "I am saying I will kill you, but the insurance will say it's an act of God, Neill said in the call. The call also included a threat against all members of Congress. Jacobs told jurors that Topeka police started a patrol around LaTurner's home. His staffer testified that in May, the Topeka office remained locked when only one staffer was present and that after the June call, it remained locked even during business hours, and cameras were installed. ___ Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna The last five defendants charged in the fatal stabbing of a 15-year-old Bronx native who they thought was a rival gang member have been sentenced, endinPolice arrested thirteen people affiliated with the murder of Lesandro Guzman-Feliz, known by friends and family as Junior, in June 2018. The defendants, who were a part of a gang, have either pleaded guilty or been convicted of the crime.g the four-year-long case, reports ABC News. Police arrested thirteen people affiliated with the murder of Lesandro Guzman-Feliz, known by friends and family as Junior, in June 2018. The defendants, who were a part of a gang, have either pleaded guilty or been convicted of the crime. The violent crime was caught on camera and went viral due to the shock of the incident, triggering protests demanding Justice for Junior. Guzman-Feliz was not a part of any gangs, local police said. But unfortunately, he resembled a rival gang member and was attacked after school outside a bodega. As ABC reports, the incident left the Bronx community and the world horrified at such complete disregard for human life, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said. The hunt for a rival gang member was set in motion by two opposing gang leaders. According to prosecutors, they ordered lower-ranked members to kill the nemesis, leading the gangs leaders to 25 years behind bars. The five gang members sentenced on Friday were the ones who dragged the 15-year-old out of a corner store where he tried to hide and get help from the store owner. They all pleaded guilty to manslaughter and got sentenced to various terms between 12 and 18 years. Since Guzman-Feliz was a part of the New York Police Department Explorers program, which shares career opportunities in law enforcement with the youth, the New York City Police Foundation launched a college scholarship in his honor. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) set a new record in 2022 for firearm interceptions by Transportation Security Officers at airport checkpoints. TSA officers stopped more than 6,500 firearms at airport checkpoints. >>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<< According to a news release, the TSA made significant strides to improve transportation security and screening an average of more than two million passengers daily at airports across the country. I am incredibly proud of our dedicated TSA employees who perform the critical task of securing our nations transportation systems each day, said TSA administrator David Pekoske. We had a very successful year that ended with the enactment of the FY 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, which included funding to bring TSA employee compensation to a level commensurate with other federal employees, in addition to funding to expand collective bargaining rights for our non-supervisory screening workforce. For years, our employees have not been paid fairly, and securing pay parity was necessary from an operational standpoint as we continue to see increasing travel volumes and will also help our ability to recruit and hire new employees and retain the talent we have. Read: Plan to redesign Downtown Orlando set to go into action in 2023 During 2022, TSA achieved the following highlights and accomplishments: TSA recognized the 20th year of checkpoint federalization as more than 400 airports nationwide reached this milestone anniversary. TSA improved security effectiveness and reduced physical contact by deploying 534 Credential Authentication Technology (CAT) units and adding 243 Computed Tomography (CT) X-ray scanners at airport checkpoints. The FY23 Omnibus Bill, which President Biden signed into law in December 2022, will enable technology deployments to continue across the agencys nearly 2,400 security checkpoint lanes. TSA worked with industry partners to enhance cybersecurity resilience for the nations critical pipelines and rail systems. Story continues TSOs prevented more than 6,542 firearms from entering the secure areas of airports in 2022 with 88% of the firearms loaded. TSA also increased the maximum civil penalty for a firearms violation to nearly $15,000. Read: UCF student makes it to top 5 in Miss Universe competition In March 2022, TSA recognized its Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS) for 60 years of protecting domestic and international flights and providing a visible security presence for surface transportation modes. TSA trained and deployed more than 1,000 explosives detection canine teams at airports and mass-transit facilities to support large-scale events such as Super Bowl LVI, the Kentucky Derby, Indy 500 and enhance security operations at airports and surface transportation systems nationwide. When it comes to passengers, travel volumes returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2022, with TSOs screening 736 million passengers, averaging over two million passengers per day. In February, TSA opened its first TSA PreCheck lanes outside of the U.S. making its debut in Nassau, Bahamas. In late December 2022 President Biden signed into law the FY23 Omnibus Bill, which was a top priority for DHS and TSA, that includes funds to pay TSA employees at a level commensurate with other federal agencies. TSA hired its first-ever executive officer to lead diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility initiatives for the agency. TSA hired more than 10,000 new TSOs and opened its new TSA Academy West adjacent to Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas. Read: Pump patrol: Ping-pong prices, and what youll pay to fill up on Tuesday Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Supporters of New College of Florida protest outside the Sarasota County Administration Building on Jan. 12, before a regular meeting of the Sarasota legislative delegation. Foisting right-wingers on New College One year ago, the governor of Tennessee announced a partnership with Hillsdale College, in Michigan, to build up to 100 affiliated charter schools in the state. The school boards of every affected county voted to reject Hillsdale, a conservative Christian school known for disrespecting public school teachers. The partnership was withdrawn. More:New College supporters criticize transformation plan Editorial:Now's the time to protect college legacy Now our governor is embracing the anti-intellectual carpetbaggers who were thrown out of Tennessee. He has appointed a Hillsdale professor and five other conservatives to the board of trustees at New College of Florida. Hillsdale students cannot receive student loans because the college will not follow federal guidelines on discrimination and responding to sexual assaults in campus. More:How to send a letter to the editor Some will recall that Hillsdale was hired in 2022 to hold retraining seminars for Florida civics teachers, with a curriculum that included the end of separation of church and state and the little-known fact that slavery wasnt so bad after all. Hillsdale faculty lecture on topics like Black privilege and racial hysteria. It is understood that Gov. Ron DeSantis has no follow-through, and his headline-grabbing actions often fizzle but using the New College board to insert a fringe group into a well-respected public school will cause real harm beyond the obvious harm to students and their families.Mike Weddle, Venice Sustain founders legacy of excellence Newly appointed board members seek to transform New College the school I graduated from and which my father, Douglas Berggren, helped found in a way that turns its mission upside down. Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to abolish diversity, equity and inclusion, and his classical liberal arts model is blatantly political. Opinion:New College founder would be appalled New College of Florida has endured because it has always strived for excellence and relevance, instead of conforming to specific ideologies. Excellence has meant knowing ones discipline rigorously while questioning its fundamentals and the nature of academia. Story continues Students are encouraged to cross academic areas and commit to their education through contracts they help design. This makes them excellent problem solvers and innovators and has led to New Colleges consistently high rankings nationwide. New College does not espouse indoctrination. Rather, freedom of thought is encouraged, and the college prides itself on creating a safe environment to respectfully exchange ideas. My father once noted that New College attracts a highly diverse student body, giving them the opportunity to learn how to work together. The ability to genuinely engage with those holding opposing viewpoints to reach solutions is a skill that is necessary to face the serious challenges facing the country and planet. Lynne Buchanan, Fletcher, North Carolina Learn truth about Hillsdale College A primary tenet of Hillsdale Colleges teaching is the use of critical thinking to verify any statements presented as fact. More:Can governor re-create Hillsdale College? Opinion:New College's legacy is on the line Two recent Herald-Tribune op-ed pieces, plus readers letters, have been critical of the school. Perhaps readers should exercise critical thinking prior to accepting these negative pieces. A good place to start is to visit the college website, https://www.hillsdale.edu, noting the 36 free online courses the school offers. Hillsdale also publishes Imprimis, a bimonthly publication distributed free to over 6 million readers that highlights a speech from a noted individual that was presented at the school. Paul Nielsen, Sarasota Independence, not indoctrination Overflowing with chutzpah, former Sarasota County Commissioner Christian Ziegler claimed on WEDU on Friday night that New College needs to change into a school that teaches how to think and not what to think. This is an astonishing claim from one who supports banning books and curriculum that rewrites history to support a political agenda. As a 1976 graduate (class of 1974) of New College, the father of a 2011 graduate, a former member of the New College Foundation Board and one who has spoken with alums, students and their parents on many occasions over the past 45 years, the one thing I can assure is that New College does not indoctrinate students. The diversity of opinions, interests, abilities and personalities, and the lack of top-down mandates, result in something more akin to herding cats than a conspiracy. That is not to say that New College is the perfect, precious little gem claimed by some. It needs to change to improve its economic viability and allow it to survive in this fraught political environment. But any attempt to change New Colleges free market of ideas into a factory of conservative ideologues is a tragedy. Robert E. Turffs, Sarasota This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Governor's conservative trustees will harm New College, save mission Unable to defeat Ukraine on the battlefield, Russia has turned to other tools. The first is the destruction of critical infrastructure in order to render Ukraine uninhabitable during the cold winter. The second is the imposition of negotiations. This second one deserves to be looked at more closely. Read also: The towers of the Kremlin come into play: The conditions under which Putin will be removed from power In fact, the Russian Federation has been trying to push through a restart of political negotiations since mid-summer, when the so-called grain deal was agreed upon. Russia saw it as a first step towards a broader agreement, it was supported in this by both Turkey and the UN. But for Ukraine, it was an obvious attempt to freeze a new demarcation line. However, Russia will continue to try to draw Ukraine into negotiations. However, the main audience here is not so much Kyiv as its Western partners, and the key message of the Kremlin is that Ukraine will still not be able to liberate its lands, so negotiations on the status of territories and concessions are inevitable. Read also: The new government of Israel resumes negotiations with Russia: What to expect in Ukraine In the near future, Moscow will pursue several goals using this tactic. First, they will try to slow down the pace of supplies of Western weapons. Secondly, they will seek to freeze the actual front line, that is, their occupation of certain territory. For Ukraine, this outcome is unacceptable. Even Russia's nuclear ultimatum did not stop plans to liberate occupied territory. Therefore, the Kremlin will try to influence those who are financially providing for this counteroffensive: Western governments and public opinion in our partner countries. Thirdly, the Russian Federation will seek to destroy the unity of the international anti-Russian coalition, and to provoke harsh disagreements between supporters and opponents of premature agreements with the Putin regime. Story continues It is impossible to say unequivocally that Russia's calculation is unfounded. The weak point of the current anti-Russian coalition is the lack of an unambiguous understanding of what a Ukrainian victory should look like. More precisely, it is not agreed upon how crushing the defeat of Russia should be. The West is completely unprepared for the destabilization or collapse of Russia as a result of its complete defeat on the battlefield. Therefore, it is not surprising that a cautious testing of the waters has begun behind closed doors: what should be considered a good moment to move from exclusively military methods to diplomacy? And among other things, is it worth it so fundamentally to stand for the liberation of Crimea and Donbas? There is no doubt: Russia will try to convince the whole world that there is a difference between Crimea and the Donbas occupied since 2014, on the one hand, and the territory captured by the Russians in 2022 on the other. And according to the Kremlins plan, there will be supporters of the position in the West that Crimea and Donbas should be put outside the bounds of Ukraines counteroffensive actions. Given this, on the diplomatic front, the Russian Federation could apply two scenarios. Read also: Three options for the future of Russia The first provides for short-term attempts to involve Ukraine and its partners in negotiations to buy time to prepare the Russian army for new attacks. This is practically a continuation of the status quo, but with significantly increased terror on the civilian population. The latter, according to Russia's expectations, should provoke not only a humanitarian catastrophe, but also pressure from the Ukrainian population on the government with a demand to start negotiating. This hope is useless. However, Russia will use this time to accumulate resources from mobilization and weapons from Iran and North Korea. The second diplomatic scenario assumes that Moscow will focus on a medium-term format of negotiations without attempts to carry out full-scale offensive actions (while aggression in Donbas continues). The Russian Federation will try to duplicate the Normandy format in its general essence: mediation by a third party/parties, hostilities along the current line of demarcation, and de facto negotiations on the status of the occupied territories. This scenario could be triggered by various factors: another crushing defeat of the Russian army on the battlefield; clear plans by the West to supply Ukraine with the latest types of weapons for a large-scale counteroffensive (NATO-style tanks, long-range artillery, fighter jets), or a change in the position of Western elites towards greater commitment to the idea of negotiations. In general, Russia will try to maintain its control over the occupied territories by both military and diplomatic methods. Moreover, it will not abandon plans for new attacks. But today, unlike in 2014, the Kremlin does not even have the trappings of trust as a negotiating party. The mood in Ukrainian society and authorities is categorical: only the complete liberation of the territory of Ukraine can be considered the end of this war. And it is precisely this adherence to Kyivs principles that will serve as a safeguard for any agreements at the expense of Ukraines sovereignty. However, in 2023, Ukrainian diplomacy will have to stubbornly resist the idea of starting negotiations when the matter should be decided on the battlefield. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine YUZHNOUKRAINSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said on Monday he hoped to make progress on a safe zone deal around the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia plant in Ukraine, but stressed it was a tough negotiation. Russian forces in March captured the Soviet-era plant, Europe's largest, soon after their invasion of Ukraine. It has repeatedly come under fire in recent months, raising fears of a nuclear disaster. "The situation around the plant continues to be very, very dangerous," Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told reporters during a visit to Ukraine. "A nuclear accident, an accident with serious radiological consequences, is in nobody's interest." Russia downplayed the IAEA's visit and its powers. "The IAEA has neither statutory, nor technological, nor other capabilities to prevent a nuclear catastrophe in the event of attacks on nuclear power plants," Renat Karchaa, an adviser to the CEO of Russian state energy organisation Rosenergoatom, told Russian state TASS news agency on Tuesday. "Therefore, from this point of view, the presence of IAEA inspectors at all nuclear power plants is ineffective and is in a greater part politically motivated." Grossi, who said he hoped to meet in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other officials, acknowledged that brokering a protection zone was taking longer than expected. "No one wants to have this zone if it is considered ... a military advantage for one side or the other, and I am trying to convince everybody this is not the case," he said. "It's about preventing a nuclear accident." Grossi was making his sixth visit to Ukraine since the February invasion to implement recently announced plans for a continuous presence of nuclear safety experts at all of Ukraine's nuclear facilities. He visited the South Ukraine plant near the city of Yuzhnoukrainsk, about 350 km (220 miles) south of Kyiv, and was also scheduled to visit plants at Chornobyl and Rivne, establishing a two-person team of IAEA experts at each facility. Story continues The IAEA says it already has a permanent presence of up to four experts at Zaporizhzhia, and a two-member team is also expected at the Khmelnitsky plant. Grossi, who previously said he hoped to broker a deal before the end of 2022, said last week that talks with Kyiv and Moscow had become more complicated because they involved not just diplomats, but also military officers. Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of shelling the Zaporizhzhia facility. (Writing by Elaine Monaghan and Lidia Kelly; Editing by Josie Kao and Michael Perry) By Blake Brittain (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday asked for the Biden administration's views on Apple Inc and Broadcom Inc's bid to revive their challenges to patents owned by the California Institute of Technology, in a dispute in which Caltech previously won $1.1 billion in damages from the companies. The justices asked for the U.S. solicitor general's input on a lower court decision that prevented Apple and Broadcom from arguing the patents were invalid at trial. Caltech had no comment on the Supreme Court's order. Representatives Apple and Broadcom did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Caltech, located in Pasadena, California, sued Cupertino-based Apple and San Jose-based Broadcom in 2016 in federal court in Los Angeles, alleging that millions of iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and other devices with Broadcom Wi-Fi chips infringed its data-transmission patents. A jury ruled for Caltech, ordering Apple to pay $837.8 million and Broadcom to pay $270.2 million. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit took issue with the amount of the award and sent the case back for a new trial on damages, which is set to begin in June. Apple and Broadcom also told the Federal Circuit that they should have been allowed to challenge the patents' validity at trial. The patent-focused appeals court upheld the trial judge's decision to block the companies from making the arguments because they could have raised them in their petitions for U.S. Patent and Trademark Office review of the patents. The companies appealed that decision to the Supreme Court last September. They told the justices that the Federal Circuit misread the law, which they said only bars arguments that could have been raised during the review itself, not in the petition. Caltech has also sued Microsoft Corp, Samsung Electronics Co, Dell Technologies Inc and HP Inc, accusing them of infringing the same patents in separate cases that are still pending. Story continues Apple is a major purchaser of Broadcom chips, and in January 2020 reached a $15 billion supply agreement with the company. Apple reportedly plans to replace Broadcom's chips with an in-house design in 2025. Broadcom has estimated that 20% of its revenue comes from Apple. The case is Apple Inc v. California Institute of Technology, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 22-203. For Apple and Broadcom: Bill Lee of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr For Caltech: Kathleen Sullivan of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan (NOTE: This story has been updated to reflect that Caltech had no comment on the order.) Read more: Apple, Broadcom win new trial in $1.1 bln Caltech patent case CalTech wins $1.1 billion jury verdict in patent case against Apple, Broadcom A large group gathers to watch a wreath-laying ceremony at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Washington, Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. (Andrew Harnik/AP) ATLANTA America has honored Martin Luther King Jr. with a federal holiday for nearly four decades yet still hasnt fully embraced and acted on the lessons from the slain civil rights leader, his youngest daughter said Monday. The Rev. Bernice King, who leads The King Center in Atlanta, said leaders especially politicians too often cheapen her fathers legacy into a comfortable and convenient King offering easy platitudes. Advertisement We love to quote King in and around the holiday. ... But then we refuse to live King 365 days of the year, she declared at the commemorative service at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where her father once preached. The service, organized by the center and held at Ebenezer annually, headlined observances of the 38th federal King holiday. King, gunned down in Memphis in 1968 as he advocated for better pay and working conditions for the citys sanitation workers, would have celebrated his 94th birthday Sunday. Advertisement Her voice rising and falling in cadences similar to her fathers, Bernice King bemoaned institutional and individual racism, economic and health care inequities, police violence, a militarized international order, hardline immigration structures and the climate crisis. She said shes exhausted, exasperated and, frankly, disappointed to hear her fathers words about justice quoted so extensively alongside so little progress addressing societys gravest problems. He was Gods prophet sent to this nation and even the world to guide us and forewarn us. ... A prophetic word calls for an inconvenience because it challenges us to change our hearts, our minds and our behavior, Bernice King said. Dr. King, the inconvenient King, puts some demands on us to change our ways. President Joe Biden addressed an MLK breakfast hosted in Washington by the Rev. Al Sharptons National Action Network. Sharpton got his start as a civil rights organizer in his teens as youth director of an anti-poverty project of Kings Southern Christian Leadership Conference. This is a time for choosing, Biden said, repeating themes from a speech he delivered Sunday at Ebenezer at the invitation of Sen. Raphael Warnock, the senior pastor at Ebenezer who recently won re-election to a full term as Georgias first Black U.S. senator. Will we choose democracy over autocracy, or community over chaos? Love over hate? Biden asked Monday. These are the questions of our time that I ran for president to try to help answer. ... Dr. Kings life and legacy in my view shows the way forward. Elsewhere in Washington, Martin Luther King III attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the national memorial to his father. And Vice President Kamala Harris, the first woman and person of color to hold the office, spoke to volunteers at a day of service project at George Washington University. Thousands attended a memorial march in San Antonio. In Los Angeles, the Kingdom Day Parade returned after a two-year pandemic break. Other commemorations echoed Bernice Kings reminder and Bidens allusions that the Beloved Community Martin Luther Kings descriptor for a world in which all people are free from fear, discrimination, hunger and violence remains elusive. Advertisement In Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu talked about advancing truth in an era of hyper-partisanship and misinformation. Were battling not just two sides or left or right and a gradient in between that have to somehow come to compromise, but a growing movement of hate, abuse, extremism and white supremacy fueled by misinformation, fueled by conspiracy theories that are taking root at every level, she said. Wu, the first woman and person of color elected mayor of Boston, said education restores trust. Quoting King, she called for overcoming the fatigue of despair to enact change. It is sometimes in those moments when we feel most tired, most despairing, that we are just about to break through, Wu told attendees at a memorial breakfast. Volunteers in Philadelphia held service projects focused on gun violence prevention. The city has seen a surge in homicides that saw 516 people killed last year and 562 the year before, the highest total in at least six decades. Some participants in the efforts signature project, led by Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, worked to assemble gun safety kits for public distribution. The kits include gun cable locks and additional safety devices for childproofing, according to organizers. They also include information about firearm storage, health and social services information, and coping in the aftermath of gun violence. Other kits being assembled highlighted Temple University Hospitals Fighting Chance program and included materials to enable immediate response to victims at the scene of gunfire, organizers said. Recipients are to be trained in the use of the materials, which include tourniquets, gauze, chest seals and other items to treat critical wounds, they said. Advertisement In Selma, Alabama, a seminal site in the civil rights movement, residents were commemorating King as they recover from a deadly storm system that moved across the South last week. King was not present at Selmas Edmund Pettus Bridge for the initial march known as Bloody Sunday, when Alabama state troopers attacked and beat marchers in March 1965. But he joined a subsequent procession that successfully crossed the bridge toward the Capitol in Montgomery, punctuating efforts that pushed Congress to pass and President Lyndon Johnson to sign the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Pettus Bridge was unscathed by Thursdays storm. Maines first Black House speaker urged residents Monday to honor Kings memory by joining in acts of service. His unshakable faith, powerful nonviolent activism and his vision for peace and justice in our world altered the course of history, Rachel Talbot Ross said in a statement. Talbot Ross is also the daughter of Maines first black lawmaker, and a former president of the Portland NAACP. We must follow his example of leading with light and love and recommit ourselves to building a more compassionate, just and equal community, she added. Advertisement At Ebenezer, Warnock, who has led the congregation for 17 years, hailed his predecessors role in securing ballot access for Black Americans. But, like Bernice King, the senator warned against a reductive understanding of King. Dont just call him a civil rights leader. He was a faith leader, Warnock said. Faith was the foundation upon which he did everything he did. You dont face down dogs and water hoses because you read Nietzsche or Niebuhr. You gotta tap into that thing, that God he said he met anew in Montgomery when someone threatened to bomb his house and kill his wife and his new child. King, Warnock said, left the comfort of a filter that made the whole world his parish, turning faith into the creative weapon of love and nonviolence. While echoing Bernice Kings call for bolder public policy, Warnock noted some progress in his lifetime. As hes done through two Senate campaigns, Warnock noted he was born a year after Kings assassination, when both of Georgia senators were staunch segregationists, including one Warnock described as loving the Negro as long as he was in his place at the back door. But, Warnock said, Because of what Dr. King and because of what you did ... I now sit in his seat. Associated Press journalists Will Weissert in Washington, David Sharp in Portland, Maine, and Ron Todt in Philadelphia contributed. By Andrew Chung and John Kruzel WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday grappled with thorny questions of sovereign immunity as they weighed a bid by Turkey's state-owned lender Halkbank to avoid criminal charges in the United States for allegedly helping Iran evade American economic sanctions. The nine justices heard arguments in Halkbank's appeal of a lower court's ruling in favor of the U.S. government that allowed the prosecution of the bank to proceed. The case tests Halkbank's contention that it is shielded from prosecution because, as an entity majority owned by the Turkish government, it should enjoy the same legal protections as Turkey. Sovereign immunity generally protects countries from facing legal action in another country's courts. The justices raised numerous concerns about curbing the U.S. government executive branch's authority to make decisions involving national security, as well as the potential consequences of criminally prosecuting one of a foreign government's entities. Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh said it would be "pretty bizarre" and "huge" for the court to tell a U.S. president that "this court is going to prohibit your exercise of national security authority." Halkbank, charged in New York in 2019, has pleaded not guilty to bank fraud, money laundering and conspiracy charges over its alleged use of money servicers and front companies in Iran, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates to evade U.S. sanctions. Conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch raised concerns that allowing the federal prosecution to proceed might open the door to U.S. states targeting foreign nations as well. States, Gorsuch said, could be "free to try to bring lawsuits against Mexico for this or that, or perhaps China because of COVID, or who knows what a creative state prosecutor might come up with?" Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor cautioned against giving federal or state prosecutors "the right to insult another nation by giving them this unbridled power to initiate suits." Story continues Some justices appeared open to sending the case back to the lower courts to further explore the extent to which U.S. law reflects international law in broadly disfavoring criminal prosecutions against foreign countries, and if Halkbank should enjoy the same legal status as Turkey for purposes of immunity. "Who should be deciding under these circumstances in this case whether we have a foreign corporation versus their argument that this really is the state?" liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson asked Eric Feigin, a lawyer for the U.S. Justice Department. The bank said its view is backed up by a 1976 U.S. law called the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) that limits the jurisdiction of American courts over lawsuits against foreign countries. President Joe Biden's administration contends that the law does not apply to criminal prosecutions and, even if it did, the bank's actions fall under the law's exception to sovereign immunity for misconduct involving commercial activities. Halkbank's case has complicated U.S.-Turkish relations, with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan calling the American charges against the bank an "unlawful, ugly" step. U.S. prosecutors accused Halkbank of converting oil revenue into gold and then cash to benefit Iranian interests, and documenting fake food shipments to justify transfers of oil proceeds. They also said Halkbank helped Iran secretly transfer $20 billion of restricted funds, with at least $1 billion laundered through the U.S. financial system. The Manhattan-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2021 ruled against Halkbank, concluding that even if the FSIA shielded the bank, the conduct for which it was charged falls under the commercial-activity exception. Halkbank's attorney Lisa Blatt, emphasizing the dispute's unusual nature, urged the justices to dismiss the case. "The world has been around for, like, 7,000 years and no country has ever tried another country, it's just never happened," Blatt said, though she did not explain that date. "I'm not going to claim that we've been doing this for 7,000 years," Feigin said, adding that such prosecutions have occurred since the 1980s. "That's because of the rise of government-owned corporations concealing some very serious crimes." (Reporting by Andrew Chung in New York and John Kruzel in Washington; Editing by Will Dunham) KYIV (Reuters) - A senior Ukrainian official blamed Russia on Tuesday for carrying out the bulk of more than 2,000 cyberattacks on Ukraine in 2022, speaking at a news conference that he said was itself delayed because of a cyberattack. The official, Yuriy Schygol, told reporters that his livestreamed conference was forced to start 15 minutes late because of a Russian hack, though he did not elaborate or present evidence for his assertion. "All that the Russian hackers could do was to delay the start of our briefing by 15 minutes," said Schygol, head of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection. During the news briefing, he said Ukraine had been hit by 2,194 cyberattacks in 2022, with 1,655 of those coming after Moscow's Feb. 24 invasion. Government institutions sustained 557 cyberattacks last year, he told reporters, laying the blame for the bulk of the attacks at Moscow's door. "Essentially all hackers who work with Russia, most of them don't even hide their affiliation they are all funded by the FSB (Russia's Federal Security Service), are on military service, or are in the employ of those agencies," he said. There was no immediate comment on his allegations from Moscow. (Reporting by Max Hunder; writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Alexandra Hudson) Ukraine has brought back 125 children who were illegally taken to Russia from the temporarily occupied territories. In total, Russia kidnapped almost 14,000 Ukrainian children. Source: Daria Herasymchuk, Ukrainian Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights and Child Rehabilitation, during the opening of Ukraine Is You project as part of the World Economic Forum in Davos Quote: "We have managed to identify and verify the data of almost 14,000 children who were kidnapped and deported by the Russian army, and unfortunately, we can say that we only managed to bring 125 of them home. It appears that it is very little, but for each one, the fate of the Ukrainian child, such an important child, is at stake." Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russian troops have killed 456 children in Ukraine, Herasymchuk emphasised. Photo: Ingward/Depositphotos Quote: "But while our presentation was going on, we got to know that another child was pulled out from under the rubble in the Dnipro city, who was killed by the Ruscists." According to Herasymchuk, 897 children have been injured due to the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Quote: "Even if the body was not hurt by the bombings of the Russian Federation, the war affected every Ukrainian child. More than 7.5 million Ukrainian children, who lived on the territory of our country before the beginning of the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation into Ukraine, suffered." The World Economic Forum, which takes place every year in the Swiss resort town of Davos, began on 16 January and will continue until 20 January. Background: Russians deported more than 13,000 Ukrainian children to the Russian Federation, the children's ombudsman said. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Sanna Marin Read also: Ukraine already de facto a NATO member, says countrys defense minister We can look down the history and ask ourselves the question, should Ukraine already be a member of NATO? Politico quotes Marin. She added that the EU and Western allies should have been more decisive in rebuking Russias occupation and annexation of Crimea in 2014. The PM said Finland is seeking NATO membership to avoid becoming a target for Moscows aggression. We want to become a member of NATO because we dont ever again want war in Finland, she concluded. Read also: Ukraines path towards NATO membership should persist despite war, Lithuania says Finland and Sweden applied to join NATO months after Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Their accession is being held up by Turkey and Hungary, who are yet to ratify the alliances enlargement. Read also: Ukraines path towards NATO membership should persist despite war, Lithuania says Earlier, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Ukraines membership depends on its success in the war with Russia. On Sept. 30, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Ukraine applies for NATO membership on an expedited basis. The application was signed by the president, PM Denys Shmyhal, and Speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Russia is suffering from profound problems with its dysfunctional long-range missiles, Britains Ministry of Defence has said. Officials said there is evidence from Ukraine that the Kremlins missile systems are highly likely struggles to identify targets. The update comes after a Russian missile hit an apartment building in Dnipro, killing at least 40 people and injuring multiple others. Earlier, Russia sanctioned British foreign secretary James Cleverly in a punitive move over the Ukraine war and asked the top official about why he has supported neo-Nazism and the Kyiv administration run by Volodymyr Zelensky. Dear James, you dont understand. This is for the anti-Russian course and personal sanctions. But you still have to answer for the support of the Kyiv regime and neo-Nazism, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said yesterday. The British official, who will hold diplomatic talks with his US and Canadian counterparts starting today to rally more support for Ukraine, confirmed that he has been targeted by Moscow, and added that if that were the price to be paid for supporting the war-hit nation, then he was happy to be sanctioned. Key Points Putin suffering 'profound' problems with 'dysfunctional' long-range missiles James Cleverly says he has been sanctioned by Russia Russia questions 'dear' James Cleverly on his support for 'neo-Nazism' Expanded US training for Ukraine forces begins in Germany British Challenger tanks sent to war will burn - Kremlin More than 7,000 civilians killed and over 11,000 injured in Ukraine war - UN Putin suffering 'profound' problems with 'dysfunctional' long-range missiles 07:24 , Matt Mathers Russia is suffering from profound problems with its dysfunctional long-range missiles, Britains Ministry of Defence has said. Officials said there is evidence from Ukraine that the Kremlins missile systems are highly likely struggles to identify targets. The update comes after a Russian missile hit an apartment building in Dnipro, killing at least 40 people and injuring multiple others. Story continues Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 17 January 2023 Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/cJMPkLSUgH #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/cOHXJS6j6E Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) January 17, 2023 Russian missile strips down apartment and reveals yellow kitchen in Dnipro attack 07:07 , Arpan Rai Photo of a cheerful family kitchen yellow in colour visible from the ramshackled apartment which came under Russian missile attack has left people on social media shocked. The house, belonging to Ukraines famous boxing coach Mykhailo Korenovsky who was killed in the attack over the weekend, was seen after the missile ripped apart the apartments external wall. Another video on social media showed that the family had celebrated a childs birthday inside the bright yellow kitchen of the flat. Saturdays attack on Dnipros building has claimed 40 civilian lives despite Russias claims that its attack on Ukraine did not target civilians. The victims included three children, officials said. The video from the same yellow kitchen, which you can see in the pictures from a destroyed by missile Dnipro apartment The happy life of one of many families killed by putin & russians#RussiaIsATerroristState #Ukraine #UkraineWar #RussiaUkraineWar #RussianUkrainianWar https://t.co/nInhTbKFtB pic.twitter.com/RlO8SlreDd Valery (@ValeryKosta) January 16, 2023 Higher energy bills are here to stay, oil company boss warns 06:59 , Emily Atkinson An energy boss has warned that sky-high energy prices are not going to fall anytime soon and may never return to pre-Covid levels. The cost of wholesale energy began to rise after the easing of pandemic restrictions, before shooting up as a result of Russias invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions lodged against Moscow aimed at deterring further escalation. But as countries seek to ditch fossil fuels in favour of alternative energy supplies both to shed their dependence on Russian oil and pursue more environmentally-friendly futures experts warn this could mean energy costs remain high. Gas prices have returned to where they were before the Ukrainian invasion in recent weeks, in part due to warmer weather across Europe. Despite this, the boss of Norwegian energy giant Equinor has said he does not expect energy bills to return to pre-pandemic levels. Higher energy bills are here to stay, oil company boss warns Wagner Group member seeks asylum in Norway 06:40 , Arpan Rai Russian man and Wagner operative Andrei Medvedev who reportedly is a former high-ranking member of the Russian private military contractor Wagner Group, has sought asylum in Norway, officials said yesterday. The Norwegian directorate of immigration, also known by its Norwegian acronym UDI, confirmed to The Associated Press that the mercenary member has sought shelter in Norway. For reasons of security and privacy, the UDI cannot comment further on this matter, UDI said in an email. Read the full story here: Wagner mercenary claims to dodge gunfire and tracker dogs in escape to Norway Zelensky calls for more weapons and tanks after UK sends tanks: Thank you, Rishi 06:30 , Arpan Rai Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked the British administration for helping Ukraine by sending military aid, latest in the slew of ammunition and military vehicles being poured into the war-hit country by the west. Today, there is a good example from the UK. A new package of defence assistance has been announced - exactly what we need. Tanks, other armoured vehicles, artillery. What we discussed with Prime Minister Sunak. I thank you, Rishi, I thank every Briton for the tangible and timely support! Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address yesterday. He added: What happened in Dnipro, the fact that Russia is preparing a new attempt to seize the initiative in the war, the fact that the nature of hostilities at the front requires new decisions in the defense supply - all this only emphasizes how important it is to coordinate our efforts - efforts of all members of the coalition to defend Ukraine and freedom. And to speed up decision-making. Explosions heard in Russias Belgorod 06:14 , Arpan Rai Explosions have been heard in the Russian city of Belgorod and Belgorod district early this morning, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported via Telegram. Authorities have activated air defence systems, the regional governor said. Just 24 hours earlier, an explosion in Belgorod claimed three lives and wounded 16 others, officials said after an ammunition detonated at a Russian base at the Tonenkoye farm, in the Korochansky district. Another eight people have been reported missing. Wagner mercenary claims to have dodged rifle fire and tracker dogs in high-stakes escape into Norway 05:54 , Andy Gregory A Wagner Group commander who claims to have deserted the Russian mercenaries is willing to testify against its leaders has described a harrowing escape across a desolate Arctic frontier to seek political asylum in Norway. Andrei Medvedev told human rights activists of a night spent dodging bullets, evading sniffer dogs and running across a frozen river in a night gown at the northernmost reaches of mainland Europe in favour of the brutal retribution he claims to fear at the hands of his last employer. You can read more details here: Wagner mercenary claims to dodge gunfire and tracker dogs in escape to Norway Russia defence minister visits Russian troops involved in Ukraine - official 05:46 , Arpan Rai Russias defence minister Sergei Shoigu visited Russian troops fighting in the war Ukraine, the ministry said today. Sergei Shoigu thanked the servicemen who courageously perform tasks in the special military operation zone, and presented state awards to the servicemen for their dedication and heroism, the ministry said in a statement on its Telegram messaging app. Ukraine to take Russia to International Criminal Court for Dnipro missile strike 05:33 , Arpan Rai Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukrainian authorities in the security service have already started gathering information about Russian military involved in preparing and and carrying out this strike on an apartment building in Dnipro. This strike at Dnipro, as well as other similar strikes, falls, in particular, under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. And we will use all available opportunities - both national and international - to ensure that all Russian murderers, everyone who gives and executes orders on missile terror against our people, face legal sentences. And to ensure that they serve their punishment, Mr Zelensky said. He added: There is no doubt: every person guilty of this war crime will be identified and brought to justice. More than 7,000 civilians killed and over 11,000 injured in Ukraine war - UN 05:21 , Arpan Rai The UNs office of the high commissioner for human rights has totalled the civilian casualties in the Ukraine war to more than 18,000 since the first day of Russian invasion in its latest update. As of Sunday, the top UN office has recorded 18,358 civilian casualties in the country, out of which 7,031 people have been killed and 11,327 injured. A total of 7,031 killed (2,784 men, 1,875 women, 177 girls, and 221 boys, as well as 35 children and 1,939 adults whose sex is yet unknown), the UNHCR said yesterday. It added: A total of 11,327 injured (2,472 men, 1,764 women, 240 girls, and 325 boys, as well as 262 children and 6,264 adults whose sex is yet unknown) In Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the UN authorities have recorded 9,853 casualties (4,102 killed and 5,751 injured). Germanys defence minister quits after string of gaffes 05:10 , Arpan Rai German defence minister minister Christine Lambrecht announced her resignation as her department steers the massive project of modernising the countrys military and oversees expanding weapons deliveries to Ukraine. The minister said that she had submitted her resignation request to chancellor Olaf Scholz, adding that months of media focus on my person had stood in the way of a factual debate about the military and Germanys security policy. The valuable work of the soldiers and many people in my department must stand in the foreground, she said. Read the full story here: Germany's defense minister resigns amid Ukraine criticism Russia questions 'dear' James Cleverly on his support for 'neo-Nazism' 04:47 , Arpan Rai Russia has asked British foreign secretary James Cleverly why he has supported neo-Nazism and the Kyiv administration just hours after sanctioning him. Dear James, you dont understand. This is for the anti-Russian course and personal sanctions. But you still have to answer for the support of the Kyiv regime and neo-Nazism, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said yesterday. Russia terms its invasion of Ukraine as a special military operation aimed at fighting Nazism but has targeted the former Soviet territorys civilian infrastructure and citizens by indiscriminately shelling and bombing the country with missiles. Mikhailo Mudryk: Shakhtar to donate 20m of Chelsea transfer fee to Ukrainian soldiers 04:47 , Andy Gregory Shakhtar Donetsk will donate more than 20million of the transfer fee received for Mikhailo Mudryk to Ukrainian soldiers, my colleague Ben Burrows reports. The 22-year-old forward joined Chelsea for 88m on Sunday after the Blues moved late to hijack a move to Premier League rivals Arsenal. Shakhtar held out in negotiations for the biggest possible fee with a portion now set to go to soldiers, defenders and their families in the ongoing defence against the Russian invasion. Shakhtar to donate 20m of Mikhailo Mudryk transfer fee to Ukrainian soldiers James Cleverly says he has been sanctioned by Russia 04:39 , Arpan Rai British foreign secretary James Cleverly said he is the latest minister to have be sanctioned by Moscow over the war in Ukraine. Ive been sanctioned by the Russian government. Good. If this is the price for supporting Ukrainian freedom, then Im happy to be sanctioned #SlavaUkraini, he said on Twitter. Doubling down on British governments support for Ukraine, Mr Cleverly said that he spoke to his Ukrainian counterpart after the UK promised military aid t Ukraine. I spoke to my friend @DmytroKuleba following the announcement that the UK will provide Challenger 2 tanks and further military support to Ukraine. Ukraine will win. We will support you for as long as it takes, he said in another tweet. I've been sanctioned by the Russian government. Good. If this is the price for supporting Ukrainian freedom, then Im happy to be sanctioned #SlavaUkraini James Cleverly (@JamesCleverly) January 16, 2023 Cleverly to urge US to step up support for Ukraine 03:38 , Arpan Rai Foreign secretary James Cleverly is holding talks in Washington as he seeks to bolster support for Ukraine in its struggle against Russias invasion. Mr Cleverly will meet US secretary of state Antony Blinken today before travelling to Toronto for talks tomorrow with his Canadian counterpart, Melanie Joly. He is expected to use his visit to urge the allies to go further and faster in their support for the government in Kyiv, arguing that, with the right equipment, the Ukrainians can prevail against Moscow. Cleverly to urge US to step up support for Ukraine Expanded US training for Ukraine forces begins in Germany 03:34 , Andy Gregory Washingtons new and expanded training scheme for Ukrainian forces began in Germany on Sunday with a goal of getting a battalion of some 500 troops back on the battlefield in the next five to eight weeks, General Mark Milley has said. Expanded US training for Ukraine forces begins in Germany CIA director warned Zelensky of assassination threat at secret meeting before Russia invasion, book claims 02:31 , Andy Gregory The director of the Central Intelligence Agency travelled to Kyiv before the start of Russias war on Ukraine in order to inform Volodymyr Zelensky of a Russian plan to assassinate him, reports my colleague Andrew Feinberg. In a forthcoming book, author Chris Whipple reports that at the same time Mr Zelensky was publicly dismissive of warnings from US officials that Moscow would soon launch its land invasion, he was getting a clandestine briefing from CIA Director Bill Burns about the threat on his life. CIA warned Zelensky of assassination threat before Russia invasion, book claims Residents mourn 40 dead in awful attack in Dnipro 01:19 , Andy Gregory Dnipro was in mourning today after the Russian attack alleged to have killed 40 civilians and left 75 wounded, including 14 children. A serviceman in uniform laid flowers and sobbed, clutching his head in grief next to an impromptu shrine to the dead at a bus stop across the street from a gaping hole where the nine-storey apartment block had stood, Reuters reported. We all live in buildings like this one and we all imagine what if it happened to us. It is awful, Polina, a 28-year-old resident of the neighbourhood told the news agency. Russia claimed it was not to blame for the destruction in Dnipro as it was caused by Ukrainian air defences. Kyiv says the apartment building was hit by a Russian ship-to-ship missile, a type that Ukraine does not have the capability to shoot down. Dnipro attack underscores need for quicker arms supplies, says Zelensky 00:11 , Andy Gregory The death toll from a Russian missile strike in city of Dnipro rose to 40 today, with dozens more missing, making it the deadliest civilian incident of Moscows three-month campaign of firing missiles at cities far from the frontline. Officials expressed meagre hope of finding anyone else alive in the rubble, but president Volodymyr Zelensky said the rescue operation would go on as long as there is even the slightest chance to save lives. Dozens of people were rescued from the rubble, including six children. We are fighting for every person, Mr Zelensky said in a televised address. Speaking later in his nightly video address, Mr Zelensky said the Dnipro attack underscored the need to speed up decisions on arms supplies and coordinate all the efforts of the coalition defending Ukraine and freedom. Cleverly to help persuade allies to provide Kyiv with tanks, says Kuleba Monday 16 January 2023 23:21 , Andy Gregory British foreign secretary James Cleverly has spoken to his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba and confirmed his readiness to work together on persuading other nations to provide Ukraine with western-type tanks, the latter has said. We also discussed new sanctions on Russias missile and drone industry aimed to put an end to Russian missile terror against civilians. I am deeply grateful to the UK for standing with Ukraine resolutely 2/2 Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) January 16, 2023 Mr Cleverly and Mr Wallace will meet allies to discuss further military support for Kyiv. No 10 backs Ukraines effectiveness with British tanks, despite Kremlins threat Monday 16 January 2023 22:36 , Andy Gregory Downing Street has expressed confidence that Ukraine will use British tanks effectively after Russia claimed the Challenger 2s will burn on the battlefield, reports Sam Blewett. No 10 said there is a plethora of evidence showing Volodymyr Zelenskys troops have used UK-supplied weapons successfully and minsters fully expected them to continue. You can read more on todays developments here: No 10 backs Ukraines effectiveness with British tanks, despite Kremlins threat How George Orwells Animal Farm is helping Ukraine 76 years on Monday 16 January 2023 21:48 , Andy Gregory A first edition Ukrainian language copy of George Orwells Animal Farm is set to go on sale to raise money for a charity supporting refugees who fled the Russian invasion, reports my colleague Liam James. The Ukrainian translation of the seminal satire of the Russian revolution was the only one to feature a foreword from Orwell written at the behest of his publisher, who felt the author should introduce himself to the editions intended audience of Ukrainians displaced by the Second World War. The 1947 copy of the book, also dubbed the refugee camp edition, is now set to be sold by London antique bookshop Jarndyce for 1,850 on 20 January on a first come, first serve basis. How George Orwells Animal Farm is helping Ukraine 76 years on Germany and Netherlands condemn Russias forced deportation of children Monday 16 January 2023 21:04 , Andy Gregory Germany and the Netherlands have condemned the deportation by Russians of thousands of Ukrainian children, calling it a deliberate policy of cruel and inhumane abductions that is tearing families apart. Russia must account for the whereabouts of these children, German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said at a joint press conference with her Dutch colleague Wopke Hoekstra in The Hague, according to the Associated Press. Their parents, families, caregivers must no longer be in uncertainty and fear. These children have their homes with their families in Ukraine. These children did not leave their homes voluntarily. These children have been abducted. Ms Baerbock said that German and Dutch ministers would work together with organisations including the United Nations and International Criminal Court on the issue. This deliberate Russian policy is tearing families apart and traumatising children, said Mr Hoekstra. It is cruel and it is inhumane. And let me be clear that children abducted by Russia must be returned to their own country as soon as possible. Ukraines infrastructure could collapse at any second, warns Kyiv mayor Monday 16 January 2023 20:29 , Reuters Ukraines infrastructure could collapse at any second as Russias sporadic missile attacks along with freezing winter temperatures put local authorities under increasing strain, Kyivs mayor has warned. Vitali Klitschko and his brother Vladimir told Reuters that Ukraines Western allies had to speed up deliveries of air defence systems capable of downing Russian missiles. We dont talk about the collapse, but it can happen ... at any second [because] Russian rockets can destroy our critical infrastructure in Kyiv, Vitali said, adding that there was currently a 30 per cent deficit in energy in the capital. Its pretty cold in Ukraine right now so living without electricity and heating is almost impossible. The situation is critical. We are fighting to survive, he said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos. Russia will not launch land offensive from Belarus, says Tsikhanouskaya Monday 16 January 2023 20:01 , Andy Gregory Belaruss exiled opposition leader has said she does not think Russia will launch an offensive on Ukraine from her country after the two nations began military drills but warned Moscow could launch more missiles strikes from its allys territory. Moscow and Minsk started joint military exercises on Monday, triggering fears in Kyiv and the West that Moscow could use its ally to launch a new ground offensive in Ukraine. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos that she believed the drills aimed to scare the Belarus people about the possibility of war and make president Alexander Lukashenko appear to be doing everything to avoid conflict. The other purpose is to threaten the Ukrainians, distract them and turn the attention of their troops from the eastern part of the country to the northern borders, said Ms Tsikhanouskaya, who fled Belarus after a presidential election in 2020. UKs surgeon general to visit Ukraine, says Ben Wallace Monday 16 January 2023 19:32 , Andy Gregory The UKs surgeon general will visit Ukraine, defence secretary Ben Wallace has said, after a call from former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith to provide Ukrainian troops with mental health support to help counter a large rise in suicides. Speaking in the Commons, Mr Wallace replied that the most senior uniformed medical officer in the British armed forces would visit Ukraine soon to see what more we can do to help those individuals especially suffering from the acute mental health challenges they have. He added: It is easy to forget that there are lots of Ukrainians suffering either post-conflict through the suicide or indeed just ordinary individuals. The tragedy is 10 months in people get slightly immune to what they see on the telly and social media from what is really violence and destruction of a staggering scale. Kyivs forces need more mental health support amid huge rise in troop suicides, MPs told Monday 16 January 2023 19:01 , Andy Gregory Ukraines armed forces need more mental health support, ministers have been told after hearing claims that an astonishing number of soldiers have died by suicide after their experiences on the battlefield. Former Tory party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith told the Commons that the UK and US should provide mental health support for Ukraines armed forces due to the two countries experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq. Sir Iain told the Commons that he had recently visited Ukraine while working with a charity, and heard calls for donations of more armoured ambulances and paramedics. He also told the Commons: The third area they were keen on and this is something that is shocking is that the number of Ukrainian military committing suicide now as a result of battlefield stress is astonishing, they desperately need help. They did ask that the US and the UK who have experience in Afghanistan, Iraq, etc could help by sending some people over to help train in those mental health practices. UK to reevaluate size of its tank fleet, says Wallace Monday 16 January 2023 18:33 , Andy Gregory The UK could re-evaluate whether it needs a larger tank fleet based on the lessons of Ukraine, Ben Wallace has said, promising to build on the armys modernisation programme at pace. The defence secretary told MPs: Even as we gift Challenger 2 tanks [to Kyiv], I shall at the same time be reviewing the number of Challenger 3 conversions to consider whether the lessons of Ukraine suggest that we need a larger tank fleet. We will also build on the armys modernisation programme at pace, specifically on artillery. Im accelerating the Mobile Fires programme, so instead of delivering in the 2030s it will do this earlier this decade. (screengrab/Parliament TV) UK to double down on training Ukrainian troops on British soil, says Wallace Monday 16 January 2023 18:04 , Andy Gregory The UK is doubling down its training of Ukrainian soldiers on British soil, the defence secretary has said. Ben Wallace told the Commons: Doubling down on the success of our basic training of Ukrainian military in 2022 in the United Kingdom, we are also now increasing this number this year to a further 20,000. He added: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Lithuania, New Zealand and the Netherlands have already joined this effort, and Im pleased to say we are now going to be joined by a subgroup of Australian military to train in this country as well. Britain to send Kyiv hundreds of armoured vehicles in most significant combat package to date Monday 16 January 2023 17:39 , Andy Gregory Britain will send hundreds more armoured vehicles to Ukraine, including Bulldog vehicles and Challenger 2 tanks, the defence secretary has told MPs. Speaking in the Commons, Ben Wallace claimed that Britain will be the first country to donate Western main battle tanks, saying that Russia has managed to lose significant numbers of generals and commanding officers while failing to break the will of the Ukrainian people. Announcing what he described as the most significant package of combat to date to accelerate Ukrainian success, Mr Wallace said that Kyivs allies must accelerate our collective efforts to dramatically, economically and militarily to keep the pressure on Vladimir Putin. After discussion with the United States and our European allies, it is hoped that the example set by the French and us will allow those countries holding Leopard tanks to donate as well. I know there are a number of countries who want to do the same, he told MPs. It is worth reiterating why we are doing this. In 2023, the international community will not let Russia wait it out while inflicting terrible suffering on Ukrainian civilians. Russia makes first set of Poseidon nuclear-capable torpedoes Monday 16 January 2023 16:40 , Liam James Russia has produced the first set of Poseidon nuclear capable super torpedoes that are being developed for deployment on the Belgorod nuclear submarine, Tass reported, citing an unidentified defence source. US and Russian officials have both described Poseidon as a new category of retaliatory weapon, capable of triggering radioactive ocean swells to render coastal cities uninhabitable. The first set of Poseidons have been manufactured, and the Belgorod submarine will receive them in the near future, Tass, a state news agency, quoted the source as saying. Tass said the main components of Poseidon, including a nuclear reactor to give the torpedo its own power source, had been successfully completed. The crew of the Belgorod nuclear submarine has also completed tests with models of the torpedo, Tass said. Apartment building blast death toll rises to 40 Monday 16 January 2023 16:00 , Matt Mathers The death toll from a Russian missile strike in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro rose to 40 on Monday with dozens more missing, making it the deadliest civilian incident of Moscows three-month campaign of hurling missiles at cities far from the front. Kyiv says the mass civilian deaths, which it describes as terrorism, demonstrate why it needs more weapons to defeat Russian forces 11 months after they invaded. Russia denies intentionally targetting civilians. Germanys Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht resigned on Monday, while her government came under mounting pressure to let allies send Ukraine heavy tanks, at the start of what is expected to be a pivotal week for Western plans to arm Kyiv. Taiwan could be next Ukraine, Japans prime minister warns G7 leaders Monday 16 January 2023 15:50 , Matt Mathers Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida told Western nations that east Asia could become the next Ukraine given a rise in Chinas aggression against Taiwan and North Koreas military activity. During his first trip to Washington since his election in October 2021, Mr Kishida visited leaders of all members of the Group of 7 nations (G7), except Germany. The Japanese president stressed the importance of standing up to Russias invasion of Ukraine, arguing that if a unilateral change to the status quo went unchallenged, the same would happen elsewhere. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar reports: Taiwan could be next Ukraine, Japans prime minister warns G7 leaders Turkey renews offer to mediate in Russia-Ukraine war - Erdogans office Monday 16 January 2023 15:10 , Matt Mathers Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan renewed his offer to help mediate an end to the conflict in Ukraine during a phone call on Monday with Russias President Vladimir Putin, Erdogans office said. "During the call, President Erdogan reiterated that Turkey is ready to undertake the task of facilitating and mediating for the establishment of a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine," it said in a statement. The two leaders also discussed Russian grain and ammonia exports via the Black Sea, it added. Putin and Erdogan discuss Ukraine by phone - Kremlin Monday 16 January 2023 14:50 , Matt Mathers President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a phone call where they discussed Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Monday. The two sides discussed a potential prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine, as well as normalisation of Turkish-Syrian relations, the Kremlin said. "The exchange of views on the situation around Ukraine continued," the Kremlin said. File: Russian president Vladimir Putin meets with Turkeys president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the Sixth Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Astana on 13 October 2022 (SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images) More than 7,000 civilians killed in war so far - UN Monday 16 January 2023 14:21 , Matt Mathers More than 7,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded its neighbour last February, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said on Monday. "Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects, including shelling from heavy artillery, multiple launch rocket systems, missiles and air strikes," an OHCHR statement said. The UN rights office said it had confirmed 7,031 civilian deaths but believes actual casualty tolls are "considerably higher" given the pending corroboration of many reports and the inaccessibility of areas where intense fighting is taking place. Most of the recorded civilian deaths occurred in government-held areas of Ukraine - 6,536 compared with 495 recorded in Russian-held areas. OHCHR did not attribute responsibility for the deaths. Ukraine says the numbers of civilians killed could run into the tens of thousands. Both countries deny targeting civilians. Buildings destroyed in Dnipro Monday 16 January 2023 13:50 , Matt Mathers A photograph shows a residential building destroyed after a Russian missile strike, in Dnipro on January 16, 2023 (AFP via Getty Images) Local residents look at rescuers working on the building (AFP via Getty Images) A Russian Su-25 attack aircraft has been shot down by defenders of Ukraine near Soledar in the Donetsk Oblast; the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine previously made the announcement. Source: Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Quote: "On 17 January 2023, at about 15:20 on the Eastern front, near the city of Soledar, another Russian Su-25 attack aircraft was destroyed by a unit of anti-aircraft missile forces of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine." Background: The General Staff reported that the Air Force shot down a Russian Su-25 attack aircraft on 17 January. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Ukraines Defence Forces repelled attacks by the invaders near more than 20 cities, towns and villages in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts on 16 January. Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, information as of 06:00 on 17 January Quote: "Over the past 24 hours, the enemy has carried out two missile and seven air strikes and deployed multiple-launch rocket systems [MLRS] to conduct over 70 attacks on civilian infrastructure. Civilians were also killed and injured. A threat of further Russian air and missile attacks on facilities all over Ukraine is high. The enemy has not abandoned its intentions to capture the entire Donetsk Oblast, and it is conducting offensive actions on the Bakhmut and Avdiivka fronts. Over the past day, units of Ukraines Defence Forces repelled Russian attacks near more than 20 settlements, including Bilohorivka (Luhansk Oblast) and Verkhniokamianske, Krasnopolivka, Spirne, Sil, Soledar, Bilohorivka, Bakhmut, Pivnichne, Kamianka, Vodiane, Nevelske, Marinka and Pobieda (Donetsk Oblast). The enemy is trying to improve its tactical position on the Kupiansk, Lyman and Novopavlivka fronts and is on the defensive on the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson fronts." Details: On the Volyn, Polissia, Sivershchyna and Slobozhanshchyna fronts, there were no significant changes in the situation; no signs of Russians forming offensive groups were detected. Nevertheless, areas in and around more than 15 settlements came under Russian tank, mortar and artillery fire. Among them are Krasne, Neskuchne, Vesele, Hatyshche, Vovchansk, Nesterne, Zemlianky, Novomlynsk, Dvorichna and Kamianka in Kharkiv Oblast. On the Kupiansk and Lyman fronts, Russian forces fired in and around 15 settlements, including Kyslivka, Kotliarivka and Vyshneve (Kharkiv Oblast) and Novoselivske, Andriivka, Makiivka, Kreminna, Dibrova, Terny and Yampolivka (Luhansk Oblast). On the Bakhmut front, Vyimka, Bilohorivka, Soledar, Krasna Hora, Paraskoviivka, Bakhmut, Klishchiivka, New-York and Vesele in Donetsk Oblast were attacked. Overall, more than 15 settlements were attacked. Story continues On the Avdiivka front, Russian forces fired on Heorhiivka, Avdiivka, Pervomaiske, Marinka, Vodiane and Novomykhailivka in Donetsk Oblast. On the Novopavlivka front, the occupiers hit Vuhledar, Mykilski Dachi and Velyka Novosilka in Donetsk Oblast. On the Zaporizhzhia front, Russian forces struck more than 15 cities, towns and villages, including Vremivka and Novopil in Donetsk Oblast and Poltavka, Malynivka, Huliaipole, Mala Tokmachka, Novoandriivka, Stepove, Kamianske and Plavni in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. On the Kherson front, the invaders continued terrorising civilians. Sablukivka, Kachkarivka, Olhivka, Tiahynka, Inhulets and Kherson came under Russian mortar and artillery fire. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has reported that the invaders have stopped broadcasting all Ukrainian TV channels and left only Russian TV in the temporarily occupied territories, including Zavodivka, Hornostaivka and Kairy in Kherson Oblast. Ukraines Rocket Forces and Artillery units hit one command post, 11 clusters of manpower, a fuel storage point and an ammunition storage point belonging to the Russian invaders. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine's top general said he had outlined the "urgent needs" of his armed forces on Tuesday at a first personal meeting with the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, in Poland. Ukraine is pushing to secure a fleet of modern battle tanks from Western countries that it hopes to use to drive out Russian forces which invaded last February, capturing swathes of territory in the south and east. "I outlined the urgent needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the fulfilment of which will accelerate our Victory," General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi wrote in a statement on Telegram. In an interview with the Economist in December, Zaluzhnyi said he needed 300 tanks, 600-700 infantry fighting vehicles and 500 howitzers to help his forces push back the invaders. "I know that I can beat this enemy. But I need resources," he said. The United States has been by far the biggest supplier of military assistance for Kyiv during the war. Western allies are scheduled to meet at a U.S. airbase in Germany on Friday to pledge military support for Ukraine, with the focus on proposals to provide modern battle tanks. German-made Leopard tanks, held by armies across Europe, are seen as the most likely option to be sent in large numbers, but they cannot be re-exported to Ukraine without Berlin's approval. In his statement, Zaluzhnyi said he thanked Milley for "the unwavering support and assistance provided by the United States of America and allies to Ukraine". (Reporting by Tom Balmforth and Max Hunder; Editing by Jon Boyle and Gareth Jones) Solomon Pena, center, a Republican candidate for New Mexico House District 14, is taken into custody by Albuquerque Police officers, Monday, Jan. 16, 2023, in southwest Albuquerque, N.M. Pena was arrested in connection with a recent series of drive-by shootings targeting Democratic lawmakers in New Mexico. (Roberto E. Rosales/The Albuquerque Journal via AP) (Roberto E. Rosales/AP) ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. A 39-year-old felon who overwhelmingly lost a bid for the New Mexico statehouse as a Republican paid for four men to shoot at Democratic lawmakers homes in recent months, including one house where a 10-year-old girl was asleep, police said. The case against Solomon Pena, who had posted photos of himself online with Donald Trump campaign material, is one of dozens across the United States where people have threatened, and in some cases attempted to carry out, violence against members of Congress, school board members and other election officials. In Kansas, a trial began this week for a man who prosecutors say threatened to kill a congressman. Advertisement Officials accuse Pena of paying $500 to four men to shoot at the homes of Democratic lawmakers. He went along for the final drive-by, his gun jamming as bullets ripped into the bedroom of the girl, police said. The criminal complaint against the self-proclaimed MAGA king describes how anger over his landslide defeat in November led to attacks at the homes of four Democratic lawmakers in New Mexicos largest city. A SWAT team arrested him Monday afternoon, police said. Advertisement Pena spent nine years behind bars after his arrest in April 2007 for stealing electronics and other goods from several retail stores as part of what authorities described as a burglary crew. He was released from prison in March 2016, and had his voting rights restored after completing five years probation in April 2021, corrections officials said. Pena ran unsuccessfully in November against incumbent state Rep. Miguel P. Garcia, the longtime Democrat representing House District 14 in the South Valley. Pena got 26% of the vote. Pena, whose criminal past came up during the campaign, repeatedly made baseless claims that the election was rigged against him. I dissent. I am the MAGA king, he posted the day after the election. On Nov. 15, he posted an image of himself in a Make America Great Again hoodie, saying Trump just announced for 2024. I stand with him. I never conceded my HD 14 race. Now researching my options. Pena has an initial court appearance Wednesday on charges including multiple counts of shooting at a home and shooting from a motor vehicle, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, conspiracy and being a felon in possession of a firearm. No one was wounded in the drive-by shootings. The New Mexico Republican Party said that: If Pena is found guilty, he must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Penas candidacy was challenged in state district court, with his opponent saying he wasnt eligible to seek office because he had not been pardoned by the governor, nor did he request to be pardoned. Advertisement The court sided with Pena, finding that a state law that prohibits a felon from holding public office was unconstitutional. An appeal is pending. Police said Pena had previously shown up uninvited at the homes of two elected officials with what he claimed were documents proving that he had won his race. There was no evidence of widespread voter fraud, or any irregularity involving enough votes to change a result, in New Mexico in 2020 or 2022. The criminal complaint says that Pena hired a father and son with criminal histories of their own as well as two brothers whom authorities have yet to identify. In one of their text messages, Pena complained that officials certifying the election in November sold us out to the highest bidder. The shootings began Dec. 4, when eight rounds were fired at the home of Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa. Days later, state Rep. Javier Martinezs home was targeted. On Dec. 11, more than a dozen rounds were fired at the home of Bernalillo County Commissioner Debbie OMalley, police said. The final related shooting, targeting state Sen. Linda Lopezs home, unfolded in the midnight hour of Jan. 3. Police said more than a dozen shots were fired, including three that Lopez said passed through the bedroom of her sleeping 10-year-old daughter. The witness said one of the men told the shooters to aim above the homes windows to avoid striking anyone inside. Pena wanted them to shoot lower. Advertisement Penas insistence that the men be more aggressive made the other participants uneasy since they knew that doing so would likely end in death or injury, said the witness, who faces criminal charges and has asked for leniency. Authorities said no such promises have been made. The witness said Pena was there at the Lopez shooting to ensure better target acquisition. The witness said Penas gun jammed and did not fire correctly but one of the other men fired multiple rounds from a Glock pistol into the Lopez home. An appointed public defender for Pena did not immediate return messages seeking comment. The shooting spree was scary, not just from my personal perspective, but the fact that our democratic processes that we believed so much in -- and that our country was founded on -- would be targeted in that way, Martinez, the Democratic lawmaker, said at a news conference on his first day as the top-ranked House leader. Its long overdue that we lower the temperature. These are the things that can happen when the rhetoric gets out of hand, Martinez said. Advertisement Lawmakers in the Democratic-run state have had to tread carefully over the years not to infringe on the right to bear arms, and it was only recently that firearms were banned from the state capitol. In Albuquerque, authorities have been struggling to address escalating gun violence and consecutive years of record homicides. Detectives identified Pena as their key suspect using a combination of cellphone and vehicle records, witness interviews and bullet casings collected near the lawmakers homes. Technology that can detect the sound of gunfire led an officer to Lopezs neighborhood shortly after the shots were fired. The officer found bullet casings matching a handgun found later that morning in a Nissan Maxima registered to Pena. Around 1:30 a.m., about an hour after the shooting at Lopezs home, police stopped the Nissan about 4 miles from the lawmakers neighborhood. The driver, identified as Jose Trujillo, was arrested on an outstanding warrant, leading to the discovery of more than 800 fentanyl pills and two firearms in the car. Authorities said Tuesday the investigation was ongoing and more arrests were expected. Advertisement Yamat reported from Las Vegas, Nevada. Dmytro Kuleba Its all nonsense, everything they (the Russians) are saying, he said. Were not buying it, and more importantly, were glad to see that more and more countries arent buying it either. Commenting on the Russian missile strike on a residential building in the city of Dnipro, Kuleba stressed it would not make the Ukrainians give up. You cannot raise your hands and say: okay, were giving up because youre hitting residential buildings, killing fathers, mothers, children, spreading terror, the minister said. Because we know if we do that, things will only get worse. Read also: Ukraines allies will never force it into negotiating with Russia, Macron says On Oct. 4, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved a National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) decision that outlaws negotiations with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. Ukraines negotiating position will depend on Kyivs success on the battlefield, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Oct. 26. Zelenskyy later said Ukraine could find a format to hold talks with Moscow only under the condition of a complete Russian withdrawal from all occupied Ukrainian territories, as well as its admission that the full-scale invasion was a terrible mistake. At the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, on Nov. 15, Zelenskyy proposed a 10-point plan for achieving peace, which included restoration of Ukraines territorial integrity, respect for the UN Charter, compensation for all the damage caused by the Russian war, punishment for all war crimes, and security guarantees for the future. Upon withdrawal of its troops from the western bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast, Moscow declared its willingness for peace negotiations without any conditions. However, it continues to carry out mass missile and air strikes on Ukraines energy system. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Six Russian missile carriers in the Black Sea, including submarines, have been armed with an almost unprecedented number of Kalibr cruise missiles - up to 44, according to Natalia Humeniuk, spokeperson for the Southern Operational Command of the Ukrainian armed forces. The estimate of missiles ready to launch was made after another Russian submarine was observed calling into port, presumably to be loaded with fresh Kalibr missiles, Humeniuk said live on Ukrainian television. Since the full-scale invasion began, the most missiles Russia had had in the Black Sea at any one time was 48. Among other cruise and ballistic missiles, Kalibrs have been among the main weapons that Russia has used to attack Ukraine's civilian infrastructure. Kalibr missiles launched from the Black Sea were used in Russia's tenth mass missile attack on Ukraine, with several reported shot down by Ukrainian air defense. Ukrainian intelligence has claimed that Russia is close to running out of its stockpile but added that it can still continue to produce 20 Kalibrs per month. Russia boasted in December that it would never run out of these missiles. Ukraine remains under threat of another missile attack, Humeniuk said. Jan. 16For the first time in 50 years, Maine's only law school will begin holding classes Tuesday at its new home in Portland's Old Port. The University of Maine School of Law has moved from its old location at 246 Deering Ave. into a new location at 300 Fore St. Gov. Janet Mills, who graduated from the University of Maine School of Law in 1976 and went on to serve as Maine's Attorney General, came to Portland last week to attend the law school's open house and to recognize the opening of the new campus with students, law school faculty, and the University of Maine officials. Former Maine Supreme Judicial Court Justice Leigh Saufley is dean of the law school. The 64,000-square-foot Fore Street office building also will house the University of Maine Graduate and Professional Center, the University of Maine Portland Gateway, and the University of Maine Graduate School of Business, according to a statement posted on the law school's website. "It's really important that we're bringing together law, commerce, and public policy, and research in one building," Mills told News Center Maine at Thursday's open house. "This (new campus) brings all of this together where people can share their knowledge and help make Maine a better place." In August 2021, Portland's Planning Board approved a change of use application that allowed the law school and related programs to move from its home on Deering Avenue to the Old Port location. The school has occupied the eight-story law school building, which is adjacent to the University of Southern Maine's Portland campus, since 1972. In 2017, Architectural Digest named the building one of the eight ugliest buildings in America. "The university building may look like a futuristic version of the Roman Colosseum, but the only battles happening with these walls are with the bar exam," Architectural Digest wrote in its review. The Fore Street office building was renovated to accommodate the law school's needs. It is located near the center of the Old Port district, is near several downtown law firms, and is within walking distance of state and federal courts. The former tenant of the building, the Council on International Educational Exchange, a nonprofit that helps students study abroad, had occupied the building since 2007, a year after it was built at the corner of Fore and Custom House streets. The new law school will feature nine learning spaces with state-of-the-art technology; two classrooms with the capacity to seat 100; a fully staffed law library; a designated prayer room; legal aid clinics; a bicycle storage room; and a first-floor space with a fireplace and cafe. Talks in Kyiv with the US delegation led by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, January 16, 2023 Read also: U.S. diplomat Nuland meets with Ukraine chief-of-staff Yermak in Kyiv Besides Yermak, the meeting was attended by U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink, head of Ukraines energy operator Ukrenergo Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, and senior military leadership. Yermak briefed Sherman on the situation on the battlefield and Ukraine in general, and thanked the United States for its continued assistance. Ukrainians will never forget the assistance and support provided to us by the United States, the American people, the government, President (Joe Biden), and the Congress, Yermak said. Read also: Biden confirms Ukraine could soon receive Bradley fighting vehicles Ukrainian military commanders, in turn, outlined equipment needs they hope will be addressed in future U.S. military aid packages. In particular, the U.S. delegation was briefed on Ukraines air defense effectiveness against the Jan. 14 Russian air strikes. Participants also discussed the efforts to restore Ukraines power grid and generation capacity in the face of continued Russian attacks. Read also: Italy to transfer SAMP/T air defense battery to Ukraine We are committed to openness and transparency of all information, because now we feel that when we are together in this battle, when the United States is with us it is very important and brings victory closer, Yermak added. Read also: US interests demand increased support for Ukraine, Condoleezza Rice says Sherman also had a meeting with Ukrainian PM Denys Shmyhal, largely focused on U.S. economic assistance to Kyiv and the ways of helping Ukraine repair its energy sector. On Jan. 6, the United States announced another $3 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, including the transfer of 50 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, 18 M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzers, and RIM-7 Sea Sparrow guided missiles. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine MEXICO CITY (AP) The man who was once Mexico's top security official and in charge of fighting the drug cartels went on trial Tuesday on charges he accepted millions of dollars in bribes in exchange for helping the powerful Sinaloa Cartel move drugs and its members avoid capture. Genaro Garcia Luna was best known as the mumbling, tough-looking former security secretary under ex-President Felipe Calderon, who spearheaded the bloody war on cartels between 2006 and 2012. Prosecutors say Garcia Luna was so brazen he accepted tens of millions of dollars, often stuffed in briefcases. The evidence against him includes pay stubs, though whether they are from official jobs, private sector consultancy, cartel payments or other bribes is unclear. They say he continued to live off his ill-gotten proceeds even after he moved to the United States, where he was arrested in 2019, though the defense says he was a legitimate businessman. Jury selection was scheduled to continue Wednesday in the trial scheduled to unfold over the next eight weeks. In the end, the case could reveal the inner workings of how Mexican cartels have been able to operate so openly for so long: by bribing Mexican police and military right up to the top ranks. For decades, Mexicos political elite, of all parties, has sought by any means to have security ministers, generals, police commanders, interior secretaries and high-ranking officials tried and imprisoned in Mexico. All that to avoid them giving information on the ties between the drug cartels and politicians, said Mexican security analyst David Saucedo. Garcia Lunas trial in the United States breaks with that pattern. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has welcomed the trial, which is expected to cast light on corruption in the administration of Calderon, whom the president accuses of robbing him of the presidency in 2006. But Lopez Obrador himself fought tooth and nail to avoid a U.S. trial of former Defense Secretary Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos on similar charges in 2020, at one point threatening to kick agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration out of Mexico unless the general was returned, which he was. Story continues The trial begins just days after U.S. President Joe Biden met with Lopez Obrador in Mexico City. The two governments pledged continued cooperation against the drug cartels, especially against the scourge of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, which contributed to more than 107,000 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2021. Lopez Obrador scrapped the civilian federal police force that Garcia Luna once led and put the military in charge of much of the country's security. Its not the same to put a civilian PAN official on trial, as it is to put a defense secretary on trial, when your whole national security policy rests on the armed forces, said Ana Vanessa Cardenas, an international security analyst at the Anahuac University, referring to Calderon's conservative National Action Party. Garcia Luna has pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges and a continuing criminal enterprise. He could face decades in prison if convicted. What he will face in a Brooklyn courtroom is a parade of government witnesses, including high-level cartel members of a kind not seen in Brooklyn since Sinaloa boss Joaquin El Chapo Guzman was convicted there in 2019 and sentenced to life in prison. Some accusations against Garcia Luna surfaced at the Guzman trial. While holding public office, (Garcia Luna) used his official positions to assist the Sinaloa Cartel ... in exchange for multimillion-dollar bribes," U.S. Attorney Breon Peace wrote in a court filing last week. At trial, the government expects that numerous witnesses, including several former high-ranking members of the Sinaloa Cartel, will testify about bribes paid to the defendant in exchange for protection. In exchange for the bribes, Garcia provided the Sinaloa Cartel with safe passage for its drug shipments, sensitive law enforcement information about investigations into the cartel, and information about rival drug cartels, Peace wrote. These payments allowed the cartel at times to receive warnings in advance of law enforcement efforts to apprehend cartel members and to allow cartel members to be released if arrested. Before convicting Guzman in 2019, jurors in his New York trial heard former cartel member Jesus Zambada testify that he personally made at least $6 million in hidden payments to Garcia Luna, on behalf of his older brother, cartel boss Ismael El Mayo Zambada. The cartel is now believed to be run by Zambada and at least three of Guzman's sons, one of whom was arrested earlier this month on an extradition request from the United States. Garcia Luna isn't the first top Mexican official arrested for involvement with drug traffickers. Gen. Jesus Gutierrez Rebollo was made Mexicos drug czar by President Ernesto Zedillo in 1996. He was arrested the following year after it was discovered he was living in a luxury apartment owned by the leader of the Juarez cartel, Amado Carrillo Fuentes. (Bloomberg) -- A decision on sending Germanys Leopard battle tank to Ukraine will be easier if the US sends equivalent vehicles to the war zone too, according to Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck. Most Read from Bloomberg The Green Party politician suggested to Francine Lacqua on Bloomberg Television that he is in favor of authorizing the supply of such equipment, and also some owned by Poland and Finland. I argue that we will do that, he said, speaking in the Swiss resort of Davos, where he is attending the World Economic Forum. If America will decide that they will bring battle tanks to Ukraine, that will make it easier for Germany. You know our history, and we are little bit more reluctant there for understandable reasons. Germany has faced mounting pressure to supply Ukraine with the Leopard after Poland and Finland announced that they wanted to send their own German-made combat vehicles. Chancellor Olaf Scholzs administration was likely to proceed with such a decision, two officials familiar with the governments thinking said on Friday. UK Tanks The UK this week became the first Western country to provide Ukraine with a modern main battle tank with its decision to supply some of its Challenger 2 vehicles along with extra artillery. That followed earlier announcements from the US, France and Germany that they will send infantry fighting vehicles. Any decision on tanks will be one of the first for the new defense minister, Habeck said. He spoke after news emerged that Scholz plans to appoint Boris Pistorius to that post after Christine Lambrecht stepped down. I know Boris Pistorius well, he is a very experienced politician, said Habeck. He is the right representative for the German army and he will be a man able to take strong decisions in short time and this is what is needed. Story continues Ukraine must get all the military equipment that is needed to win the war, he added, with a caveat. The red line must be always that we are not engaged in a Third World War. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. A MILITARY BASE IN SOUTHEASTERN POLAND (AP) The top U.S. military officer, Army Gen. Mark Milley, traveled to a site near the Ukraine-Poland border on Tuesday and talked with his Ukrainian counterpart face to face for the first time a meeting underscoring the growing ties between the two militaries and coming at a critical time as Russia's war with Ukraine nears the one-year mark. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met for a couple of hours with Ukraines chief military officer, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, at an undisclosed location in southeastern Poland. The two leaders have talked frequently about Ukraine's military needs and the state of the war over the past year but had never met. The meeting comes as the international community ramps up the military assistance to Ukraine, including expanded training of Ukrainian troops by the U.S. and the provision of a Patriot missile battery, tanks and increased air defense and other weapons systems by the U.S. and a coalition of European and other nations. It also marks a key time in the war. Ukraine's troops face fierce fighting in the eastern Donetsk province, where Russian forces supplemented by thousands of private Wagner Group contractors seek to turn the tide after a series of battlefield setbacks in recent months. Army Col. Dave Butler, a spokesman for Milley, told two reporters traveling with the chairman that the two generals felt it was important to meet in person. The reporters did not accompany Milley to the meeting and, under conditions set by the military, agreed to not identify the military base in southeastern Poland where they were located. These guys have been talking on a very regular basis for about a year now, and theyve gotten to know each other, Butler said. Theyve talked in detail about the defense that Ukraine is trying to do against Russias aggression. And its important when you have two military professionals looking each other in the eye and talking about very, very important topics, theres a difference. Story continues Butler said there had been some hope that Zaluzhnyi would travel to Brussels for a meeting of NATO and other defense chiefs this week, but when it became clear on Monday that it would not happen, they quickly decided to meet in Poland, near the border. While a number of U.S. civilian leader s have gone into Ukraine, the Biden administration has made it clear that no uniformed military service members will go into Ukraine other than those connected to the embassy in Kyiv. Butler said only a small group Milley and six of his senior staffers traveled by car to the meeting. He said that the meeting will allow Milley to relay Zaluzhnyi's concerns and information to the other military leaders during the NATO chiefs' meeting. Milley, he said, will be able to describe the tactical and operational conditions on the battlefield and what the military needs are for that, and the way he does that is one by understanding it himself but by also talking to Zaluzhnyi on a regular basis. Milley also will be able to describe the new training of Ukrainian forces that the U.S. is doing at the Grafenwoehr training area in Germany. The chairman, who got his first look at the new, so-called combined arms instruction during a nearly two-hour visit there on Monday, has said it will better prepare Ukrainian troops to launch an offensive or counter any surge in Russian attacks. More than 600 Ukrainian troops began the expanded training program at the camp just a day before Milley arrived. Milley and Zaluzhnyi's meeting kicks off a series of high-level gatherings of military and defense leaders this week. Milley and other chiefs of defense will meet in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday, and then the so-called Ukraine Contact Group will gather at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Thursday and Friday. That group consists of about 50 top defense officials, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and they work to coordinate military contributions to Ukraine. The meetings are expected to focus on Ukraine's ongoing and future military needs as the hard-packed terrain of the winter months turns into muddy roads and fields in the spring. After several months of losing territory it had captured, Russia in recent days claimed it took control of the small salt-mining town of Soledar. Ukraine asserts that its troops are still fighting, but if Moscows troops take control of Soledar it would allow them to inch closer to the bigger city of Bakhmut, where fighting has raged for months. And in a barrage of airstrikes over the weekend, Russia struck Kyiv, the northeastern city of Kharkiv and the southeastern city of Dnipro, where the death toll in one apartment building rose to 44. Western analysts point to signs that the Kremlin is digging in for a drawn-out war, and say the Russian military command is preparing for an expanded mobilization effort. ___ Follow the AP's coverage of Russia's war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine. Rescue workers search for survivors in an apartment building that was destroyed in a Russian rocket attack at a residential neighborhood in the southeastern city of Dnipro, Ukraine, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP) DNIPRO, Ukraine Ukrainian emergency crews on Monday sifted through what was left of a Dnipro apartment building destroyed by a Russian missile, placing bodies from one of the wars deadliest single attacks in months in black bags and gingerly carrying them across steep piles of rubble. Authorities said the death toll from Saturdays strike rose to 40 and that 30 people remained missing Monday. Tall cranes swung across the jagged gaps in a row of residential towers, the engines growling as residents of one of Ukraines largest cities watched largely in silence under a gray sky. Advertisement About 1,700 people lived in the multistory building, and search and rescue crews have worked nonstop since the missile strike to locate victims and survivors in the wreckage. The regional administration said 39 people have been rescued and at least 75 were wounded. The reported death toll put it among the deadliest attacks on Ukrainian civilians since before the summer, according to The Associated Press-Frontline War Crimes Watch project. Residents said the apartment tower did not house any military facilities. Advertisement Oleksander Anyskevych said he was in his apartment when the missile struck. Boom and thats it. We saw that we were alive and thats all, Anyskevych said Monday as he went to the site to see his wrecked apartment. He told The Associated Press that he knew people who died under the rubble. One of his sons classmates lost her parents. Dnipro residents took flowers, candles and toys to the ruins. All of us could be in that place, local resident Iryna Skrypnyk said. The European Unions foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, called the strike, and others like it, inhumane aggression because it directly targeted civilians. There will be no impunity for these crimes, he said in a tweet Sunday. Asked about the strike Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian military doesnt target residential buildings and suggested the Dnipro building was hit as a result of Ukrainian air defense actions. The strike on the building came amid a wider barrage of Russian cruise missiles across Ukraine. The Ukrainian military said Sunday that it did not have the means to intercept the type of Russian missile that hit the residential building in Dnipro. Advertisement Fierce fighting continued to rage Monday in Ukraines eastern Donetsk province, where military analysts have said both sides are likely suffering heavy troop casualties. No independent verification of developments was possible. Donetsk and neighboring Luhansk province make up the Donbas, an expansive industrial region bordering Russia that Russian President Vladimir Putin identified as a focus from the wars outset. Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Kyivs forces there since 2014. The Russian and Belarusian air forces began a joint exercise Monday in Belarus, which borders Ukraine and served as a staging ground for Russias Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.The drills are set to run through Feb. 1, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said. Russia has sent its warplanes to Belarus for the drills. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank, reported signs of the Kremlin taking steps to turn its Ukraine invasion into a major conventional war after months of embarrassing military reversals. What Moscow calls a special military operation aimed to capture the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, within weeks and to install a Kremlin-friendly regime there, but Russian forces ultimately withdrew from around Kyiv, the think tank said. Then came a successful Ukrainian counteroffensive in recent months before the onset of winter slowed military advances. The Kremlin is likely preparing to conduct a decisive strategic action in the next six months intended to regain the initiative and end Ukraines current string of operational successes, the Institute for the Study of War said in a report late Sunday. Advertisement It noted reports indicating the Russian military command was in serious preparations for an expanded mobilization effort, conserving mobilized personnel for future use, while seeking to boost military industrial production and reshuffling its command structure. That means Ukraines Western allies will need to continue supporting Ukraine in the long run, the think tank said. NATO member nations have sought in recent days to reassure Ukraine that they will stay the course. The United Kingdom has pledged tanks and the U.S. militarys new, expanded combat training of Ukrainian forces began in Germany on Sunday. Polands prime minister urged the German government to supply a wide range of weapons to Kyiv and voiced hope that Berlin would soon approve a transfer of battle tanks. Other developments on Monday: Russian forces shelled the city of Kherson and the Kherson region, killing three people and wounding 14 others over the last 24 hours, regional Gov. Yaroslav Yanushevych said. In the city of Kherson, the shelling damaged a hospital, a children disability center, a shipyard, critical infrastructure and apartment buildings. Advertisement Russian forces struck the city of Zaporizhzhia, damaging industrial infrastructure and wounding five people, two of them children, the deputy head of Ukraines presidential office Kyrylo Tymoshenko reported. Russian air defenses downed 10 drones Monday over the Black Sea near the port of Sevastopol in annexed Crimea, Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russian-installed head of Sevastopol, reported. Meldrum reported from Kyiv. [Source] Vietnam President Nguyen Xuan Phuc resigned on Tuesday after the Communist party found him responsible for the wrongdoings of junior officials. State media reported Phucs resignation on Tuesday. The 68-year-old former prime minister was declared responsible for the violations and wrongdoing of officials that had been working under him at the time, according to the country's official news agency. Fully being aware of his responsibilities before the party and people, he submitted an application to resign from his assigned positions, quit his job and retire, the Vietnam News Agency said. More from NextShark: Korean Woman Shares Touching Reunion With Birth Mom and Sister After 33 YEARS on TikTok Two deputy prime ministers who were working under Phuc, Pham Binh Minh and Vu Duc Dam, were dismissed prior to Phucs resignation during an anti-corruption removal. Phuc, whose position was largely ceremonial, was held responsible when several officials, including two deputy prime ministers and three ministers committed violations and shortcomings, causing very serious consequences, said the Vietnam News Agency, citing the Communist Partys Central Committee. Vietnam is headed by four pillars: the powerful party's secretary, the president, the prime minister and the chair of the assembly. More from NextShark: Hundreds Rally Against Anti-Asian Attacks in California, New York Phuc held the position of prime minister from 2016 to 2021 and was elected president in April 2021. The government commended his previous achievements despite the current situation. He has made great efforts in leading, directing and administering the COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control, achieving important results, the government said on Tuesday. More from NextShark: U.S. sanctions Russia, North Korea after Pyongyang launches missile that can reach Washington In communist Vietnam, where political shifts are usually carefully managed in order to maintain stability, a sudden departure of the president is highly unusual. A rare meeting will take place this week in which the legislature will discuss the approval of Phucs resignation. A replacement for Phuc has not yet been announced, although three frontrunners are rumored to be in consideration: General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the current Minister of National Defence Phan Van Giang and To Lam, the current minister of public security. More from NextShark: Man filed for divorce because his wife served Maggi instant noodles for every meal, says Indian judge By Khanh Vu and Phuong Nguyen HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has resigned after the ruling Communist Party blamed him for "violations and wrongdoing" by officials under his control, the government said on Tuesday, in a major escalation of the country's anti-graft campaign. Phuc, a former prime minister widely credited with accelerating pro-business reforms, held the largely ceremonial post of president since 2021 and is the highest-ranking official targeted by the party's sweeping corruption crackdown. Vietnam has no paramount ruler and is officially led by four "pillars": the party's secretary, the president, prime minister and speaker of the house. Phuc, 68, was ultimately responsible for offences committed by many officials, including two deputy prime ministers and three ministers, the government said. "Fully being aware of his responsibilities before the party and people, he submitted an application to resign from his assigned positions, quit his job and retire," it said in statement. Phuc's office could not immediately be reached for comment and it was not clear if a replacement has been chosen. Vietnam has been rife with speculation he would be removed following January's dismissal of two deputy prime ministers who served under him, as the party doubles down on a "blazing furnace" anti-corruption drive led by its powerful long-serving chief, Nguyen Phu Trong. Last year, 539 party members were prosecuted or "disciplined" for corruption and "deliberate wrongdoings", including ministers, top officials and diplomats, according to the party, while police investigated 453 corruption cases, up 50% from 2021. Trong earlier this month said the party was "more determined" and "more effective and methodical" in its approach, and vowed to deliver results. IMPACT UNCERTAIN Opinions vary on the impact of the anti-graft drive on investment and policy. Story continues Le Hong Hiep of the Vietnam Studies Programme at the Singapore's ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute said the purge could pave the way for cleaner more capable leaders to rise. "As long as the leadership reshuffles do not lead to radical policy changes, their impact on the economy will also be limited," Hiep posted on his Facebook account. However, Ha Hoang Hop, a senior visiting fellow at the same institute, said Phuc's demise and uncertainty over the impact of the crackdown could unnerve investors. "This could lead Vietnam to a time of instability that would worry foreign friends and investors," he said. Phuc's resignation requires approval from the legislature, which sources on Monday said would hold a rare extraordinary meeting this week, adding to expectation that Phuc's fate had been sealed. Phuc, who was known in Vietnam for his friendly approach and love for the national soccer team, was once tipped as a future party General Secretary, the state's most prestigious job. As prime minister from 2016 to 2021, he oversaw an average 6% annual economic growth for Asia's burgeoning manufacturing powerhouse and helped further a liberalisation drive that included trade deals with the European Union and Pacific powers. Despite his downfall, the government on Tuesday praised his achievements, particularly his pandemic response. "He has made great efforts in leading, directing and administering the COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control, achieving important results," it said. (Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor and Martin Petty) Lunchtime shouldnt be stressful for students. But Emily Moore, policy analyst with Voices for Virginias Children, said it can be nerve-wracking for kids from lower-income homes. She said some students worry about accruing more school debt because of the expense of school-provided lunches, while those who qualify for free lunch sometimes get teased. Kids can bully each other, she said, they can be mean to each other. Several legislators, including three from Hampton Roads, are pushing to end the stigma. Del. Mike Mullin, D-Newport News, has introduced a bill that would provide universal free breakfast and lunch to public school students across the commonwealth. The measure has been referred to the Committee on Education. The genesis of this bill came from three of my four boys being in Newport News public schools and seeing how great it was that they went to 100% free lunch, Mullin told The Virginian-Pilot on Tuesday. Newport News public schools started offering free meals to all students in 2019. Mullin said he heard positive feedback from parents, teachers and school administrators. Students who are well fed are more active and engaged in class, and perform better on exams, he said. Former first lady Dorothy McAuliffe said, rather aptly, that a student cant be hungry to learn if theyre still just hungry, Mullin said. I dont think there was a single person I spoke to who didnt see some positive results. At a Monday press conference, Del. Danica Roem who is carrying the bills accompanying budget amendment of roughly $271 million said it would be less costly than an amendment submitted last year to help lure the Washington Commanders to Virginia. What is our priority here in the Virginia General Assembly? Is it stadiums or is it feeding children? asked Roem, D-Manassas. It has to be feeding children. Two delegates from Hampton Roads are co-sponsoring the measure, including Virginia Beach Republican Tim Anderson and Newport News Democrat Shelly Simonds. Story continues In an email, Anderson told The Pilot he was concerned that students given free or discounted lunches are receiving lower quality meals. He also worried about students being singled out and embarrassed in the lunch line. Regardless of how rich or poor their parents are, they should always be treated equally, he wrote. Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com Hryhorii Tsekhmistrenko, a 28-year-old Canadian of Ukrainian origin who was a medical volunteer during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has been killed. Source: Canadian public broadcaster CBC News with reference to the father and brothers of the deceased Details: Hryhorii Tsekhmistrenko was a Ukraine-born Canadian citizen. He lived in Kinistino, Saskatchewan, for years with his parents before moving to Port Alice, on Vancouver Island, his father, Vitalii Tsekhmistrenko, told CBC News from Kyiv. Tsekhmistrenko, known as Greg to friends, passed away between the night of 14 January and the morning of 15 January, a volunteer soldier said. He also said that he was going to Kyiv for Tsekhmistrenko's funeral. When asked to confirm Tsekhmistrenko's death, Global Affairs Canada said it couldn't provide any information "due to security considerations." Vitalii Tsekhmistrenko said that he and his wife had come to Kyiv from Canada to celebrate Christmas with his son. They were all together for the holidays. Tsekhmistrenko's father said that Hryhorii arrived in Ukraine in January 2022, when hints of war started to show in the news. When Russia invaded Ukraine, he became a volunteer medic. "He wanted to build a house on the water after the war," recalls the father of the deceased. Recall: Hryhorii Tsekhmistrenko took part in Euromaidan movement in late 2013 and early 2014; his last name was on the list of activists detained by the police in February 2014. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! There were several top performers across the state in boys and girls high school sports, but only one can be voted athlete of the week for Jan. 9-14. To nominate a player for a future athlete of the week poll, email lnewsome@gannett.com. Fans may vote in the poll below one time per hour per device. The poll closes at noon on Friday. To submit high school scores, statistics, records, leaders and other items at any time, email clscoreboard@jackson.gannett.com. OLE MISS FOOTBALL RECRUITING Why Ole Miss, Mississippi State made 4-star Daniel Hill's top 10, and how Tennessee impressed ATHLETES TO WATCH From Madison Booker to Anna Grace Whitehead here are 23 Mississippi high school athletes to watch in 2023 Boys nominees Braylon Barnes, Brandon: The sophomore had a team-high 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting from deep along with five rebounds and two assists in Brandon's 73-37 victory over Petal on Jan. 10. Devin Jones, Velma Jackson: The senior had a team-high 27 points in Velma Jackson's 71-48 victory over Pisgah on Jan. 10. Josh Hubbard, Madison-Ridgeland Academy: The Ole Miss signee had a game-high 43 points as Madison-Ridgeland Academy cruised to 84-60 victory over Parklane Academy Friday. KJ Sykes, Clinton Christian: Sykes helped lead Clinton Christian to its 14th consecutive victory with 24 points in Wednesday's 72-56 victory over Riverfield Academy. DANDY DOZEN Meet the 2022 Clarion Ledger boys high school basketball Dandy Dozen in Mississippi MISSISSIPPI STATE FOOTBALL RECRUITINGHow Zach Arnett, Mississippi State football salvaged early signing day period Girls nominees Madison Booker, Germantown: The Texas signee had a team-high 29 points and nine rebounds in Germantown's 57-53 victory over Madison Central Friday. Emma Earwood, Tupelo: The senior had a hat-trick in Tupelo's 9-0 victory over Mooreville on Thursday. Morgan Freeny, Leake Academy: The senior had 16 points, three assists and two rebounds as Leake Academy defeated 61-27 victory over Park Place Christian on Jan. 10. Caitlin Hall, Clarksdale: Hall finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds as the Wildcats defeated Gentry 36-33 on Jan. 10. This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Vote for Mississippi boys and girls high school athlete of the week Jan. 9-14 A Wallkill man accused of shooting a man outside of a restaurant in 2021 was sentenced Tuesday to seven and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree assault, a felony, the Orange County District Attorneys office said. Hector Luna Jr., 28, who entered the plea in October, was also sentenced to five years of post-release supervision, according to the statement. District Attorney David M. Hoovlers office said the plea agreement was reached after consulting with the victim and to avoid his re-victimization by testifying at a trial. You You restaurant, Wallkill The May 2021 grand jury indictment accused Luna of shooting the man outside of You You Asian Bar and Restaurant, in Wallkill, at about 9:15 p.m. on April 14, 2021. The victim had been dining there just prior to being shot and was treated at Garnet Health Medical Center. The indictment had originally charged Luna with attempted second-degree murder as well as first-degree assault and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Wallkill: Man pleads guilty to assault in connection with shooting outside restaurant Wallkill: Man indicted in shooting outside of restaurant Pipeline: KJ nears completion as project cost rises to $118M Luna was taken into custody at a Pike County, Pennsylvania, Hampton Inn hotel and waived extradition to face New York charges, the statement said. Violent crimes, such as those committed by this defendant, have significant and often life-long impact on crime victims, Hoovler said in the statement. This disposition spares the victim the additional trauma of reliving this horrific incident in front of a jury. I applaud the joint efforts of the various law enforcement agencies that together brought this defendant to justice. As I have made clear, gun violence is a priority for my office and will not be tolerated. Michael P. McKinney is a breaking-news reporter for the Journal News, the Poughkeepsie Journal, and the Times-Herald Record of Middletown. This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Man sentenced in shooting outside of You You restaurant in Wallkill Twitter A failed Republican candidate for the New Mexico state legislature was arrested Monday in connection with a string of recent shootings at the homes and offices of local Democratic officials, police said. Solomon Pena, 39, is accused of conspiring with four other men whom he allegedly paid to shoot at the homes of two county commissioners and two state legislators, Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina said. It is believed that he is the mastermind behind this, Medina said, according to NBC News. After ballistics evidence from one of the shootings led investigators to link him to the case, Pena was taken into custody by a SWAT team in Albuquerque following a brief standoff. Footage of the arrest taken by an Albuquerque Journal reporter showed a man in glasses and a sweatshirt meekly being escorted to a squad car before being patted down and placed inside the vehicle. The first of the incidents tied to Pena occurred on Dec. 4, when eight rounds were fired at the southeast Albuquerque home of Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa. A few days later, the home of State House Speaker-elect Javier Martinez was targeted. Then, more than a dozen gunshots hit the home of former Bernalillo County Commissioner Debbie OMalley. Finally, on Jan. 3, eight shots were fired at the home of state Senator Linda Lopez, who said in a statement that three of the bullets had passed through her 10-year-old daughters bedroom. APD essentially discovered what we had all feared, and what we all suspected, that these shootings were indeed politically motivated, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said Monday. Police said they had no evidence to connect Pena to two other similar shootings in recent weeksa Dec. 10 incident at the former campaign offices of Raul Torrez, the states new attorney general, and a Jan. 5 report from outside the offices of newly appointed state Sen. Antonio Moe Maestas. No injuries were reported in relation to any of the six shootings. Story continues Less than a month before the shooting at Barboas home, Pena lost the race for New Mexico Houses 14th District, which oversees the South Valley area of Albuquerque, by 47 percentage points. His Democratic opponent, state Rep. Miguel Garcia, secured 5,679 votes to Penas 2,033, according to the Journal. I dissent, Pena tweeted on Nov. 9. I am the MAGA king. Trump just announced for 2024. I stand with him. I never conceded my HD 14 race. Now researching my options. pic.twitter.com/sKVHhxG9Vq Solomon Pena for NM (@SolomonPena2022) November 16, 2022 In the days following his defeat, Pena repeatedly insisted he had not lost the election, tweeting on Nov. 15 that he never conceded my HD 14 race and that he was [n]ow researching my options. Over the summer, Garcia mounted a legal challenge attempting to block Pena from running for office, arguing that the 39-year-olds conviction for a spate of smash and grab robberies targeting several big-box stores in 2008 disqualified him. Pena served seven years in prison for the scheme. In September, a district judge ruled that a state law prohibiting former felons from holding office under most circumstances was unconstitutional, clearing the way for Penas candidacy. I had nothing more than a desire to improve my lot in life, Pena said at the time, according to KOAT-TV. State records obtained by the Santa Fe New Mexican in August reflected 19 felonies on Penas rap sheet, including burglary, larceny, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and receiving stolen property, the newspaper reported. Reached for comment by the New Mexican, Pena initially invoked his Fifth Amendment privileges against self-incrimination before later telling the reporter that he believed only certain kinds of criminals, like a child rapist, would cause voters to balk at the ballot box. He later reportedly texted the reporter: I hope you are rich. Be at peace. Editors note: This story has been updated with details about two shootings that police have since said dont appear to be connected to the suspect. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. James Paneral, foreground, and other participants in the Chicago "Critical Mass" leaderless bicycle ride get ready to leave from Daley Plaza in Chicago on Dec. 30, 2022. The rides takes place on the last Friday of each month. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) Rebecca Resmans biking education group had long focused on teaching kids to safely ride bikes, hosting parent forums, family group rides and bike-to-school days. But then three children were killed in car crashes last June, including 2-year-old Raphael Rafi Cardenas atop a mini-scooter in Lincoln Square and 11-year-old JaLon James biking to the store to get milk in Lawndale. The family of 3-year-old Lily Grace Shambrook, who was riding on the back of her mothers bike in Uptown when she was killed in a semi-truck crash, plans to file a lawsuit Tuesday against the companies and drivers involved with her death, Clifford Law Offices said. Advertisement Chicago Family Biking had to more aggressively advocate for safe biking, founder Resman decided. If youre not doing everything you can to prevent that, you got to reevaluate, she said. Advertisement The group intensified its focus on Chicagos bike policies and infrastructure. Resman helped organize a coalition of bike and mobility advocacy groups, Safe Streets for All. Transit that Works, that launched in December with plans to make biking and transit center stage in the citys upcoming elections. Its a shift happening across the city: pro-bike activists becoming more involved in Chicago politics. They range from gritty demonstrators in newly formed groups to professionals in established nonprofits, but they share a vision of radically re-imagined streets they hope will make biking safer and easier. A group of bicyclists wait for another group to converge with before riding from the CTA California Blue Line station to the Garfield Park field house on Dec. 8, 2022. Bicyclists representing several organizations rode in groups to the field house to attend a Chicago Mobility Collaborative forum held by the Chicago Department of Transportation, where discussions took place about biking, walking, public spaces, and other topics. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) New bike infrastructure projects are set to roll out faster than ever across Chicago and political wins for cyclist groups are mounting, including City Councils unanimous approval in December of 40th Ward Ald. Andre Vasquezs ordinance to more regularly and severely penalize drivers for parking in bike lanes with two added city departments now able to issue tickets with fines raised to $250. We have actual wins coming down the pipe, but just knowing that more politicians and representatives are thinking about this work and understanding the importance of it, that is the biggest win, Resman said. The Safe Streets for All coalition plans to host a mayoral candidate forum and publicize politicians bike policy stances. Other organizations inside and outside the coalition focus on building political momentum online or getting people to ride together en masse. Some groups try more combative tactics, airing their frustration with car-dominated streets in driver-stalling protests. These groups have really done a tremendous job of organizing and forcing elected officials and people in positions of power to listen to them, mayoral candidate and state Rep. Kambium Kam Buckner said. [ Deadly stretch of Milwaukee Avenue raises concern among cyclists as the season gets underway ] Buckner, who often commutes by bike and has ridden with activists, said he supports a bike grid, a core demand for many activists that would remold Chicago roads to create a broad network of bike-prioritized streets with lowered speed limits and bike protection. Ald. Daniel La Spata, 1st, has also seen an uptick in bike-focused activism in his cyclist-filled Logan Square ward. Advertisement I think it is reaching a fever pitch now because Chicagos cyclists, scooter riders are really beyond tired of seeing people they love get injured, get killed just going about their daily transportation, he said. La Spata helped the Chicago Department of Transportation add protected bike lanes to roads in his ward and made new bike infrastructure projects an option residents can vote for through participatory budgeting. Other politicians, including Ald. Matt Martin, 47th, and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, who is running for mayor, have joined the call by activists for major bike infrastructure projects to be made across the city. The people pushing the pedal On one cold December night, the CTA bus didnt have a chance of passing the nearly 20 bikers stretched across the entire southbound lane of California Avenue. Neither did the cars, which filed into a line and drove, for a frustrating change, well below the speed limit. And despite the drivers honks, the bikers intentionally taking up the road in the bike bus organized by activist group Chicago, Bike Grid Now! did not budge: The road was theirs, and they savored it. Mike Perrino, 27, even played Wagners Ride of the Valkyries aloud as he pedaled his black Schwinn. The protest clogging the road wasnt just meant to keep bikers safer: It also aimed to get the drivers attention, he said. Advertisement They dont care about our lives. But they do care when traffic is disrupted, he said as he rode. We have to give them a new problem to fix. Bicyclists arrive at the Garfield Park field house on Dec. 8, 2022, as several organizations rode in groups to the field house to attend a Chicago Mobility Collaborative forum held by the Chicago Department of Transportation. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) His frustration stems in part from the troubling frequency with which automobile drivers hit bike riders. CDOT data shows that cyclists reported more than 1,700 crashes in 2022, many caused by cars and leading to hospitalization. Ten bike riders were killed in crashes last year, CDOT said. The Bike Grid Now group formed in June and hosts regular group rides, outreach campaigns and slow moving, traffic building bike jams, organizer Rony Islam said. The group wants the city to build a new bike lane network, which would add bike infrastructure to 450 miles, or around 10%, of Chicagos roads on mostly residential streets spaced throughout the city, he said. The grid would work into the already grid-style streets and benefit drivers by creating smoother, safer traffic, Islam added. It makes the streets safer for everybody. And that means people who are pedestrians, who are walking, in wheelchairs, no matter how you get around he said. Since 2020, the city has annually added nearly 40 miles of bikeway investments, including protected and unprotected bike lanes, trails and greenways. Funding for the investments ramped up for 2022 and 2023, and the city also pledged in June to upgrade bike lanes currently protected by plastic delineators with new concrete barriers, CDOT said. But the development isnt enough, Islam said. The construction is scattered and not well connected because some aldermen block bike infrastructure development in their wards, he added Advertisement Chicago is like a drop in the bucket. Were getting some bike lanes, but its really not adequate, Islam said. Bike Grid Now is just one of the new bike advocacy organizations emerging as Chicagos biking population grows. The number of bike riders in the city has jumped 34% in the last decade before a nationwide pandemic biking boom, CDOT said. Divvy bike and scooter ridership also exploded in recent years, with more than 7 million rides taken in 2022, the department added. Bicyclist Ash Heyer has a Halsted Bike Bus T-shirt draped over her back while attending a forum at the Garfield Park field house on Dec. 8, 2022. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) In 2020, activist Courtney Cobbs co-founded Better Streets Chicago, a nonprofit that works mostly online to advocate for better walking, biking and transit infrastructure. The Rogers Park resident, who commutes with an electronic bike and talks of near misses with aggressive drivers, views bike activism as self preservation. I feel like every day youre essentially taking your life in your hands, said Cobbs, who has also written for Streetsblog Chicago, a news site focused on bikes and transit. More residential bike lanes would make Chicago healthier, quieter, less congested and more accessible, Cobb said. But because building it would require the city to remove some parking and repurpose certain streets away from car use, many City Council members dont commit. Advertisement Its a pet project, Cobbs said. Improvements will be made only when its convenient. Pro-bike changes to Chicago streets strongly progressed under Mayor Rahm Emanuel before becoming a bigger priority under Mayor Lori Lightfoot, said Jim Merrell, advocacy director for Active Transportation Alliance, a transit, walking and biking advocacy group founded in 1985. Many of the citys grassroots bike advocacy organizations didnt exist five years ago, he added. Its a sign of a healthy, robust movement, and exactly the kind of thing we need to build political will, Merrell said. For decades, hundreds have regularly turned out to the Critical Mass group rides that start at 6 p.m. in Daley Plaza on the last Friday of each month. Chicago Family Biking offers similar Kidical Masses, where families with younger children can ride in groups around their neighborhoods. The organization hosted 75 family rides last year that often had over 50 riders, Resman said. While many take part in the popular, calm group rides, other activists opt for more direct protests, like the demonstrators who stalled traffic in August at a busy DuSable Lake Shore Drive intersection along Grant Park. A ghost bike memorial is seen as vehicles travel through the intersection of DuSable Lake Shore and Balbo drives on June 14, 2022. The ghost bike memorial was put in place at the intersection after Gerardo Marciales was struck and killed by a driver who ran the red light there earlier that year. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune) After a driver killed 41-year-old Gerardo Marciales while riding a Divvy bike crossing the crosswalk near Balbo Drive in February, many drivers continued to run red lights at the intersection, said Perrino, who organized the demonstration where activists with neon vests and red stop signs stood in the crosswalk during red lights to block cars from running the light. Advertisement Activists and family also placed a white-painted ghost bike at the site, a type of memorial that often arises to mark fatal crashes. The fatal crashes are common enough that activists buy ghost bike materials in bulk, said Christina Whitehouse, founder of the bike advocacy group Bike Lane Uprising added. On 12/11 at 6:48 am a distracted driver drove onto the median at Balbo & LSD and crashed into the light pole and Gerardo's memorial ghost bike. Even though this intersection has proven deadly, it's been almost a month and the light pole has not been replaced. 1/- pic.twitter.com/Edu4y0N5jG Bike Lane Uprising (@bikelaneuprise) January 10, 2023 In a win for the protesters, CDOT installed a pedestrian island and a concrete barrier at the intersection in October to prevent drivers from using a left turn lane to pass straight through red lights. But in December, the ghost bike honoring Marciales at the site was destroyed by a car. Whitehouse founded Bike Lane Uprising in 2017 after she was almost run over by a commercial truck driver. The site she built allows local bikers to quickly document bike lane obstructions with photos. It has been used to log 50,000 such obstructions. Bike Lane Uprising shirts on a ledge as founder Christina Whitehouse creates a large sign reading "Please Don't Kill Us" on Nov. 6, 2019. Whitehouse and other bicyclists lined the faded bike lane on Milwaukee Avenue to bring attention to the intersection where a 37-year-old woman riding a bicycle was struck and killed by dump truck earlier in the day. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune) In November, the group tweeted a photo of Mayor Lori Lightfoots car caravan parked in a bike lane in front of a doughnut shop. Parking in bike lanes so you can get doughnuts means you value doughnuts over the lives of bicyclists, the account tweeted. The mayor, who had irked bike advocates in May by calling Chicago a car city, criticized her security detail for parking in the bike lane shortly after the post sparked outrage. Bikers tend to be civically engaged, Whitehouse said. She thinks theyve become an essential faction in city politics. Advertisement You have to get cyclists votes. We will swing an election, Whitehouse said. The road ahead The citys current construction of bike lanes hasnt always taken the needs of Black and brown communities into consideration, said Oboi Reed, founder of Equiticity, a nonprofit focused on racial equity and mobility. He worries some of the groups calling for quickly installed, citywide bike infrastructure might also shut out those communities unique concerns. His Equiticity group wants to instead first build out the social infrastructure for biking. The group helps get people bikes and organizes regular group rides to convince people biking is good for their communities, Reed said. He supports a bike grid because he believes better bike infrastructure can reduce traffic and interpersonal violence, but wants it to first be supported by the communities it will affect. There should be a partnership that is resourced for community-based organizations to share power and have ownership in that planning process, and whatever comes out of it should reflect our identity, our needs and our history, he said. CDOT officials leading the citys bike infrastructure efforts hold a similar view. They have heard the frustrations of some activists over the pace of bike lane construction, but believe development needs to be bottom-up, Deputy Commissioner Vig Krishnamurthy said. It isnt one-size-fits-all because the city isnt created out of one mold, he said. You have to bring people along, or otherwise the change isnt lasting. Advertisement The city plans to create neighborhood networks of connected bike infrastructure in certain neighborhoods where the city and residents believe it is needed while also connecting the different networks. The plan amounts to a bike grid, said CDOT Complete Streets director Dave Smith. I think were seeing it happen, he said. Thats absolutely where were headed. Still, the demand for bike infrastructure is just not there yet in some areas, so the city has focused on sparking interest, Krishnamurthy said. The push includes giving away 5,000 free bikes and shutting down major boulevards such as Drexel, Douglas and Logan to cars for a day. Afternoon Briefing Daily Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy > The rise in bike ridership, infrastructure and advocacy is creating a positive feedback loop that will continue to lead to more development, they said. But the gradual development underway is still not fast enough for some. Bicyclists park inside the Garfield Park field house, Dec. 8, 2022, in Chicago. Bicyclists representing several organizations rode attended a Chicago Mobility Collaborative forum held by the Chicago Department of Transportation. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) As two transit officials at a December CDOT community meeting led a small group discussion and highlighted plans to make streets safer that leaned heavily on public messaging, frustration spread among the activists, mostly from Bike Grid Now. Why not close DuSable Lake Shore Drive by downtown, one suggested. The changes need to be top-down and broad, activist Scott Rubin said. Advertisement After the meeting, Rubin said he was disappointed. Piecemeal infrastructure tweaks and outreach campaigns telling drivers to go slower wont cut it, he said. Chicago prioritizes car travel and kind of ignores everyone else, Rubin said. Its life or death for a lot of people. jsheridan@chicagotribune.com Twitter @jakesheridan_ Miami-Dade Police reported on Monday the results of a strict crackdown on Wheels Up, Guns Down riders this Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. The Wheels Up, Guns Down tradition involves people who choose to ride unusual vehicles like ATVs, dirt bikes and scooters on streets and highways during the third Monday of January, the federal holiday dedicated to the civil rights hero. It started in 2015 to honor the memory of a slain biker killed in Philadelphia, whose case went unsolved, according to Herald archives, and it has since grown into a movement that attracts hundreds of outsiders to South Florida every year. READ MORE: Police issue warning about Wheels Up, Guns Down to both bike riders and drivers Although the rides have mostly been peaceful since that first year, law enforcement agencies say some participants drive recklessly, break traffic laws and cause mayhem, as motorists ride over sidewalks, through medians or on the wrong side of the road. The riders, on the other hand, defend their actions as a nonviolent demonstration. Miami-Dade Police, Miami Police and the Florida Highway Patrol, as well as police departments in Broward County, said last week that anyone who interfered with events in honor of MLK, would face consequences. According to the press release Monday night, the initiative started Friday and ended at 7 p.m. Monday. READ MORE: There hasnt been an escape for us. The importance of the Bikes Up, Guns Down movement According to police, over that time law enforcement officers impounded two ATVs or All-Terrain Vehicles, eight motor or dirt bikes, and 372 grams of cocaine. They also arrested 57 people on felony charges, 11 people on misdemeanor charges and three people in connection to traffic violations. Three people received moving traffic citations, while two others received non-moving citations. In addition, police confiscated 10 firearms nine guns and one rifle and recovered two stolen vehicles. FROM 2015: How patient cops, fuming drivers, defiant bikers merged on the road Jan. 16OLYMPIA Washington students may soon have another option in high school a state-run apprenticeship program in a number of different fields. As the Legislature looks to tackle workforce shortages this session, a bill sponsored by Rep. Jacquelin Maycumber, R-Republic, would set up a high school apprenticeship pilot program run by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the state's regional educational service districts. It would help give students experience in a field that may not require a college education, especially those in rural areas who might not currently have a skills center available near them, Maycumber said. "A lot of these kids, especially after COVID, have lost hope," Maycumber said. "Knowing that they have a skill to move forward with makes them feel fulfilled and gives them hope for the future." Maycumber sponsored the bill last year as well, but it never made it out of committee. This year, the bill has more than 50 bipartisan co-sponsors. The bill would require the program to set up two sites, one in Western Washington and one in Eastern Washington. Washington's nine regional educational districts would implement the program. According to the bill, they would work with community colleges, labor unions, industry groups and other apprenticeship programs to identify industries and professions best suited for apprenticeship . They would also have to work with school districts, charter schools and state-tribal schools to make the apprenticeships available to high schoolers. Students could then learn about a trade, go through the apprenticeship and leave prepared to take a trades entrance exam. Washington has 14 skill centers run by OSPI where students can take classes while in high school, but most are in urban areas. About 7,000 high school students take classes at the centers each year, according to the Washington State Skill Center Association. Snohomish County also operates an apprenticeship pilot program, similar to the one being proposed in this bill. Story continues Skills Centers director Charlie Brown said he knows the importance of this type of learning to students. "We can use a lot more workers in our skilled trades today," Brown said at a House Education committee hearing Monday. Maycumber said the closest skill centers to her district are in Wenatchee and Spokane, so a number of students in rural areas between them don't have a place to go. "It's an unfortunate reality that many students can miss out on educational opportunities, solely because of where they live," Interlake High School student Pavan Venkatakrishnan, who serves on the state Board of Education, said at Monday's hearing. Monday's public hearing drew mostly support, though there were some concerns from labor and trade groups about making language more specific in the bill. John Traynor, of the Washington State Labor Council, said he supports strengthening these programs, but encouraged lawmakers to use more precise language to show that they are "pre-apprenticeship programs" done before students graduate and can take part in apprenticeships. Erin Frasier, representing the Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council, said she supports the bill, but the Legislature also should look at converting existing programs in K-12 schools to be state-recognized with little to no cost to the state. Creating more regional pathways and expanding current programs would provide a focused pathway for youth in trades, Frasier said. Jeannie Magdua, of the Conservative Ladies of Washington, testified against the bill because she said it would take away local control from schools and put the decision-making on these programs in the hands of OSPI. "This bill establishes a regional authority that blurs the line of checks and balances," she said. Committee staff clarified that school districts would likely still get to decide if they want to take part in the apprenticeship program. Legislative leaders in both parties have said workforce is a huge issue this year, and it will likely touch every other issue they try to tackle this session. "There's probably no more widespread problem in our economy," House Minority Leader J.T. Wilcox, R-Yelm, said in a legislative preview earlier this month. House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, said failing to address workforce challenges could affect how the Legislature looks at a lot of other issues before them, such as housing, behavioral health and health care. Along with expanding apprenticeship opportunities, both Democrats and Republicans said they will look at child care shortages, changing licensing requirements, particularly for some health care workers, and loosening educational requirements for certain positions.. Laurel Demkovich's reporting for The Spokesman-Review is funded in part by Report for America and by members of the Spokane community. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor. Just because a business does not make any money, does not mean that the stock will go down. For example, although software-as-a-service business Salesforce.com lost money for years while it grew recurring revenue, if you held shares since 2005, you'd have done very well indeed. Nonetheless, only a fool would ignore the risk that a loss making company burns through its cash too quickly. So, the natural question for Induction Healthcare Group (LON:INHC) shareholders is whether they should be concerned by its rate of cash burn. For the purposes of this article, cash burn is the annual rate at which an unprofitable company spends cash to fund its growth; its negative free cash flow. First, we'll determine its cash runway by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves. Check out our latest analysis for Induction Healthcare Group Does Induction Healthcare Group Have A Long Cash Runway? A company's cash runway is the amount of time it would take to burn through its cash reserves at its current cash burn rate. When Induction Healthcare Group last reported its balance sheet in September 2022, it had zero debt and cash worth UK9.0m. Importantly, its cash burn was UK2.2m over the trailing twelve months. So it had a cash runway of about 4.0 years from September 2022. Notably, however, analysts think that Induction Healthcare Group will break even (at a free cash flow level) before then. If that happens, then the length of its cash runway, today, would become a moot point. Depicted below, you can see how its cash holdings have changed over time. How Well Is Induction Healthcare Group Growing? It was fairly positive to see that Induction Healthcare Group reduced its cash burn by 38% during the last year. And arguably the operating revenue growth of 94% was even more impressive. It seems to be growing nicely. Clearly, however, the crucial factor is whether the company will grow its business going forward. So you might want to take a peek at how much the company is expected to grow in the next few years. Can Induction Healthcare Group Raise More Cash Easily? There's no doubt Induction Healthcare Group seems to be in a fairly good position, when it comes to managing its cash burn, but even if it's only hypothetical, it's always worth asking how easily it could raise more money to fund growth. Generally speaking, a listed business can raise new cash through issuing shares or taking on debt. One of the main advantages held by publicly listed companies is that they can sell shares to investors to raise cash and fund growth. By comparing a company's annual cash burn to its total market capitalisation, we can estimate roughly how many shares it would have to issue in order to run the company for another year (at the same burn rate). Induction Healthcare Group has a market capitalisation of UK21m and burnt through UK2.2m last year, which is 11% of the company's market value. Given that situation, it's fair to say the company wouldn't have much trouble raising more cash for growth, but shareholders would be somewhat diluted. How Risky Is Induction Healthcare Group's Cash Burn Situation? As you can probably tell by now, we're not too worried about Induction Healthcare Group's cash burn. For example, we think its revenue growth suggests that the company is on a good path. And even though its cash burn reduction wasn't quite as impressive, it was still a positive. There's no doubt that shareholders can take a lot of heart from the fact that analysts are forecasting it will reach breakeven before too long. After considering a range of factors in this article, we're pretty relaxed about its cash burn, since the company seems to be in a good position to continue to fund its growth. Taking an in-depth view of risks, we've identified 3 warning signs for Induction Healthcare Group that you should be aware of before investing. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies, and this list of stocks growth stocks (according to analyst forecasts) 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. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here West Des Moines police on Tuesday identified Chad Michael, 42, as the man who the day before wounded his girlfriend and then shot and killed himself. Police said Jayme Ekis, 41, of West Des Moines, called police at 3:53 p.m. Monday saying a man with whom she was in a relationship had shot her. Officials arriving at the address in the 9000 block of Copper Drive found Ekis suffering from a serious gunshot wound and Michael dead from his self-inflicted shooting. "Through the course of a detailed investigation, detectives have determined this unfortunate incident to be an attempted murder-suicide that took place at the residence," West Des Moines Police spokesperson Sgt. Jason Heintz said in a news release. Officials took Ekis to a hospital, where she remained in serious condition Tuesday, Heintz said. He said she is expected to survive. Des Moines Register staff writer Noelle Alviz-Gransee contributed to this article. Francesca Block is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at FBlock@registermedia.com or on Twitter at @francescablock3. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: West Des Moines police name victim, shooter in attempted murder-suicide West Des Moines Police are investigating the shooting of a woman Monday afternoon by a man who then shot himself. At 4 p.m., police received a call from a woman who said a man with whom she was in a relationship had shot her. Police responded to 9027 Copper Drive where they found the injured woman and the man, who was dead from an apparent gunshot wound. West Des Moines Police Department spokesman Jason Heitz said, "The female has been transported to a local hospital where she is receiving care for serious injuries." "At this time, evidence is pointing the detectives to believe this was an attempted murder of the female before the male turned the weapon on himself," he said. The names of both individuals are being withheld as the investigation continues. Heitz said police detectives remain on the scene to investigate. Noelle Alviz-Gransee is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. Follow her on Twitter at @NoelleHannika or email her at NAlvizGransee@registermedia.com. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: West Des Moines police investigate apparent attempted murder-suicide Westfield Police are seeking help in the search for vandals after pride flags were stolen and burned. According to police, early Monday morning, two individuals, stole several gay pride flags from a South Maple St address. This is the 5th time in the last year that this address has been targeted for the theft or vandalism of similar items, police say. The males stole the flags, then burned the flags behind the YMCA before being picked up by a white vehicle behind the library. The vehicle the men got into was last seen heading westbound on Court St. Police believe that there is a third suspect, who recorded the entire incident. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Detective Tsatsos at 642-9385 or a.tsatsos@cityofwestfield.org. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW House Continues Voting For New Speaker After Three Failed Attempts From left to right, Reps. Jim Jordan, Matt Gaetz, and Chip Roy, all right-wing Republicans, speak with House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy during the second day of elections for Speaker of the House on January 04, 2023 in Washington, DC. Credit - Anna MoneymakerGetty Images Less than two weeks after his chaotic ascent, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy is already facing down a potential crisis. In a letter sent to McCarthy on Friday, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned that the U.S. is expected to hit its $31.4 trillion debt limit on Thursday, January 19, and outlined a plan to delay the resulting default until the summer. It is the first such debt limit fight since Republicans took control of the House, and McCarthy has signaled that he plans to leverage the negotiations to secure deep spending cuts, which President Joe Biden and a Senate controlled by Democrats strongly oppose. Although Yellen appears to have bought lawmakers some time, hitting the limit would prevent the government from making the payments it has committed to and throw the global economy into a tailspin. If McCarthy is not able to wrangle his unruly conference and reach an agreement with Democrats to raise the debt ceiling in the coming months, millions of Americans are likely to face financial hardship. What is the debt ceiling? The debt ceiling is the amount of money the U.S. is allowed to borrow to pay for all of its commitments. The U.S. government borrows huge sums of money to cover its expenses. Congress created the debt ceiling decades ago to avoid the hassle of having to approve each new debt individually. Lawmakers have raised the debt ceiling dozens of times since then. Despite some of the political messaging around the debt ceiling, Congress is not authorizing new spending when it raises it. Instead, lawmakers are allowing the government to take on enough debt to fulfill the spending obligations it has already made. Those expenses include Social Security and Medicare benefits, tax refunds, salaries for government employees, veterans benefits, and interest on existing debt. Story continues What would happen if the U.S. defaulted on its debt? If lawmakers are unable to raise the debt limit in time, the U.S. would only be able to use incoming cash to pay its obligations, which would create a significant shortfall. Every program funded by the government would be at risk. Anybody could pick their favorite program, says Maya MacGuineas, the president of the bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Whether someone loves defense spending or food stamps or environmental research, there will be a pause on paying for all of those things. Americans who arent directly dependent on government payments would also feel the effects if the U.S. defaults. In the past, even flirting with a default has caused economic turmoil. During a battle over the debt ceiling in 2011, the credit ratings agency Standard & Poors downgraded the United States top credit rating for the first time ever, with stock prices dropping significantly the next business day. The upcoming fight could go even farther, with The Washington Post reporting that House Republicans are preparing a contingency plan for prioritizing payments if lawmakers dont raise the debt limit in time. Failure to meet the governments obligations would cause irreparable harm to the U.S. economy, the livelihoods of all Americans, and global financial stability, Yellen wrote in her letter. Read more: In Debt Ceiling Fight, Kevin McCarthy Can Either Crash the Economy or Blink The U.S. has never defaulted for failing to raise the debt limit in time, which means the consequences are unpredictable, but economists agree they would be dire. Were the U.S. to actually default, Treasury securities, widely considered to be among the most reliable investments in the world, would no longer be regarded as such, leading investors to demand higher interest rates to loan money to the US government. Those rates would carry over to consumers preparing to take on mortgages, car loans, or credit card debt. Stock prices would likely plummet, causing retirement savings to evaporate. Those consequences would almost certainly trigger a recession. While many analysts were already predicting a recession this year as the Federal Reserve grapples with record-high inflation, a recession set off by a U.S. default could be considerably more severe. When could the debt limit start affecting Americans wallets? Although Yellen wrote that the U.S. is expected to reach the debt limit on Thursday, the real crisis is likely some months away. Thats because she has invoked extraordinary measures, which will allow the Treasury to keep its debt below the limit while it waits for Congress to reach a more permanent solution. In recent years, Treasury secretaries have repeatedly used such measures, which involve temporarily suspending investments in certain retirement savings plans for government employees. Yellen herself used extraordinary measures in August 2021 to help the government avoid defaulting before President Biden signed a $2.5 trillion debt limit increase that December. In her letter to McCarthy, Yellen predicted that extraordinary measures would keep the government afloat at least until early June. But she also warned that the Treasury is only estimating exactly how long it can continue paying Americas debts. The period of time that extraordinary measures may last is subject to considerable uncertainty due to a variety of factors, including the challenges of forecasting the payments and receipts of the U.S. government months into the future, Yellen wrote. Barring an unprecedented workaround, Congress will have to vote soon to either suspend or increase the debt limit. With Republicans now in control of the House, that will be easier said than done. As part of the deal that allowed McCarthy to secure enough votes to become Speaker of the House this month, some right-wing lawmakers have demanded any increase in the debt limit come with deep spending cuts. Others hope to use the issue, a rare must-do item on the legislative agenda, as a bargaining chip to enact conservative policies. McCarthy said Tuesday he hoped to begin negotiations with other leaders and the president as soon as possible. But congressional Democrats and the White House say they will insist on a no-strings-attached debt limit increase. This is not political gamesmanship, Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, told reporters on Friday. This should be done without conditions. And thats how we see this process moving forward. As it has in the past, a protracted stalemate could hurt the economy in the lead up to the debt ceiling deadline, even if lawmakers eventually reach an agreement. With both sides digging in their heels, the stage is set for another drawn-out congressional standoff in the months to come. Ive seen very few deals that are difficult that Congress has done in advance of when they need to, MacGuineas says. I think nobodys going to want to compromise until they feel that they have no other choice but to do so. Instead, I think we will do this at the last minute possible with all sides acting as though theyre unwilling to compromise, which is the very crux of governing. Marcus Robinson and other volunteers paint a classroom purple on Jan. 16, 2023, at Reavis Elementary Math & Science Specialty School in Bronzeville during the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) Martin Luther King Jr. slowly appeared as Jessica Patterson, a Chicago area artist, daubed paint on a large mural at a Bronzeville school and directed community members to fill in the outlines of his depiction standing amid children. Alexander Perez, 31, took charge of some blue paint and followed Pattersons instructions as the mural that will hang in the gym at the Donoghue Campus of the UChicago Charter School began to pop with bright colors. Advertisement Ill do the best I can to not mess this up, said Perez, who lives in Bronzeville. Who knows, maybe my kid will come to school here and I can say, I did the baby blue part. Perez was among hundreds of people across Chicago who ventured out to perform service projects or find educational opportunities to honor the legacy of King, the civil rights leader who championed racial equity and protested discrimination. Advertisement Those who participated said they viewed Martin Luther King Jr. Day, observed on the third Monday in January to honor his birthday of Jan. 15., not simply as a day off school or work but as a call for service and reflection on the activism and teachings of King. Natia Brownlee, 39, of Roseland, brought her two boys, 11 and 7, to participate in the UChicago Charter Schools day of service, among about 450 people who signed up to do projects at different campuses, organizers said. Waiting for the event to get launched, Brownlee and the boys sat in an auditorium that the class of 1969 dedicated to King, the year after he was assassinated April 4, 1968. They understand how he stood for peace, how he helped our community, Brownlee said of the conversations shes had with her children about King. Participants at the UChicago Charter Schools Donoghue Campus broke into groups, with some helping paint the mural while others put together bags of treats for teachers and assembled brown bag lunches to be distributed at shelters. Demetrius Snodgrass, 9, and Emily Levi-DAncona make sandwiches with other volunteers to be donated to area shelters, Jan. 16, 2023, at UChicago Charter Schools Donoghue Campus in Bronzeville during the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) Over at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, celebrations were winding down midafternoon after a busy day that saw almost 500 visitors come and go, according to receptionist Anthony Cole. Unless people know from which they have come, they dont know where they are, and they certainly dont know where they should go, Cole said. We represent thousands of ancestors that came before us, their dreams, hopes and wishes and prayers. Visitors took pictures as they walked through the museum after a morning full of activities such as childrens story time, a Boycott film screening and activity tables. Local leaders including U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth made an appearance to tour the space. Outside the museum, a 1950s bus provided by Pace remained parked throughout the day to commemorate Rosa Parks role in the Montgomery bus boycott. Advertisement Akoye Simms, 7, stands in the back of a 1949 GMC bus parked outside the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 16, 2023, in Chicago. On Dec. 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks, a Black woman, was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white person in the same model of bus, resulting in the Montgomery bus boycott, led by Martin Luther King Jr. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) Tamica Clark and her 10-year-old son, Amari, visited Chicago for the day from Munster, Indiana. She first heard of the DuSables celebration on the news and decided to bring her son along so he could learn about his ancestors, she said. Its so important to really delve into your history so you know where your roots are, and to also not let history repeat itself, Clark said. Sometimes our kids dont understand that education wasnt always a given for a lot of us, we had to fight for it. And Martin Luther King, he did just that, for our kids to be able to have an education. They participated in a virtual reality exhibit at the museum called The March that immersed them in the historic 1963 March on Washington and Kings I Have A Dream speech. It was as if they were walking along with protesters and listening to him in real time, Clark said. Its visceral. Its so real, she said, adding that hearing stories from people who knew King firsthand, seeing artifacts once touched by ancestors and participating in immersive experiences is more engaging than social media for kids. Shari Williams hugs her 8-year-old daughter Maya at the end of their visit to the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) Inside the Chicago History Museum, visitors checked out a documentary screening, community fair and photo exhibit focused on the civil rights leaders time in Chicago. Tiffany Rogers of Hyde Park stood in front two images showing the destruction caused by the 1968 Chicago riots that followed his assassination, carefully discussing the photos with her 5-, 7- and 11-year-old children. Advertisement As African Americans, as Chicagoans, as Americans, as this next generation, to me its important to make sure they understand their history, Rogers said. Because so much of it is repeated. Afternoon Briefing Daily Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy > On the citys West Side, a group taking a racial justice-focused bike tour despite the rain stopped in front of the Stone Temple Missionary Baptist Church, the North Lawndale church where King preached while living in Chicago. Dozens of volunteers were sharing free clothes, meat and produce with people in need, as the church community does every Monday. At Stone Temples annual King celebration, Pastor Chris Harris of Bronzevilles Bright Star Church spoke from the same lectern King once sermonized behind. Executive pastor Reshorna M. Fitzpatrick, center, speaks about the history of her church, Stone Temple Baptist Church, to a group of touring bicyclists on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Chicago. King preached at the church when he stayed in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune) He raised the civil rights leaders idea of beloved community as he challenged the crowd sitting in the historic churchs pews to fight poverty, hate and violence in Chicago by reaching across the citys divisive, invisible lines. Its not enough for us to come together once a year and link arms and sing the song We Shall Overcome, Harris said, until we come over into each others communities and look out for one another. mabuckley@chicagotribune.com Advertisement jsheridan@chicagotribune.com adperez@chicagotribune.com MADISON, Wis. (AP) A Wisconsin judge on Tuesday dismissed an open records complaint against a Republican member of the Wisconsin Elections Commission who served as a fake elector for former President Donald Trump. Allegations that the elections commission violated the state open records law by wrongly withholding documents will go forward, but claims made against Commissioner Robert Spindell were dismissed by Dane County Circuit Judge Jacob Frost. The commission itself, not Spindell, is the legal authority that must maintain the records in question and be the target of any lawsuit seeking them, Frost ruled after oral arguments. Madison-based law firm Law Forward, known for the liberal-leaning cases it takes, filed the lawsuit against the commission and Spindell. Law Forward attorney Scott Thompson said after the hearing that he remained optimistic the records would be turned over even though Spindell is no longer a party to the lawsuit. Spindell's attorney, Mark Maciolek, called the judge's ruling a correct but technical one. It does not relieve anyone in government of their obligations to preserve and produce public records, he said. The lawsuit stems from a complaint filed by Law Forward with the elections commission in 2021. It alleged that Republicans illegally posed as Wisconsin electors in an attempt to convince the U.S. Congress to declare that Trump won the state in 2020, even though he in fact lost to President Joe Biden by about 21,000 votes. Republican attempts to cast electoral college votes for Trump in seven swing states he lost were a focus of the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attacks on the Capitol. The Wisconsin Elections Commission last year rejected a complaint about the events, saying that Republicans who attempted to cast the state's 10 electoral college votes for Trump did not break any election laws. Spindell did not recuse himself from considering the complaint, even though he voted as one of the fake GOP electors. Story continues In a closed meeting, the commission voted unanimously to reject the complaint. The Wisconsin Department of Justice concluded that Republicans were legitimately trying to preserve Trumps legal standing as courts were deciding if he or Biden won the election. That is the same argument that Trump allies and the fake electors from Wisconsin have made, including in testimony to the Jan. 6 committee. Law Forward filed two lawsuits after the complaint was rejected. In one pending action, the group alleges that Spindell should have been excluded from considering the complaint before the commission because his actions were at the heart of the matter. The other case, heard Tuesday, alleged that Spindell and the elections commission failed to turn over records that Law Forward requested multiple times under Wisconsin's open records law. The law firm sought documents related to a comment Spindell made during the public portion of a November 2021 commission meeting where he openly discussed his decision not to recuse himself from considering the complaint related to fake electors. The commission had been considering the request in closed session only, which made Spindells comments unusual. Specifically, Law Forward asked for communications surrounding material Spindell appeared to be reading from during the meeting. According to the lawsuit, the elections commission provided a single document that resembled what Spindell read from and said Spindell had no other related records. Frost dismissed claims against Spindell, agreeing with his argument that the commission is the legal authority in charge of the records. Law Forward brought the case on behalf of Paul Sickel, executive director of the Service Employees International Union's Wisconsin State Council. The firm has also filed another lawsuit, currently pending in federal court, against the 10 electors and Trump attorneys Kenneth Chesebro and Jim Troupis seeking $2.4 million in damages. That case alleges Trump and his allies conspired to overturn his loss in the battleground state. ___ This story has been corrected to reflect the name of Dane County Circuit Judge Jacob Frost. A previous version listed his first name as Robert Frost. FORT PIERCE St. Lucie County sheriff's detectives on Tuesday confirmed a woman died who was shot along with seven others during a Martin Luther King Jr. car show event Monday. Four others one of whom was a child were injured fleeing the scene during the chaotic incident that happened around 5:20 p.m. Monday at Ilous Ellis Park, according to the Sheriff's Office. St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara on Tuesday confirmed a 29-year-old woman he didnt identify died at HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital after being shot at the car show. I'm here to sadly report that one of those victims died this morning, Mascara said. She's a ... Fort Pierce native who was at the party with her 6-year-old daughter. And now what was a shooting investigation has turned into a murder investigation. Original story:8 injured, 1 seriously, during mass shooting at Martin Luther King Jr. event in Fort Pierce What we know:Mass shooting at Fort Pierce MLK Day celebration leaves 1 dead Mass shooting:Witness describes 'scary' scene in which 8 shot Monday in Fort Pierce He said theyll provide updates as the investigation continues. We want our community to play a role in solving this horrendous event that occurred (Monday), he said. Mascara lamented the shooting happened on a day set aside to honor the legacy of nonviolence advocated by Martin Luther King Jr. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the young lady's family who lost her life in the senseless act. And our community in general, we sympathize with them, were sorry that this happened, Mascara said. But we are committed to put the people responsible for this act in jail and prosecute to the full extent of the law. According to Chief Deputy Brian Hester, evidence collected at the scene shows the shooting was the result of a dispute between two rival Fort Pierce gangs. There were over 50 shell casings that were recovered from the scene from three different calibers of weapons to support some of that information, he said. Story continues A number of law-enforcement officials were at the scene Tuesday with at least two canines, searching around various areas of the parking lot. Hester said no suspects are in custody and none were identified, but he said leads were coming in. Theyre working with federal and state agencies on the investigation, he said. This is priority for us. We have every available resource assigned to this investigation, he said. Mass shootings in 2023:MLK Day shooting in Fort Pierce is the 30th mass shooting in U.S. so far this year He declined to release any information related to possible suspects, but he warned anyone who may be helping those responsible to evade capture. Let me be very, very clear that if you are thinking of or are hiding, supporting or aiding, helping in any way, any suspect, anyone involved in this heinous incident, Hester added. I can assure you that we will arrest you and we will charge you to the fullest extent of the law for partaking in that support. He encouraged anyone with information to call a hotline set up Tuesday at 772-462-3230. Or call Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-800-273-TIPS. Staff writers Will Greenlee and Corey Arwood contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Fort Pierce shooting: Woman dies from injuries at MLK Day event A woman faces charges months after a child was hit with a car, eventually leading to that childs death, according to the Memphis Police Department (MPD). MPD said a young girl was hit by a car on August 14, 2022 around 3:30 p.m. The car responsible, a blueish-green Toyota Scion with green rims, took off, police said. That girl was rushed to the hospital in critical condition but died four days later, according to MPD. Months later, on January 16, 2023, Memphis Police said they found the car responsible on Compress Drive in Memphis. The driver of that car, 22-year-old Anisha Millon, was taken to a police station for questioning. Police said that Millon waived her rights and gave police her account of that fateful night. Millon told police that she was on her way home from work, driving her 2007 Toyota Scion, and was on her way to pick up her own children when a baby came into the street. She claimed that she couldnt avoid hitting the baby, pulled over after the crash and thought about turning around, according to Memphis Police. But, because she was scared, she left the scene and made no attempts to go back to the scene of the crash and check on the child, police said. Memphis Police said Million even paid to have her blue car with green rims painted all black, concealing the original color, days after the crash. Millon was charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving death, violation of financial law and not having a drivers license. Download the FOX13 Memphis app to receive alerts from breaking news in your neighborhood. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD Trending stories: New York City Mayor Eric Adams called for federal and state aid to address the migrant crisis. The city recently received the largest number of asylum seekers in a single day, City Hall said. Adams, a Democrat, traveled to the Texas border over the weekend to speak with migrants. New York City Mayor Eric Adams traveled to the southern border over the weekend, continuing his public calls for federal and state aid to address the influx of asylum seekers into the US that he says is overwhelming the city he runs. "Our cities are being undermined. And we don't deserve this. Migrants don't deserve this. And the people who live in the cities don't deserve this," Adams said on Sunday in El Paso, Texas, according to the Associated Press. Adams, a Democrat, said sanctuary cities like New York that are experiencing a migrant crisis need assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to the Associated Press. Adams' office declared a state of emergency last October as the number of people arriving in New York City strained the city's shelters and services. City Hall said in a statement on Friday that the city recently received 835 asylum seekers in a day, the largest number to date. About 40,000 migrants have traveled to New York City in search of shelter since last spring, according to the city. New York City has opened 74 emergency shelters and four humanitarian relief centers, according to Adams' office. The associated cost is $1 billion for fiscal year 2023. "We expect more from our national leaders to address this in a real way," Adams said on Sunday in Texas, according to The New York Times. The city welcoming migrants seeking care and shelter is exacerbating New York City's homelessness crisis, Brad Lander, the city's comptroller, said earlier this month. In a Saturday tweet, Lander also criticized Adams' Texas trip, saying it did little to bring in the money that New York City needs to provide shelter and services. Story continues Earlier this month, Lander said 67,600 people are sleeping in shelters and 3,400 more are sleeping on the streets and in the subway. The Department of Homeless Services does not track the number of undocumented immigrants it looks after, Lander noted. "The need for expanding and accelerating the distribution of rental assistance to low-income New Yorkers has never been more urgent than it is today," he said in testimony before the Human Resources Administration. Read the original article on Business Insider A Daytona Beach woman was arrested and charged with the death of her boyfriend who was stabbed to death in a fight that escalated into a robbery attempt at a home last week, police said. Kaylee Grigsby Leinum, 19, was being held Tuesday in the Volusia County Branch Jail on a second-degree murder charge. Daytona Beach police Detective Sgt. David Dinardi said Tuesday that Leinum, and her boyfriend, Devyn Strickland, 21, who was stabbed to death, had plans to rob Leinum's ex-boyfriend when they went to his Shady Place home on Wednesday. The plan was to take $1,000 that Leinum knew he had, Dinardi said. Cell phone stops bulletCell phone stops bullet, man then pulls knife and kills shooter in dispute over woman Life sentence for burning woman to death'Heinous, atrocious and cruel': Man sentenced to life for setting DeLand woman on fire While at the home, the men argued over Leinum, and then Strickland pulled out a gun in an attempt to rob the ex-boyfriend, Dinardi said. Strickland fired multiple shots at the ex-boyfriend, who was saved by a cell phone in his pocket that was hit by a bullet, said Daytona Beach police Chief Jakari Young. The ex-boyfriend, then pulled out a knife and stabbed Strickland, police said. Daytona Beach police spokeswoman Carrie McCallister said Strickland and Leinum then ran from the home. Police located them near the Shady Place home and Strickland was transported to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach where he died, McCallister said. "This was a case of self-defense," Dinardi said on Tuesday. "(The ex-boyfriend) was justified in killing Devyn Strickland." This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona woman charged with murder in stabbing death-robbery Andrew Tate, left, and Tristan Tate with Romanian police. Andreea Campeanu/Getty Images Young women "misunderstood the reality" of life with Andrew Tate, his head of security said. Bogdan Stancu, Tate's bodyguard, told the BBC "some girls" living on Tate's property "thought they'd be his next wife." Tate is currently in jail on suspicion of human trafficking and forming an organized crime group. Young women "misunderstood the reality" of life with Andrew Tate and thought they'd be his "next wife," bodyguard Bogdan Stancu told the BBC this week. The American-British internet personality was arrested in December, alongside his brother Tristan, on suspicion of human trafficking and forming an organized crime group that manipulated women into making porn for their online business. Tate's lawyer has said he and Tristan are innocent. Speaking to the BBC, Stancu said many of the women living with Tate were under the age of 25. He described Tate, 36, as "a little bit paranoid" and convinced that "somebody wanted to hurt him," though Tate was seemingly unsure who that somebody was. Stancu said he never saw anything untoward at Tate's property in Romania but noted that "some girls thought they'd be his next wife." Tate previously talked about manipulating women Andrew Tate. Screenshot/YouTube - TateSpeech Stefan Loredan, a legal expert in Dubai who has been following Tate's case, said the controversial celebrity's biggest legal challenge will be his own statements on rape and exploitation. The Tate brothers have "been incriminating themselves through the social-media content that they've been creating in the last two to three years," Loredan recently told Insider. Tate, for example, said in a since-deleted YouTube video that he moved to Romania from the UK because: "I'm not a fucking rapist but I like the idea of just being able to do what I want. I like being free." In another video, he said women are "not allowed out" when they stay at his house. Story continues In a statement from his website that no longer exists, Tate detailed his manipulation of women, saying: "My job was to meet a girl, go on a few dates, sleep with her, test if she's quality, get her to fall in love with me to where she'd do anything I say, and then get her on webcam so we could become rich together." 'I loved raping you,' one WhatsApp message from Tate said Andrew Tate, left, and Tristan Tate arrive at a courthouse in Bucharest on January 10. DANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP via Getty Images Vice News reported this month that Tate sent a sexual assault accuser numerous messages about rape. "I love raping you," Tate reportedly wrote in one WhatsApp message Vice shared in its story. The WhatsApp texts formed part of the evidence that UK police collected when investigating Tate between 2015 and 2019. The Crown Protection Service, however, did not pursue rape charges against Tate in 2019. Investigators in Tate's current case identified six women as potential victims of trafficking, BBC said in a separate story. Two women named only as Beatrice and Jasmin came forward to say they are "not a victim" of Tate's. They said the Tate brothers were not "aggressive or rude," and said they did not feel threatened. Not much is known about the level of evidence Romanian investigators have gathered, the BBC said. Authorities seized Tate's luxury properties and rare car collection earlier this month. If he is convicted, these assets could be used to compensate victims in the case, a spokesperson for Romanian authorities previously told Insider. Read the original article on Insider Bedford County Public Schools are projected to finish out this year with a positive operating budget balance, according to a second-quarter financial analysis recently presented to the school board. Operating expenses are projected to come in at $773,772 under budget, said Randy Hagler, chief financial officer of BCPS. Operating revenues are projected to come in at about $1.2 million more than budgeted. We look in very good financial shape this year, Hagler said. Unless the currently robust Virginia sales tax unexpectedly falls off dramatically over the rest of this year, which is a major source of revenue used to fund public schools in the commonwealth, Hagler anticipated ending with a positive operating budget balance. One future need identified by the divisions facilities committee falls under the nutrition budget. The division must spend down the nutrition fund balance to around $1.2 million from currently more than $3 million, according to Hagler. The supervisor of nutrition indicated a need to replace outdated appliances, other kitchen equipment, and even things like cutlery. This need could be a major part of spending down the existing balance, according to the BCPS staff presentation. According to District 5 representative and facilities committee liaison Georgia Hairston, one idea is to list some of the old appliances with GovDeals a government surplus auction website billed as an online marketplace providing services to government, educational, and related entities for the sale of surplus assets to the public with at least some of it expected to end up as scrap metal, and recoup some of the costs that way. The specific items to be replaced have not yet been listed in full. Additional budget priorities will be identified over the next several months. Fuel prices are a variable to keep an eye on in the upcoming budget, according to Hagler. With the General Assembly convening in Richmond, a proposed state education budget is set to be hashed out over the next several months. This will affect how BCPS shapes its fiscal year 2024 budget and priorities, and might affect the remaining 2023 budget depending on what the assembly adopts, according to Hagler and BCPS superintendent Marc Bergin. If is the operative word right now when it comes to the divisions projected expenditures for 2023-24, which Bergin emphasized last week as he presented some proposed items to budget for next year, and projected expenditures, as all are contingent on the budget adopted by the state. The division could see an increase in state funding this year depending on what happens in Richmond, Hagler said. Anticipated wage raises for teachers and school support staff are part of Gov. Glenn Youngkins proposed education budget. If the governors proposed budget gets adopted as it stands now, BCPS teachers and support staff would see a 1.35% step increase, a 3.65% cost of living adjustment, and up to a 1% bonus in 2024, according to the presentation given by Bergin. BCPS reinstated employee pay steps last year. Some grants are currently being pursued as supplemental money for BCPS, Hagler said, including grants for school nurse stipends and state-provided stipends for teachers furthering their education. As the nation celebrated the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, voices inside a crowded ballroom in downtown Lynchburgs Virginian Hotel rang out with a message of unity. We shall overcome, the crowd sang in unison, holding hands through several verses of the key anthem of the American civil rights movement. Held in person for the first time since 2020, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lynchburg Community Councils 23rd annual breakfast celebration honored the legacy of King, who was one of the nations most well known civil rights activists from the 1950s until his assassination in 1968. The event coincided with nationwide celebrations of Kings life on the 37th Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States. Brenda Hughes Andrews, one of four Black students who integrated E.C. Glass High School in 1962 after litigants sued Lynchburg Public Schools, gave the keynote address of the ceremony, delivering a message of unity and strength to love, as King would say, to city leaders and residents in attendance. What made Dr. King a man we remember today instead of some others was his influence that he was able to have over other people, Andrews said. And his innate ability to inspire hope into the souls of people who had never seen themselves as valuable or worthy of first class citizenship. Many city leaders attended, including Police Chief Ryan Zuidema, Fire Chief Gregory Wormser, several city councilors, school board members, and newly elected Mayor Stephanie Reed, who officially proclaimed Monday as Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Lynchburg during the ceremony. She noted how humbled she felt being in the presence of so many amazing people who were part of the change in this city that carried on the legacy that Dr. King started. The theme for the breakfast, strength to love, comes from the title of a book of the same name written by King Jr. and published in 1963, the same year King helped organize the March on Washington and delivered his famous I Have a Dream speech. Quiniya Hubbard, who won first place in a community council essay-writing contest, spoke further on the theme of Mondays breakfast, saying the message holds great depth in the life of the late civil rights activist, but also in the lives of people today. At its core, this theme speaks to the idea that true love requires strength and courage. And that is not something that comes easily or naturally to us, Hubbard read from her essay. For Martin Luther King Jr., the strength to love was a cornerstone in his philosophy and a driving force of his activism. As a civil rights leader, he faced immense challenges and dangers in his efforts to bring about justice and equality for African Americans in the United States, she said. Andrews said while it is true the struggle continues, she added, We who are African American have been both resilient and also a resistant part of much of that American history, as we have had to fight our way out of the shackles of slavery, racism and second-class citizenship. Speaking about her own battle against inequality and racism, Andrews said about the time when she and three others integrated E.C. Glass High School, We disrupted an all-white environment. And where there is or was disruption, theres always the opportunity to change the status quo, which we did. Clearly, in Strength to Love, Dr. King delivers the message that systems and hearts must be changed in order to end the evil of racism and discrimination in America, Andrews added. This year marks the 61st anniversary of King Jr.s visit to the Hill City, when he visited Diamond Hill Baptist Church; the Anne Spencer house; the Lodge of the Fisherman at Cosby Woods, the only dining establishment in Lynchburg other than the hospital where Blacks and whites could dine together; and E.C. Glass High School, where he delivered his famous American Dream speech in March 1962. Andrews, charging the crowd to make a difference before next years Martin Luther King Jr. Day, said the work is not done. No, no, Lynchburg, Andrews said. We still are not satisfied. And we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream. A south suburban police sergeant and a patrol officer under his command are facing federal charges alleging they robbed motorists of cash and drugs during traffic stops and extorted people in exchange for declining to press charges or tow their vehicles. Jarrett Snowden, 34, of Lansing, and Antoine Bell Larry, 46, of Bolingbrook, both officers for the small village of Phoenix, were charged in a four-count indictment made public Tuesday with bribery conspiracy, extortion and attempted extortion. Advertisement An arraignment date had not been set in the case as of Tuesday. Larrys attorney, Garry Payton, said he had not seen the indictment as of Monday morning and had no comment. Snowdens attorney could not be reached. After the Tribune reached out to Phoenix officials seeking comment, police Chief Roy Wells issued a written statement Tuesday saying both officers were placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. Advertisement To avoid compromising the integrity of the federal governments investigation, we will offer no further comment, the statement read. According to the 10-page indictment, Snowden and Larry agreed to use their official powers and positions as police officers to rob and extort people they pulled over in Phoenix and the neighboring suburb of Harvey, about 19 miles south of downtown Chicago. The officers stole firearms, drugs and cash from targeted vehicles and their occupants, and also solicited cash payments in exchange for reducing, dropping or declining to press charges against the occupants, as well as allowing them to keep their vehicles instead of having them towed, the indictment stated. In some instances, Larry and Snowden arranged for the victims to meet them at a nearby gas station with bribe payments, the indictment alleged. To conceal the conspiracy, the officers at times used a bagman to collect the payments, and also had an agreement to sell the narcotics theyd stolen to a drug dealer and split any proceeds from the eventual street sales 50/50, the indictment alleged. Afternoon Briefing Daily Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy > In all, the indictment lists seven separate acts of extortion or bribery between October 2020 and December 2021. Phoenix and Harvey have long been hotbeds for corruption, with numerous police officers and politicians indicted over the years on charges ranging from extortion to murder. Advertisement The sensational 1979 murder of then-Phoenix Mayor William Hawkins was allegedly carried out by members of his own police department who were angry he wasnt sharing siphoned-off government funds with them like he promised. A police lieutenant was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, while another officer was acquitted at trial. In 2019, the U.S. attorneys office announced an array of corruption charges against people close to then-Harvey Mayor Eric Kellogg, including Kelloggs brother, Derrick Muhammad, a Harvey police officer, accused of falsifying a police report to protect two convicted felons from possibly facing weapons charges. Muhammad pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2020 to nine months in prison. jmeisner@chicagotribune.com SYDNEY Last July, the U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Mark Milley, visited Jakarta where he said Chinas military has become significantly more aggressive and dangerous over the past five years. While the U.S. has seemed fixated on Chinas growing verbal threats and military maneuvers around Taiwan, Milley and others, including some in Australia, are concerned that Chinas expansionist goals do not end with attempts to take over that free island nation. Among those keeping an eye on Chinas activities here is Tom Switzer, executive director of the think tank Center for Independent Studies (CIS). Switzer believes Australian leaders are wrong when they think their policies determine what China does. The truth is, he says, most great powers are ruthless beasts: they play hard ball at every turn; and the stronger China gets, the more its likely to throw its weight around. Switzer calls what China is doing wolf warrior diplomacy, where it uses its growing economic power to coerce or harm weaker states that implement policies not to Beijings liking. Some commentators here claim Australia can rebuild trust with Beijing without acquiescing to its demands. Switzer disagrees and asks some important questions the government should consider: How do our leaders restore a dialogue with a hyper-nationalist China that wants us to kowtow? Doesnt that represent a serious threat to our sovereignty? Doesnt Beijings long list of demands as a prerequisite to improving relations make it harder for Canberra to do more to reboot relations with Beijing? On its webpage, CIS asserts that China has been waging a global influence campaign across the globe. It is better understood as a strategic use of media technology and government resources allocated by the Chinese Communist Party in seeking to effectively influence media content and industries in targeted countries. It aims at changing global opinions and policy discourses in favour of its development model, patterns of managing inter-state relations, and justification of its prospective hegemonic status worldwide. Pushback actions against this effort of China have been occurring across many countries, however. It is no secret how this influence works. Weve seen it in the U.S. where corporations and individual spokespersons for companies that manufacture products in China have been reluctant to criticize the communist regime for fear of losing money. At what point does it become a patriotic duty to start making products in America (and Australia) again instead of putting profits above the best interests of free nations? Journalists should ask this question of President Biden, congressional Republicans and GOP presidential candidates in 2024. There is also the issue of propaganda. People of a certain age associate propaganda with Nazi Germany (Joseph Goebbels), Japan (Tokyo Rose) and the Soviet Union. But Chinas use of especially social media TikTok being just one of many examples has taken propaganda to a new and more highly sophisticated level. One of the few media outlets that responds to Chinese disinformation and propaganda is The Epoch Times, denounced by some as a far-right newspaper associated with the Falun Gong quasi-religious movement. Yet it consistently presents information that counters what is coming from Beijing and its ideological allies. One of the great seductions, especially in free societies, is that when one evil is defeated Nazism, Japan, the collapse of the Soviet Union it cant become reincarnated in new regimes and new dictators. Eternal vigilance and the opposition to tyranny are the price free people must pay to maintain their freedom, which is not the natural state of humankind if one looks around the world. That is true for Australia, Europe (Russias war against Ukraine) and the United States. Shizuka visits Northern Tohoku region and spends a day in Yamagata, where she explores the stunning scenery and makes friends with locals. She visits the scenic temple Yamadera. 1000 stones step lead to the top of the mountain where the visitors are rewarded with some of the most breathtaking views of the autumn foliage in Japan. After the hike, Shizuka stops by Enzou, a local restaurant, where they serve Yamagata's specialty: Ita soba aka soba on a board. The adventure continues in Yamagata city, where Shizuka sets out to explore the city's nightlife. She visits three authentic izakaya restaurants in Hottonaru Yokocho, where visitors can truly get a grasp of Yamagatas flavors after dark. Diving into Yamagatas scrumptious seasonal specialties and locally brewed sake, Shizuka meets some of the friendliest locals and together, they enjoy an exciting night full of laughter and good food! ...continue reading , Jan 17 ( news18.com ) - The world is full of cultures and traditions that fascinate us. While some of them make sense to us, others dont and as much as they seem bizarre, people following them continue to do so with complete faith. One such fascinating ritual is Japans Shinto ritual where people dressed in white robes clap and chant before going into an ice water bath. The new years ritual in Japan saw a group of men bathe in ice water on January 14 to purify their souls and wish for good fortune this year. The Daily Mail reported that the believers gathered at the Kanda Myojin shrine in Tokyo to participate in the annual cold water endurance ceremony. Photographs captured the moment men poured wooden pots full of ice-cold water over their bodies. The photographs show the men dressed in white loincloths and headbands. ... continue reading Google Cloud introduces new AI Tools for Retailers, AI Tool for personalised search New Delhi, Wed, 18 Jan 2023 NI Wire Google Cloud introduced four new AI technology based tools for the retailers, which is using the AI solutions developed by Google for searching a large number of products in the retailers online store. This tool enables the retailers to use the Google search capabilities for their retail portal. Now retailers will be able to use this tool searching for billions of products in their store in a much more natural way increasing the overall shopping experience of their customers. In this release Google Cloud added and updated its AI Technologies for helping retailers in adding new features to its in-store shelf checking process. Google Cloud AI technologies will help retailers in adding more features to their in-store shelf checking process, which will enhance their ecommerce sites. These tools from Google Cloud will help in increasing the shopping experience of the stores customers. Google Cloud introduced following services: Personalized Search: These Google Cloud services will help in developing personalized search and browsing features for the retail store. This will help increase the customer experiences for ecommerce sites. AI based cheking in-store shelves: An AI-powered solution for regularly checking the store shelves and including the best product in the search. This solution uses AI technologies and supports billions of products. Intelligent product recommendation: These solutions include an AI-driven product recommendation system that can be used by the store owners for recommending the products to their customers. Machine Learning tool for product display on the store : Google Cloud also includes a tool based on the machine learning technology for arranging the products on websites. Google Cloud AI tools will help on-line store owners to better manage their products in the shelves and display the right products to their customers. Personalized Search Personalized Search results are very important for any e-commerce shopping portal, users are more likely to view/purchase the products from the personalilzed list. Google Cloud AI tool is an AI based software service that produces personalized search results, which enhances the feature of the e-commerce sites. Google Clouds AI based personalized search technology will enhance the capabilities of Google Clouds existing Retail Search solution. Ecommerce shopping stores will be able to produce relevant presonalized results for the customers, helping e-commerce portal to provide intuitive online shopping experience to the customers. This solution is well designed which uses the latest AI technologies for identifying the costumes preferences by analyzing their shopping, purchasing, browning, product selection in cart and others. This way with the use of this AI technology e-commerce store will be able to increase conversion rates and also satisfy the customers requirements. AI technology uses the user behaviours and adjusts the presonalized results for the user. There are many technologies behind this and Google developed this product to provide best results for the users. More importantly all the data and analysis is specific to the website. This data is not shared between the customers and this is not connected with the customers activity on Googles other products. AI based cheking in-store shelves The new AI based product sorting solution is the best in the industry product discovery and selection in-store shelves. This solution is considering historical ordering information along with other parameters. This tool is known as Google Clouds Discovery AI solutions and available for the retailers on the Google Cloud platform. This product helps in improving the product discovery experience significantly. Usually e-commerce websites use the category based bestsellers sorting or display manually created product list. This way of product selection and display takes a lot of time, which is in-sufficient in generating the best results. Google Cloud AI based solution will help e-commerce owners to get most out of their products inventory and display best presonalized results to the customers. Intelligent product recommendation The latest upgrades to the Google Clouds Recommendations AI system brings more features including personalized, highly-relevant, dynamic and actionable product listing as recommendation. This tool helps individual customers as well as big e-commerce websites. This tool is powerful providing page-level optimization, allowing the store to display recommendations dynamically for each customer. This gives a very powerful tool to the store owners and will help in instantly increasing the sales. Tool is using machine learning for generating effective product recommendations per user session. Machine Learning tool for product display on the store The AI-Powered shelf-checking solutions will provide huge success to the retailers as developing such technologies are difficult. Most of the retailers were unable to do so in the past due to resources required to develop such solutions. This AI solution from Google Cloud will enable stores to distinguish and categorise the products accurately. The Google Cloud AI solution identifies the products based on visual and text features, which is a promising solution for the store owners. This solution can work on a large scale and support billions of products. So, it's a very helpful solution for the large online retailers. About Google Cloud Google Cloud is one of the top cloud computing services in the world with a large number of servers to meet the enterprise computing needs. Google Cloud is an enterprise grade Cloud computing environment for accelerating the organisation's ability to digitally transform its business. Google Cloud is delivering enterprise-grade solutions that leverage Google's cutting-edge technology to the world. Companies are individuals who are using the immense power of Google Cloud to run todays demanding business applications. Check more details at Google Cloud AI Search Integration with retail store services. The Council Bluffs Police Department is once again hosting its Citizens Police Academy, a program that began in 1992 to provide the public with a glimpse of how law enforcement goes about its daily duties. Over the course of 12 weeks, students will learn about the different divisions within the police department, and the various services law enforcement is tasked with. A lot of perception of police is through TV and movies, said Sgt. Cory Woodward of the Police Area Representative unit. Its pretty unrealistic. The program is also designed to enhance law enforcements relationship with the communities it serves. Especially after the last few years, theres been a lot of media attention towards a negative side of what some officers have done, Woodward said. So we try to get people in, try to have them understand what we do, how many things we deal with, how many different aspects of our job there is. In addition to community engagement, classes will cover nearly every aspect of what the police department handles, including the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, the K-9 unit, chaplain services, crisis negotiation, criminal investigation, use of force training and forensics. Each class will feature a speaker from a specific unit within the department, and a couple of representatives from the county, too, like Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber, and a member of the 911 communications center, which is run by the county. A detective from the Criminal Investigations Division will teach a case study of one of the departments murder investigations. Woodward said that the informal setting allows officers and other speakers to let their guard down and have more frank and honest conversations about policing. We can discuss things in more detail instead of short little sound bites, Woodward said. We can discuss openly our point of view and how we see things. People might have different experiences, and they get to share that with the class. Some people (have) brought up experiences that havent went well with the police. Aside from active cases, pretty much all topics are open to discussion, Woodward said. The first CPA class is this Thursday, Jan. 19, at 6:30 p.m. Most classes will be held at CBPD headquarters, located at 1 Ezra Jackson Way. Firearms training will be held at the Southwest Iowa Law Enforcement Training Facility and the practical exercise scenario will play out at Abraham Lincoln High School. ROME Italian film legend Gina Lollobrigida, who achieved international stardom during the 1950s and was dubbed "the most beautiful woman in the world" after the title of one her movies, died in Rome on Monday, her agent said. She was 95. The agent, Paola Comin, didn't provide details. But Lollobrigida had surgery in September to repair a thigh bone broken in a fall. She returned home and said she had quickly resumed walking. A drawn portrait of the diva graced a 1954 cover of Time magazine, which likened her to a "goddess" in an article about Italian movie-making. More than a half-century later, Lollobrigida still turned heads with her brown, curly hair and statuesque figure, and preferred to be called an actress instead of a the gender-neutral term actor. "Lollo," as she was lovingly nicknamed by Italians, began making movies in Italy just after the end of World War II, as the country began to promote on the big screen a stereotypical concept of Mediterranean beauty as buxom and brunette. Besides "The World's Most Beautiful Woman" in 1955, career highlights included Golden Globe-winner "Come September," with Rock Hudson; "Trapeze;" "Beat the Devil," a 1953 John Huston film starring Humphrey Bogart and Jennifer Jones; and "Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell," which won Lollobrigida Italy's top movie award, a David di Donatello, as best actress in 1969. In Italy, she worked with some of the country's top directors following the war, including Mario Monicelli, Luigi Comencini, Pietro Germi and Vittorio De Sica. Two of her more popular films at home were Comencini's "Pane Amore e Fantasia" ("Bread, Love and Dreams"Fantasy) in 1953, and the sequel a year later, "Pane Amore e Gelosia" ("Bread, Love and Jealousy"). Her male foil was Vittorio Gassman, one of Italy's leading men on the screen. Lollobrigida also was an accomplished sculptor, painter and photographer, and eventually essentially dropped film for the fine arts. With her camera, she roamed the world from what was then the Soviet Union to Australia. In 1974, Fidel Castro hosted her as a guest in Cuba for 12 days as she worked on a photo reportage. Lollobrigida was born on July 4, 1927 in Subiaco, a picturesque hill town near Rome, where her father was a furniture maker. Lollobrigida began her career in beauty contests, posing for the covers of magazines and brief appearances in minor films. Producer Mario Costa plucked her from the streets of Rome to appear on the big screen. Eccentric mogul Howard Hughes eventually brought Lollobrigida to the United States, where she performed with some of Hollywood's leading men of the 1950s and 60s, including Frank Sinatra, Sean Connery, Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis and Yul Brynner. Over the years, her co-stars also included Europe's most dashing male stars of the era, among them Louis Jourdan, Fernando Rey, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean-Louis Trintignant and Alec Guinness. While Lollobrigida played some dramatic roles, her sex symbol image defined her career, and her most popular characters were in lighthearted comedies such as the "Bread, Love" trilogy. With lush eyelashes and thick, brown curls framing her face, Lollobrigida started a hairstyle rage in the 1950s known as the "poodle cut." Gossip columnists commented on alleged rivalries between her and Sophia Loren, another Italian film star celebrated for her physical beauty, In middle age, Lollobrigida's romance with a man 34 years her junior, Javier Rigau, from Barcelona, Spain, kept gossip pages buzzing for years. "I have always had a weakness for younger men because they are generous and have no complexes," the actress told Spain's "Hola" magazine. After more than 20 years of dating, in 2006, the then-79-year-old Lollabrigida announced that she would Rigau, but the wedding never happened. Her first marriage, to Milko Skofic, a Yugoslavia-born doctor, ended in divorce in 1971. In the last years of her life, Lollobrigida's name more frequently appeared in articles by journalists covering Rome's courts, not the glamour scene, as legal battles were waged over whether she had the mental competence to tend to her finances. On her website, Lollobrigida recalled how her family lost its house during the bombings of World War II and went to live in Rome. She studied sculpture and painting at a high school dedicated to the arts, while her two sisters worked as movie theater ushers to allow her to continue her studies. Photos: Actress Gina Lollobrigida over the years Italy Obit Gina Lollobrigida Italy Obit Gina Lollobrigida Italy Obit Gina Lollobrigida We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. Speaker of Yemens House of Representatives Sultan Said al-Barkani has reaffirmed his countrys steadfast support to Moroccos territorial integrity and full sovereignty over its entire Saharan territory. He voiced the supportive stand during the meetings he held separately Monday in Rabat with Moroccan peer Rachid Talbi Alami and Speaker of the House of Advisors Enaam Mayara. Speaking to journalists, the Yemeni official stressed the importance of the respect of territorial integrity for the two countries. He thanked the Moroccan King, government, people and parliament for their continued support to Yemen which is facing major political, economic, military and security challenges. During his meetings with Moroccan lawmakers, Mr. Al Barkani said Yemen looks forward to benefiting from the Moroccan parliament experiences, noting that Moroccan and Yemeni MPs have agreed to foster consultation and coordinate stands at international fora over matters of common concern. Both Speakers of the Moroccan Parliaments Upper & Lower Houses hailed the friendship ties uniting the two countries and thanked Yemen for backing the Kingdoms territorial integrity. They also called for joint Arab and international efforts to end the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and denounced the provocations of Iran-backed Houthi militias, threatening regional peace and stability. Talks between Sultan Said Al-Barkani and Talbi Alami highlighted by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding meant to consolidate relations between the two legislative institutions. Under the MoU, the two parties undertake to develop the links between Morocco and Yemen at the political, economic, cultural and scientific levels and work to strengthen parliamentary cooperation through regular dialogue and consultation on issues of common interest. The MoU reflects the common desire to further consolidate and strengthen the relations of friendship between the Moroccan and Yemeni peoples and the shared determination to strengthen parliamentary cooperation, the House of Representatives said in a statement. Mr. Al Barkani conferred the same day in Rabat with Moroccan foreign minister Nasser Bourita. Talks focused on bilateral relations, the Yemeni crisis and latest developments on the regional and international scene. U.S., Japan urged to stop seeking to contain, suppress China: FM spokesperson Xinhua) 08:11, January 17, 2023 BEIJING, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Monday urged the United States and Japan to quit their obsession with containing and suppressing China, stop dangerously ramping up their military build-up and propagating chaos in the world. The comments come after a recent joint statement by U.S. and Japanese leaders claiming that the Indo-Pacific region faces growing challenges, including from actions inconsistent with the rules-based international order by China. They also stressed their commitment to strengthening the U.S.-Japan alliance. "The ugly playbook jointly used by Japan and the U.S. to tarnish China's image, interfere in China's internal affairs and suppress China's development is packed with danger and hypocrisy. We firmly reject it and have conveyed strong demarches," Spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a daily press briefing. Wang pointed out that Japan's actions cause people to wonder whether it is tearing itself away from post-war peaceful development and fear the growing danger of history repeating itself. "Our message for Japan is that anyone seeking to jeopardize and risk the security and stability of the Asia-Pacific will be rejected and pushed back by countries across the region," said Wang. The United States preaches the so-called "rules-based order", but is second to none when it comes to undermining the international rules and order, Wang said, citing U.S. practices such as unwarranted invasions of other countries, arbitrary unilateral sanctions and muscle-flexing in the Asia-Pacific by deploying warships and military aircraft, among other things. "It must be pointed out that China will remain firmly committed to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. No country or force can hold back China's development. We will do what is necessary to resolutely defend our sovereignty, security and development interests," Wang added. In response to a joint statement released following the recent U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee ("2+2"), Wang said it contains manipulated and misleading narratives aimed at justifying military build-up by propagating and hyping up the so-called "nuclear threat from China." "We have always kept our nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required by national security. For any country, as long as they do not use nuclear weapons against China, they have no reason to worry about being threatened by China's nuclear weapons. This is the most meaningful transparency a country can provide," said Wang. In fact, said Wang, it is the negative developments in the U.S. and Japan regarding nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation that require the vigilance of the international community. The U.S. has been developing low-yield nuclear weapons, lowering the threshold for using nuclear weapons, while Japan has been sitting comfortably under the U.S. "nuclear umbrella" and even opposing and obstructing efforts to get the U.S. to relinquish its policy of first use of nuclear weapons, Wang added. "We urge the U.S. and Japan to abandon the Cold-War mentality and bloc confrontation, fulfill their nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation obligations in good faith, and step up to their role in upholding regional and international peace and stability," said Wang. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) The Chicago mayoral race might be a performance review of Chicagos current executive leader, but the election also presents an opportunity to review a group of political leaders the public never elected. That group would be Chicago Teachers Union leaders who make up the Caucus of Rank-and-File Educators and who are looking to place their guy in City Hall. The union has thrown its financial and public support behind mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson, a former CTU teacher and a political operative who still earned a salary as a legislative coordinator for the union as of June. Advertisement Union leaders prominent involvement in the race reflects their priorities, none of which include Chicago Public Schools students. While CTU teachers provide an invaluable service to the city and society, the unions leadership uses its position to prioritize a political agenda over students needs, much to students detriment. For more than a decade, the unions increasing focus on politics correlated with a decline in CPS students academic performance and achievement and the trend looks likely to continue. The unions priorities shifted after the caucus took control of CTU in 2010. As the caucus amplified the unions image as that of a lobbying special interest, students test scores dropped. Based on an Illinois Policy Institute analysis of Illinois State Board of Education student proficiency data for third through eighth grades, between 2010 and 2014, the share of CPS students considered proficient in reading dropped by 29%. In math, that share dropped 30%. After a change in state testing between 2015 and 2022 student proficiency dropped 33% in reading and 31% in math. Advertisement As of the past full school year, nearly 80% of CPS students could not read at grade level. Just 15% met proficiency in math. In other words, students suffered as the union bosses played politics. While test scores worsened, Chicago families began to look for other options. An Illinois Policy Institute analysis of CPS enrollment data reveals the district lost more than 87,000 students a nearly 20% drop between 2010 and 2022. At the start of the , 2022-23 school year, CPS enrolled a little more than 322,000 students, marking a loss of about 8,000 students from the previous year. Rather than address the districts challenges, CTU leaders focus on promoting a political agenda through tactics that include aggressive striking, politicized demands during the collective bargaining process and financial support for political candidates. From 2012 to 2022, CTU led five strikes or work stoppages. Prior to the first strike in 2012, Chicago had not seen a teachers strike in 25 years. Each time, the unions collective bargaining tactics grew more aggressive and political. In 2019, CTU leaders demanded provisions such as affordable housing topics well outside the scope of traditional collective bargaining negotiations. In 2021, citing COVID-19 safety concerns, the union refused to teach classes in person, which forced the district to cancel classes. The unions politicized actions prompted Mayor Lori Lightfoot to tell The New York Times that CTU has ambitions to take over running the city government. The union repeated that a year later, leaving parents to scramble overnight to arrange care for their children as the union again canceled classes by posing as public health experts who knew better than the public health experts. But money remains the strongest and most common way the union flexes its political muscle. Most of CTUs money now goes to politics. In 2021, 81% of the unions spending went to politics, administration and other leadership priorities, according to an Illinois Policy Institute analysis of the unions own financial reports. That means less than 20 cents of every dollar CTU spent went toward doing its supposed No. 1 job of representing teachers. City, county, state and federal politicians benefit from CTUs enrichment. Johnson is only one of the most recent beneficiaries. And whether the unions hand-picked candidate wins the Chicago mayoral election, Johnsons campaign foreshadows more CTU time and energy directed to politics and less to students. The mayoral election is an opportunity to ask whether union leadership and its priorities best serve students interests. Whether continued interruptions in students learning and declining test scores signify progress. Whether a group designed to represent teachers should be involved in politics at all. Regardless of the outcome of the mayoral election, one thing is clear: Putting politics first and student success second is bad for our city. Advertisement Matt Paprocki is president of the Illinois Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research organization. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com. Israel has to openly recognize Moroccos sovereignty over the Sahara territory in order to upgrade its ties with Rabat following the resumption of ties in the wake of Abraham accords, wrote Ilan Berman on the Jerusalem post. Morocco and Israel resumed their diplomatic ties in late 2020 after a trilateral deal that included the US recognition of Moroccos sovereignty over the Sahara. Israel has kept ambiguity on the Sahara issue with some members of the cabinet voicing support for Moroccos sovereignty over the territory while others maintained support for a vague UN solution. The disposition of Western Sahara isnt a governmental project but an issue that sits at the very heart of Moroccos national identity, wrote Berman, the senior vice president of the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington. Recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara seems like a very good place to start, he said. Israels recognition of Moroccos territorial integrity would yield tremendous benefits, facilitating greater collaboration between the two countries on issues ranging from food insecurity in Africa to Irans inroads into the continent, he added. After highlighting the centrality of the Sahara to the whole Moroccan people, Berman explained that the territorial issue is a key metric of the health of Moroccos bilateral relationships. The Sovereign Fund of Egypt (TSFE) and Etisalat Egypt have launched Erada Microfinance to provide access to a wide range of financial services to micro and small enterprises (MSEs). Erada uses financial technology (FinTech) and provides access to a diversified set of innovative financial products for MSEs to expand their businesses, Mubasher.info reports. The partnership, the media notes, is in line with Egypts Vision 2030 aimed at supporting financial inclusion and creating opportunities for the youth. Amr Abouelazm, an industry veteran in the area of non-banking financial services, is appointed as Vice Chairman & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the microfinance facility. The number of beneficiaries who have received microfinance loans in Egypt is on the rise, with a 46% annual growth rate according to September 2022 data, reaching some EGP 35.50 billion, and 3.80 million beneficiaries, of which 60%, or 2.30 million, were women, and 64% were youth. CEO of the Sovereign Fund of Egypt Ayman Soliman said that Egypt is well positioned for an immediate and full launch of its digital economy in line with the funds Financial Services and Fintech Sub-funds strategy of creating value and returns across all sectors. The Fund is a privately managed sovereign investment fund with the objective of attracting private investments in Egypts underutilized assets to unlock value and create wealth for future generations, and contribute to the growth of Egypts economy. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has cancelled plans to take part in World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos because of the energy crisis affecting the country. Vincent Magwenya, spokesman of the South African president said Ramaphosa will remain home to hold talks with Eskom and political leaders. Earlier reports said he would lead a government delegation to the WEF event in the Swiss Alps. The country is experiencing record blackouts due to troubles at state-owned power utility Eskom over the past 12 months. Due to the ongoing energy crisis, President Cyril Ramaphosa has cancelled his visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Magwenya wrote on Twitter. Currently the President is convening a meeting with leaders of political parties represented in parliament, NECCOM (National Energy Crisis Committee) and the Eskom board. Eskom has been for years unable to provide steady energy to the country over ageing coal power infrastructure. The rainbow nation has to bear with scheduled blackouts that can last 12 hours a day. The blackouts have cost the country hundreds of millions of dollars in lost output, disrupting commerce and industry. The opposition leading party, the Democratic Alliance, called on Saturday, on South Africans to join a protest march to voice their anger at the situation, Africa News reported. Security forces are searching for at least 50 women that were abducted by suspected Islamist extremists in Burkina Fasos insurgency-hit northern Sahel region, a regional governor said Monday, January 16. The women were kidnapped on January 12-13 while in the countryside gathering wild fruit near the town of Arbinda in Soum province, Lt. Col. P.F. Rodolphe Sorgho, the governor of Sahel, said in a statement. Several women managed to escape and return to their villages to raise the alarm. As soon as their disappearance was announced, efforts were launched to find all of these innocent victims safe and sound, Sorgho added. All means available are being used, in the air and on the ground, to find these women, a security source told the media. Aircraft are flying over the area to detect any suspect movement. Burkina Faso has been overrun by jihadi violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, whose militants killed thousands, displacing nearly 2 million people in the West African nation. The failure of successive governments to stop the fighting has caused widespread discontent and triggered two military coups in 2022 to seize power. A total of 116 security incidents were recorded during the second week of this month only, according to an internal report for aid groups, which represents more than 60% increase compared to the last week of December 2022. Moncef Marzouki, a Tunisian former President, in exile in France, has called on the army to remove incumbent President Kais Saied and to restore power the people. In an interview with Doha-based al Jazeera, Marzouki stressed that the armys responsibility is determined by the preservation of the homeland, and not by the person of Saied. I reject the power of the army, but I assume it is the duty of the leaders of this institution to overthrow this illegitimate president and hand over power to civilians, he stressed. It is not their duty to establish a military regime in Tunisia. It is the second time Marzouki who led the country from 2011 to 2014, is calling to the army to remove Saied. He made the same call in November 2021 and was sued by Saied. A court in Tunis indicted him for treason, on the back of article 23 of the penal code. The court sentenced him to four years in prison in absentia for working against the interests of the country. Saied ordered a legal action to be taken against the former leader and his diplomatic passport to be seized after he accused him of treason following Marzoukis confession that he contributed to postponing the Francophonie Summit that was scheduled to take place on Djerba Island. Marzouki has been an outspoken critic of Saied following his July 25, 2021 move during which he seized the executive and judiciary power and suspended the parliament. The ex-leader lambasted Saied for being a political debutant that lacks ability to rule the North African country and pointed out that the July 25 move rolled backed the democratic gains made following the 2011 revolution. Rabat hosted this January 16-17 the first meeting of the Monitoring Committee for Moroccan Israeli Defense Cooperation. the General Staff of the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces (FAR) said in a statement that the meeting was held in accordance with high instructions from King Mohammed VI, the supreme chief and chief of General Staff of FAR. The meeting was co-chaired by FAR Inspector General and Commander of the South Zone, Lieutenant General Belkhir El Farouk, and Dror Shalom, Director of the Office of Political-Military Affairs of the Israeli Ministry of Defense. The meeting discussed the various areas of bilateral military cooperation, including logistics and training as well as the acquisition and modernization of equipment, the statement said. The two sides welcomed the level of bilateral military cooperation, and agreed to further strengthen this cooperation and expand it to other areas, including intelligence, air defense and electronic warfare, said the statement which quoted Lieutenant General Belkhir El Farouk as saying that the Moroccan-Israeli military cooperation carries mutual interests and is based on trust and reciprocal support. On the sidelines of the Monitoring Committees meetings, Moroccan and Israeli officials, both civilian and military, also exchanged views on bilateral cooperation. The conclusions of the first meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the Moroccan-Israeli defense cooperation were adopted this January 17, 2023 by both parties. Morocco and Israel have been vowing to boost cooperation in all fields, particularly in security matters, since the two countries re-established diplomatic ties in December 2020. Many Israeli officials have since then stressed Moroccos important contribution to regional peace and stability and vowed Israels determination to further advance cooperation with the Kingdom. As part of cooperation in the military field, FAR acquired Israels Skylock Dome System in 2021. The Moroccan military also received five anti-drone defense systems from the same company as part of its approach to upgrade its defensive power. The institution of the Commandery of the Faithful constitutes for the Jewish and Christian communities established in Morocco a token of peace, security and conviviality, said, Monday in the Vatican, the ambassador of the Kingdom to the Holy See, Rajae Naji Mekkaoui. Speaking at the Pontifical Gregorian University, the ambassador highlighted the centrality and role of the Commandery of the Faithful in the protection of followers of different religions in the Kingdom, referring in this connection, to the categorical refusal of the late King Mohammed V to hand over Moroccan citizens of Jewish faith (to the Nazis) at the time of the Vichy regime. This institution is, moreover, the pillar of interfaith dialogue, a necessary condition for peace in the world, added the diplomat, who was speaking at a meeting held as part of a forum on dialogue between Islam and Christianity. Morocco, a land of welcome and openness, during twelve centuries, is a unique model of coexistence between different monotheistic religions, said Naji Mekkaoui, highlighting the tireless efforts of King Mohammed VI, Protector of Faith and Cults, for the preservation of the rights of Muslims and non-Muslims, without distinction between them. Under the enlightened leadership of the Sovereign, Commander of the Faithful, the Kingdom, which draws its foundations in the pure values of Islam, makes religion a factor of peace and does not cease to multiply initiatives to maintain and promote tolerance, coexistence, living together and co-knowledge, she added. There's a new attorney general in town. But Mike Hilgers is no stranger to the Capitol or state government after serving six years in the Legislature as a Lincoln senator, including two years in the challenging role of leading 48 fellow senators as speaker. There's a lot on his new desk now, including Nebraska water rights and the continuing challenge of human trafficking in the state, along with the approaching Feb. 28 U.S. Supreme Court hearing of arguments in Biden v. Nebraska, a case that will determine whether to allow the Biden administration's 2022 student loan debt relief plan to go into effect. Hilgers will be in Washington for those arguments. Nebraska is one of the lead states in challenging the Biden administration's executive action plan that would forgive up to $10,000 in federal student loan debt for borrowers earning less than $125,000 a year. Former Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson, along with attorneys general from five other states Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas and South Carolina filed the case, arguing that the administration exceeded its executive branch authority. "Congress didn't authorize it," Hilgers said during an interview eight days after he was sworn into office, vacating Lincoln's District 21 legislative seat with two years to go in his second term. Beau Ballard, Hilgers' former legislative aide, was chosen to fill the vacancy. Now, Hilgers is "getting to know people" in the attorney general's office, building relationships and getting up to speed on pending cases and investigations. "The train is going," he said, and decisions are being made. Hilgers said he will be focused on Nebraska water rights, as that becomes an increasingly important concern. Nebraska currently is preparing to exercise its rights under a century-old interstate compact that guaranteed access to South Platte River water flowing into the state from Colorado by already funding and preparing to build a $500 million canal system that would capture water from the river in Colorado. With storm clouds forming between the two states, a spokesperson in the Colorado governor's office has described the so-called Perkins County Canal proposal as "this canal to nowhere." Hilgers said he assumes his new role with "a good relationship" with the Legislature, although there are new members now that he needs to get to know. Some senators are "among my closest friends in life, a second family," he said. Hilgers said he "worked closely" with former Gov. Pete Ricketts as the speaker and expects to have "an outstanding working relationship" with Gov. Jim Pillen. Ricketts and he have "very similar principles," the attorney general said. "We agreed on a lot but not everything." Pillen, he said, is "a very authentic, good person" who puts his family first. Hilgers said he plans to stay alert to efforts by the Biden administration that may "try to take more power" than is granted by the Constitution. "This administration sometimes goes outside its lanes. We have to keep a close eye on the administration. It will be a primary focus in this office." Hilgers said he expects Sen. John Arch of La Vista to be a successful speaker as he begins the challenging task of managing 49 senators. "It's all about knowing the body," Hilgers said. "It's his body now." The Lincoln Journal Star's top photos from 2022 A Lincoln man who has presented himself as a professional dog trainer has been sued repeatedly over his business practices and was criminally charged in December with two misdemeanors over the alleged mistreatment of animals at his facility, according to court filings. City prosecutors charged Willie Dove Sr. with animal cruelty and animal neglect Dec. 5 more than a month after a Lincoln woman reported the 40-year-old to the city's Animal Control Department and the Nebraska Department of Agriculture following an injury her dog allegedly suffered at Dove's facility, said Steve Beal, the city's Animal Control director. The woman had boarded her 2-year-old corgi-Jack Russell mix at the east Lincoln business, Dove's Dog Academy & More, and took the dog to the vet following its boarding stay because of eye problems the dog was suffering, according to the complaint filed with the ag department. A veterinarian determined the dog had been strangled, according to the complaint, obtained through a public records request. The subsequent citation marked the first time Dove's dealings as a purported dog trainer led to criminal charges in Nebraska, according to state court records but former customers have been raising alarm over his conduct with animals and business practices for more than two years. A woman sued Dove in small claims court in December 2020 for $910 relating to her dealings with his previous business, Dove Dog Academy, which Dove operated in Waverly, according to court records. It's unclear exactly why Dove owed the woman, Melinda Howell, more than $900. Attempts to contact Howell were unsuccessful. Through his attorney, Sarah Newell, Dove declined to be interviewed for this story, instead offering a written statement. "Because litigation is pending, Mr. Dove unfortunately cannot comment in detail about these allegations, but he very much cares about his clients and their satisfaction," Newell said. "He continues to work diligently to provide quality service, he denies these charges, and we are working with veterinary professionals to provide broader insight into these allegations." Dove didn't appear at the small claims hearing Jan. 28, 2021, leading Judge Laurie Yardley to award a default judgment to Howell for the $910 she sought plus $56 in additional costs, according to court records. Dove didn't pay the sum, according to the filings. The court ordered the amount garnished from his paycheck at an Omaha funeral home. That January 2021 ruling would not mark the last time Yardley sided against Dove in a small claims case. The judge did so again in April 2022, after Dove sued a former client, Sheri Dempsey, for $1,338. In the filing, Dove accused Dempsey of pulling her dog from his training program "knowing she still owed a balance ... without any warning or notification" to Dove. Dempsey describes the ordeal differently. She had hired Dove in February to train her husky, Huli, in a two-week program that Dove indicated would feature near-constant one-on-one training involving Dove, who claimed to be a certified dog trainer, Dempsey told the Journal Star. But red flags began to pop up for Dempsey less than a week into the program, she recalled. Dove didn't interact with Huli when he first picked the dog up from Dempsey's house, she said. He didn't ask for vet info, food or a husky-grade harness before asking Dempsey to walk Huli to his car herself, she said. He called Dempsey an hour after he left her house and said he had lost Huli when he opened his car door in Omaha, said Dempsey, who drove there to help search for the dog, ultimately turning Huli back over to Dove when they found him. The next day, Dove called to say he was turning Huli's training over to a business partner, who Dempsey later learned was only paid to walk the dog for 20 minutes a few times per day, she said. "I'm like, 'What the hell is going on here?'" Dempsey recalled. "I'm starting to realize I've been bamboozled." Dempsey took Huli back from Dove's then facility at an office space at 70th and O streets where Dove was never licensed to board dogs, according to ag department records and took him home, terrified, covered in feces and, still, untrained, Dempsey said. "My dog has never been the same," said Dempsey, who also took the matter to police on suspicion of fraud in a complaint that went nowhere. "My dog is scared to death of everybody, other than my daughter and I." In the counter claim she filed against Dove, Dempsey accused the businessman of falsely presenting himself "as a certified dog trainer and breeder, but instead left my dog in a kennel for over 15 hours (overnight)." At an April 20 hearing in the small claims case, Yardley found Dove had misrepresented the services he would provide and ordered him to pay Dempsey $1,338 the amount she had paid upfront for the training plus interest. Dempsey said Dove hasn't paid. Dove's Dog Academy was sued again in small claims court last week by a third former client, Brandi Dunning, who is seeking more than $2,500 from Dove after her Staffordshire terrier, Izzy, was diagnosed with contagious pinkeye and an ear infection after a week at Dove's facility, Dunning alleged in the filing. Dunning had paid Dove $2,557 for a three-week boarding and training program that began Dec. 21, but after a week, she visited the academy to check on Izzy following a series of puzzling phone calls and text exchanges with Dove and his staff. "Upon entering, we were met with an overwhelming smell of dog urine," she said in the filing. "Once we were finally allowed to see our dog, she had on her collar, a shock collar and a gentle leader. "She looked very scared and sick." Dunning took Izzy to a vet and ultimately never returned her to Dove's facility, she said. She also filed a complaint against Dove's operation with the Better Business Bureau, where at least five customers have filed complaints against Dove in the past three years, according to the organization's website. In response to one complaint in January 2022, Dove threatened legal action against the complaining party for "slander." Dove appears to have taken steps to conceal prior complaints against his businesses and conduct from future prospective customers. He has made slight changes to his business's name multiple times in the past three years, according to licensing records and court filings. Previous names include Dove Dog Academy, Dove's Heavenly Dog Academy and Dove's Dog Academy. Dove's business has also recorded a run-in with the state Department of Labor, which issued a $500 citation against him last year over a wage complaint, according to department records. And, despite the repeated claims filed against him and last month's criminal charges, Dove has so far continued operations, avoiding any licensing troubles with the Department of Agriculture or the city. Department of Agriculture Inspector Rick Herchenbach twice checked in on Dove's training location in Waverly in 2020 and 2021 but never found any violations, according to inspection reports. But when Dove opened shop at 237 S. 70th St. sometime in 2021, his facility was never inspected nor licensed, according to the list of inspections completed in Lincoln that year. Dove moved to his current location at 6800 P St. in June 2022, but didn't seek a license to board animals until late September, when Herchenbach surveyed his new facility and ordered Dove to fix a hole in the wall and develop a written emergency vet care plan, according to his report. By the time Herchenbach checked back in on Dove in early October, neither issue had been remedied, the inspector wrote in his report. Still, Dove who had six dogs housed at his facility during that visit was allowed to keep operating. Herchenbach gave the academy an "acceptable" rating on his third visit to the P Street facility in late October. But the inspector had to return to the business less than three weeks later following the reported injury to a dog in late October. "Emergency vet plan is needed," he wrote in November, highlighting the same issue noted in the September report that Dove had failed to comply. The vet plan isn't mentioned as either compliant or non-compliant in Herchenbach's Oct. 24 report, the only visit that yielded an "acceptable" rating, according to the records. Reached by phone, Herchenbach referred questions to the ag department's public information office. Christin Kamm, the department's communications director, said investigators couldn't comment on the status of Dove's license because of an ongoing investigation. Dove's business appeared to have been closed, at least temporarily, by Thursday afternoon. No one answered or returned a phone call at the academy Friday and Dove posted a message on the business's Facebook account Thursday night thanking customers who had supported him. "I know we can't meet everyone's expectations and everyone's needs, but with that being said, for those who are 100% committed and put in the time and effort, man, it's been a blessing and an honor and privilege to work with you guys," he said, in part. Dove did not indicate in the video whether the business had closed. In response to specific questions over whether inspectors had shut the facility down, Kamm said she could not comment, again citing the ongoing investigation. Beal, the head of Animal Control, said that whether the business remained in operation was entirely under the purview of the Department of Agriculture. The only license the city might issue a dog boarding operation is a grooming permit, Beal said. "If he truly is doing pet grooming, then he has to have a permit for that, and he doesn't have one right now," Beal said. "So we're still involved in that aspect of this whole thing. Because he cannot operate a pet grooming business without having that permit from us." An automated phone menu that plays for Dove's Dog Academy & More listed four services as of Friday: professional dog training, certified dog walking, certified pet-sitting and grooming. Andrew Wegley's memorable stories of 2022 From grieving parents of a slain motorcyclist to a property owner in search of answers following a suspicious fire, a collection of five stories that ask, "Where's the justice?" 'Where's the justice?' "I really thought this would end up being fair," Marcia Selinger said after her son's death in a crash and the court case that followed. 'Things were supposed to get better' Former Lincoln Police officers say both the department and city leaders enabled wrongdoing for years. 'Justice for Diva' A Lincoln couple grapples with their dog's death at the hands of a Lincoln Police officer after the city denied their tort claim. Accident or arson? Investigators initially ruled the March fire at Mary O'Hare's rental property an accident. She suspects they're wrong. A winter storm originally set to track farther south of North Platte has changed course for a direct hit on the area beginning early Wednesday morning. Kenny Roberg, meteorologist at the National Weather Service Office at Lee Bird Field, said accumulations could be as high as 10 inches across the area. The system will move across Colorado into southwestern and south central Nebraska. As the storm system tracks across Kansas into Iowa and Missouri during the day on Wednesday, Roberg said, thats when well see the heaviest snow move across a good part of western and north central Nebraska. The NWS Lee Bird Field issued a winter storm warning on Monday afternoon that included an expected 10 inches of snow along the Interstate 80 corridor from Deuel County in western Nebraska through Lincoln County. North Platte City Administrator Layne Groseth said the city expects to declare a snow emergency Tuesday evening. Groseth said city crews would appreciate peoples cooperation in moving their cars early so plows can clear closer to the curbs. Roberg said this much snow at this point in January is unusual. Looking at the records that go back into 1880 or so, if we get this kind of snow, it would be a daily record amount of snowfall for Wednesday, Roberg said. So were looking for a potential for record snowfall. Thats even a high amount for January for that daily record in January. He said the snow could extend into north central Nebraska as well. Ill say the previous storms that weve had in December and into New Years, the heaviest has been across the Sandhills of north central Nebraska, Roberg said. This one in particular is looking at giving a heavy snowfall further south to include southwest Nebraska this time. He said the amounts could vary and end up being a little bit less or a bit more, but recommended folks prepare for the higher amounts. The original forecast called for an inch or so across the North Platte area. A few days ago North Platte was kind of on the northern edge of the swath of snow and maybe just catching an inch or two, Roberg said. Now that weve progressed a couple days, the track has kind of settled in where its going to be and were in a favorable track where its going to be a large swath of heavy snow. Roberg said the moisture content could be very high. With the highs on Wednesday looking to be in the upper 20s across the area, were going to have a lot of moisture working into the area, Roberg said. We expect that its going to be a wet, heavy snow, probably some pretty large flakes. The snowfall rate could be right at an inch an hour or greater, which would be considered heavy snowfall rates. Not only will the snow come down quite heavily, he said, but it will also have a lot of moisture content. The moisture content could potentially be 0.90 of liquid. So theres a lot of beneficial moisture with it, Roberg said. He said wind wont be much of a factor, so blizzard conditions will not likely occur with winds variable from 15 to 20 mph. A ChatGPT prompt is shown on a device near a public school in Brooklyn, New York, Jan. 5, 2023. New York City school officials started blocking the impressive but controversial writing tool that can generate paragraphs of human-like text. (Peter Morgan/AP) Whether we like it or not, artificial intelligence is wending its way into virtually every corner of our lives. Our Google searches, email drafts and Facebook newsfeeds rely on AI. While AI-assisted Roombas clean our carpets, Amazons Alexa tells us its going to snow, or reminds us that, yes, Cate Blanchett has indeed already won two acting Oscars for Martin Scorseses The Aviator and Woody Allens Blue Jasmine. Now AI, in the form of a controversial app called ChatGPT, has made its debut in classrooms, and school districts across the country are scrambling to bone up on the technology and decide whether it should be seen as friend or foe. Advertisement ChatGPT is the brainchild of OpenAI, a startup with ties to Microsoft. Its free, and it works much the way a search engine does, responding to a question or request. The big difference: ChatGPT generates text that convincingly approximates the syntax and flow of the human written word. Its versatility encompasses everything from poetry and essays to math problems and computer coding. When we tried it, the website was so besieged by users that it became overwhelmed, and offered up only a quaint attempt at a sonnet that pleaded for patience. A brief excerpt: Advertisement But alas, the server cannot cope, And the error message rings loud and clear, Please check back soon, it gently hopes, As it begs for a moments reprieve, to reappear. Hardly Shakespeare, but perhaps were setting the bar too high. In any case, the app likely will be a boon for businesses, law firms, insurance companies and any other enterprise that relies heavily on boilerplate verbiage. In schools and colleges, however, the hand-wringing has begun. The nations largest public school district, New York City Public Schools, has already banned students and teachers from using ChatGPT, citing negative impacts on student learning, and concerns regarding the safety and accuracy of content. Los Angeles Unified School District followed suit, explaining the measure as a way to protect academic honesty while a risk/benefit assessment is conducted. Other districts are still weighing their options, including Chicago Public Schools. Chalkbeat reported that CPS is taking a hard look at the use of ChatGPT in classrooms, but has yet to impose any sort of ban. A CPS spokesperson, Chalkbeat reported, stated that the district is committed to providing students with a rigorous and engaging educational experience that incorporates technological advances. This includes tools that help students explore budding career pathways. Advertisement CPS is right to review the merits of student and teacher use of ChatGPT, but its wrong in not taking the same route as New York and Los Angeles. Cheating is as synonymous with classrooms as chalk and erasers. Yesteryear techniques ranged from crib sheets cupped in a students palms to a simple peek over the shoulder of a classmate. Todays digital age takes the potential for cheating to new levels, and ChatGPT makes it far too easy for struggling students to lean on AI-generated writing in place of what comes out of their own heads. Whats especially worrisome is that ChatGPTs syntax appears to be polished and natural enough to elude not just anti-plagiarism software but even the most seasoned educators scrutiny. In a December 2022 article in the Atlantic, high school teacher Daniel Herman conveyed his trepidation about the app after testing it with a series of prompts ranging from a cover letter for a job at Starbucks to a research paper on the common threads that bind two disparate literary works, such as Homers The Odyssey and Dantes Inferno. Lightning fast, ChatGPT fulfilled every task without a hitch. What GPT can produce right now is better than the large majority of writing seen by your average teacher or professor, Herman wrote. Were not Luddites, and we believe that technology must always be given space to advance the educational experience at every level, from preschool to university. ChatGPT may well have undeniable utility in a variety of classroom circumstances. First, however, school districts must determine how to best use ChatGPT without allowing its exploitation of student learning. Only then should it make its way into classrooms. Technological leaps and anxiety over how those advances will integrate into our lives go hand in hand. An 1877 New York Times editorial railed at the advent of the telephone, saying, If any telephonic miscreant connects a telephone with one of the countless telegraphic wires that pass over the roofs of this City there will be an immediate end of all privacy. Guglielmo Marconi had doubts about his own invention the radio: Have I done the world good, or have I added a menace? ChatGPT, and the myriad other manifestations of AI, should be welcomed for what they are game-changers that help us live better lives. But in classrooms, care must always be taken to ensure that a new means of educating helps rather than harms. Its incumbent on CPS and school districts across America to assess ChatGPT diligently, before rushing it into practice. Advertisement Join the discussion on Twitter @chitribopinions and on Facebook. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com. With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 7.6x Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad (KLSE:DLADY) may be sending bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in Malaysia have P/E ratios greater than 14x and even P/E's higher than 24x are not unusual. However, the P/E might be low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified. Recent times have been advantageous for Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad as its earnings have been rising faster than most other companies. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think this strong earnings performance might be less impressive moving forward. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's out of favour. See our latest analysis for Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad pe If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad. Is There Any Growth For Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad? There's an inherent assumption that a company should underperform the market for P/E ratios like Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad's to be considered reasonable. Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 195% gain to the company's bottom line. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 135% overall rise in EPS, aided by its short-term performance. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been superb for the company. Shifting to the future, estimates from the two analysts covering the company suggest earnings growth is heading into negative territory, declining 64% over the next year. Meanwhile, the broader market is forecast to expand by 8.7%, which paints a poor picture. In light of this, it's understandable that Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad's P/E would sit below the majority of other companies. However, shrinking earnings are unlikely to lead to a stable P/E over the longer term. There's potential for the P/E to fall to even lower levels if the company doesn't improve its profitability. Story continues The Bottom Line On Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad's P/E It's argued the price-to-earnings ratio is an inferior measure of value within certain industries, but it can be a powerful business sentiment indicator. We've established that Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad maintains its low P/E on the weakness of its forecast for sliding earnings, as expected. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. Unless these conditions improve, they will continue to form a barrier for the share price around these levels. Before you settle on your opinion, we've discovered 2 warning signs for Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad that you should be aware of. If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there. 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. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here Sativus Tech Corp Additional funding will be used to finalize the protocol for growing saffron in indoor vertical farms. - An estimated 650 investors joined the Saffron Tech investor community. - Saffron Techs market cap increases to $11 million. - Sativus Tech Corp. (OTC: SATT) owns 70% of the shares of Saffron Tech Ltd. Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sativus Tech Corps (OTC: SATT) subsidiary, Saffron Tech Ltd (a private Israeli company), today announced it has raised $1.3 million in additional funding from its recent crowdfunding campaign. The AgTech company that is growing saffron utilizing its unique proprietary technology, will use the funding to continue its R&D program and execute its go-to-market strategy. Approximately 650 new investors participated in the crowdfunding, expanding Saffron Techs shareholder community. Saffron Tech increased its valuation to $11 million after crowdfunding. Sativus Techs interest in Saffron Tech now totals 70% post-raise. This latest equity raise reflects the confidence investors have in Saffron Techs abilities and its business plan, says Tal Wilk-Glazer, CEO, Sativus Tech. We are now well-positioned to accelerate our R&D program and execute our market entry. Saffron Tech continues to achieve new milestones as it advances its mission to cultivate crocus sativus and create commercial quantities of the saffron spice. The company recently appointed Estee Rosen, former CEO of Novartis Israel, as Partnership Lead in the health-beauty-wellness industries. The company also recently reported promising results in its latest harvest of saffron grown in its proprietary indoor vertical farms. Saffron is known for its anti-anxiety, antidepressant, and antioxidant properties. Saffron Tech aims to produce a consistent, pure, high-grade, and large-scale supply of saffron for the health, wellness, and beauty industries. Story continues About Sativus Tech Corp: Sativus Tech Corp (OTC: SATT) is an AgTech company that uses its advanced vertical farming technology to increase the production of low yield food products in the global marketplace. The company focuses on the research, development, and commercialization of agriculture products that are high in demand but scarce in supply. A reliable production of these highly coveted food products can be used in various applications including pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, culinary, beauty, health, and wellness industries. Sativus Tech Corps technology offers a responsible and sustainable way to grow crops in a world confronted with environmental challenges and dwindling earth reserves, diminishing water sources and unstable weather conditions. About Saffron Tech: Sativus Tech Corp subsidiary, Saffron Tech, is revolutionizing the AgTech world by creating the protocols to grow saffron in indoor vertical farms. It is also increasing the production of the spice by multiplying the number of annual harvests. The pharmaceutical industry is now turning more of its scientific attention to saffrons medicinal properties, which are now being used in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications for ADHD, anxiety and more. Forward-Looking Statements: All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release are "forward-looking statements," which may often, but not always, be identified by the use of such words as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "estimates," "plans," "potential," "possible," "probable," "believes," "seeks," "may," "will," "should," "could" or the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. These factors include uncertainties as to the Company's international manufacturing and supply chain, market acceptance of the Company's smart luggage, successfully implementing the Company's growth strategy, dependence on key Company personnel, changes in economic conditions, competition and other risks including, but not limited to, those described from in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 14th, 2022, and other filings and submissions with the SEC. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any obligations to update these statements except as may be required by law. The Company intends that all forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investor Relations: Tal Wilk Glazer CEO (800) 608-6432 Press Inquiries: info@saffron.ag A Lee County Sheriffs Deputy is said to be recovering from exposure to a hazardous substance that investigators said could have been Fentanyl. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said nothing has been confirmed yet, but that they are fortunate that Narcan was available and applied immediately. Friday night at 6:47 p.m. the Sheriffs Office received a 911 call reporting a possible drug overdose at a residence located in the 100 block of Lee Road 399 in Smiths Station, the LCSO report said. Responding deputies made contact with Michael Shane Bodine Green, 29, who told deputies that he was fine and did not need assistance, the report said. After identifying Green, deputies found there was an outstanding warrant in Russell County charging Green with attempted murder. Deputies said they attempted to place Green in custody, but he resisted. Deputies employed a Taser, which they said was not effective, but they eventually were able to secure Green. On the way to the Lee County Detention Center, the deputy transporting Green became disoriented and suffered difficulty breathing. The deputy stopped near the intersection of US Highway 280 and Lee Road 183 in the Salem community and notified the Sheriffs communication center that he was in distress, according to the report. Jones said he heard the radio traffic from his vehicle and it was evident the deputy was in trouble. Sheriff, Opelika police, Opelika Fire Rescue, ETS and ALEA trooper units responded to the deputys location and found him weak and barely responsive. Assisting deputies immediately applied Narcan and transported the deputy to East Alabama Health ER. There, the deputy was stabilized and later sent home. We deeply appreciate everyone that came to help because thats one of those situations where you just dont know, Jones said. Its something that when you hear that type of traffic on the radio, especially his voice obviously in distress, it just galvanized everyone into action. Everyone responded in a manner that certainly, I think, resulted in him being able to go home that night. Green was also transported to the ER for treatment then to Russell County on release. Jones said Green has been charged with resisting arrest along with the outstanding warrant for attempted murder. The Lee County Sheriffs Office is still investigating the type and source of the substance involved. Investigators said the probabilities indicate that the deputy was exposed to the hazardous substance, likely Fentanyl, during the process of taking Green into custody. It just emphasizes the need for constant training and the proper equipment to respond and to address these types of situations that we have, whether it be drug substances, whether it be hazardous materials, Jones said. I just think it underlines the importance of having all the latest tools available and the best training that we can provide to our personnel not just with our agency, but law enforcement in general. Please let her have spent 1.3mil on a sale painting. Rich people getting scammed is my favorite. Reply Thread Link $1.3 million wouldn't have been that much money to her even back then at that point of her career Reply Parent Thread Link Madonna has just announced The Celebration Tour: 4 decades of music and her greatest hits!! Watch the tour announcement video: https://t.co/e5BKBi8lvj Full tour itinerary and ticket info: https://t.co/SMg2SqwAbk#madonnacelebrationtour pic.twitter.com/cgvbJJxI7t Madonna (@Madonna) January 17, 2023 This must be a publicity stunt because she just announced a world tour. Reply Thread Link I submitted a post a few minutes ago Reply Parent Thread Link It's a copy no doubt. Reply Thread Link It could also be a "version" of that particular painting that artist did as well. I'm thinking about the different variants of "The Scream" that are in four different museums. Reply Parent Thread Link Her art collection is insane; she also owns Frieda Kahlo's "My Birth" along with several other pieces. Reply Thread Link You can say what you want about her, but she definitely isn't/wasn't stupid with her money with those kinds of investments Reply Parent Thread Link In school I had borrowed the frida biography from the library and I was reading it before class started and I got in trouble because the teacher saw me looking at the photo section and My Birth was the one she decided to zone in on. She called my parents. I did try to explain it was from a book the school library approved.. and that it wasn't during class. Reply Parent Thread Link What on earth? Was this Catholic school? It's literally a woman giving birth, nothing wrong with that! Reply Parent Thread Expand Link if you wanted to do a celebrity art collection post I would not turn up my nose at it Reply Parent Thread Expand Link if madonna was down she'd say "return all the art you stole and I'll give this back" Reply Thread Link it'd be cool tho if it was the real one. being found again after all those years Reply Thread Link How can anyone have such great taste in art and such horrible taste for everything else? Reply Thread Link In some sad but related news; The museums in the Ukraine have all been looted. So now there's going to be Ukrainian art and artifacts on the black market soon. *sigh* I hate this sort of thing because once they get on the private market the items are lost for a very long time, and I have no respect for the lowlives who do this type of shit. I was watching this Border Patrol show and they got a package at MIA for "wooden statues" and it turned out they were stone artifacts from Nigeria; someone literally yanked them out of the ground from where they had been for centuries to sell to a private collector. Fortunately they were able to repatriate the items back to Nigeria, and the people in charge of their cultural affairs was very happy. Reply Thread Link Why are people like this. Greedy arseholes. Reply Parent Thread Link https://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/03/the-mystery-calledikom-monoliths/ This is an article about the stone artifacts around Nigeria. There's a lot of excavation being done on different sites and they are finding all sorts of interesting things about the people who lived there hundreds of years ago. They are part of the history of the country, and for someone to steal them for a private collector... :/ Reply Parent Thread Link God, that reminds me of the looting and destruction of art and cultural artifacts by ISIS... Reply Parent Thread Expand Link only murders in the building whomst??? Reply Thread Link European museums almost always house tons of art stolen from non Europeans so Idc if she does have it Reply Thread Link LWT's piece on theft by museums (mostly about the British Museum's bullshit): Reply Parent Thread Link It was a gift for a performance she did in a USO tour back then. Reply Thread Link Unhand her you pigs! Her facial expression is killing me lmao Reply Thread Link The cop looking straight at the camera is getting to me too, like he knows this is going to blow up online. Reply Parent Thread Link that is a man who just heard the curb theme starting off in the distance Reply Parent Thread Link "Do what you must, I have already won." Reply Parent Thread Link I know its a serious topic but I burst out laughing at that picture. She's just like 'ok, off we go peasants. My feet hurt anyway" Reply Parent Thread Expand Link lmao her face though "yeah that's right, carry me around you filthy pigs" Reply Thread Link I read this as Greta Gerwig at first and got confused Reply Thread Link LOL same! If there wasn't her pic in the tweet I still would've thought it! Reply Parent Thread Link The Green Party supporting this continues to baffle me. Reply Thread Link Well, they have great people with good intentions, but the party has always been very upper middle class and morally fluid when it comes to clinging to power. One can argue that every big party has skeletons in the closet, but Die Grunen has always been one marvellous shapeshifter! /geriatric millennial with friends in said party lol Reply Parent Thread Link Aha, thanks for the insight. Reply Parent Thread Link sounds a lot like belgium's green party, so sad Reply Parent Thread Link Lol Yeah, people always say you elect the greens while you drive your Porsche SUV to your local organic market and thats pretty fitting. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link didn't they support to legalize sex with minors? Reply Parent Thread Link They r the fucking worst (not even going to mention AFD) . I hope they dont win the Berlin Senat Reply Parent Thread Link is the german green party serious or just vibes and wishes? do they support nuclear? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Ja, es ist scheie dass #Lutzerath abgebaggert wird und wir #Grunen mussen uns das zurecht vorhalten lassen. Dennoch sind die Grunen nicht plotzlich eine Kohlepartei, sondern kampfen schon seit Jahrzehnten gegen #Garzweiler. Wir haben einiges erreicht, nur leider nicht genug. pic.twitter.com/rOU8h3xvm7 Wolf-Georg Winkler (@der_wolf_aus_dd) January 16, 2023 To be fair, they have to govern with other parties which means they have to compromise. In this tweet you can see how far the expansion was originally planned (the black line) before the Green Party became part of the local government: Reply Parent Thread Link love her, and love that shes getting arrested for justice as opposed to [checks notes] human trafficking??? andrew tate d*e challenge Reply Thread Link Yes girl change the world and keep pissing off straight men. Reply Thread Link I worry about her safety tbh, incels in particular really hate her. Reply Parent Thread Link she's always so chill in the face of this shit, good for her Reply Thread Link I love that photo. Reply Thread Link It's really hard to tell what's right or wrong with so much conflicting information but I read this (wanting to expand the coal mine) is also the protesters' fault because they were the ones who also protested against nuclear energy which, at the moment, is absolutely necessary. I love Greta's look. Reply Thread Link Indeed. Nuclear energy isnt even bad its fossil free and provides a security of supply and reduces dependency on other thermal generation like natural gas (which in Europe mainly comes from Russia) or coal which is the most polluting one. I support Germany and any other nation in reopening the nuclear power plants instead of increasing coal mining or natural gas capacity. Reply Parent Thread Link Nuclear energy isnt even bad Protestors usually take issue with all that radioactive waste that we don't have a good system for disposing of other than to just bury it. Uranium mining also isn't free of issues - from the health and safety of miners to the environmental impacts of mining. Edited at 2023-01-17 08:17 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Nuclear energy definitely is not fossil free. Uranium extraction, transport and processing produces emissions. The long and complex construction process of nuclear power plants also releases tons of CO2, as does the demolition of decommissioned sites. And, last but not least, nuclear waste also has to be transported and stored under strict conditions here, too, emissions must be taken into account. Nuclear power releases 3.5 times more CO2 per kilowatt-hour than photovoltaic solar panel systems. Compared with onshore wind power, that figure jumps to 13 times more CO2. When up against electricity from hydropower installations, nuclear generates 29 times more carbon. To blame it on people who pushed for the end of nuclear energy in Germany is extremely short sighted. From 2005 until 2021 the conservatives were in power and did absolutely everything to hinder renewables, cutting subsidies and creating more and more hinderances concerning the location of wind power turbines. They totally destroyed Germany's solar panel sector, which created the opportunity for China to become world leaders for its production. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Its so insane that people are trying to frame nuclear power as "not bad". There are serious issues with it, denying them doesn't help anything. The idea that nuclear projects should ne started rather than renewable anywhere in the current world is insane. HUGE cost and serious dangers shouldnt be handwaved. Real environmentalists fight for renewables for a reason. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I've never understood the hate against nuclear energy. We just need to make it as clean as possible. I understand it's not a long term solution but currently it's better than the alternatives. There's no point harping on about making energy cleanernand shutting down coal mines, only to just importing coal from poorer countries and exploit their workers. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Did they shut down the nuclear plants because of protesters though? That sounds unlikely. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link We need nuclear energy, we don't have a choice BUT the nuclear trash is still simply burried in the ground which can't be good. We are making a huge bet here, maybe way too big for humanity so I can't blame people who were against nuclear energy. Reply Parent Thread Link climate activists who are against nuclear energy are clowns Reply Parent Thread Link Protesting this and the expansion/extension of nuclear energy and coal mining is both right. Germany has more capacity for renewable energy but the conservative party in multiple states has been blocking that for decades. According to them destroying a whole village is what has to be done and is acceptable, wind turbines are an absolute no go and destroy everything. Reply Parent Thread Link she's a queen Reply Thread Link QUEEN But thats makes sense Germany. Well be coal free by 2030, but let me destroy this one town in 2023 real quick even though its going to defunct in 7 years or less by the time they are done expanding. Reply Thread Link My friend's neighbouring villages were already shut down, there's also one that was flooded and when water levels are low you can see the tip of the church tower peep out D: And let's not forget the Hambacher Forst mess a few years ago (protesters were camping in the woods & living in trees for months). They're so deep into this project, they can't back out anymore. But yay, let's rip up the earth and later flood it! Reply Parent Thread Link It was either destroy this last town and be coal free in 2030 or destroy more towns and end coal in 2037. Reply Parent Thread Link This is my goal in life, to look (and feel) this unbothered on the daily. Holy fuck. I love her. Reply Thread Link Her face is just like "welp" Reply Thread Link Between this and Mud Wizard Im enjoying the memes coming out of this protest (at the cops expense). Reply Thread Link Space solar power provides a way to tap into the practically unlimited supply of solar energy in outer space. The Caltech Space Solar Power Project prototype launched into orbit as a part of an ambitious plan to harvest solar power and beam it back to Earth. The Caltech Space Solar Power Project (SSPP) prototype launched into orbit, dubbed the Space Solar Power Demonstrator (SSPD), will test several key components of an ambitious plan to harvest solar power in space and beam the energy back to Earth. Space solar power provides a way to tap into the practically unlimited supply of solar energy in outer space, where the energy is constantly available without being subjected to the cycles of day and night, seasons, and cloud cover. For more lots more images, gifs and video, here are the links: 1st, Cal Techs press release. Then 2nd, the project web site. The launch represents a major milestone in the project and promises to make what was once science fiction a reality. When fully realized, SSPP will deploy a constellation of modular spacecraft that collect sunlight, transform it into electricity, then wirelessly transmit that electricity over long distances wherever it is needed including to places that currently have no access to reliable power. A Momentus Vigoride spacecraft carried aboard a SpaceX rocket on the Transporter-6 mission carried the 50-kilogram SSPD to space. It consists of three main experiments, each tasked with testing a different key technology of the project: DOLCE (Deployable on-Orbit ultraLight Composite Experiment): A structure measuring 6 feet by 6 feet that demonstrates the architecture, packaging scheme and deployment mechanisms of the modular spacecraft that would eventually make up a kilometer-scale constellation forming a power station; ALBA : A collection of 32 different types of photovoltaic (PV) cells, to enable an assessment of the types of cells that are the most effective in the punishing environment of space; MAPLE (Microwave Array for Power-transfer Low-orbit Experiment): An array of flexible lightweight microwave power transmitters with precise timing control focusing the power selectively on two different receivers to demonstrate wireless power transmission at distance in space. An additional fourth component of SSPD is a box of electronics that interfaces with the Vigoride computer and controls the three experiments. SSPP got its start in 2011 after philanthropist Donald Bren, chairman of Irvine Company and a lifetime member of the Caltech Board of Trustees, learned about the potential for space-based solar energy manufacturing in an article in the magazine Popular Science. Intrigued by the potential for space solar power, Bren approached Caltechs then-president Jean-Lou Chameau to discuss the creation of a space-based solar power research project. In 2013, Bren and his wife, Brigitte Bren, a Caltech trustee, agreed to make the donation to fund the project. The first of the donations (which will eventually exceed $100 million) was made that year through the Donald Bren Foundation, and the research began. Bren said, For many years, Ive dreamed about how space-based solar power could solve some of humanitys most urgent challenges. Today, Im thrilled to be supporting Caltechs brilliant scientists as they race to make that dream a reality. The rocket took approximately 10 minutes to reach its desired altitude. The Momentus spacecraft was deployed from the rocket into orbit. The Caltech team on Earth plans to start running their experiments on the SSPD within a few weeks of the launch. Some elements of the test will be conducted quickly. We plan to command the deployment of DOLCE within days of getting access to SSPD from Momentus. We should know right away if DOLCE works, said Sergio Pellegrino, Caltechs Joyce and Kent Kresa Professor of Aerospace and Professor of Civil Engineering and co-director of SSPP. Pellegrino is also a senior research scientist at JPL, which Caltech manages for NASA. Other elements will require more time. The collection of photovoltaics will need up to six months of testing to give new insights into what types of photovoltaic technology will be best for this application. MAPLE involves a series of experiments, from an initial function verification to an evaluation of the performance of the system under different environments over time. Meanwhile, two cameras on deployable booms mounted on DOLCE and additional cameras on the electronics box will monitor the experiments progress, and stream a feed back down to Earth. The SSPP team hopes that they will have a full assessment of the SSPDs performance within a few months of the launch. Numerous challenges remain: nothing about conducting an experiment in space from the launch to the deployment of the spacecraft to the operation of the SSPD is guaranteed. But regardless of what happens, the sheer ability to create a space-worthy prototype represents a significant achievement by the SSPP team. Ali Hajimiri, Caltechs Bren Professor of Electrical Engineering and Medical Engineering and co-director of SSPP said, No matter what happens, this prototype is a major step forward. It works here on Earth, and has passed the rigorous steps required of anything launched into space. There are still many risks, but having gone through the whole process has taught us valuable lessons. We believe the space experiments will provide us with plenty of additional useful information that will guide the project as we continue to move forward. Although solar cells have existed on Earth since the late 1800s and currently generate about 4 percent of the worlds electricity (in addition to powering the International Space Station), everything about solar power generation and transmission needed to be rethought for use on a large scale in space. Solar panels are bulky and heavy, making them expensive to launch, and they need extensive wiring to transmit power. To overcome these challenges, the SSPP team has had to envision and create new technologies, architectures, materials, and structures for a system that is capable of the practical realization of space solar power, while being light enough to be cost-effective for bulk deployment in space, and strong enough to withstand the punishing space environment. Pellegrino commented, DOLCE demonstrates a new architecture for solar-powered spacecraft and phased antenna arrays. It exploits the latest generation of ultrathin composite materials to achieve unprecedented packaging efficiency and flexibility. With the further advances that we have already started to work on, we anticipate applications to a variety of future space missions. Hajimiri noted, The entire flexible MAPLE array, as well as its core wireless power transfer electronic chips and transmitting elements, have been designed from scratch. This wasnt made from items you can buy because they didnt even exist. This fundamental rethinking of the system from the ground up is essential to realize scalable solutions for SSPP. The entire set of three prototypes within the SSPD was envisioned, designed, built, and tested by a team of about 35 individuals. This was accomplished with a smaller team and significantly fewer resources than what would be available in an industrial, rather than academic, setting. The highly talented team of individuals on our team has made it possible to achieve this, Hajimiri added. Those individuals, however a collection of graduate students, postdocs, and research scientists now represent the cutting edge in the burgeoning space solar power field. Were creating the next generation of space engineers, said SSPP researcher Harry A. Atwater, Caltechs Otis Booth Leadership Chair of the Division of Engineering and Applied Science and the Howard Hughes Professor of Applied Physics and Materials Science, and director of the Liquid Sunlight Alliance, a research institute dedicated to using sunlight to make liquid products that could be used for industrial chemicals, fuels, and building materials or products. ADVERTISEMENT Success or failure from the three testbeds will be measured in a variety of ways. The most important test for DOLCE is that the structure completely deploys from its folded-up configuration into its open configuration. For ALBA, a successful test will provide an assessment of which photovoltaic cells operate with maximum efficiency and resiliency. MAPLEs goal is to demonstrate selective free-space power transmission to different specific targets on demand. Many times, we asked colleagues at JPL and in the Southern California space industry for advice about the design and test procedures that are used to develop successful missions. We tried to reduce the risk of failure, even though the development of entirely new technologies is inherently a risky process, said Pellegrino. SSPP aims to ultimately produce a global supply of affordable, renewable, clean energy. More about SSPP can be found on the programs website: https://www.spacesolar.caltech.edu/ *** Your humble writer says this is a huge success right now. And will add a thanks to a privateer investor, Donald Bren, his wife, Brigitte Bren, and his foundation. Sometimes great wealth gives back in a great way. There isnt a failure possible in this. The test equipment is in orbit and the information, every byte, is a success. The question that exists is just how fully realized will the tests and experiments get? One hopes far enough to encourage more investment and further research. By Brian Westenhaus via New Energy and Fuel More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The new Republican majority in the House of Representatives has pledged that it will spend its time and resources relentlessly investigating President Joe Bidens son Hunter. Arguably, Hunter Biden has made mistakes and may face some legal liability for his actions, but make no mistake. He is not the real target; the president is. The Republicans intent is to besmirch the reputation of the president before he formally announces that he will run again in 2024. Advertisement The Republicans have totally demonized Hunter Biden to try to further their political self-interest. They are not truly interested in the pursuit of justice; they are vitally interested in the pursuit of power. Here is a news flash for them: Very few Americans find their pursuit of Hunter Biden to be important or credible. Whats more is that it may politically boomerang and smack them in the face by making Joe Biden a sympathetic figure for being a loving father who is just supporting his son. This is behavior that every mother and father in America can understand. Advertisement Ken Derow, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania To McCarthy: How, exactly? I just read that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said, Weve got to change the way we are spending money wastefully in this country. Im looking forward to learning what different way he has in mind. Bill Page, Morton Grove Reading the Constitution During the midterms, the Republicans promised that they would read the Constitution aloud on the floor the very first day they took control of the House. I must have missed it. Richard Keslinke, Algonquin The National Archives role Standard protocol in any records retention system is the custodian has the approved recipient sign out for records. The custodian keeps track of who has what and follows up to make sure those records are returned. So why hasnt the National Archives been cited for its role in not following up on the return of records by Donald Trump and Joe Biden? Is it releasing top-secret documents without any sign-out protocol? I shudder to think so. Jim Ciemny, Niles Advertisement Where does blame go? The evil Republicans have tried to blame President Joe Biden for the record number of immigrants crossing into the country. Where else does the blame go? Oh, maybe to Vice President Kamala Harris, who was going to handle the situation? Where else does failure to enforce federal laws go? Its only fair for sanctuary cities to share the burden. Dianne Kinzer, Springfield Democracy can be messy The title of the Jan. 10 column by Daniel DePetris and the column itself are not consistent (Speakership saga exposes Americas self-centeredness). I give the headline credit for greater accuracy and wish it had been more fully developed. With respect to the content, Russia, China and Iran are not democracies and are not recognized as models. The United States is. Despite our imperfections, we are in essence the standard. Isnt our migrant problem evidence of that? Democracy can be messy as the speakership saga proves. It will be used by our adversaries despite what DePetris thinks. (As a retired Foreign Service officer, I am so glad I am not expected to explain that the saga does not disprove democracy.) Advertisement DePetris final statement Its narcissism at its finest is confusing. Is he arguing that it is not embarrassing to the United States, or is he saying that the saga itself was narcissistic? If the latter, I agree fully with him and the headline. However much one might hate to admit it, it is quite embarrassing. If nothing else, rendering a key part of the U.S. government inoperable for a week is not something responsible people would be proud of. And it also can be termed hypocritical with all the references to the good of the nation while the motivation is not even party; it is self-interest. Finally, one of the stated goals of the Republican House is to defeat attempts to raise the debt ceiling. That, too, smacks of a double standard. Every Republican president since Ronald Reagan has presided over an expansion of the federal deficit. Donald Trump added almost $8 trillion to the national debt. Julie McGrath, Palos Park Why US history matters About 20 years ago, I had a discussion with a retired couple from Cornwall, England, where there are extensive landholdings by Prince Charles, now King Charles III. Somehow, we got into students having to know the long list of kings and queens. In America, we dont teach the line of 46 presidents in schools, and we should. Perhaps some history classes in some schools may teach an unsanitized history of the United States with all the warts and abscesses. My classes in high school and college 29 semester hours of history in the 1960s skipped or whitewashed the terrible things the United States has done to people in what became the most powerful country in the world. Advertisement Outside studies have shown me that millions of people who lived here were killed after the first Europeans arrived. We locked up people with Japanese ancestry in internment camps; they lost their homes, businesses and, some, their bank accounts. Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest became the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Like-minded Southerners killed thousands of nonwhite people. We are responsible for the deaths of hundreds, possibly thousands, of Indian children in boarding schools. The schools purpose was to assimilate them by destroying their culture and their language, cutting their hair and teaching them Christianity. Students need to learn the people who started our quest for independence were not always the pinnacle of honesty and morality. Less than half of colonists supported independence, and 20% wanted to stay English, with the rest not caring. Todays situation would seem less of a problem if students understood we are getting better than we were. Ignorance is not a blessing. Chuck Johnson, Morris, Illinois A malnourished 2-year-old sits by his mother, left, who was recently displaced by drought, at a malnutrition stabilization center June 5, 2022, run by Action against Hunger in Mogadishu, Somalia. (Farah Abdi Warsameh / AP) Lets save every child The United Nations warns that more than 30 million children in the 15 worst-affected countries suffer from wasting or acute malnutrition and 8 million of these children are severely wasted, the deadliest form of undernutrition. Advertisement You can find these children in Somalia, where a prolonged drought has caused severe food shortages. In neighboring Ethiopia and Kenya, children are also suffering hunger. In Yemen, infants have perished from malnutrition because of a never-ending civil war. Likewise, conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo has worsened hunger and malnutrition. In South Sudan, the Sahel and other areas, a similar tragedy is unfolding for children. Conflict and climate change have increased the number of kids at risk of deadly malnutrition. Children younger than 5 years old are most in danger. We must increase our efforts to stop child malnutrition. We need to be committed to saving every child, whether its in Yemen, Haiti, South Sudan or Somalia. We must continue increasing funding for global nutrition programs so nonprofits like Edesia in Rhode Island can produce lifesaving PlumpyNut. This enriched peanut paste is fed to children in hunger crisis zones and saves them from deadly malnutrition. UNICEF and the World Food Program need a steady supply of these foods, so there has to be timely funding and capacity to produce and distribute. We have to make sure there are not gaps in the feeding programs where some kids get left out and starve. There cannot be funding shortages, ration cuts and suspension of aid programs in these afflicted nations as there has been in the past. Each of us can write letters to elected officials urging more support for the Food for Peace program with an emphasis on global infant nutrition. Every child we save from deadly malnutrition also saves a family. Every life we save brings the world that much closer to the true peace we all deserve in 2023 and beyond. William Lambers, Cincinnati Advertisement Problem with grandstanding Moral grandstanding has become inescapable in contemporary culture. Folks seem to be tripping over each other to express their righteousness to whoever will listen. You need not possess a scintilla of personal virtue. You need only to expose those of ostensibly lesser virtue to win at this game. Its not necessary to push your own beliefs (if you have any). One can impress receptive throngs by simply calling out scoundrels and bumblers. No expenditure of your own resources is required. By asserting how horrific they are, youre suggesting how honorable you are. It costs nothing. You can optimize the plaudits youre getting by joining hands with like-minded grandstanders. These allies in outrage can provide reassurance that your sanctimonious chiding is making a difference. Scott Thompson, Bloomington, Indiana Gov. J.B. Pritzker shakes hands with state Rep. Bob Morgan after Pritzker signed comprehensive legislation to ban military-style rifles Jan. 10, 2023, at the Illinois Capitol. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) Gun rights not absolute The Second Amendment states: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. The problem with people who shield themselves with the Second Amendment is that many know (or care) only about the second part of that sentence. The first part should explain to most why this right is not absolute and not guaranteed in perpetuity. Quite simply, we no longer need, or want, our citizens to be part of a militia, well-regulated or not. If you want to use military-grade weaponry, join the military. Advertisement The First Amendment has evolved over time by adding categories of unprotected speech including obscenity, child pornography, defamatory speech, false advertising and true threats. Perhaps the First Amendment has evolved because there is no free speech lobby pouring millions of dollars into the campaigns of politicians whose support they wish to purchase. K.P. Pecho, Mokena Join the conversation in our Letters to the Editor Facebook group. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com. China has undergone three distinct phases in its reaction to COVID-19 since the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission reported the first small cluster of cases of pneumonia in Wuhan city in Hubei Province on 31 December 2019. The first phase was the quick implementation of the zero-COVID policy that allowed for the fast economic bounce back of China in just the second quarter of 2020. This was a time when elsewhere more than 3.9 billion people in more than 90 countries or territories having been asked or ordered to stay at home by their governments. The second phase was marked by repeated lockdowns in various areas of China, including several of its major cities, as outbreaks of COVID-19 and related strains of the virus prompted full lockdowns under the strict zero-COVID policy. The third phase was prompted by nationwide protests against such continued all-encompassing lockdowns and comprised of the effective shelving of the policy that, in turn, has led to huge waves of infections and deaths. The next phase, which may well arrive earlier than many people expect, is likely to be the bounce back of Chinas economy. To put this economic bounce back into context: the massive disparity between Chinas enormous economy-driven oil and gas needs and its minimal level of domestic oil and gas reserves meant that China almost alone created the 2000-2014 commodities super-cycle, characterised by consistently rising price trends for commodities used in a booming manufacturing and infrastructure environment. As late as 2017, Chinas high rate of economic growth allowed it to overtake the US as the largest annual gross crude oil importer in the world, having become the worlds largest net importer of total petroleum and other liquid fuels in 2013. More specifically on the economic side of the equation, from 1992 to 1998, Chinas annual economic growth rate was basically between 10 to 15 percent; from 1998 to 2004 between 8 to 10 percent; from 2004 to 2010 between 10 to 15 percent again; from 2010 to 2016 between 6 to 10 percent, and from 2016 to 2022 between 5 to 7 percent. For much of the period from 1992 to the middle 2010s, much of this activity was focused on energy-intensive economic drivers, particularly manufacturing and the corollary build out of infrastructure attached to the sector, such as factories, housing for workers, road, railways and so on. Even after some of Chinas growth began to switch into the less energy-intensive service sectors, the countrys investment in energy-intensive infrastructure build-out remained very high. Related: Indias Oil Imports From Russia Jump 33 Times To Record High It is extremely difficult to gauge the current level of infections and deaths from COVID-19 and its related strains, as Chinas National Health Commission (NHC) stopped publishing daily COVID-19 case data on 25 December 2022, a practice that had been in effect since 21 January 2020. However, during a recent press conference, Kan Quancheng, a senior official in Henan - China's third most populous province revealed that nearly 90 percent of people there had now been infected with COVID-19 and its related strains, which equates to around 88.5 million people in just that province. Cases have risen to these levels in large part due to the zero-COVID policy and its strict implementation, as only extremely limited immunity to the virus has been allowed to develop. At the time of effectively shelving the zero-Covid policy, China still did not have an effective vaccine against the disease or any variant thereof, despite offers from all major vaccine-producing countries to make such supplies available to it. China also did not have an effective post-infection anti-viral, again despite offers from several Western countries to make such anti-virals and post-infection treatments available to it. Adding to these negative factors, as highlighted by OilPrice.com recently, is that China suffers from an extreme shortage of intensive care unit capacity in hospitals. Although this unrestrained surge of COVID infections has caused an even deeper impact on activity in the near-term - which Eugenia Victorino, head of Asia strategy for SEB in Singapore exclusively told OilPrice.com likely dampened to 2022 GDP growth of 2.8 percent Chinas annual Central Economic Work Conference (CEWC) signalled in the middle of December that boosting growth will be the priority in 2023. Investments in research and development in high tech sectors will be accelerated, specifically in new energy, AI, biomanufacturing, and quantum computing, she said. Although the CEWC called for greater market access for foreign capital especially in modern services industry, the long-term policy direction of greater self-reliance in key sectors will be maintained and on fiscal policy, public spending will maintain the necessary intensity, she added. Therefore, there are upside risks to our 5.5 percent GDP growth forecast for 2023, she concluded. With COVID infections having peaked on the east coast, and although a difficult time lies ahead for central and rural China, activity will begin to accelerate by March at the very latest, thinks Rory Green, chief China economist for TS Lombard, in London. We noted in December that China was looking to kick-start consumer activity and sentiment in 2023, a message emphasised in [Premier] Xi Jinpings New Year speech, Green exclusively told OilPrice.com Beijing is trying to reset domestic and international economic and political relations by toning down Common Prosperity and Wolf Warrior rhetoric and, more important, delivering stronger growth, he added. We think that China is rapidly moving from COVID coma to reopening boom and that a GDP target of above 5 percent will be established for 2023 and that Xi will look to report GDP comfortably above that floor, he underlined. This said, it may be that the previously near-automatic feed-through of increased China economic growth on oil prices is not as marked this time around as in previous years. Chinas central leadership is relying on reopening and the removal of negative policies - property, consumer internet, and geopolitics - rather than aggressive stimulus, to drive activity, Green told OilPrice.com. For the first time, a cyclical recovery in China will be led by household consumption, mainly services [as] there is clearly a great deal of pent-up demand and savings - about 4 percent of GDP - following three years of intermittent mobility restrictions, he added. For oil prices, he underlined, it is apposite to note that transportation accounts for just 54 percent of Chinas oil consumption, compared to 72 percent in the US and 68 percent in the European Union. Last year, net oil and refined petroleum imports were 8 percent lower by volume than the pre-pandemic peak, with infrastructure and export-oriented manufacturing partly offsetting lower mobility and less property construction. Demand drivers should switch this year, with travel rising and property less negative, while infrastructure and manufacturing slow, said Green. The certain outcome is an increase in oil demand - we estimate a 5-8 percent increase in net import volumes but this is unlikely to cause oil prices to surge, especially as China is buying at a discount from Russia, he concluded. By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com ADVERTISEMENT More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Russias 2022 invasion of Ukraine has forced a dramatic restructuring of energy markets in the west, with many European nations vowing to wean themselves off Russian energy products. The UK has been one of the more successful countries in achieving this target after committing to end imports of oil and coal from Russia by the end of 2022 and even recently legislated for a ban on Russian gas. By October, UK imports of Russian energy were down to a trickle, with the country buying just 2 million of oil, but zero coal or gas from Russia. But reports have now emerged that India has been offering a back-door for imports of Russian oil into Britain, blunting the countrys efforts to restrict funding for the Kremlin. Some British buyers have effectively replaced imports directly from Russia with imports from Russian-fed refineries, thereby indirectly supporting the Russian oil industry. Although such a supply chain is actually legal under UK rules, still it cannot be overlooked because this is another covert way to fund Putins war. Before the war began nearly a year ago, it was pretty rare for Indian refiners to process Russian crude. The refiners have always exported to Europe, but they are now exporting even more because its more attractive as Europes diesel prices are higher and also buying more Russian crude because Russia is offering heavy discounts. Related: Indias Oil Imports From Russia Jump 33 Times To Record High Indeed, Oleg Ustenko, adviser to Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelensky, says these companies are exploiting weaknesses in the sanctions regime. The UK must close the loopholes that undermine support for Ukraine by allowing bloody fossil fuels to continue flowing across our borders. About one in five barrels of the crude oil that they process is Russian. A big chunk of that diesel they produce now will be based on Russian crude oil, he has said. Kpler data has revealed that the Jamnagar refinery on Indias west coast imported 215 shipments of crude oil and fuel oil from Russia in 2022, 4 times as much as it bought in the previous year. Meanwhile, the UK has imported a total of 10m barrels of diesel and other refined products from Jamnagar since the war began, 2.5 times what it bought during 2021 with Trafigura, Shell Plc (NYSE: SHEL), BP Plc (NYSE: BP), PetroChina Co. (OTCPK: PCYYF) and Indian multinational conglomerate Essar Group the key buyers. According to Bloomberg's oil strategist Julian Lee, Russia's flagship Urals have been trading at a massive discount of as much as 40% to the international Brent crude oil. In contrast, in 2021, Urals traded at a much smaller discount of $2.85 to Brent. Urals is the main blend exported by Russia. Indeed, Moscow could be losing ~$4 billion a month in energy revenues as per Bloomberg's calculations. Europe Importing Russian LNG But the UK is hardly the only culprit in Europe as far as helping fund Putins war machine goes. Whereas supplies of Russian pipeline gas--the bulk of Europes gas imports before the Ukraine war--are down to a trickle, reports have emerged that Europe has been hungrily scooping up Russian LNG. Europe has been working hard to wean itself off Russian energy commodities ever since the latter invaded Ukraine. The European Union has banned Russian coal and plans to block most Russian oil imports by the end of 2022 in a bid to deprive Moscow of an important source of revenue to wage its war in Ukraine. But ditching Russian gas is proving to be more onerous than Europe would have hoped for, with the Wall Street Journal estimating that the blocs imports of Russian liquefied natural gas jumped by 41% Y/Y in the year through August. Russian LNG has been the dark horse of the sanctions regime, Maria Shagina, research fellow at the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, has told WSJ. Importers of Russian LNG to Europe have argued that the shipments are not covered by current EU sanctions and that buying LNG from Russia and other suppliers has helped keep European energy prices in check. ADVERTISEMENT Although Russian LNG has accounted for just 8% of the European Union and UKs gas imports since the start of March, the trade runs counter to the EUs efforts to deprive Russia of fossil-fuel revenue. By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: President Joe Bidens decision to authorize U.S. supermajor Chevron to recommence lifting crude oil in Venezuela breathed hope into President Nicolas Maduros plans to rebuild the countrys shattered oil industry. The harsh January 2019 sanctions imposed by Bidens predecessor Donald Trump cut Caracas off from global energy and financial markets, nearly bankrupting Venezuela. That caused petroleum production to spiral lower and Venezuelas economic as well as humanitarian crisis to accelerate, further impacting Caracas finances. For these reasons, the national oil company PDVSA is incapable of mustering the immense amounts of capital required to rebuild Venezuelas heavily corroded energy infrastructure. This will impede efforts to tap into the substantial wealth held by Venezuelas vast petroleum reserves, which at 303.5 billion barrels are the world's largest, and rebuild a shattered economy. There are fears, as the devastating environmental catastrophe unfolds in Venezuela, those immense hydrocarbon reserves will become a costly stranded asset. In as little as two decades, Venezuelas petroleum output has collapsed. Political purges, an exodus of skilled labor, chronic malfeasance and corruption, harsh U.S. sanctions and a dire lack of capital are all responsible for Venezuelas oil industry falling into wreck and ruin. After peaking at an annual record of 3.1 million barrels of oil per day for 1998, prior to Hugo Chavezs presidency, the OPEC members petroleum output has plunged to levels not seen since before World War Two. Annual average production plummeted to an 80-year low of 569,000 barrels per day for 2020, while a year later, it only averaged 636,000 barrels daily and remains at around that level, with Caracas reporting 693,000 barrels per day for November 2022. This means Venezuelas oil output is around a third of the 2.04 million barrels per day pumped during 2017, which was the last year where output exceeded that amount. As a result, Venezuelas oil exports, which are one of Caracas few sources of hard income, have foundered. This is because Trumps 2019 sanctions prevent Venezuela from shipping petroleum to the U.S., a key market that was receiving over 40% of the OPEC members oil exports. By 2021, Venezuelas oil exports had plummeted to a multi-decade low of 448,000 barrels per day, most of which, according to OPEC data, were shipped to Asia, where China is a key buyer regardless of U.S. sanctions. This brutally impacted Caracas fiscal income and further exacerbated Venezuelas economic collapse because petroleum is responsible for 99% of export income and a quarter of gross domestic product. For 2019 alone gross domestic product contracted by a catastrophic 27.7% and then by a ruinous 30% during 2020. This triggered a severe financial crisis for Caracas, causing any available capital for repairs to Venezuelas heavily corroded infrastructure to all but dry up, further weighing on plans to expand oil production. That is not only responsible for weak production volumes but also PDVSAs inability to hit the targets set by Maduro, thereby preventing Caracas from exploiting Venezuelas tremendous oil reserves to generate the tremendous funds required to rebuild a shattered economy. Indeed, the condition of Venezuelas petroleum infrastructure is so dire that pipelines, storage facilities and intermittently running refineries regularly spew oil and noxious fumes into the environment. Various sources claim PDVSA, due to a chronic lack of resources and malfeasant management, makes little effort to clean up spills, further aggravating the unfolding ecological disaster. The environmental harm is so severe it will take billions of dollars and years to clean up existing spills, with the damage in many places, such as Lake Maracaibo, considered irreversible. These events are adding to the tremendous burden associated with rebuilding Venezuelas energy infrastructure so that production can be restored, and the country can benefit from its vast petroleum reserves. Estimations vary, but external experts believe it will take $110 billion to $250 billion invested over a decade to rebuild Venezuelas energy infrastructure and restore production to over 2 million barrels per day. Then there is the need for skilled labor and crucial parts that, along with that substantial capital, can only be provided by Western oil supermajors which, because of U.S. sanctions, are prevented from investing in Venezuela. Even Washingtons decision authorizing Chevron to restart lifting oil at its joint ventures with PDVSA will fail to lift production and generate the tremendous investment required. You see, there are strict conditions imposed on Chevron including banning payments to Caracas and expanding operations beyond those that existed in January 2019. Plans to exploit Venezuelas considerable oil wealth are further complicated by around three-quarters of the countrys reserves being predominantly comprised of very sour extra-heavy petroleum, which with an API gravity of 8.5 degrees, does not flow when extracted. This type of oil must be upgraded, where it is mixed with diluent, a form of ultra-light petroleum so that it can flow to be transported and processed. For these reasons, lifting extra-heavy oil consumes copious amounts of energy, making it highly carbon-intensive to extract. The Carnegie Endowment rates Venezuelas Merey grade, which is the primary export blend, as one of the most carbon-intensive oil varieties produced globally, emitting 604 kilograms of greenhouse gases per barrel produced. Venezuelas Tia Juana and Hamaca grades produce even more greenhouse gas emissions to extract, with only Canadas oil sands ranked as more carbon-intensive. Heavy sour crude oil blends like Merey, which has an API gravity of 16 degrees and 2.45% sulfur content, are costly, complex and carbon-intensive to refine into high-grade low emission fuels. Only refineries specifically configured to process those types of petroleum can accept its as feedstock, thereby limiting the market. As a result, heavy and extra-heavy sour crude oil is becoming increasingly unpopular in a world where governments are aggressively decarbonizing their economies and oil companies are seeking to become net-carbon neutral. It is for these reasons, along with strict U.S. sanctions, that energy supermajors TotalEnergies and Equinor chose to exit Venezuela during mid-2021 despite the decision incurring substantial losses for both companies. Those factors will deter foreign oil companies from considering whether to invest in Venezuela, which is already considered an extremely risky jurisdiction. While there are signs that the Biden White House intends to take a more nuanced approach to a Maduro-led Venezuela, existing tough U.S. sanctions remain the key deterrent to foreign energy investment. No western petroleum company will risk the severe penalties which accompany those sanctions. That, along with existing geopolitical hazards, notably a corrupt autocratic regime with a history of nationalizing oil assets, essentially makes Venezuela uninvestable for foreign oil companies. This means the pariah state will not receive the hundreds of billions of dollars and technical expertise crucial to rebuilding a shattered hydrocarbon sector. PDVSA lacks to the capital needed to refit ramshackle industry infrastructure, making it near-impossible for a state-controlled oil company to grow petroleum output above current volumes. Any efforts to rebuild Venezuelas petroleum operations are complicated by the immense environmental crisis unfolding in Venezuela and threatening an ecologically sensitive region. For these reasons, Venezuelas substantial oil reserves could very well transition from a source of considerable wealth to become a costly stranded asset that will leave a legacy of environmental destruction for decades to come. By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com ADVERTISEMENT More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Saudi Arabia, the worlds largest crude oil exporter, is open to discussing oil trade settlements in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, Saudi Minister of Finance, Mohammed Al-Jadaan, told Bloomberg TV in an interview in Davos on Tuesday. The Saudi signal that it could be open to talks about oil trade arranged in non-dollar currencies could be another threat to the current dominance of the U.S. dollar in global oil trade. There are no issues with discussing how we settle our trade arrangements, whether it is in the US dollar, whether it is the euro, whether it is the Saudi riyal, Al-Jadaan told Bloomberg TV. I dont think we are waving away or ruling out any discussion that will help improve the trade around the world, the Saudi minister added. The Saudi riyal has been pegged to the U.S. dollar for decades, while the Saudi oil exports continue to support the petrodollar system from the 1970s in which the worlds top oil exporter prices its crude in U.S. dollars. However, Saudi Arabia is willing to deepen its strategic cooperation in oil trade with China, the worlds largest crude oil importer. Last month, China and Saudi Arabia agreed to expand crude oil trade as they upgraded their relations to a strategic partnership during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Saudi capital Riyadh. China, for its part, plans to make its own currency, the yuan, more prominent in international oil trade. During a visit to Saudi Arabia last month, Xi Jinping pledged to ramp up efforts to promote the use of the yuan in energy deals, suggesting at a summit in the Saudi capital that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries should make full use of the Shanghai Petroleum and Natural Gas Exchange to carry out its trade settlements in yuan. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com ADVERTISEMENT More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Ultimately, OPEC+ will be looking for less volatility this year, which means it is unlikely to act pre-emptively on recession fears or intervene with oil prices below $100. Last year, OPEC+ cut production by 2 million barrels per day in November in order to stabilize the market, a move that Washington believed was politically motivated. According to Energy Intelligences 2023 oil market outlook, OPEC+ is targeting a calmer market for 2023, and a likely price range target of around $80-$90 per barrel. The OPEC narrative for 2022 was largely about the realities of supply and demand against the backdrop of a post-pandemic war that sparked sanctions and a European energy crisis with the counterweight of a Chinese covid crisis. From the Saudi standpoint, OPECs move to cut production by 2 million barrels per day in November last year - while highly controversial in Washington - served to stabilize the market. From the U.S. standpoint, it was all about politics, at a time when the Biden administration had been doing everything in its power - begging, threatening, cajoling - to get OPEC to increase production to bring down oil prices. When OPEC+ responded not only by refusing to increase production but by actually cutting production, it was viewed in Washington as politically motivated - even a concession to Moscow. Numerous articles then began to appear in the Middle Eastern press most prolifically, with GCC officials explaining how OPECs moves throughout the year worked to stabilize markets. In October, Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz told the Saudi state news agency, SPA: As I have emphasized multiple times, in OPEC+ we leave politics out of our decision-making process, out of our assessments and forecasting, and we focus solely on market fundamentals. This enables us to assess situations in a more objective manner and with much more clarity and this in turn enhances our credibility. The rationale, based on what the Saudis call the Ukraine crisis, which prompted predictions of major supply losses that could see some 3 million bpd taken off the market. Those predictions caused panic and led to oil price volatility. As the prince points out, these projected losses did not materialize. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in a September 2022 paper, notes: Cyclical oil price fluctuations (as opposed to persistent shifts in levels) drive OPECs decisions, suggesting that OPECs objective is to stabilize the oil price rather than countering fundamental shifts in demand and supply. Now, with a war still raging, the million-dollar question is, what does OPEC+ want now, and will it get what it wants by pursuing its stated strategy of patient market stabilization? In its new 2023 oil market outlook, Energy Intelligence posits that OPEC+ is targeting a calmer market for 2023, and a likely price range target of around $80-$90 per barrel, and will, as such, likely move to act if oil starts rising above $100, which would be seen as too volatile and reminiscent of earlier in 2022. Likewise, Energy Intel suggests that OPEC+ will proceed with extra caution this year, noting that while there might be some tweaks to the 2 million bpd output cut last November, any output increase would require a clear demand pickup or supply disruption (e.g. Russia), and is unlikely to be agreed pre-emptively. The report also predicts that we will only see a bigger cut in output if a recession has a significant impact on demand. Again, while there is a lot of recent talk of a global recession, with an apparent two-thirds of business leaders meeting at the 2023 World Economic Forum in Davos saying it is likely this year, OPEC would not likely act preemptively on this. And in the meantime, Energy Intel predicts that strong growth from Norway, the U.S., Brazil, and others would make an OPEC+ output increase more challenging, as would any issues with the cartels dwindling spare capacity. While the still-raging war in Ukraine will continue to rock the geopolitical boat, Energy Intel sees less room for a renewal of U.S.-Saudi tensions right now, which is less likely when oil prices are at their current lows. The key aspects of the market that OPEC+ will be monitoring will be Russian oil production and how sanctions and new price caps really affect the numbers. While there have been many reports of sanctions hitting Russian revenues - and plenty suggesting the opposite - a recent account from Bloomberg said Russias seaborne crude exports managed to hit their highest level since April last week, which will suggest to OPEC that Moscow will ride this out. ADVERTISEMENT But it wont just be geopolitics that OPEC watches closely. According to Energy Intel, there are some internal cartel issues that could surface, including the potential for the UAE to (once again) become emboldened enough to push for higher quotes, as well as what the report refers to as OPECs underlying problem of unrealistic baseline quotas. Early on Tuesday, better-than-expected data on Chinese GDP growth may give some support to oil prices, but with COVID uncertainty still putting a chokehold on demand predictions, oil was not expected to respond excessively to this news. The market was also waiting with bated breath for OPECs own 2023 oil market outlook later in the day. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Chinas Vice Premier Liu He told the World Economic Forum that life has returned to normal in the Asian nation, with covid infections now past their peak. Liu He told the WEF at Davos on Tuesday that China will return to its pre-pandemic growth trend this year, Bloomberg reported. In its latest MOMR, also published on Tuesday, OPEC said it sees Chinas economic growth forecasts unchanged from last months views, at 3.1% for last year and 4.8% for 2023. The oil exporters group adjusted world oil demand downward in the third quarter last year, with Chinas demand slipping. OPEC sees global oil demand growth unchanged this year, according to Tuesdays MOMR, at 2.2 million bpd, although OPEC cautioned that this forecast remains surrounded by uncertainties including global economic developments, shifts in Covid-19 containment policies, and geopolitical tensions. According to OPEC, Chinas crude oil imports continued on the path of recovery in November at 11.4 million bpd, with preliminary data showing its imports remained at similarly high levels.. China released its fourth-quarter economic data earlier in the day, which showed Chinas economythe worlds second biggestgrew 2.9%. While this beat analyst expectations, Chinas full-year 2022 economic growth of 3% came in significantly below Chinas official target of 5.5% due to its zero-covid policies, which are now behind it. The oil industry is closely monitoring Chinas economic data to get a handle on global crude oil demand growth, with OPECs decisions Analysts are revamping their estimates for Chinas economic dataand its thirst for oilbased on their recent covid policy shift that has backed away from its tightly implemented zero-Covid strategy. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: European and Indian oil companies are reviewing the terms of Guyanas first-ever licensing round as they consider bidding in the process that will award 14 shallow and deepwater offshore blocks in May 2023, Reuters reports, quoting sources with knowledge of the matter. Last month, Guyana launched its first licensing round for offshore oil and gas exploration and production, which is expected to offer a different model of production sharing agreements than the ones in place with U.S. supermajor ExxonMobil, the first and biggest oil producer operating in Guyana. The government of Guyana says it is developing a new model to reflect the indicative terms and guidelines for the licensing round as well as introduce comprehensive provisions reflective of the developments in the oil and gas industry and international best practices observed in other jurisdictions. Despite the still unfinished job with the new PSAs, companies from India and Europe are considering bidding in the round, hoping to obtain acreage in the worlds newest oil hotspot. ONGC Videsh, the overseas investment arm of Indian state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), is considering a bid for some of the blocks up for grabs, while refiner Indian Oil Corporation evaluates working in Guyana in collaboration with ONGC Videsh, according to Reuters sources. Guyana has become a hotspot for exploration and development in recent years after Exxon and its partners found more than 11 billion barrels of oil equivalent offshore the South American country. Exxon helped make Guyana the latest oil-producing and oil-exporting nation in late 2019. Since 2015, when it first discovered oil offshore Guyana, Exxon has made more than 20 discoveries offshore Guyana. By 2027, Exxon plans to produce more than 850,000 bpd of crude oil from Guyanas offshore, the U.S. supermajor said in a presentation on its investor day in March 2022. Guyana is a strategically important development for Exxon this decade, together with the U.S. Permian Basin, Brazil, and LNG projects around the world, Exxon said last month. ADVERTISEMENT By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Refinitiv data showed gas flowing to the Freeport LNG plant thats been shuttered since going offline in June after suffering damage from an explosion. The gas flows, according to an anonymous Reuters source, were within the plants pre-treatment facility and were maintaining the flare system. Last week, Freeport LNG denied the Reuters rumors that Freeport LNG would delay its planned startup from the second half of January until February, telling Oilprice.com that Freeport LNG had no change to our restart timeline. We are still targeting the second half of this month for the safe, initial restart of our liquefaction facility, pending regulatory approvals. Freeport, responsible for some 20% of total LNG exports from the United States and generating $35 billion in revenue during the first nine months of 2022, served Europe well last year as the continent looked to squelch a growing energy crisis this winter. US natural gas futures spiked nearly 7% earlier in the day before retreating to a still robust 5.64% increase at 2:00 p.m. ET, coming off an 18-month low on Monday on reports of colder weather that lie ahead over the course of the next two weeks, and as the data showed gas flowing to Freeport LNG, sparking hopes that the United States could once again ratchet up LNG exports, easing heavy domestic inventories with export capacity restricted since June. Freeport LNG confirmed to Oilprice.com on Tuesday that they are still targeting the second half of this month for the safe, initial restart of our liquefaction facility, adding that there was no change in our timeline. Freeport did not comment on whether it had filed the necessary restart request with federal regulators. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Germany could end up spending less than planned on its power and gas support packages if prices dont spike again, the German Finance Ministry told Reuters on Tuesday. Germany introduced at the end of last year so-called energy price brakes to support households and businesses against the impact of soaring energy prices. The government said it would allocate $217 billion (200 billion euros) for the so-called defensive shield. At the end of September, the German government ditched earlier plans for a gas levy on consumers and instead introduced a gas price cap to curb soaring energy bills. Last autumn, the German government was planning to spend as much as $90.4 billion (83.3 billion euros) on funding the planned cap on electricity and gas prices in 2023. The proposed financing for energy price caps would represent 42% of the planned 200-billion-euro defensive shield. Now that energy prices have dropped from the records set at the end of the summer and early autumn of 2022, Germany could spend less on the energy bill relief packages. But The actual financial needs depend heavily on the further development of gas and electricity prices for end consumers, a spokesperson for the Finance Ministry told Reuters when asked if the lower energy prices in recent weeks would change the forecast of spending on the package. The mild weather at the start of 2023, comfortable gas inventory levels, and still weak demand in Asia dragged European benchmark gas prices down to a 16-month low on Monday. That was due to ample supply and on reports Chinese importers are trying to divert February and March shipments to Europe amid weak prices at home and high inventories, according to Ole Hansen, Head of Commodity Strategy at Saxo Bank. Norway became Germanys single-largest natural gas supplier in 2022, overtaking Russia, as total German gas imports dropped by 12.3% compared to 2021, the German Federal Network Agency, Bundesnetzagentur, said earlier this month. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com ADVERTISEMENT More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Kazakhstan has secured approval from Russia to use its pipeline infrastructure to transport 300,000 tons of oil to buyers in Germany in the first quarter of this year, a state-run company announced on January 13. Kaztransoil, a state-owned oil transportation company, said in its statement that oil sourced from the Karachaganak field in western Kazakhstan will be pumped through Russias Druzhba pipeline and be delivered to Poland via Belarus before reaching Germany. Deliveries in January will amount to 20,000 tons. Kazakh Energy Minister Bolat Akchulakov recently told reporters that Kazakhstan planned to export 1.5 million tons to Germany via Russia in 2023, but that this volume could be ramped up to 7 million tons. There is enough capacity [in the pipeline system]. The main thing is the consumers [from Germany] to take it. We have never had major problems with Russia in terms of pumping, Akchulakov said earlier this year. Approval from Russia was far from guaranteed, though. The oil that Germany is buying from Kazakhstan is intended to partially make up for the shortfall of crude deliveries precipitated by a boycott on Russian products imposed following the start to the invasion of Ukraine. And the amount Kazakhstan is supplying falls far short of the 20 million tons per year that Russia used to sell Germany. European Union restrictions on the supply of Russian oil related to material transported by sea, but they do not prevent third countries from using Russian infrastructure to get their commodity onto the European market. Much of the talk last year was about how Kazakhstan was exploring export routes that avoided Russia altogether. Key to this was the so-called Middle Corridor, which entails loading oil onto tankers that would then cross the Caspian Sea before unloading crude onto freight transport traveling through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. This route is still limited in scope and far costlier than using Russian routes. If Russia has agreed to this arrangement, it is unlikely as a favor to Kazakhstan. As Nurlan Zhumagulov, head of the Energy Monitor analytical website, speculated in a post on Facebook in December, Kazakhstan may look to import an amount of oil from Russia commensurate to the one it is sending to Europe. That crude could be sent to domestic refineries, Zhumagulov wrote. It [would be] an ideal model that satisfies everyone Russia, Kazakhstan and Germany, Zhumagulov wrote. ADVERTISEMENT What is more, Kazakhstan has a trump card. In December, it reached an intergovernmental agreement with Russia valid until 2034 on allowing its territory to be used for the transit of oil to China. Since China has now emerged as one of Russias most important oil customers, Kazakhstan has thus earned leverage for deployment in its own energy trading deals with the West. By Eurasianet.org More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: A three-bedroom, 6,085-square-foot condo on the 73rd floor of the main 76-story tower in the recently completed One Chicago complex on the Near North Side was listed Monday for $13.95 million and already has a buyer. The full-floor unit was placed on the market by developer JDL Development with a contract pending to sell it, suggesting that a deal was struck between the as-yet unidentified buyer and the developer even before the deal was made public. Advertisement The unit has four bathrooms, direct elevator access, wide plank European oak wood floors, full-height windows, a custom-designed OBrien Harris kitchen, Ketra circadian lighting in the bedrooms, and primary bathrooms with floor-to-ceiling slab porcelain, Kalista fixtures and custom-built vanities. Nancy Tassone of Jameson Sothebys is the listing agent. Advertisement If the condo sells for more than $10 million, it would be the latest in a steady stream of $10 million-plus house and condo sales in the Chicago area since the start of 2022. One Chicago consists of 77 condos starting on the 44th floor. Thus far, only about 20 units have had recorded sales by JDL. Among the highest-price are a three-bedroom, 3,705-square-foot 56th-floor unit that sold in June for $6.1 million, and a three-bedroom, 3,663-square-foot condo on the 44th floor that sold in November to a Delaware limited liability company for $5.64 million. The second-highest asking price at One Chicago at present is a 57th-floor unit that is available for $4.95 million. Goldsborough is a freelance reporter. Join our Chicago Dream Homes Facebook group for more luxury listings and real estate news. Via AG Metal Miner The Stainless Monthly Metals Index (MMI) rose 14.58% from December to January as nickel prices retreated. Nickel prices continued to rally throughout December. But by January, prices began to show minor pullbacks that could become the beginning of a short-term sideways trend. Until prices break the new range, the market direction will remain unclear. Market volatility, however, remains high. This stems mainly from the lower overall volume in the LME exchange and leaves significant risk in the market. Licenses at Low Levels Import licenses remain at very low levels. As a result, there could be allocations at the domestic mills when inventory overhang resolves. Still, imports will take several months to catch up with demand. The first two weeks of January had brisk order intake at the service center level. Mills also reported that order intake was strong. Meanwhile, the alloy surcharge will increase in February, which should spur on shipments. Global Nickel Output Could Jump 20% A few months ago, brokers reportedly balked as Xiang Guangda looked to add to his short positions. Xiang Guangda is the founder of Tsingshan Holding Group and the man responsible for the March squeeze that broke the LMEs nickel contract. Now, emerging reports are detailing how the global nickel market could be due for a considerable uptick in production with Tsinghsan at the head. According to a recent Bloomberg report, Tsingshan is negotiating with struggling Chinese copper producers about a potential material switch. Clearly, Tsingshan hopes to capitalize on the current high price premiums for refined nickel. Should others adopt a similar strategy, this would allow China to roughly double its year-over-year production. As a result, we could see total global output rise by around 20%. Future Direction of Nickel Prices Of course, there is no guarantee the output shift will happen at all or to that extent. Analysts already expect nickel production to rise due to increased efforts in Indonesia. This alone would support a projected global surplus for years to come, and nickel prices would react accordingly. Meanwhile, copper prices are now on the rise. And while the market forecasts a surplus in 2023, rising copper demand will pressure that in the long term. There is no denying that Tsingshan is a major market player. Moreover, last years attempts to add to short positions seem to add some credence to these new reports. Of course, any sharp increase in supply would likely weigh significantly on nickel prices. Many will recall that while other base metals saw sharp retracements last year, low liquidity limited nickels downside price movement. Since bottoming out in mid-July, prices have returned to levels above their pre-squeeze highs. This leaves the market ripe for a correction, especially if 2023 brings lower stainless demand. The same would be true if the EV and energy transition sectors lose any momentum. Nickel prices remain historically high in spite of March-July retracement. Source: Insights This story proves that even in a broken market, Tsingshan remains a driving force. Indeed, Xiang Guangda can still shift supply dynamics, even with all the controversy and a more limited trading presence. GCH Plans Nickel Futures Alternative to LME Meanwhile, as the LMEs nickel contract remains broken, others are looking to take its place. For instance, Global Commodities Holdings (GCH) will launch a physical nickel trading platform beginning in late February. According to the company, the platform aims to become an alternative to the LMEs nickel futures contract. ADVERTISEMENT Last Marchs nickel squeeze caused a mass exodus from the LMEs nickel contract and left many upset about how the LME handled the crisis, as nickel prices were severely impacted. While the contract ultimately survived, it remains plagued by low liquidity and the resulting volatility. Up to this point, market makers have shown no interest in returning. Still, only time will tell whether the traders and investors are willing to make the move or opt out of the nickel market entirely. Back in May, the CME indicated it was exploring its own nickel contract. If one or both of these take shape in a meaningful way, it could mean the LME is on its way out as the optimal exchange for prices in physical contracts. By Nichole Bastin and Katie Benchina Olsen More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Natural gas futures bounced off 18-month lows during the holiday session period as the latest runs of long-term weather models suggest winter might not be over for the Lower 48. US NatGas futures for February delivery moved up 21 cents to $3.63 per million British thermal units. The price is now trading above the 76.4% Fibonacci retracement level of the main drop from the high of $10 in August 2022 and the low of $1.43 in June 2020. The price of NatGas tumbled to an 18-month low last week as mild weather boosted injections into storage facilities by slashing demand. Last week, the Energy Information Administration announced a rare rise in inventories of 11 billion cubic feet in stocks. However, as we've pointed out in recent weeks and even days, first in "US NatGas Prices Slide To 18-Month Low On Warm Spell; Some Models Forecast Cold Blast In Weeks" and "California Pounding Continues, But Upcoming Large-Scale Weather Pattern Change On The Way," as well as "Siberia Records Minus-80 Degrees As Talk Of Polar Vortex Grows," long term weather models are showing the increasing possibility for colder weather. The latest run of the Global Forecast System (GFS) shows the possibility of the return of winter by the end of the month. Both GFS and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) models for the Lower 48 show the possibility of a cold spell -- when both long-term models suggest colder weather, the likelihood increases. More mainstream meteorologists, such as Ryan Maue, are now pointing out that a wicked cold spell might be headed for the Lower 48. ADVERTISEMENT 100%. Combination of Greenland and Siberian polar vortex to unload on Lower 48 in 13-17 day time frame. Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) January 15, 2023 "Winter coming back," tweeted Weather forecaster Joe Bastardi. Week 2 all ensembles go to positive TNH which is widespread cold stormy pattern for US. Winter coming back pic.twitter.com/8hBFEezXlm Joe Bastardi (@BigJoeBastardi) January 15, 2023 NatGasWeather said cold returns around Jan. 26-30 and might last through the first week of Feb. Weekend weather data trends colder for Jan 26-30 and has led to higher nat gas prices to open new trading week. Longer-range data suggests cold can last into first week of Feb. Although, still very light demand the next 7-days to trudge through first. #natgas #oilandgas pic.twitter.com/S4u71B5pAV NatGasWeather.com (@NatGasWeather) January 16, 2023 Winter isn't over yet. More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: It was just a couple of days ago we first noted that Tesla was getting blowback in China, where it has slashed prices in order to try and spur demand for its vehicles. Over the last few days, that anger towards the company appears to be ramping up in the U.S., as well, after Tesla also slashed prices domestically. Such was the takeaway from a new Bloomberg article that spoke to several Tesla owners and "fans", who didn't seem happy about the company's recent move to slash prices. One 32 year old Tesla "fan girl" named Marianne Simmons told Bloomberg: I feel like I got duped. I feel like I got taken advantage of as a consumer. Right off the bat, Im out $13,306. Its such a large reduction that its going to affect a lot of people who just bought a vehicle. She had just shelled out $77,000 for a white Model Y. I would not buy a Tesla again. Thats saying a lot for me. I was a huge Tesla fan girl. Id go with a competitor like Lucid or Rivian, she added. Ivan Drury, director of insights for research website Edmunds.com told Bloomberg: For any existing owner its a kick to the teeth. Anyone who bought a Tesla recently will feel an immediate impact and wish they leased it. Another new Tesla owner, Andrew Checketts, from Santa Barbara, California, told Bloomberg that Tesla was "hounding" him about discounts at the time he made his purchase - but if he had waited, he could have saved far more money. He said: I have solar scheduled to be installed soon. Really having a hard time giving Tesla any more of my money and cant even look at the car this morning." Owner Jack Bradham, who purchased a black Model Y long-range edition in December, is irked that the vehicle got a $12,000 discount right after he purchased it. He said customer service from Tesla has been non-existent: Theres no one to contact. I called and tweeted to them, no response." The price drops are hitting the resale value of Teslas also. Austin Flack, another owner, tried to list his 2018 Model 3 with the Full Self-Driving Beta software package for $51,000 last month. He has since reduced the price to $36,000 and fears he'll have to try and cut it to $30,000. As the report notes, the base price of the Model Y is down an astonishing 20% to start the year, with the vehicle now listed at $53,000. The Model S plaid is down 14%. The situation in the U.S. echoes that of China, where customers stormed showrooms to protest price cuts. Customers were demanding rebates and credits, claiming that they had overpaid for the same cars that weren't marked down at the time they were purchased, a new report from Reuters says. Prices of Tesla vehicles in China are now between 13% and 24% lower than they were in September. ADVERTISEMENT The opening of Fovero Greek & Homestyle Kitchen in Papillion is tentatively scheduled by early February, and the wait has been agonizing for area residents. Lori Long has continued her months long tease of the new restaurant in Tara Plaza. Since the announcement in early November that Grecian Gyros had been sold less than a month after its 30th anniversary, local foodies have been clamoring for information. When the Times visited with Long last week, brown paper shielded the restaurants windows to hide the renovations. Standing in the half-open doorway, she said there would be no early peeks for the press but promised the whole atmosphere will be very cheery and welcoming. The new name seems reassuring. Fovero means amazing, Long said, and she even double-checked with a friend from Greece to make sure she got the right word. This has been here for 30 years, based on the Mediterranean food. Its popular and has a big following, she said. We will still have the Greek entrees, dishes, you name it. However, Foveros Facebook and Instagram pages are promising something more. Posting after posting features handcrafted lasagnas, soups, casseroles and baked goods galore. When I told my Dad I was buying a Greek restaurant, he said But youre Polish, Long laughed. I said yes I am and thats why I am bringing in what I do. I am adding in homestyle cooking. We will have specials like dumplings and sauerkraut I am a South Omaha girl cabbage rolls, soups, desserts. I am big on desserts. And we are going to add breakfast on the weekends. Most of Foveros menu will feature family recipes, especially those of her late mother, Susie Kitta. Long, a former educator and school administrator, was a longtime diner of Grecian Gyros. She would eventually bake cinnamon rolls to sell at the eatery on Sundays. When the opportunity arose to buy the place, Long said she decided the time was right to follow a dream of opening her own restaurant. Julie Maben, who co-owned Grecian Gyros with husband, John Isbilir, was ready for a change from the seven days a week grind. After 30 years of doing the restaurant, it gets to be pretty difficult, Maben said. While it took months to work out the logistics for the turnover, Maben said she is excited what Fovero brings to the local dining scene. Papillion needs more of a diner, she said. Her cooking and her baking are wonderful. Meanwhile, Maben is focusing on her own new venture, Jules Catering. She said she is serving the same Mediterranean favorites, and was busy through the holiday season. However, the catering business will allow some vacation and travel time with her husband. In addition to private affairs, Maben said she is in talks with area breweries and pubs to set up the occasional feast for patrons. Jules also has options for take and bake meals. Tentative hours for Foveros are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays. Breakfasts will start at 6 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The restaurant will be open until 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and on Sundays until 1 p.m. I just want to open, Long said. We are working day and night to get it open. Amazon has announced the opening of its first fulfillment center in Nebraska. The facility, which has more than 1 million square feet of space, is now open in Papillion near Nebraska Highways 370 and 50. It originally was slated to open in 2022. In July, officials announced that the project would be delayed until 2024. At the time, a spokesman for the City of Papillion said Amazon officials informed the citys mayor and City Council of the delay, citing supply chain issues. An Amazon spokesman said Tuesday that officials are always evaluating our network to ensure it fits our business needs and to improve the experience for our employees, customers, partners and drivers. Those needs, he said, prompted the opening of the Papillion fulfillment center. The fulfillment center currently employs about 300 people. Officials said in a press release that theyre still hiring and they expect the center to employ 1,000 workers. They will work alongside robots to pick, pack and prepare items for delivery. The Papillion fulfillment center is Amazons fifth location in the Omaha area. Other facilities include delivery stations in Papillion and Omaha, an Amazon Air Gateway at Eppley Airfield, and a supplemental fulfillment center in Council Bluffs. When the project was announced in fall 2020, the Greater Omaha Chamber estimated the facility would create a $203 million annual economic impact in the Omaha metro area. According to Sarpy County records, land for the facility sold to an Amazon affiliate for $12.3 million. Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of January 2023 The search for the Bennington Public Schools next superintendent is off to a healthy start following a board meeting Monday. The school board already is preparing to select a search firm to start the process. Members will interview two or three search firms at a special meeting at 5 p.m. Friday before selecting the one the district will use. The official launch of the search comes about a month after Superintendent Terry Haack announced his retirement, which will occur at the end of this school year. Hes led the district for nearly 19 years. The search firm finalists will be narrowed down from a pool of six applicants before Fridays meeting. Haack said after a company is selected, it would take about six to eight weeks before superintendent finalists would be chosen. There will be ample opportunity for public input, and as we move forward, it will be up to the board how they want to determine how to gather that input and how they would interview for their next leader of Bennington Public Schools, Haack told the board on Monday. Bennington isnt the only district in the metro area searching for a new superintendent. The Omaha Public Schools will need to replace Superintendent Cheryl Logan, who plans to resign in June. The OPS board announced its request for search firm applications on Jan. 5. The Ralston school district announced it had four finalists before selecting Jason Buckingham on Jan. 10 to replace Superintendent Mark Adler when he resigns in June. In the Bennington search, the school board will look at the search firms experience and success in their services for like-sized school districts; quality of previous projects; and ability to complete the work quickly and efficiently. Some members of the public said Monday that they want the school board to select a firm that closely aligns with Benningtons values and priorities. Using a local firm or at least a firm from within our state will help ensure that someone that fits Nebraska values is selected as our next superintendent, said Bennington parent Tracee Baker. The board also presented the final evaluation for Haack during Mondays meeting. The evaluation says that the board generally agrees Haack demonstrates strong performance in the areas of educational leadership, strategic planning and budget administration. The board also noted Haack still could improve in growing relationships with the board and the community. As Bennington continues to grow, it is essential to cultivate communication and feedback mechanisms that help key constituencies to be well-informed about district operations and strategic plans, the evaluation said. Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of January 2023 Here comes the storm. (1/4) Winter weather will cause hazardous travel conditions and delays during this evening's commute. Snow will be the dominant precip type north of Interstate 80 with amounts of 8 to 15 inches. pic.twitter.com/S2plaJzU8e NWS Omaha (@NWSOmaha) January 18, 2023 Snow could hit the Omaha area just in time for the evening commute on Wednesday. A winter storm is expected to bring a mix of rain, freezing rain and sleet followed by snow, according to the National Weather Service. The precipitation mix is expected to begin around 9 a.m. or later Wednesday, said Paul Fajman, a meteorologist with the weather services Valley office. The precipitation is then expected to transition to snow Wednesday afternoon or evening. The timing of that transition will determine how much snow the area will see, Fajman said. If its an earlier transition, we will see those snowfall totals closer to 7 inches, he said. The highest potential for snowfall will occur between about 2 p.m. and 9 p.m., Fajman said. The Omaha Public Schools and Millard Public Schools announced Tuesday afternoon that the districts will have a remote learning day Wednesday. The Bellevue Public Schools and the Council Bluffs, Westside, Papillion-La Vista, Elkhorn, Ralston, Bennington and Douglas County West districts announced that their schools will be closed Wednesday. In addition, the Archdiocese of Omaha announced that all Omaha Catholic schools will be closed. The weather service is predicting 6 to 9 inches of snow in Tekamah, 45 miles north of Omaha, and 9 to 12 inches in Norfolk, which is about 120 miles northwest of Omaha. Nebraska City, about 45 miles south of Omaha, is expected to get up to 4 inches of snow. Portions of west central Nebraska, including North Platte, could see up to 17 inches of snow, according to the weather service. Prosecutors knew they were in for a tough fight when they went up against Omaha defense attorney J. William Bill Gallup. Bill was always battling for his clients, Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said Tuesday. When you went into court against him, you knew you were in for a fight. He was a no-nonsense guy, who was very good at what he did. Gallup, 87, died Friday in his Omaha home after a lengthy illness, said Paula Gallup, his wife of 59 years. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Friday at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church, 6116 Dodge St. Kleine said Gallup was a man of his word. He was known for saying what he thought and meaning what he said. He was so well-prepared every time that he went into court, Kleine said. You could trust what he said and you knew that he always had his clients best interests. Gallup came up with the epitaph The Defense Rests that is written on his tombstone, his wife said. Getting him to rest, even as his health failed, was nearly impossible, she said. He had his brains about him until the very end, Paula said. He loved the law, and it was very hard for him not to be in the courtroom and office. You could set your clock by Bill Gallup going to work and coming home every day. Gallup was born in Three Hills, Alberta, Canada, and moved with his family to western Nebraska and then Omaha. He graduated from Omaha Benson High School in 1953 and a received a bachelors degree from Omaha University in 1957, followed by a masters degree from the school in 1959. A naturalized American citizen, Gallup served two years in the U.S. Army before enrolling in Creighton University Law School, graduating in 1964. He met his wife while attending law school. We were both at a law fraternity party with other people, Paula said. We were introduced and that was it. Bill always said that he (left Creighton) with his degree in one hand and his wife in the other. Upon graduation, Gallup worked as an assistant prosecutor for the City of Omaha and then the Douglas County Attorneys Office. He later worked for the U.S. attorney for Nebraska before entering private practice. Gallup often said he was proud to be the only Nebraska attorney he knew to walk a client from death row to freedom. His diligence led to the overturning of the conviction and death sentence for Jeremy Sheets in connection with the 1992 abduction and slaying of a North High School student. Adam Barnett told authorities that he and Sheets had kidnapped a girl at knifepoint. Barnett hanged himself in jail before he could testify at Sheets trial. The Nebraska Supreme Court agreed with Gallups argument that the trial court judge should not have allowed prosecutors to play Barnetts statement because Sheets was not able to confront his accuser. Outside the courtroom, Gallup enjoyed reading and wrote numerous articles for legal magazines. He accepted an invitation to join the American Board of Criminal Lawyers and served as its president from 1982 to 1983. A daughter, Bridget Gordman of Omaha, said her fathers sensitive side was most evident around his 12 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He loved his grandchildren and all kids, really, Gordman said. People, I think, were surprised by how soft and patient he would be with them. He was very loving. Other survivors include daughter Pamela Conrad of Malibu, California; sons Sean of Denver and John Jr. of Omaha; and sister, Djel Ann Brown of Omaha. LINCOLN In one of his first policy moves in office, Gov. Jim Pillen put his support behind three education funding bills that would, among other things, establish a $1 billion education fund. Pillen announced the priority bills Tuesday at a press conference alongside 10 GOP state senators, including the three lawmakers introducing each bill. None of the bills would do away with the states current school funding formula, as Pillen previously had pushed for, but he called the legislation a good compromise. I think this is a step that makes sense, Pillen said. Legislative Bill 583, introduced by State Sen. Rita Sanders of Bellevue, would provide $1,500 in foundational aid added to the existing funding formula for every public student in the state. This would amount to nearly $113 million in additional state aid, according to a press release. The bill would also add a statutory provision requiring that 80% of special education funding be covered through federal and state dollars. That would require nearly $160 million in additional state support for special education. Sanders said the additional foundation aid primarily will benefit school districts that currently do not receive equalization aid under the state funding formula, which for the 2022-23 school year amounted to 158 of Nebraskas 244 school districts. She estimated about 180 districts would see an increase in funding under the proposal. Equalization aid was criticized by Pillen during his gubernatorial campaign, as it makes up the lions share of state education funding but is distributed to a minority of districts. Sen. Tom Briese of Albion said it was fairly pathetic how little equalization aid goes to rural school districts. An OpenSky Policy Institute report from October noted that although equalization aid goes to only 86 districts, those districts serve 78% of Nebraskas students. The additional funding in Sanders proposal would be covered under a separate bill proposed by Sen. Robert Clements of Elmwood, which he has yet to introduce. The measure would establish a $1 billion Education Future Fund as part of the states general fund. The states current education funding stands at about $1.07 billion. Following the creation of the fund, Clements said the state would add an additional $250 million to the fund each year until it reaches $2.5 billion. Pillen said some of the states excessive cash reserve projected to hit a record high $2.3 billion by the end of fiscal year 2025 would be used to support the fund. Democratic Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont, the former Education Committee chair, last year proposed an education trust fund as a sustainable school funding source. To ensure the previous two bills lead to property relief, Briese announced a separate bill, LB 589, which he described as a property tax asking cap. The bill would cap property tax revenue increases for school districts at 3% per year. Briese said the limit would be a soft cap that school districts could override through a supermajority vote of 75% of school board members or 60% of the districts registered voters. Pillen did not have an estimate of how much property tax relief the three bills would bring. It wont be enough, but its a heck of a good start, Pillen said. State lawmakers from both parties have agreed that increasing state education funding was the best way to reduce property taxes, as most school districts heavily rely on property taxes for funding over state dollars. OpenSky Executive Director Rebecca Firestone echoed this sentiment in an email statement Tuesday. We appreciate the governors interest in increasing state aid to public education and investing more in our states children, Firestone said in the email. We have long noted that the best way to address property taxes in Nebraska is to increase the share of state support for public K-12 education. Though Pillen campaigned as a fiscal conservative, he said he didnt see the legislation as an increase in spending, but rather an increase in investment. These are investments into the future of our kids, Pillen said. And these are investments that will also allow us to have a great impact on cutting property taxes across the state. Photos: 2023 Nebraska legislative session Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy Orland Park officials are starting the process of revising a strategic plan for the village. (Mike Nolan / Daily Southtown) Orland Park voters will be asked in a referendum April 4 whether they want to change the form of government the village has operated under for nearly four decades. The Village Board approved the binding referendum Monday, stating the village manager now has final decisionmaking authority in key areas and acts as administrative and executive head of the village government for key purposes. Advertisement The ballot question will ask voters whether to drop the managerial form. If approved, Mayor Keith Pekau said the village would still have a village manager, but with more narrowly defined authority. That authority includes appointment and removal of all officers not required to be elected. The manager is not an elected position and not directly accountable to the electorate, according to the ordinance calling for the referendum. Advertisement Under the managerial form, the authority of the mayor and Village Board is largely limited to legislative purposes, responsible for setting village policy and guidelines, approving ordinances, paying village bills and approving village budgets. In seeking to abandon the managerial form of government, the mayor and trustees have determined that they should be responsible for the principal final executive and administrative decisions of the village, according to the ordinance. While a village manager acts as the villages chief executive officer as far as overseeing village departments and day-to-day operations, that CEO role would be primarily filled by the mayor if the managerial form were to be abandoned. Pekau said key decisions should be made by elected officials, who are directly beholden to residents. Along with accountability should come the authority for making decisions that one is held accountable for, Pekau said. Orland Park voters established the managerial form of government by referendum in November 1983, according to the villages website. The first village manager was hired in March 1984. Then-Mayor Fred Owens led a campaign to bring the managerial form to Orland Park, which was experiencing significant commercial and residential growth, with a professional public administrator overseeing day-to-day village operations. Owens, according to the village, realized elected officials who held other jobs and served in their elected positions on a part-time basis were not in the best position of running day-to-day operations. Advertisement The mayors position is part-time, but was full-time when Pekau was elected to his first term in 2017. Pekau said Tuesday there is no intention of making the position full time should the referendum be approved and the managerial form of government is abandoned. In March 2019, before Pekau gained a majority of votes on the Village Board, trustees changed the position to part time with a corresponding cut in pay, taking effect with the spring 2021 election when Pekau won reelection to a second term. As a full-time position, the job paid $150,000 annually, but that was slashed to $40,000 when the job became part time. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy > Months before the 2017 election, the Village Board approved changing the mayors job from part time to full time, with the added duties of being Orland Parks lead person on economic development. Pekau said the move to put the question on the ballot does not reflect any dissatisfaction with the job manager George Koczwara is doing. Advertisement He said this will allow residents to decide what authority the mayor and board should have. Its appropriate for the people to make that choice, Pekau said. Koczwara was hired as Orland Parks manager in September 2019 and previously was Crystal Lakes deputy city manager and finance director. Before Koczwara was hired, former village Trustee Tom Dubelbeis was interim manager following the resignation in May 2019 of Joe La Margo, who had been manager since September 2017. mnolan@tribpub.com Corn production in 2022 rose in Illinois but dropped in Iowa, with the drought west of the Mississippi being blamed for a drop in total U.S. corn production. Soybean production was down in Illinois and Iowa, as well as nationally. Nationally, U.S. corn growers produced approximately 13.730 billion bushels of corn for 2022, down from 15.074 billion bushels in 2021. Illinois farmers produced 2.27 billion bushels of corn, up from 2.2 billion bushels in 2021, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, the statistical arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "Illinois had better weather than Iowa," said Tom Mueller, a farmer in Taylor Ridge, which is in Rock Island County. There were times when some parts of the central, western and southern portions of Illinois got very dry, he said, but they got some timely rains that really helped them avert disaster. Mueller said he had a very respectable corn crop. However, it could have been higher. Usually in June he adds a little nitrogen to the corp. However: I couldnt get the fertilizer, and even if I could have it would likely have been prohibitively expensive. That probably cost me about 30 bushels an acre. In neighboring Iowa, Scott County farmer Robb Ewoldt said his corn crop this year was the best weve ever grown. Last year was the biggest corn crop weve ever grown, and we bested that this year by 20 bushels an acre, he said. It was big. Ewoldt said the overall drop in corn production nationally likely was due to drought condition. In Iowa the drop in the state corn production likely occurred south of Des Moines, and that was because the crops were used as feed for cattle, he said. Its tough to farm down there anyway, Ewoldt said. I know some folks who chopped more acres for feed for cows. Because of the drought, they had to find the feed for the cattle somewhere. So if Iowa did lose acres, it likely was in the southern part where they used the corn to feed the cattle and get them through the drought. Still, the further west one got, the harder the drought became. Nebraska, produced approximately 1.455 billion bushels in 2022, but that was down from 1.855 billion bushels in 2021. But corn production dropped in many states. Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Texas, Tennessee, South Dakota, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio and Pennsylvania all saw lower numbers. Corn production rose in Minnesota from 1.39 billion bushels in 2021 to 1.46 billion bushels in 2022. Nationally, soybean production dropped from 4.45 billion bushels in 2021 to 4.27 billion bushels in 2022. Illinois farmers produced 677 million bushels in 2022, down from 683 million bushels in 2021. Still, Mueller said, this years soybean crop was the best Ive ever had. They didnt need that extra shot of fertilizer, and the weather was very good for them. I got them planted early, and thats proven to be the thing to do. Ewoldt said his soybean crop, was the biggest average crop weve ever had. We bested last years crop by about 3 bushels an acre. I know we are blessed in this area, Ewoldt said. The drought in the east-central portion of the state was not that bad. Where to watch: YouTube, Viki Sometimes comfort lies in the deliciousness of a well-told revenge drama. At some point in Chinas distant, fictional past, a war breaks out and a general and his son, Lin Shu, go to battle. But during the course of the war, the general is framed for taking part in a rebellion that resulted in the death of 70,000 soldiers. Twelve years later, Lin Shu now unrecognizable to those who knew him before returns home, seeking revenge and justice. Its all very Count of Monte Cristo, with heaping doses of political intrigue and the frisson of watching whip-smart people try to outmaneuver each other. Theres something supremely satisfying in seeing the intricate strategies unfold and the political chess game play out. Beyond that, the show, which is in Mandarin (English-subtitled version available), allowed me to brush up on my neglected Chinese language skills and bond with my mom, as we watched together. Youd think a story this plot-heavy wouldnt stand up to repeat viewing but it does, marvelously, allowing us to reenter this engrossing world to catch details missed the first time around. Janet Tu, assistant features editor BLOOMINGTON Bloomington drivers facing possible citations for headlight or taillight malfunctions may soon receive a more welcome slip of paper from police: a voucher for repairs. This program will enhance traffic safety in our community and provide the financial support to anyone who needs light-related repairs, Bloomington Police Chief Jamal Simington said. This type of engagement is solution based and an act of true kindness to motorists, their occupants and a police officer that will never forget it. Bloomington city and law enforcement officials on Tuesday unveiled plans to hand out vouchers worth $250 for parts and labor to replace broken headlights, taillights or turn signals. Patrol officers will carry the vouchers starting Feb. 1. The program is called Lights On! and was started by Minneapolis based non-profit MicroGrants, which provides small grants to low-income people to help their career or business, said CEO Don Samuels. Its a great opportunity to give to the community a totally safe program that we dont complaints (with) and were looking forward to that joy being spread among the citizens of Bloomington, Samuels said. Funding comes from representatives of Country Financial, who donated $6,000 that was matched by MicroGrants. A spokesman said the Bloomington-based insurance company has donated more than $4 million since 2020 to organizations supporting first responders, as well as teachers, military servicemembers and veterans. Samuels said Bloomington is the second municipality in Illinois to introduce the program, after Romeoville, and the organization plans to expand services nationwide. I would have loved this when I was a patrol officer, said Sgt. Keil Nowers, head of community engagement with BPD. Under the new program, an officer who initiates a traffic stop for a defective taillight, headlight or turn signal has the ability to issue a voucher if there are no other violations or citations necessary. Instead of that, Nowers said, youre getting no ticket, and youre getting free money, even. Last year, Bloomington police conducted over 11,000 traffic stops, Simington said. About 2,500 of those were for general equipment violations, and only 2% of those were issued citations, he said. Others received warnings. When drivers receive a voucher, Simington said, it is signed and dated by the officer. They then have 14 days to get the malfunction repaired and will be asked to answer a survey related to the program and their experience. If an officer does cite someone for a general equipment violation, the individual can bring in proof of the repair within seven days of that citation being issued, Simington said. Vouchers can be used at Walmart, Autozone or Advanced Auto Parts locations in Bloomington-Normal, Nowers said. The best part of it all, no taxpayer dollars are going in this either, he said. This is completely locally and MicroGrant-funded. Simington said he learned about Lights On! through law enforcement newsletters and was first approached about a year ago. The outcomes will be beneficial for the community and for the officers who extend this gesture, leading to positive interactions and more trust-building outcomes, Simington said. Every officer at BPD will have access to the vouchers, officials said. Bloomington Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe joked that it would have been nice if the program started three weeks ago when he was stopped for a similar violation, but overall it will make a genuine difference in the community. The police department takes the responsibility to protect and serve the city very seriously but they also place value on the work that they do with the residents to make our neighborhoods better places to live, Mwilambwe said. Policing is just one aspect of building a strong and safe community and partnering with this wonderful organization is a key part of that effort. Close Six-year-old Jolie Elder, of Bloomington, strikes a pose as a 360 Photo Booth revolves around her for a video selfie at the Elegant Bridal Expo on Sunday at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Bloomington. Her mother, Annie Elder, said her daughter will serve as the flower girl for a relative's upcoming wedding. The photo booth was set up by Selfie Space out of Peoria. Owner Renee Waller said they attend weddings, plus host small events at their "Selfie Museum" in Peoria. Her business first opened in August. From left, Zach and Taylor Lee, both of Bloomington, pose before a "Marry Me" selfie wall prepared Sunday by Selfie Space, of Peoria, while attending the Elegant Bridal Expo at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Bloomington. Their wedding date is planned for Aug. 21, 2024. The Copy Shop, 302 E. Washington St., Bloomington, displayed several wedding services Sunday at the Elegant Bridal Expo in Bloomington, as shown in this table arrangement of stylishly-printed invitations, guest books, menus and table number signs. From left, Jessica Gibson, manager for Janet's Cakes & Catering in Bloomington, chats with potential customers aside Jessica Newnum while tabling Sunday at the Elegant Bridal Expo at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Bloomington. FLOWER POWER: 200 brides fix up plans at Bloomington wedding expo Brides, grooms, bridesmaids and flower girls were busy preparing Sunday for "the big day" at the Elegant Bridal Expo, which returned for the 11th time that afternoon to the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Bloomington. Ashley Peecher, owner of the Springfield expo company, said they brought out 15 extra vendors this year, for a total of 60. She expected 200 "Very Important Brides" to attend, for a total of 700 visitors. Peecher said it was her 72nd expo her company has organized in the Twin Cities, Champaign, Peoria and Springfield. She also said she looks forward to helping brides plan their weddings, as well as promoting local businesses. Six-year-old Jolie Elder, of Bloomington, strikes a pose as a 360 Photo Booth revolves around her for a video selfie at the Elegant Bridal Expo on Sunday at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Bloomington. Her mother, Annie Elder, said her daughter will serve as the flower girl for a relative's upcoming wedding. The photo booth was set up by Selfie Space out of Peoria. Owner Renee Waller said they attend weddings, plus host small events at their "Selfie Museum" in Peoria. Her business first opened in August. From left, Zach and Taylor Lee, both of Bloomington, pose before a "Marry Me" selfie wall prepared Sunday by Selfie Space, of Peoria, while attending the Elegant Bridal Expo at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Bloomington. Their wedding date is planned for Aug. 21, 2024. The Copy Shop, 302 E. Washington St., Bloomington, displayed several wedding services Sunday at the Elegant Bridal Expo in Bloomington, as shown in this table arrangement of stylishly-printed invitations, guest books, menus and table number signs. From left, Jessica Gibson, manager for Janet's Cakes & Catering in Bloomington, chats with potential customers aside Jessica Newnum while tabling Sunday at the Elegant Bridal Expo at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Bloomington. 100 years ago Jan. 17, 1923: The Open Forum will add to its reputation for bringing notable people to lecture in Bloomington by presenting Edgar Lee Masters, the eminent poet, in a recital from his own works next Sunday. Mr. Masters is not only one of the foremost men of letters of our time, but the literary history of the period cannot be written without recognizing the contribution he has made to that which is distinctive, original and universal in our art. 75 years ago Jan. 17, 1948: City parking meters will be used to collect funds to help with the effects of infantile paralysis. Aldermen voted unanimously to ask the public to drop their dime contributions to the March of Dimes in the parking meters. They will then be turned over to the county committee. This way of supporting the campaign came about after hearing a brief talk by Ben Arnold, city campaign chairman. 50 years agoJan. 17, 1973: The international road sign concept was used to come up with a new logotype for the Bloomington-Normal Public Transit System. Trustees adopted the use of a logo with a European flair to use on buses, bus stop signs and stationery. The logo, designed for the board by Robert Popelka, depicts a driver behind the wheel. 25 years ago Jan. 17, 1998: A few months from breaking ground in Normal for its permanent campus, Heartland Community College is considering a plan to bring the school to downtown Bloomington, which could be revitalized by the presence of the school and its projected 5,000 students. Although specific figures havent been released, a group of downtown business leaders is attempting to lure Heartland with the promise of significant cost savings from the current $32 million price tag. 101 years ago: See vintage Pantagraph ads from 1922 Gerthart's Union Gas and Electric Co. Hoover Dr. J.A. Moore Dentists Moberly & Klenner W.P. Garretson W.H. Roland Pease's Candy Thor 32 Electric Washing Machine The Kaiser's Story of the War Ike Livingston & Sons Gossard Corsets Cat'n Fiddle 'Stolen Moments' Case Model X The Johnson Transfer & Fuel Co. The Pantagraph want ads Franklin Motor Car Co. 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court' Calumet Baking Powder Mayer Livingston & Co. Newsmarket 'The Emperor Jones' 'California Fig Syrup' The Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC) informs all Company Officials, Business Owners and the general public that there have been changes in the Fees and Charges on all transactions, including the Incorporation and Registration of Businesses, Amendments and the filing of Annual Returns effective 1st January, 2023. In a statement signed by Jemima Mamaa Oware, Rigistrar of Companies, this is in accordance with the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2022 Act 1080 as passed by Parliament. The changes in Fees and Charges would apply to the registration and amendment of Business Names, Subsidiary Business Names, Partnerships, External Companies, Professional Bodies as well as the Incorporation of Companies Limited/ Unlimited by Shares and Companies Limited by Guarantee. "From the 1st of June, 2023, the ORC would, for the very first time be fully implementing section 126(7) of the Companies Act, 2019 (Act 992) which states that where a Company defaults in complying with the filing of Annual Returns and Financial Statements, the Company and every officer of the company that is in default is liable to pay to the Registrar an Administrative Penalty of Twenty-Five penalty units for each day during which the default continues," she further stated. The ORC from June 2023 is also going to fully enforce the penalty for failure to comply with the statutory provision on Annual Renewal of Partnerships registration. From this year, failure to renew a Business Name (Sole Proprietorship)/Subsidiary Business Name for a period of 3 months after the year has ended would lead to the Lapse of the Business Name/Subsidiary Business Name. To avoid such Business Names falling into the public domain and for anyone of interest to use it after it has been struck off the Business Names Register, Business Name owners can electronically renew their Businesses by dialing the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) Code *222# and follow the prompt to make payment with their Mobile Money wallet on the Ghana.Gov payment platform. The ORC would also be introducing expedited/express services this year. This is to ensure that patrons of the services get their documents within forty-eight (48) hours. The expedited/express services would be available at the Head Office in Accra and some Regional Offices when it commences after the first half of this year. The ORC wishes to remind its cherished clients that payments on transactions are only to be made at its in-house Fidelity Bank or any other Fidelity Bank Branch. The Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC) does not operate a Mobile Money Account or authorize same on its behalf. Under no circumstance should ORC clients transfer money to any Mobile Money Number in the name of the Office, Staff or a Lawyer. CHANGE IN FEES AND CHARGES The Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC) informs all Company Officials, Business Owners and the general public that there have been changes in the Fees and Charges on all transactions, including the Incorporation and Registration of Businesses, Amendments and the filing of Annual Returns effective 1st January, 2023. This is in accordance with the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2022 Act 1080 as passed by Parliament and earlier indicated in our Press Release dated 14th November, 2022. The changes in Fees and Charges would apply to the registration and amendment of Business Names, Subsidiary Business Names, Partnerships, External Companies, Professional Bodies as well as the Incorporation of Companies Limited/ Unlimited by Shares and Companies Limited by Guarantee. Please visit www.orc.gov.gh/www.rgd.gov.gh or our Front Offices in Accra and The Regional Offices for further details on these new Fees. From the 1st of June, 2023, the ORC would, for the very first time be fully implementing section 126(7) of the Companies Act, 2019 (Act 992) which states that where a Company defaults in complying with the filing of Annual Returns and Financial Statements, the Company and every officer of the company that is in default is liable to pay to the Registrar an Administrative Penalty of Twenty-Five penalty units for each day during which the default continues. A penalty unit is established by the Fines (Penalty Units) Act 2000 (Act 572) and the current monetary value per penalty unit is GHC12.00. This means that effective 1st June, 2023, an administrative charge of GHc300.00 would be charged for each day the default continues against the Company and EVERY OFFICER of the Company until section 126 (7) is complied with. The full implementation of the Companies Act, 2019 Act 992 by this section is being proposed now by Management and the Board to ensure Companies take the compliance of this requirement in the Act more seriously than they have done previously. Company Secretaries and Auditors should therefore kickstart the processes in getting these mandatory documents ready and on time to avoid paying this very punitive Administrative Penalty and sanction and push their Companies into a state of inactivity. The ORC from June 2023 is also going to fully enforce the penalty for failure to comply with the statutory provision on Annual Renewal of Partnerships registration. The Incorporated Private Partnerships Act,1962 (Act 152) section 8 (1) states that: Once in every year, the Partners of a Partnership SHALL deliver to the Registrar for registration a Statement in the Prescribed Form renewing the registration. Section 9(1), in the event of default in complying with sections 4,5,7 or 8 of Act 152, (a) Every Partner SHALL be liable to a fine not exceeding five (5) pounds for each day during which the default continues; The cost of five (5) British Pounds in Ghana Cedis per the current Bank of Ghana Foreign Exchange rate is Ghc60.00. Partnerships, especially Auditing Firms on the Register, are to note accordingly and put their Books in order to renew the Partnership Registration and avoid paying this punitive penalty. Additionally, the ORC is going to enforce section 5A (2) of the Registration of Business Names Act, 1962 (Act 151) on Annual Renewals. This states that without prejudice to any other liability prescribed by this Act, a registration which is not renewed in accordance with this section shall LAPSE and the Registrar may remove from the Register the Business Name of the person whose Registration has lapsed after the expiration of the period prescribed for the renewal. From this year, failure to renew a Business Name (Sole Proprietorship)/Subsidiary Business Name for a period of 3 months after the year has ended would lead to the Lapse of the Business Name/Subsidiary Business Name. To avoid such Business Names falling into the public domain and for anyone of interest to use it after it has been struck off the Business Names Register, Business Name owners can electronically renew their Businesses by dialing the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) Code *222# and follow the prompt to make payment with their Mobile Money wallet on the Ghana.Gov payment platform. The ORC would also be introducing expedited/express services this year. This is to ensure that patrons of the services get their documents within forty-eight (48) hours. The expedited/express services would be available at the Head Office in Accra and some Regional Offices when it commences after the first half of this year. All Company Secretaries who are yet to comply with the directives issued by the ORC on the Name Changes in the Companies Act, 2019 (Act 992) are to submit a Special Resolution for a change of their Company Name by adding the appropriate suffix to the end of their Company Name. Companies who have not as yet adopted a Registered Constitution reflecting the changed name in place of their Companys Regulations are also being reminded to do so by the end of June, 2023. The ORC wishes to remind its cherished clients that payments on transactions are ONLY to be made at its in-house Fidelity Bank or any other Fidelity Bank Branch. The Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC) does not operate a Mobile Money Account or authorize same on its behalf. Under no circumstance should ORC clients transfer money to any Mobile Money Number in the name of the Office, Staff or a Lawyer. Please be vigilant against fraudsters calling Company officials and Business Owners to make transfers to certain mobile numbers. We urge the General Public to ignore such calls or messages and cross check its validity with us through our official numbers. Please contact us on 055-765-3130 (Telegram/WhatsApp) or 030-266-6081/030-266-4692. Follow us on our social media handles on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram @ORC Ghana. SIGNED. JEMIMA MAMAA OWARE (MRS) (REGISTRAR OF COMPANIES) Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Global business leader and Group Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines, Mesfin Tasew Bekele and board chairman, Girma Wake have confirmed their participation at the maiden Africa Prosperity Dialogues, which is being organised by the Africa Prosperity Network and its partners, including the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat and the Government of Ghana, the host nation. Dubbed the Kwahu Summit, the first of these annual dialogues will take place from 26 to 28 January, 2023. Focusing on intra-Africa trade, the Africa Prosperity Dialogues bring together Africas political and business leaders to plan and work together on the all-important single market, the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) project for the continent. Confirming his participation via email, to organizers, Mr Mesfin Tasew Bekele said it is a delight for him to join such an important dialogue series aimed at fast-tracking the implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area Agreement. Ethiopia Airlines Mr Mesfin Tasew Bekele leads an organization which aims to become the most competitive and leading aviation group in Africa by providing safe, market driven and customer focused passenger and cargo transport, aviation training, flight catering, MRO and ground services by 2025. Additionally, Mr Tasew Bekele and his team at Ethiopia Airlines are on a mission to ensure that Ethiopia Airlines becomes an airline of choice to its customers, employer of choice to its employees and an investment of choice to its Owner, and to contribute positively to socio economic development of Ethiopia in particular and the countries to which it operates in general by undertaking its corporate social responsibilities and providing vital global air connectivity. About Mesfin Tasew Mr. Mesfin Tasew was appointed as Group Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines in March 2022. He joined Ethiopian in 1984 as Associate Engineer and progressed through the ladder and served in supervisorial and managerial positions in the Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering areas. In 1997 and 1999, he was appointed as Director Operations & Technical Systems Support and Chief Information Officer, respectively. In 2006, he was appointed as Vice President of Maintenance and Engineering. Mr Mesfin also served as Chief Operating Officer of Ethiopian Airlines from 2010 2021, and Chief Executive Officer of ASKY Airlines from April 2021 to March 2022. Mr Mesfin also serves as a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Board of Governors. He holds BSC and MSc Degrees in Electrical Engineering from Addis Ababa University. He also holds Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Open University in the UK. A.P. dialogues The Africa Prosperity Dialogues are symbolically dubbed the Kwahu Summit because the Kwahus of Ghana, the host nation, represent entrepreneurialship and trade and are known to support each other excel in business. Kwahu is also the highest elevation of habitable lands in Ghana. The organisers of the Kwahu Summit aim to support through enhanced intra-Africa trade, the elevation of Africa and her people to the highest summit of human living, dignity and prosperity. The 2023 Africa Prosperity Dialogues is the first of what will be an annual event and being organised by the Africa Prosperity Network (APN) and its partners, which include the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat located in Ghana, the Presidency of the Republic of Ghana (the host nation of AfCFTA). The other partners are; United Nations Development Programme (Africa), the Africa Prosperity Fund, the Ghana Investments Promotion Centre (GIPC), the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Africa-America Institute. The Summit will bring into practical focus the continents critical challenges and industrialisation priorities and advance aggressively the commercial and infrastructural interventions to achieve the vision of creating the largest single market in the world of some 1.4 billion Africans. Summit venues The Kwahu Summit is a Pan-African economic platform which brings together the great minds and mights of Africa, both in Africa and the Diaspora, to think, plan and work together to expedite the implementation of the agreed initiatives within the AfCFTA and shape the Africa Agenda for Action. The business and policy leaders dialogues which will take place on 26 - 27 January 2023, will be held at the Safari Valley Resort, in Adukrom, on the Akuapem Mountain. On the 28 January 2023, the Peduase Presidential Lodge in Aburi, Akuapem Mountain, will host the presidential and business executives dialogues. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Ghanas largest privately-owned bank and pioneer of Agency Banking, Fidelity Bank Ghana has recently rewarded the winners of its maiden Agents promotion campaign dubbed Yenko Dubai. The Yenko Dubai promo, which formed part of activities to mark Fidelity Banks 15th anniversary celebrations, sought to reward eight (8) of the Banks most outstanding Agents and Agent Network Staff with the ultimate prize of an all-expenses paid vacation to Dubai. This is in recognition of the pivotal role Fidelity Agents have played in expanding the Banks reach and driving its inclusive banking agenda. At the end of the promotion in December 2022, the agents of S-Duah Enterprise, (Kumasi), Kofhay Mobile Money Ventures (Berekum), Frimaud Ventures (Accra Central), Quickeagle Services (Kasoa), Brilin Top Enterprise (Nkawkaw), Mupaason Enterprise (Tarkwa), Majesty Authentic (Kasoa), and Frimpee A1 Enterprise (Sunyani) were rewarded with the ultimate prize after emerging as the 8 overall best performing agents. Additionally, ten (10) other deserving Agents were also rewarded with a lunch date with executives of Fidelity Bank, while six (6) Agents were rewarded with a weekend staycation at the Maaha Beach resort in the Western region. Thirty other Agents who performed commendably were also rewarded with brand-new mobile phones during the promo. Commenting on the promo, the Director of Channels and Sales at Fidelity Bank, Mr. Godfred Attafuah, expressed his gratitude to all Fidelity Bank Agents who responded to the call and played various roles to make the Yenko Dubai promo a success. We, at Fidelity Bank are proud to maintain our position as a leader in the Agency Banking space. We acknowledge that we could not have come this far without the support of our agent partners and for that we are grateful, he added. The Head of Agency Banking at Fidelity Bank, Dr. David Okyere, also indicated that the introduction of the Yenko Dubai promo has positively impacted the performance of Fidelity Banks Agents. The performance of Fidelity Banks Agents in the last few months has been highly impressive. In fact, there was over 100% achievement for most of the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) set for the campaign. This shows how committed our Agents have been to Fidelity Banks agenda of financial inclusion. Dr. Okyere thanked the various stakeholders who contributed to the success of the campaign. He also urged the Agents to look out for other exciting campaigns in the near-future, especially as the Bank is slated to celebrate ten (10) years of providing Agency Banking services in Ghana in 2023. Fidelity Agency Banking was introduced as an alternative distribution channel after Fidelity Bank became the first bank to receive approval from the Bank of Ghana to operate the Agency Banking model in Ghana in 2013. Today, Fidelity Bank has over 5000 Agents across all the regions of Ghana and maintains the distinction of being the market leader in Agency Banking. About Fidelity Bank In a little over a decade, Fidelity Bank Ghana has grown from a discount house to a Tier-1 Bank and is now the largest privately-owned Ghanaian Bank in Ghana. The bank currently serves its approximately 2 million customers in 75 branches across Ghana and is a leader in the digital banking space. The bank has two subsidiaries, Fidelity Asia Bank Limited, which is a wholly owned subsidiary in Malaysia and Fidelity Securities Limited, an asset management firm. In a short period of time, Fidelity Bank has become a household name in Ghana by adopting a customer-centric culture and delivering consistently on the promise of making a difference in the lives of all stakeholders. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has cautioned prospective presidential candidates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the upcoming presidential primaries to show sportsmanship, and all should support the candidate who will win the primaries. Im confident that the NPP is a better option when it comes to governance of this country. I hope the NPP will work hard to win the next election, the former president said. Former President Agyekum Kufuor made this known when Mr Joe Ghartey, former Attorney General and Minister for Justice in the then Kufuor Administration, now a presidential aspirant climbed the Aburi Mountains for a pilgrimage to the residence of former President Agyekum Kufuor. The visit afforded Mr Ghartey the opportunity to formally inform President Kufuor of his intention to contest the upcoming NPP Presidential Primaries. Former President Kufuor reminded Mr Ghartey that the NPP belonged to all of them, and no one was bigger than the party. It is important at all times to protect the integrity of the party," the former president stressed. Former President Kufuor commended Mr Ghartey for what he described as a burning ambition to offer himself for service to the people over the years. He reminded those present that the Western Region, where Mr Ghartey came from was very much part of the independence struggle in Ghana. Former President Kufour took note of Mr Ghartey service in the Akufo-Addo Administration and emphasized the role of the railway workers. He reminisced on the famous "bottom tree" which was where the railway workers met to take decisions. Former President Kufuor stated that he was happy with Mr Joe Ghartey's performance and professionalism when he served under him as Attorney-General and Minister of Justice. Former President Kufuor recalled that before Mr Joe Ghartey's appointment, he was his mother Obaapanyin Ama Dapaah's lawyer and subsequently, his elder sister, Nana Durowaa's lawyer. For his part Mr Joe Ghartey used the opportunity to thank former President Kufuor for appointing him as Attorney-General and Minister of Justice in 2006. Mr Ghartey reminded President Kufuor of several incidents during his tenure which brought a smile to his face and a twinkle in his eyes. Mr Ghartey told the former President Kufuor that "during the time, I never felt under any pressure from him to take any decision one way or another." Mr Ghartey assured former President Kufuor that he would not do anything to bring the party into disrepute. He assured him further and said: "I would run a clean campaign and not disparage any of the other contestants since as he said, and I also agreed, we must campaign in such a way that will allow us to come together after the contest and pursue a common goal." 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. Featured Video The General Secretary of the Great Consolidated Peoples Party (GCPP), Ato Dadzie, is alleging that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is having sleepless nights in his attempt to find capable hands to replace two of his cabinet ministers who have resigned to pursue their ambitions of becoming flagbearers for the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP). It is believed that the resignation of the two ministers has triggered the call for the president to reshuffle his appointees. The replacement of the two ministers, namely Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen formerly of Trade and Industry and Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, formerly of Food and Agriculture, according to the GCPP General Secretary, has become a nightmare for the president. Mr Dadzie who is a lawyer by profession made this allegation while speaking as a panellist on the Ghana Yensom morning show hosted by Odehyeeba Kofi Essuman on Accra 100.5 FM, Thursday, January 12, 2023. He said many of the NPP stalwarts are shying away from the appointments being offered them by the president because of the abysmal performance of the government in the last couple of years. He explained that many of the would-be appointees are not comfortable being a part of the government. The would-be appointees are rejecting the positions because they don't want to be seen as last-minute substitutes in the eyes of the public, he said. He further alleged that some of the capable hands who have been approached by the president have refused to be part of the Nana Akufo-Addo-led administration. He was of the opinion that the government in the last couple of years has not been attractive to Ghanaians hence the decision by the would-be appointees. He also said that popular party supporters are refusing to be a part of the government at this last hour. He stressed that many of the party stalwarts contacted by the president are refusing to take up the appointments because the government has underperformed to the disappointment of Ghanaians, particularly in the past year. According to him, he is on the side of the party stalwarts who are refusing to take up appointments at the last minute, adding that many of them want to see a dollar-pegged at GHS 4.20 pesewas. Which is it not the case as we speak? he quizzed. They also want to see Diesel being sold at GHS 5 per litre which is also not the case under the current administration, he concluded. Source: class fm Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The eight students of the Chiana Senior High School (SHS) who were dismissed for insulting the President have been asked by the Ghana Education Service (GES) to report to the headmistress of the school for further directions. This is as a result of the reversal of their dismissal, following the intervention by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. The GES has thus referred the matter of the eight girls to the schools internal disciplinary committee to explore alternative sanctions other than dismissal. It said the affected students were dismissed based on a recommendation from the schools Disciplinary Committee. Dismissal Last Thursday, the female students were dismissed by the GES for insulting President Akufo-Addo in a video they recorded and shared on social media. They were suspended last year prior to the dismissal, which the GES said was to serve as a deterrent to other students. They were seen in a widely circulated video using vulgar and unprintable words on the President. The video was in reaction to the President's national address on the economy on November 30, 2022, the address which was afterwards popularly referred to as largent naime pas le bruit, to wit, money does not like noise or sika mp dede. The GES also apologised to the President and the public on behalf of the students and the school. Sanctions The GES subsequently referred the matter to the schools disciplinary committee to explore alternative sanctions After the dismissal letters were handed over to them, the students were seen in another video apologising for their comments. However, following their dismissal, the President intervened when his attention was drawn to it. A statement from the Ministry of Education said the sector Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, had directed the GES to revise its decision. The dismissal of the students last week elicited mixed reactions from the public. While some thought it would serve as a deterrent to others, some individuals and bodies thought it would jeopardise their future. Social, emotional learning Meanwhile, the Northern Network for Educational Development (NNED), a network of education-focused civil society organisations, has called for the introduction of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in schools. That, it said, would help students better understand their thoughts and emotions to become more self-aware, develop more empathy for others within their environment and make responsible decisions. The network was of the view that the classroom was where students were often first exposed to people from different backgrounds who held differing beliefs and views, hence such an intervention would help put all students on an equal footing to succeed. The call comes in the wake of the action and subsequent dismissal of the eight students of the Chiana SHS which stirred controversy, resulting in an intervention by President Akufo-Addo just a day afterwards for their reinstatement. Commendation/weak supervision A lead member of the Northern, North East and Savannah Regional Chapter of the NNED and Executive Director of Savanna Signatures, Stephen Agbenyo, said with the dynamics of democracy and the rights of everyone, it was important to also educate particularly students on their responsibilities. While condemning the language of the students in the viral video and reminding all that the freedom of speech guaranteed under the Constitution was not absolute, the NNED lead member blamed the authorities of the Chiana SHS for the gross indiscipline exhibited by the students. "In our view, the act by the students exposes the weak supervision in our second-cycle educational institutions by school authorities, especially on the part of teachers and management committees who have direct oversight responsibility of the schools," he said. He further maintained that if the authorities of the school had been diligent and up to the task, those students would not have had the chance to use unauthorised gadgets (mobile phones) in the school to record themselves and share same on social media. He lauded the President for showing leadership and a good heart in intervening and helping to save the future of the girls. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A man who drowned in a bathtub at a Green Oaks senior apartment building in Park Forest Jan. 10 was submerged a few days before being discovered, according to a police report. Police responded to Victory Center, 151 Main St., at 4:45 p.m. Jan. 10 for a well-being check call after the buildings manager, Erin Brewer, said she hadnt seen resident James Gordon, 81, in about two weeks, according to the police report. Advertisement Brewer told police Gordon frequently came downstairs from his apartment and she became concerned when other residents stated they had not seen him either, according to the police report. On Tuesday, Brewer told the Daily Southtown it is an apartment building for seniors to live independently, which means it operates like a standard apartment complex. Brewer said like a landlord, she cannot enter an apartment without calling police for assistance. Advertisement When officers entered the apartment and opened the door to the bathroom, they found Gordon in the bathtub partially submerged in water, according to the police report. The bathtub drain was closed and the faucet was trickling. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy > Gordon had signs of rigor mortis the stiffening of the joints and muscles of a body one to four days after death and early signs of decomposition, according to the report. He was pronounced dead at 5:06 p.m. Jan. 10, according to the Cook County medical examiners office. The autopsy determined the cause of death to be drowning with cardiovascular disease and diabetes as contributing factors, and the death was ruled an accident. Officers were unable to contact Gordons family, according to the police report. His next of kin had not been notified by the Cook County medical examiner as of Tuesday, said spokeswoman Natalia Derevyanny. Officers spoke with a resident of the building who said he had not seen Gordon for about four days. Another resident told police she last saw Gordon Jan. 4, according to the report. The apartments are part of Green Oaks and described on its website as an affordable assisted lifestyle community with studio and one-bedroom apartments, each with its own kitchenette, private bathroom and emergency response system. The Illinois Department of Public Health classifies the building as senior apartments, which differ from a licensed assisted living facility falling under its jurisdiction, said spokesman Michael Claffey. The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) is collaborating with the Ghana Maritime Authority to ensure that human rights abuses against fishers aboard fishing vessels on Ghanaian waters are dealt with. Additionally, all fishing vessels that have been cleared to fish on Ghanaian waters have been directed to insure their vessels and also refurbish them to ensure the safety of all crew members. Speaking in an interview with Graphic Online on the sidelines of the 14th session of the Conference of the Ministers of the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea, which ended in Accra on Friday, January 13, 2023, Madam Hawa Koomson, said nobody has the right to abuse any Ghanaian fishing observer on any vessel. FCWC The 14th session of the Conference of the Ministers of the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea, which was done both in-person and online, was on the theme: Supporting effective fisheries management for a sustainable blue economy. The conference was attended by the fisheries ministers of the six FCWC member states (Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Liberia, Benin and Cote d'Ivoire) or their representatives. The sessions participants deliberated on the theme, reviewed the past years results, and agreed on a work plan and budget for 2023/2024. The FCWC was established in 2007 to promote and facilitate cooperation in fisheries management between the member countries. Abuses For Madam Hawa Koomson, abusing any fishing observer means abusing the authority that put the observer on the vessel. because if you abuse the observer, its me, the minister, you are abusing because he is representing me on the vessel at the expedition, she noted. The Fisheries Minister said it is worrying for fishers or observers to be abused on fishing vessels, saying you cannot abuse the observer. According to her, the Ghanaian fishing observer who got missing on a fishing vessel some years ago was still being investigated by the Marine Police. That, Madam Hawa Koomson noted, the Ministry has not lost track of the case and that it will put more pressure on the police to expedite things. She said the new directives on the safety of observers and fishers, as well as efforts to prevent human rights abuses on the vessels, will help to improve the welfare of all fishing crew members aboard any vessel on Ghanaian waters. She explains that per the new arrangements with the Ghana Maritime Authority, all fishing vessels are strictly inspected under varied checklists before they are allowed to set sail. For her, all the 19 vessels currently fishing on Ghanaian waters have good places for their crew members to sleep and cook. Madam Hawa Koomson added that when the vessels also arrive at the ports, they are inspected and the fishing observers interrogated to find out if anyone had been abused either physically or verbally. When the vessels arrive, we call the observer and ask him whether any form of abuse was done to him, she said. She noted that formerly the observers were not given fish when they returned from sea but now they are given part of the catch. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video There is currently a heavy security presence in Buipe in the Savanna Region following some disturbances in the area. The military and police presence comes after some persons stormed the police station and the palace of the Buipewura to demand the release of eight people who were arrested. During the protest, an individual was injured when police fired a warning shot to disperse the protestors. He has however been taken to the hospital for treatment. According to citinews.com, eight persons were arrested for the alleged involvement in razing down some houses belonging to some Fulanis in protest against the enskinment of a Fulani as a chief of Mande. The Secretary of Buipewura Jinapor II, Neripewura Abubakari Kitson Panfia, said measures have been put in place to restore calm. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Founder and Leader of the Prophetic Hill Chapel, Prophet Nigel Gaisie, has asserted that his prophecy about John Dramani Mahama being re-elected was spiritually hijacked and manipulated. Nigel Gaisie claims that it is not uncommon for evil spirits to hijack prophecies in the spiritual realm but his prophecy was instructed by God so it shall come to pass. Prophecies can be hijacked. We can prophesy and it can be hijacked by spiritual powers or evil men, but that does not mean that the prophecy wont come to pass. With time it will surely come to pass. So, as were living lets pray for life all the prophecies will come to pass. The last election it was clear, where I am sitting as a prophet of God it went well for the NDC members. Anybody who doesnt wants to be biased will tell you the truth. Even the NPP members know that Im a prophet and what I said came to pass. So, the prophecy was hijacked. And it is still in the womb of time waiting to manifest and if God permits 2024 it will manifest. I have a mandate from God to make sure that the prophecy comes to pass. I was in Israel praying and God said I should come and tell Ghanaians this, it will amaze you that the former president I dont even call him, and we dont talk, he said in an interview with Onua TV. Prophet Nigel Gaisie during the 31-night watch service released a number of prophecies that he claims are bound to happen in 2023. Gaisie outlined prophecies that relate to a nation he claimed was called The Republic of Yemp Nokware a nation that bears similarities with Ghana. He issued a disclaimer at the beginning of his prophecy session that his words were of the spiritual and not the physical world. I want to say this is a disclaimer, I am in the spirit and I am in the church behind the pulpit. I am not talking in my human sense; I am talking as a spiritual person. The intention is not to cause fear and panic, prophecies are utterances led by the spirit of God through vision, trans and dreams and our five senses, he added. He mentioned three scriptures that backed his position on prophecies being divine and continued: On the strength of these scriptures, I repeat again, I am not prophesying to the nation and people of Ghana. If you are in Ghana, you can respectfully log off or switch off your TV, I am prophesying to the Republic of Yemp Nokware. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A directive to deny continuing students of the Commonwealth Hall at the University of Ghana access to the hall is still in place. The management of University of Ghana (UG) introduced a residential policy which directed continuing students of Commonwealth Hall and male students of Mensah Sarbah Hall to be assigned to other residential facilities on campus. Some students of Commonwealth Hall have been stuck outside the hall premises since the first day of reopening for students [Thursday 12th January 2023] due to the new directive. Security has been beefed up on campus to prevent the affected students from occupying the hall. Some stranded students on campus from Commonwealth Hall, usually referred to as Vandals, who spoke to Happy FMs / Etv.Ghanas Joseph Nii Ankrah said We came here and the schools security said they will not allow us to enter the hall. I have been here since 12th January with my luggage and other items. I dont know where they want us to go. I will sleep under the tree today, one of the frustrated continuing students said. Another stranded student said. They have given me another hall which is very expensive, my parents cannot afford the fee. Lectures have started today; 16th January and Im supposed to go but because I dont have anywhere to stay and keep my belongings, I could not attend lectures. Im depressed and stressed about the whole situation. It would be recalled that, some 8 disgruntled students of Commonwealth Hall secured an interlocutory injunction on January 6, 2023, restraining the management of UG from implementing the new residential policy and directing the school to revert to the status quo prior to the announcement of the policy. However, the management of UG argued that the directive had taken off long before the injunction was secured, indicating that about 83 per cent of Commonwealth Hall students had agreed and accepted placement to other accommodation facilities provided by the university. But on Thursday, January 12, 2023, some continuing students arrived on campus to see a heavy security presence, preventing them from accessing the traditional hall. The measures which took effect from the beginning of the 2022 academic year, were to prevent future occurrences of violence between Commonwealth Hall and Mensah Sarbah Hall students. Continuing students of Commonwealth Hall and male students of Mensah Sarbah Hall are not to return to their halls or any of the traditional halls. Rather, they have randomly been assigned to available rooms in the UGEL hostels available on campus. Continuing female students of Mensah Sarbah Hall and students with special needs in both halls are exempted by this measure. Also from the 2022/2023 academic year, only Level 100 and graduate students (Masters and PhD level) will be assigned to Mensah Sarbah and Commonwealth Halls and subsequently, undergraduate students will vacate the halls at the end of Level 100 and could secure accommodation in the private hostels from Level 200 until completion. For Level 100 students who opt for traditional halls, they will be randomly assigned to the halls and progressively, all the traditional halls (Mensah Sarbah, Commonwealth, Volta, Legon and Akuafo halls) will be reserved for Level 100 and graduate students only, culminating into a full in-out-out-out policy by 2025/2026. To improve upon security on campus, the university council said it was installing CCTV cameras and Electronic Access control systems in all halls. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia is a convention-defying politician in more ways than one. His signature policy since taking office, the digitalisation agenda, is one that has raised many eyebrows as it is out of the box. Recently, his gold-for-oil policy is another unconventional idea he pulled out of a box to deal with a persistent problem. This unconventional nature appears to be paying dividends in more ways than one for Bawumia. At a point where the country is facing numerous challenges and politicians remain unpopular, Bawumia appears to buck this trend. Over the weekend, the Vice President managed to unwittingly turn a funeral into a rally ground as he was mobbed unendingly by attendees at the funeral of the late mother of Dr Dominic Eduah. The Executive Director of the GNPC Foundation held the final funeral rites for his late mother at Ajumako in the Central Region. The Veep appeared at the funeral with some other NPP members, but the crowd visibly went wild when his presence was announced. He was unendingly mobbed by excited funeral attendees as the program was temporarily turned into a rally ground. Samira Bawumia, who was in the company of her husband, also received tons of cheers. The cheering throng signalled approval of Dr Bawumias expected Presidential bid. Dr Bawumia has become accustomed to cheering crowds of late. A few weeks ago, Bawumia was similarly hailed by the cheering masses in Tamale after single-handedly funding the renovation of Tamales Central Mosque. Bawumia handed over the completed project to the leadership of the mosque including the Regional Chief Imam, Shaykh Abdul Salam. During the ceremony, the leadership of the mosque expressed gratitude to the Veep over his selfless act whilst the gathered masses hailed him as a hero. Bawumia is expected to run for the NPP flagbearer position although he is yet to formally announce his intentions. He is expected to face stiff competition from former Trade Minister, Alan Kyeremanten, Assin Central Member of Parliament, Kennedy Agyapong and others. However, whilst Bawumia has yet to formally announce his bid, many political observers place him as the firm frontrunner for the position and videos such as this prove how he evokes completely different reactions in the electorate than most of his other competitors. Source: https://theghanaianvoice.com/ Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A visualization from space of the Godzilla dust storm on June 18, 2020, when desert dust traveled from the Sahara to North America. A UCLA study finds that an increase in microscopic dust in the atmosphere has concealed the full extent of greenhouse gases potential for warming the planet. Credit: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio A new study shows that global atmospheric dustmicroscopic airborne particles from desert dust stormshas a slight overall cooling effect on the planet that has hidden the full amount of warming caused by greenhouse gases. The UCLA research, published today in Nature Reviews Earth and Environment, found that the amount of desert dust has grown roughly 55% since the mid-1800s, which increased the dust's cooling effect. The study is the first to demonstrate the overall cooling effect of atmospheric desert dust. Some effects of atmospheric dust warm the planet, but because other effects of dust actually counteract warmingfor example by scattering sunlight back into space and dissipating high clouds that warm the planetthe study calculated that dust's overall effect is a cooling one. Should dust levels declineor even simply stop growingwarming could ramp up, said UCLA atmospheric physicist Jasper Kok, the study's lead author. "We show desert dust has increased, and most likely slightly counteracted greenhouse warming, which is missing from current climate models," said Kok, who studies how particulate matter affects the climate. "The increased dust hasn't caused a whole lot of coolingthe climate models are still closebut our findings imply that greenhouses gases alone could cause even more climate warming than models currently predict," he said. Kok compared the revelation to discovering, while driving a car at high speed, that the vehicle's emergency brake had been partly engaged. Just as fully releasing the brake could cause the car to move even faster, a stop to the increase in dust levels could slightly speed up global warming. While atmospheric desert dust levels have increased overall since pre-industrial times, the trend has not been steadythere have been upticks and declines along the way. Because there are so many natural and human-influenced variables that can cause dust levels to increase or decrease, scientists cannot accurately project how the amounts of atmospheric dust will change in the coming decades. Some of the microscopic airborne particles created by burning fossil fuels also temporarily contribute to cooling, Kok said. But while scientists have spent decades determining the consequences of these human-made aerosols, the precise warming or cooling effect of desert dust remained unclear until now. The challenge researchers faced was to determine the cumulative effect of the known warming and cooling effects of dust. In addition to atmospheric interactions with sunlight and cloud cover, when dust drops back to earth, it can darken snow and ice by settling on them, making them absorb more heat. Dust also cools the planet by depositing nutrients like iron and phosphorus. When those nutrients land in the ocean, for example, they support the growth of phytoplankton that take up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, thereby causing a net cooling effect, Kok said. Human actions have warmed the planet by 1.2 degrees Celsius, or 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit, since about 1850. Without the increase in dust, climate change would likely have warmed the planet by about 0.1 degree Fahrenheit more already, Kok said. With the planet nearing the 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit of warming that scientists consider especially dangerous, every tenth of a degree matters, Kok said. "We want climate projections to be as accurate as possible, and this dust increase could have masked up to 8% of the greenhouse warming," Kok said. "By adding the increase in desert dust, which accounts for over half of the atmosphere's mass of particulate matter, we can increase the accuracy of climate model predictions. This is of tremendous importance because better predictions can inform better decisions of how to mitigate or adapt to climate change." The researchers used satellite and ground measurements to quantify the current amount of microscopic mineral particles in the air. They determined that there were 26 million tons of such particles globallyequivalent to the weight of about 5 million African elephants floating in the sky. They next looked at the geologic record, gathering data from ice cores, marine sediment records and samples from peat bogs, which all show the layers of atmospheric dust that had fallen from the sky. Samples from around the world showed a steady increase in desert dust. Dust can increase as a result of drier soils, higher wind speed and human land-use changesdiverting water for irrigation and turning marginal desert regions into grazing and agricultural land, for example. While increases in dust levels due to those types of land-use changes have taken place primarily on the borders of the world's largest deserts, like the Sahara and Sahel in Africa and Asia's Gobi desert, Kok said, similar changes have taken place in California's Owens Lake and are occurring now in the Salton Sea, also in California. But the factors that account for increased dust levels are not clear-cut or linear, Kok said, and whether the amounts of desert particulates will increase, decrease or remain relatively flat is unknown. Kok emphasized that while the increase in atmospheric dust has somewhat masked the full potential of greenhouse gases to warm the climate, the findings don't show that climate models are wrong. "The climate models are very useful in predicting future climate change, and this finding could further improve their usefulness," Kok said. More information: Jasper F. Kok et al, Mineral dust aerosol impacts on global climate and climate change, Nature Reviews Earth & Environment (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s43017-022-00379-5 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Example Data Gap Area in Marin County. Credit: SHALLOW GROUNDWATER RESPONSE TO SEA-LEVEL RISE: Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties (2023) Amid dramatic ocean swells and drenching atmospheric rivers, a new report lays bare a hidden aspect of sea level rise that has been exacerbating flooding in the Bay Area. The report, which was released Tuesday, maps areas that could flood from groundwater hovering just a few feet, or even inches below ground. This layer of water gets pushed upward as denser water from the ocean moves inland from rising tides. On its way up, even before the water breaks the surface, it can seep into the cracks of basements, infiltrate plumbing, or, even more insidiously, re-mobilize toxic chemicals buried underground. Communities that consider themselves "safe" from sea level rise might need to think otherwise, said Kris May, a lead author of the report and founder of Pathways Climate Institute, a research-based consulting firm in San Francisco that helps cities adapt to climate change. "I started working on sea level rise, then I went into extreme precipitation, and then groundwater but it's all connected," May said. She noted that hot spots where the soil is already saturated with rising groundwater were some of the first to flood when a recent series of atmospheric rivers dumped record rainfall onto California: "These huge storms really highlight the magnitude of the risk." The new findings are the result of an unprecedented joint effort by May, the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI), UC Berkeley and a wide-ranging team of regulators, building officials, and flood-control agencies to identify where the groundwater along the bay shoreline is close to, or already breaking, the surface. A set of searchable maps, available online to the public, zooms in on Alameda, Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo countiesthe first of many jurisdictions that researchers hope will undergo this intensive data-refining process. The maps build on a new but growing body of research. In 2020, another study led by the U.S. Geological Survey laid the groundwork for this issue along California's 1,200-mile coast, and state toxic substances control officials have since started their own mapping efforts to better understand how rising groundwater might affect contaminated land. Similar research into vulnerable communities in Southern California is now also being conducted by a team led by Cal State Long Beach and Cal State Northridge. This emerging flood risk raises many tough questions, but the data so far make clear the need for urgent action. "We really need to focus on where contaminants may be mobilized by rising groundwater, because that could have an immediate impact on a 6-year-old, or a pregnant woman, or someone who has extra vulnerability in their immune system," said Kristina Hill, a UC Berkeley researcher who has been particularly concerned about underserved communities like Marin City and historically industrial areas like East Oakland, where much of the soil is contaminated. "This [remobilization] could be happening now while it's wet outside." When talking about groundwater, there are two types to keep in mind: One, the kind researchers are now worried about, is the unconfined water that gathers in the pore spaces of soil very close to the surface. This is the water that runs off streets and soaks into the ground. The other type, confined in aquifers many hundreds of feet deep, is the water that we tap for drinking. When the tide moves inland, the shallow freshwater tends to float on top of the denser saltwaterand gets pushed upward toward the surface as sea levels rise. Because the shallow groundwater is not consumed, few people have studied this layer of water in California. Hill, who directs the Institute of Urban and Regional Development at UC Berkeley, first realized almost a decade ago that this shallow groundwater layer had been overlooked in sea level rise conversations. Together with May and Ellen Plane, who is now an environmental scientist at SFEI, she analyzed data from 10,000 wells across the Bay Area and concluded more than twice as much land could flood from groundwater as the ocean continued to rise. Then, in a remarkable move to turn these first approximation studies into data that government agencies would actually use, the researchers called on the officials themselves to help fill in the data gaps. City and county staff tracked down geotechnical reports and other possibly useful records that had been archived in various (and often siloed) departments. They sifted through hundreds of PDFs and spreadsheets to compile all the underground data that had been gathered for construction permits and projects. Public works staff then vetted the updated maps with their own observationssuch as storm drains that back up during high tide and roads that tend to flood even when it's not pouring. Patterns emerged. Many of the communities most exposed to flooding were built along historical creeks or on top of filled-in wetlands. When you overlay 5.5 feet of sea level rise on the map, the water is projected to move back in to essentially every wetland area that has been filled. Officials in San Francisco are already taking this data into account as they consider new building projects. Other cities and counties are starting to rethink their flood-protection optionsa traditional levee or seawall, after all, would do nothing to stop the groundwater as it moves with the rising sea. Ultimately, officials need to figure out what to do with all the contaminated sites along the bay that are still awaiting cleanupor those that need to be further remediated, said Hill, who has been finalizing another set of maps that will show where, and in which direction, rising groundwater might remobilize harmful chemicals underground. The oft-used approach of "capping" a toxic waste site rather than actually removing the contamination from the soil, for example, may no longer be sufficient. Regulators at the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board have been following all this research with great interest and are already diving into the updated maps, said Assistant Executive Officer Lisa Horowitz McCann. The board recently ordered 16 bayfront landfills to account for groundwater rise in their long-term flood protection plans, and caseworkers are now going through hundreds of cases to figure out which sites need further action. "This data further empowersand actually legally supportsstronger actions that we can take," Horowitz McCann said. "We're looking at a bigger universe of cases now." Researchers hope to continue this mapping work for the rest of the Bay Area. Next up is Contra Costa County in the East Bay, where a number of historically contaminated sites are being considered for redevelopment along the industrialized shoreline of Richmond. A lot more work also needs to be done to understand what the actual damage will look like for gas lines, septic systems, foundations and other buried infrastructure, said Patrick Barnard, whose research team at the U.S. Geological Survey has done extensive flood modeling that is used by officials across the state. "We need to start merging this information with the engineering world," he said. "We built everything assuming the soil is dry what does it mean to have it now be saturated all the time?" Barnard has also been studying what scientists are starting to call "compound extremes." What do we do when seawater is trying to push in during a high tide, at the same time our rivers and storm drains are trying to flush excess rainwater into the ocean, and the ground can't absorb anything because the groundwater is also flooding? "We looked at this in one case for the Napa River, and basically, your average annual winter storm could turn into the 100-year flood event if the ground is already saturated," he said. "Add any amount of rain on top of it, even amounts that are not usually catastrophic and they turn into catastrophic impacts." For Chris Choo, the planning manager for Marin County, helping the latest mapping effort has been eye-opening in more ways than one. She has spent years helping communities plan for climate change, and the challenges have only gotten more complicated the more each disaster seems to overwhelm the next. "We went from drought, drought, drought and being really worried that we don't have enough water, to suddenly, within two weeks, seeing the impacts of having way too much of it," she said, noting not just the flooded roads that have kept her colleagues working around the clock, but also the powerful surf that ripped through much of California earlier this month and even split a pier in two. "People still tend to think of these things as isolated terrible things, rather than as part of a collective shift in what the future might hold," she said. "We live in nature and too often think of ourselves as separate from it but nature is still very much in charge." More information: Report: PDF 2023 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Graphical abstract of the approach to developing a material with photocatalytic activity against organic pollutants and bacteria. Credit: St. Petersburg State University Chemists from St Petersburg University have developed a method for purifying water from organic compounds using tin oxide nanoparticle based photocatalysts. The findings of the research are published in the Journal of Alloys and Compounds . Water pollution is an acute environmental issue. Due to the high rate of industrial development and increasing volumes of wastewater, the ecology of water bodies is deteriorating. Scientists are therefore working hard to develop new ways of treating industrial discharges that would quickly and without unnecessary waste purify water from complex pollutants such as organic dyes. One of the most promising approaches in wastewater treatment technology to purify water is to use photocatalysis. It is a process in which light energy is used to trigger chemical reactions to break down organic compounds into carbon dioxide and water through the presence of a catalysta special material in the form of nanoparticles. Until now, there has been no understanding of what exactly determines the efficiency and speed of such purification: the size of the particles, the features of their structure or their composition. The researchers from St Petersburg University have found the answer to this question. The chemists from St Petersburg University proposed a systematic approach to matching a particular pollutant with nanoparticles for use in photocatalytic water purification units. The materials developed exhibit photocatalytic activity when exposed to visible light from ordinary diode lamps, which in all respects are cheaper and easier to operate than the ultraviolet ones used previously. "We offer a fundamentally new approach, which can be compared to a road navigation system. For example, you can use an ordinary paper map when choosing a route to your destination, plotting your route yourself in real time, guided by road signs and the situation. "We propose an algorithm similar to modern navigation systems which, for any desired destination, process several route options, analyze the current traffic situation and select the shortest route. Whereas previously the materials for photocatalysts were chosen almost at random, today this process is becoming thoughtful and well-founded," said Anastasiia Podurets, principal investigator of the project and an early career researcher in the Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry at St Petersburg University. Nanoparticles based on tin dioxide containing three elements (cobalt, nickel, copper) were used. The research team of synthesis and research of nanoparticles and nanostructured materials carried out a large-scale study of nanoparticles formation processes and products of photocatalytic decomposition of pollutants under different conditions. The scientists have found out that in order to create an effective catalyst, it is necessary to organize its synthesis in such a way that a solid body with the maximum number of oxygen vacancieslattice defects when there are no individual atoms in itis formed. It is the vacancies that allow the emerging electron-hole pairs to be transferred to the surface of nanoparticles, where they play a major role in the destruction of pollutant molecules. It is important not to have too many other defects, otherwise the result will be the opposite. The approach developed has been proven with the widely used organic dye methylene blue and the antibiotic oxytetracycline. Studies on water remediation methods using nanoparticles have also been published in the journals Materials Chemistry and Physics and Journal of Hazardous Materials. In addition to photocatalysis, the scientists demonstrated the antibacterial activity of the synthesized nanoparticles using E. coli bacteria. As the mechanisms of destruction of organic molecules are similar to those used for neutralizing bacteria, effective photocatalysts are also capable of destroying the corresponding bacteria. The researchers say that this method is also applicable to other pollutants: Special calculations are needed to understand how to change the parameters of nanoparticles against different pollutants. More information: Anastasiia Podurets et al, Experimental and computational study of Ni-doped SnO2 as a photocatalyst and antibacterial agent for water remediation: The way for a rational design, Journal of Alloys and Compounds (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2022.166950 Journal information: Journal of Hazardous Materials This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A. Satellite image showing nest boxes distributed across the eight sites that constitute the Putah Creek Nestbox Highway in Californias Central Valley in 2020. B. Red arrow indicates one of the study sites, as detailed in the map below, classified by habitat type alongside nest box locations. C. Inset map shows the location of the study area in northern California. Credit: Biological Conservation (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109885 Spring is the sweet spot for breeding songbirds in California's Central Valleynot too hot, not too wet. But climate change models indicate the region will experience more rainfall during the breeding season, and days of extreme heat are expected to increase. Both changes threaten the reproductive success of songbirds, according to a study from the University of California, Davis. The study, published January 16 in the journal Biological Conservation, details how extreme heat and rainfall patterns have impacted songbirds along the Putah Creek Nestbox Highway in Yolo County. While centered in the Central Valley, the study serves as a warning for other Mediterranean ecosystems. "The changes happening in California's Central Valleyincreasing temperatures, wetter springs, greater variabilitythose impacts are happening across Mediterranean landscapes," said lead author Jason Riggio, a postdoctoral scholar with the UC Davis Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology. "In spaces where birds are already in an extremely variable climate, small changes will make a big difference." The study also offers signs that some birds adapt to modified systems. For example, western bluebirds and tree swallows are finding as much reproductive success in orchards near Putah Creek as in their natural habitat. For these species, the orchards are not the ecological traps researchers initially expected them to be. Other species prefer to build their homes in riparian forest and grassland habitats. Me first! No me! Tree swallow fledglings ready to meet the world. South Fork Preserve, Yolo County, California, June 2014. Credit: Evelien de Greef, UC Davis Nestboxes of data Climate models predict that regional precipitation is expected to decrease from October-January and to increase from February-Aprilpushing into the birds' breeding season. Also, an estimated 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius) increase in average maximum temperature by 2100 will challenge species already at their temperature limits. To study the impacts of these changes on songbirds, the researchers analyzed 11 years-worth of data collected by Nestbox Highway project staff and its cadre of undergraduate interns from the UC Davis Museum of Fish and Wildlife. This included 2,305 nesting attempts and more than 7,100 nestlings across four species of cavity-nesting songbirdswestern bluebirds, house wrens, tree swallows and ash-throated flycatchers. They found that bird fitness declined amid extreme precipitation or temperatures. Wetter nesting periods lowered reproductive success and nestling weight in house wrens, tree swallows and western bluebirds. Higher temperatures during the breeding season also resulted in lower reproductive success and nestling weight for all four species. "Across these results, it appears the effects of climate change in California's Central Valley and in Mediterranean systems globallyare likely to have broad and mostly negative impacts on cavity-nesting songbird reproduction," Riggio said. He adds that there are still pockets of songbirds doing well in both natural and modified habitats, and that protecting the fragments of habitat left can benefit species confronting environmental changes. Build a box, bring back a bird Study co-author Melanie Truan, a research ecologist with the UC Davis Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, began the Nestbox Highway in 2000 as a graduate student in an effort to bring songbirds back to Putah Creek. Many native cavity-nesting songbirds had lost their nesting opportunities as non-native birds increased and as large trees with the holes they favored were replaced by agricultural and other land uses. Western bluebirds, once abundant in the region, had become largely non-existent in the area. One hundred nest boxes were installed that first year, attracting a family of bluebirds, among other birds. Now, more than 200 boxes draw hundreds of bluebirdsand several other bird speciesto Putah Creek and the surrounding region. Staff and undergraduate interns check the boxes weekly to record the progress of nesting attempts, eggs and nestlings. Before fledging, all nestlings are measured and banded. "The Nestbox Highway project is the most uplifting and encouraging part of what I do," said Truan. "I'm so happy this project that started as a let's-see-what-happens conservation and education project is turning into something that can provide data for research." The study also highlights the importance of long-term data sets to help unravel the impacts of climate and land-use change on birds and other species. More information: Jason Riggio et al, Long-term monitoring reveals the impact of changing climate and habitat on the fitness of cavity-nesting songbirds, Biological Conservation (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109885 Journal information: Biological Conservation This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The Yangtze finless porpoise is the world's only freshwater porpoise. Credit: Huangdan2060, licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons Over 50 billion tons of sand is mined every yearand it's pushing species to the brink of extinction. Researchers found that the Yangtze finless porpoise faced habitat loss and a reduced range as a result of the practice, but a suspension of sand mining offers hope that they could recover. Our insatiable appetite for sand is pushing a critically endangered porpoise towards extinction. After water, sand is thought to be the world's most extracted natural resource, with a vast range of roles including manufacturing and coastal defense. Its extraction impacts a range of freshwater and marine habitats, but despite its prevalence the industry remains largely unregulated. A new study, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, shows that sand mining can have significant impacts on species that live in these ecosystems. Researchers found that populations of the Yangtze finless porpoise in Dongting Lake, China, were being found in increasingly smaller areas, likely as a result of sand mining. Richard Sabin, the Museum's principal curator of mammals and who was not involved in the study, says, "Everybody needs sand. It's used for construction, glass manufacture, agriculture and much more, so there is enormous worldwide demand for it." "Unfortunately, the extraction of sand is a hugely damaging industry. Wherever it takes place, it can have a huge effect on the surrounding ecosystems. In the face of massive demand for raw materials by humans, we have to ensure that nature is protected." But the researchers also suggest that the porpoise is able to recover from these declines, if given the chance. Following a suspension of sand mining in the lake in 2017, the mammals returned to perturbed waters within two years, offering hope that their populations could begin to stabilize. "Studies have shown that ecosystems and species can bounce back, when given the chance," Richard adds. "The Yangtze finless porpoise has a slow rate of reproduction, but with appropriate support to restabilize the ecosystem upon which it depends, there's every hope that it can recover." What is the Yangtze finless porpoise, and what threats does it face? The Yangtze finless porpoise is the only freshwater porpoise in the world. A member of the cetaceans, the group of animals which also includes dolphins and whales, two species and three subspecies of finless porpoise are currently recognized. "The most widely distributed member of this taxonomic group is the Indo-Pacific finless porpoise," Richard explains. "This is found in a long strip of ocean from the Persian Gulf around to the East China Sea, and tends to inhabit fairly shallow coastal waters." "In 2008, a second speciesthe narrow-ridged finless porpoisewas separated from the Indo-Pacific finless porpoise. It's found from the Taiwan Strait up to North Korea and Japan." Whether the Yangtze finless porpoise is a species in its own right is still debated, but one aspect of its life which sets it apart from its relatives is its habitat. Genetic analysis suggests that the Yangtze finless porpoise diverged from its marine relatives between 5,000 and 40,000 years ago, entering freshwater rivers. Sand mining has been suggested as one cause of the Yangtze finless porpoise's decline. Credit: Huangdan2060, licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons For thousands of years the porpoises have lived in these waterways, consuming a range of fish. But as humans have begun to settle along the rivers, the porpoise's close proximity to man has put it under pressure. "It's been known for a long time that the Yangtze finless porpoise is the most critically endangered of its taxonomic group," Richard says. "Rivers are prime for exploitation in terms of damming for energy production, food harvesting and dumping effluent, and these can all put pressure on freshwater cetaceans." "It's not that long since the Yangtze River dolphin was lost, and we don't want this porpoise to meet the same fate." Overfishing, increased shipping traffic and noise pollution have all been linked with the decline of the porpoise, which only breeds once every 18 months or so. Its slow reproductive rate is one of the factors considered in a 2012 paper which suggests the species has an 86% chance of becoming extinct in the next century. The threat of sand mining adds another factor to be considered. While the practice has been taking place for many years, the number of sand mining vessels on Dongting lake grew substantially after 2006, reaching a peak of 80 in 2013 when almost 70% of the lake was being mined for sand. Can the Yangtze finless porpoise recover? The researchers behind the current study of the porpoises conducted a number of surveys between 2006 and 2019 in Dongting lake, which is connected to the Yangtze River by a channel, using counts, acoustic surveys and the study of satellite images. They found that sand mining was increasingly dividing up the population, with gaps between porpoises reaching as far as 27 kilometers in 2009. This is over a third of the porpoise's entire range in the lake, and could increase stress among the animals, particularly during pregnancy. The researchers also found that the porpoise stopped being seen passing under the Dongting Lake Bridge and entering the channel that leads to the main body of the Yangtze River. They suggested that the sheer number of mining boats on the water meant that they formed an effective barrier across the waterway, which could also prevent the porpoise's prey fish from reaching the lake. However, there was room for optimism in the surveys. Sand mining on the lake was banned in 2017, and access to the Yangtze River restored, which has seen the porpoise return to areas of the lake it had previously avoided. More recently, the Chinese government announced a crackdown on illegal sand mining along the river's entire length. "The suspension of sand mining in 2017 was a very positive move, and could give this important ecosystem a chance to recover," Richard says. "It shows that nature can be given room to thrive even in one of the world's most rapidly industrializing countries, and hopefully the Yangtze finless porpoise will start to recover." The situation of the Yangtze finless porpoise stands in stark contrast to the vaquita, a critically endangered porpoise found in Mexico. Fewer than 10 of this species are thought to survive as a result of being caught in gillnets, with fishing bans having so far proved ineffective. Only by allowing space for nature, and limiting our impacts on ecosystems, will these rare porpoises have a chance of survival. More information: Yi Han et al, Ecological impacts of unsustainable sand mining: urgent lessons learned from a critically endangered freshwater cetacean, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2023). DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1786 Journal information: Proceedings of the Royal Society B This story is republished courtesy of Natural History Museum. Read the original story here La Grange Public Library has a new executive director. Jennifer Hovanec has accepted the position and is scheduled to begin her new role in La Grange on Jan. 25., according to a news release. Advertisement Hovanec has been serving as Circulation Manager at Northbrook Public Library, and as a Trustee for the Villa Park Public Library, the release said. She also served as the Calumet City Public Library Director. Hovanec earned her masters degree in library science from Dominican University, and her bachelors degree in English literature from Benedictine University. I am honored to be joining the team at the La Grange Public Library as Executive Director, Hovanec said in the release. Both the Board of Trustees and staff wowed me with their enthusiasm for their community and passion for library work. I am looking forward to collaborating with the staff, trustees and community partners throughout the Village of La Grange. Advertisement According to the release, the Library Board of Trustees began a national search for the new executive director in September with the assistance of Bradbury Miller Associates when former director Charity Gallardo accepted the role of Executive Director at Schenectady County Public Library System in Schenectady, New York. We are thrilled Jenn will be leading our team. Her broad background in libraries and management, along with her infectious enthusiasm for the patrons and staff, make her a great fit for the La Grange community. We look forward to working with her, Library Board President Elizabeth Crewe, said. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Climate, nuclear and Covid-19 threats made worst by misinformation in 2022 have left the "Doomsday Clock" countdown at 100 seconds to midnight. Tick, tick, tick. An update is coming to the "Doomsday Clock," representing the judgment of leading science and security experts about the perils to human existence. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced on Tuesday that they will announce at 10:00 am (1500 GMT) on January 24 whether the time of the symbolic clock will change. The organization describes the clock as a "metaphor for how close humanity is to self-annihilation." A decision to reset the hands of the clock is taken annually by the Bulletin's science and security board and its board of sponsors, which includes 11 Nobel laureates. For 2023, the Bulletin said they will take into account the Russia-Ukraine war, bio-threats, proliferation of nuclear weapons, the continued climate crisis, state-sponsored disinformation campaigns and disruptive technologies. The hands of the clock are currently at 100 seconds to midnight. It was originally set at seven minutes to midnight. The furthest it has ever been is 17 minutes, following the end of the Cold War in 1991. The Bulletin was founded in 1945 by Albert Einstein, J Robert Oppenheimer and other scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project which produced the first nuclear weapons. The idea of the clock symbolizing global vulnerability to catastrophe followed in 1947. 2023 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: This reprocessed colour view of Jupiters moon Europa was made from images taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft in the late 1990s. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech In the coming years, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) will send two robotic missions to explore Jupiter's icy moon Europa. These are none other than NASA's Europa Clipper and the ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE), which will launch in 2024, and 2023 (respectively). Once they arrive by the 2030s, they will study Europa's surface with a series of flybys to determine if its interior ocean could support life. These will be the first astrobiology missions to an icy moon in the outer solar system, collectively known as "ocean worlds." One of the many challenges for these missions is how to mine through the thick icy crusts and obtain samples from the interior ocean for analysis. According to a proposal by Dr. Theresa Benyo (a physicist and the principal investigator of the lattice confinement fusion project at NASA's Glenn Research Center), a possible solution is to use a special reactor that relies on fission and fusion reactions. This proposal was selected for Phase I development by the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program. The list of ocean worlds is long and varied, ranging from Ceres in the Main Asteroid Belt, the moons of Jupiter (Callisto, Ganymede, and Europa), Saturn (Titan, Enceladus, and Dione), Neptune's largest moon (Triton), and Pluto and other bodies in the Kuiper Belt. These worlds are all believed to have interior oceans heated by tidal flexing due to gravitational interaction with their parent body or (in the case of Ceres and Pluto) the decay of radioactive elements. Further evidence of these oceans and activity includes surface plumes and striated features indicating exchanges between the surface and interior. The main challenge for exploring the interiors of these worlds is the thickness of their ice sheets, which can be up to 40 km (25 mi) deep. In Europa's case, different models have yielded estimates of between 15 and 25 km (10 and 15 mi). In addition, the proposed probe will need to contend with hydrostatic ice with varying compositions (such as ammonia and silicate rock) at different depths, pressures, temperatures, and densities. It will also have to contend with water pressure, maintain communications with the surface, and return samples to the surface. NASA has explored the possibility of using a heating or boring probe to pass through the icy sheet to access the interior ocean. In particular, researchers have proposed using a nuclear-powered probe that would rely on radioactive decay to generate heat and melt through the surface ice. However, a team of NASA researchers led by Dr. Benyo has proposed a new method that would rely on something other than conventional radioactive isotopesplutonium-238 or enriched uranium-235. Instead, their method would involve triggering nuclear fusion reactions between the atoms of a solid metal. Their method, known as lattice confinement fusion, was described in two papers published in the April 2020 issue of Physical Review C, titled "Nuclear fusion reactions in deuterated metals" and "Novel nuclear reactions observed in bremsstrahlung-irradiated deuterated metals." As Dr. Benyo explained in a recent NASA Glenn Research Center press statement: "Scientists are interested in fusion, because it could generate enormous amounts of energy without creating long-lasting radioactive byproducts. However, conventional fusion reactions are difficult to achieve and sustain because they rely on temperatures so extreme to overcome the strong electrostatic repulsion between positively charged nuclei that the process has been impractical." Conventional fusion methods generally come down to inertial or magnetic confinement. With inertial confinement, fuels such as deuterium or tritium (hydrogen-2 or -3) are compressed to extreme pressures (for nanoseconds) where fusion can occur. In magnetic confinement (tokamak reactors), the fuel is heated until it reaches temperatures in excess of what occurs at the center of the sun15 million C (27 million F)to achieve nuclear fusion. This new method creates fusion reactions within the confines of a metal lattice loaded with deuterium fuel at ambient temperatures. This new method creates an energetic environment inside the lattice where individual atoms achieve equivalent fusion-level kinetic energies. This is accomplished by packing the lattices with deuterium at densities one billion times greater than in tokamak reactors, where a neutron source accelerates deuterium atoms (deuterons) to the point that they collide with neighboring deuterons, causing fusion reactions. For their experiments, Dr. Benyo and her colleagues exposed deuterons to a 2.9+MeV energetic X-ray beam, creating energetic neutrons and protons. This process could allow for fast-fission reactions using lattices built from metals like depleted uranium, thorium, or erbium (Er68) in a molten lithium matrix. The team also observed the production of more energetic neutrons, indicating that boosted fusion reactionsaka. screened Oppenheimer-Phillips (O-P) nuclear stripping reactionsalso occur in the process. According to Dr. Benyo, either fusion process is scalable and could be a pathway to a new type of nuclear-powered spacecraft: "The resulting hybrid fusion fast fission nuclear reactor will be smaller than a traditional fission reactor where a lower mass power source is needed and provide efficient operation with thermal waste heat from reactor heats probe to melt through ice shelf to sub-ice oceans." A bonus of this new process is the critical role that metal lattice electrons whose negative charges help "screen" positively charged deuterons. According to the theory developed by project theoretical physicist Dr. Vladimir Pines, this screening allows adjacent deuterons to approach one another more closely. This reduces the chance that they will scatter while increasing the likelihood that they will tunnel through the electrostatic barrier and promote fusion reactions. According to NASA project principal investigator Dr. Bruce Steinetz, there are hurdles to overcome, but the project is off to a good start: Artists concept of a proposed Europa lander spacecraft. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech "The current findings open a new path for initiating fusion reactions for further study within the scientific community. However, the reaction rates need to be increased substantially to achieve appreciable power levels, which may be possible utilizing various reaction multiplication methods under consideration." This type of nuclear process could be part of a Europa Lander, a proposed NASA mission that would build on the research conducted by the Europa Clipper and JUICE. With more study and development, this technology could also be used to create power systems for long-duration exploration missions, similar to NASA's Kilopower Reactor Using Stirling Technology (KRUSTY) project. The same technology could enable new engine concepts like the Nuclear-Thermal and Nuclear-Electric Propulsion (NTP/NEP) NASA and other space agencies are investigating. Finally, this proposed method could have applications for life here on Earth, providing a new kind of nuclear energy and medical isotopes for nuclear medicine. As Leonard Dudzinski, the Chief Technologist for Planetary Science at NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD), said, "The key to this discovery has been the talented, multi-disciplinary team that NASA Glenn assembled to investigate temperature anomalies and material transmutations that had been observed with highly deuterated metals, We will need that approach to solve significant engineering challenges before a practical application can be designed." This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The minimum spanning network of the finless porpoise. Credit: Water Biology and Security (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.watbs.2022.100094 The finless porpoise, a relative of dolphins and whales, is native to the Indian and Pacific oceans, as well as the freshwater habitats of the Yangtze River basin in China. The Yangtze river's finless porpoise is one of the very few porpoises that live in fresh water. Its small size and cute 'smile' make it much loved in the country and beyond. Beyond its adorable appearance, however, lies a dire truththe finless porpoise is critically endangered, with conservation attention and action remaining inadequate. This may be in part attributed to the disproportionate research efforts across the Indo-Pacific region. The spatial genetic structure of finless porpoise is poorly understood, which further led to poor phylogeographic knowledge and ambiguous taxonomic classification of many Indo-Pacific cetacean species. To address this critical knowledge gap, a team of researchers from China and Thailand came together to investigate the spatial genetic pattern of the finless porpoise from the East China Sea to Gulf of Thailand, using both mitochondrial and autosomal DNA markers. "We also included narrow and wide-ridged finless porpoises from the Taiwan Strait, which are usually taken as the inter-species divergence within the genus, as a reference to better illustrate the genetic stratification of the finless porpoise across the region," says first author of the study, Dr. Wenzhi Lin from the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering of Chinese Academy of Science. "We found a minimum of four genetic populations within the study areas, corresponding to the narrow-ridged finless porpoise from the Taiwan Strait, and the three wide-ridged finless porpoise populations from the Taiwan Strait, together with the Pearl River Delta region and the Gulf of Thailand." The minimum spanning network of the mtDNA control region found shared haplotypes among finless porpoises in Chinese waters, but those from the Gulf of Thailand formed a unique matriline lineage. The genetic differentiation, or divergence, within the South China Sea also appears to be higher than that of most finless porpoise populations examined to date. "The Mantel test detected a strong correlation between the geographic and genetic matrices within the South China Sea, indicating that the divergence associated with isolation-by-distance has been accumulating in recent history," adds Lin. The findings from the joint study are published in Water Biology and Security. The team also notes that the relatively low level of divergence, especially those between neighboring locations, suggests the presence of ongoing, albeit low, gene flow. If proven so, the evolutionary significant unit should be clearly defined before conservation attention is applied to correctly direct efforts to populations with distinctive features. "Inter-population connectivity should also be carefully evaluated, and conservation action may be required to maintain necessary gene flow," concludes Prof Songhai Li, senior scientist of the study. More information: Wenzhi Lin et al, Novel insights into the spatial genetic patterns of the finless porpoise from East to Southeast Asia, Water Biology and Security (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.watbs.2022.100094 Provided by KeAi Communications This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Leonardos sketch showing the spiral motion of an ascending bubble from his manuscript known as the Codex Leicester Prof. Miguel Angel Herrada, from the University of Seville, and Prof. Jens G. Eggers, from the University of Bristol, have discovered a mechanism to explain the unstable movement of bubbles rising in water. According to the researchers, the results, which are published in the journal PNAS, may be useful to understand the motion of particles whose behavior is intermediate between a solid and a gas. Leonardo da Vinci observed five centuries ago that air bubbles, if large enough, periodically deviate in a zigzag or spiral from straight-line movement. However, no quantitative description of the phenomenon or physical mechanism to explain this periodic motion had ever been found. The authors of this new paper have developed a numerical discretization technique to characterize precisely the bubble's air-water interface, which enables them to simulate its motion and explore its stability. Their simulations closely match high-precision measurements of unsteady bubble motion and show that bubbles deviate from a straight trajectory in water when their spherical radius exceeds 0.926 millimeters, a result within 2% of experimental values obtained with ultrapure water in the 90s. The researchers propose a mechanism for the instability of the bubble trajectory whereby periodic tilting of the bubble changes its curvature, thus affecting the upward velocity and causing a wobble in the bubble's trajectory, tilting up the side of the bubble whose curvature has increased. Then, as the fluid moves faster and the fluid pressure falls around the high-curvature surface, the pressure imbalance returns the bubble to its original position, restarting the periodic cycle. More information: Miguel A. Herrada et al, Path instability of an air bubble rising in water, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2023). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2216830120 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A new study by a Western Sydney University researcher has explored a lethal fungal pathogen causing widespread biological disruption for frogs, assessing how responses differ by species across the globe. Published in Functional Ecology, the study looked at the chytrid fungus pathogen which is considered the most devastating single disease on biodiversity, contributing to the decline of at least 501 amphibian species. Lead author Dr. Nicholas Wu, from the University's Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, said the largest biodiversity decline caused by a single disease is chytridiomycosis, however, it is not known whether frogs infected with this fungus experience the same symptoms. "Using a meta-analytic approach, the study revealed there are several commonalities in symptoms among frog species that provide a clearer idea of the mechanism of the disease, and therefore death," said Dr. Wu. "These common symptoms can be used in conservation practices to predict how frogs who have not been exposed may respond to chytrid infection. For example, by swabbing a sick frog in the wild and knowing the pathogen load, we can predict what the animal might be experiencing without experimentally testing it directly. "The findings suggest that if the pathogen load is low, the host may experience skin disruption only and changes in immune response, but at a high pathogen load, they will experience changes in reproduction and body condition." With the growing number of emerging infectious diseases, meta-analytic approaches can be a useful tool to better understanding disease dynamics in an ecological context Dr. Wu explained. "Emerging infectious diseases have contributed to the ongoing loss of biodiversity worldwide. How species respond to infectious pathogens depends on a myriad of environmental factors, as well as differences in the host and pathogen traits," he said. "Different 'traits' related to an animal's fitness such as body condition, reproduction or metabolic rate may be more sensitive to pathogen load, and understanding similarities in trait sensitivity can help understand disease impact and help wildlife management efforts." More information: Nicholas C. Wu, Pathogen load predicts host functional disruption: A metaanalysis of an amphibian fungal panzootic, Functional Ecology (2023). DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14245 Journal information: Functional Ecology This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering (2022). DOI: 10.1007/s11783-022-1590-z Reliable colorimetric analysis technologies have been widely praised for their highly sensitive and selective responses towards various contaminants in environmental monitoring. In principle, the chromogenic agent selectively reacts with the target in water samples, and the colored product reflects the specific absorbance spectrum. Obeying the Lambert-Beer law, the absorbance is proportional to the concentration of the absorbing species, providing the basis for the qualitative and quantitative detection of contaminants in water samples. The observation by eye has the advantage of low cost, but the accuracy is unsatisfactory. The conventional photoelectron detector, such as the spectrophotometer and a microplate reader, is expensive and thus difficult to be applied in resource-limited or remote environments. The application scenario of colorimetric analysis technologies has led to a keen interest in the balance of accuracy and cost. Considering both accuracy and cost, developing colorimetric analysis technologies on the commercial cellphone platform is gathering significant attention in environmental monitoring because of the low cost, high flexibility, easy to miniaturization, and widespread ownership of cellphone. Notably, the outstanding advantages of cellphone-based colorimetric technology is expected to greatly accelerate the environmental and health-related analysis capabilities in the remote or less-developed countries and regions. However, the majority of reported studies focused on single-channel colorimetric detection, which led to a limited detection efficiency, especially facing with complicated contaminants in water samples. Research on cellphone-based multi-channel sensing systems has gained growing interest because the systems have the potential to simultaneously detect multiple targets in a single measurement, and the involved techniques for the rapid assessment of water samples are fast, robust and inexpensive. To realize the multi-channel sensing capability, a mainstream technology pathway is to directly capture the colorimetric images from 96-well plates using a cellphone camera. In all cases, the majority of strategies to improve the sensing capability of the cellphone-based system were based on a monochromatic light source, lacking universality and flexibility towards different contaminants which showed different absorption peaks. In this work, the researchers from Harbin Institute of Technology Tsinghua University and Chongqing University proposed a cellphone-based colorimetric multichannel sensor for water environmental monitoring. A white LED array was used as the incident light to illuminate a 96-well plate. To improve the sensitivity of the sensor, a delicate optical path system was created by using a diffraction grating to split six white beams transmitting through the multiple colored samples. The transmitted light from six wells was collected by six optical fibers and imaged by a cellphone camera after passing through a diffraction grating, which allows the cellphone CMOS camera to capture the diffracted light for image analysis. The image was captured by a custom-designed cellphone app for analysis using a specific algorithm, yielding detection results which were displayed using the same app. This study entitled "A cellphone-based colorimetric multi-channel sensor for water environmental monitoring" is published in Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering. The compact sensor was successfully tested for simultaneous detection of various environmental contaminants with an absorption wavelength range of 400700 nm, achieving high sensitivity, specificity and reliability. By introducing the diffraction grating for splitting light, the sensitivity was improved by over six folds compared with a system that directly photographed transmitted light. As a successful proof-of-concept, the sensor was used to detect turbidity, orthophosphate, ammonia nitrogen and three heavy metals simultaneously with high sensitivity. Moreover, high stability (RSD of 0.37%1.60%) and excellent recoveries (95.5%106.0%) demonstrated that the sensor can conduct accurate detection in real water matrices. Owing to the advantages of remarkable detection performance, low cost, easy operation, good portability, and multi-index measurement, the miniature sensor demonstrated in-field sensing ability in environmental monitoring, which can be extended to point-of-care diagnosis, food safety control and risk early warning, etc. Notably, by introducing the biorecognition materials, such as enzyme, antibody and functional nucleic acid, the sensor has the potential to be smarter to realize the detection of trace organic matters. Further, it can be expected that this technology would allow the detection channels up to 96 on the premise of overcoming the limitation of the volume or numbers of the diffraction grating. More information: Yunpeng Xing et al, A cellphone-based colorimetric multi-channel sensor for water environmental monitoring, Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering (2022). DOI: 10.1007/s11783-022-1590-z Provided by Higher Education Press This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Cell-derived nanovesicles obtained from mesenchymal stem cells, which are able to accelerate would healing by mimicking natural cell-secreted extracellular vesicles. Credit: Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2022.10.022 National University of Singapore scientists have fabricated nano-sized vesicles from cells via a cell shearing approach that can be used for various biomedical applications. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are naturally occurring cell-secreted lipid-bound membrane vesicles found in all biological fluids. They have gained much attention for their potential role in several biomedical applications including diagnostic purposes (biomarkers), as therapeutic agents and as drug delivery systems. The use of EVs as therapeutic agents, particularly those obtained from stem cells, has shown regenerative and/or tissue reparative effects. More importantly, EVs represent cell-free approaches as they are non-viable and work mainly via paracrine signaling, thus mitigating the challenges associated with cell-based therapy. However, several limitations need to be addressed before EVs can be extensively used as therapeutics, and these include long and tedious isolation processes, and low production yields. In a recent paper published in Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, Associate Professor Giorgia Pastorin and her research team from the Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore, in collaboration with Assistant Professor Bertrand Czarny from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and researchers from the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI), prepared nano-sized vesicles from cells via a cell shearing approach for use in wound healing and tissue regenerative applications. They found that these nano-sized vesicles called Cell-Derived Nanovesicles (CDNs) mimic the EVs not only in terms of their physical characteristics but also in their biological cargos (proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids) and can be produced at much higher yields. Prof. Pastorin said, "This research study shows that cell-derived nanovesicles hold promise for various biomedical applications. Our team has derived the nanovesicles from various cell types such as immune cells and stem cells for inflammation reduction and tissue regeneration, respectively." In this study, Prof. Pastorin, and her doctoral student Dr. Yub Raj Neupane in collaboration with Dr. Harish K Handral from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, and Prof Czarny investigated the role that CDNs obtained from mesenchymal stem cells (MSC-CDNs) played in accelerating wound healing. As part of this investigation, high-throughput proteomics and gene ontology analysis were performed to identify the highly enriched proteins and their localization in these vesicles. The researchers found that these MSC-CDNs activated a signaling pathway in human dermal fibroblast (HDF) cells. This increased the proliferation and migration of HDF cells towards the wound bed, along with an enhanced release of cell-proliferation related markers, growth factors and other cellular regeneration components to aid in the healing process. This study also demonstrated that these MSC-CDNs enhanced the formation of new blood vessels in cell cultures. In murine models, they were found to promote healing at a similar extent when compared to MSC-EVs but with a healing rate that was almost twice as fast. In future work, the team will continue exploring the use of these vesicles as therapeutic agents for cardiovascular diseases and for drug delivery purposes. More information: Yub Raj Neupane et al, Cell-derived nanovesicles from mesenchymal stem cells as extracellular vesicle-mimetics in wound healing, Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2022.10.022 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: In some cases, conflict has become strikingly visually similar to a war video game. Credit: Dizfoto / Shutterstock Amid the many salacious revelations in Prince Harry's memoir, Spare, one of the most concerning was not about his family. Harry revealed that he killed 25 members of the Taliban while serving in Afghanistan, and that he viewed them like pieces on a chessboard. His comments sparked criticism from top military figures and prompted Afghan families to call for his prosecution. Harry's comments suggest that military technology has advanced such that a soldier can say with certainty the number of kills they have made. But it also reveals how much "gamification" of warfare could become part of the military mindset. Advancements in technology have allowed warfare to become more remote and operators more distant from their targets. Some argue that this makes them more likely to make risky decisions. Remote warfare is exemplified by the use of drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) in the US war on terror. Along with this has come gamification of warfare, where military operations and war video games have become indistinguishable in some regards. Over the last decade or so, militaries have used tech like video game controllers to carry out missions. And the gaming industry has spent large sums of money to improve human-computer interactions, which can aid in military training and improve the technology used during combat. The International Committee of the Red Cross, aware of the increasing realism of computer games such as Call of Duty: Warzone and Battlefield, have been working with games producers to enhance their compliance with international humanitarian law. Just as in real life, the ICRC believes that these games should include virtual consequences for gamers' actions, and that players should be rewarded for following the rules of armed conflict. Distant warfare Gamification is partly a result of hundreds of years of warfare becoming more remote from its face-to-face combat origins. This has been a topic of debate since medieval times. The longbow allowed English archers to shoot from over half a mile away, leading to the eventual demise of rules of chivalry on the battlefield. More recently, the rise of air power significantly increased the distance involved in warfare. This led to arguments that the further a target is from an attacker, the less the attacker may be aware of the human cost. In turn, this could result in the dehumanization of warfare, meaning the attacker may not fully appreciate the impact of their destruction. The research on this is mixed, but there is increasing evidence that the cost on drone operators is substantial. While technology has "gamified" war it has also brought conflict home in a way not seen before. The advanced optics and surveillance cameras equipped to modern aircraft, and certainly in the case of drone operators, means that pilots may spend longer observing their targets, and have a greater understanding of the impact of their attacks than ever before. Drone operators continue to watch events post-attack to assess the extent of the damage. While Harry flew as a helicopter pilot, he wrote in Spare about watching videos of the kill missions after returning to base. This review is essential for compliance with the law of armed conflict, and to ensure that the objectives for each mission have been met. These factors, combined with the somewhat isolated environments where remote weapons operators are located, have been found to increase stress, mental fatigue, burnout and post-trauma responses particularly among drone operators, and those viewing events remotely. Legal challenges Drones are one of the most well-known aspects of remote warfare. But legally speaking, drone operators are akin to their colleagues in regular aircraft. They must follow the same rules to ensure compliance with the law, whether they are on the battlefield, in an aircraft or controlling a drone in a bunker under the Las Vegas strip. All aspects of armed conflict are governed by international humanitarian law. This is primarily found in the Geneva Conventions, which balance military necessity (what needs to be done to achieve military aims) with humanity (protecting civilians, medical facilities and other objects from the ravages of war). Any advancement in military technology must be used in a way that meets this standard. Attacks must be directed only at military objectives, which must be distinguished from civilian targets. Any likely loss of civilian life or damage to civilian property must not be excessive in relation to the direct and concrete military advantage. This means that any person conducting an attack must take feasible precautions to avoid or minimize the loss of civilian life. The substantial improvement in reconnaissance and surveillance technologies means that states and their militaries have more information than ever to make decisions before attacking. In theory, states have an even higher level of obligation to verify the identity of their targets. The gamification of warfare hasn't changed the laws that govern how conflict is conducted and who is held accountable. These laws are designed to protect civilians and retain the humanity of warfare. But Prince Harry's "chess piece" comments make clear that as combat becomes more distant, it is even more important to remember the humanity of those caught up in conflict. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Schematic diagram illustrating the mechanism how Asian summer climate is connected to the zonal flow over the Tibetan Plateau. (a) Climatological westerly flow prevails. (b) Easterly flow prevails such as in 2022. Credit: He Chao In the mid-summer (JulyAugust) of 2022, extreme climate events occurred over subtropical Asia. Persistent heat waves hit the Yangtze River valley in East Asia, bringing secondary disasters such as drought, wildfires and power shortage. At the same time, frequent rainstorms and floods swept the desert areas from Western South Asia to West Asia. The above two extreme climate events occurred simultaneously in subtropical Asia around 30N, on the eastern and western side of the Tibetan Plateau (TP), respectively. The possible linkage between them and their possible causes remain unclear. A recent study, published in Climate Dynamics on Jan. 12, has highlighted the reversal of zonal flow over the Tibetan Plateau. Heat waves in summer result directly from strong descending motion of the atmosphere, while rainstorms and floods are driven by strong ascent. "It is essential to understand why strong descent appeared on the eastern side while strong ascent appeared on the western side of the Tibetan Plateau in 2022," said Dr. He Chao, a research fellow from Jinan University, and the first author of the study. Atmospheric flow is constrained by physical laws, and an important rule is that adiabatic air parcels must move along isentropic surfaces. Isentropic surfaces do not exactly follow a horizontal distribution, and they tilt slightly according to the thermal structure of the atmosphere. Therefore, adiabatic flow may move upward/downward along the sloping isentropic surface and generate vertical motion. Following the atmospheric thermal structure over the Tibetan Plateau, the prevailing westerly flow near 30N induces descent on the western side and ascent on the eastern side, accounting for the formation of the desert climate on the western side and the humid climate on the eastern side of the Tibetan Plateau in summer. However, the westerly flow over the Tibetan Plateau reversed into easterly flow in the summer of 2022, and it induced persistent descent and heat waves on the eastern side, and ascent and excessive rainfall on the western side of the Tibetan Plateau. "The mechanism can be simply understood as a 'swap' of the climate states between the eastern and western sides, due to the reversed flow over the Tibetan Plateau in the summer of 2022," said Dr. He Chao. The reversed flow is suggested to be caused by the synergistic effects of atmospheric internal variability and oceanic forcing. An atmospheric wave train in the mid latitudes brought a clockwise rotational flow on the northern flank of the Tibetan Plateau, and it weakened the westerly flow. This part of atmospheric circulation change is due to internal variability and thus highly unpredictable. Associated with a La Nina event, the tropical Indian Ocean was cooler than normal in the summer of 2022, and it further reduced the westerly flow over subtropical Tibetan Plateau and increased the possibility of a reversed flow. "Understanding the dynamics of extreme climate is a pre-requisite for predicting extreme climate," said Dr. Zhang Lixia from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, a coauthor of the study. "This study explains the concurrent occurrence of extreme climates across East Asia and Western South Asia in the summer of 2022. The results have implications for both climate attributions and climate projections." More information: Chao He et al, Extremely hot East Asia and flooding western South Asia in the summer of 2022 tied to reversed flow over Tibetan Plateau, Climate Dynamics (2023). DOI: 10.1007/s00382-023-06669-y Journal information: Climate Dynamics This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Publicly available salary information prompts organizations to reduce the gender pay gap, according to a new study from the University of California San Diego's School of Global Policy and Strategy. The research counters previous assumptions that salary transparency creates more equal pay because it allows individual employees to negotiate for higher compensation. "We find that when there is a standardization process that makes searching for compensation information very easy, then organizations as a whole have an incentive to improve equality to reduce the threat of public scrutiny," said Elizabeth Lyons, associate professor of management at the School of Global Policy and Strategy and coauthor of the study. The study assesses how universities in Ontario responded to a policyfirst implemented in 1996that required all organizations to make salary information for those making over $100,000 public. The study finds these universities increased female pay by about 4%. Outside the province, where compensation data are private, female pay did not have the similar significant increase over the same time period in the study "Universities most likely to anticipate higher scrutiny, such as top ranked institutions, responded more aggressively and quickly to improve gender pay equality by slowing the growth of male salaries as well as by increasing female pay," Lyons said. Concerns organizations have over salary transparency are that it could lower worker morale and, in the university setting, could affect how donors or students perceive the institution. For private companies, backlash from customers over unequal pay could also harm a firm's reputation. The paper published in the Strategic Management Journalcompares compensation of 32,000 different university employees across 1,400 academic departments in Canada over a 24-year period. The authors were able to access salary information for the provinces outside Ontario through a Statistics Canada dataset available to researchers. "Importantly, salary transparency does influence gender pay inequality but not in the way we thought it would," said Lyons, who coauthored the paper with Laurina Zhang, an assistant professor in strategy and innovation at Boston University. "We expected that salary transparency would reduce inequality because females were going to see what their male counterparts were making and try to negotiate for more equal pay, but the data did not reveal changes at the individual level." They were also surprised that despite little media attention around gender pay equality at the time the policy in Ontario was first implemented, institutions reacted by trying to get in front of the issue to reduce the gender pay gap. "The strategy seemed to work because we did not see high profile news stories about gender inequality on Ontario college campuses," Lyons and Zhang said. They added the results have major implications for salary transparency in the U.S., where organizations are under more pressure today to pay female and male workers equally than Canadian organizations were at the time of the study. It is estimated women in the U.S. make up to 14% less than men in the same position. Mandates to make salary information public have been implemented in many states across the U.S. like California, Florida and Texas. While some firms or governments argue salary transparency can be invasive, even dangerous, the authors conclude the findings imply that facilitating low-cost public monitoring of gender inequalities can motivate organizations to enact change. The paper, titled "Salary Transparency and Gender Pay Inequality: Evidence from Canadian Universities," is published in the Strategic Management Journal. More information: Elizabeth Lyons et al, Salary transparency and gender pay inequality: Evidence from Canadian universities, Strategic Management Journal (2022). DOI: 10.1002/smj.3483 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain An international team of scientists, including NYU Abu Dhabi researcher Nikolaos Georgakarakos and others from the U.S., Japan, and China, led by Jian Li from Nanjing University, has developed new insights that may explain the numerical asymmetry of the L4 and L5 Jupiter Trojan swarms, two clusters containing more than 10,000 asteroids that move along Jupiter's orbital path around the sun. For decades, scientists have known that there are significantly more asteroids in the L4 swarm than the L5 swarm, but have not fully understood the reason for this asymmetry. In the current configuration of the solar system, the two swarms show almost identical dynamical stability and survivability properties, which has led scientists to believe that the differences came about during earlier times of our solar system's life. Determining the cause of these differences could uncover new details about the formation and evolution of the solar system. In the paper, "Asymmetry in the number of L4 and L5 Jupiter Trojans driven by jumping Jupiter," published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, the researchers present a mechanism that can explain the observed number asymmetry. "We propose that an outwardin terms of distance to the sunfast migration of Jupiter can distort the configuration of the Trojan swarms, resulting in more stable orbits in the L4 swarm than in the L5 one," said Li. "This mechanism, which temporarily induced different evolution paths for the two asteroid groups that share the orbit of Jupiter, provides a new and natural explanation for the unbiased observation, that the L4 asteroids are about 1.6 times more than the asteroids in the L5 swarm." The model simulates the orbital evolution of Jupiter, caused by a planetary orbital instability in the early solar system. This led to the outward migration of Jupiter at a very high speed; a migration that the researchers hypothesize was the possible cause of the changes in the stability of the nearby asteroid swarms. Future models could expand on this work by including additional aspects of the evolution of the solar system, which could depict it with improved accuracy. This could include simulating the fast migrations of Jupiter at different speeds, and the effects of nearby planets. "The characteristics of the current solar system hold as-yet unsolved mysteries into its formation and early evolution," said Georgakarakos. "The ability to successfully simulate an event from an early stage of the solar system's development and apply those results to modern day questions can also be a key tool as astrophysicists and other researchers work to learn more about the dawn of our world." More information: Jian Li et al, Asymmetry in the number of L4 and L5 Jupiter Trojans driven by jumping Jupiter, Astronomy & Astrophysics (2022). DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202244443 Journal information: Astronomy & Astrophysics This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain It was a cool Thursday morning in Cape Canaveral as the nation's first space shuttle was about to make its last ever trip into space. Space Shuttle Columbia lifted off at 10:39 a.m. Eastern time on Jan. 16, 2003, from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39-A with a crew of seven. "The Lord has blessed us with a beautiful day here," mission commander Rick Husband said over the radio just before liftoff. "We appreciate all of the hard work everyone has put into this, and we are ready to go." Husband's crew were shuttle pilot William McCool, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark and Ilan Ramon, who was the first Israeli to go into space. All seven died 16 days later when the shuttle disintegrated on re-entry, the result of a chunk of insulating foam that had broken off from the external fuel tank and hit the left wing of the orbiter during the launch. The damage was fatal as the extreme heat would be the vessel's demise as it streaked across the skies over Texas. Columbia's final mission was the orbiter's 28th overall, the 113th mission for the shuttle program. It was the first of five space shuttles, launching on its first mission April 12, 1981, with the late John Young on board as commander along with pilot Robert Crippen. Over 22 years, Columbia traveled more than 125 million miles orbiting the Earth 4,808 times while in space more than 300 days. It ferried 160 astronauts over its career including Shannon Lucid, Story Musgrave, Eileen Collins, Charles Boldin and Sen. Bill Nelson. The tragedy is one of three major ones in NASA's history, all occurring in the early part of the year. The seven deaths aboard Columbia, seven deaths from the explosion of Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986, the deaths of three Apollo 1 astronauts in 1967 and others lost in the pursuit of space will be honored on NASA's Day of Remembrance later this month. Kennedy Space Center Visitor's Complex will hold a ceremony Jan. 26 with events starting at 10 a.m. 2023 Orlando Sentinel. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: In this photo provided by the Pacific Rim Conservation, wildlife workers relocate Tristrams storm petrels on Hawaiis Tern Island, on March 29, 2022. Scientists are making a dramatic effort to save the birds in Hawaii by moving them to an island they never had inhabited. Credit: L. Young/Pacific Rim Conservation via AP In a desperate effort to save a seabird species in Hawaii from rising ocean waters, scientists are moving chicks to a new island hundreds of miles away. Moving species to save themonce considered taboois quickly gaining traction as climate change upends habitats. Similar relocations are being suggested for birds, lizards, butterflies and even flowers. Concerns persist that the novel practice could cause unintended harm the same way invasive plants and animals have wreaked havoc on native species. But for the Tristram's storm petrels on northeastern Hawaii's Tern Island, which is just 6 feet (1.8 meters) above sea level, the relocation of about 40 chicks to artificial burrows more than 500 miles (805 kilometers) away on Oahu could offer new hope. The species is considered vulnerable to extinction, and the goal is for the young petrels return to their new home when old enough to breed. "Tern Island is washing away," said biologist Eric VanderWerf of the nonprofit Pacific Rim Conservation. "Climate change is causing a greater need for thisfor taking a species outside its known historical range." A pending change to the U.S. Endangered Species Act by the Biden administration would make it easier to relocate some of the most imperiled species to places where they've not previously been recorded. This July 13, 2012 IMAGE provided by the Smithsonians National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute photo shows a Guam Kingfisher in Front Royal, Va. As warming temperatures from climate change and invasive species alter habitats around the globe, some scientists and government officials are embracing animal like the kingfisher and plant relocations to prevent vulnerable populations from dwindling or going extinct. If a relocation is successful, the kingfishers would become one of the few species ever upgraded from extinct in the wild to critically endangered. Credit: Jim Jenkins/Smithsonians National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute via AP In response, state wildlife officials and scientists have suggested moving a portion of some species struggling with climate change, including Key deer of southern Florida, the Karner blue butterfly of the Midwest and Northeast, desert flowers in Nevada and California and the St. Croix ground lizard in the Virgin Islands. Republicans in western statesincluding Montana, New Mexico and Arizonaare against the proposal saying it could wreak ecological havoc as "invasive species" get purposefully introduced. The proposal, which federal officials expect to finalize in June, reflects a "fundamental shift in the way we think of species protection and conservation," said University of Notre Dame biologist Jason McLachlan. The issue goes beyond endangered species, McLachlan said, and raises questions about what should be considered "native" now that shifting temperatures are pushing some species to higher elevations or toward the planet's poles. In this April 2018 photo provided by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a wildlife worker holds a Tristrams storm petrel chick in Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, Hawaii. Scientists are making a dramatic effort to save the birds in Hawaii by moving them to an island they never had inhabited. Credit: Amanda Boyd/USFWS via AP Comparable temperature shifts in the past occurred over millennia, but the present one is happening over just decades and is drastically upending ecosystems. "Eventually we're going to have to start thinking about it in ways that will make peopleincluding meuncomfortable," he said. "To say this species is OK and this species is not OK, that's asking a lot of human beings." To save storm petrels, VanderWerf said, scientists need to act before populations have crashed. "In 30 years, these birds will certainly be rare, if we don't do something about it," he said. Relocation of species outside historical ranges is still a rarity, but U.S. wildlife officials have identified numerous threatened and endangered plants and animals already being affected by climate change: glacial stoneflies in Montana, emperor penguins in Antarctica, the Mt. Rainier ptarmigan, the saltmarsh sparrow of the Atlantic coast and numerous birds of Hawaii. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesperson Karen Armstrong said there are no current proposals to establish new populations of those particular species. "In the future, some species' ranges may shift due to climate change, or their current habitats might become unsuitable due to invasive species encroachment," Armstrong said in an email. "We view experimental population establishment outside of their historical ranges as a potential tool for their management and conservation." In this Dec. 15, 2021, image provided by the Smithsonians National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Erica Royer attaches a tracker to a Guam kingfisher in Front Royal, Va. As warming temperatures from climate change and invasive species alter habitats around the globe, some scientists and government officials are embracing animal like the kingfisher and plant relocations to prevent vulnerable populations from dwindling or going extinct. If a relocation is successful, the kingfishers would become one of the few species ever upgraded from extinct in the wild to critically endangered. Credit: Roshan Patel/Smithsonians National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute via AP One plan now being considered by U.S. wildlife officials concerns birds native to Guam, where kingfishers were decimated by brown tree snakes accidentally brought to the island around 1950 on military cargo ships. The last 29 wild Guam kingfishers were captured in the 1980s and have been bred in captivity to buy time. Under a pending proposal, nine kingfishers would be released back into the wild beginning this year on Palmyra Island, more than 3,600 miles (5,800 kilometers) away. If a relocation is successful, the kingfishers would become one of the few species ever upgraded from "extinct in the wild" to "critically endangered." The hope is that the Guam kingfisher, also known locally as sihek, will eventually be returned to their native island, if the tree snake is controlled, said Erica Royer, a bird expert at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, D.C. This 2013 image provided by the U.S. Virgin Islands Division of Fish and Wildlife shows the St. Croix ground lizard in Buck Island, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. The once-controversial idea of relocating an imperiled species, like the the St. Croix ground lizard, to another island, country or continent for conservation is gaining increasing acceptance among scientists as a measure of last resort. Credit: Nicole F. Angeli/U.S. Virgin Islands Division of Fish and Wildlife via AP "This kind of intensive management is necessary for us to have a reasonable shot at holding onto some species," said Don Lyons with National Audubon Society's Seabird Institute. Yet the potential dangerand scientific debatelies in what humans can't predict. Humanity has been moving species around for centuries, often inadvertently and sometimes causing great harm. A Karner Blue butterfly sits on a leaf after it was released at the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission in Albany, N.Y., July 10, 2015. State officials and scientists have suggested moving a portion of some species struggling with climate change like the Karner blue butterfly. Credit: AP Photo/Mike Groll, File Examples abound: Asian carp have spread through rivers and streams across the U.S. Starlings from Europe destroy crops and drive out songbirds. Zebra mussels from Eurasia decimate native populations. And kudzu vines from Japan planted to stabilize soils have spread to dozens of states where they choke out other plants. Scientist Mark Schwartz at the University of California, Davis said he was initially skeptical of moving species for conservation when biologists began discussing the idea about a decade ago. The rapid rate of extinctions more recently has him thinking that sitting idle could be a costly error. A Florida Key deer stands on the side of Overseas Highway in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in Big Pine Key, Fla., Sept. 13, 2017. State officials and scientists have suggested moving a portion of some species struggling with climate change like the Key deer. Credit: AP Photo/Alan Diaz, File "Many, many species" must be moved or could go extinct, said James Watson, a conservation scientist at the University of Queensland in Australia, where increasingly severe, climate-fueled wildfires have forced conversations on relocations. Unprecedented fires three years ago likely destroyed the last habitats of some endangered species, he said. "We've already played Russian Roulette with the climate, we're already on that ski runwe might as well take some more risks." 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The purpose of Walliserops trilobite tridents had remained elusive for some time, but researchers now believe they were used in fights between males. Credit: Madison Mullen and image Alan Gishlick Fighting for mates may be a behavior that dates back over 400 million years. A unique specimen suggests that male Walliserops trilobites fought each other using trident-like structures to win the opportunity to mate with females. So the history of jousting may go back much further than the Middle Ages. A new paper, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that a group of ancient invertebrates known as trilobites may have "jousted" hundreds of millions of years ago. Trident-like structures found on the heads of Walliserops trilobites may have been used by males to compete in fights for dominance, with the arthropods trying to flip their rival over. If confirmed, this could represent some of the oldest evidence of sexual competition and sexual selection ever discovered. Co-author Professor Richard Fortey OBE FRS, who is a Scientific Associate at the Museum, says, "The extraordinary Devonian trilobite Walliserops carried a unique, giant trident on its head, the purpose of which has long been a mystery." "We now believe that it was used for jousting between males striving for dominance. The evolution of sexually motivated competition in animals is hundreds of millions of years older than we thought." The paper also speculates that these trilobites may have been sexually dimorphic, meaning males and females were different in appearance. However, the authors note that more evidence will be needed to conclude if this is the case. The team compared the weapons of living beetles to Walliserops to evaluate how it might have used its trident. Credit: Alan Gishlick What is sexual selection? Sexual selection is an evolutionary process affecting characteristics associated with reproduction. It affects both primary sexual characteristics, such as the genitals, and secondary features that influence reproduction, such as the tail of male peacocks or the antlers of deer. These secondary features are used to help attract mates and to compete with rivals and are some of the most obvious examples of sexual selection in the animal kingdom. In many species however, the impacts of sexual selection are much more subtle, and it becomes even more difficult to detect in extinct species. While there is some evidence of sexual selection in dinosaurs, such as the frills of Protoceratops, there isn't enough evidence to rule out the other potential roles these structures had. Making comparisons to living species, such as comparing the horns of the extinct Megaloceros to living deer, can be one way to try and avoid this. When structures are found in fossils, however, these comparisons can sometimes be problematic because it's not clear what feature of a living species they compare to. Ever since Walliserops was described in 2001, it has been similarly difficult to understand the role of trilobite tridents. While a role in sexual selection has been considered, other roles in defense, burrowing or sensing food are also possible. To make the extraordinary claim that the tridents have a role in sexual selection, the researchers needed extraordinary evidence. They believe they have now found it in the collections of the Houston Museum of Natural History. The four-pointed trilobite trident The trilobite at the center of this study stands out from many other Walliserops specimens held in museums because of its unique trident. Instead of having three points, or tines, it is the only known individual to have grown four. The tines are all broadly equivalent in size and there is no sign of injury, which suggests it was born with four as a result of genetic mutation. A four-tined Walliserops trifurcatus specimen is the key piece of evidence used by the researchers to argue their case. Credit: Alan Gishlick Even more important than the four-tined trident itself is the fact that the specimen is fully grown. By making it to adulthood, it shows that the feature that makes it different from other trilobites didn't have a significant impact on its chances of survival. This suggests that a role in feeding or digging is unlikely, because the changes the fourth tine causes to the overall shape of the trident would have made it more difficult to use for these purposes, limiting the individual's chance of survival. It may have also influenced how likely the trilobite was to compete for mates, but the mating success of the individual, or lack thereof, would not have affected its survival chances. Deer with abnormal antlers, for instance, can still survive until they are fully grown. While there are no characteristics of living animals that can be directly compared to the tridents of these trilobites, the striking weapons of rhinoceros beetles are broadly similar. These have large horns that can be as much as half of their body length and are used in fights between males during the mating season. The researchers analyzed the shape of the Walliserops tridents and compared them to the weapons of beetles to try and understand how they might have been used. They found the trident shape was most similar to beetles that try to tip over their opponents with shovel-like weapons. When the trilobites were alive 400 million years ago, it is believed they used their tridents to prod at each other before attempting to get underneath their rival and turn them over. While any trilobites that did get flipped were not necessarily stuck, the amount of time it could have taken to right themselves would have allowed victorious males the opportunity to mate with females. It's possible that these females may have been trident-less if the trident is a sexually selected characteristic. In this case, females may have been inadvertently placed into a different group of species altogether, but this would be difficult to prove. If the tridents are accepted as examples of sexually selected characters, they add to a growing body of evidence, such as the recent discovery of male claspers, which show that at least some trilobite species could be sexually dimorphic. More information: Alan D. Gishlick et al, Trilobite tridents demonstrate sexual combat at 400 Mya, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2023). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2119970120 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences This story is republished courtesy of Natural History Museum. Read the original story here This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Locally caught fish in rivers and lakes could be a major source of exposure to "forever chemicals" PFAS, new research has warned. Eating one freshwater fish caught in a river or lake in the United States is the equivalent of drinking a month's worth of water contaminated with toxic "forever chemicals", new research said on Tuesday. The invisible chemicals called PFAS were first developed in the 1940s to resist water and heat, and are now used in items such as non-stick pans, textiles, fire suppression foams and food packaging. But the indestructibility of PFAS, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, means the pollutants have built up over time in the air, soil, lakes, rivers, food, drinking water and even our bodies. There have been growing calls for stricter regulation for PFAS, which have been linked to a range of serious health issues including liver damage, high cholesterol, reduced immune responses and several kinds of cancer. To find out PFAS contamination in locally caught fish, a team of researchers analyzed more than 500 samples from rivers and lakes across the United States between 2013 and 2015. The median level of PFAS in the fish was 9,500 nanogrammes per kilogram, according to a new study published in the journal Environmental Research. Nearly three quarters of the detected "forever chemicals" was PFOS, one of the most common and hazardous of the thousands of PFAS. Eating just one freshwater fish equalled drinking water with PFOS at 48 parts per trillion for a month, the researchers calculated. Last year the US Environmental Protection Agency lowered the level of PFOS in drinking water it considers safe to 0.02 parts per trillion. The total PFAS level in the freshwater fish was 278 times higher than what has been found in commercially sold fish, the study said. Non-stick pans are among the products that use PFAS, which have been linked to a range of serious health issues. 'Greatest chemical threat' David Andrews, a senior scientist at the non-profit Environmental Working Group which led research, told AFP he grew up catching and eating fish. "I can no longer look at a fish without thinking about PFAS contamination," said Andrews, one of the study's authors. The findings were "particularly concerning due to the impact on disadvantaged communities that consume fish as a source protein or for social or cultural reasons," he added. "This research makes me incredibly angry because companies that made and used PFAS contaminated the globe and have not been held responsible." Patrick Byrne, an environmental pollution researcher at the UK's Liverpool John Moores University not involved in the research, said PFAS are "probably the greatest chemical threat the human race is facing in the 21st century". "This study is important because it provides the first evidence for widespread transfer of PFAS directly from fish to humans," he told AFP. Andrews called for much more stringent regulation to bring an end to all non-essential uses of PFAS. The study comes after Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden submitted a proposal to ban PFAS to the EU's European Chemicals Agency on Friday. The proposal, "one of the broadest in the EU's history," comes after the five countries found that PFAS were not adequately controlled, and bloc-wide regulation was needed, the agency said in a statement. More information: Nadia Barbo et al, Locally caught freshwater fish across the United States are likely a significant source of exposure to PFOS and other perfluorinated compounds, Environmental Research (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.115165 Journal information: Environmental Research 2023 AFP On Friday, state police in Queensbury arrested Karen Heibler, 48, of Fair Haven, on a warrant for felony third-degree grand larceny and first-degree falsifying business records. On Sept. 19 at 4:39 p.m., police received a complaint from a Lake Luzerne business that an employee had been stealing money. According to police, they determined that from December 2021 through August 2022, Heibler, who worked in a secretarial position for the company, took over $28,000 from the company without authorization. She also modified business records to conceal the theft, police said. She was processed and arraigned at the Warren County CAP Court and released on her own recognizance. CAMBRIDGE The Hubbard Hall Center for the Arts and Education has been awarded $85,000 in grants from the New York State Council on the Arts. The money will support general operations, open studio space, an artist commission and marketing, said David Snider, executive and artistic director. Were getting more general operating aid, Snider said. Theres more money available from NYSCA than there was before COVID. When Snider started at Cambridges community arts and education center in 2014, the organization received $35,000 a year in state support. Last year, it was $116,000 from various (pandemic) recovery funds, Snider said. All that is great. Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Legislature have invested $240 million in the states arts sector, according to a NYSCA news release. Since last spring, NYSCA has awarded $90 million under a streamlined application process. Arts organizations have to explain what we do, why its important, and how it supports artists and the community, Snider said. NYSCA used to limit arts organizations to one operating grant and one grant for support in another area per year, but he said now you can apply for unlimited grants, as many opportunities as you qualify for. Last summer, Hubbard Hall began discussing a possible commission and artist residency with New York City performance artist Ian Andrew Askew. The grant gave us the shot in the arm to do it, Snider said. Askews work combines multimedia, theater, music, and performance looking at historical absurdities manufactured scarcities, and contrary negritudes, according to Askews website. This is Hubbard Halls first artist commission grant from NYSCA. The organization received its first National Endowment for the Arts grant for artist residencies last year, according to Snider. Hubbard Halls Sandbox program, which makes space on its campus available to artists, organizations and the community for free, will also benefit from NYSCA funding. The Hubbard Hall main stage, visual arts studio, dance studio, Lovejoy building and Freight Depot black box theater are available for rehearsals, performances, workshops and meetings. Battenkill Books, the Valley Artisans Market, Battenkill Chorale, Battenkill Community Services and the Cambridge Central School Drama Club are among the local organizations taking advantage of those spaces. With the grant, weve got enough money to keep the lights on, Snider said. We have all this real estate and we want to make it available. Snider recently applied to NYSCA for what he called a major grant for artist housing. After the conversion of several local motels to apartments, he said theres no short-term housing in the area. Thats hampered the arts center because visiting actors, musicians and other artists need places to stay while they develop a piece, rehearse and perform. We should hear about (the grant) in April, Snider said. Thats really fast for NYSCA. With the easing of pandemic restrictions, Hubbard Hall can have full audiences in its performance spaces. A concert by the Celtic band Coig and the CCS Drama Clubs Little Women, both in December, were well attended, Snider said. Fun Home, the 2015 Tony Award winner for best musical, will play on the main stage from Feb. 3 to 12. Kirk Jackson will direct the show by Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron, based on the graphic novel by Allison Bechdel. The cast includes professional actors and local children. Snider said that to the best of his knowledge, this will be the first production anywhere in the region of Fun Home. The CCS Drama Club will do its spring musical, Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine from March 24 to April 2. For more information about Hubbard Halls schedule and programs, visit www.hubbardhall.org. New Jerseys legal weed prices are so high, few people can afford to be. At least thats the assessment of one cannabis activist who spoke at Fridays meeting of the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission. Chris Goldstein, who described himself as a longtime organizer for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML, told commissioners during the public comment portion of the meeting that legalization must make cannabis available to people making $14 an hour. That is not the case now, he said. He compared it to ending Prohibition, but having the only alcohol available for legal sale being $1,000 bottles of champagne. Thats what a $480 ounce of cannabis plus tax looks like to a working class person in New Jersey today, Goldstein said. At previous meetings, Jeff Brown, the executive director of the commission, has argued that prices will naturally drop as more distribution locations open throughout New Jersey. As Popularity of Weed Edibles Rises, So Do Accidental Poisonings in Kids TUESDAY, Jan. 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- As more U.S. states legalize marijuana, the number of preschoolers accidentally eating cannabis "edibles" is rising in tandem, a new study shows. New Jerseys cannabis industry appears poised for rapid growth in 2023, according to Brown. The commission has been approving new licenses, and members say rapid progress is being made. On Friday, the commission approved eight annual licenses, including two for cultivators and five for retailers. The board also approved six conversions of conditional licenses to annual licenses, and has been regularly approving licenses at its meetings. Brown reported that the authority has received close to 1,500 license applications since legalization last year, and expects significant expansion in the industry in the coming years. Three more dispensaries have passed inspection and will be setting opening dates once permits are issued. Still, on social media and in other forums, consumers have complained about the prices in New Jersey, unfavorably comparing them to the New York market, where the first dispensary opened in the Greenwich Village area of Manhattan last month. At Housing Works Cannabis on Broadway, run by a not-for-profit organization and the first legal dispensary in New York State, some strains of cannabis are available for $40 for an eighth of an ounce. Most, however, appear to be in line with New Jersey prices, such as La Bomba for $55 or Wedding Cake for $60. Marijuana-Linked ER Visits by Seniors Are Rising MONDAY, Jan. 16, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- New research out of California finds seniors are being treated in emergency rooms in significantly higher numbers for adverse side effects from cannabis consumption. Cannabis strains typically have colorful names. In Atlantic County, at The Botanist, the strains Robot Girl and Velvet Cookies are listed at $55.19 for 3.5 grams, roughly equivalent to an eighth of an ounce, and Bonkers and Willow Berry Kush are $60.19 for the same amount, according to their website. In Vermont, which also began sales of cannabis last year, the lowest price at Mountain Girl Cannabis in Rutland City is $40 for an eighth of an ounce, while other strains, such as Key Lime Pie, sell for $50 for that amount, while California dispensaries have some strains selling for $30. There, too, some specialty options run as much as $66.50 for an eighth of an ounce. But Goldstein instead compared the regulated cannabis costs to the black market, or what many advocates prefer to call the legacy market. He described it as a robust market, and other sources say black market weed has never been cheaper or more readily available in New Jersey. For $200 or $250, I can get fire today on the underground market and not pay a tax, Goldstein said. NORMLs analysis of national crime statistics shows marijuana arrests plummeted in New Jersey even before legal sales began last April. There were more than 30,000 arrests for possession in 2018, down to 200 in 2021, statistics show, and arrests for selling marijuana dropped from close to 3,000 statewide in 2018 to 44 in 2021. When States Legalize Marijuana, Teens' Asthma Rates Rise MONDAY, Jan. 16, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Cannabis use in U.S. states where recreational use is legal could be contributing to children's asthma, according to new research. People still get arrested for marijuana in New Jersey, which voted overwhelmingly to legalize in 2020. For instance, in October, two people were charged in Atlantic City with possession of more than the 6-ounce personal limit for marijuana and possession with intent to distribute, along with weapons charges, after police allegedly found more than 14 pounds of weed in their car, along with two 9mm handguns. The commission said it sees significant progress in the past year. According to Brown, more than 900 conditional licenses have been awarded, and of those 133 have submitted to convert to an annual license. Staff and board members cite the number of those licenses that are either owned by minorities or fall under social equity qualifications, or are in an impact zone. New Jersey has sought to create a diverse market, one that will bring the economic benefits of cannabis sales to areas that have seen the greatest numbers of marijuana arrests. Wesley McWhite, the commissions director of diversity and inclusion, told the board a cannabis market that reflects the diversity of New Jersey is already taking shape. This is direct evidence that New Jerseyans most impacted by the war on drugs with prior marijuana convictions are submitting applications, McWhite said. Our social equity framework is working. OCEAN CITY Speakers at Ocean Citys observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day called for a unified country, with hopes of bringing together not only different races but also healing the political divide. We are a nation that should be united. But I want to tell you, the enemy wants to divide us, said the Rev. Marcia Stanford, pastor of the Macedonia United Methodist Church. She suggested Congress get rid of Republicans and Democrats and Independents, and instead be people who are looking to serve America. Progress has been made since the civil right movement, but Stanford said work remained for the country. The day will come when it wont matter what color my skin is. All that will matter is where my heart is, Stanford said. Stanford received a standing ovation for her comments, which were presented in an impassioned style like a sermon. Other speakers joked about the difficulty in following her. Should I even speak? said Mayor Jay Gillian, the next speaker in the program. He said Stanford is important to the Ocean City community. Gillian said King preached unity in his life, even as he faced adversity. In some ways we have come a long way since Dr. King. In other ways we have not, Gillian said. Its sad that our world is still so divided, not just by Black and white, but by blue and red, rich and poor, partisan and non-partisan. Gillian called unity a powerful force. He cited the unity felt after the injury of Damar Hamlin, when people did not think of his team, his region or his race, but prayed for his well being. Faith was central to the messages at the event at the Ocean City Music Pier. The service began and ended with prayer, and several speakers cited Kings faith and their own. Each year, two residents are honored with service awards presented in Kings name. This year, the awards went to John Loeper, a local historian who worked to preserve a former lifesaving station on Fourth Street, an early structure on the barrier island. The first lifesaving station built on the barrier island in 1841, the second station in the state. He said the Lifesaving Service was integrated from the beginning, started by Alexander Hamilton as the Revenue Cutter Service, created to intercept smugglers, which later became the United States Coast Guard. Also honored was Patrick Kane, the former president of the Ocean City Board of Education, a medical doctor who lost his reelection effort last year. He was honored for efforts to protect students from COVID-19. He said the district worked with medical professionals to come up with the plan at the height of the pandemic and followed the most recent data in an effort to ensure the safety of students. That included hosting a vaccine clinic for students and community members at the school. Most of the speakers praised four students who presented their essays on King. Stanford said the children affirmed her hope for the future, and Keane praised their efforts. Students Sofia Wright, Kendall Barnes, Sydney Halliday and Gabriel Meron each read their essays and spoke about the legacy of King and what they saw as the work remaining. What I like about Dr. King is that he spoke with clarity and purpose, Wright said. The words he said and the ideas he offered still reverberate throughout the world today. She said his words remain an inspiration. Barnes spoke about Kings plea for peace and equality. Martin Luther King Jr.s dream wasnt just for everyone to be considered equal with laws and society. His dream was for our world to become a more welcoming and accepting place, Halliday said. Assemblyman Antwan McClellan presented each student with the recognition of the legislative team. Multiple members of City Council attended the event, as did representatives of Cape May County government and U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd. He also spoke of unity, and praised the student speakers. Martin Luther King didnt want us always to be separated, to always be arguing or fighting, Van Drew said. He wanted us to come together in love and in faith. Many people visited the community over the long weekend, with the Boardwalk crowded on the sunny January afternoon. Ocean Citys observance started with a day of service, with a cleanup organized in the community. After the Monday observation, participants gathered for a lunch at the back of the Music Pier. Far right, Adeline Gallagher, 7, of Northbrook waves hello while making valentines for veterans. From left are Bronwyn Wood, 13, a seventh-grader from Glenview, Addi Tucker, 7, a second-grader from Northbrook and Addy Carlson, 7, also of Northbrook at the Northbrook United Methodist Church MLK Day of Service on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023 in Northbrook (1190 Western Ave.). (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press) The annual MLK Day of Service returned to Northbrook United Methodist Church (1190 Western Ave.) on Jan. 16 after a two year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is our first year back since COVID, Im really excited, said Rev. Krista Paradiso of Northbrook, senior pastor at Northbrook UMC. Advertisement Volunteers gathered for the four hour event on the Martin Luther King Jr., Federal Holiday for the MLK Day of Service, a church event which is approaching a one decade history of philanthropy. A large cross is in the background as volunteers work. Back row, behind the table, are adults, from right to left, Janelle Wood of Glenview, Nancy Metzler of Northbrook and Karen Wells of Northbrook at the Northbrook United Methodist Church MLK Day of Service on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023 in Northbrook (1190 Western Ave.). (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press) The legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. instills a message of service but, I think theres always more work to be done, Paradiso said. Advertisement Right from a faith perspective, our tradition says that you will always have work to do, that we dont hear the poor will always be with you as an excuse but as a call to action, and a call to continually keep trying to do the work that makes the world more like we think it could be and should be, Paradiso said. Service projects included blessing bags for the homeless, making Project Linus blankets and valentines for Lake County veterans, and washing medicine bottles for a ministry to distribute repurposed amber prescription and other secure top vials and containers to people globally in need of proper storage of medicine. From right to left, all from Northbrook, are volunteers Phil Braden, Lisa Kirsch and Karen Glazer, staging donated items at the Northbrook United Methodist Church MLK Day of Service on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023 in Northbrook (1190 Western Ave.). (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press) For 2023, the MLK Day of Service had four project co-chairs including Karen Glazer of Northbrook, Karen Wells of Northbrook, Heidi Ortiz of Glenview and Alice Lonoff of Northbrook. My dream would be to end homelessness because its such a horrible problem, Glazer said. You go into the city and you see people sleeping in tents under bridges. Blessing bags for the homeless include socks, water, shampoo, toothpaste, a toothbrush, toiletries, peppermints and granola bars as examples. What were doing today is just a token, Glazer said. Its a small gift just small things but were writing notes in every bag saying, you know, Somebodys thinking about you today. Approximately 50 handmade valentines destined for North Chicago area veterans served by the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center will be delivered before Valentines Day. Volunteer Michael Paradiso of Northbrook hand washes an amber prescription drug vial to donate. Paradiso is working at the Northbrook United Methodist Church MLK Day of Service on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023 in Northbrook (1190 Western Ave.). (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press) Another dream is that our elder veterans, Glazer added, feel appreciated for their service. Advertisement Nancy Metzler of Northbrook made valentines. It was fun, its nice to be able to do something creative, Metzler said. Its so nice to be able to have this event (MLK Day of Service) again. Janelle Wood of Glenview made valentine greetings with children Payne Wood, 11, a fifth-grader and Bronwyn Wood, 13, a seventh-grader. Its a day to give back, that Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a day that we honor Martin Luther King, Jr. and its a day of volunteering, Janelle Wood said. Addi Tucker, 7, a second-grader from Northbrook, sat with friends making valentines. Steve Tucker, Addis parent, said, I think this is a wonderful opportunity for the kids to come together with the church. Leaning in on right is Adeline Gallagher, 7, of Northbrook who is here to help make valentines for veterans. From left are Addi Tucker, 7, a second-grader from Northbrook, Bella Dembov and Addy Carlson, both 7 and from Northbrook too. Taken at the Northbrook United Methodist Church MLK Day of Service on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023 in Northbrook (1190 Western Ave.). (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press) In the kitchen, volunteers were busy cleaning the prescription drug containers. Many of the childproof caps were from Walgreens sourced amber vials. Advertisement All from Northbrook, Rita Philbin, 11, a fifth-grader, Mari Paradiso, 12, a sixth-grader, Karen Watkins, Stefanie Malczyk and Michael Paradiso were among people working kitchen duty. It is the least we can do, Michael Paradiso said while washing bottles under a running water tap. Stefanie Malczyk said that if Martin Luther King, Jr. were alive, I think he would be more than pleased and delighted that so many people gather together to support and help people in need. But, Theres still a lot to be done, theres always going to be more to be done and thats possibly finding any ways to help people in need who have already sacrificed so much, Malczyk added. It happens way too often to so many people. Karen Watkins said, Many hands make the work faster. It also makes you feel good. From right to left, Rita Philbin, 11, a fifth-grader and Mari Paradiso, 12, a sixth-grader, both from Northbrook, work among volunteers helping to clean recycled medicine containers to upcycle and donate. This scene was taken at the Northbrook United Methodist Church MLK Day of Service on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023 in Northbrook (1190 Western Ave.). (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press) The MLK Day of Service was one way, to show our respect, Rita Philbin and Mari Paradiso both said. Advertisement Rita and Mari are aware of Martin Luther King, Jr.s renowned 1963 speech, I Have a Dream. I just want everybody to be peaceful with each other and accept each other for their differences, Rita said. Maris dream is that, Everyone gets what they need to not just survive but thrive. Thats a pretty big dream, Mari added, but I feel like it shouldnt be. Visit Northbrook UMC at https://www.northbrookumc.org. Karie Angell Luc is a freelancer for Pioneer Press. Chikhali: Robbers break into the residence of a family vacationing in Goa Ravindra Sopan Bhujbal (aged 34; a resident of Jadhavwadi, Chikhali) has filed a complaint against the unknown robbers According to the report, the plaintiff, along with his family, had gone on vacation to Goa. Taking advantage of the situation, thieves broke into his residence and stole gold ornaments worth Rs 2 lakh 4 thousand, silver ornaments worth Rs 81 thousand, cash, other household items, and documents worth a total of Rs 3 lakh 90 thousand. All of this took place between January 12 and January 16. A case has been registered at the Chikhali police station, and an investigation is underway. Youth from Dhankawdi in Pune die by suicide after falling into a sextortion trap; accused are nabbed by Pune police from Rajastan An accused has been arrested from Rajasthan in connection with the suicide of a youth in Dhankawadi after threatening to broadcast offensive photographs and videos and demanding ransom. Sahakarnagar police have arrested a 24-year-old youth from Raipur Suketi village in Rajasthan's Bharatpur district. A youth from the state has been arrested earlier in connection with the suicide of a youth in Dattawadi. Two young men from Pune were duped into falling into a trap after professing friendship with a young woman on social media. The accused threatened the victim with exposing the clips on social media if they did not pay a ransom. Two youths from Dattawadi and Dhankawadi die by suicide as a consequence of the accused's threats. Following that, a squad of Dattawadi police searched the Rajasthan village of Gurugothia and arrested the offenders. The villagers of Gurugothia village had hurled stones at the cops at the time. According to the police investigation, the entire town was involved in sextortion. The suicide case of a youth in the Dhankawadi area was being investigated by Sahakarnagar police. A case was registered for inciting the youth to commit suicide by threatening him with extortion. The police had received information that the youth of Raipur Suketi village was involved in sextortion. After that, Commissioner of Police Ritesh Kumar, Joint Commissioner Sandeep Karnik, and Deputy Commissioner Smartana Patil ordered to arrest of the accused. The police team left for Rajasthan under the guidance of Assistant Commissioner of Police Sushma Chavan, and Senior Police Inspector of Sahakarnagar Police Station Sawalram Salgaonkar. Police Sub-Inspectors Hasan Mulani, Sanjay Gaikwad, Sagar Sutkar, Nikhil Rajwade, and Sagar Kumhar laid a trap in Raipur Suketi village. Police kept surveillance for eight days with the help of the Rajasthan Police. After that, the young man was arrested and brought to Pune. The court sent him to police custody for eight days. Senior Police Inspector Savalaram Salgaonkar said that many people of Raipur Suketi village are involved in the crime of sextortion. Chopper-wielding goons terrorise people in various parts of city, cases filed Despite strict action taken by the Pune police, the Koyta issue persists in several parts of the city. Within 24 hours, the city recorded three separate incidents in which two youngsters, including an auto driver, were seriously injured, and a woman was assaulted by a gang of youths in Haveli when she requested them to ride the bike cautiously. The first incidence occurred on Saturday at 10.30 pm in Lohiyanagar. Prem Patole, 26, filed a complaint stating that a gang of four approached him and abused him over an old feud. One of them had a sickle hidden at his waist, which he retrieved and attacked Prems head with it. He attempted to respond with his hands, but the accused assaulted his left hand, while another accused hit him on his back and head. All of them then fled the scene, leaving him in a pool of blood. Khadak police filed an FIR under sections 307, 324, and 504 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and relevant sections of the Arms Act. Following the incident, senior police inspector Sangeeta Yadav and his team arrested Ajay Bagari (21), Shailesh Bagari (21), Aniket Koli (21) and Bharat Koli (18), all residents of Lohiyanagar. All four accused have criminal records, and were booked earlier for several cases. In another incident, Sidharth Shivsharan (60), a resident of Ramtekdi, Hadapasar, filed a complaint at the Wanowari police station. His son Rohit was heading home when he was stopped by the accused and was asked for money to buy cigarettes. When he refused, the accused assaulted him with sharp weapons. The Wanowrie police have booked Mahesh Shinde, Mangesh Jadhav and Ayush Kale, all residents of Hadapasar, under sections 307, 504 of IPC and relevant sections of Arms Act. The police arrested Jadhav and Kale on the basis of CCTV footage of the crime scene. The third incident took place in Gorhe village on Sinhagad road on Sunday. A group of 10 to 12 people went to a stall and asked for a free cigarette. When the stall owner refused, the accused flaunted sharp weapons in the air and created terror. The Haveli police arrested accused Suraj Thakur (21), Nilesh Sah(23), Akshay Chavan (23) Sagar Patil (22) Aniket More (22), all residents of Haveli, in connection with the case. In yet another incident, a group terrorised locals after a woman requested them to ride their bikes slowly. According to police reports, the woman was sitting in front of her house, and some children were playing nearby. The accused were riding recklessly in the area. When the lady approached them with this advice, they were enraged. They then came forward wielding sickles and wooden sticks. They terrorised local women and battered them. A video of this event, in which the youngsters were seen menacing women with weapons in their hands, went viral on social media. Police inspector Sadashiv Shelar attached with Haveli police station said, We received a call about the incident and also received the video. We immediately sent our teams and arrested the five who created a ruckus in the area. They have threatened to kill the women. Out of 11 accused, six are still at large, and we are tracing them. The lone 911 call that was made on the morning of a triple homicide at Maquoketa Caves State Park came from the mother of the man police say was the killer. As the sun rose on the popular park in Jackson County, Iowa, on July 22, two gunshots rang out. A little boy screamed and ran for help. His parents were shot, he said; there was blood. A nearby camper took the boy by the hand, hurried toward the campground entrance and called 911. The contents of that call reveal more about what happened at the park than what investigators have been willing to disclose over the past six months, despite having concluded the case. 'He saw his parents were shot' Cecilia Sherwin struggled with the pronunciation of Maquoketa. After several attempts at describing her location, it clicked for the Jackson County 911 dispatcher: She was talking about Maquoketa Caves. "Shooting, shooting," Sherwin said. "We heard it this morning and this kid screaming. He said his parents were shot and there's blood." The 911 call, obtained by the Quad-City Times/Dispatch-Argus through an Open Records request to Jackson County, lasts for 23 minutes. The dispatcher is heard asking questions of Sherwin and trying to call law enforcement. As he called the park ranger and the phone continued to ring, the dispatcher said, "Come on," just before the ranger's phone went to voice mail. The connection between the dispatcher and Sherwin was briefly lost at one point, but she called back. The dispatcher again put her on hold as he tried to contact help. Nearly 10 minutes after her initial call, the dispatcher asked more questions, including where she was in the park, exactly. "At the entrance ... with the little boy," she replied. "He was screaming in the tent. We heard the shots." The dispatcher had questions for the boy, too, so Sherwin handed him her phone. "Who am I talking to?" the dispatcher asked. "Me," the boy replied. Then came some detail: The boy's name was Arlo. He was 9 years old. He was camping in a tent with his mom, his sister and his dad. "I woke up and there was someone, like, someone in, like, black clothes and they had a weapon and my sister was screaming," Arlo said. The dispatcher asked where his dad was. The boy paused, then replied, "I think they were hurt." He repeated to the dispatcher that the man had a "small gun" and was wearing "black clothes." He then handed the phone back to Sherwin. A few seconds later, she could be heard asking the boy, "Honey, are you OK? What's wrong?" The dispatcher assured them help was coming. A trooper and park ranger "aren't too far away," he said. An ambulance was standing by at the park's visitor center. After 23 minutes, the 911 call concluded with the arrival of a park ranger. Asked last week why she took the boy to the entrance of the park to call 911, Sherwin said, "We were running to safety, thinking someone in black was going to shoot us." The discovery of bodies Inside a tent near the entrance to the upper campground at Maquoketa Caves State Park, police found the bodies of Sarah and Tyler Schmidt, both 42, and their daughter, 6-year-old Lula. Two weeks later, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, DCI, publicly disclosed the causes of the Schmidts' deaths: Tyler was shot and stabbed. Sarah was stabbed. Lula was shot and strangled. Arlo was the only member of the family from Cedar Falls to escape injury. Anthony Sherwin, 23, had been traveling and camping with his parents, Cecilia and Joe. He was in his own tent. The campground had a total of about a dozen campers, Cecilia Sherwin had told the 911 dispatcher. Anthony Sherwin's body was found "near the campground a short distance away" but still inside the park, according to an investigator's remarks at a news conference on the day of the killings. In addition to revealing the causes of death on Aug. 4, the Iowa DCI declared that Sherwin had been the killer: "... all evidence collected to this point substantiate Sherwin was the perpetrator of the homicides and acted alone." His parents don't believe it. Neither his character nor the bit of evidence shared with them proves he did it, they said. Cecilia Sherwin said her son sustained two gunshot wounds. She thinks the first would have been "debilitating" and wonders how he managed to shoot himself again. Police have declined to answer any questions and have not publicly released any additional information since Aug. 4. Public Records requests denied The list of unanswered questions is long, but one in particular bothers Cecilia Sherwin because it seems simple to answer: Was the gun police say was used by her son to commit suicide the same gun that was used in the shootings of Tyler and Lula Schmidt? She and her husband specifically asked one of the lead investigators whether a ballistics match was made. They didn't get an answer, she said. The Quad-City Times/Dispatch-Argus also filed requests for public records under Iowa's Open Records law and the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA. The request sought incident reports, investigative documents, crime-scene summaries and autopsy reports. "The records you seek are not public," replied Debbie McClung, strategic communications bureau chief, office of the commissioner, Iowa Department of Public Safety. "We can share immediate facts and circumstances of this case, which are contained in the press release links which Ive provided for you ..." McClung was asked in an email on Jan. 11 whether the gun used in the suicide matched the one used in the slayings. She did not respond. The Sherwins' requests for information also have either been denied or ignored, Cecilia Sherwin said. She was able to independently obtain her son's autopsy report, she said, but it only added to her confusion. She knew Anthony was wearing green shorts because she had given them to him the day before the shooting as she handed out the last of the clean clothes from the family's camping trip. The autopsy listed the clothing Anthony was wearing, which included the green shorts. To the Sherwins, the clothing distinction is important because Arlo had been insistent the person who killed his family was wearing black. "The reason we want the final report is that we want an independent review of what they say has happened because we believe Anthony was murdered and did not commit that crime," Cecilia Sherwin said. The people who likely knew Anthony best his parents say he wasn't capable of killing and he had no connection whatsoever to the Schmidts. Why would he violently attack them at sunrise? "We were told there was no motive and it was random," she said. Investigative matters aren't the only details that remain under wraps. Police won't even tell the Sherwins where in the park their son's body was found, Cecilia Sherwin said. "Why can't we know where our son's last moments on earth were, so we can put a small cross and flowers there? she asked. Arlo Schmidt is being raised by extended family, according to reports from his hometown. Cecilia Sherwin regularly thinks of the boy, she said. Its a gloomy Tuesday afternoon when the first knock sounds at the door. A volunteer jumps up to welcome the first of what might be 30 elementary school age students to the bright and colorful Treat House, 510 Warren St., for a free after-school program operated by the nonprofit Project Renewal. We are a stable spot, Ann Schwickerath, the organizations executive director, said. And while the children do get treats today its Goldfish crackers and juice the nearly 50-year-old organization provides much more than that. The first order of business is to ask each child if he or she has homework, and theyll work on that, maybe using one of 17 computers in the house. When homework is finished, kids are free to play a board game, read a book or just hang out. Special programs are offered year-round by staff of the Figge Art Museum, Common Chord (formerly the River Music Experience) and the Davenport Public Library. All the while, Project Renewal volunteers and staff strive to quietly affirm each child. They also try to teach how to resolve squabbles without fighting, use time constructively and interact with appropriate social behavior, in the words of the organizations website. A visiting newspaper reporter sees an example of this when a volunteer suggests to Isaac, a second-grader, that he should introduce himself to the reporter. Isaac springs from a couch, walks over and extends his hand. Amy Kersten, of Davenport, now in her ninth year of volunteering at Project Renewal, said her first impression of the place was that it was filled with laughter and high energy. It still is, and thats one of the reasons she stays. Another volunteer, PJ Slobogan, calls it a happy place to come to. At present, 65 children are enrolled, kindergarten through 12th grade. A change in the past several years is that older children are sticking around. Previously, kids began drifting away once they got to upper junior high and high school. We might not see them anymore, Schwickerath said. Maybe it (coming to Project Renewal) wasnt cool. But more kids have started staying with us longer, into high school. And the organization has responded with programs just for them, offered in the evenings so teens who might have after-school extracurricular or part-time jobs can attend. An emphasis of these programs is career exploration, looking at what the kids might do after high school. To that end, Project Renewal takes the kids on college visits private and public four-year institutions as well as community college, trade school and apprenticeship programs and has speakers come in to talk about various lines of work. Staff also tries to caution the kids on possible pitfalls. In partnership with the Center for Alcohol and Drug Services, staff comes in to advise on decision-making, refusal skills, healthy hangouts and identifying trusted friends and adults. Were walking through life with them so they can become productive in society, Schwickerath said. And when school is out for the summer, Project Renewal picks up with a robust slate of programming from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. This includes swim lessons; work in math, reading and writing; craft projects and field trips. Kids have visited the Davenport Spray Park and Nahant Marsh in Davenport, the Wapsi Environmental Center near Dixon and Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat center near Wheatland, Iowa. Smaller groups have attended ballgames at Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport, visited Niabi Zoo in Coal Valley and have volunteered at Bix at Six training runs. How Project Renewal got its start The group traces its roots to 1972, when Sister Concetta Bendicente came to Davenport from Chicago to serve her order, the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ. She moved to the neighborhood just west of downtown and began observing needs people experiencing homelessness, kids playing on the railroad tracks, elderly people with no family. She decided she could help and bought a condemned brick house on the corner of 5th and Warren that she fixed up and lived in to be a positive presence in the neighborhood and to serve as a base for helping those she encountered. At that time, there werent all the great social service organizations there are now, Ann Schwickerath, executive director of Project Renewal, said. Sister Concetta did a little bit of everything, providing food, clothes, transportation and helping the homeless and elderly. In time, the focus narrowed to children, and efforts were organized in 1974 under the auspices of a nonprofit organization. To serve more children, the organization purchased for park purposes a nearby vacant lot where a 1850s school once stood and, in 2002, a duplex that became the Treat House. For the first 20 years, the staff was all-volunteer. In 1993, Ann Schwickerath, then newly graduated from the University of Iowa where she majored in sociology and art education, came to work for the summer and never left. She became executive director and was the only full-time employee for many years. The organization now has two full-time and three part-time staffers who work year-round, and it generally hires about eight seasonal staffers to help with summer programs, often work-study college students. The organizations annual operating budget is about $245,000, with money coming from federal Community Development Block Grants administered by the city of Davenport, grants from area foundations and a great list of faithful private donors, Schwickerath said. The budget is expected to increase to $280,000 for the fiscal year beginning July 1 with the hiring of an additional staff member and operation of the expanded space. A point of pride for Project Renewal is that its original brick house is where Mother Teresa stayed in April 1976 when she was in Davenport to receive the Davenport Catholic Interracial Councils Pacem in Terris award. Mother Teresa was the founder of a religious order of nuns, known for her work with the poor and sick in India and other places in the world. In 2016 she was canonized as a saint. The Quad-Cities St. Patrick Society is announcing details for its popular Grand Parade. The annual festivities will begin March 17 with the introduction of the parade Grand Marshal, Irish Mother of the Year and St. Patrick Society scholarship recipient at the Gathering of the Clan Luncheon. Reservations to the luncheon are being accepted, and more information can be found online. Parade day March 18 will kick off with 10 a.m. Mass at St. Mary's, 2204 4th Ave., Rock Island. The parade will begin at 4th Avenue and 23rd Street, traveling through downtown Rock Island and over the Centennial Bridge into Davenport. Groups will make their way down W. Third Street to the RiverCenter at Perry Street. The River Bend Food Bank will travel the parade route ahead of decorated floats and walking groups to gather monetary donations for the nonprofit's mission of combating food insecurity in the Quad-Cities. The celebrations will continue at the Post-Parade Bash, 1-4 p.m. at the RiverCenter. The bash is member-only, but membership to the St. Patrick Society can be purchased at the door for $15. More information on the parade and after party can be found at the St. Patrick Society website. Ahead of the celebration, the St. Patrick Society is seeking nominations for Irish Mother of the Year and their scholarship recipient. Irish Mother of the Year nominations must come in the form of a 150-word letter. Candidates should participate in their community, family and church, have a good sense of humor and pride in their Irish heritage. They also must be able to attend all the St. Patrick Society parade weekend activities. Scholarship applicants must have a relative that is currently a member of the St. Patrick Society and demonstrate their ability to pursue higher education, through their GPA, SAT or ACT scores and class rank. Letters of recommendation are encouraged, and applications can be received from school counselors, at the St. Patrick Society website or from Matt Wissing, wissingm@yahoo.com. The scholarship recipient will receive $1,500 from the St. Patrick Society at its luncheon. Materials for both applications must be received through the mail by Feb. 18. Address Irish Mother nominations to St. Patrick Society Attn. Irish Mother Nomination, P.O. Box 4487, Davenport, Iowa, 52808, and scholarship applications to St. Patrick Society Scholarship, with the same P.O. box. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting applications for the Community Agriculture Initiative. This initiative supports the conservation efforts of Montanas farmers, ranchers and forest landowners from small acreage to large. NRCS accepts applications year-round, but applications for the current funding cycle must be submitted by Feb. 14. Agricultural producers of all sizes provide local, nutritious food to their communities. Through this initiative, NRCS is prioritizing assistance to first foods efforts, farm to table projects, and many other types of community agriculture, NRCS State Conservationist for Montana Tom Watson, NRCS State Conservationist for Montana said. This includes an expanded set of conservation practices tailored to the conservation needs of small-scale ag producers. The small acreage activities make traditional conservation practices used at a large scale more applicable to operations of all sizes. For example, some payment rates are now based on square feet rather than acres of implementation for practices like grazing management, irrigation water management, pest management and cover crops. In addition, some new practices have been added including low tunnel management and compost or compost plus biochar in small areas. The Community Agriculture Initiative is funded through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and builds on the previous high tunnel initiative. Find information about community agriculture on the NRCS Montana website at nrcs.usda.gov/montana under State Programs and Initiatives. For more information about this initiative and how to apply, contact your local NRCS office. Get contact information at nrcs.usda.gov/contact. Virginias early voting law, with one of the nations longest periods for voters to cast ballots, would be cut sharply under a bill that moved from a House of Delegates subcommittee Tuesday. The bill would cut early voting from the 45 days before Election Day to 14 days. (The Senate Privileges and Elections Committee, led by Democrats, on Tuesday defeated two bills to curtail absentee voting, as well as bills to ban drop boxes and require photo ID at the polls.) The move to 14 days would be an important savings for local governments, said Del. Phil Scott, R-Spotsylvania, who sponsored the measure. Localities concerns are so widespread that three separate, similar bills were filed this year, he said. Democrats on the House Privileges and Elections subcommittee said the bills would reverse their efforts in 2020 and 2021, when they had majorities in both the House and state Senate, to make voting easier. If you want less voting, just say so, said Del. Schuyler T. VanValkenburg, D-Henrico. Del. Tara Durant, R-Fredericksburg, who filed a similar bill, said the aim was not to discourage voting, but to avoid the confusion that could result if ballots changed sometime during the 45-day period, if candidates dropped out, for instance. The subcommittees Democrats pressed for data about how many people voted between 45 and 14 days before Election Day, but sponsors said they didnt have any. Although campaigners to restrict absentee or early voting have previously said the aim is to reduce voter fraud, the backers of the Virginia bills did not make that argument this year. Democratic leaders in the House and Senate have said defending Virginias voting access laws is a top priority in the 2023 General Assembly session. Democrats have a four-seat edge in the Senate while Republicans have a four-seat edge in the House. A Senate subcommittee has defeated an initiative calling for Virginia colleges to report the salaries of employees working toward diversity, equity and inclusion. The committee voted down Senate Bill 1197, which called for public colleges to publish the number of DEI officers they employ and their wages. Sen. Bryce Reeves, R-Spotsylvania, who sponsored the bill, said the combined salaries could pay for more than 1,000 full scholarships for students. The bottom line is, there are some things not being disclosed, Reeves said. According to a group called the Virginia Association of Scholars, DEI officers at the states public colleges earned a combined $15 million in 2020. Conservatives argue DEI initiatives limit free speech on campus and prevent merit-based achievement. The University of Virginia spent the most, employing 38 officers who collectively earned $4 million. The universitys vice president for diversity, equity, inclusion and community partnerships made $340,000. James Madison University spent more than $2 million employing 31 DEI administrators. Both UVa and JMU spent more in 2021 than they did in 2020. Virginia Commonwealth University was not included in the report because its data was not available, the authors said. Two schools had no DEI officers in 2020, according to the report Virginia State University and Virginia Military Institute. VMI later hired a chief diversity officer in 2021. Sen. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax City, questioned why colleges should be required to publish this information, which is already publicly available. Petersen called the bill overly confrontational. The report from the Virginia Association of Scholars said its impossible to tell how much a college really spends on diversity, equity and inclusion , because not every employee who works on the issues has DEI in their job title. The bill also called for universities to report the percentage of their expenditures on DEI, government relations, lobbying and compensation for presidents. Bond was set Monday at $1.5 million for a South American man charged with breaking into an Oak Brook home Friday evening. Anibal Miller-Valencia, 21, was charged with one count of home invasion, a Class X Felony, and one count of residential burglary, a Class 1 Felony. If convicted, Miller-Valencia faces serving 6-30 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, according to information from DuPage County States Attorney Robert Berlin. Miller-Valencias bond was set by Judge Joseph Bugos. Miller-Valencias next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 6 for arraignment in front of Judge Ann Celine OHallaren Walsh. Advertisement Oak Brook police responded to a call of a home invasion on the 400 block of Luthin Road at 6:38 p.m. Friday. Upon arrival, officers spoke to a teenage girl who was home alone at the time of the incident, police said in a release. An investigation revealed that Miller-Valencia and two unknown accomplices reportedly drove to a nearby forest preserve parking lot and parked their car, police said. Police believe that the accomplices left the vehicle while Miller-Valencia waited behind. Advertisement Police also believe that at approximately 6:30 p.m., the accomplices went to the home on Luthin Road, broke a rear glass door and entered the home. While they were in the home, the girl reportedly hid behind a door, and after a short time, the two men fled into a nearby wooded area. While investigating the incident, officers found Miller-Valencia in the forest preserve parking lot sitting in the drivers seat of the car with the engine running, police said. He was arrested and taken into custody. I cant imagine the terror this young victim must have felt when she heard glass breaking and unknown voices in her house while she was home alone, Berlin said in the release. Everyone has a right to feel safe in their own home, but for this young victim, that sense of safety has now been shattered. The type of violent behavior alleged in this case also has a crippling effect on the entire community. Thanks to the quick response of the Oak Brook Police Department, one of the individuals suspected in this case is now in custody and if found guilty is facing a significant amount of time behind bars. Oak Brook Police Chief Brian Strockis said the departments officers always work diligently to keep the community safe. A persons home should be their safe haven, and this incident violated that space, he said. Im incredibly proud of our response to this incident and coordinated efforts of 21 other police agencies that responded to assist. Strockis said the assisting departments responded with officers, drones, K-9s and a helicopter. The response was quick and impressive, he said, while giving kudos to Oak Brook detectives who worked on the case throughout the weekend with Berlin and his office. Advertisement Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. 06-20-1962: Workmen measure Monumental Church with mammoth 'yardstick' Richmond's old Monumental Episcopal Church is hving its measurements taken. The measurements are needed to draw up plans for the proposed restoration of the 150-year-old church. In June 1986, Historic Richmond Foundation leader John G. Zehmer Jr. (center left) reviewed roof plans with architect Kenneth MacIlroy at Monumental Church on East Broad Street in Richmond. The historic church, built as a memorial to those killed in the 1811 Richmond Theatre fire, was getting a new copper roof as a step toward preserving the building. From the Archives: Monumental Church Monumental Church on East Broad Street was built in 1814 as a memorial to those killed in the 1811 Richmond Theater fire. This fire killed 72 people including Virginias governor. That night, nearly 600 people had filled the theater for a post-Christmas day performance which was a local highlight of the holiday season. However, disaster struck when a chandelier was raised into the rafters before it was completely extinguished and in mere minutes, the building was consumed by flames. The building was designed by Robert Mills, Americas first native-born architect and the only architectural pupil of Thomas Jefferson, according to the Historic Richmond Foundation which owns the building today. Mills won a competition to construct the memorial in 1812. The 70-foot octagonal auditorium was accentuated with Roman, Greek and Egyptian motifs and funerary imagery. The Richmond church is considered the most elaborate example of the four domed churches that Mills designed during his career. Nationally, it is considered one of the earliest and best examples of Greek Revival. Monumental Church was deeded to the Medical College of Virginia in 1965. In 1971 it was designated a National Historic Landmark and Historic Richmond received the building in 1983 and continues to maintain it today. Del. Lamont Bagby, D-Henrico, plans to run for the Virginia Senate in a special election this spring if Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, wins election to Congress next month. Bagby, who dropped out of the Democratic primary race in the 4th Congressional District to support McClellan last month, said in an interview, I am definitely running when the seat becomes available. That will depend on the outcome of the special election on Feb. 21 between McClellan and Republican Leon Benjamin to fill the seat vacated by the sudden death of Rep. Donald McEachin, D-4th, on Nov. 28, three weeks after he won a fourth term in the heavily Democratic district. If McClellan were to win and resign her Senate seat before the end of the 46-day session in late February, Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, would set the date for a special election to fill the current 9th District Senate seat, which includes all of Charles City County and parts of Richmond, Hanover and Henrico counties. Bagby isnt alone. Del. Dawn Adams, D-Richmond, said she is running for the Senate seat if it opens. She said Monday that she is not running for reelection in a new House district that also includes Del. Jeff Bourne, D-Richmond, and Del. Betsy Carr, D-Richmond. She said she made the decision in early December after reading of McClellans potential congressional bid. I thought a lot about it and I feel this is where I could be of best service, Adams said Monday. Alexsis Rodgers, chair of the 4th District Democratic Committee and former candidate for mayor of Richmond, confirmed Monday that she is actively making plans to run for the Senate seat and expects to make an announcement soon. Bourne, who succeeded McClellan in the 71st House District in 2017, confirmed Monday that he is strongly considering seeking the party nomination for the seat. Whoever wins would then face a potential primary and then a general election in November for the newly drawn 14th Senate District, 80% of which lies in Richmond, with the remaining 20% in Henrico. I feel very confident in both districts, said Bagby, who has represented parts of Richmond and Henrico in the 74th House District for almost eight years, as well as Charles City under previous district lines. I spend a lot of time working and playing in the city, he said. It would be nice to represent the people of the city. Bagby, 46, lives on the Henrico side of the county line with Richmond, near the public housing complex where he grew up, now named St. Luke Apartments. He serves as chairman of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, which has grown in both numbers and influence in the General Assembly and state politics. Right now, our communities are facing real challenges some new, and some that just require new leadership to finally solve, Bagby said in a statement. Virginians deserve a leader with a proven track record of delivering for Virginia families, and the ability to bring the region together to tackle the most pressing issues on Virginians minds like growing our education system, increasing access to affordable housing and childcare, and strengthening our infrastructure. He was close to McEachin, as was McClellan, who is vice chair of the Black caucus. So when both ran for the Democratic nomination to succeed the late congressman, it posed a quandary for the areas Black community. Bagby dropped out of the firehouse primary race after Sen. Joe Morrissey, D-Richmond, jumped into it and U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a former governor and Richmond mayor, endorsed McClellan. Its too soon to say who else will seek the Democratic and Republican nominations for the Senate seat if McClellan wins the congressional race, or whether she would endorse anyone in a Democratic nominating contest. The question is, does McClellan support [Bagby] for the seat? said Bob Holsworth, a veteran political scientist in Richmond. I think there was an assumption when he got out [of the congressional race], there would be support for him being a good soldier. McClellan spokesman Jared Leopold said: Senator McClellan is focused on her race for Congress and is not focused on any endorsements in a potential state Senate vacancy. Close The Rev. Martin Luther King,Jr., and VP Joseph E. Lowery, and Wyatt Tee Walker, Executive Director of the SCLC meet at First African Baptist Church, Sept. 25, 1963 for the SCLC convention Richmond police blocked off a crowd in the 100 block E. Broad St. in April 1968 after the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. On July 2, 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was in Petersburg for the first convention of the Virginia unit of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the national civil rights group that King led. Standing with him are SCLC officials Curtis Harris of Hopewell (center) and Milton Reid of Petersburg. The Virginia unit had about two dozen affiliates across the state. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (left) with Virginia SCLC Officials Rev. Curtis Harris of Hopewell (center), Dr. Milton Reid of Petersburg. In August 1963, protesters boarded a bus at the Leigh Street YMCA in Richmond for a trip to the U.S. Capitol to participate in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. An estimated 2,500 Virginians were among the roughly 250,000 marchers at the protest, which called for civil rights legislation and featured Dr. Martin Luther Kings I Have a Dream speech. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Learning Week Tab. 1968 Members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference marched about 30 strong over the Martin Luther King Memorial bridge between Colonial Heights and Petersburg. This was the 29th anniversary of MLK's assassination. Members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference marched about 30 strong over the Martin Luther King Memorial bridge between Colonial Heights and Petersburg. This was the 29th anniversary of MLK's assassination. Jack Mills, Virginia president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, carried this portrait of Martin Luther King during the symbolic walk of social unity across the MLK Bridge connecting Colonial Heights and Petersburg Thursday, October 30, 2003. After the walk he sits with it during the ceremony that dedicated the new bridge. Richmond-based sculptor Paul Di Pasquale prepares an alternative eye configuration for an original full-scale clay model for a bronze bust of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The sculptor was showing the clay model to a group of visitors from the Hopewell Martin Luther King Memorial Foundation Inc. committee that is overseeing a project to put the bronze bust in the Ashford Civic Plaza in Hopewell. At right is committee member Curtis Harris. Richmond-based sculptor Paul Di Pasquale (left) displays the original full-scale clay model for a bronze bust of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that is to be placed in the Ashford Civic Plaza in Hopewell early this spring. Curtis Harris (second from right) and Avon Miles, both of whom are members of the Hopewell Martin Luther King Memorial Foundation Inc. committee that is overseeing the project. Committee members John Weigel and Belinda Piercy were also present. They are in Di Pasquale's studio on National St. in Richmond. Rev. Wyatt Tee Walker, chief of staff for Martin Luther King, holds photos of when he and MLK were in the Birmingham jail in 1967. Photo taken Monday, August 12, 2013. Mary Lauderdale, Visitor Services Manager of the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia, stands before an image of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the exhibits at the new museum in Richmond, VA Monday, April 18, 2016. With President Obama obscured by television lights and press stands, his image is seen on a giant monitor in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech given on the site. Aug. 28, 2013. Participants pray during the benediction at a Celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. at Fifth Street Baptist Church in Richmond, Jan. 16, 2012. Herbert V. Coulton, Sr. is surrounded by memorabilia including photographs of Martin Luther King, Jr. and plaques commemorating his efforts in the Civil Rights movement. Coulton will be honored for his efforts on Wednesday at the Pentagon. In the photograph he is holding, he is on the left and King is on the right. Members of the Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School Choir wait for the mass meeting to begin at the Ashe Center commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday Monday, January 15, 2007. 16 photos of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr, from the Times-Dispatch archives The Rev. Martin Luther King,Jr., and VP Joseph E. Lowery, and Wyatt Tee Walker, Executive Director of the SCLC meet at First African Baptist Church, Sept. 25, 1963 for the SCLC convention Richmond police blocked off a crowd in the 100 block E. Broad St. in April 1968 after the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. On July 2, 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was in Petersburg for the first convention of the Virginia unit of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the national civil rights group that King led. Standing with him are SCLC officials Curtis Harris of Hopewell (center) and Milton Reid of Petersburg. The Virginia unit had about two dozen affiliates across the state. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (left) with Virginia SCLC Officials Rev. Curtis Harris of Hopewell (center), Dr. Milton Reid of Petersburg. In August 1963, protesters boarded a bus at the Leigh Street YMCA in Richmond for a trip to the U.S. Capitol to participate in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. An estimated 2,500 Virginians were among the roughly 250,000 marchers at the protest, which called for civil rights legislation and featured Dr. Martin Luther Kings I Have a Dream speech. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Learning Week Tab. 1968 Members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference marched about 30 strong over the Martin Luther King Memorial bridge between Colonial Heights and Petersburg. This was the 29th anniversary of MLK's assassination. Members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference marched about 30 strong over the Martin Luther King Memorial bridge between Colonial Heights and Petersburg. This was the 29th anniversary of MLK's assassination. Jack Mills, Virginia president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, carried this portrait of Martin Luther King during the symbolic walk of social unity across the MLK Bridge connecting Colonial Heights and Petersburg Thursday, October 30, 2003. After the walk he sits with it during the ceremony that dedicated the new bridge. Richmond-based sculptor Paul Di Pasquale prepares an alternative eye configuration for an original full-scale clay model for a bronze bust of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The sculptor was showing the clay model to a group of visitors from the Hopewell Martin Luther King Memorial Foundation Inc. committee that is overseeing a project to put the bronze bust in the Ashford Civic Plaza in Hopewell. At right is committee member Curtis Harris. Richmond-based sculptor Paul Di Pasquale (left) displays the original full-scale clay model for a bronze bust of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that is to be placed in the Ashford Civic Plaza in Hopewell early this spring. Curtis Harris (second from right) and Avon Miles, both of whom are members of the Hopewell Martin Luther King Memorial Foundation Inc. committee that is overseeing the project. Committee members John Weigel and Belinda Piercy were also present. They are in Di Pasquale's studio on National St. in Richmond. Rev. Wyatt Tee Walker, chief of staff for Martin Luther King, holds photos of when he and MLK were in the Birmingham jail in 1967. Photo taken Monday, August 12, 2013. Mary Lauderdale, Visitor Services Manager of the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia, stands before an image of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the exhibits at the new museum in Richmond, VA Monday, April 18, 2016. With President Obama obscured by television lights and press stands, his image is seen on a giant monitor in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech given on the site. Aug. 28, 2013. Participants pray during the benediction at a Celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. at Fifth Street Baptist Church in Richmond, Jan. 16, 2012. Herbert V. Coulton, Sr. is surrounded by memorabilia including photographs of Martin Luther King, Jr. and plaques commemorating his efforts in the Civil Rights movement. Coulton will be honored for his efforts on Wednesday at the Pentagon. In the photograph he is holding, he is on the left and King is on the right. Members of the Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School Choir wait for the mass meeting to begin at the Ashe Center commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday Monday, January 15, 2007. GOP-led bills to unhitch Virginia from Californias tailpipe emissions standards came to a halt Tuesday as a Senate committee voted for them to be passed by indefinitely meaning they will not progress this legislative session. The Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources voted to stop the five bills on party-line votes of 8-7. Last year, Democratic legislators passed a bill to put the brakes on some pollution from tailpipe emissions by hitching Virginia to Californias emissions standards. California is the only state granted the ability to set emissions standards that are more robust than what is federally allowed. Without the purview to set its own, last year Virginia became one of 16 states to adopt Californias standards. But, its Californias consideration of a ban on the sale of gas-powered vehicles that made several Virginia GOP lawmakers want to decouple Virginia from Californias standards. I spend a lot of my time in the Northern Neck and the Middle Peninsula, but also those areas that are slower to have resources, Sen. Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover, told The Times-Dispatch last month when he filed his now-defeated bill on emissions standards. It might not be appropriate for them to have all electric vehicles in the same time frame as Arlington and Alexandria. McDougle also questioned the feasibility of adopting electric vehicles by 2035 in areas that may not have built out enough fast-charging infrastructure. (Virginia has received federal funding to aid with building out fast-charging infrastructure, but its mostly along major roads.) Sens. Steve Newman, R-Lynchburg and Bill DeSteph, R-Virginia Beach, sponsors of two of the other defeated bills, expressed concern over whether the states electrical grid could handle an influx of electric vehicles (both senators also own EVs) and if Virginia could meet the incremental emission reduction goals laid out in the existing law. Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, a member of the panel, said that in and outside of Virginia the transition to widespread electric vehicle use is coming and noted how major vehicle manufacturers have pledged to produce zero emission vehicles by 2040. Its coming sooner than a lot of people thought two years ago and we can either get ahead of it and prepare and take care of the infrastructure money that is coming to build our infrastructure, McClellan said during the meeting. Or, we can put our heads in the sand and pretend oh this isnt happening. As we transition, there are opportunities to create new jobs and industries, she added. Questions linger over what the future used-car market could look like should Virginia keep the Clean Cars Act. Democratic legislators stressed that the law applies to only cars sold beginning in 2026. A handful of representatives of trade organizations, environmental groups and Virginias Department of Natural and Historic Resources attended the meeting and spoke for repealing the legislation or for remaining tethered to Californias law. The idea of repealing the Clean Cars Act proved popular among Republican legislators with others filing similar bills in the House of Delegates. Gov. Glenn Youngkin mentioned the idea in his State of the Commonwealth speech last week. The GOP-led House will take up similar bills in future committee meetings, and should those clear the chamber, they are likely to also fail in the Democrat-controlled Senate. Kelli Lemon and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Michael Paul Williams are back for a new episode of After the Monuments. In this episode the two are catching up on recent events such us the removal of Richmond's last-standing Confederate monument, the Virginia governor's proposed history standards and the story of the six-year-old in Newport News, Va., who shot a teacher. More episodes of After the Monuments will follow weekly. About After the Monuments Co-hosted by Pulitzer-Prize winning columnist Michael Paul Williams and Kelli Lemon, After the Monuments captures the zeitgeist of a nation struggling to move from symbolic to substantive change on racial issues. The podcast analyzes current events about race through a historical context, examining the ideas of leading Black thinkers over time, and encouraging broader and deeper insights into racial tensions, divisions and reconciliation. Williams and Lemon, both with the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Richmond, Va., engage with a wide range of guests to bring context, relevance and resonance to events, going well beyond breaking-news headlines. (Image: New Straits Times) Grab Malaysia has updated the peak hour fares and incentive structure for its e-hailing service, with the aim to provide its drivers with fairer compensation, especially for their time spent stuck in traffic during peak hours. Effective immediately, Grabs new fares during peak hours will now be based primarily on the time needed to complete a ride, while the distance covered plays a secondary role. With this, the fare per minute will be increased from the existing 20 sen to 43 sen, whereas the fare per kilometre is reduced from 70 sen to 25 sen in the Klang Valley. Meanwhile, the base and minimum rates remain unchanged at RM2 and RM5, respectively. Heres a quick look at how the new fares compare to the previous rate: In a statement, Grab explained that this update is driven by comments from its driver partners, many of whom highlighted that the existing fares do not offer sufficient compensation for the time spent in a jam during peak hours. Please note that we need to balance the higher fare per minute with a lower fare per km as maintaining the existing fare per km will result in a significant increase in fare levels, causing a drop in demand from passengers, it further explained. With this compromise, Grab said that passengers should see little to no change in what they have to pay, with only minor increases or decreases depending on the hours of their rides. To better illustrate this point, Grab also shared the current and new fare calculations for two scenarios where passengers travel a similar distance (10km), but at different hours (peak versus regular hours). The fares are calculated based on the formula: base fare + (trip distance x fare per kilometre) + (trip duration x fare per minute)): With the new fare structure, customers will likely need to pay slightly more during peak hours when riding in busy areas, where traffic is heavy. Meanwhile, customers who make trips that take faster to complete, such as trips on clear highways during regular hours, will enjoy lower fares. In response to this update, vice president for the Grab Drivers Malaysia Association (GDMA), Mohd Azril Ahmat said that the fare adjustment is disappointing, given that most drivers prefer to work during non-peak hours. Based on the feedback Ive gotten from some drivers today, they are expecting at least a 30% reduction in earnings. This is because they reduced the earnings based on distance, which is down to just 25 sen. My concern now is that other ride-hailing companies will follow the same fee structure, he said. Founder of online radio station Ehailing.fm, Fazal Kamarudin also said that the fee adjustment was shocking. From 70 sen per kilometre to 25 sen doesnt make sense. I hope that Grab can study the fee structure again, and the relevant authorities should look into the matter, he added. (Image: The Star/Azman Ghani) Aside from introducing the new fares, Grab also rolled out two new incentives namely the Far Pickup Bonus and Hourly Cashback to replace existing initiatives (Time Booster and Cashback Bonus) and to better motivate its driver partners. Specifically, the Far Pickup Bonus incentive will offer Grab drivers a compensation of 25 sen to 35 sen for each minute of pickup after five minutes. Meanwhile, the Hourly Cashback incentive rewards drivers with cashback multipliers of up to 2x, based on the number of rides that theyve completed in the previous four weeks, on a rolling basis. (Sources: Grab, The Star) 0 0 votes Article Rating SHARE Human resources (HR) solutions agency Randstad Malaysia has said that employees in Malaysia can expect a salary adjustment of 3% to 20% in 2023. Revealed in its latest Job Market and Salary Trends Report (2023), Randstad also said that high-growth industries in particular such as technology and manufacturing are likely to make more significant changes to their internal salary structures this year. In the report, Randstad shared that recruitment activities were already at an all-time high in 2022 as companies in Malaysia strive to expand their workforce. In 2023, this trend is expected to continue, although the pace may moderate slightly, and employers will also be more focused on candidates for niche or specialised roles. Additionally, 74% of local employees indicated that salary and benefits are a key priority when looking for a new employer. Given these trends, there is a clear need for companies to review and revise their salary benchmarks to remain competitive in retaining and attracting new talent. The agency also singled out technology, manufacturing, and construction as three specific sectors that will see the most updates to their renumeration packages as companies engage in fierce competition to attract talent. This is as there are currently more jobs than the supply of talent in these markets all of which are set to see new transformations and trends. (Image: Malay Mail/Choo Choy May) The tech sector, for instance, is expected to expand significantly in the coming years, especially with the development of 5G technology in Malaysia, whereas the manufacturing sector is actively expanding its workforce to fulfil backlogs and new orders. The construction sector, meanwhile, is in need of individuals with specific skillsets to contribute to the development of commercial property and infrastructure. That said, Randstad also stressed that companies hiring strategies should not rely solely on improved salaries; it should also be complemented by steps to manage talent expectations and to upskill the workforce with learning and development training programmes. Change is crucial to thriving in Asias rapidly evolving business landscape. With people serving as the backbone of any organisations success, business leaders must learn to address employee expectations for more effective talent attraction and management efforts, the country director of Randstad Malaysia, Fahad Naeem commented. On top of highlighting the likelihood of salary adjustment in 2023, Randstad noted as well that many international companies are cutting back on recruitment activities with the global economy slowing down. However, some these companies may also decide to move their business units and headcount from Europe to Southeast Asian countries as another form of budgetary control. If this happens, then Malaysias labour market will benefit from the creation of new jobs, as well as the inflow of top-tier global talent. (Sources: Randstad, The Edge Markets) 0 0 votes Article Rating SHARE AICM seizes two Aeromar hangers for outstanding debt Mexico City, Mexico The Mexico City International Airport (AICM) reported the seizure of two Aeromar hangars for an outstanding debt of approximately 500 million pesos. For the time being, the hangers are in charge of the Secretary of the Navy (Semar). The seizure will not hinder the regular operations or maintenance of the airline. In a joint statement with the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT), authorities said they had met with legal representatives of the company to require payment or the signing of a guaranteed debt acknowledgment agreement, however, there was a refusal from the company to comply with its obligations. On January 16, airline executives will meet with the AICM Legal Affairs Department to seek a definitive payment agreement with a non-extendable term and by means of a guarantee to the total satisfaction of the AICM authorities. The airline has been going through a financial crisis for several years. In 2019, Aeromar workers warned that the company was in a technical bankruptcy. With the covid-19 crisis in 2020, the airline had a rebound to some US destinations, but its situation led to a cut in wages and later, to the non-payment of benefits that has extended to date. Since 2021, both the pilots union and the flight attendants union called a strike that has been extended several times. Despite the situation, company managers say they are looking for fresh capital. Danilo Correa, CEO of the airline stated in October of 2021 that there were two companies interested in investing up to $100 million USD in Aeromar, something that to date, has not happened. FGE hack likely by former imprisoned businessman Riviera Maya, Q.R. Quintana Roo FGE head Oscar Montes de Oca says their recent hack was via a former state businessman who was recently released from prison. In an interview with Radio Formula, Montes de Oca said the man was able to bribe disloyal public servants inside the FGE to leak the information. The Attorney General of the State (FGE) of Quintana Roo, Oscar Montes de Oca, said that Carlos M, a former area businessman who was jailed for extortion in 2020, actually claims to be behind the attack. He explained that a few days ago, Carlos M released a video acknowledging that he infiltrated public servants and offered reward money for videos of specific law enforcement personnel, one of whom, was Montes de Oca. The FGE head said they are moving forward with their investigation and already have an institutional strategy. Carlos M, the man believed behind the cyber attack, was arrested in the state of Yucatan in 2020 and eventually jailed on extortion charges. He spent 23 months in Chetumal prison before being released to house arrest in October of 2022. Mexican Air Force and National Guard to provide Maya Train security Riviera Maya, Q.R. Security along the 1,500 kilometer Maya Train route will be left in the hands of the National Guard and Mexican Air Force. On Monday, Luis Cresencio Sandoval, head of Sedena, said the entire route will have approximately 5,000 elements for security. During AMLOs Monday morning press conference, Sandoval said that security will also consist of personnel boarded on the cars. The Mexican Air Force and the National Guard will be in charge of all the security of the Maya Train , the Secretary of National Defense, Luis Crescencio Sandoval Gonzalez, reported on Monday. Regarding the security of the Maya Train, it will be covered by National Guard personnel and supported by personnel from the Mexican Air Force. The security of the train will be in the 1,554 kilometers of railways, stations, terminals, archaeological zones, workshops and garages, he detailed. According to the report presented at the morning conference at the National Palace, about 5,000 members of the National Guard and the Mexican Air Force will provide surveillance and security to users of the Maya Train as well as in the archaeological zones along the more than 1,550 kilometers of route. For this, railway security battalions are going to be created, although there is already one battalion, there will be another one to provide security in the archaeological zones, he added. Facilities for the National Guard and Mexican Air Force are currently being built along the entire route of the Maya Train. The Mexican Air Force will participate with helicopters on the entire route to increase the security of the entire Maya Train route. These helicopters will be in air bases, some are built, others are in the process, which will be in Palenque, Chetumal, Tulum and Merida, he explained. According to the federal government plan, the Maya Train will be inaugurated in December of this year, with its first Merida to Cancun test run in July. Navy search continues for missing Cozumel dive tourist Cozumel, Q.R. A tourist diving off the southern end of the island of Cozumel remains missing. On Monday afternoon, personnel from the Naval Search, Rescue and Maritime Surveillance Station began to look for the missing diver after he failed to resurface. He was part of a group of tourists who went on an escorted dive Monday at the Santa Rosa Reef. When he failed to resurface with the others around 3:00 p.m., authorities were called in. Navy personnel began a search for the missing diver after being notified of his failure to resurface and the crews failure in locating him underwater. There is a possibility that the man was dragged by the strong sea currents. A search alert has been extended to local fishermen in Isla Mujeres, Playa del Carmen and Tulum. Authorities have not identified the man, however, according to preliminary information, he is reported to be a North American tourist. Interview: PwC global chairman optimistic about China's economy Xinhua) 08:16, January 17, 2023 DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- The global chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said on Monday that he was bullish on the economic outlook of China, given its strong consumer base, technological advancement and top exporter's position. "You've got a large domestic base of consumers that still has a lot of needs," Bob Moritz told Xinhua at the ongoing World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. The executive said China is probably one of the most advanced countries in the world in its "use of technology in new and different ways." On the other hand, China, as a top exporting country, has the potential to become a world leader in the production of high quality consumer goods as well as technological development. In October, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut its global economic growth forecast to 2.7 percent for 2023, but forecast a 4.4 percent growth for China. Commenting on the prospective growth of mid-single digits, Moritz said it is important for both China and the world "as we think about how it impacts sources, goods, services and economic development." Moritz emphasized the importance of globalization, as more trade and business cooperation between China and the rest of the world will be needed. "Globalization has been thought about sometimes ... (as having) no meaning anymore. I would disagree with that," he said. "The world needs global trade." "The world is dealing with problems that are not country specific and bounded by geographic borders ... We have to rewire the world thinking about how to solve our problems. We have to get all the players at the table," he said. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) A Merrillville man faces felony charges after allegedly stabbing a friend after a night of heavy drinking for his birthday, according to court documents. Joseph Caldwell was charged Dec. 31 with battery by means of a deadly weapon. He posted a $5,000 bond on Jan. 5. Advertisement His next hearing is March 2 before Lake Superior Judge Samuel Cappas. Hobart Police were called Dec. 31 to a Speedway gas station, 4732 W. 61st Avenue. A man sitting in the back of a car had a stab wound in the lower right side of his stomach. Advertisement A fight started after they pulled into the gas station to change a flat tire, according to charges. Witnesses initially lied, saying they didnt know Caldwell. Later, it emerged he knew the stabbed man, who did not want to press charges, according to the affidavit. The victim said he was stabbed by someone he didnt know, before he declined to let police photograph his wounds and further refused to cooperate with investigators. Another woman told police both men were brothers. They started arguing in the area and got into a physical fight, but didnt see the stabbing, she said. Yeah, man, I had to fight him off, Caldwell said when officers asked what happened. He slapped me and called me (an expletive). Caldwell had slurred speech and watery, bloodshot eyes, according to the affidavit. (He) kept coming at me, so I slashed at him with my little box cutter from work, Caldwell added. He said the knife was somewhere north of the gas station, but officers didnt find it. Advertisement The victim declined medical treatment and refused to be taken to the hospital. Both he and Caldwell were booked in Hobart City Jail for disorderly conduct and public intoxication. Later at the station, the victim told police as they pulled into the gas station, he was going to call his wife, but Caldwell said dont call that (expletive), according to the affidavit. They got out of the car and started to fight, before the victim noticed he was slashed and bleeding from the stomach, charges state. Caldwell fought people when drunk, the victim said. He felt bad and didnt want him to get in trouble with the law. The victim said hes knew Caldwell for 15 years, who was like a little brother. New anti-smoking laws on PDC beaches will be eased in says Zofemat Playa del Carmen, Q.R. Areas once marked for smoking are being removed from all Playa del Carmen beaches. The head of Solidaridad Zofemat says that in their place, notices will remind people that smoking in public spaces is now against the law. Maria de Lourdes Varguez, the Director of the Federal Maritime Terrestrial Zone (Zofemat) for Solidaridad, says that all ashtrays and areas once marked for smokers are being removed from all municipal beaches. She said that there is a lot of environmental awareness in Playa del Carmen regarding cigarette butts on beaches, but still, the new laws need to be brought in a little at a time. It has to be little by little. It cannot be implemented drastically, she said adding that there is a lot of environmental awareness in our municipality. What we are going to start doing is picking up ashtrays, removing signs where it indicated that smoking was allowed, she said. Varguez said that it will not be easy, especially with tourists, but Zofemat personnel will be placing signs in strategic places informing everyone that smoking on beaches is now against the law. On January 15, reforms to the General Law for Tobacco Control entered into force making it illegal to smoke in public spaces across Mexico. Nine rescued by tanker in Quintana Roo waters off Isla Mujeres transferred to INM Isla Mujeres, Q.R. Nine people were rescued from aboard a small boat by a cargo vessel in Quintana Roo waters. The nine were spotted in their boat by a passing tanker Sunday. The tanker loaded the three women and six men onto their boat from where they notified Quintana Roo authorities. The tanker found the nine floating in waters approximately 316 kilometers southeast of Isla Mujeres. A Mexican navy vessel set out to meet the tanker. For the above and with the objective of safeguarding human life at sea, the departure of a Defender-type vessel from the Naval Search, Rescue and Maritime Surveillance Station (ENSAR) of Isla Mujeres was immediately ordered in order to go to the designated area, managing to intercept the aforementioned cargo ship seven nautical miles (approximately 13 kilometers) north of Isla Mujeres to receive the nine people, the Navy said in a statement. Once Mexican personnel reached the tanker, the nine people of foreign origin were transferred to Isla Mujeres where they were attended to by Naval Health personnel, finding them in good health. They were eventually taken to the pier of the Puerto Juarez Naval Station where they were received by authorities of the National Institute of Migration to carry out the corresponding legal procedures. Four juveniles were hospitalized with serious injuries Monday after their vehicle collided with another on U.S. 460 in Montgomery County. The crash occurred shortly before 4 p.m. at the intersection with North Fork Road in Elliston, the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office said in a news release. Fire and rescue units from Montgomery County and surrounding jurisdictions responded to the scene, which involved two vehicles. One of those vehicles was occupied by the four juveniles. Inside the other was a 60-year-old female, who was uninjured, the sheriffs office reported. The juveniles sustained serious injuries and were transported to local hospitals, the sheriffs office news release continued. The crashs cause is under the investigation of the departments Crash Team. More than two years after a mob of Donald Trump supporters temporarily took over the U.S. Capitol, a Roanoke woman has been charged with joining the riots. Casey Jane Tryon-Castro appeared in federal court Tuesday afternoon for an initial appearance on six charges that include resisting law enforcement and stealing a police riot shield during the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021. Magistrate Judge Robert Ballou set a $15,000 unsecured bond and ordered Tryon-Castro to appear by video conference in Washington, D.C.s federal court, where she will stand trial, for a Jan. 24 hearing. Tryon-Castro is charged with participating in a civil disorder, theft of government property, entering a restricted area of the U.S. Capitol, disorderly conduct, engaging in physical violence and impeding passage through government grounds. Footage from police body cameras, surveillance cameras and public videos showed Tryon-Castro with an unruly crowd that had gathered near an entrance to the Capitol on its Lower West Terrace, according to a criminal complaint. Tryon-Castro, whose age was not available Tuesday, can be seen standing face-to-face with law enforcement just after pepper spray was used in an effort to turn the mob back. She then made her way to the front line of police and joined other rioters in pushing against the officers, court records state. She is accused of then grabbing a police riot shield and passed it to other people in the crowd. Angry about what Trump has called a stolen election, thousands stormed the Capitol where lawmakers were meeting to certify an election won by President Joe Biden after the now-former president urged them at a rally earlier in the day to fight like hell. At first, authorities were unable to identify Tryon-Castro after she appeared on a You Tube video posted by an account named The Black Conservative Preacher. She was given the label 060-AFO, which stands for one of the people suspected of assaulting a federal officer. The suspect was also seen on Twitter posts, standing on the steps of the Capitol at about 2:45 p.m. as the crowd moved toward a tunnel leading into the building. As 060-AFO made her way forward in the crowd, a wooden pole is visible in her right hand, states an affidavit from an FBI agent that is included with the 18-page criminal complaint. After being pushed out of the tunnel, a woman later identified at Tryon-Castro reappeared about one minute later. Video taken from a fellow rioter then shows her joining a mass that pushed against a line of police officers and pulled a riot shield from one of them, according to the complaint. We gotta get the shields to the front, yall!, she allegedly yelled. Im pushing! At about 3:18 p.m., police were able to clear the tunnel of rioters. Later, authorities determined though law enforcement databases and tipsters that 060-AFO might actually be Tryon-Castro. They visited her Roanoke home on Jan. 25, 2021. In a voluntary statement, Tryon-Castro said she had traveled to Washington, D.C. with a family member and other individuals, according to court documents. She also identified herself as the woman pictured in a variety of photographs and videos, federal authorities say. It was not clear Tuesday why nearly a year passed before Tryon-Castro was charged and taken into custody. Federal authorities continue to make arrests in the Jan. 6 uprising. Nearly 950 people from across the country have been charged, included six others from Western Virginia. A Troutville woman who called 911 last week to report that she had shot her husband has been charged with two felonies. Rhonda Larue Hinkley, 50, has been charged with malicious wounding and using a firearm in the commission of a felony, the Botetourt County Sheriffs Office said in a press release Tuesday. At about 1:20 p.m. Jan. 12, the Botetourt County Emergency Communications Center got a 911 call from a female reporting she had shot her husband, the sheriffs office said. Sheriffs office deputies and Virginia State Police officers went to the scene, a residence on Westview Road in Troutville. There, authorities found Hinkley standing in the driveway with her hands in the air, and her husband, 49-year-old Walter Thomas Hinkley, with a single gunshot wound lying in the gravel. Botetourt County Fire & EMS Department personnel took Hinkleys husband to LewisGale Hospital with life-threatening injuries, the sheriffs office said. Hinkley was taken to the Botetourt-Craig Regional Jail, where she is being held without bond. The preliminary investigation has determined that the shooting was an isolated incident involving domestic violence between a husband and wife and the firearm was recovered at the scene, Tuesdays press release concluded. The shooting remains under investigation by the sheriffs office. Hinkley is scheduled to be arraigned on the two felony charges Wednesday, Jan. 18, in Botetourt County General District Court. The newest face on the Roanoke City Electoral Board said during a Jan. 28, 2021 podcast that he believed Donald Trump actually won the 2020 presidential election, and probably by millions of votes. During a different episode in March 2021, Al Bedrosian also suggested Democrats had abandoned policymaking to attract votes and instead were relying on election fraud to win elections. Bedrosian offered no evidence in the podcasts to support either statement. And hes not talking about them now. The ex-Roanoke County supervisor joined the Roanoke City Electoral Board Jan. 1. He made the above comments during separate episodes of a short-lived 2021 podcast, U Cant Say That! The shows feature Bedrosian and Greg Aldridge, who once led the now-defunct Roanoke Tea Party. Twelve episodes, including an otherwise undated 2020 version labeled pilot, are still available for viewing on the News Guardians YouTube channel. At least one episode has been taken down and made private. Ive watched all the still-public ones. For the most part, Bedrosian comes across as the better-grounded speaker, as they bandy over a wide range of different topics. Overall, they spend a tiny fraction of show time discussing the 2020 election or election fraud. The first instance was during a January 26, 2021 episode, at 14:36, when Bedrosian said: In years past, I think there have been a lot of elections that have been frauded elections. They just put [in] the person they want. Never before in the history of America do I remember seeing a million people come to Washington because they are not happy about the fraud. Not that anything was done, because it just seemed, like pushed over, Bedrosian said. But we are not dumb anymore. Our eyes are open to an extent. When asked about that comment last week, Bedrosian claimed he was referring to historical election fraud. As of Monday morning, that episode had garnered 58 views on YouTube. A subsequent review of the other U Cant Say That! episodes revealed that shortly after President Joe Bidens inauguration, Bedrosian said he believed Trump actually won the 2020 race. That happened during the Jan. 28, 2021 podcast, beginning around the 12:14 mark. Bedrosians comments followed a suggestion by Aldridge that Democrats had more or less scapegoated Trump into losing the election. Bedrosian disagreed. Im not going with the fact that, uh, that he [Trump] was the reason he lost. I think he won, actually. Can I say that? I can say that, right? I can say that on this show, Bedrosian said. I think, I think he probably won by millions of votes, Bedrosian said, adding emphasis to millions. So I think its a ru-, I think were seeing stuff not clearly. At that point, Aldridge interjects: Oh, sure, and were never gonna know what the actual, legal, legitimate outcome of last years election is. Bedrosian agrees and adds: We wont know. Moments later in that conversation, at 13:10, Bedrosian mused about getting involved in local election-administration. Id be very interested in this whole registrars office thing and how you really stay more on top of that even in a place like Roanoke City, Roanoke County, Salem, Bedrosian said. (As of Monday, that episode had garnered 126 views on YouTube.) On the March 9 podcast, Bedrosian suggested Democrats had abandoned trying to attract votes through policymaking, and were instead relying on election fraud to maintain political power. Here are his words, which begin at 39:06 in the YouTube video: I guess, there was a time when you needed some kind of policy at the end of the day that was good for the average person, because when it comes time to vote, that person looks at his pocketbook and starts voting for the one that helped them the most. But it seems now, if also combined with what youre saying, you also fix the elections, and you have, uh, sketchy if not total fraud in elections, you dont even need any of your policies to really work anymore. You just do them, and when election time comes around you still win, because who knows if the votes were real or not? And the Democrat wins again and everybody says Oh, I guess they were doing a good job, even though everyone starts suffering from the policies. (As of Monday, that episode had 28 views.) Bedrosian has not returned phone calls, texts or an email from this newspaper regarding the Jan. 28 and March 9 podcasts. Besides detailing quotes from the podcasts, the email included links to the videos and time stamps for the remarks in question. Among the questions I posed in the email was whether Bedrosian currently believes Trump won the 2020 election, and if so, by how many millions of votes. I also asked Bedrosian whether his views on the 2020 outcome fueled his desire to serve on the board. Each county and independent city in Virginia has its own three-person electoral board. Appointed members serve staggered three-year terms, so that one members term concludes each year. Under state law, the boards are organized according to which political party holds the governors office. When its a Democrat, Democrats occupy two of the three seats on each electoral board. When the governors a Republican, Republicans get two of the board seats. But the changeover doesnt typically occur until the January following a new governors inauguration. It usually happens after one board members term expires at the end of the inaugural year. The replacement must be from the same political party as the governor. Control of electoral boards across the state flipped from Democrats to Republicans on Jan. 1, when Democrats rotating off the boards were replaced by Republican appointees. Before the flip, the Roanoke City Electoral Board was composed of Chair Sharon Lazar, a Democrat, Anna Goltz, also a Democrat, and Charles Shell, a Republican. Goltzs term expired Dec. 31, and because of Youngkins election, state law required she be replaced by a Republican. Charlie Nave, who chairs Roanokes Republican Committee, nominated three Republicans to fill the seat in a Dec. 15 letter to the judges of Roanokes Circuit Court. The first nominee was Bedrosian. I highly recommend Al Bedrosian, Nave wrote. The other two Republican nominees were Maynard Keller, who ran for The Roanoke City Council in November (but lost) and Paulette Lawson. I am also pleased to recommend Maynard Keller and Paulette Lawson for your consideration, Nave wrote in that letter. Chief Circuit Judge Chris Clemens appointed Bedrosian Dec. 20. Its customary for the chief judge to follow party leaders recommendations. Also in December, Lazar announced her resignation with one year left in her term. She said she resigned because it was getting more difficult for her to do the physical work a seat on the board requires. Her husband, Roanoke Democratic Chair Mark Lazar, recommended in a letter to the court that Goltz be appointed to fill the year remaining on his wifes term. Clemens made that appointment as well. Its unclear whether Nave knew of Bedrosians perspectives about election fraud and the 2020 outcome at the time Nave nominated Bedrosian. Nave hasnt responded to a voice message left at his law office, or two emails sent there. Among questions I posed in the emails were why Nave promoted Bedrosians appointment over Keller and Lawson, and whether Nave was aware of Bedrosians 2020 election views at the time he recommended the appointment. Although the all-Democrat Roanoke City Council has no power to alter Electoral Board appointments, its members have taken notice of Bedrosians. Last week I read the above Bedrosian quotes to Mayor Sherman Lea, who sounded surprised. Lea wondered whether Bedrosian still believes Trump won the election, or if hes since changed his mind. The facts regarding the 2020 election are well known, Lee said. Is he still caught up in this election-theft fiasco, when its been proven there was nothing wrong with that election? With the Jan. 6 Committee, there was testimony from Trumps own staff that even Trump knew he lost the election. Moreover, many of the Republicans who lost in 2022 believed that Trump won, Lea added. Just to keep pushing that shows they havent learned their lesson. City Councilman Luke Priddy suspects more Republican election deniers have recently been appointed to electoral boards across the commonwealth, as Democratic appointees rotated off and were replaced by Republicans. I doubt this is unique just to the city of Roanoke, with the shift to two Republicans on each board, he said. Priddy also noted Bedrosian took an oath of office, which is a serious matter. Hes still charged with following the law and carrying it out, Priddy said. While Al has rather extreme views, I do like to think deep down [fair elections are] what he really wants. The Roanoke City Electoral Board last met Dec. 19. It hasnt yet scheduled its first meeting of 2023. But the first meeting of the year could prove interesting. Perhaps well find out then if Al Bedrosian still believes Trump won the 2020 election. Contact metro columnist Dan Casey at 981-3423 or dan.casey@roanoke.com. Follow him on Twitter:@dancaseysblog. CHRISTIANSBURG Cody Rush is launching a Republican campaign for Montgomery County circuit court clerk. Rush, 34, is the son of former Del. Nick Rush, R-Montgomery, who served on the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors before his election to state office. Incumbent Erica Conner, a Democrat reelected in 2015 and the countys clerk since 2007, has not yet announced if shell seek another term this year. Rush said he began developing familiarity with the clerks office well over a decade ago when he was a member of the Young Republicans group at Christiansburg High School. Along with other local races, Rush said he helped out with the campaign of Conners predecessor, Allan Burke. Rush said he knew Burke his entire life due to his dads own involvement in politics over the years. On some of his reasons for seeking the position, Rush said he views locally elected jobs as impactful if not more impactful as state and national ones. Local level leadership is more important than who we send to [Washington] D.C., Rush said in an interview Tuesday. They have more of an impact on our daily lives than who we send to Washington. Rush said the clerks office handles a number of important day-to-day needs for residents. He listed functions such as the issuance of concealed handgun permits and marriage licenses and the recording of deeds and wills. Residents interact with the office during some of the best and worst times of their lives, Rush said. Other functions of the office include the recording of adoptions, divorces, election results and court judgements. The office also collects fines and costs from court proceedings. Rush, noting Conners longtime control of the seat, said hes looking to bring a fresh pair of eyes to the challenges facing the office. I think its just really important that we have strong conservative leadership running that office, and for the past 16 years, we havent had that, Rush said. Rush said his service in the Army includes more than a decade of experience in military leadership. He said that is what he believes sets him apart. Rush, a fourth-generation service member, attended Virginia Tech on a four-year Army scholarship and was a member of the Corps of Cadets. In 2011, he earned a bachelors degree in political science with a minor in leadership and was commissioned as an active duty armor officer. He was later assigned to Fort Hood, Texas, where he served as both a tank and scout platoon leader in the 1st Cavalry Division. Rush deployed to Iraq in 2017 to support Operation Inherent Resolve, where his work included advising an Iraqi general officer to help defeat terrorist group ISIS and protect Baghdad, according to information in an announcement he released Tuesday. Rush and his family moved to Northern Virginia in 2019 where took on a legislative liaison role that involved advising members of Congress and Army senior leaders on military, veterans and defense-related issues. In addition to his degree from Tech, Rush holds two masters degrees in information technology management and legislative affairs, respectively, from Webster University and George Washington University. Rushs campaign material touts goals of being fiscally conservative, modernizing the clerks office and protecting the countys history. Regarding the history goal, he said he will continue efforts to digitize records, ensure citizens have access to records of historical significance and work with local historical societies to explore their ability to display historical documents to help them tell the communitys story. Among other goals, Rush said he plans to establish an advisory committee that will review major decisions hes considering. He said he will also like to explore the offering of plastic card versions of concealed carry permits, which are already provided elsewhere in the state. He said plastic permits are much more durable. Rush currently lives in Riner with his wife and two children. Conner, when asked Tuesday about this years campaign, wrote in an email: I havent yet announced my plans, but I plan to soon, and will be sure to let you know when I do. Everything is going great in our office and the democratic process is alive and well in Montgomery County. Clerks of court are the only elected officials in the state to serve eight-year terms and are often among the highest-paid local officials. After a state Senate committee derailed legislation that would charge dealers with murder if a user dies after an overdose, Gov. Glenn Youngkin heatedly promised a full court press to move a similar House of Delegates bill through the Senate and on to his desk. I dont understand it. Here we have 2,600 deaths just last year from overdoses, Youngkin said in an interview Tuesday with the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Left liberal Democrats want to stand up for dealers, over victims," he said. "They want to stand up for dealers over families. They want to stand up for dealers over Virginia." The bills would bring drug dealers up on felony homicide charges basically, second-degree murder if a user dies of an overdose. The House version, sponsored by House Majority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, made it past that Republican-led bodys gatekeeper criminal justice subcommittee on a party-line vote last week. But the Senates version died when all but one of the Democratic majority in the Judiciary Committee voted to kill it on an 8-7 vote. Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw, D-Fairfax, broke with his Democratic colleagues to vote for the bill. Advocates who work with addicts said the felony homicide bill would undermine Virginias efforts to encourage drug users to call 911 if they see someone overdosing. The House bill would have to win approval in the Senate Judiciary Committee before it could move to the full Senate, where Democrats will have a 22-18 majority. Youngkin highlighted the felony homicide bill as a top priority in his state of the state speech last week, saying it is essential to hold dealers accountable when their drugs cause a fatal overdose. You know 76% of those overdose deaths are from fentanyl, he said. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says as little as 2 milligrams the equivalent of 10 to 15 grains of salt is a lethal dose. Virginias good Samaritan law protects people who use drugs from being prosecuted for possession if they report someone they are with is overdosing, opponents of the felony homicide bill said the problem was that it did not cover situations where one user shares drugs with anotherlegally, thats distribution. Right now, if you give someone sitting beside you drugs and they overdose and die even if you call 911, you can be charged with felony homicide, said Sen. Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover, who sponsored the Senate bill. But after a 2014 ruling from the Virginia Supreme Court, if a drug dealer sells the drugs and then leaves and the person overdoses, he cant be charged, McDougle said. If the House measure also fails in the House, the issue likely will be a feature of GOP legislative campaigns in the fall. All 40 Senate seats and all 100 House seats are up for election in November. At present Republicans hold a four-seat edge in the House. Democrats will hold a four-seat edge in the Senate when Democrat Aaron Rouse is sworn in on Wednesday for a Senate seat representing Virginia Beach. PHOTOS: Youngkin's State of the Commonwealth address Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Naturally occurring coal deposits are called "seams" in the mining industry. Wherever such veins occur, coal-seam fires (like the one under Centralia) are apt to break out. "They are quite common," Anupma Prakash a geologist at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks tells us in an email. Advertisement China's 3,106-mile (5,000-kilometer) coal mining belt is notorious for its seam fires. So is the town of Jharia, India, where unwanted fires have claimed about 41 million tons (or roughly 37 million metric tons) of coal since 1918. "The issue is more prevalent in areas where coal was extracted in the past with limited efforts to ensure that the 'hole' left from the extraction ... was filled up," says Prakash. Mines that don't provide "structural support" to keep the ground from collapsing likewise risk seam fire outbreaks. Granted, humans aren't always responsible. Down in New South Wales, Australia, there's a famous coal seam under Mount Wingen that's been burning for 6,000 years straight. Scientists think it was first ignited by an ancient brush fire or lightning strike. " " Smoke from below curls through the abandoned town of Centralia, Pennsylvania. Scott Drzyzga /Flickr (CC By 2.0) And coal doesn't need much encouragement to catch fire. Under the right circumstances, the material can actually light itself ablaze through spontaneous combustion. "The decomposition of pyrite present in coal produces heat, and in some cases, this self-heating can start the coal on fire. This is a problem even where coal is transported long distances in ships," says research geologist Allan Kolker in another email exchange. Kahlil Byrd, left, is joined by his brothers Kamryn and Shalon in holding signs during a meeting at the Gary Westside Leadership Academy in Gary, Indiana Wednesday May 18, 2022. The meeting included public comment as the Distressed Unit Appeal Board considers a two-year contract for MGT Consulting which currently manages the state-run district. (Andy Lavalley for the Post-Tribune) (Post-Tribune) A proposed state Senate bill establishes a new governing structure for the Gary Community School Corp. with the state Secretary of Education appointing the seven-member body. Members also dont have to live in Gary under the bill. Advertisement State Sen. Ryan Mishler, R-Bremen, authored Senate Bill 327 thats heading to the Senate Appropriations Committee, which he chairs. No hearing date was listed on the Indiana General Assemblys website. Mishlers bill is a long way from becoming law, said state Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary, even though Republicans hold super majorities in both chambers. Advertisement Melton and his fellow Gary delegation members are working with Mishler to come up with a more palatable measure, Melton said. I feel confident were going to work something out, Melton said Tuesday. State Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary, took to the stage to assure members of the public that MGT Consulting representatives would hear their questions and concerns during meeting at the Gary Westside Leadership Academy in Gary, Indiana Wednesday May 18, 2022. The meeting included public comment as the Distressed Unit Appeal Board considers a two-year contract for MGT Consulting which currently manages the state-run district. (Andy Lavalley for the Post-Tribune) (Post-Tribune) Mishlers bill states once the distressed status of the district is ended, the governing authority regains its authority and can hire a superintendent. Gary Democratic lawmaker Rep. Vernon Smith authored House Bill 1491 that provides for elected school board members, beginning this year. The bill calls for the end of state control by June 30, 2024. Melton authored a similar measure, Senate Bill 436. Meanwhile, Gary Mayor Jerome Prince said he will meet with lawmakers, including Mishler, next week in Indianapolis to ensure the bill contains provisions that are in the best interest of our constituency. Smith called Mishlers bill a work in progress, saying it lacked many elements. I filed a will of the people bill, said Smith who said the Gary delegation has been meeting with citizens for the past few months. Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary, speaks during a meeting at the Gary Westside Leadership Academy in Gary, Indiana Wednesday May 18, 2022. The meeting included public comment as the Distressed Unit Appeal Board considers a two-year contract for MGT Consulting which currently manages the state-run district. (Andy Lavalley for the Post-Tribune) (Post-Tribune) Like Smiths bill, Melton said his bill also calls for an elected school board. Advertisement This is a long legislative session and as we go through the process, myself and the Gary delegation will be working with our colleagues to fight for local representation for Gary citizens, Melton said. His bill, along with Smiths, ends the takeover status; establishes a school board election process; directs the school board to appoint a superintendent; restores authority to the board; creates safeguards as the district sells school property and requires loan forgiveness for state advances from the Common School Fund. Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune. Graphical Abstract. Credit: Matter (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.matt.2022.11.027 A team of researchers from China, the U.S., Italy and New Zealand reported that ocean temperatures hit a new record high last yearthe 10 zettajoule increase marked the hottest year ever recorded in the world's oceans. Also, an international team of earth scientists were surprised when they found a magma chamber growing under a Mediterranean volcano. The chamber was found under Kolumbo using a new imaging technique that can produce high-resolution pictures of the properties of seismic waves. And another international team of researchers found via the development of a new model that mineral processes miles below the surface of the Earth are different than what has been theorized. In technology news, a team with members from Universite Paris-Saclay- CNRS, Sorbonne Universite, Universite Grenoble-Alpes-CEA-LETI, HawAI.tech, and Aix-Marseille Universite-CNRS developed a Bayesian machine based on memristorsthe new design is expected to allow machine-learning algorithms to run using less energy. Also a team with members from Lund University and Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne designed and built a working feathered robotic wing, which they claim paves the way to flapping wing drones. And a combined team from the University of Chicago and Northwestern University found that the chatbot ChatGPT is capable of writing fake study abstracts that were convincing enough to fool scientists. And a team at Westlake University, in China, working with a colleague at the National University of Singapore, developed a 3D-printing technique for fabricating hydrogel-based electronics, which they say is significantly cheaper than conventional methods. In other news, a team with members affiliated with several institutions in Spain found evidence showing that COVID-19 vaccines also prevent the SARS-CoV-2 virus from infecting the brain. The finding suggests the vaccines should prevent symptoms such as impaired taste and smell, cognitive loss and malaise associated with long COVID. Also, a team at QingDao University of Science and Technolgy in China demonstrated an optical tractor beam capable of pulling larger macroscopic objects than existing tractor beams. And finally, a team at Johns Hopkins University announced that they were making progress toward the development of a nasal spray that could be used to ward off virtually all respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19. 2023 Science X Network DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) The head of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning World Food Program says support from donors like the United States and Germany have allowed it to postpone though not entirely avert famine in Somalia but stressed that were not out of this yet. WFP Executive Director David Beasley said countries in the Horn of Africa have faced unprecedented climate impact from years of drought, and the U.N. agency had been expecting to announce famine in Somalia before donors stepped up in magnificent ways. And weve been able to I dont know if the right word is avert famine but we definitely have postponed it, he told The Associated Press at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday. Weve been fortunate so far, given the climate shocks inside Somalia. But were not out of this yet. But he warned that we still could end up with a famine technically in Somalia because famine-like conditions already exist. Once you officially declare to be a famine, well, its too late, Beasley said. Famine is the extreme lack of food and a significant death rate from outright starvation or malnutrition combined with diseases like cholera. A formal famine declaration means data shows more than a fifth of households have extreme food gaps, more than 30% of children are acutely malnourished and over two people out of 10,000 are dying every day. Beasley, who has announced plans to step down in April, has parlayed his political experience as a former Republican governor of the U.S. state of South Carolina to wrest greater funding for the World Food Program from Washington under both the Biden and Trump administrations. The United States announced $411 million in additional funding for Somalias crisis last month after a report by the U.N. and other experts said more than 8 million Somalis are badly food insecure because of drought and high food prices. Thousands have died. When Beasley took the job in 2017, some 80 million people worldwide were on the brink of starvation and faced chronic hunger. Conflict, climate change and COVID-19 have caused that to balloon to 350 million today because of economic devastation and supply-chain disruptions. You think you cant get any worse. Then the breadbasket of the world is shut down: Ukraine, Beasley said. Now (the country has) the longest bread lines in the world, alluding to Russias war that has upended food production and exports from Ukraine. DNIPRO, Ukraine (AP) Ukrainian emergency crews on Monday sifted through what was left of a Dnipro apartment building destroyed by a Russian missile, placing bodies from one of the wars deadliest single attacks in months in black bags and gingerly carrying them across steep piles of rubble. Authorities said the death toll from Saturdays strike rose to 40 and that 30 people remained missing Monday. Tall cranes swung across the jagged gaps in a row of residential towers, the engines growling as residents of one of Ukraines largest cities watched largely in silence under a gray sky. About 1,700 people lived in the multistory building, and search and rescue crews have worked nonstop since the missile strike to locate victims and survivors in the wreckage. The regional administration said 39 people have been rescued and at least 75 were wounded. The reported death toll put it among the deadliest attacks on Ukrainian civilians since before the summer, according to The Associated Press-Frontline War Crimes Watch project. Residents said the apartment tower did not house any military facilities. Oleksander Anyskevych said he was in his apartment when the missile struck. Boom and thats it. We saw that we were alive and thats all, Anyskevych said Monday as he went to the site to see his wrecked apartment. He told The Associated Press that he knew people who died under the rubble. One of his sons classmates lost her parents. Dnipro residents took flowers, candles and toys to the ruins. All of us could be in that place, local resident Iryna Skrypnyk said. The European Unions foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, called the strike, and others like it, inhumane aggression because it directly targeted civilians. There will be no impunity for these crimes, he said in a tweet Sunday. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the Dnipro strike, saying attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international humanitarian law and must end immediately, U.N. associate spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay said Monday. Asked about the strike Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian military doesnt target residential buildings and suggested the Dnipro building was hit as a result of Ukrainian air defense actions. The strike on the building came amid a wider barrage of Russian cruise missiles across Ukraine. The Ukrainian military said Sunday that it did not have the means to intercept the type of Russian missile that hit the residential building in Dnipro. Fierce fighting continued to rage Monday in Ukraines eastern Donetsk province, where military analysts have said both sides are likely suffering heavy troop casualties. No independent verification of developments was possible. Donetsk and neighboring Luhansk province make up the Donbas, an expansive industrial region bordering Russia that Russian President Vladimir Putin identified as a focus from the wars outset. Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Kyivs forces there since 2014. The Russian and Belarusian air forces began a joint exercise Monday in Belarus, which borders Ukraine and served as a staging ground for Russias Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.The drills are set to run through Feb. 1, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said. Russia has sent its warplanes to Belarus for the drills. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank, reported signs of the Kremlin taking steps to turn its Ukraine invasion into a major conventional war after months of embarrassing military reversals. What Moscow calls a special military operation aimed to capture the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, within weeks and to install a Kremlin-friendly regime there, but Russian forces ultimately withdrew from around Kyiv, the think tank said. Then came a successful Ukrainian counteroffensive in recent months before the onset of winter slowed military advances. The Kremlin is likely preparing to conduct a decisive strategic action in the next six months intended to regain the initiative and end Ukraines current string of operational successes, the Institute for the Study of War said in a report late Sunday. It noted reports indicating the Russian military command was in serious preparations for an expanded mobilization effort, conserving mobilized personnel for future use, while seeking to boost military industrial production and reshuffling its command structure. That means Ukraines Western allies will need to continue supporting Ukraine in the long run, the think tank said. NATO member nations have sought in recent days to reassure Ukraine that they will stay the course. The United Kingdom has pledged tanks and the U.S. militarys new, expanded combat training of Ukrainian forces began in Germany on Sunday. Polands prime minister urged the German government to supply a wide range of weapons to Kyiv and voiced hope that Berlin would soon approve a transfer of battle tanks. Seguin, TX (78155) Today Mostly cloudy early, then sunshine for the afternoon. High 81F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Some clouds. Low around 60F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. By Brenda Goh DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - India's Maharashtra state on Tuesday signed a deal with Taiwan's Gogoro and automotive system maker Belrise Industries under which the two firms will invest $2.5 billion over eight years in building battery-swapping infrastructure across the state. Announced on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, the partners said the memorandum of understanding aimed to establish batteries as a leading source for mobility and energy storage in Maharashtra, India's wealthiest state with 120 million residents which is looking to reduce its use of fossil fuels. Shares in Gogoro Inc rose 7.1% after the deal was announced. The companies will start deploying the infrastructure this year and hope that it will encourage energy vehicle use as well as help to reduce energy costs for farmers. "Maharashtra state is looking for a platform in which converting to green has many different devices, mobility device, storage device, smart city devices; what we're working on is more like a platform enabling this to happen," Gogoro Chief Executive Horace Luke told Reuters, describing the deal as "huge" for the Taiwanese firm. Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra's deputy chief minister, said the state hoped they would set an example for other states in India to transition to smarter sustainable cities. Gogoro is known for its green-hued battery swap distribution network for riders in Taiwan and makes its own vehicles as well as batteries. It told Reuters in November that it hoped to diversify internationally. India's Belrise Industries Ltd, previously known as Badve Engineering, produces about one third of all two-wheel and three-wheel chassis made in the country. (Reporting by Brenda Goh) More than 20 children in Indonesia have suffered stomach burns after eating a street snack frozen with liquid nitrogen to participate in a viral TikTok trend. The snack is locally known as chiki ngebul and named after a popular Indonesian brand of packaged snacks, reported Jakarta Times. In recent months, the snack, also known as dragons breath, became part of a TikTok trend in which children recorded themselves eating it with smoke from the liquid nitrogen coming out of their mouths. The government has urged greater vigilance and warned against the use of liquid nitrogen in ready-to-eat food. Liquid nitrogen (could reach temperatures) of minus 190 deg C. So if it comes into contact with the skin it can cause frostbite or cold burns... It could also cause respiratory and digestive problems if inhaled and swallowed (in large amounts), the Health Ministrys director for environmental health Anas Maruf was quoted as saying at a press conference last Thursday. Authorities said the first case was reported in East Javas Ponorogo regency in July 2022 when a child developed freeze burns after consuming the snack. According to the Indonesian ministry of healths director general Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, skin burns and severe breathing difficulties are other potential risks, reported The Guardian. Authorities have issued advisories to mobile hawker food outlets against selling such snacks and have also asked schools to educate children about the dangers. While no deaths have been reported according to the health ministry around 25 children have been affected, with two hospitalised. Dr Dicky Budiman, an Indonesian doctor and researcher of global health security at Griffith University, said to the outlet that while the snack has been around for several years, and liquid nitrogen is commonly used in food, they are now more easily available. Maybe now its decreasing [in price] and not only easier to access but also the number of new businesses using this liquid nitrogen is also increasing, he said, adding that many food handlers dont know how to use liquid nitrogen properly. By Asif Shahzad ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has made a conditional offer to his Indian counterpart to open talks on all outstanding issues between them, including disputed Kashmir, which he believes could be facilitated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). "My message to the Indian leadership and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is let's sit down at the table and have serious and sincere talks to resolve our burning issues, like Kashmir," Sharif said in an interview with Al Arabiya news channel, telecast by Pakistan's state run TV on Tuesday. However, a statement issued by Sharif's office after the interview aired added that such talks would only be possible if India restored the autonomous status in the part of Kashmir it rules that was revoked in 2019. "Without India's revocation of this step, negotiations are not possible," it said. The Indian foreign affairs ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. New Delhi has ignored such calls from Pakistan on Kashmir's status in the past. In the interview, Sharif said he had taken up the issue with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed on his recent visit to the Emirates. "He's a brother of Pakistan. He also has good relations with India. He can play a very important role to bring the two countries on the talking table," Sharif said. 'NOTHING BUT MISERY' The two arch-rival nuclear powers have fought three wars since independence from British rule in 1947. Two of the wars were over Kashmir, a disputed Himalayan region, which both the nations claim. Each controls half of the region. The two neighbours came close to war again in 2019, when India launched an air strike inside Pakistan to target what New Delhi said was a militant training facility. Tensions were again inflamed when India unilaterally revoked the autonomous status of its part of Kashmir later in 2019, which Sharif said resulted in "flagrant" human rights violations. Story continues India has faced a decades-long insurgency in its part of Kashmir which is accuses Pakistan of stoking - an accusation Islamabad denies. Official talks between the two countries have been suspended since then, although there have been some backdoor diplomacy attempts to resume negotiations - one brokered by the UAE in 2021. Sharif said the wars between the two countries brought nothing except misery, poverty and unemployment. "We want to alleviate poverty, achieve prosperity and provide education, health facilities and employment to our people, and not waste our resources on bombs and ammunition, that's the message I want to give to PM Modi," he said. (Reporting by Asif Shahzad; Editing by Gerry Doyle and Alex Richardson) According to court documents, a 6-month-old child under Olson's care was diagnosed with abusive head trauma after she found the child unresponsive on Aug. 29. During an interview with investigators, Olson admitted she had become frustrated with the fussy baby and shook the baby on her hip "in a violent manner," causing the injury. On May 11, a 2-year-old child was burned on the right hand after putting it in a pot of hot water that had been used to boil hot dogs at Olson's home. Olson ran the child's hand under cold water and applied burn cream to the injury, but did not notify the boy's parents or other medical providers for more than three hours, court documents said. By the time the parents were called, the skin had separated from the child's hand. Months later, the child still had not regained full circulation in the hand. Niles police assisted the Skokie Police Department in responding to a stolen vehicle incident that resulted in a crash involving two Skokie police cars Tuesday morning, Niles police said. According to a news releases from the department, Niles police were called to help respond to a a stolen vehicle investigation on the 7900 block of North Caldwell Avenue in Niles. Advertisement Skokie police first observed the stolen vehicle in Skokie and began following it from there, said Niles Police Sgt. Dan Borkowski. As Skokie police responded to the stolen vehicle, they reached the back parking lot of an apartment building on Caldwell, which prompted a male suspect to flee on foot and a second to flee in a second vehicle, a silver Hyundai SUV, police said. Advertisement The SUV struck two Skokie police vehicles as it fled the scene, police said, and Skokie police officers apprehended the male suspect who had left the scene on foot at the intersection of Oakton Street and Caldwell Avenue. Police said no injuries were reported and that Skokie officers traced and recovered the vehicle that had originally been reported stolen. Niles police completed traffic crash reports for the crash involving the suspect vehicle and the two Skokie police vehicles, according to the department statement. SIOUX FALLS -- The bookkeeper of a Lesterville, South Dakota, church was sentenced Tuesday to 21 months in federal prison for embezzling nearly $325,000 from two church parishes. Steven Bares, 53, of Tabor, South Dakota, pleaded guilty in September in U.S. District Court in Sioux Falls to wire fraud. After completing his prison sentence, he must serve two years on supervised release. He also must pay restitution to the churches. From January 2013 to March 2020, while serving as the bookkeeper for St. John the Baptist parish in Lesterville and St. Wenceslaus parish in Tabor, Bares embezzled $324,001 from the two parishes. Auditors discovered numerous checks made out to companies belonging to Bares that didn't correspond to any service or equipment purchased from them. The checks were deposited into accounts held by Bares. SIOUX CITY Denied access to survey some parcels of land along proposed liquid carbon dioxide pipeline routes, developers have sought rulings from Iowa judges ordering landowners to allow the surveys to proceed. New lawsuits in Clay and Sioux counties were filed in December, bringing the total number to nine filed by either Summit Carbon Solutions or Navigator Heartland Greenway. In all cases, the companies are seeking injunctions to prohibit landowners from denying survey crews entrance to their land to study the proposed pipeline routes. Landowners have filed counterclaims in many of them arguing that Iowa's laws giving pipeline companies the right of entry to private land to survey and examine it are unconstitutional. Both are tactics seldom seen before in Iowa. State law clearly authorizes enforcement of survey access by a company by injunction, said Don Tormey, a spokesman for the Iowa Utilities Board, which receives and rules on permit applications for underground pipelines. "However, to the IUB's knowledge, lawsuits by pipeline companies to gain access to a landowner's property to survey have been rare in the past. If a landowner resists surveying, the issue is usually addressed without litigation," Tormey said. Tormey said the IUB has no information on the number of landowners refusing to let surveyors onto their land either now or during past pipeline projects. He said the length of the proposed CO2 pipelines and the large number of landowners affected may be a factor. Navigator plans to build a 1,300-mile pipeline collecting liquid CO2 from ethanol plants and fertilizer processors in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota and Illinois and transport it to a site in Illinois, where it will be injected deep beneath the surface. The pipeline would stretch 900 miles across 36 Iowa counties, including several in Siouxland. Summit's plans call for a 2,000-mile pipeline collecting CO2 from ethanol plants in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota and North Dakota and piping it to a North Dakota injection site. Of the 30 Iowa counties in the route, many again are in Siouxland. Permit applications for both are before the IUB. Both projects have staunch opponents, evidenced by landowners' unwillingness to allow surveyors on their property. Navigator filed lawsuits against landowners in Woodbury, Clay and Butler counties in August. Summit sued in Dickinson, Hardin and Kossuth counties in September, and Clay and Sioux counties on Dec. 15. In its suits and requests for injunctions, Summit says landowners have refused to accept delivery of a second letter providing notice of the intent to enter their property to survey it. "While Summit Carbon Solutions is not able to comment on the specifics of pending litigation, it's important to note the overwhelming majority of survey work done to this point has involved the owner voluntarily offering the company permission to access their land, there have been a limited number of instances where Iowa law has been invoked to allow this critical work to continue," Summit said in a statement. Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, Navigator's vice president of government and public affairs, also noted the majority of landowners have granted surveyors access. "What we don't hear about is how much survey work was done voluntarily," she said. "Surveys are an incredibly important part of the process. We think the code and the law is pretty clear as to notification and the steps to complete that survey. We truly want to be collaborative and follow the letter of the law." Landowners who are resisting have banded together, hiring attorneys and coordinating their opposition. It's likely due in part to experiences with the Dakota Access oil pipeline, which was completed in 2017 and traverses many of the same counties in the paths of the proposed CO2 pipelines, said Jess Mazour, conservation program coordinator of the Sierra Club Iowa Chapter. In many cases, crop yield loss because of soil disruption from pipeline installation has been greater than what farmers were told to expect by Dakota Access, and payments from the company have not made up for the losses. With that information in hand, farmers are less likely to willingly give permission to have their land disturbed, much less surveyed, Mazour said. "Everyone's prepared this time, and they're saying 'not again,'" she said. The filing of lawsuits, however, caught opponents by surprise, Mazour said, but has solidified opposition, too. "It just made people upset and even more steadfast in their opposition," she said. "If they're really just going to sue anyone who gets in their way, what kind of business practice is that and do we want those kinds of companies in Iowa?" Vicki and William Hulse, of Moville, Iowa, were sued by Navigator in August after refusing to allow surveyors onto their land in northern Woodbury County. They responded with the claim that Iowa's laws giving pipelines the right to enter their land are unconstitutional. A judge in September denied Navigator's request for an injunction that would have enabled surveyors to enter the Hulse's land. A trial is scheduled for Feb. 14, though that same judge is considering Navigator's motion for summary judgment seeking a ruling in its favor before trial. A trial in Navigator's lawsuit against Martin Koenig, of Sioux Rapids, Iowa, is scheduled for April 19 in Clay County. The Butler County cases were consolidated and scheduled for trial in May. Vicki Hulse told the Journal last fall she and other landowners are doing what they believe is right and want others to know they're not powerless against the pipeline companies. "I just want to be an example that you can stand up for yourself," Hulse said. "You can stand up and say no, this is my land." Summit's lawsuits have yet to be scheduled for trial. Dennis and Kerry King, of Dickens, in Clay County and the Wilmer Hulstein Revocable Trust, in Sioux Center, in Sioux County, have yet to respond to the suits. In her early 20s, Karisa Hunt learned the hard lesson of what happens when someone rations life-preserving medication. Hunt was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a 4-year-old and has been on insulin since then to help control her blood sugar levels. But while in college and feeling guilty for saddling her parents with high copays for the insulin, she started lowering her prescribed dosage. It was a little less here, a little less there, she recalled recently. It proved a life-altering decision, one that resulted in two surgeries in each eye and, ultimately, the complete loss of vision in her left one. Once she was out of college and on her own health insurance plan, Hunt couldnt afford the $400 monthly copay. With rationing a no-go, she found another, still less-than-desirable solution: a low-cost, older version of insulin sold at Walmart. It didnt control her diabetes nearly as well, and it left her sicker more often. She worried about long-term damage to her kidneys and the nerves in her limbs. Still, it cost her a doable $75 a month. She told herself she had no choice. It felt like I was trading away years at the end of my life to stay alive now, said Hunt, 36, who works in marketing and lives in Commerce City, Colorado, just northeast of Denver. But 2019 brought a welcome change: Colorado became the first state to pass a law that set a $100 limit on the monthly out-of-pocket expenses some diabetes patients would be required to pay for their insulin. All at once, she could afford the optimal insulin for her. It felt like it was giving myself years of my life back, Hunt said. In response to the steep rise in out-of-pocket costs for insulin over the past two decades, nearly two dozen states have passed measures in the past few years capping the out-of-pocket costs for some patients. Last year, Louisiana and Maryland became the latest, bringing the total to 22 plus Washington, D.C. Other states are poised to consider similar measures this year, including Nebraska and New Jersey. These proposed solutions are definitely a step in the right direction and address a big harm, which is when people ration because of affordability, said Dr. Jing Luo, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and its Center for Pharmaceutical Policy and Prescribing. But the state caps leave out many residents. They cover patients enrolled in state-regulated health insurance plans, which generally are individual health insurance policies sold on Affordable Care Act marketplaces as well as state employee health plans. However, the state laws cant include most large employer and union health plans; those fall under federal government regulation. Congress last summer imposed a $35 cap on copayments for insulin for Medicare beneficiaries, who are 65 and older. But Senate Republicans in August stripped out of a budget bill a measure that would have set a $35 cap for patients with private insurance. Some argued that it did not solve the underlying reasons for increasing insulin prices and that insurance companies would raise premiums to offset the cost, The Washington Post reported. The financial burden of the caps falls on some combination of the players involved in the distribution of medicines the manufacturers, the health plans and the pharmacy benefit managers, known as PBMs, which administer pharmacy benefits for health plans. Those entities generally have opaque and somewhat contentious relationships that ultimately determine both drug prices and profit distribution among them. Critics have long complained that the lack of transparency makes it hard to tell whether patients pay reasonable amounts for their medicines. Prices keep rising Seven of the states with caps set a limit of $100 on copays for a 30-day supply of insulin, the highest amount among states, while others are significantly lower, according to a tally by the American Diabetes Association. According to the diabetes association, 6 million U.S. patients take insulin. Since the early 2000s, as manufacturers raised the price of insulin, the cost to patients rose. One 2022 analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that for Medicare beneficiaries, out-of-pocket spending on insulin jumped from $236 million in 2007 to $1.01 billion in 2018, more than a 300% increase in that time. Thats in line with other analyses showing a near tripling of the price of insulin in the 2000s. Colorado acts first Inevitably, the costs to patients caused many to ration their insulin. In a 2020 survey conducted by the Colorado attorney generals office, 40% of state residents using insulin reported that they resorted to rationing at least once a year. The report said that in some cases, diabetic patients said they took to fasting to try to control their blood sugar levels. Colorado Democratic state Sen. Dylan Roberts became aware of the high out-of-pocket costs of insulin at a young age. When he was a boy in the early 2000s, his younger brother was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. I remember at the time this being such a burden, he recalled. Even at the time, it was immensely challenging for families, especially if you had no insurance. Having taken office in 2017, Roberts became increasingly eager to pass a measure to help ensure diabetes patients can afford insulin. It doesnt make any capitalistic or market sense that it costs so much, he said. And you have to take it, or you will die, so you are really being held hostage. 10 healthy habits for managing diabetes Get moving Get five a day Drink water Go whole Cut back on red meat Limit salt Keep an eye on portion sizes Eat breakfast Get your eyes and feet checked regularly Eat out less A judge Friday sentenced a former Lincoln Police officer to probation and community service for assaulting a man while working off-duty in his police uniform as security at a local hospital more than two years ago. Benjamin Rieker's attorney, Carlos Monzon, argued first for a new trial, saying Rieker believed force was justifiably necessary to remove the man from Bryan West Campus; he was acting in self-defense; and was entitled to use force when he shoved the 51-year-old down Oct. 31, 2020. Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Tyson Moodie objected. "It just seems like an attempt to relitigate what we litigated at trial," he said. Lancaster County Judge Matthew Acton denied the motion. In November, he found Rieker guilty of third-degree assault and false reporting following a 2-day bench trial. Rieker, now 34, had been an officer for about 18 months when the incident occurred. He resigned from the department in January 2021, after a criminal investigation was launched into the incident at the request of then-Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister. He since has lost his law enforcement license. At sentencing Friday, Moodie said in a pre-sentence interview it appeared that Rieker "perhaps still was not taking responsibility for his actions." "That's just disappointing, because I think if he would, he'd see that's probably what led him to some of the charges here," the prosecutor said in an apparent reference to the false reporting charge. Monzon disagreed with that characterization. "The PSI (pre-sentence investigation) is very clear that Mr. Rieker says that this was an unfortunate event and it's an unfortunate event from all sides," the defense attorney said. Rieker declined an opportunity to say anything Friday. But Monzon said other officers previously had warned Rieker the man, Jan Noch, had been known to carry weapons and had a history of being assaultive toward officers. "Then, on the day in question, the actions that Mr. Noch took and the words that he was using, that is how and why Mr. Rieker acted the way he did," he said. About a month later, Noch was facing felony charges for stabbing his neighbor then running to get him help. He's currently serving a four-year sentence. Acton said he took into account that Rieker, who had only a DUI on his record before this, was in full police uniform when it happened but that Noch didn't suffer injury past the initial pain. He also considered that Rieker seemed to express some regret, and character letters and letters from law enforcement on his behalf about use of force. In the end, Acton sentenced Rieker to 18 months of probation, including victim empathy and anger management classes and 120 hours of community service. MONTICELLO A man was fatally shot after breaking into a Monticello man's home last week, according to Monticello's chief of police. At 1:48 a.m. Wednesday, a man called 911 in Jones County to report someone trying to break in at his home in the 300 block of South Sycamore Street. Before an officer arrived, the resident armed himself with a gun and shot the intruder, who had gotten inside and confronted him, according to the news release. Authorities identified the alleged intruder as 30-year-old Patrick M. O'Brine. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The man and a 10-year-old child at the home were uninjured, police said. The incident remains under investigation. Photos: Casino Assault, Jan. 3, 2021 010321ho-casino-still-1 010321ho-casino-still-2 010321ho-casino-still-3 010321ho-casino-still-4 Although they dont call Nebraska home, these fly-by residents have been regular visitors to the central Platte Valley for centuries. The yearly spring migration of 500,000, 4-foot tall, gray-feathered birds with jaunty red caps, who arrive in March and are usually gone by mid-April, has made an impact in both the birds' numbers and in our response to them. Visitors from around the country come to watch them fly from their roost on the river in the morning and stalk the corn stalks during the day from buses and blinds, and all of that is good for the state. The most recent economic study estimates that crane-related tourism in 2009 generated $8.08 million in direct economic impact by visitors in central Nebraska. And a survey done in 2010 showed that more than 70,000 crane watchers spent an average of 1.3 days in the region (75 percent of those who came to see the cranes were planning on spending at least one night). And in the past 30 years, groups have worked to protect and maintain this river-side environment, with more than 10,000 acres of habitat set aside. For the fourth consecutive year, Humanities Nebraska is providing a platform for Nebraskans across the state to connect through a tried-and-true pastime: writing a letter. The nonprofit organizations Dear Stranger letter-exchange program officially kicked off on Wednesday. The premise of the program is for Nebraskans to make a connection with a complete stranger through the exchange of letters written about a predetermined prompt. According to Mary Yager, the associate director of Humanities Nebraska, the program started in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and was an instant hit. It was just a way to kind of try to continue our work in bringing people together when we couldnt meet for a while, Yager said. And it was pretty popular, so weve done it every year since. The program itself isnt new, though. Yager said that Oregon Humanities originally conceived the Dear Stranger program and that it was easy for Humanities Nebraska to start the effort with the blueprint from Oregon. Nebraskans interested in participating can submit a letter addressed to Dear Stranger, c/o Humanities Nebraska, 215 Centennial Mall South Suite 330, Lincoln, NE, 68508. From there, Yager and the rest of the Humanities Nebraska team will find an appropriate match based on a few factors. We divide the letters into short and long letters so that people who write a long letter might get a longer letter in response, and vice versa, Yager said. She also noted that location is a big factor, too. Yager noted that they try to match people from the eastern part of Nebraska with people from the western part of Nebraska, and try to make sure theres enough of a distance buffer between any two people to maintain intrigue. Interested parties have until Feb. 15 to submit a letter. After theyre submitted and Humanities Nebraska goes through the matching process, people will receive their letter from a stranger. For most, according to Yager, that first letter exchange is the extent of their involvement in the Dear Stranger program. Those wanting to chat further with their new pen-pal can request their contact information upon mutual consent from the person theyve written to. Yager says the program has led to new friendships. I know that a few of our participants every year do connect beyond the first letter exchange and maintain a relationship over time, Yager said. I think some who participated the first year are still in communication today. As far as participation goes, Yager said Humanities Nebraska is hoping for a rebound in 2023. The program had about 50 people participate in 2020 and that number doubled in 2021. She said that those figures tapered off last year, and credited that to more people willing to get out of the house and interact in-person. Yager said their current participation demographic skews a bit older, but that they also have children participate and exchange letters each year. With recent advances in technology, Yager feels that letter writing has kind of fallen by the wayside a little bit. She believes theres power in a handwritten letter, and she hopes Nebraskans utilize that power while making a new connection. As long as people are interested in doing it, well continue to connect people through letter writing, Yager said. Those interested in learning more about the Dear Stranger program can visit https://humanitiesnebraska.org/programs/dear-stranger/. Top Journal Star photos for January 2023 OMAHA Nebraska is taking another step into the as-yet uncertain future of nuclear power. On Friday, the Nebraska Public Power District announced that it would undertake a study of potential locations for a small modular reactor, thanks to funding from the Legislature. The study will be funded through $1 million in federal dollars awarded to NPPD by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development. Small modular reactors are the new type of nuclear reactor under consideration around the world. Utilities say the smaller reactors offer several advantages over the much larger traditional reactors by requiring less space, costing less to build and providing greater flexibility in where they can be built and how much electricity they generate. However, critics say they remain unproven and carry the baggage of any nuclear reactor: no great solution for radioactive spent fuel, potential high costs to build and potential nefarious use of nuclear material. Because they are so new, no such reactors have yet been built in the U.S. Grant Otten, spokesman for NPPD, said the study will put NPPD in a better position should small modular reactors prove themselves and the district decide that nuclear power is something it wants to pursue. Other major utilities in Nebraska and Iowa also have expressed interest in nuclear power. MidAmerican Energy has included nuclear among the options it is studying. The Omaha Public Power District has said it is monitoring developments in the industry. The NPPD study will occur in two phases: determining the 15 best such sites within Nebraska, then whittling them down to four. The first phase is expected to be completed this spring and the second phase could take a year, according to the utility. Factors used in evaluating sites include access to water and transmission lines and criteria set by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Some models of the new reactors are less reliant on water, which means NPPD could study sites that arent along rivers, which has been where the states power plants have been built. NPPD has contracted with the engineering firm Burns & McDonnell to assist with the study. A nuclear power plant hasnt been built in Nebraska in 50-some years. As a state, Nebraska has been taking a number of steps toward reopening doors to nuclear power. Most recently, the Legislature set aside money from the federal governments infrastructure bill for the study. In 2021, the Legislature unanimously approved allowing nuclear power to qualify for renewable energy incentives. Safety would be paramount with any project, Otten said. Small modular reactors are designed with very advanced safety features, he wrote in an email to the Omaha World-Herald. Further, if an SMR were to be built in Nebraska, it would have to meet Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations; and it would be operated and maintained to protect the safety of the public. NPPD operates Nebraskas only nuclear station, Cooper Nuclear Station near Brownville. OPPD used to operate the much smaller Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station near Blair, but closed it several years ago, citing costs. Construction at both Cooper and Fort Calhoun began in the 1960s, and they came on-line in the early 1970s. The utilitys other major baseline plant, the Gerald Gentleman Station, runs on coal and is located near Sutherland. Otten said NPPD remains committed to its existing baseload plants. (Gerald Gentleman) and Cooper are both essential parts of NPPDs generation mix, for providing low-cost reliable power to our customers, he wrote. NPPD does not currently have any plans to retire either GGS or Cooper. NPPD has said it plans to continue operating Cooper until its license expires in 2034. A decision on whether to seek a 20-year license extension for Cooper will be made at a later date. Top Journal Star photos for January 2023 As Spring Festival approaches, the ongoing exhibition of traditional Chinese New Year pictures at the Guangdong Museum provides an artistic and cultural angle for understanding this important event. Traditionally, New Year pictures are acquired and displayed in homes and other places to celebrate Chinese New Year. The more than 300 pictures, and woodblocks used for making such pictures, at the exhibition come from museums and publishers in Foshan, Guangdong province; Taohuawu in Suzhou, Jiangsu province; Yangjiabu village in Weifang, Shandong province; Zhuxian town in Henan province; Mianzhu, Sichuan province; Wuqiang county, Hebei province and Tianjin's Yangliuqing township. Among them, the history of New Year pictures from Zhuxian town in Henan province can be traced back to Kaifeng, the then capital of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). New Year pictures mostly reached their peak during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in the aforementioned places that have contributed exhibits. The exhibition at the Guangdong Museum in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, is themed on immortals, people, life and customs, and legends. Traditionally, the preparations for celebrating the New Year start in the 12th lunar month. Late in the month, the picture of zaoshen, the kitchen god, is displayed in the cooking area for good luck in the new year, according to the organizer of the exhibition. On Lunar New Year's Eve, pictures depicting menshen, or door gods, appear on front doors to guard the house from evil spirits. Door gods were initially pictured in a military style, but started to also feature figures resembling civil officials during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).In the Ming and Qing dynasties, celestial beings and auspicious animals also found a position on the door. When the new year descends, images depicting gods of luck, fortune, longevity, happiness and wealth adorn houses. Figures with a sacred status that also appear in the New Year pictures can include saints and immortals from Confucian, Buddhist and Taoist beliefs, as well as a number of "gods" that oversee various areas of life and business. Among them, Zhong Kui, who is a mythological demon-killer, and Guan Yu, a general in the late Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), who was later elevated to divine status following the Song Dynasty (960-1279), are famous examples. Besides figures in human form, animals deemed auspicious also have a place in New Year pictures, including the dragon, tiger, deer, crane, goat, monkey, lion and cat. For example, a picture featuring the cat and butterfly expresses a wish for longevity, because maodie, or the names of the two animals (mao meaning cat and die meaning butterfly) joined together, is a homophone of the word pertaining to very old age from 80 to 90. Additionally, the cat, by catching the mouse, guards the grains, and the silkworm that produces the materials for textile products. Mortals followed divine figures, and began to appear in the New Year pictures, as people paid more attention to their own lives and development. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, many such pictures depicted beautiful women living a desirable life. In the pictures, they can be seen visiting quiet, natural surroundings, or staying in an exquisite room. They are often pictured doing embroidery, playing a musical instrument or chess, painting, nurturing children or enjoying some form of performance. The most memorable New Year pictures, however, are perhaps those featuring one or more cherubic babies, often depicted holding a big fish, which express the hope of having a large family. Fish and lotus flowers in those pictures both have auspicious connotations. New-style New Year pictures were first created in the liberated areas during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) in line with the political, military and economic needs. After the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, and with the support of the Ministry of Culture, more new-style works were created, alongside the more traditional themes. The new-style works cover themes on industrial and agricultural work, unity of the army and the people, healthcare and children's education. In the 1980s, art publishers started to move away from their New Year picture business to other, more lucrative, sectors. The third part of the exhibition focuses on New Year pictures that highlight traditional festivals, people's daily work, four seasons and current affairs. Pictures featuring scenery and places of interest drew on traditional Chinese painting techniques and showed the influence of the Western artistic technique of linear perspective. Flowers, birds, plants and insects, which were themes in traditional Chinese paintings, also featured in New Year pictures, often joined by auspicious elements. In the final part of the exhibition, visitors can see historical figures and events, legends, as well as scenes and actors from traditional Chinese operas, in New Year pictures, with some being produced in a serial form. During the late Qing Dynasty, and from the early 1910s to '40s, news-themed New Year pictures appeared, as novel things kept emerging during those turbulent times. Alongside the pictures, the technique for making such pictures, which includes woodblock printing and a combination of woodblock printing and painting, are also displayed. The exhibition will run until March 29. Today, my first novel is being published. Its the culmination of seven years of work and, uh, a large number of years of dreaming of writing a novel. Publication day for a debut novel can be a little overwhelming, Im toldyouve got all those TV news producers begging you for interviews. (They havent called me yet, but I assume they will soon.) Overall, though, pub day ought to be a time of joy, if slightly nervous joy: A thing you made, and care deeply about, is finally making its way into the world! Advertisement But for me, and for a lot of other authors this winter, publication day is feeling a little bittersweet. Thats because were being published by HarperCollins. About 200 HarperCollins publishing employees, primarily younger assistants and associates, have been on strike since November. Their demands are not outlandish and reflect the issues facing junior employees across publishing: They want the companys minimum starting salary increased from $45,000 to $50,000. They want the publisher to address diversity issues at the company. They also want to ensure all eligible employees are in the union. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ive loved my publishing experience with HarperCollins. Everyone Ive worked with has been a smart adviser and a fierce advocate for a slightly weird first novel in a challenging marketplace. And yet, since November, part of me has worried about today, knowing how conflicted Id feel. Because the publishing company thats set to collect money from the sales of my book has not budged. Directed, I have to think, by its owners, the corporate behemoth News Corp, HarperCollins hasnt even sat down to negotiate since the strike begandespite the chaos that the disappearance of 200 employees has caused, despite the pleas of many HarperCollins authors, and despite employees walking the chilly picket line outside headquarters daily. Advertisement So heres my novel, which Ive spent years on. And heres my desire to feel joy and excitement about its arrival. And heres my sadness that many of the assistants and designers and marketers and salespeople who have helped get my book into stores remain poorly paid and disrespected. It creates a real dissonanceand Im not the only one feeling it. I feel the exact same way, said Laura Zigman, whose novel Small World was published last week by Ecco, a Harper imprint. Zigman supports the strikers; she was a junior editor at a publishing house once upon a time, she said, and cant even imagine how much worse it is now. And she feels her desire to help her book into the world conflicting with her concern for the young employees at the house who are walking the picket lines. Advertisement Advertisement Its a total bummer, said Sean Adams, whose novel The Thing in the Snow was published earlier this month, even though his editor was on strike. You work so long on a book, and you dream of putting it outand your editor and your marketing person and your publicist, theyre all basically helping you achieve this dream. It saddens him, he said, to know that for many of those people, working at HarperCollins is no kind of a dream at all. Advertisement The problem is that authors, though the public-facing emblems of a publishing house, dont actually work for the house and dont know whats going on there. I support the union, and I want them to be paid more, said Michael Schulman, whose book Oscar Wars will be published in February. And I certainly think that News Corp has the money to pay people more. The tricky thing, though, is knowing exactly what to do about it as an author. Advertisement Were stuck in the middle, he said. Its a grueling feeling, one I share. I put so many hours of work into this thing, Adams said. I want it to be a success! I want to be able to promote it. But I also want to show my support of the union. This has led to authors trying to hedge a bit, combining self-promotion with overt displays of union support: tweets or Instagram posts supporting strikers, along with photos of book covers and links to the union Bookshop.org link. The union, knowing how important author support is to their cause, helps: Theyll retweet you and send out photos if you walk the picket line with them. Another example of such hedging might be, for example, publishing a whole essay about your strike-related feelings on your books publication date. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What do I owe the young striking employees of HarperCollins? Exacerbating those feelings (and enriching the essay!) is the fact that my novel is, in part, about the travails of young publishing employees, and the responsibilities of more experienced ones. Vintage Contemporaries follows an idealistic book lover, Emily, through her careerfirst as a literary agents assistant, and later as an editor at a publishing house. As an assistant, shes overworked, underpaid, and dismissed. Through initiative and skill, she single-handedly raises a novelists career from the dead by selling their new book to a big publisher and, promised a share of the proceeds by her boss, is handed a $100 bill. When she cant take it anymore, she departs for a job at a publishing house and never looks back. Advertisement Advertisement A decade and a half later, her situation is entirely different. Shes a senior editor at a New York house, where she has the ear of Peter, the brilliant editorial director, and a great deal of freedom. She also feels responsibility to the younger employeesher first job after the agency was as Peters assistant, and she thinks of herself as both a protector of and an inspiration for the women who have followed her in that chair. But she realizes, belatedly, that those assistants and other junior employees dont view her, or the workplace, the way she does at all. What does she owe the company, and Peter, and what does she owe her younger colleagues, who are now going through their versions of what she went through long ago? Advertisement Advertisement So what do I owe the young striking employees of HarperCollins? Should I be delivering public statements about my support for the union? Sure, thats easy. But is that enough? Isnt the success of my book also success for a company thats currently behaving in a way I cant agree with? Should I be withholding my labor and refusing to promote my book entirely? No, said Rachel Kambury, a striking associate editor at HarperCollins. Thats not your responsibility, she said. We dont want to harm HarperCollins authors. Indeed, the striking workers arent asking customers to boycott Harper titles, and have even created a Bookshop.org affiliate page where you can buy Harper books (heres a great example!) while also contributing to the unions strike fund, which supports workers who havent gotten paid for two months now. Advertisement Theyre not asking us to fall on our swords, Schulman said. What theyre asking is really easy to do. Authors are encouraged to tweet, Insta, and email HarperCollins CEO to tell him we want the company to come to the bargaining table and not to hire temporary workers. Ive tweeted those tweets and sent those emails. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While our messages of support are surely heartening to the union, it seems unlikely that any one author has the power to change News Corps mind. In the past, a corporation could be moved by shame, Zigman said. Now they dont care how bad it looks. I asked Jaime Green, series editor of Best American Science and Nature Writing and a former editor at Slate, if shed sent those emails, and she laughed, telling me about the polite autoreplies she receives, promising a response soon. Of course, she added, no human ever writes me back. Advertisement In the meantime, my launch proceeds apace. Ive seen no evidence that the strike has affected my book at all; my editor and publicist are too senior to be eligible for the union. I do worry that they are being worked to death, soothing my neuroses and also tasked with the overflow surely resulting from so many of their colleagues going on strike. I worry, too, that other authors are in a worse position than I am. Less experienced authors are more likely to have junior staffers working on their books, meaning theyre more likely to bear the brunt of HarperCollins refusal to negotiatejust another way the inequities of publishing perpetuate themselves. Its impossible to tell if my launch would have gone differently, Adams said, if HarperCollins had simply negotiated and ended the strike. But Ive been proud to show solidarity. Im proud my editor is in the union. Advertisement Advertisement I asked Kambury, the striking editor, how HarperCollins authors should feel about the strike. Enraged? Upset? Disappointed? Emboldened, she said. Emboldened to demand what they need out of a book deal, to not expect anything less than what they deserve. She pointed out that HarperCollins employees talking to one another, after years of silence, about their salaries helped inspire the labor uprising that led to the strike. Authors talking to each other about their advances will help them stand up and advocate for themselves. Do I feel emboldened? I dont know. I feel proud of my book and excited for its future and guilty about that excitement. But Im trying to get over it. The really sad part is that if youre in publishing, youre in it because you love it, said Laura Zigman. You love the books! Dan, you may feel guilty, but the best thing you can do is assume that all those striking workers want the best for you. Because they do. President Biden is about to approve a policy that goes much farther than any previous effort to protect private companies from malicious hackersand to retaliate against those hackers with our own cyberattacks. The 35-page document, titled National Cybersecurity Strategy, differs from the dozen or so similar papers signed by presidents over the past quarter-century in two significant ways: First, it imposes mandatory regulations on a wide swath of American industries. Second, it authorizes U.S. defense, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies to go on the offensive, hacking into the computer networks of criminals and foreign governments, in retaliation toor preemptingtheir attacks on American networks. Advertisement Our goal is to make malicious actors incapable of mounting sustained cyber-enabled campaigns that would threaten the national security or public safety of the United States, the document states in a five-page section titled Disrupt and Dismantle Threat Activities, according to a draft exclusively viewed by Slate. (The document has not yet been publicly released, though it will be after Biden signs it, an event anticipated sometime this month.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under the new strategy, the U.S. will disrupt and dismantle hostile networks as part of a persistent, continuous campaign. This campaign will be coordinated by the FBIs National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force working in tandem with all relevant U.S. agenciesa systematic collaboration that has rarely been attempted and never before publicized. Private companiesboth firms that are frequent targets of cyberattacks and firms that specialize in cybersecurity methodswill be full partners in this effort, both to alert the government task force of intrusions and to help repel them. (In the past, many of these firms, especially in Silicon Valley, have been reluctant to be seen cooperating with the government on these issues.) Advertisement The new strategywhich was in the works for much of 2022 under the supervision of senior White House officialsstems from the growing recognition of two facts, which have long been obvious to specialists. First, mere guidelines on cybersecuritywhich Washington has previously allowed private companies to follow voluntarilyhave, for the most part, failed to block major intrusions by foreign governments or cybercriminals. Second, purely defensive measures have also had limited impact, as a clever hacker will eventually find ways around them. Advertisement The United States has conducted cyber-offensive operations for many decades. Bill Clinton was the first president to acknowledge this fact publicly. In 2012, Barack Obama issued Presidential Policy Directive No. 20, which established strict controls, including that the presidents explicit permission was needed for all cyber-offensive operations. (Classified Top Secret, it was one of many documents leaked by Edward Snowden.) In 2018, President Trump signed National Security Presidential Memorandum No. 13, which loosened those controls, giving defense and intelligence agencies enormous leeway to mount offensive campaigns themselves. Advertisement Gen. Paul Nakasone, who was and still is NSA director and Cyber Command chief (the two positions are generally held by the same four-star officer), was the chief advocate of that approach. In an article he later wrote for Foreign Affairs, he described the mission, with its greater latitude, as hunt forward and persistent engagement. Advertisement Corporate lobbyists successfully resisted mandatory cybersecurity regulations on private companies for years. The new strategy recognizes that didnt work. At the time, many feared that the end of tight controls would unleash excess and blowback, and ultimately harm security. But, as one official who used to be among the fearful told me last week, None of those horrible things happened. As a result, Biden and his team decided to push the Trump-Nakasone policy further. The strategy that Biden is set to approve covers only those offensive operations designed to disrupt hostile actors attempts to hack into U.S. networks. At the same time, however, the Pentagon is drafting a new cyber strategy, which applies the White House papers principles to cyber policies, both defensive and broadly offensive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The other sections of the Biden paperwhich includes 30 pages dealing with purely defensive measuresoutline still more drastic departures from present policies to protect the nations critical infrastructure. That term, critical infrastructure, was coined in the mid-1990s and refers to economic sectorssuch as banking, finance, electrical power, water works, transportation systems, telecommunications, and emergency management servicesthat are essential to modern societies and are connected to computer networks, meaning they are vulnerable to cyberattacks. Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama all signed orders and created agencies to strengthen the resiliency of these sectors. A few aides to all three presidents tried to impose mandatory cybersecurity regulations on companies in these sectors, but corporate lobbyists successfully resisted their efforts, as did some economic advisers, who warned (perhaps correctly) that regulations would curtail innovation. So enforcement of the rules has been, until now, strictly voluntary. Advertisement The new strategy stems from a recognition that voluntary measures in most of those sectors dont work. There are exceptionsfor instance, banks. Cybersecurity is central to their business; if they get hacked too often, customers will take their deposits elsewhere; banks also have the money to hire very good specialists. However, for public utilities, such as power plants, cybersecurity is very expensive. Mandatory regulations are needed to prod them into action. Advertisement Advertisement At the same time, the new strategy recognizes that uniform standards for all sectorswhich some aides under past presidents tried to formulatedont work either. As an alternative, more than a year ago, the Biden White House started analyzing each sector, in consultation with the federal agency that had authority over each sector and with the companies that would be affected by regulations. Advertisement For instance, according to one official, the TSA identified 97 oil and gas pipelines that serviced at least 25,000 Americans. The White House then held three meetings with executives of the companies that owned the pipelines. At one meeting, after being vetted for security clearances, the executives were briefed by intelligence officials on the threats their pipelines faced. As recently as a few years ago, many corporate executives perceived cyber threats as theoretical. Now they are obviously anything but. Officials have also met with state utility commissions on the threats to electric power grids and on measures to improve security. Just before Christmas, in a bill signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York became the first state to issue new mandatory cybersecurity regulations. It will be assisted by a few federal experts as well as a chunk of the $1.5 billion that the White House is allotting to states that take this leap. Similarly, this month, according to one official, the EPA will issue new regulations on the cybersecurity of the nations waterworks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Context is another big difference between Bidens strategy and earlier attempts to impose regulations. As recently as a few years ago, many corporate executives perceived cyber threats as theoretical. Now they are obviously anything but. In 2020, Russias massive hack on SolarWindswhich affected system management tools on the computers of more than 30,000 agencies and firms involved in critical infrastructurewas a major wake-up call. In 2021, a criminal gangs ransomware attack on Colonial Pipelinewhich shut down the flow of gasoline and jet fuel to 17 states until Colonial paid 75 Bitcoins (at the time worth $4.4 million) to the hacker groupwas another. Advertisement The Colonial hack couldnt have happened had even rudimentary security measures been followed. It was a big part of what led Biden to impose mandatory regulations on pipelines. The new strategy spreads such regulations across the other critical industries. Advertisement Michael Daniel, Obamas cyberpolicy coordinator who now heads the Cyber Threat Alliance, a nonprofit group of security providers and IT firms, told me, Theres definitely been a shift in business thinking. Its one thing if your spreadsheets are wreckedquite another if its your pacemaker. With recognition that cyberattacks can cause physical damage, some degree of government regulation is inevitable. Many of these companies also do business abroad, where regulations are much more stringent. If they need to follow regulations in Europe, Australia, or Canada, they might as well follow them here, too. Still, the new strategy wont solve all the problems. There are several sectorsincluding food and agriculture, emergency services, and several manufacturing industrieswhere Congress would need to pass authorities to regulate. And the new Congress, at least on the House side, doesnt seem interested in passing much of anything, much less additional regulations on business. Advertisement Even for sectors where the executive branch already has authority, the lines of authoritywhich agencies can write and enforce which regulations over whomarent entirely clear. During the drafting of the National Cybersecurity Strategy, the two White House officials in chargeAnne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies (appointed by Biden), and Chris Inglis, the national cyber director (a position newly created by Congress just two years ago)sometimes clashed over these matters. Compromises were made, and a consensus was reached between the two of them and among more than 20 federal agencies. Still, there are, inevitably, some lingering ambiguities, which are to be settled in a subsequent implementation strategy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was way back in October 1997 when President Clintons Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection warned of cyber attacks that could paralyze or panic large segments of society and limit the freedom of action of our national leadershipadding, We must learn to negotiate a new geography, where borders are irrelevant and distances meaningless, where an enemy may be able to harm the vital systems we depend on without confronting our military power. A quarter-century later, Bidens new strategy goes a long distance toward coming to grips with this new geography. But in many ways, were still negotiating. In a recent interview with the Economist, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was asked how he balances the imperative of protecting as many Ukrainian lives as possible with his governments stated policy of retaking all Russian-occupied territory, an effort that could entail losing countless more of those lives. Zelensky rejected the premise: The fact that the people withstood [the invasion] shows that they have a simple truth, and it resides in their family, in their land, in their flag. When they defend the land, it is not something abstract; it is real, it is part of it. Defending the land and the territory means only one thing: to protect life and purpose. Advertisement In a moment of reading serendipity, I listened to a recording of Zelenskys interview just as I was reading the Scottish historian James Crawfords beguiling new travelogue/history/meditation The Edge of the Plain: How Borders Make and Break Our World. Crawfords reporting and research took place almost entirely before Russias invasion of Ukraine and he refers to it only in passing, but its hard not to think of the war, and the notion that life and territory could be inseparable, when you encounter a statement like what is a border, if not a story? It is never simply a line, a marker, a wall, an edge. First, it is an idea [] It can only ever be made. It can only ever be told. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The war in Ukraine is a war over territory that is also a war between stories. Russian President Vladimir Putin, having apparently emerged from a COVID-isolation deep dive into the Kremlin archives, puts forth a narrative that Ukraine and Russia share a common historical and spiritual space that renders modern, internationally recognized nation-state borders irrelevant. The notion that Ukraine is an artificial country was already historically dubious, and ironically, Putins violation of Ukraines borders appears to have done more to solidify Ukraines national identityits story, that isthan generations of Ukrainian nationalists have managed. The war broke out after a period of time during which, as Crawford documents, borders moved back to the center of the global conversation. An unprecedented spike in global migration; the Brexit referendum; the rise of a crop of nationalist leaders, including Donald Trump, who repeatedly argued that without borders you dont have a country; a pandemic that resulted in the hasty throwing up of hard borders within countries as well as between them: All made it clear that despite the hype of previous decades, globalization and the internet were not about to render nation-states and national boundaries irrelevant. This doesnt seem likely to change. For all that Joe Bidens administration is a repudiation of Trumps, he has also embraced restrictive border enforcement policies and economic protectionism. Borders are here to stay. Advertisement Advertisement Crawford, a prolific writer and broadcaster in the U.K., endeavors to trace the history of borders back to the beginning. The title comes from the inscription on a pillar recently rediscovered in the British Museums collection that is believed to be the oldest surviving boundary marker: It separated the territories of the states of Lagash and Umma in present-day Iraq. The pillars text also includes the first known use of the phrase no mans land. Tying the past to present in a later chapter, Crawford graffitis the phrase, in ancient Sumerian text, on the separation barrier in East Jerusalem. Advertisement After examining the origins of borders, Crawford takes a global tour of their present configuration. (As if to underline the books theme, he was frustratingly unable to visit all the case studies in the book due to pandemic-era travel restrictions, though to his credit as a writer, this doesnt hamper the narrative much.) Some of the most familiar examples are included. Crawford takes in the U.S.-Mexico border, the contested Israeli-Palestinian border, and Melilla, one of two Spanish enclaves surrounded by Morocco that are the last remaining European-controlled territories in continental Africa and have, in recent years, become a target for migrants seeking entry into Europe. Even in this well-trod territory, Crawford has a knack for finding original perspectives and observations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the refreshing aspects of Crawfords approach is that rather than leaning primarily on historians or political activists as his main sources, he gravitates toward artists who incorporate borders into their work. We meet Hans Ragnar Mathisen, a Sami artist who creates maps that both celebrate the Nordic indigenous groups culture and question officially accepted geographies; Marcos Ramirez and David Taylor, who erected dozens of obelisks marking the short-lived 1819 border between the U.S. and Mexico; and Marco Ferrari, whose work documents how the Italian-Austrian border is literally moving as a result of climate changedriven glacial melt. Fans of Thomas Pynchon will enjoy an extended riff on the 1997 novel Mason & Dixon and its historical subjects. Advertisement Crawfords depiction of the modern reality of borders is often very dark, never more so than in exploring the work of anthropologist Jason de Leon, who describes his work as an ethnography of death based on study of the artifacts (and sometimes bodies) left by migrants attempting to cross the Sonoran desert of Arizona. And plenty of Crawfords sources argue that borders are merely artificial constructs that dont correspond with human or environmental realities. Advertisement Advertisement But it would be too simple to suggest the book merely condemns or dismisses borders. Those who imagine a world without borders may be pacifists in the John Lennon mold, but theyre just as likely to be imperialists. Crawford quotes from Virgils Aeneid, in which Rome is designated by the god Jupiter himself as an empire without limit in either space or time. That borders are artificial is a concept that can be used by progressives to advocate for the rights of migrants, but alsoas Putin has shownby atavistic dictators to justify invading their neighbors. Advertisement In her 2019 book, Democracy May Not Exist, which similarly looks to the ancient world for answers to contemporary political conundrums, activist and filmmaker Astra Taylor describes feeling herself cringe at political philosopher Wendy Browns basically commonsensical argument that democracy can only work in a community that is defined in its membership and, if its a territorial state, within the area under its control: To have a democracy there has to be a we. You have to know who we the people are, Brown argues. Without boundaries, any political community is either incoherent or absolutist. In the view held by many liberals and progressives, then, borders are a necessary evil, or for radicals, the best available option until a better mode of political organization comes along. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crawford suggests that maybe we can do better. His book ends with a discussion of the so-called Great Green Wall, an ambitious project to combat desertification in Africas Sahelone of the worlds most politically unstable regions and one of the most threatened by climate change. The first idea for the wall, which was embraced by several governments and may have originated with Burkina Fasos folk-hero Marxist president Thomas Sankara, was for a literal wall of trees to hold back the encroaching Sahara. This was not a particularly practical plan and the literal wall has evolved into a more holistic approach to combat desertification through careful water use and land cultivation techniques, but the moniker has stuck. Slate receives a commission when you purchase items using the links on this page. Thank you for your support. Advertisement Advertisement Crawford quotes a U.N. official working on the wall project, saying, Today the word wall somehow has negative connotations. But we try to explain it as a wall that doesnt divide people but unites them. If this sentiment feels familiar to readers of The Edge of the Plain, its because it echoes an argument made several chapters and 2,000 years earlier by the Greek orator Dio Chrysostom who also argued, in Crawfords paraphrase, that borders could be tools of unity, not division [] like ties of blood, of marriage, the physical manifestations of kinship drawn across the landscape. A world in which borders serve a purpose like this seems pretty distant, but Crawford seems to suggest that if all borders are stories, we could start by telling better ones. Borders, after all, may be the places where we are divided. But theyre also the places where we touch. When a junior manager at the tech-consulting firm Accenture tried to organize her first work meeting in the metaverse, it was difficult to even log in. I am totally immersed in the metaverse, have a big headset on, and then I need to take off the Oculus, look on my phone for the two-factor authentication code thats been sent to my phone, then memorize the number, put my headset back on, and try to key it in, she told me, speaking on the condition of anonymity. But when you take off the Oculus it automatically goes to sleep mode, and I was trying to navigate the back-and-forth. She wasnt the only one who struggled with simply accessing an animated meeting room; by the time the meeting had concluded, some team members still hadnt made it in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats perhaps not the future that was promised when companies started going all-in on the metaverse last year. And the malaise is showing: Attention to and mockery of virtual and augmented reality developments has quieted down in recent months. Still, the money is pouring in, and companies of all stripes want a piece of this. McKinsey projects that the metaverse will transform from a sci-fi term to a $5 trillion enterprise by 2030. But, instead of speculation on virtual lands and hosting digitized nightclub parties, the latest push is focused on smaller-scale, more quotidian uses. And whats more quotidian than your workplace? The roster for the recent Consumer Electronics Show included some ambitious plans for shifting your labor into the metaverse, like constructing a digital twin of your headquarters. Meta has also been trying this out in real time by implementing Horizon Worlds office space, Workrooms, for internal employee use. Advertisement Not bad! Except for the fact that Metas hefty investments in VR have ravaged the companys finances, Horizon Worlds has fewer than 200,000 total users, Meta employees dont like having to procure all the necessary devices or even using Workrooms, and enthusiasm from the C-suite seems to have cooled. Clunky visuals, headset pains, nausea and dizziness during use, Zoom-fatigue hangovers, imperfect facial replications, and lack of actually additive features have alienated even the people who should be loving this metaverse tech the most; other offices that have used Workrooms have found out its difficult to interact with dense financial information or even to, like, type words. Advertisement Yet companies, including some fields outside of tech, are still trying to make it happen, hence big corporations bringing on chief metaverse officers. Advertisement So I decided to speak with executives whove incorporated the metaverse into their companies, and to workers whove been nudged by their bosses to check this thing out, to see whether any of this hype can really translate into corporate culture. What I found was that workers and bosses, perhaps unsurprisingly, tend to have differing views on the metaverses usefulness for daily tasks. Furthermore, businesses may be eager to take on metaverse tech not necessarily to make work easier, but for another reason entirely. Advertisement The Accenture manager told me that over the past year, when our company rolled out a bunch of Oculus headsets to a large population to see how we might self-adopt the technology. I feel like we were guinea pigs in how the metaverse might be applied to more of a workplace social setting. Advertisement But even during an introductory opt-in phase for VR experimentation, there were problemsmost notably accessibility issues, especially for staffers with motion sickness or other disabilities, as well as learning how to adjust to social customs in a digital setting. Basic etiquettes like figuring out how and where to stand next to other participants, learning specific tools, and shaping your 3D avatars look and attributes presented unexpected problems. The body shapes that were available in the [AltspaceVR app] didnt have characters that had breasts, the Accenture manager told me. Advertisement Advertisement The company continued to encourage use of metaverse tech, even offering headsets to new hires upfront. Still, nothing was forced for employees, the manager said; bosses were happy to see their reports using the tech to access apps for meditation and mental health. For the time being, it seems many of the Accenture managers colleagues are bearish on the tech and dont use their Oculus app much. (Theres little desire, she told me, for low-fidelity Minecraft virtual happy hour.) Advertisement But she suspects the point may not be so much what they do with it as much as how Accenture can tout the hardware to its clients at large. My company would be invested in making other companies want to use the metaverse rather than care so much about how many virtual happy hours we are having in our Oculus, she said. Were selling you on an experience, were selling you on a new business model, were selling you on how your companies can integrate the future into your workplace. And I think that as long as other companies are buying, we will continue to make like its this great thing. Advertisement One exec experimenting with VR-at-work just happened to be close to my own workplace: David Stern, founder and CEO of the Slate Groups Supporting Cast podcast platform. Stern had first worked on a VR experiment for Slate back in 2017, when the site launched a virtual chat show hosted on Facebook Spaces, but he only thought of it in a co-working context more recently, after using VR to play poker with friends and reading business analyst Ben Thompsons accounts of using virtual workspaces. Thats when he decided to purchase 10 Oculus Quest 2 headsets for his staff, who all work remotely, and see how they could all make best use of it: 45-minute meetings, occasional social outings. Advertisement Advertisement But hes experienced some of the same problems as the Accenture manager. Between forgetting to charge headsets, operating system updates, new app installation/updates, logging into accounts, screensharing between desktop and headset, theres just a lot that can go wrong, Stern wrote to me in an email. He and the staff enjoyed some metaverse capabilitiesthe three-dimensional immersion, the improved sound quality as compared with videoconference apps like Zoombut they might find the whole thing better suited for one purpose over the other. Im not sure its better for meetings, particularly if youre doing a lot of screensharing to look at someones desktop, he wrote. But it might be better in some ways for having an open conversation or a brainstorm. Advertisement Hes not the only boss who is clear-eyed about the metaverses limitations even while trying it out. Rahul Mehra, a co-founder of the India-based automation startup Roadcast, sounds psyched about the prospects of metaverse-aided work, but frank about current impediments. Right now there are more disadvantages than advantages, he told me: low internet bandwidth speeds across South and Southeast Asia, lack of consistent and compatible software across differing brands of hardware, and a shortage of workers with the right skills to improve such issues. Mehra would rather be in the metaverse than a videoconference or group call, but as of now, hed still prefer a meeting in an actual office than an animated one. So would his employees, it sounds like: Some are of the opinion that maybe this software needs to be developed more or needs to be simplified, he said. The senior-most people in my company, who may be in the finance department or the HR department, are not really comfortable with this. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, Mehra hopes to keep tinkering with the metaverse-as-office, like for job interviews with candidates in different regions of Asia. Plus, he thinks adoption could be key to making his business more attractive both to prospective partners and job candidates, a mentality many corporate managers, and companies like Accenture, also share: The people youre hiring also see that this company is very forward-thinking. Assuming the tech improves, if corporations keep buying and distributing headsets, if every meeting becomes a VR or AR meeting, even proponents of this shift dont think itll be as massive a disruption as Mark Zuckerberg thinks it will be. Could I see people waking up and putting on a headset and then getting out of the headset at 5 in the evening? I hope not. And I dont see it, said Sean Hurwitz, chief executive of the Michigan company Pixo VR. At any rate, it turns out an animated, interactive, gamified universe may be another opportunity for play over work. I do think its working, at least for social gatherings, and well continue using it for those for the foreseeable future, Stern wrote. The jury is still out on the productivity-centric use cases. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled When New York-based dancer and actor James Monroe Stevko, 36, picked up a family photo album one day, he had no idea he was beginning a twelve-year journey uncovering his familys roots that would end up with him applying for citizenship of a small country thousands of miles away. Leafing through the pictures, he came across a small card. I think it was a military draft document. It had my great-grandfathers name and it said Rovnany, Czechoslovakia, Stevko recalls. He found out that the village was in southern Slovakia near Poltar. As he later found out, this was where his great-grandfather, Martin Elias Stevko, had been born before he emigrated to the USA. It was there that he met his wife, who herself coincidentally had Slovak roots, sometime around 1914. Intrigued by his discovery, while in Prague in 2012 for a few months, Stevko went to visit a Slovak friend from New York who happened to be home at the same time. The pair decided to take a road trip and with his familys history still very much in his thoughts, they made sure they included a stop in Rovnany. Visiting Rovnany (Source: Archive of J.M.Stevko) There, after asking around, locals guided them to a house where a family bearing the name Stevko lived. The current owner listened carefully as the American told, his friend interpreting his words, the story of his familys roots and whether the man was a distant relative of his great-grandfather. One of the Rams primary positions of need this offseason is outside linebacker. Leonard Floyd is the only proven starter on the team and theres a serious lack of talent at this position. Fortunately, the Rams have the 36th overall pick in the draft and could find pass-rush help early in the second round. Because Los Angeles is without a first-round pick again this year, the team hasnt been included in many mock drafts. But both Luke Easterling of Draft Wire and Dane Brugler of The Athletic went two rounds deep and pegged the Rams to select the same player. In Bruglers second mock, he has the Rams taking Georgia edge rusher Nolan Smith, the same player Easterling mocked to Los Angeles. Smith is 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, so hes a bit undersized as a pass rusher, especially by the Rams standards. They typically prefer bigger edge rushers such as Floyd, Terrell Lewis and Justin Hollins, who are all 6-foot-5. However, Smith fits well as a 3-4 edge rusher in the Rams scheme so his lack of size shouldnt be a concern. What is somewhat worrisome is the fact that he only had 12.5 sacks in four years at Georgia. He didnt have the most productive career in college, which can be a sign of poor sack numbers at the pro level, but as a second-round prospect, the Rams should still be interested. List 8 offseason moves that would help Rams get back to playoffs in 2023 Story originally appeared on Rams Wire Coffee, it appears, may have been disrupted enough. Techs favorite industry to rethink and revolutionize over the past few years has seen its fair share of newcomers looking to shake up your morning brew. But recently, two of the bigger names in the coffee tech spaceCometeer and Atomohave made significant cuts to their labor force, this after raising hefty rounds of capital. Within a wider market milieu in which financial conditions continue to tighten and monetary policy turns even more restrictive (per J.P. Morgan) the freewheeling days of influx after influx of exploratory venture capital into the outer reaches of the coffee space may have at last reached the plunger phase, like so many French press pots ready to brew. It began back in December with Cometeer, the maker of flash-frozen coffee concentrate spheres. As we reported back in 2021, the Massachusetts-based company raised nearly $100 million across multiple rounds of funding, which they used to coax industry veterans to join the team as well as create limited edition, high-end frozen coffee box sets (including a Gesha). Since then they have worked with some of the biggest roasters in the country, including George Howell, Onyx Coffee Lab, Go Get Em Tiger, Black & White, and many, many more. In late 2022 the company announced what some have depicted as sudden and unceremonious cuts to their workforce across departments, timed right before the holiday season. The reason for the layoffs, according to BevNet, is an attempt to cut costs. The brand did, however, choose to move forward with a tone-deaf marketing campaign which featured Cometeer emissaries doling out coffee to Goldman Sachs employees, themselves under threat of a looming downsize. Similarly, the molecular coffee company Atomowhose various funding raises and attendant Bloomberg puff piece weve covered with some skepticism here at Sprudgeis going through their own strategic realignment, a soft-shoe term for layoffs. The Seattle-startup has raised over $50 million in investments, $40 million of that coming in June 2022, just six months ago, per GeekWire. The realignment is due to recently achieved a breakthrough that will help [Atomo] reach a larger segment of consumers and more quickly advance accessibility to sustainable coffee offerings, according to a statement attributed to CEO Andy Kleitsch. After some digging, though, GeekWire found that Atomos workforce had grown to 50 employees according to LinkedIn, but the companys former human resources director states to GeekWire that Atomo recently let go of a lot of really valuable employees. Perhaps the particular vein of disruption being offered by some of the latest crop of venture-backed coffee tech companies isnt really what the industry wants or needs, to say nothing of consumers, who anecdotally appear to be highly skeptical when it comes to actually spending money on most of this stuff. To be clear, its not to say that all capital investment in the coffee industry is bad, or that this approach can only lead to ruin. But one might reasonably wonder from all this recent news: after years of coffee tech and venture capital enjoying easy money together at the bar, might the bill be coming due? Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230116/iranian-foreign-minister-to-visit-turkey-on-january-17-for-syria-talks---reports-1106413626.html Iranian Foreign Minister to Visit Turkey on January 17 for Syria Talks Iranian Foreign Minister to Visit Turkey on January 17 for Syria Talks MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian will visit Turkey on Tuesday, where he will meet with a number of high-ranking officials... 16.01.2023, Sputnik International 2023-01-16T23:19+0000 2023-01-16T23:19+0000 2023-01-17T01:03+0000 world hossein amir abdollahian iran turkiye syria mevlut cavusoglu /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/102989/14/1029891453_0:0:3602:2026_1920x0_80_0_0_aa76cbb760cc9f456c6b4de9ce1763f8.jpg The Iranian foreign minister will visit Turkey at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, the report said. During his visit, Amir-Abdollahian will meet with a number of officials to discuss bilateral relations, recent events and the situation in Syria. In addition, one of the likely topics for discussion will be the date of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's visit to Turkey. In December 2022, the defense ministers of Russia, Syria and Turkey held trilateral talks in Moscow to discuss ways to resolve the Syrian crisis. The negotiations marked the first official meeting between the Turkish and Syrian defense chiefs in 11 years. In the same month, Ankara suggested that the Turkish, Syrian and Russian foreign ministers hold a meeting in February 2023, possibly in a third country. The war in Syria has been going on since 2011, with President Bashar Assad's forces fighting various armed insurgent groups. Since 2016, the Turkish armed forces have been also conducting air and ground operations in Syria against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which wants to establish a Kurdish autonomy in Turkey. Damascus has repeatedly called the presence of Turkish forces on the Syrian border illegal and urged Ankara to withdraw its troops. iran turkiye syria Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International hossein amir abdollahian, iran, turkiye, syria, mevlut cavusoglu With Spring Festival around the corner, China's vast rural areas are making all-out efforts to counter potential challenges in COVID-19 control as people return to their hometowns. A slew of measures has been implemented and resources have been mobilized to prevent infections and strengthen medical capacities across the countryside to ensure that long-awaited family reunions are joyful and safe. Curbing virus spread This year's Spring Festival, or Lunar New Year, falls on Jan. 22. An optimized COVID response has brought about the busiest travel rush in three years, with 2.1 billion passenger trips expected to be made from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15, according to the Ministry of Transport. With regards to COVID containment amid mass migration, a rural response task force under the State Council issued a letter to rural residents in early January, calling for improved health and hygiene awareness, reduced gatherings, among others, during the holiday. Shouxian County in east China's Anhui Province expects to see approximately 220,000 people return home, many from densely populated regions such as Shanghai and Zhejiang, where infections have already peaked. In order to keep the virus away from high-risk groups, "we suggest that people returning home take personal protection measures on their journeys, reduce contact with the elderly and children, and avoid crowds in rural areas," said Ma Keyi, an official with the county's health commission. The county government has also advised people to register with their villages or communities after their arrival, so that local doctors are able to provide timely medical services if needed. Boosting rural medical supplies China has made rural areas a focal point in the country's current COVID response, with priority given to the supply of medicines. The State Council inter-agency task force for COVID-19 response has established a system for coordinating the supply of drugs and other key medical supplies on a daily basis, said Nie Chunlei, an official from the National Health Commission (NHC). He also noted that competent government departments have rolled out policies to help relevant enterprises expand their capacities, accelerate drug production, and better coordinate supply and demand. "We are working at full steam to guarantee the medicine demand of primary-level medical institutions, especially township health centers," said Zhao Tianshan from Longxi Efong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, which specializes in producing TCM formula granules in northwest China's Gansu Province. At a press conference on Saturday, NHC official Jiao Yahui said that monitoring has shown that supplies of drugs in township health centers have seen continuous improvement. Grassroots medical institutions are now also better equipped. A total of 1.17 million finger pulse oximeters have been distributed to village clinics across the country, according to Jiao. In Shouxian County in Anhui, every village clinic has received two finger pulse oximeters, which help doctors identify severe COVID-19 cases at an early stage. And 56 oxygen generators and 243 oxygen tanks have been distributed to the county's 25 township health centers. Strengthening grassroots medical capacity In the COVID fight, grassroots health workers and institutions have played vital roles in providing timely, convenient and tiered medical services in rural areas. Village doctor Tao Junhong, 26, has won the hearts and trust of residents of Dadi Village in Puding County, southwest China's Guizhou Province. He is often affectionately referred to as the village's "Little Doctor." "Our 'Little Doctor' often pays home visits to resolve our health problems, and he helps me take care of my husband, who suffered a stroke years ago," said Wang Jingzhen, whose 71-year-old husband has just recovered from a fever and coughing. For over a month, the Puding County People's Hospital has been sending a four-person roving medical team to visit township health centers and village clinics, where they determine local medical treatment needs and offer support. Central health authorities have ordered counties and townships to prepare standby vehicles to transport severe patients to upper-level hospitals as quickly as possible. In Anhui's Shouxian County, about 50 standby vehicles have been mobilized. "I have a van, so I help transport patients when all the ambulances are busy. I have made over 50 trips since mid-December," said Zhang Wu, who signed a contract with the local government that will last until May. To brace for a potential wave of infections, Shouxian has recently added 1,055 hospital beds to its medical system. About 61 percent of the county's approximately 4,000 hospital beds are currently occupied, according to the Shouxian health commission. Nationwide, tier-three hospitals in urban areas have been directed to establish 24-hour telemedicine service connections with county hospitals. Tier-three hospitals rank at the top of China's hospital grading system. These hospitals have also been ordered to dispatch medical personnel to county hospitals to assist during special periods, including the Spring Festival holiday, according to Jiao from the NHC. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230116/james-comer-biden-refuses-transparent-investigation-into-classified-documents-case-1106413155.html James Comer: Biden 'Refuses' Transparent Investigation Into Classified Documents Case James Comer: Biden 'Refuses' Transparent Investigation Into Classified Documents Case MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden does not want a transparent investigation into the case of classified documents found at separate locations linked to... 16.01.2023, Sputnik International 2023-01-16T21:14+0000 2023-01-16T21:14+0000 2023-01-16T21:14+0000 americas joe biden classified documents james comer /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/01/0b/1106233639_0:0:1765:994_1920x0_80_0_0_b11ad3ffa3115b1c0cf87ae071feff70.png On January 9, US media reported that the president's personal attorneys discovered the first batch of 10 classified documents pertaining to Ukraine, Iran and the United Kingdom at a Biden think-tank office, prompting a federal probe into the matter. A second batch of classified documents was discovered in the garage of the Biden residence in Wilmington, Delaware, while another one-page document was found in an adjacent room. He added that the Congress will continue to press the Biden administration for answers and information related to the discovered documents. The US Department of Justice is investigating how classified documents related to the period of Biden's vice presidency ended up in office and residential premises not authorized for their storage. The president's lawyers have promised full cooperation with the investigation, expressing confidence that it will establish the unintentional nature of what happened. americas Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International joe biden, classified documents, james comer https://sputnikglobe.com/20230116/reports-us-congressman-santos-received-money-from-russian-businessmans-relative-1106413385.html Reports: US Congressman Santos Received Money From Russian Businessman's Relative Reports: US Congressman Santos Received Money From Russian Businessman's Relative MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US Republican Congressman George Santos, who has admitted to fabricating portions of his background prior to his election to the US House of... 16.01.2023, Sputnik International 2023-01-16T21:49+0000 2023-01-16T21:49+0000 2023-01-16T21:49+0000 george santos james comer /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/0c/1c/1105851975_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_f8bee7bba6571513638821037a8ff8f0.jpg Since 2020, Intrater and his wife each provided Santos's main campaign committee with a maximum of $5,800 in addition to tens of thousands more to committees associated with the congressman, the Washington Post said, citing the US Federal Election Commission's documents. The congressman himself said that Intrater's company was his "client," however, Santos's relationship with Intrater supposedly developed over the years and turned out to be deeper than was previously known, the newspaper claimed. According to the Securities and Exchange Commission data, Intrater sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Harbor City company, one of Santoss employers, which was accused of running a financial pyramid scheme, the report said. The ties between Santos and Intrater reflect the means of personal and political support enjoyed by the congressman, the Washington Post said. On Sunday, lead Republican on the House of Representatives Oversight Committee James Comer said that Santos may be removed from his post if found in breach of campaign finance laws. Comer called his fellow Republican lawmaker a "bad guy" and stressed that he disapproved of how Santos made his way to the Congress. Still, Santos is not the first politician who was not truthful about parts of his biography, Comer noted. In December 2022, federal prosecutors launched a probe into the claims against Santos. This past Monday, the Campaign Legal Center, a non-partisan government watchdog group, filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission claiming Santos and his 2022 campaign committee also violated campaign finance laws. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230115/us-santos-may-be-removed-from-congress-if-finance-law-breach-proved-lawmaker-says-1106356946.html Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International george santos, james comer https://sputnikglobe.com/20230117/dutch-prime-minister-to-talk-to-biden-in-washington-on-tuesday-1106418524.html Dutch Prime Minister to Talk to Biden in Washington on Tuesday Dutch Prime Minister to Talk to Biden in Washington on Tuesday US President Joe Biden will welcome Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to the White House on Tuesday for talks ranging from transatlantic security to the conflict in Ukraine. 2023-01-17T08:32+0000 2023-01-17T08:32+0000 2023-01-17T08:32+0000 world us joe biden mark rutte indo-pacific /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/01/0e/1106303748_0:161:3071:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_f4be3046a56b6b7e8fbb9f60555c3475.jpg The leaders are expected to discuss assistance for Ukraine. Rutte said on Monday that coordination of international military support would remain essential in the months ahead. The two leaders will also discuss cooperation on critical technologies, their vision for the Indo-Pacific region and preparations for the second virtual Summit for Democracy, which the two countries will co-host in March. indo-pacific Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International joe biden, western support for ukraine, mark rutte, indo-pacific https://sputnikglobe.com/20230117/eu-gas-exchange-prices-drop-below-610-per-1000-cubic-meters-for-1st-time-since-fall-2021-1106416998.html EU Gas Exchange Prices Drop Below $610 per 1,000 Cubic Meters For 1st Time Since Fall 2021 EU Gas Exchange Prices Drop Below $610 per 1,000 Cubic Meters For 1st Time Since Fall 2021 Exchange gas prices in Europe fell by 15% on Monday, below $610 per 1,000 cubic meters for the first time since September 2021 2023-01-17T06:34+0000 2023-01-17T06:34+0000 2023-01-17T06:34+0000 energy crisis in europe gas prices gas wind power weather /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/0b/16/1104559953_0:206:2907:1841_1920x0_80_0_0_2725929b19c49d799424c5ea061b1120.jpg European UGS are filled by 81.49% (-0.2%), containing 88.6 billion cubic meters as of January 16, which is 1.7 times higher year-on-year, the data from the Association of Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE) and the London-based ICE exchange showed on Tuesday.Lower rates of gas withdrawal can be attributed to warm weather and increased wind power generation. According to WindEurope, wind power stations produced 25.8% of all electricity generated in the bloc on Monday, which is 1.7 times higher than the annual average figure of 15%. The decline in gas prices in Europe is caused by the cooling of the market due to a high occupancy rate for underground storage facilities, but European countries may still face a new price surge, analysts told Sputnik. Meanwhile, gas quotations are several times higher than they were in 2021. However, back in early March, gas quotations hit historical highs for four days in a row over fears that the import of Russian energy resources would be banned. On March 7, the price reached a record level of $3,892 per 1,000 cubic meters. Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International gas prices in europe, gas prices, underground storage facilities, energy crisis in europe, warm weather, wind power generation https://sputnikglobe.com/20230117/expert-patrice-lumumbas-legacy-endures--resonates-across-the-world-1106429410.html Expert: Patrice Lumumba's Legacy Endures & Resonates Across the World Expert: Patrice Lumumba's Legacy Endures & Resonates Across the World January 17, 2023, marks the 62nd anniversary of the death of the Congolese independence leader Patrice Lumumba. Sputnik has asked an expert to recall the deeds of DRC's national hero, his life and personality, comment on the legacy he left behind. 2023-01-17T14:52+0000 2023-01-17T14:52+0000 2023-01-17T14:52+0000 africa africa insight democratic republic of the congo drc patrice lumumba colonialism colonization belgium independence /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/01/11/1106428093_0:117:3000:1805_1920x0_80_0_0_544c4a3d2d9b360b21501f42b9dee64f.jpg Patrice Lumumba's impact on the world is as powerful as ever, said Lyudmila Ponomarenko, a professor at the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN) and author of books about Lumumba, in an interview with Sputnik.His deeds and vision, his personal viewpoints on various issues, still haven't lost their relevance and significance, his legacy continues, she explained.According to the professor, Lumumba found a place of honor in the history of Africa in general, and of the Congo in particular as a symbol of the struggle of African nations for independence and a leader of the first national government of the country. Lumumba's Role in DRC's Struggle for Independence Born in the east of the Congo in an ordinary peasant family, Lumumba achieved all his success himself, Ponomarenko underlined - "and that was a lot." After the Second World War, in many countries all over the world, especially in African states, there was an uptick in the national liberation movement. New independent African countries emerged on the global stage such as Guinea, Mali, and Ghana. The main feature of the party he founded was its nationwide reach, while about 100 other parties in the Belgian Congo were mainly formed on an ethnic basis and defended only the interests of individual ethnic groups, not viewing the nation as a whole. The path to independence was full of thorns and obstacles, she recalled. The country is very rich in minerals: "almost the entire periodic table is represented there, of course, Belgium did not want to give away these resources." At first, Lumumba highly appreciated European historical achievements and socio-political values, but over the years "he understood and realized that it was necessary to fight for independence." He wanted his people to be able to use the natural wealth of their own country.In 1960, as a result of the negotiations in Brussels, a date for the declaration of independence was set. In July of the same year, during the ceremony of declaring the independence of the Belgian Congo, Lumumba delivered his speech to the nation. According to the professor, at that time Lumumba was a young, very talented and hardworking leader "who truly believed in the triumph of justice." He spoke French well and many local languages and dialects. He had such human qualities "as sincerity, love for ordinary people, the ability to forgive," and sometimes, she added, he could be even gullible and naive - quite "a unique characteristic for a political leader." Lumumba as Country's Leader & Friendship With USSRTalking about the influence of global actors on the continent at that period, Ponomarenko stressed that the Soviet Union strongly supported the national liberation movements in Africa, while "the United States, on the contrary, was its ardent opponent." The USSR supported the first independent government headed by Patrice Lumumba and did it at the global stage, primarily at the UN.At the very beginning, Lumumba started to pursue an independent policy, and naturally, Ponomarenko emphasized, "the West did not need such a leader and head of the government". Therefore, the West began to oppose Lumumba. At first, he was invited to the United States, where he was told that he must give western companies access to all the minerals and resources of the country. After that, "creeping aggression" began against the national government of the country headed by Lumumba, the professor stated. He had to turn to the UN, to the "blue helmets", but "they essentially supported the former colonialists, the Belgians." Therefore, he was deeply disappointed with the actions of the UN. As for the circumstances of his death, she recalled that for a long time no one knew about the fate of Lumumba, and the whole world was puzzled. The details of this "terrible massacre" became clear and were made public after a thorough investigation only many years later. He was arrested and thrown into prison, and later, "was given to be torn to pieces by the worst enemy - Moise Tshombe." These events resonated in the Soviet Union, she says, where Lumumba's personality was highly appreciated, even though "the USSR did not have time to establish strong contacts with him." Lumumba did not have enough time to ask the USSR for help and support, although "if he had survived, he probably would have come to such a decision since he viewed the country and its leaders very positively." Lumumba's Legacy in DRC & Beyond Talking about the current political situation in the DRC, the professor claimed that not much has changed in the country since the time of Lumumba. It is largely attributed to the fact that "politicians-puppets of the West have long been in power" in the Central African state. In a country with "great natural resources, hunger and poverty are still vividly present." However, she underlined, Africans have started to understand the root causes of this situation. Therefore, "there are still positive changes," but in the people's perception of the world, and their place in it. Apart from that, previously, as a colony, the Congo was isolated from the whole world, it was not possible to travel to other countries and get an education. Now a new generation is growing in the country, she explained, new educated young people, and "they are the future." africa democratic republic of the congo belgium Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Maria Konokhova Maria Konokhova News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Maria Konokhova patrice lumumba, drc, democratic republic of the congo, the first prime minister of the drc, independence, colonialism https://sputnikglobe.com/20230117/how-many-himars-does-ukraine-have--1106427240.html How Many HIMARS Does Ukraine Have? How Many HIMARS Does Ukraine Have? It were HIMARS rockets that the Ukrainian military used as they launched a deadly strike on a temporary deployment point of a Russian military unit in Makeevka earlier this month. So lets take a closer look at HIMARS 2023-01-17T15:06+0000 2023-01-17T15:06+0000 2023-01-17T15:06+0000 sputnik explains us ukraine himars military rockets military hardware /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/09/1d/1101335388_0:7:770:440_1920x0_80_0_0_0d525dfa29fa2d8decef62ef36451912.jpg HIMARS rockets were used by the Ukrainian military in the deadly strike on a temporary deployment point of a Russian military unit in Makeevka earlier this month. But how many of these weapons does Kiev possess?What is the M142 HIMARS?The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is a US-made light multiple rocket launch system that was developed in the late 1990s and is designed to destroy enemy soldiers and materiel from a variety of ranges.The system, which is mounted on a five-ton military truck with an armored cab, features a container of six rockets capable of hitting targets 186 miles (299 km) away. The systems specialized precision munitions can destroy targets located at a distance of 310 miles (498 km). The missiles supplied to Kiev, however, have a range of up to 50 miles (80 km).HIMARS is typically armed with a GPS-guided multiple launch rocket system (GMLRS) missiles, as well as a single Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missile.What is HIMARS' Power? With no officially available information on how powerful a HIMARS rocket is (apparently due to the fact that the info is classified), one Reddit user suggested in a post last year that the blast caused by a HIMARS launching a GLMRS rocket is probably equal to about 270 lbs of TNT [trinitrotoluene equivalent].How Much Does the M142 HIMARS Cost?One HIMARS system, including a launcher and a carrier - a standard truck frame from the US Armys family of medium tactical vehicles -, reportedly costs about between $4 million and $5 million.The price tag of one M31 GMLRS rocket stands at around $110,000. Ukrainian media reported last year that HIMARS full launch costs approximately $1,000,000.How Many HIMARS Does the US Military Have? There are 363 HIMARS systems in the US Army, with 47 more in the countrys Marine Corps. In 2021, the Pentagon signaled its desire to increase the number of these systems to about 547 in the foreseeable future.This was followed by a US media outlet reporting in September 2022 that the US Army is looking for companies that can build up to 100 HIMARS systems a year. The outlet claimed that from the 2024 to 2028 fiscal years, the Army is contemplating a minimum of 24 new launchers a year and a maximum of 96, totaling 120 to 480 over five years.How Many HIMARS Has the US Sent to Ukraine?The US reportedly supplied 20 HIMARS systems to Ukraine last year as part of Washington's hefty security assistance package to Kiev.In late September 2022, the Pentagon announced that it would supply 18 more HIMARS systems under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). This stipulates that they wont come from preexisting US weapons stocks and instead will be newly produced and delivered to Kiev once completed.How Many MLRS Does Ukraine Have?Right now, the Ukrainian military possesses a total of 15 M270 MLRS of various modifications. These include the French-made LRU MLRS, Germanys MARS II and the Italian MLRS-I that were supplied to Kiev after Russia launched its ongoing special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.Its hard to assess HIMARS systems effectiveness when it comes to the Ukraine conflict, especially given that the Tornado MLRS, which Russia uses in the special operation, prevails over HIMARS in terms of combat capability. https://sputnikglobe.com/20220830/washington-post-says-ukraine-using-dummies-of-himars-to-lure-russian-missiles-1100184406.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20220812/ukraine-to-run-out-of-himars-missiles-within-next-3-4-months---reports-1099527279.html ukraine Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Oleg Burunov https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg Oleg Burunov https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Oleg Burunov https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg how many himars are in ukraine, himars rocket, himars system, m142 himars, m142 himars cost https://sputnikglobe.com/20230117/japan-may-start-developing-cruise-missiles-with-interchangeable-warheads-in-2023--1106418901.html Japan May Start Developing Cruise Missiles With Interchangeable Warheads in 2023 Japan May Start Developing Cruise Missiles With Interchangeable Warheads in 2023 The Japanese government has decided to start developing cruise missiles with interchangeable warheads with a range of over 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), as early as the the current year, Japanese media reported on Tuesday. 2023-01-17T08:47+0000 2023-01-17T08:47+0000 2023-04-06T12:15+0000 military japanese self defense force (jsdf) cruise missiles japan /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/0c/12/1105564115_0:156:3001:1844_1920x0_80_0_0_336c292cd9e15437f45b2cbd221f9aae.jpg The development of a prototype weapon may take place in the next financial year, which starts on April 1, the Japanese newspaper reported, citing sources. The missiles will be capable of carrying three types of warheads designed for conducting strikes, reconnaissance and creating jams in enemy's air defense systems. The missiles will be launched from high mobility vehicles, the media outlet added. The new cruise missiles, some parts of which are in development since 2018, are planned to be used in case of emergency, in particular, for eliminating enemy ships attacking the Japanese islands, the newspaper reported. In mid-December, Japan adopted three key documents on defense and security, namely National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy and Defense Plan. All the documents provide for an increase of defense budget up to 2% of Japan's GDP by 2027, which is around 11 trillion yen ($81 billion). For comparison, the country's defense spending in 2022 amounted to 5.4 trillion yen, which is 1.24% of its GDP. The documents also include the possession of retaliatory strike capabilities, implying ability to target enemy bases. Until recently, this capabilities were implied in Japan's right to self-defense, but they were not officially recorded. This innovation marks a new course in Japan's defense policy. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230112/us-japan-military-buildup-in-asia-pacific-shatters-regional-stability-scholars-warn-1106260516.html japan Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International japan military buildup, japan military spending, asian version of nato, japanese self-defense force https://sputnikglobe.com/20230117/jeremy-clarkson-to-be-dropped-by-amazon-after-retired-royals-snub-apology-report-says-1106425675.html Jeremy Clarkson to Be Dropped by Amazon After Retired Royals Snub Apology, Report Says Jeremy Clarkson to Be Dropped by Amazon After Retired Royals Snub Apology, Report Says Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have already blighted the career of another British broadcaster. Piers Morgan lost his presenter's job on Good Morning Britain after questioning their claims that royal life was hellish. 2023-01-17T13:59+0000 2023-01-17T13:59+0000 2023-01-17T14:01+0000 prince harry viral meghan markle jeremy clarkson amazon netflix us uk britain great britain /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/101999/91/1019999129_20:0:982:541_1920x0_80_0_0_917a9301aee36d0a2bc57299612c7250.jpg Amazon Prime is reportedly set to droop British broadcaster Jeremy Clarkson's shows after Prince Harry and his wife rejected his apology for a recent article criticizing them.The multi-millionaire stars of Amazon's rival Netflix refused to accept the apology in Clarkson's Christmas Day email on the basis that it was addressed to Prince Harry alone.In his regular column for British newspaper The Sun last month, the former Top Gear presenter attacked the couple over their Netflix tell-all series, where Harry sits meekly while his US former actress wife Meghan Markle pokes fun at his late grandmother Queen Elizabeth II. Clarkson wrote that he dreamt of seeing Meghan in a scene from HBO series Game of Thrones, where she is paraded naked through the city streets in shame as commoners pelt her with dung. The Sun issued an apology for the article within days.An official statement by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's spokesman also complained that Clarkson made his apology privately rather than grovelling to the wayward royals in public although he has since done so. It also accused the journalist of spreading "conspiracy theories", "misogyny" and "hate".Amazon may now ditch Clarkson's two series on the subscription streaming service, Clarkson's Farm and Grand Tour.Clarkson would not be the first journalist to lose his job for criticising the couple, who have capitalised on their position as former royal insiders since renouncing their state duties as members in 2020.Former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan was sacked from ITV's Good Morning Britain in 2020 for questioning Markle's claim she was nearly driven to suicide by life at the many royal palaces. It later emerged that the Duchess had personally complained to the programme about his comments.Prince Harry's kudos among Britons has further slumped since the publication last week of his victimhood-laden memoir Spare. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230110/prince-harrys-afghan-killing-boasts-just-a-play-for-state-funded-bodyguards-pundits-say-1106191011.html britain great britain Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 James Tweedie https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/08/1c/1080307270_0:3:397:400_100x100_80_0_0_7777393b9b18802f2e3c5eaa9cbcc612.png James Tweedie https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/08/1c/1080307270_0:3:397:400_100x100_80_0_0_7777393b9b18802f2e3c5eaa9cbcc612.png News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 James Tweedie https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/08/1c/1080307270_0:3:397:400_100x100_80_0_0_7777393b9b18802f2e3c5eaa9cbcc612.png prince harry, meghan markle, jeremy clarkson, royal family, the sun, uk, amazon prime, netflix https://sputnikglobe.com/20230117/kremlin-enlargement-of-russian-army-to-15-million-caused-by-wests-actions-1106425545.html Kremlin: Enlargement of Russian Army to 1.5 Million Caused by West's Actions Kremlin: Enlargement of Russian Army to 1.5 Million Caused by West's Actions The enlargement of the Russian army to 1.5 million military personnel is caused by the actions of the West, as the security of Russia must be unconditionally ensured, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. 2023-01-17T13:26+0000 2023-01-17T13:26+0000 2023-01-17T13:26+0000 russia russian armed forces kremlin dmitry peskov sergei shoigu vladimir putin /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/01/11/1106425217_0:171:3033:1877_1920x0_80_0_0_1d226abb753d134bd916dd96eebf0980.jpg Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has held a meeting with the senior leadership of the Russian Armed Forces concerning the implementation of President Vladimir Putin's decision to increase the military's size 1.5 million. Putin's decree on the enlargement of the Russian Army came into force on January 1, 2023. According to the document, the staff strength of the Russian Armed Forces is set at 2,039,758 people, including 1,150,628 troops. According to Shoigu, changes in the Russian army, including an increase in its number to 1.5 million military personnel, will be implemented from 2023 to 2026. https://sputnikglobe.com/20221221/putin-almost-entirety-of-natos-military-potential-being-actively-used-against-russia-1105669223.html Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International russian army, russian army enlargement, russian soldiers, military personnel, kremlin statement Poland to Transfer Leopard Tanks to Ukraine Only If Other Countries Do So - Prime Minister WARSAW (Sputnik) - Poland will hand over its Leopard tanks to Ukraine only on the condition that other countries do so, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday. "We clearly said that we are declaring the transfer of up to 14 modern Leopard tanks, but on the condition others transfer these tanks, to be able to arm an entire brigade or two," Morawiecki told reporters, as broadcast by national television. At the same time, the prime minister urged Germany to continue supplying weapons to Ukraine. "In this situation, the German contribution is of great importance. The largest state of the European Union, the strongest from an economic point of view, cannot sidestep from supporting Ukraine. So far, few weapons have been transferred," Morawiecki said. Last week, Polish President Andrzej Duda, during his visit to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, said his country would hand over a batch of Leopard tanks to Ukraine as part of an international coalition which the country seeks to build to organize joint hardware deliveries to Kiev. Last week, media reported that France and Poland were pushing Germany to provide Ukraine with its Leopard 2 tanks. However, German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said later that day that Berlin so far did not intend to supply Ukraine with Leopards. In April 2022, Moscow sent a note to NATO member states condemning their military assistance to Kiev. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that pumping Ukraine with weapons did not contribute to the success of peace negotiations and would have a detrimental effect on the conflict. You are here: China A firefighter works at the site of a chemical plant explosion in Panjin, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Jan. 16, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua] China has ordered all-out search and rescue efforts following a chemical plant explosion in the northeastern Liaoning Province on Sunday. Five people have been reported dead and eight are missing. The incident occurred during maintenance at the plant's alkylation facility in Liaoning's Panshan County at approximately 1:30 p.m. A team from the Ministry of Emergency Management has arrived at the site of the explosion. Professional rescue forces have been deployed, including 443 firefighters equipped with 105 fire engines, according to the ministry. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230117/london-police-dismiss-serial-rapist-officer-who-went-undetected-for-decades-1106436567.html London Police Dismiss Serial Rapist Officer Who Went Undetected for Decades London Police Dismiss Serial Rapist Officer Who Went Undetected for Decades Londons Metropolitan Police have dismissed an officer who pleaded guilty to raping dozens of women during a career at the Met spanning almost two decades, media said. 2023-01-17T18:18+0000 2023-01-17T18:18+0000 2023-01-17T18:18+0000 world uk uk metropolitan police police officer rape /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/09/08/1088878422_0:204:2048:1356_1920x0_80_0_0_27ec875c49c3fa4d69b20545c30f5475.jpg David Carrick, 48, was arrested and charged with rape in October 2021 after a woman accused him of the crime. The complaint prompted a review of his previous behavior, revealing a hidden record of similar accusations. On Monday, he pleaded guilty to 49 attacks on women, including 24 rapes of 12 women. Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe ruled that his admissions amounted to gross misconduct and fired him, British TV channel reported Tuesday. Carrick has been described in the media as one of the United Kingdoms most prolific sex offenders. He joined the police in 2001 and was later tasked with protecting members of parliament and foreign diplomats. The Met admitted this week it had been warned about his conduct but did nothing. Met Commissioner Mark Rowley said, in response to the public outcry, that the police force had let women down and promised to "be ruthless about rooting out those who corrupt our integrity." "These failures are horrific examples of the systemic failures... I do know an apology doesn't go far enough, but I do think it's important to acknowledge our failings and for me to say I'm sorry," he said. Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International uk, metropolitan police, police officer, rape, sexual assault https://sputnikglobe.com/20230117/multiple-deaths-as-al-shabaab-attacks-somali-army-base-after-government-captures-port-1106423344.html Multiple Deaths as Al-Shabaab Attacks Somali Army Base After Government Captures Port Multiple Deaths as Al-Shabaab Attacks Somali Army Base After Government Captures Port According to Somalian authorities, the attack on a military camp in Hawadley town, in the Middle Shabelle region, on Tuesday morning resulted in 26 fatalities and numerous injuries, the media reported. 2023-01-17T13:03+0000 2023-01-17T13:03+0000 2023-01-17T13:03+0000 africa east africa somalia somalian civil war al-shabaab terror terror plot terrorist attack counter-terrorism terrorist group /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/01/11/1106424246_0:0:3071:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_53a39d3e6bd9f83afb459054b02d770f.jpg An attack on a military camp in Hawadley town in the Middle Shabelle region of Somalia resulted in 26 fatalities and numerous injuries on Tuesday, media has reported.Five government soldiers and 21 militants from the al-Shabaab group are among the deceased after a suicide bomber assaulted the base. Earlier on Tuesday, the army and terrorists engaged in combat, which was accompanied by loud gunshots and explosions. The attack took place just days after the army overran the important port of Haradhere, which the jihadist group had held for fifteen years.Al-Shabaab has lost sizable portions of its territory since August of last year, when government forces supported by clan militia launched an operation in southern and central Somalia.However, the group has continued to launch attacks, primarily against African Union forces and government structures. It carried out four lethal bombings in Hiram's center during the course of the previous week.Also last week, US Ambassador Larry Andre, Somali Minister of Defense Abdulkadir Mohamud Nur, and Somali National Army Chief Brigadier General Odowaa Yusuf Rage reportedly announced that weapons, vehicles, medical supplies and other equipment had been donated to the Somali Army, all of which is estimated to be worth approximately $9 million.In addition to heavy weapons, the United States provided construction and bomb disposal equipment.Earlier, Somali officials declared that Al-Shabaab jihadists were seeking negotiations amid mass offensives against them by the government. According to the country's deputy defense minister, talks are only possible with Somali militants but not with foreigners.An Islamist militant group with ties to the terrorist organization al-Qaeda*, Al-Shabaab has been organizing attacks against the federal government of Somalia for a long time in an effort to establish a strict interpretation of Sharia law there.*Terrorist groups banned in Russia and many other countries https://sputnikglobe.com/20230108/al-shabaab-terrorist-group-seeks-dialogue-somali-govt-says--1106123657.html africa east africa somalia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Kirill Kurevlev Kirill Kurevlev News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Kirill Kurevlev east africa, somalia, somalian civil war, al-shabaab, terror, terror plot, terrorist attack, counter-terrorism, terrorist group, terrorist act https://sputnikglobe.com/20230117/musk-sued-over-tesla-tweets-that-cost-investors-billions-reports-say-1106427089.html Musk Sued Over Tesla Tweets That Cost Investors Billions, Reports Say Musk Sued Over Tesla Tweets That Cost Investors Billions, Reports Say Tesla CEO Elon Musk is being sued over tweets from 2018 in which he said he had secured the funding to take the carmaker private, a claim that sent the stock on a rollercoaster ride, media reported on Tuesday. 2023-01-17T13:40+0000 2023-01-17T13:40+0000 2023-01-17T14:02+0000 economy elon musk tesla trial sovereign wealth fund /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/0c/1b/1105810457_0:0:3078:1731_1920x0_80_0_0_882f56a2d8cb1a9a19f9d3f0794ce6d8.jpg The securities-fraud lawsuit is seeking damages for investors who feel they were defrauded by Musk and Tesla of billions of dollars because the tweets about the funding being certain turned out to be false, the American media reported. The class-action case will go to court in San Francisco on Tuesday. Oral arguments could reportedly start the same day if the jury is selected. Some 190 potential jurors were asked ahead of time to fill out questionnaires about their views of Musk and related issues. Musk is expected to take the stand on Wednesday. Possible witnesses include Tesla board chair Robyn Denholm, several board members and the head of investor relations, Martin Viecha. This case is unusual, the WSJ said, because securities-fraud cases are usually solved pre-trial, but US District Judge Edward Chen made the defendants job harder when he ruled ahead of the trial that Musks social media statements were untrue and that he acted recklessly in making them. The defense team argued, in a pretrial brief cited by the daily, that Musk believed he had the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund on board to take Tesla private, at a cost which he estimated at $420 per share. Musk's initial tweet caused the Tesla stock to rally before it lost those gains following media reports that the funding had not been secured. Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International tesla stock manipulation, musk manipulationg tesla stock, musk`s twitter, tesla goes private https://sputnikglobe.com/20230117/nigerian-central-bank-governor-resumes-duty-amid-prosecution-by-secret-police-1106417393.html Nigerian Central Bank Governor Resumes Duty Amid Prosecution By Secret Police Nigerian Central Bank Governor Resumes Duty Amid Prosecution By Secret Police The head of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, who was accused of funding terrorism by the countrys secret police, has resumed duty after his annual vacation abroad, the bank has said. 2023-01-17T07:41+0000 2023-01-17T07:41+0000 2023-01-17T07:41+0000 africa west africa nigeria central bank terrorism corruption corruption charges secret police /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/01/11/1106417247_0:0:2731:1537_1920x0_80_0_0_42064d110451fb05c98bf9077b232af9.jpg The head of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, who was accused of funding terrorism by the countrys secret police, has resumed duty after his annual vacation abroad, the bank has said. His return was announced in a press release signed by Osita Nwanisobi, a director of corporate communications of the bank, on Monday. According to the statement, the head of the bank is ready to hold the first Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting of the year, scheduled for January 23 to 24, 2023. The statement underlined that Emefiele is committed to perform "the task before him in line with his oath of office and the policy direction of President Muhammadu Buhari.The governor reportedly had not been in the country for several weeks since mid-December following the investigation into the allegations of corruption and terrorism financing. The Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerias secret police, previously had sought an arrest warrant for the official, but it was denied by a Federal High Court, which demanded evidence. The secret police accussed him of financing terrorism, fraud, and other economic crimes that threaten national security.According to local media, the governor headed to his office on Monday with massive security, specifically military protection. https://sputnikglobe.com/20221223/nigerian-central-bank-head-accused-of-financing-terrorism-refuses-to-return-home-from-us--media-1105720367.html africa west africa nigeria Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Maria Konokhova Maria Konokhova News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Maria Konokhova west africa, nigeria, the governor of the central bank of nigeria, godwin emefiele, corruption, the department of state services (dss), investigation, terrorism financing https://sputnikglobe.com/20230117/reconciliation-center-says-terrorists-shelled-syrias-idlib-zone-twice-in-past-day-1106413926.html Reconciliation Center Says Terrorists Shelled Syria's Idlib Zone Twice in Past Day Reconciliation Center Says Terrorists Shelled Syria's Idlib Zone Twice in Past Day MOSCOW (Sputnik) - - Maj. Gen. Oleg Yegorov, deputy head of the Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria, said at a... 17.01.2023, Sputnik International 2023-01-17T01:02+0000 2023-01-17T01:02+0000 2023-01-17T01:02+0000 world idlib de-escalation zone syria reconciliation russian defense ministry /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/07/02/1083294645_0:73:1280:793_1920x0_80_0_0_4c4061dea4c0282c9947a7e4fd147742.jpg "Two shell attacks from the positions of the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group were registered in the Idlib de-escalation zone over the past day," Maj. Gen. Yegorov said. The Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides and Control over the Movement of Refugees in the Syrian Arab Republic was established in February 2016. Its tasks include the signing of agreements on illegal armed groups and individual settlements joining the regime of cessation of hostilities, as well as coordinating the delivery of humanitarian aid. syria Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International idlib, de-escalation zone, syria, reconciliation, russian defense ministry https://sputnikglobe.com/20230117/report-supply-of-british-tanks-to-kiev-will-leave-london-weaker-uk-military-chief-of-staff-says-1106415102.html Report: Supply of British Tanks to Kiev Will Leave London Weaker, UK Military Chief of Staff Says Report: Supply of British Tanks to Kiev Will Leave London Weaker, UK Military Chief of Staff Says Late last week, the Russian Embassy in the UK said that Britains effort to transfer its Challenger 2 tanks to the Zelensky administration is meant to pressure other European governments to provide Ukraine with weaponry 2023-01-17T06:15+0000 2023-01-17T06:15+0000 2023-01-17T06:15+0000 uk ukraine challenger 2 battle tank military army special operation russia's special operation in ukraine /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/104684/10/1046841086_0:11:1001:574_1920x0_80_0_0_7998086d0a240354c72baa227076e579.jpg UK Chief of the General Staff General Sir Patrick Sanders has warned that supplying Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine would leave Britain temporarily weaker, according to a British media outlet.The outlet also referred to a video posted on the UK armys intranet, where Sanders reportedly hinted at the militarys unease over the decision by No 10 to give heavy armor to Ukraine while also cutting the number of tanks in the British armed forces.The chief of the general staffs claims have purportedly prompted the Defense Secretary to start reviewing the decision to reduce the number of tanks in the British Army.A separate UK media outlet, meanwhile, underscored that the main question is what number of tanks, including UK ones, will give Kiev the chance to mount its own offensive.It added, What all that makes clear is that the UK donation of 14 Challenger 2s is not itself enough and that even if Britain wanted to go further from its nominal stock of 227, it could not provide anything like the volume required in isolation.The remarks followed Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling reporters on Monday that the UK's provision of Kiev with 2tanks wont affect the course of the ongoing Russian special operation in Ukraine.He spoke after the Russian Embassy in London said in a statement that the UKs decision to send modern samples of heavy armor to Kiev was designed "to persuade other, less belligerent Western countries to follow suit and provide their own tanks to the Ukrainian armed forces."According to the embassy, we are witnessing yet more proof of the UK authorities disdain for the lives of ordinary Ukrainians, as well as its ever-growing direct involvement in the [Ukraine] conflict.Earlier last week, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a phone call that London would provide Kiev with 14 Challenger 2 tanks. The Prime Minister outlined the UKs ambition to intensify our support to Ukraine, including through the provision of Challenger 2 tanks and additional artillery systems, Sunak's office said.Since the beginning of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the US and its NATO allies have delivered more than $40 billion worth of weapons to Kiev. Moscow, for its part, has repeatedly said that the Western arms supplies to Kiev further prolongs the Ukraine conflict, and that convoys of those weapons become a legitimate target for the Russian army. https://sputnikglobe.com/20221230/uk-sends-counter-explosive-ordnance-equipment-to-ukraine-defense-ministry-1105904191.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20221213/nato-faces-very-real-arms-shortages-due-to-ukraine-conflict-aims-to-fill-gap-us-envoy-says-1105426924.html ukraine Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Oleg Burunov https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg Oleg Burunov https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Oleg Burunov https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg supplies of challenger 2 tanks to ukraine, phone talks between uyk prime minister rishi sunak and ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky, russian special military operation in ukraine https://sputnikglobe.com/20230117/russias-special-presidential-envoy-discussed-increase-in-imports-to-afghanistan-1106414080.html Russia's Special Presidential Envoy Discussed Increase in Imports to Afghanistan Russia's Special Presidential Envoy Discussed Increase in Imports to Afghanistan MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian special presidential envoy and Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Second Asian Department, Zamir Kabulov, discussed with... 17.01.2023, Sputnik International 2023-01-17T03:09+0000 2023-01-17T03:09+0000 2023-01-17T03:09+0000 russia zamir kabulov taliban afghanistan /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/0b/10/1104302639_0:0:3287:1850_1920x0_80_0_0_fe5831d14d51ea12dfce7c987c17082f.jpg The discussions took place during Kabulov's visit to Afghanistan, which took place on January 11-13. The Taliban movement is under UN sanctions for terrorism.Earlier, Kabulov said Russia and Afghanistan had agreed to cooperate "on the most important goods for Afghanistan - wheat and oil products." Acting Afghan Commerce and Industry Minister Nooruddin Azizi told Sputnik in August 2022 that Kabul planned to buy about 1 million tonnes of diesel and the same amount of gasoline from Russia. Later reports said the agreement had been tentatively approved, and under the deal, Russia would also supply Afghanistan with 2 million tonnes of wheat annually. afghanistan Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International zamir kabulov, taliban, afghanistan https://sputnikglobe.com/20230117/scholz-to-appoint-pistorius-as-new-german-defense-minister-1106420694.html Scholz to Appoint Pistorius as New German Defense Minister Scholz to Appoint Pistorius as New German Defense Minister German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will appoint 62-year-old Lower Saxony Interior Minister Boris Pistorius as the country's new defense minister, German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said on Tuesday. 2023-01-17T10:48+0000 2023-01-17T10:48+0000 2023-01-17T10:49+0000 world germany olaf scholz /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/01/11/1106420548_0:0:2944:1657_1920x0_80_0_0_a5ee8f9497dabca04edee39ec7f455f0.jpg On Monday, Scholz accepted the resignation of Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht, who decided to step down after months of criticism from the media regarding her handling of the crisis in Ukraine. Pistorius will receive a certificate of appointment from the president of Germany and take the oath in the German German parliament, Bundestag, on Thursday, according to Hebestreit. "Pistorius is an extremely experienced politician with administrative experience, has been involved in security policy for many years and, thanks to his competence, assertiveness and big heart, is exactly the person who should lead the Bundeswehr [German armed forces] at this turning point," Scholz was quoted as saying in the statement. germany Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International germany, defense minister, olaf scholz, boris pistorius, christine lambrecht https://sputnikglobe.com/20230117/south-africa-to-make-power-cuts-thing-of-the-past-within-a-year-finance-minister-says-1106419952.html South Africa to Make Power Cuts 'Thing of the Past' Within a Year, Finance Minister Says South Africa to Make Power Cuts 'Thing of the Past' Within a Year, Finance Minister Says South Africas government has a plan to improve energy supply in the country that will eventually lead to the end of the frequent power outages within a year or year and a half, according to Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana. 2023-01-17T11:07+0000 2023-01-17T11:07+0000 2023-01-17T11:07+0000 africa southern africa south africa energy energy crisis electricity electricity supplies electricity blackout electricity power crisis /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/01/11/1106419803_0:161:3071:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_c0d6d8a0af7c14a68e3bea25f01f035e.jpg South Africas government has a plan to improve energy supply in the country that will eventually lead to the end of the frequent power outages within a year or year and a half, according to Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana. The minister commented on this issue on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, which kicked off on January 16. Among other important issues, the forum is expected to address the problem of energy supplies, as well as the energy crises currently faced by many countries throughout the world. He stated that within the next five months, there will be no need to implement so-called "stage 6" power cuts, which mean at least six hours without electricity daily, as facilities will be revamped and measures aimed at improving the situation will be taken, including demand management.According to him, the country's utility company Eskom doesn't have the problem with diesel due to lack of financing, but does have "a management problem." Eskom's management has long been a subject of criticism from the government as it failed to improve the energy situation, and some of its employees were accused of sabotage and criminality. According to the minister, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to refer to the power situation in the country and the efforts made by the government to improve it in his February 9 state of the nation address.Earlier, the president canceled his plans to attend the annual WEF meeting in Davos due to the urgency of stepping up efforts to combat the energy crisis in the country. To tackle the issue, Ramaphosa met with leaders of major political parties as well as with the National Energy Crisis Committee and the board of Eskom. At the same time, several South Africa's opposition politicians, a labor union and several business owners have reportedly expressed their intention to sue the government and the utility firm over frequent blackouts, stating that if the officials dont take measures by January 20, they will face legal action from those seeking relief for the damage caused by the blackouts.South Africa has been suffering from electricity shortages for almost 15 years, but the frequency of crippling blackouts, known locally as load shedding, reached unprecedented levels in recent months. The utility firm Eskom implemented power cuts on more than 200 days last year in order to reduce pressure on the grid following the breakdown of its old coal-powered plants. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230116/south-african-president-to-skip-davos-forum-amid-energy-crisis-1106398928.html africa southern africa south africa Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Maria Konokhova Maria Konokhova News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Maria Konokhova southern africa, south africa, power cuts, blackouts, energy crisis, electricity supply, load shedding https://sputnikglobe.com/20230117/south-korean-president-visits-seoul-built-barakah-npp-in-uae-1106420395.html South Korean President Visits Seoul-Built Barakah NPP in UAE South Korean President Visits Seoul-Built Barakah NPP in UAE South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, currently on a four-day state trip to the United Arab Emirates, has visited the Barakah nuclear power plant. 2023-01-17T10:45+0000 2023-01-17T10:45+0000 2023-01-17T10:55+0000 world south korea uae samsung hyundai nuclear power plant /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/01/11/1106420838_0:158:3027:1861_1920x0_80_0_0_f9d024c2550b5bcab35eb375c5aeee9f.jpg During his visit to the NPP, the South Korean leader accompanied by UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan witnessed the launch of the plant's third unit and evaluated the progress in the construction of the fourth unit, the news outlet reported, citing a statement by Yoon's office. South Korean business leaders, including Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Euisun Chung, also attended the ceremony marking the start of the operation of the NPP's third unit, according to the news agency. Seoul won the contract for the construction of the NPP Barakah, which means "God's blessing," in 2009. The completion of the station is scheduled for next year. Its expected power supply amounts to 5380 MW, which will cover a quarter of the UAE's demand. The Barakah nuclear power plant is the first NPP in the Middle East. south korea uae Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International yoon suk yeol, south korea, nuclear power plant, energy production China's air and water quality registered steady improvement in 2022, data from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment showed Tuesday. The share of days with good air quality stood at 86.5 percent in Chinese cities at and above the prefecture-level, Jiang Huohua, an official with the ministry told a press conference. The proportion of days with heavy air pollution was 0.9 percent last year, dropping to less than 1 percent for the first time, Jiang said. The PM2.5 density, a key indicator of air pollution, dropped 3.3 percent year on year to 29 micrograms per cubic meter, falling below 30 micrograms per cubic meter for the first time since the data was first monitored. The proportion of surface water at or above Grade III in the country's five-tier water quality system rose 3 percentage points year on year to 87.9 percent last year, while that of surface water below Grade V, the lowest level, stood at 0.7 percent, down 0.5 percentage points from 2021. China will step up its efforts on pollution prevention and control in 2023, taking measures in various fields to fight against air, water and soil pollution, according to the ministry. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230117/swedish-newspaper-launches-cartoon-contest-to-mock-erdogan-as-nato-bid-lingers-1106416217.html Swedish Newspaper Launches Cartoon Contest to Mock Erdogan as NATO Bid Lingers Swedish Newspaper Launches Cartoon Contest to Mock Erdogan as NATO Bid Lingers According to the newspaper's editor-in-chief Leonidas Aretakis, the aim is to "raise the problem with the government's handling of the NATO process." 2023-01-17T08:04+0000 2023-01-17T08:04+0000 2023-01-17T08:04+0000 world sweden news europe turkiye /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/08/0e/1080169593_0:35:2761:1588_1920x0_80_0_0_c4d2fe1d3c1b80f03d49435af7ff53f3.jpg A satirical drawing competition, targeting Turkish President Recep Erdogan, has been launched by the socialist newspaper Flamman ("The Flame"). The best drawings will be published in the newspaper, and a prize sum of SEK 5,000 ($480) has been promised for the best depiction.According to the newspaper's editor-in-chief Leonidas Aretakis, the aim is to "raise the problem with the government's handling of the NATO process".The cartoon contest has been introduced with a remake of "Desecrate the flag," a left-wing classic from the 1960s by artist Carl Johan De Geer. The reworked illustration featuring a burning Turkish flag instead of the Swedish one was made with the permission of the artist.On social media, De Geer wrote that he "of course said yes, with joy" when Flamman contacted him to make a pastiche of the classic for the purpose of the competition.While the competition obviously may have consequences at the highest political level, possibly affecting Swedens NATO bid that hinges on Turkeys approval, Aretakis argued that the responsibility does not lie with Flamman.The contentious competition comes shortly after President Recep Erdogan was hanged in effigy outside Stockholm City Hall last week during a demonstration by supporters of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The action had immediate consequences, as Turkey summoned Sweden's ambassador for talks and canceled Parliament Speaker Andreas Norlen's visit.Swedish Prime Minister and Moderate Party leader Ulf Kristersson and Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom condemned the effigy protest, calling it "disgusting." Aretakis, in turn, argued that it is "reprehensible" that Sweden's government "does everything to appease an oppressive regime."Turkey's president himself warned that relations with Sweden may become "much more strained" unless Stockholm takes a stand against the current situation. This was echoed by Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag, who argued that Sweden cannot expect Turkey's support for NATO membership, while "ignoring terrorist provocations."In May 2022, three months into the Ukraine crisis, Finland and Sweden submitted their NATO membership applications, citing a shift in the security situation in Europe. In doing so, they abandoned their long-standing principles of non-alignment, whereas the subsequent concessions to Turkey (including lifting a ban on arms exports to Ankara and renouncing cooperation with Kurdish organizations they previously embraced) drew criticism from the opposition. Some argued that the lengths to which both countries went to satisfy Ankara tarnishes their image as champions of human rights. sweden turkiye Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Igor Kuznetsov Igor Kuznetsov News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Igor Kuznetsov sweden's nato bid, turkey's opposition to sweden's nato bid, turkish president recep erdogan, nato membership, left-wing protest https://sputnikglobe.com/20230117/the-great-fall-demographic-crisis-takes-toll-on-china-population-ebbs-for-first-time-in-decades-1106418621.html The Great Fall: Demographic Crisis Takes Toll on China, Population Ebbs for First Time in Decades The Great Fall: Demographic Crisis Takes Toll on China, Population Ebbs for First Time in Decades China has long had a birth rate of under 2.1 children per woman, largely due to the one-child policy. But even as the policy was modified and then lifted in 2015, the birth rate has continued to shrink 2023-01-17T08:57+0000 2023-01-17T08:57+0000 2023-01-24T11:29+0000 china population birth rate authorities family restrictions asia /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/07/0c/1097220987_0:0:3072:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_4770874d48a5ee88b7af83ae93ea39e9.jpg China's population plummeted last year for the first time in six decades, the country's National Bureau of Statistics has revealed.According to the bureau, the number declined by about 850,000 to more than 1.4 billion at the end of 2022.Chinas male population stood at 722.06 million, while the female population was estimated at 689.69 million, and "the sex ratio of the total population was 104.69 (104.69 men per 100 women)," the statement read.The bureau also said that the population at the working age, from 16 to 59, amounted to 875.6 million (62% of China's total population), the number of people aged 60 and over was 280 million (19.8%) and population aged 65 and over was 209.8 million (14.9%).The gender balance of the Chinese population was seriously affected by the so-called "one-child" policy, introduced in 1979 in order to prevent overpopulation and famine. Under this policy, urban families only had the right to have only one child, while rural families could have two children, but only if the first one was a girl.In 2013, the Chinese authorities eased the restrictions. Couples, where at least one of the spouses was the only child in the family, were allowed to have a second child. Later, in 2016, all couples were allowed to have a second child. However, the measures not only did not cause a boom in the birth rate, they resulted in the exact opposite effect.In the summer of 2021, the authorities approved the adoption of amendments to the law on population. The amendments allowed families to have a third child and canceled all previously provided fines and payments. https://sputnikglobe.com/20221017/china-to-enact-policies-to-boost-birth-rates-1101910779.html china Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Oleg Burunov https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg Oleg Burunov https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Oleg Burunov https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg china's population, decrease in china's population for the first time in six decades, birth rate in china, china's 'one child' policy https://sputnikglobe.com/20230117/three-nato-awacs-surveillance-jets-arrive-in-bucharest-from-germany---defense-minister-1106432291.html Three NATO AWACS Surveillance Jets Arrive in Bucharest From Germany: Defense Minister Three NATO AWACS Surveillance Jets Arrive in Bucharest From Germany: Defense Minister Three NATO AWACS surveillance jets have arrived in Bucharest from Germany to reinforce the alliance's eastern flank and monitor military activity at its borders, Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilvar said on Tuesday. 2023-01-17T15:36+0000 2023-01-17T15:36+0000 2023-01-17T15:37+0000 military airborne early warning and control (awac) aircraft nato romania /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/01/11/1106434325_0:161:3071:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_2e7e448e3556d67c1649e7f41d57144a.jpg Earlier in the day, NATO said that AWACS surveillance jets were due to arrive in Romania some time on Tuesday to monitor Russia's military activity. NATO will trace military actions on its eastern flank using these aircraft, the minister added. AWACS surveillance planes belong to a fleet of 14 NATO surveillance aircraft that are usually based in the western German town of Geilenkirchen. NATO has been boosting its eastern flank on the border with Russia and Belarus since late 2021 by dispatching additional troops. In response to Moscow launching a special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, NATO has further reinforced the flank by sending additional ships, planes and ground troops to the region and putting them on high alert. The alliance also stated that the AWACS systems were capable of detecting jets at a distance of hundreds of miles, which made them a key element in NATO's deterrence and defense. The mission is scheduled to last several weeks. romania Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International airborne early warning and control (awac) aircraft, nato, romania, special military operation in ukraine https://sputnikglobe.com/20230117/turkish-defense-minister-says-sweden-finland-not-meeting-requirements-to-join-nato-1106421347.html Turkish Defense Minister Says Sweden, Finland Not Meeting Requirements to Join NATO Turkish Defense Minister Says Sweden, Finland Not Meeting Requirements to Join NATO Turkey has been observing that Sweden and Finland did not meet the requirements to gain NATO membership by leaving export restrictions in effect and supporting the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), labeled as terrorist by Ankara, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Tuesday. 2023-01-17T11:08+0000 2023-01-17T11:08+0000 2023-01-17T11:08+0000 world turkiye sweden finland nato /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/04/19/1095032943_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_0c091a3ad9f9510e1a733d5b8e2da536.jpg "We observe that Sweden and Finland do not fulfill the obligations under the [security] memorandum. We expect concrete measures of ceasing support for terrorist organizations and lifting export restrictions," the minister was quoted as saying by a Turkish newspaper. Akar also said that Ankara condemned a rally of PKK supporters in Stockholm, where the demonstrators hung a puppet of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by its feet. The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned the Swedish ambassador to Ankara in protest of the PKK rally. In addition, the Turkish Prosecutor General's Office opened a criminal case into the matter. In May 2022, three months since the onset of the Ukraine crisis, Finland and Sweden submitted their NATO membership applications, abandoning decades of neutrality and citing a shift in the security situation in Europe. The consideration of the bids was initially blocked by Turkey due to Helsinki and Stockholm's long-standing support for the PKK, which Ankara regards as a threat to its national security. In June, Turkey, Sweden and Finland signed a security memorandum that unblocked the beginning of negotiations on the accession of the two Scandinavian countries to the alliance. The parties agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism, including measures against the PKK, and lift restrictions on arms exports to Turkey. Only Turkey and Hungary have not yet approved the membership of the two new candidates out of the 30 members of the alliance. turkiye sweden finland Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International turkey, finalnd, sweden, finland and sweden in nato, new nato members, turkey opposes sweden nato membership https://sputnikglobe.com/20230117/uk-watchdog-says-probation-service-failed-to-prevent-killamarsh-mass-murder-1106428975.html UK Watchdog Says Probation Service Failed to Prevent Killamarsh Mass Murder UK Watchdog Says Probation Service Failed to Prevent Killamarsh Mass Murder The UK Probation Service has failed to adequately assess the threat posed by criminal Damien Bendall, and, thus, prevent him from murdering three children and one adult in the village of Killamarsh. 2023-01-17T13:59+0000 2023-01-17T13:59+0000 2023-01-17T13:59+0000 world crime felony murder rape /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/105933/18/1059331898_0:64:1280:784_1920x0_80_0_0_0ff32540c7f04f893df84e31b3e04610.jpg In September 2021, Bendall killed his girlfriend, 35-year-old Terri Harris, her children 13-year-old John Paul Bennett and 11-year-old Lacey Bennett, as well as Lacey's 11-year-old friend Connie Gent. Bendal also confessed to raping Lacey. In December 2022, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. UK Justice Secretary Dominic Raab has ordered an independent review into the work of probation officers after it turned out that Bendal had previously been convicted of a number of violent offenses. The inquiry found that since 2010, Bendall had been convicted of multiple felonies, including robbery, possession of knives, committing grievous bodily harm and unintentional arson. The watchdog also said the police had held evidence of the sexual risk the criminal represented to children. The Probation Service's failure to properly assess the case led to the fact that Bendall was supervised by inexperienced officers, who, in their turn, missed opportunities to "amend his risk of harm classification," according to the review. Based on the findings, the inspectorate also prepared several recommendations for improvements to the UK Prison and Probation Service. The watchdog suggested, among other measures, ensuring the adequacy of risk assessments, lowering senior officers' workloads and making child safeguarding evaluations in all cases. Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International killamarsh mass murder, sexual violence, sexual violence against children, partner violence, arson, robbery https://sputnikglobe.com/20230117/us-struggling-to-revive-military-to-military-dialogue-with-china-report-claims-1106433249.html US Struggling to Revive Military-to-Military Dialogue With China, Report Claims US Struggling to Revive Military-to-Military Dialogue With China, Report Claims The United States is struggling to resume military-to-military dialogue with China months after the meeting between heads of state Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, American media reported on Tuesday. 2023-01-17T15:53+0000 2023-01-17T15:53+0000 2023-01-17T16:18+0000 world rival powers us china nancy pelosi /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/01/11/1106433996_0:161:3071:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_cc0a256fa28cbea2de05de055da7c4fd.jpg Beijing has dismissed attempts by the US Defense Department to engage on security issues critical to avoiding a possible crisis between the United States and China, the report said, citing a senior US defense official. Engagement between the two countries came to a halt following a visit in August by then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan despite protests by Beijing. In November, Biden and Xi met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Indonesia and discussed the situation concerning the Taiwan Strait. Later in November, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe in Cambodia to discuss the US-China defense relationship, regional and global security issues. Austin emphasized the need for open lines of communication between the United States and China. However, Beijing has since declined Washingtons attempts to develop a regular communications channel for defense issues, the report said. The Chinese military has also acted more recklessly toward US forces in the South China Sea since the relationship broke down, the report added. Nevertheless, the two countries maintain diplomatic contacts and are organizing a visit to China by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, according to media reports on Tuesday. https://sputnikglobe.com/20221114/at-least-it-was-polite-observers-see-few-groundbreaking-moments-in-xi-biden-meeting-1104134425.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20220328/us-prioritizes-china-as-top-security-threat-views-russia-as-acute-challenge-1094274456.html china Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International china-us rivalry, military-to-military dialogue, rivaling powers, chinese military https://sputnikglobe.com/20230117/us-taiwan-discuss-trade-facilitation-regulatory-practices-at-talks-in-taipei-ustr-1106430321.html US, Taiwan Discuss Trade Facilitation, Regulatory Practices at Talks in Taipei: USTR US, Taiwan Discuss Trade Facilitation, Regulatory Practices at Talks in Taipei: USTR The United States and Taiwan held a four-day negotiating round in Taipei to discuss trade facilitation and good regulatory practices, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) said on Tuesday. 2023-01-17T14:32+0000 2023-01-17T14:32+0000 2023-01-24T11:29+0000 us taiwan china american institute in taiwan (ait) asia /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/0c/14/1105637550_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_a1f982d60deb6799928c309f25ec80a3.jpg The negotiating round for the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade took place from January 14-17. The USTR and Assistant US Trade Representative Terry McCartin led the US delegation. The delegation also included officials from the Department of State, the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, and the US Agency for International Development. The meeting was held under the auspices of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO). In August 2022, China suspended negotiations with the United States in a number of areas after then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. China condemned Pelosi's trip in the strongest terms, saying it was a gesture of support for separatism, and launched large-scale military exercises in the vicinity of Taiwan. china Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International american institute in taiwan, us department of state, us supports taiwan, nancy pelosi visit to taiwan https://sputnikglobe.com/20230117/youve-been-trying-to-kill-me-pompeo-book-claims-kim-jong-un-led-meeting-with-assassination-joke-1106437182.html Youve Been Trying to Kill Me: Pompeo Book Claims Kim Jong-un Led Meeting With Assassination Joke Youve Been Trying to Kill Me: Pompeo Book Claims Kim Jong-un Led Meeting With Assassination Joke A new book by Mike Pompeo, who served as both US secretary of state and CIA director under former President Donald Trump, has recalled his life in politics. 2023-01-17T18:44+0000 2023-01-17T18:44+0000 2023-01-18T00:00+0000 viral dprk mike pompeo kim jong-un assassination /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/106394/47/1063944799_0:190:2795:1762_1920x0_80_0_0_e20a485fe35c67804eab4efd98fbafb6.jpg A new book by Mike Pompeo, who served as both US secretary of state and CIA director under former President Donald Trump, has recalled his life in politics.One vignette of Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love, which hit the shelves earlier this month, retells a secret April 2018 meeting with Kim Jong-un, president of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). In it,, Pompeo claimed: This small, sweating, evil man tried to break the ice with all the charm you would expect from a mass murderer.My team and I had prepared for this moment, but a joke about assassination was not on the list of things he may say when he greets you. But I was, after all, director of the CIA, so maybe his bon mot made sense, Pompeo added.The exchange came after months of ultra-high tensions between the US and DPRK, during which the small socialist state test-fired its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and Trump threatened the DPRK with fire and fury like the world has never seen.US and South Korean forces had long practiced a "decapitation strike" to kill the DPRK leadership, including everything from special forces to nuclear airstrikes, although Washington has denied drawing up such plans.However, there was some rapprochement between those events and the summit, during which time Pyongyang announced a unilateral moratorium on such missile tests and inaugurated the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics with South Korea under a united Korean flag.Following the release of his book, Pompeo was dragged across social media after a blurb about the book by none other than Pompeo himself did the rounds. One tweet that went viral mused that it was really embarrassing Pompeo couldn't find ANYONE else to praise his book.The former foreign minister and spy chief is considered to be one of several potential Republican candidates for the presidency in 2024, even though his former boss, Trump, has already formally announced his bid. Speaking to the press last month, Pompeo said hed make his decision in the spring of 2023 and that Trumps decision wouldnt affect him. Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Fantine Gardinier Fantine Gardinier News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Fantine Gardinier assassination, joke, mike pompeo, book, donald trump, kim jong-un Equine Guelph has issued a last call for its upcoming course on racehorse injury, lameness prevention and care. Sponsored by Standardbred Canada, the Racehorse Injury/Lameness Prevention & Care online course starts next Monday (Jan. 23) and runs Jan. 23 - Feb. 3, 2023. Learn daily practices from Equine Guelph on how to reduce the risk of injury and lameness in your racehorse. The course, valued at $95, is flexible and available 24/7 for busy horsepeople. No previous online learning experience is required. Standardbred Canada members can register for FREE at TheHorsePortal.ca/SC. Limited spaces are left! Federal legislators, led by U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, are again attempting to enact a law banning members of Congress, their spouses and dependent children from stock trading. Nearly three dozen more members of Congress have signed on, with reintroduction last week, of the Transparent Representation Upholding Service and Trust (TRUST) in Congress Act. Spanberger, D-7th, first partnered legislation in 2020 with Rep. Chip Roy, a Texas Republican. It was reintroduced in 2021 and the legislators called for a vote on TRUST last year, but none was taken by then Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Back in the spotlight for 2023, the measure would require putting certain investment assets into a qualified blind trust during their entire tenure in Congress, effectively banning them from trading individual stocks. Spanberger said it would create a firewall between members and their investments, making sure they cannot use their positions in the U.S. House or Senate to unethically inform investment decisions, influence the value of existing investments, or contribute to greater distrust by the American people. A vote on the act is long overdue, said the congresswoman last week. Last Congress, we saw the TRUST in Congress Act receive the most bipartisan support of any effort to do so. We saw tremendous momentum, we saw growing support in our districts, and we saw growing recognition across the political spectrum that such a reform needs to be made now, said Spanberger. Original cosponsors of the TRUST Act include U.S. Reps. Scott Perry (R-PA), Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Nikema Williams (D-GA), Dean Phillips (D-MN), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Angie Craig (D-MN), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Michael Cloud (R-TX), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO); Derek Kilmer (D-WA), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Dan Kildee (D-MI), Jason Crow (D-CO), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA), Young Kim (R-CA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Katie Porter (D-CA), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Jared Golden (D-ME), Susan Wild (D-PA), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Pete Sessions (R-TX), Grace Meng (D-NY), Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Joe Courtney (D-CT) and Matt Gaetz (R-FL). Members of Congress hold privileged positions of power and access to classified information, and should not be able buy, sell and trade individual stocks during their time of service, said Andrew Lautz, Director of Federal Policy, National Taxpayers Union. It erodes the publics trust and creates the appearance of corruption, something worth guarding against as much as corruption itself, added Nick Penniman, CEO of Issue One. The TRUST in Congress Act is a commonsense solution that has received strong bipartisan support, and its time for our leaders to act and pass this bill into law, he said in a statement. Based on how frequently and blatantly the 2012 Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act is violated by members of Congress, it is obvious the current situation is not working, said Kedric Payne, Vice President of Campaign Legal Center. Authorities said a woman ran a fundraising scam for a young girl with a life-threatening illness. Tammy Ann Domenick, 53, formerly of Buckingham Court, Troutman, is facing six counts of felony obtaining property by false pretense. She is currently in custody in Arizona awaiting extradition to Iredell County. Iredell Sheriff Darren Campbell, in a news release, said that a woman filed a report last July claiming she had been scammed out of money donated to a reported charitable organization. The victims mother told deputies that she met Domenick online and started what she believed was a friendship with her, Campbell said. Domenick presented herself as a marketing professional from the New York metropolitan area and had high level marketing and social media skills, Campbell said. The mother said her young daughter has a terminal illness and Domenick offered to start a fundraising campaign for her, Campbell said. The plan, Campbell said, was to host a major event called LKN Fest and was to use social media, news media and marketing to attract sponsors and donors. The beginnings of the plan, he said, called for Sip n Shop events throughout the Mooresville area to build up the event, Campbell said. Detective Craig Scanella with the Iredell County Sheriffs Office Economic Crimes Unit began an investigation and interviewed the victims mother and numerous other vendors and sponsors who had signed up to assist with the event, Campbell said. All of these individuals and businesses donated money, jewelry, clothes, photo booths, health products and food, he said. Scannella obtained financial statements and bank receipts from the vendors. Campbell said the vendors and the victims mother said the smaller events were a failure and the LKN Fest never became what Domenick promised. Scannella soon learned that each vendor had a promissory contract from Domenick stating LKN Fest would be sold out due to being highly advertised on the news, social media and billboards, Campbell said. The vendors said none of this ever occurred and none of the vendors ever saw any financial return on their investment, and the victims family did not receive donation money from Domenick as she promised, Campbell said. At this time, the total amount of money unaccounted for is $29,174.99, he said. After gathering all the evidence, Scannella attempted to contact Domenick, who said that she was no longer in North Carolina and was now in California, Campbell said. Domenick had also shut down all of her business social media pages, he said. Scannella learned Domenick was in Arizona and started a new company that directly mirrored the one she was operating in North Carolina, Campbell said. Scannella contacted law enforcement in Mesa, Arizona, and made them aware of the warrants. Scannella then applied for and was granted full extradition of Domenick and authorities in Arizona were able to locate and arrest her. She is currently in custody in Arizona and is fighting extradition back to North Carolina. She has no listed criminal history. Iredell-Statesville Schools Superintendent Dr. Jeff James, along with top officials from local law enforcement, held a news conference at Oakwood Middle School on Tuesday morning to discuss the events at two high schools that ultimately led to the expulsion of 10 students. In 2023, we are calling on our parents, our students, and our community members to holding accountable to behavioral expectations that we have set on our school campuses, James said. We pledge that we will hold our students accountable so that our schools remain a physically and emotionally safe place to learn. James, along with Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell, Statesville Police Chief David Olney and Troutman Police Chief Josh Watson each delivered statements affirming their commitment to keeping schools safe, particularly those most affected by the fights that led to the expulsions at Statesville High School and West Iredell High School. Over the last several years, the Iredell County Sheriffs Office and I-SS has taken great strides to make sure our schools stay safe, Campbell said. We want to send a message that we take school safety seriously and were not going to tolerate the few that try to cause problems in our schools. The fights happened predominantly at Statesville High back in the fall and stemmed from events and interactions that occurred outside of the school setting, according to the officials. However, it wasnt until recently that the expulsions were made official due to the state laws in place requiring an automatic appeal process be applied to all matters related to expelling a student, a fact that James is hoping that the North Carolina General Assembly can address. We want them to untie our hands when it comes to school discipline, James said. It puts some our campuses in harms way. But theres a small group, roughly 2% that cause up to 65% of our most significant discipline. The matter of getting a student out of school for more than 10 days can take up to a month. Neither I-SS nor the law enforcement officials believed that any of the violence that led to the expulsions was related to any serious gang activity. There are loosely-connected groups that like to think they are (gangs), Campbell said. But there has not been anything thing that we would truly call gang activity. Recommending expulsion was also not something taken lightly by I-SS officials. According to James, he not only poured over every students disciplinary record, but also their academic records. Some of these students had records that dated back to K-5, he said. The students that were expelled have a chance to appeal that decision after six months, but assurances have to be made to show the district that those students are no longer a threat to the student body and faculty at-large. The students would like to be able to get an education every day without a fight breaking out in the hallway, James said. Reaching for a tissue, putting on antiperspirant, or showering with soap takes on a whole new importance to wellbeing when those products arent easily accessible to a person. A community partnership is now making hygiene and other personal care items more readily available to those who need them. Two churches in Marion are now home to One Day at a Time Boxes and plans are in the works to set up two more this year. The project is a collaborative effort of Appalachian Community Connectors (ACC), Mount Rogers Community Services (MRCS), First United Methodist Church, and Ebenezer Lutheran Church. Ginny Moorer, a leader with ACC and a trauma recovery coordinator with Mount Rogers, said the idea for the boxes came about through ACC conversations about needs that were unmet and how to get resources into the hands of those who need them. As the talks continued, the group focused in on information brochures and fliers with details on how to access services for mental and physical health, dental care, and similar programs and toiletry/personal care items. The boxes were created to provide supplies and resources to promote health and wellness for all citizens. We know that folks are only able to thrive once their basic needs are met, said Moorer. Delivering Needed Items The first task for the group was finding a way to make the items readily available and easily accessible. ACC reached out to the News & Messenger about the possibility of reworking unused newspaper racks. The newspaper donated four to the effort. Marions Tom Hower, an ACC member, took the lead on that aspect of the work. He picked up the used racks a little more than a year ago, and then Emory & Henry College students reconditioned them. Hower said that required a fair amount of work, including removing the mechanisms, installing shelving, and general sprucing up. They turned out well and are perfect for the project, he said, noting the boxes durability and tight seals. However, for Hower, the boxes are more than a delivery system. The boxes enable us to provide a service, and present ACCs work to the community. A need was identified in the community and we worked together to address it many people from lots of different sectors helped find a solution, said Moorer. The Name One of the people working to find those solutions was the late William Fields, who regularly reminded others and himself to take circumstances and life one day at a time. The name of the boxes was inspired by William Fields well-known saying. He was an active member of the Appalachian Community Connectors and provided input as we began planning for the resource boxes prior to his passing, said Moorer. Fields died in 2021. The Basics The One Day At A Time Boxes, according to Moorer, help meet needs by offering a variety of toiletries, feminine hygiene products, detergents and soaps, health supplies like tissues and hand sanitizer, and seasonal supplies like scarves, socks, and gloves. We hope the community can benefit from having access to these items that we all use every day. Faith Communitys Role To help reach people in need, the group turned to local churches. ACCs Patty Warren explained, When our group met to discuss the boxes and where we should place them, we decided that one of our focuses should be to engage the faith community in our efforts. She noted that churches have a strong presence in the community and people in need often turn to them for support. First United Methodist Church in downtown Marion hosts a food pantry, is the site of regular meals for those in need, and offers a variety of community outreach programs. Since the church was already viewed by folks as a location to get food and additional support, Warren said, it seemed like a logical place to pilot this project. We connected with the church and they agreed to partner with us on this project. In fact, the project coincided with plans the church was already exploring to offer the same kind of ministry, Warren said. Since both the ACC and FUMC were thinking along these same lines, we decided that we would keep the One Day at a Time Box outside supplied with items and when the box was empty, there could be a sign that directed people to request these personal items inside the church. In order to sustain this project, both FUMC and ACC will collect donations of personal hygiene items (toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, deodorant, tissues, feminine hygiene products, etc.). The first One Day at a Time Box was placed at FUMC under the churchs portico. Last month, the second one was put just outside of Ebenezer Lutheran Church, facing Main Street. Community Support Hower noted that these initial boxes are the first steps to see how the endeavor works. Were experimenting, he said. Moorer added that ACC hopes to expand the effort and place two more boxes in the community this year. Hower, Moorer and Warren encouraged community members to support the project. We would appreciate any donation of items, Hower said. Anyone who would like to contribute to the project may connect with Moorer at ginny.moorer@mountrogers.org or call or text 276-239-0030. Items may also be dropped off at First United Methodist Church or Ebenezer Lutheran Church during business hours. On behalf of Mount Rogers Community Services, Moorer said the agency is grateful for partnerships like this where we work together with caring folks and organizations whose passion is to create connections and work together for the health and well-being of every single person in their community. Washington state and Cowlitz County school leaders are focusing on special education and mental health during the Washington state Legislative session that started last week. Longview Superintendent Dan Zorn said he would like to see some more funding for special education. About 18.2% or 1,133 Longview students last year were eligible for special education services, though state funding for these services cap at 13.5%. Local taxes and federal funds help fill the gap, but Zorn said this Legislature could help raise the ceiling on what it funds. Theres still about 3 or 4% who arent getting those state dollars, Zorn said. Gunnar Guttormsen, Kelso School District student services and assessment director, said during a regional educational legislative forum that students mental health is suffering. Leaders from across the regional Educational Service District, which serves public schools in the Lower Columbia area, met in November to discuss legislative priorities. Guttormsen said elementary students have found it difficult to regulate their emotions, which has sometimes led to violent behavior toward peers and staff. At the secondary level, more students have expressed suicidal ideation and feelings of hopelessness. Its making it difficult for us to provide not only meaningful education for those students but also students around them, Guttormsen said. Lavern Dollarhyde, counselor at Wallace Elementary School, said during the forum that more students need help with anxiety, depression, gender identity, racism and other challenges than before, reinforcing that more counselors in schools are needed. They have really big mental health needs lately, Dollarhyde said. State Superintendent Chris Reykdal has also said helping students access emotional health resources will stay on the top of priorities for the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction during this years legislative session. Included in OSPIs list of priorities is getting students access to mental health resources, student learning recovery and increasing enrollment after about three years of fewer-than-average fulltime students. (The Legislature) invested more resources into this question of student mental health and behavioral health, Reykdal said. They created supports in physical, social and emotional health. These include nurses, counselors, psychologists, student mental health, and theres another wave of that coming. ... More will be needed. WENATCHEE A biologist will talk about the revival of plants and animals on Mount St. Helens and an author will talk about her writing process in separate virtual lectures sponsored by North Central Washington Libraries. Writer and biologist Eric Wagner, author of After the Blast: Mt. St. Helens 40 Years Later, will talk about the mountains revival in the four decades since the May 18, 1980, eruption. Wagners lecture is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Jan. 25 and will include a question-and-answer session. The library is partnering with Humanities Washington for the presentation. Writer Yasmin Ramirez will discuss her memoir, Andale Prieta: A Love Letter to My Family, at 7 p.m. Feb. 9. Ramirez will talk about the story of her family, detail some of her writing process, and the playlist she created to accompany the book. She will be answering questions as well. Her lecture is part of the NCW Virtual Reads series. Registration is required. People can register at the NCW Libraries website, www.ncwlibraries.org. NCW Libraries operates 30 libraries across North-Central Washington, including the libraries in Coulee City, Ehprata, George, Grand Coulee, Mattawa, Moses Lake, Quincy, Royal City, Soap Lake and Warden. When Cheddi Skeete joined Amazon's delivery drone project, it didn't take long before he noticed some things were awry. There wasn't an onboarding process for new employees, he said. There wasn't a bathroom at one of the field sites, leaving the outdoors as the only option during shifts. And there were crashes. Lots of them. Skeete lasted less than two years. He said he was denied promotions and ultimately fired in March after sharing concerns about the program and its crashes internally. Now, almost a year since he was terminated as a program manager, Skeete is suing his former employer in King County Superior Court in Seattle. Through his attorneys, Skeete claims Amazon discriminated against him because he is a Black man and retaliated against him for raising safety concerns about the drone program. "I care deeply about equal opportunity in the workplace, as well as the safety of Amazon's workers and the surrounding communities," Skeete said in a statement. "I hope this lawsuit holds Amazon accountable for the harm to me, but also encourages and forces them to take safety more seriously in developing their drone program." Maria Boschetti, a spokesperson for Amazon, said in a statement Friday "these allegations are false and we look forward to proving that in court." The company declined to answer questions about the specific claims. Back in 2013, Amazon began touting its vision to use autonomous drones to deliver packages up to 5 pounds to customers' homes in less than half an hour. After more than two dozen prototypes, the team Prime Air began piloting deliveries in Lockeford, California, last year. As envisioned by Amazon, customers would place orders for Prime Air-eligible items. Drones would then fly to their backyards, hover, release the package and rise back up. In April 2022, a Bloomberg investigation found the program was beset by technical challenges, high turnover and safety concerns, according to internal documents, government reports and interviews with 13 current and former employees, including Skeete. A crash that June prompted federal regulators to question the drone's airworthiness, Bloomberg wrote. Skeete began working at the team's Pendleton, Oregon, headquarters in June 2020. On his first day, Skeete said he asked if he could develop an onboarding process for new employees, hoping to fill in a gap he noticed immediately. Skeete worked as a flight assistant, which meant he would move and load drones during test flights. Each drone weighed about 80 pounds, measured more than 5 feet across, had up to six motors and multiple bladed fans, according to the lawsuit. Skeete "was shocked to learn about the lack of safety protocols in drone testing," the lawsuit read. In his roughly two years working there, several drones crashed, including one that ignited a 25-acre brush fire. In October 2020, after there were so many crashes that Amazon halted operations, Skeete said the company began checking the motors on the drones, one possible source of the malfunctions. Less than two weeks later, the drones were in the air again. Skeete recalled raising concerns. It wasn't possible to check 180 motors in that amount of time, he said. The following month, another drone crashed, according to the lawsuit. In December, drones malfunctioned and crashed again at sites in Pendleton and Seattle. At the same time, Skeete said, Amazon began restricting employees' access to flight information, videos and pictures. "Leadership decided against transparency," Skeete's lawyers said in court papers. In the field, Skeete also said he pushed management to respond to the lack of bathrooms on another Oregon site, in Corvallis. It took six months to resolve, according to the lawsuit. Meanwhile, Skeete was moving through the ranks of Amazon's internal system, starting as a Level 3 employee and rising to Level 4. Still, he felt he was consistently put at the wrong level and underpaid. Skeete said Amazon told him it could not promote him from L3 to L4; instead, he would need to transfer laterally to get promoted. But, Skeete alleges, white employees made the switch from L3 to L4 without the same stipulation. He again ran into roadblocks securing a promotion from L4 to L5, despite gaining a new title of program manager. Among about 67 Prime Air program managers, Skeete alleges, he was the only L4; all others were L5. Skeete also said he was one of only two Black employees among the Prime Air program managers. Hoping to transfer teams, Skeete said his manager blocked him despite positive reviews and recommendations from other people at the company. Skeete believes those attempts to quash his job search related to the safety and workplace concerns he raised. Skeete attempted to contact human resources three times with complaints of discrimination and retaliation, and to report safety concerns with the drone testing and potential violations of Federal Aviation Administration rules. An HR worker later told Skeete they had "accidentally deleted" some of his complaints. A month later, Amazon told Skeete there was no merit to his complaints, the lawsuit alleges, and fired him the same day. In court, Skeete is seeking lost earnings as well as compensation for legal fees and emotional distress. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Famous Vilnius (Wilno) buildings used in the research. Credit: Electronics (2022). DOI: 10.3390/electronics11213450 Unmanned aerial vehicles, drones, are no longer a surprise to passers-by during events or on a sunny afternoon in the city center. Drones, which have long been used in warfare, are now popular not only with professional and amateur filmmakers but also with researchers. Kaunas University of Technology scientist Rytis Maskeliunas together with a team of researchers from other Lithuanian universities used UAV technology to detect changes in building facades against a crowded city background. With the emergence of digitized cities and digital twins, which makes it possible to observe the various changes in buildings, both external and internal, there are more and more novel opportunities to capture such data. Outdoor image processing is difficult in typical European metropolitan areas due to various obstructions to perspectives such as wires, overhangs, poles, and other parts of a building as well as dynamically changing weather conditions affecting the quality of UAV imagery. A team of researchers, including Rytis Maskeliunas from the Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), Department of Multimedia Engineering, chose to study the facades of buildings in Vilnius Old Town and surrounding areas. "Vilnius is a very unique place architecturally. The city's Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is full of buildings that vary in style, from Gothic church spires to state-of-the-art glass structures," says Andrius Katkevicius professor at the Department of Electronic Systems, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, stressing that this is what motivated them to investigate whether algorithms would be able to work across such a wide range of styles. Such a challenge, according to Maskeliunas, requires the use of smart signal processing solutions based on artificial intelligence to detect identify and classify buildings in the overall background of the city. Separation of area contours with a Canny filter with a threshold value of 0.16 when (a) the sun is shining, (b) overcast. Credit: Electronics (2022). DOI: 10.3390/electronics11213450 Drone assessment of the technical condition of buildings "The facade is the identity of the building, the architectural face that allows the building to be assigned to one or another category or style. Imagine if suddenly part of the facade of an old building in the Old Town was glazed or redecorated in some avant-garde manner. A drone flying by would record such a changeperhaps it is illegal construction or urban blight," says Darius Plonis, professor at the Department of Electronic Systems, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University. As the drone flies through the city and photographs building facades, the data is sent wirelessly to a computing platform that can determine what class of facade a particular building belongs to. Maskeliunas believes that the drone's photographs of the facade could also be used to assess the technical condition of buildings: "Water penetration through seams, cracks in the decor or structure, discolouration of facade elements or potentially even dents in the surfacesall these determine the classification of a building and could potentially allow for a fairly accurate and automated assessment." The Kaunas University of Technology researcher stresses that the parts monitored by the drone can also be analyzed independently of the facade as a whole, and their durability can be assessed by comparing the changes, both by visual inspection and concerning the building's design documentation, construction materials, and the different extent and severity of the damage. An overcrowded city is a challenge According to the researchers, the study aims to detect the boundaries of a building's facade in the face of changing weather and light conditions and to determine its actual style of it based on facade taxonomy. The complexity of the task depends on the shape of the building's facade, the natural conditions and the urban background behind it. "For the algorithm, a congested city is the most difficult task to extract useful information, as buildings in city centers or old towns are very often obscured by various objects such as wires, trees and even festive decorations, and advertisements. Nevertheless, the UAV can collect a detailed, high-quality image of the facade from all angles," the researchers note. Previously, using rudimentary mathematical models, the researchers could only identify buildings with a simple facade structure. In addition, the buildings to be classified had to be separated from each other, i.e. not share any common walls or at least be distinguishable stylistically. According to Maskeliunas, identifying buildings with a similar facade structure poses many problems. "Distance and environmental factors make it difficult to distinguish the contours of facade elements, and false contours can be caused by shadows or reflections, as well as camera angle and lens distortion. Simply extracting the correct shape does not guarantee successful further classification," says the researcher, emphasizing that these are the reasons why artificial intelligence-based signal processing solutions were used in this study. Images of the urban landscape captured by drones can also be used for visual landmarks and to identify defects in historic buildings, and urban heritage sites, or for planning urban development. "This is a very promising technology for monitoring high-rise buildings and apartment blocks, as it is difficult to see the top from the ground," the researchers add. The research is published in the journal Electronics. More information: Rytis Maskeliunas et al, Building Facade Style Classification from UAV Imagery Using a Pareto-Optimized Deep Learning Network, Electronics (2022). DOI: 10.3390/electronics11213450 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Commercial battery cells contain tapelike Scotch tapethat holds electrodes together and chemical decomposition of it creates a molecule leading to self-discharge. Credit: Bram Van Oost/Unsplash It happens far too often: you plug your laptop in and walk away only to return hours or days later to find it has lost some of its charge despite sitting idle and unused. The phenomenoncalled self-dischargehas frustrated users and industry alike, and puzzled manufacturers trying to determine why lithium-ion battery cells tend to lose some of their charge over time. A researcher at Dalhousie has identified a surprisingly common culprit that, if replaced, could address an enduring problem for the industry. "In commercial battery cells there is tapelike Scotch tapethat holds the electrodes together and there is a chemical decomposition of this tape, which creates a molecule that leads to the self-discharge," says Michael Metzger, an assistant professor and the Herzberg-Dahn chair and in the Department of Physics and Atmospheric Science. "In our laboratory we do many highly complex experiments to improve batteries, but this time we discovered a very simple thing It's a very simple thingit is in every plastic bottle and no one would have thought that this has such a huge impact on how the lithium-ion cells degrade." An unexpected discovery Dr. Metzger and his colleagues wanted to understand why lithium-ion battery cells self-discharge. As part of their research, they opened several cells after exposing them to different temperatures. They were stunned to see that the electrolyte solution in the cell was bright red, something they had never seen before. They then began exploring the cause, placing cells with common electrolyte solution into ovens at four different temperatures. One at 25 C remained clear, while the sample at 55 C was light brown and the highest one at 70C was blood red. They did a chemical analysis and looked at the chemical composition of the electrolyte. That's when they found that the polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, in the tape decomposes and creates the molecule that leads to the self-discharge. The molecule is called a redox shuttle because it can travel to the positive side of the electrode, then to the negative side and then back to the positive side. So, it shuttles between the electrodes and that creates the self-discharge, just like lithium is supposed to do. The problem is that the shuttle molecule is doing it all the time in the background, even when no lithium is supposed to move when the battery just sitting there. "It's something we never expected because no one looks at these inactive components, these tapes and plastic foils in the battery cell but it really needs to be considered if you want to limit side reactions in the battery cell," he says of the tape made from PET, a strong, lightweight plastic used widely in packaging and pop bottles. Commercially relevant The researchers outlined their findings in two new papers and are catching the attention of industrial heavyweights seeking ways to improve their batteries' performance. Both papers are published in the Journal of The Electrochemical Society. Dr. Metzger recently visited a company in the States that relies on dependable, long-lasting batteries, and was asked about the tape issue after hearing about Dr. Metzger's novel discovery. "The self-discharge is a super important metric for them," says Dr. Metzger. "One of the engineers said, 'I heard you guys found out something is wrong with PET tape.' So, I explained to him that it's causing this self-discharge and asked him, 'What are you using in your cells?' He said, "PET tape.'" The information could lead to a fix that might involve replacing the PET tape with a more stable material that won't degrade. "It's a commercially relevant discovery. It's a small thing but it can definitely help improve battery cells," he says. More information: Sebastian Buchele et al, Reversible Self-discharge of LFP/Graphite and NMC811/Graphite Cells Originating from Redox Shuttle Generation, Journal of The Electrochemical Society (2023). DOI: 10.1149/1945-7111/acb10c Sebastian Buechele et al, Identification of Redox Shuttle Generated in LFP/Graphite and NMC811/Graphite Cells, Journal of The Electrochemical Society (2022). DOI: 10.1149/1945-7111/acaf44 Journal information: Journal of The Electrochemical Society This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: An electric bus charging on the side of a street in Montreal. Funding public transit is a good way to reduce greenhouse emissions while ensuring economic equality in moving to clean transportation. Credit: Shutterstock Electric vehicles have the potential to address climate change by producing significantly less greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other air pollutants than conventional gasoline-powered vehicles. To promote their use, the Canadian government incentivized the purchase of electric vehicles in 2019, making it easier for Canadians to buy zero-emission vehicles. Yet, high prices continue to be a major barrier. Electric vehicles of all types, even after a decade of being on the market, remain too expensive for most Canadianseven after government incentives. Prices for electric vehicles are increasing despite declining battery costs. The Tesla Model 3 is a classic example. Announced as an affordable car for the everyday person, it's starting price exceeds $60,000. So, while high-income consumers can purchase expensive electric vehicles and acquire virtue-signaling advantages for saving the planet, lower-income consumers are stuck with conventional vehicles that pollute moreif they can afford them at all. Electric vehicles are unaffordable The average electric vehicle buyer in the United States is a middle-aged man with an income exceeding $100,000. This suggests that electric vehicle incentives, totalling about $2.2 billion in Canada, primarily go to the top 16 percent income bracketan already privileged group. In order for lower-income people to benefit, electric vehicle prices need to decline. How can affordability be best addressed? MBA students at the University of Manitoba's I.H. Asper School of Business recently considered this question and reached an unexpected conclusion. Rather than promoting individual electric vehicles for lower-income consumers, the answer appears to lie with having better public transit instead. We carried out a series of cost-benefit analysis calculations to arrive at this conclusion. Electric vehicle incentives Based on statistical trends from Employment and Social Development Canada reports from 2016 and 2021, we calculated that lower-income consumers make up about 10 percent of the populationabout 3.8 million Canadians, or 1.5 million households. The first option for addressing electric vehicle affordability requires the federal government to provide enhanced incentives to low-income electric vehicle consumers. Such incentives would need to bridge the total cost of ownership gapthe purchase cost of the vehicle, plus operating and fuel costsbetween modest new electric cars and modest new conventional cars. The funds to balance the total cost of ownership would be provided by government, hence the economic program cost, with two main benefits: GHG reductions and air quality improvement. By switching from gasoline to electric, GHG reductions average about 4.2 tons per vehicle annually across the country. We used the federal government's social cost of carbon, which reflects future damage costs from releases today. It's important to note that the social cost of carbon is different than current federal fuel charges, which merely provide a price-signal to consumers. We calculate that these reductions would result in a benefit of about $210 annually per vehicle. The reduction of other air pollutants would also improve air quality. This would have positive benefits on human health. A second-generation New Flyer electric transit bus in Winnipeg in February 2017. Credit: Robert Parsons We estimate this option would cost the government about $30 billion. After including benefits, the overall net cost would be about $20 billion. While this approach could overcome excessive electric vehicle prices, it would be a costly policy, especially considering there are other, more affordable options available. Pay as you save programs The second option is similar to an idea already available for home energy efficiency improvements, except applied to electric vehicles. This involves interest-free, pay-as-you-save loans from the federal government for lower-income households. Such a program was proposed in Manitoba in 2017. Loans would cover the entire cost of modest electric vehicles over lifetime, but require consumers to make principal payments and pay for operating costs. Our calculations for this option, however, show an even higher overall net cost of about $35 billion, hence a poor policy choice. The benefits would be the same, but no actual net annual savings would be achieved because of high electric vehicle prices. Lower-income consumers would be left paying more than they can afford. Funding new public transport The last two options involve fully funding additional new transit buses to meet the transportation needs of lower-income households. We estimate that about 30,000 buses are needed nationally. This would triple the number across the country, although in-depth investigation is needed to clarify requirements. Funding new transit buses wouldn't just provide GHG reductions and air quality improvements, but also relieve traffic congestion. It would provide economic savings to households too, because people would not have to pay for cars or gasoline. There are two options for the type of buses the government could fund. The first option involves funding 30,000 new diesel buses across Canada. Based on earlier research, we estimate this option would cost about $20 billion. This would result in an overall net benefit of about $30 billion and would include significant GHG reductions because less cars would be driven. Alternatively, the government could fund 30,000 additional electric and hydrogen fuel cell buses, instead of diesel buses. We calculate this would cost the government about $38 billion with a smaller positive overall net benefit of about $17 billion. Emission reductions would be larger than that for diesel buses, yet our calculations show relatively consistent GHG reduction costs. A transitional approach would be feasiblethe government could start by adding some additional diesel buses now and working to add more zero-emission buses gradually. Net emission reductions and positive economic benefits are achieved across this spectrum. How do we move forward? No matter which approach is chosen, the way forward will come with many difficult challengesoften unexpected. One interesting example is Winnipeg Transit, which discovered they are initially limited to only 100 zero-emission buses due to electrical capacity constraints, beyond which implementation becomes much trickier. We also know public transit was hit especially hard by COVID-19 and is still suffering badly today. Growing public safety concerns are also a severe issue. Public transit needs more governmental assistance to fully recover from the pandemic, but little further direct operational aid has appeared from the federal government. Our results, while preliminary, suggest that public transit is a good way to simultaneously reduce GHG emissions while ensuring economic equality as we move toward clean transportation. Public transit warrants much more attention to help Canada's transportation industry fully recover. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Extent of hydropower development for each country and continent. National developed hydropower as a percentage of full profitable potential. The green areas represent countries in which hydropower development can be continued, the red areas represent countries whose developed hydropower exceeds the full profitable potential and the red hatched areas indicate countries whose developed hydropower exceeds the full feasible potential. The bar charts represent the full feasible, full profitable and developed hydropower (in TWh yr1) of each continent. Credit: Nature Water (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s44221-022-00004-1 Scientists have analyzed data from nearly three million rivers across the globe to identify where hydropower stations could be sited with limited environmental impacts. The analysis identified 124,761 potential locations that met the strict environmental criteria. Of those, 4,644 of the schemes could be run profitably and would be capable of generating an additional 5.27 Petawatt hours of energy per year, equivalent to a fifth of current global electricity use. It identified potential locations initially based on high water flow and a necessary requirement for a hydropower plant to work. Sites that would come with an environmental cost were removed from the list. The criteria for exclusion included instances where communities would have to be displaced, or forest or peatland ecosystems would be disturbed. Areas of significant heritage or biodiversity or where flood risk would be increased or where the construction process would degrade land, were also ruled out along with sites in earthquake-prone areas. Professor Joseph Holden, Director of the water@leeds research group at the University of Leeds and one of the international team of scientists involved in the project, said the research will help redress the negative perceptions of hydropower. He said, "Some hydropower schemes undoubtedly have been environmentally damaging. Our detailed analysis shows there is another side to the story. With careful planning and development, hydropower can make an important contribution to electricity generation. This major piece of work identifies where those sites are in the world. "Hydropower can bring major benefits reducing the demand on coal or gas fired plants which are contributing to climate change." Hydropower can be part of the mix of power generated from renewable resources, providing a source of power when electricity from wind and solar may be reduced because of weather conditions. The study, "A global-scale framework for hydropower development incorporating strict environmental constraints," has been published in the inaugural edition of the scientific journal Nature Water. The study looked at two main hydropower systems: where a dam collects water which is then channeled through a turbine to generate electricity; and diversion, where waterflow is rerouted from the river to power a generating plant further downstream. Just over 80% of the potential power plants would involve dam building. One of the environmental criteria that had to be met was ensuring that altered river flows downstream of dams would not be so excessive that other users and aquatic ecosystems would be severely impacted. Lee Brown, Professor of Aquatic Science at the University of Leeds and one of the study's co-authors, said, "Freshwater ecosystems worldwide host diverse communities of plants and animals, but due to human modifications of the environment this diversity is being lost at faster rates than we see in terrestrial or marine ecosystems. "To avoid further losses and reverse declines, it is vital that where dams are built, they maintain sufficient environmental flows to downstream sections of the river." The analysis argues that small-scale hydropower plants based on the diversion approach could be sited in the Himalayas and Andes where valleys are steep, generating the necessary water pressure required to generate electricity. Meeting electricity demand from hydropower The study found that those countries with the greatest number of potential hydropower sitesMyanmar, Pakistan, Peru, Nepal and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and Laos, could "...fully meet their total current electricity demand" by developing the sites earmarked as potentially profitable. In addition, most African states could substantially meet their electricity demands through expansion of hydropower. Professor Holden added, "The study offers a path to develop more sustainable global hydropower, enabling it to play a larger role in future energy resources while reducing negative impacts on the environment and societies." More information: Rongrong Xu et al, A global-scale framework for hydropower development incorporating strict environmental constraints, Nature Water (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s44221-022-00004-1 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: An overview of intelligent computing based on the fusion of human social space, physicalspace, and information space. Credit: Intelligent Computing (2023). DOI: 10.34133/icomputing.0006 Human society is on the verge of transforming from an information society to an intelligent society, where optimized computing can autonomously solve practical, real-world problems. Critically, this transition is dependent on the continued development of advanced computing theories and algorithms that impart varying degrees of intelligence to computing systems through autonomous perception, information gathering, analysis and reasoningfunctions once reserved only for living organisms. Several of the world's top computing experts recently completed the first comprehensive literature survey of the intelligent computing field, a relatively new discipline dedicated to complex problem solving using artificial intelligence (AI). The review focuses not only on the theory behind intelligent computing, but also the fusion of intelligence and computing and its potential real-world applications. An international team led by Shiqiang Zhu, a professor from the Zhejiang Lab in Hangzhou, China, published the review paper in the journal Intelligent Computing on Jan. 3 to serve as a timely reference for researchers and practitioners and foster further technological and theoretical innovations in the field. Intelligent computing will eventually transition human society from an information to an intelligence era, where advanced computation will facilitate breakthroughs in scientific knowledge and the transition of humanity into a digital and sustainable society. "Intelligent computing targets computational tasks with the minimum cost according to the specific [task requirements], matching adequate computational power, invoking the finest algorithm and obtaining optimal results," said the authors. "Its ultimate goal is to provide universal, efficient, secure, autonomous, reliable and transparent computing services to support large-scale and complex computational tasks." "Various intelligent methods and high-performance computational architectures have been developed independently for years," the authors said. "The biggest hurdle for intelligent computing is the fusion of intelligence abilities and computation capabilities and innovating the paradigm of 'computing by intelligence' and 'computing for intelligence.'" More specifically, AI that uses deep learning, or learning by example, faces major hurdles in interpretability, generality, evolvability and autonomy before it can gain a stronger foothold in society. Most current AI technologies are not as dynamic or integrative as human intelligence and are only capable of performing very specialized tasks. "There are also major theoretical and technical challenges to upgrading from data-based intelligence to a more diverse form of intelligence, including perceptual intelligence, cognitive intelligence, autonomous intelligence and human-machine fusion intelligence, to name a few," the authors said. Researchers will need to further explore the fundamentals of human-like intelligence to better simulate more diverse forms of intelligence through computing. Knowledge, and the way it is created, stored and retrieved must also be better understood to develop more flexible systems that can accommodate data and models that will ultimately lead to self-learning systems capable of independently perceiving the environment. Incredibly, the amount of computing capacity necessary to power AI applications is doubling every 100 days and is predicted to exceed one million times in the next five years. The digitalization of existing processes requires an enormous amount of computational power, and keeping pace with increasing volume requirements will be a continuing challenge. Software and hardware will also need to be designed in parallel to move toward more human-like data processing and facilitate these forms of non-linear, large-scale computing. Despite these hurdles, the field of intelligent computing is at the cusp of forever changing human society. "[Intelligent computing] will provide universal, efficient, secure, autonomous, reliable and transparent computing services to support large-scale and complex computational tasks in today's smart society," the authors said. These researchers and others across the world are developing the new theoretical computing methods, architecture systems and technical capabilities that will usher in an era of digital civilization and interconnect the entire world. More information: Shiqiang Zhu et al, Intelligent Computing: The Latest Advances, Challenges and Future, Intelligent Computing (2023). DOI: 10.34133/icomputing.0006 Provided by Intelligent Computing Legendary track star Usain Bolt is reportedly facing a horrible financial situation. The track phenom, an eight-time Olympic Gold medalist, is bracing to lose millions of dollars. The Gleaner, a Jamaican outlet, reported on the story earlier this week. In it, they wrote, A probe has been launched into millions of dollars reportedly missing from an account belonging to sprint legend Usain Bolt at Jamaican investment firm Stocks and Securities Limited (SSL), the sport stars manager Nugent Walker confirms. The report notes that the investigation is ongoing. A former employee at SSL is reportedly involved in the case also. The Gleaner has learnt that a former employee at SSL has been implicated in a massive fraud at the entity, including the missing sums from Bolts accounts, they wrote. According to The Gleaner report on the situation, discussions have reportedly been going on for two weeks. Abka Fitz-Henley, a Jamaican reporter, added to the situation on Tuesday. Fitz-Henley noted that Bolts lawyers have demanded payment of under $13 million within the next ten days. Fitz-Henley tweeted, The lawyers say theyve been advised that Bolts account has been depleted from just under 13-million USD to just over12-thousand USD. The lawyers say they've been advised that Bolt's account has been depleted from just under 13-million USD to just over 12-thousand USD. The letter from Bolt's lawyers to SSL was copied to several officials including Finance Minister Nigel Clarke and Prime Minister Holness. Abka Fitz-Henley (@AbkaFitzHenley) January 17, 2023 This is obviously a terrible situation for the celebrated track star to be dealing with. For his sake, that all gets touched up quickly. [The Gleaner, Abka Fitz-Henley] A child holds an anti-war sign during a rally at Times Square in New York, the United States, Jan. 14, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua] In 2023, will U.S.-China relations deteriorate further in the face of the never-ending militarization of U.S. foreign policy? Washington's military spending is increased substantially by the latest National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed late last year. President Barack Obama back in 2012 announced the "Pivot" to Asia policy. The policy to contain China's rise had been a bipartisan foreign policy consensus since 2005. Almost two decades later, Washington's crusade against China continues. Cold War mentality drives NDAA spending The NDAA embodies the Cold War mentality that seems to permanently drive U.S. policy. It is no surprise that the legislation places additional emphasis on containing China. Using China's Taiwan island as a pretext for increased U.S. military presence in the eastern Pacific is not new. But today it seems to have risen to a fever pitch in Washington. The NDAA calls for spending over $800 billion on defense. The legislation authorizes $45 billion more than the White House requested in order to better confront China. Confronting China with U.S. military power is seen by strategists as a way to "deter" China from unifying Taiwan island by force and expanding in the Asia-Pacific region. During the Cold War, the U.S. policy of containment was designed to box in the Eurasian landmass. That meant confronting Russia in Europe and confronting China in Asia. The present NATO war in Europe using Ukraine as a proxy against Russia serves containment and is designed to "weaken" Russia. What is in store for Asia? Washington's Asia policy today continues old Cold War strategy. The geopolitical objective to contain China and to blunt its rise remains in place. China's Taiwan island is the flashpoint. The U.S. Congress appears to be in a state of delusion and hysteria. The Ukraine crisis demonstrates that. Will a similar crisis be avoided in the Asia-Pacific? Key measures in NDAA The NDAA contains a number of key measures directed against China. Blocking China's economic development and technology is part and parcel of U.S. containment strategy. Expanding and modernizing the U.S. Navy and adopting Cold War strategic concepts to confront China are part and parcel of the legislation. On the technology front, restrictions on semiconductors, for example, have received much attention in recent months. The Biden administration continues to build significantly on the Trump administration's trade war and tech war. The idea is to deny China access to advanced semiconductor manufacturing technology thereby limiting China's ability to make the most sophisticated chips. China, however, already has a substantial semiconductor capability at most levels. Although China, for now, is short of the very top level semiconductor design and manufacturing capability, this is not a long term problem. Logically, Chinese investment in this sector will lead to new technology and create growing job opportunities in the field. Certainly, China's science, technology, engineering, and math education system will overcome present day problems in this sector. To add weight to the U.S. pivot to Asia, plans for increasing the U.S. Navy are being developed. Congress paid special attention to the modernization and expansion of the U.S. Navy in the NDAA. Various programs such as the "Pacific Deterrence Initiative" are being continued and strengthened. The NDAA contains funding for a variety of Taiwan related actions. For example, the "Taiwan Enhanced Resiliency Act" (TERA) contained in the legislation provides major new funding for Taiwan. It is an update of the former "Taiwan Policy Act." For the first time, however, Congress is funding a specific defense modernization program for Taiwan. Over $10 billion is authorized to modernize Taiwan's military capabilities. Over the next five years, this funding is planned for Foreign Military Financing Grants (FMF) and additional defense related loan guarantees are also provided for. The legislation also includes funding for information warfare operations against China and support for Taiwan in international organizations. U.S. information warfare operations will be strengthened and directed against "disinformation, cyberattacks, and propaganda by the PRC." Reflecting Washington's increasing anxiety about China, the NDAA directs the Executive Branch to provide Congress with new assessments on China's nuclear threat and also on how the Ukraine crisis affects China's policy on Taiwan island. The NDAA contains funding for programs similar to the old Cold War "Assault Breaker" program designed to block a Soviet invasion of Western Europe. The concept today which is directed against China appears to include long-range sensors and bombers with smart weapons designed to find and destroy targets such as tanks, ships, and various other systems. Details of such an Assault Breaker II program will no doubt emerge in the coming months. Congressional investigations planned Congress is expected to intensify its anti-China activity in the new Congress. Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), promised to create a new special "Select Committee" to focus on investigating China as a national security threat. Of course, both the U.S. House and Senate already have Standing Committees on Foreign Relations, Defense, and Intelligence. So, there is no real need for a new committee when these other standing committees exist and have appropriate jurisdiction as well as investigative and oversight capabilities. Nonetheless, this new select committee will be used for political grandstanding on China policy. This will stir the pot further in Congress over China. It would seem likely that such a committee filled with hawks will have a negative influence on U.S.-China relations. U.S. imperial overstretch A more hawkish Congress combined with an already hawkish Biden administration points to some rough sailing in U.S.-China relations over the next two years. But is Washington losing its grip on its far-flung empire? If so, what are the consequences for U.S.-China relations? Although "the rise and fall" of empires is a schoolboy commonplace, this aspect of international situation does bear watching in the period ahead. Back in the early 1990s, academics debated the meaning of the dissolution of the Soviet Union and its implications. Some argued that the U.S. should take advantage of the situation by preparing for the eventual emergence of a multi-polar world. Others argued that the U.S. should pursue a policy of hegemony in a "unipolar world." The U.S. Establishment chose to pursue a policy of hegemony. That decision three decades ago continues to determine U.S. foreign policy and includes its military, diplomatic, economic, and information elements. But for how much longer can the United States in relative decline maintain such a policy? Looking back on Western history, the decline of various past empires such as those of Athens, Rome, Portugal, Spain, Netherlands, France, Britain offer some lessons. There are lessons from ancient China, India, and Persia as well. So far, the politicians in Washington seem to be oblivious not only to history but also to the present international situation. A combination of hubris and ignorance may explain the phenomenon of America's imperial overstretch and the inability of its leaders to chart a positive and sustainable future. Washington must wake up to the trend of the times and the desire of the international community for peace and development. Failing that, the U.S. today focused on hegemony is playing a losing hand with inevitable consequences for its foreign relations including relations with China. Dr. Clifford A Kiracofe is president of the Washington Institute for Peace and Development and former senior professional staff member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. The world was gripped on Tuesday by a police chase that involved a John Deere tractor. Down in Boone, North Carolina, police were dispatched and pursued the John Deere tractor in the area of Highway 421. According to Watauga Online, The chase began in Boone during the 9 am hour, in the area o Highway 421 in the city limits. The tractor driver reportedly hit at least two vehicles and pushed a dumpster into a church building, according to scanner dispatches at the time. Spike strips were installed on the highway and after the tractor drove over them, police shot out the tractors back right tire. But the story doesnt end there. At that point, the driver then turned around in a yard, rammed an LEO car, and then proceeded back onto old 421, then turned onto Elk Creek Road, the article wrote. Law enforcement noted at the time that sparks from the flat tires were causing damage to the roadway and the tractor was still traveling in the middle of the road. Later, The tractor driver fled on foot and was caught in the 4600 block of Elk Creek Road, according to scanner dispatches at the time. A hilariously ridiculous video of the chase was provided on Twitter, by way of TikTok user @mr.dangerousone. There was a police chase this morning in Boone involving a John Deere tractor that lasted for more than an hour and topped out at 20 mph and YES THERE IS VIDEO https://t.co/IFZxSZNR2i pic.twitter.com/GAIlzEkfvP Jeremy Markovich (@deftlyinane) January 17, 2023 Said video led to some hilarious reactions. Im really surprised this wasnt Northern Michigan, wrote Angie McCullagh. I'm really surprised this wasn't Northern Michigan. https://t.co/MquGTo86jB Angie McCullagh (@AngieHiSeattle) January 17, 2023 When AMB and Bojangles collab on a sweet tea booze, tweeted Front Rowe Joe. When AMB and Bojangles collab on sweet tea booze https://t.co/3gRgSvT2k1 Front Row Joe (@rhunterphillips) January 17, 2023 Amazing. True rural action. This will go down in town history, wrote Flannery. Amazing. True rural action. This will go down in town history. https://t.co/u1HHoc5Hw7 Flannery (@soflantastic) January 17, 2023 For too long those driving tractors have thought they were above the law, tweeted SeenRockCity. For too long those driving tractors have thought they were above the law https://t.co/e6fywcL1mp SeenRockCity (@SeenRockCity) January 17, 2023 Chick Jacobs tweeted, I assume tractor guy was swerving to warm up the tires ala NASCAR during a yellow flag? I assume tractor guy was swerving to warm up the tires ala NASCAR during a yellow flag? https://t.co/1VDFPFL215 Chick Jacobs (@NCWeatherhound) January 17, 2023 Dudes rock, wrote Jack. Nathan Deal tweeted, Everyones done this on GTA V but man the cojones it takes to actually try this for real Everyones done this on GTA V but man the cojones it takes to actually try this for real https://t.co/Ev60JB6ePR Nathan Deal (@NattyD13) January 17, 2023 [Watauga Online] Finding funding for instructional materials something that has historically been done by the state has become a difficult task for Texas school districts. During their board workshop last Monday, the Bryan school district board of trustees unanimously approved a purchasing agreement of over $50,000 to be used on kindergarten through fifth grade ELAR/SLAR instructional materials. While a similar agreement was approved by the board in 2019, Barbara Ybarra, the associate superintendent of teaching and learning, said circumstances have changed. Instructional materials are typically and historically purchased by the state of Texas for all school districts, Ybarra said. It is a separate fund outside of the districts local budget and so in 2019 we came to the board seeking approval of the teachers request to move forward with [Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company] for our [English Language Arts] instructional materials. With the establishment of the Instructional Materials Allotment [ILA], the district has been called to make arrangements with vendors rather than telling the Texas Education Agency what materials are needed. While thats wonderful and it blends instructional materials along with technology, it has been lacking in full funding, Ybarra said. As we come to these adoptions now, the district has money at the state where we have to discern which vendor will we go, with whats approved by TEA and how many copies digital and print will we purchase? Eight-year agreements were once typical, but the state has begun pushing for 10- and 12-year cycles. With a commitment to being respectful of taxpayer dollars, Ybarra said the district does not want to purchase eight years of print materials that will sit on a shelf unused. The good news is the teachers adore these materials, and they use them all of the time, Ybarra said. She added that ELA is typically the most expensive adoption, and when the board approved it, it was considering sixth through eighth grades. This led the district to move forward with an eight-year digital agreement adoption, as well as four years of print materials. Now that the district is being tasked with paying for the print materials, the lack of state funding has become a larger issue. Unfortunately, the Instructional Materials Allotment has been dwindling with each biennium and weve gotten fewer and fewer funds from the state to fund all of the proclamations as well as the technology purchases, Ybarra said. Specifically, this last biennium, it was severely cut and it was not funded to the extent that we have seen ever. This means that many districts have to use local dollars to cover these purchases that were previously covered by the state. To add to it, multiyear contracts cannot be made with federal funding. Ybarra said the district worked with its vendor, HMH, which said it is hearing this same complaint from multiple districts across the state. Therefore, the company agreed to a four-year plan, but it must be billed annually to leverage federal funding such as the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief [ESSER] fund. ELA/R Elementary Coordinator Charlene Muehlstein worked with teachers and campus administrators to refine the quotes to ensure there was not any excess, Ybarra said. After going back and forth with HMH, they agreed to a four-year contract totaling $779,076.12, with $194,769.03 to be paid annually. The first year [due Feb. 26, 2023] will be funded from ESSER II with the second payment [due Oct. 1, 2024] coming from ESSER III. From there, the district will know whether more state funding has come across or if it needs to seek funds elsewhere. At that point, we are very optimistic and hopeful that we will see an increase in funding in the IMA, and perhaps we can return to that, Ybarra said. If not, we can set aside funds in Title I and State Comp-Ed [Compensatory Education] to cover the expenditures for the two additional years. When board member Leo Gonzalez II posed questions regarding the amount of money these instructional materials cost, Ybarra and Superintendent Ginger Carrabine put him at ease by stating that the cost is typical, but paying for the materials has become an issue across the state. To remind you, when we talked about legislative priorities and funding sources and school finance and all the cuts, IMA is a line item for every school district right now; were all having this conversation right now, Carrabine said. Theyve simply cut us so severely that everyones struggling to purchase instructional materials. Board Vice President Deidra Davis echoed this sentiment. Its very depressing or sad just thinking about the funding that was cut, but the encouraging side is that this is heavily utilized by our students, and the teachers love it, Davis said. Ybarra agreed with Davis, stating that is the saving grace where funding is concerned. GALLERY: 27th Annual MLK, Jr. Freedom March & Program A white male Texan who was rejected by six Texas medical schools filed a class-action lawsuit Tuesday claiming that they illegally consider race and sex during admissions because they accepted Black, Hispanic and female students whose academic credentials were inferior to those of white or Asian applicants. Plaintiff George Stewart filed the lawsuit against Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, the University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, as well as their presidents, medical school deans and admissions officers. The lawsuit comes as the conservative majority in the U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to roll back policies that allow race to be considered in college admissions in two cases argued before the court last fall. The court is expected to rule on those cases this spring. Those lawsuits were brought to the high court by the affirmative-action opponent group Students for Fair Admissions, a nonprofit led by Edward Blum. Blum played a key role in the legal challenge to UT-Austins admissions policy, which UT-Austin ultimately won. Now, the group is seeking to overturn Grutter v. Bollinger, a 2003 Supreme Court ruling that upheld U.S. colleges ability to consider race in admissions in certain cases. In the new lawsuit against Texas medical schools, filed in U.S. District Court in Lubbock, Stewart is represented by America First Legal, a group created by Stephen Miller, a former policy adviser to former President Donald Trump, and Jonathan Mitchell, a former solicitor general for Texas and the legal architect of the states six-week abortion ban. Stewarts lawsuit alleges that the admissions practices at the six medical schools violate the U.S. Constitution, including the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. According to the lawsuit, Stewart graduated from UT-Austin with a 3.96 grade point average and a biology degree. He scored a 511 out of a possible 528 on the exam required for admission, known as the MCAT, and spent two years applying to medical schools. After he was rejected by the schools, Stewart filed an open-records request to obtain admissions data for each school, which included the race, sex, GPA and MCAT score of every applicant who applied for the 2021-22 school year. The lawsuit says that according to an analysis of the data, the median and mean GPAs and MCAT scores of Black and Hispanic students were lower than those of white and Asian students. The lawsuit also says the data shows that accepted female students had lower MCAT scores than male students. The data demonstrate that each of the defendant medical schools is providing admissions preferences to female, black, and Hispanic applicants while unlawfully discriminating against whites, Asians, and men in admissions decisions, the lawsuit alleges. It also points to a policy at the John Sealy School of Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston that says the admissions committee seeks to admit qualified applicants who are underrepresented in medicine and economically disadvantaged. A spokesperson for the University of Texas System declined to comment on the lawsuit. A Texas Tech University System spokesperson said the system had not yet been served with the lawsuit and does not comment on pending litigation. The lawsuit states that Stewart is able and ready to reapply to each of the medical schools, but current policies prevent him from competing on equal terms with other applicants. Stewart is asking the court to prohibit the medical schools from considering race or sex in student admissions and would require the schools to choose applicants in a color-bind and sex-neutral manner. Its the second lawsuit filed against a Texas university by an individual represented by the group as it tries to chip away at affirmative action, which Miller called an illegal equity polic[y] in a statement. In September, a UT-Austin professor represented by America First Legal filed a class-action lawsuit against Texas A&M University, alleging a new faculty fellowship program discriminated against white and Asian applicants. In December, university lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, stating that the professors arguments were hypothetical because the professor never applied for the program and noting that he filed the lawsuit against the wrong entities. The professor, Richard Lowery, dismissed the claims against the university system three weeks later and filed an amended complaint against Texas A&M University, President Kathy Banks, Alan Sams, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, Vice President for Diversity Annie McGowan and Vice President for Faculty Affairs N.K. Anand. New York Mayor Eric Adams repeated calls for federal support for the citys migrant crisis and said he wants to unify his counterparts across the country during a weekend trip to El Paso, Texas. After a day of meetings with local officials and asylum-seekers which were entirely closed to the press Adams repeated recent statements saying New York is at a breaking point. New York cannot take more. We cant, he said Sunday while discussing the recent influx in arrivals. The city saw 3,100 asylum-seekers during the seven days ending last Wednesday, according to the mayor. This is a national problem, Adams said at a press conference alongside El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser. We must have real immigration reform and we must immediately have a short-term fix of making sure that the cost of this does not fall on our cities. With other localities around the country sending migrants to the Big Apple, the citys shelter and emergency housing population could surpass 100,000 in the coming weeks, Adams warned Friday. He put the cost to city taxpayers at up to $2 billion. The federal government should pick up the entire cost of what El Paso is going through and all of the other municipalities, he said. Adams flew to the Texas city on Saturday for a trip that included stops at a local shelter, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing facility and a section of the notorious wall on the border with Mexico, according to the mayors press office. His press secretary tweeted a video of Adams chatting with a group of asylum-seekers, drawing their applause. Outside Sacred Heart Church, asylum-seekers overwhelmingly raise their hands to tell @NYCMayor they want to work, spokesman Fabien Levy posted. Mayor Adams has been calling on the federal government to expedite work authorization for asylum-seekers since last year. Adams promised to make immigration a top priority at the U.S. Conference of Mayors this week in Washington, D.C. This has fallen on our cities, he said. And I am now going to coordinate my mayors across the entire country to say, How do we respond to this directly? He also lashed out at the governors of Colorado and Texas, who have been sending migrants to New York and other big cities. I think they had a bipartisan disrespect for the cities. It was wrong and should not happen and should not continue to happen, Adams said. In the short term, the Federal Emergency Management Agency needs to step in, he said. There should be one coordinator to coordinate everything that is happening dealing with migrants and asylum-seekers in our country, he added. After meeting with people who recently crossed over the southern border, the mayor said some are getting the wrong idea about New York. There are websites that are advertising New York City, basically the streets are paved with gold, he said. Theres a conversation among those who are asylum-seekers and migrants who are given the false impression that if you come to New York City, everything is fine. We have to give people adequate information. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe BLACKSBURG Breakthroughs in bioplastics could help break down two of the worlds most pressing problems at once, says a Virginia Tech professor researching to improve production of food-based, cost-effective, decomposable plastic. At Virginia Tech, Zhiwu Drew Wang is director of the Center for Applied Water Research and Innovation, and assistant professor for the Department of Biological Systems Engineering. People already know a lot about the food waste problem, and they should also know a lot about the plastic problem, he said. But, Usually, people dont see the correlation between food waste and plastic waste. In a specially designed lab, Wang is readying to upscale production of PHA-based bioplastic, repurposing waste food scraps. Its funded by a $2.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and is a continuation of earlier grant-paid bioplastic research, he said. I can convert food waste to plastic, Wang said. These two individual, separate problems can be addressed in this one technology, all together. Having already completed lab-scale studies of bioplastic production at Virginia Tech for the U.S. Department of Energy, Wang is now tasked by the USDA to upscale the process and bring it closer to real-world uses. There is a trend in the U.S. that universities should not only publish papers, Wang said. They should also develop technology that can be useful. Useful, thats the key word. Uses for bioplastic are as wide-ranging as for regular plastic, but with the added benefit of lowering fossil fuel usage, and reducing trash that ends up in landfills or as litter, he said. Our current plastic, part of that goes to the landfill, the rest goes to the ocean, Wang said. Plastic is non-biodegradable, so it will stay in the landfill or in the ocean for hundreds of years. But bioplastic is biodegradable, which means bacteria and other natural organisms can break it down into simpler, further-decaying components. In fact, bacteria is key to making PHA bioplastic, Wang said. Its as simple as that: grow the fat in the bacteria by using the food waste as the bacterias food, and then kill the bacteria to recover their fat, he said. Then process those fats into whatever bioplastic product I will want. For example, packaging film, thats a flexible plastic. He said all food waste whether it comes from a restaurant, home kitchen, processing company or even a slaughterhouse contains three main components: fat, carbohydrates and protein. Whatever food waste comes in, we separate them into those three factions, Yang said. And now we use three types of microbial communities to take care of them individually. At an on-campus lab created just for this project, Wang and student researchers will sort food waste by the truckload. Usually a university doesnt have a lab for pilot-scale studies, Wang said. Pilot-scale means its almost full-scale production. Its like a factory, rather than like a lab. The product extracted from those fat, carb and protein-munching bacteria are PHAs, or Polyhydroxyalkanoates. Its a type of biopolymer, he said. Most bioplastics are biodegradable in a landfill, Wang said. But PHA is the only bioplastic that is biodegradable in the ocean, so thats one advantage of this type of bioplastic. For Wang, its not a question of whether the bioplastic production process works, but to what extent can he successfully scale up the operation? And how cost-effective is the technology at scale? If I say I want to replace the fossil fuel-powered plastic, it might be too ambitious, Wang said. By now at least I can say We have the confidence that our technology can out-compete other bioplastic technology. Electric cars, solar panels and bioplastics face similar challenges, he said. Newer, more environmentally sustainable technologies tend to be more expensive than traditionally established products that use fossil fuels. Its still hard for bioplastic to compete with the fossil plastic in terms of cost, Wang said. But many big companies, they want to have a much better public image, so they hope they can pay a little bit more money to use the bioplastic. Bioplastic research at Virginia Tech is one of three projects selected by the USDA to help develop new bioproducts from agricultural commodities, said Jewel Bronaugh, USDA deputy secretary of agriculture. Its going to help us do this on a bigger platform, Bronaugh said. These particular projects all have an environmental justice component that we feel is really important. For bioplastics connection to environmental justice, she said waste management facilities are usually located in underserved communities. Its certainly exciting for this opportunity to be going to Virginia Tech, Bronaugh said. The research theyre trying to do with their project is going to create potential opportunities in rural communities and underserved communities. Bioplastic fits into the idea of a circular economy, Bronaugh said. A circular economy emphasizes extending the lifespan of materials for as long as possible, different from current linear economies throwing so much away into landfills. By that, we mean that we dont just pull resources out of rural communities, Bronaugh said. Were not just harvesting and consuming, but were regenerating in a sustainable manner the opportunities for new product development, new research and new economic development in rural communities. Meanwhile at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a different pilot project is upscaling a process to convert swine manure into binding material for asphalt. Its another example of changing the narrative on what constitutes waste, said Wang at Virginia Tech. The new direction for cleaning waste is to turn the waste into something valuable, thats the circular economy, Wang said. If everybody thinks waste is also a resource, then the world will become much better. Olympic gold medalist Tommie Smith, who famously raised his fist at the 1968 Summer Olympics to protest racism, highlights this year's MLK Week at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Smith will deliver a keynote address during the MLK Commemorative Celebration at 6 p.m. on Jan. 25 in the Nebraska Union's Centennial Room on UNL's City Campus. Smith took gold in the 200-meter sprint at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico, but he's perhaps better known for what happened after the race. As the national anthem played during the medal ceremony, Smith and bronze medalist John Carlos raised their gloved fists to protest injustice against Black people in the U.S. The symbolic gesture thrust Smith into the spotlight as a human rights advocate. We wanted to offer a speaker who has reflected the ideals of human rights, activism and its connection to a platform that allows for visibility and collective impact," Nkenge Friday, senior assistant vice chancellor for strategic initiatives at UNL and chair of the MLK Week committee, said in a news release. Those interested are asked to register by Jan. 20 at mlkweek.unl.edu. UNL's annual MLK Week will honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with a number of events Jan. 23-28. On Jan. 28, Cheryl Brown Henderson will deliver a keynote address at the annual MLK Banquet at 6 p.m. at the student union on UNL's East Campus. Henderson is the daughter of Oliver Brown, the namesake of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, which established racial segregation in schools as unconstitutional. YORK Brandon Cruz, 21, of York, has received a plea agreement in a case where he was accused of threatening fellow migrant workers with a gun at their place of residence. Cruz appeared in York County District Court this past week for a hearing to include his change of plea. According to court documents, in late November, the York Police Department received a call that Cruz was involved in an altercation where he verbally threatened to kill and (mess) up several of the residents living in the migrant workers dwelling in the 2100 Block of North Division Avenue. Seven separate witnesses reported Cruz left and returned to the dwelling with a black handgun and was waiving it around and pointing it, saying, Dont think I wont kill you and Im going to (mess) yall up along with a steady flow of other threats. Court documents indicate officers searched Cruz and his vehicle and could not locate the described handgun. Cruz denied having the gun and gave an account contrary to witness statements. Witnesses that live in the dwelling were suffering enough emotional distress from the threats made by Cruz that they packed up their belongings and all went to a motel for the night because they did not feel safe to stay in their dwelling, even after Cruz had been arrested. Initially, Cruz was charged with two counts of terroristic threats, both Class 3A felonies which carried a possible maximum sentence of three years in prison with 18 months of post-release supervision. Following the plea agreement, the charges were amended to two counts of third degree assault, which are Class 1 misdemeanors that carry possible maximum sentences of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Cruz pleaded no contest to the amended charges. Sentencing has been set for March 13. China's rural areas strengthen COVID response as Spring Festival draws near Xinhua) 08:21, January 17, 2023 *With Spring Festival around the corner, China's vast rural areas are making all-out efforts to counter potential challenges in COVID-19 control as people return to their hometowns. *An optimized COVID response has brought about the busiest travel rush in three years, with 2.1 billion passenger trips expected to be made from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15, according to the Ministry of Transport. *A slew of measures has been implemented and resources have been mobilized to ensure that long-awaited family reunions are joyful and safe. HEFEI, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- With Spring Festival around the corner, China's vast rural areas are making all-out efforts to counter potential challenges in COVID-19 control as people return to their hometowns. A slew of measures has been implemented and resources have been mobilized to prevent infections and strengthen medical capacities across the countryside to ensure that long-awaited family reunions are joyful and safe. CURBING VIRUS SPREAD This year's Spring Festival, or Lunar New Year, falls on Jan. 22. An optimized COVID response has brought about the busiest travel rush in three years, with 2.1 billion passenger trips expected to be made from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15, according to the Ministry of Transport. With regards to COVID containment amid mass migration, a rural response task force under the State Council issued a letter to rural residents in early January, calling for improved health and hygiene awareness, reduced gatherings, among others, during the holiday. Doctor Dong Xiuqin (R) hands over a health kit to villagers in Lingzishang Village of Fengnan District, Tangshan, north China's Hebei Province, Jan. 11, 2023. (Xinhua/Mu Yu) Shouxian County in east China's Anhui Province expects to see approximately 220,000 people return home, many from densely populated regions such as Shanghai and Zhejiang, where infections have already peaked. In order to keep the virus away from high-risk groups, "we suggest that people returning home take personal protection measures on their journeys, reduce contact with the elderly and children, and avoid crowds in rural areas," said Ma Keyi, an official with the county's health commission. The county government has also advised people to register with their villages or communities after their arrival, so that local doctors are able to provide timely medical services if needed. BOOSTING RURAL MEDICAL SUPPLIES China has made rural areas a focal point in the country's current COVID response, with priority given to the supply of medicines. The State Council inter-agency task force for COVID-19 response has established a system for coordinating the supply of drugs and other key medical supplies on a daily basis, said Nie Chunlei, an official from the National Health Commission (NHC). He also noted that competent government departments have rolled out policies to help relevant enterprises expand their capacities, accelerate drug production, and better coordinate supply and demand. "We are working at full steam to guarantee the medicine demand of primary-level medical institutions, especially township health centers," said Zhao Tianshan from Longxi Efong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, which specializes in producing TCM formula granules in northwest China's Gansu Province. At a press conference on Saturday, NHC official Jiao Yahui said that monitoring has shown that supplies of drugs in township health centers have seen continuous improvement. Employees pack medicines at a pharmaceutical company in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Jan. 4, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao) Grassroots medical institutions are now also better equipped. A total of 1.17 million finger pulse oximeters have been distributed to village clinics across the country, according to Jiao. In Shouxian County in Anhui, every village clinic has received two finger pulse oximeters, which help doctors identify severe COVID-19 cases at an early stage. And 56 oxygen generators and 243 oxygen tanks have been distributed to the county's 25 township health centers. STRENGTHENING GRASSROOTS MEDICAL CAPACITY In the COVID fight, grassroots health workers and institutions have played vital roles in providing timely, convenient and tiered medical services in rural areas. Village doctor Tao Junhong, 26, has won the hearts and trust of residents of Dadi Village in Puding County, southwest China's Guizhou Province. He is often affectionately referred to as the village's "Little Doctor." "Our 'Little Doctor' often pays home visits to resolve our health problems, and he helps me take care of my husband, who suffered a stroke years ago," said Wang Jingzhen, whose 71-year-old husband has just recovered from a fever and coughing. Ambulances and transfer vehicles park outside a health service center in Shouchun Town of Shouxian County, Huainan, east China's Anhui Province, Jan. 14, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Fangqiang) For over a month, the Puding County People's Hospital has been sending a four-person roving medical team to visit township health centers and village clinics, where they determine local medical treatment needs and offer support. Central health authorities have ordered counties and townships to prepare standby vehicles to transport severe patients to upper-level hospitals as quickly as possible. In Anhui's Shouxian County, about 50 standby vehicles have been mobilized. "I have a van, so I help transport patients when all the ambulances are busy. I have made over 50 trips since mid-December," said Zhang Wu, who signed a contract with the local government that will last until May. To brace for a potential wave of infections, Shouxian has recently added 1,055 hospital beds to its medical system. About 61 percent of the county's approximately 4,000 hospital beds are currently occupied, according to the Shouxian health commission. Nationwide, tier-three hospitals in urban areas have been directed to establish 24-hour telemedicine service connections with county hospitals. Tier-three hospitals rank at the top of China's hospital grading system. These hospitals have also been ordered to dispatch medical personnel to county hospitals to assist during special periods, including the Spring Festival holiday, according to Jiao from the NHC. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) China and Arab states are all developing countries. Combined, they account for one-sixth of the world's land mass, one-fourth of the world's population, and one-eighth of the world economy. Therefore, they face the shared mission and responsibility of advancing global cooperation and development. Arab states are standing at a historical crossroads. Internationally, long-time interference by Western countries in their regional affairs has deprived them of many development opportunities. Domestically, fragile economic structures and social turbulences have plunged the states into economic distress. The average GDP growth of economies in the Middle East was around 4.1 percent in 2021, below the global average for that year. Countries in the region face mounting pressure to recover their economies and ensure people's livelihoods. For China, it is confronted with serious external challenges and risks in its new journey of building a great modern socialist country in all respects. China's economy faces great headwinds as the United States adopts a policy of strategic competition toward China, the world economy is fluctuating, and the COVID-19 continues wreaking havoc around the world. During his visits to Kazakhstan and Indonesia in September and October 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward initiatives that later developed into the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). When addressing the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2021, he proposed the Global Development Initiative (GDI). BRI and GDI are a continuity of his conception of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and offer possible solutions to the difficulties facing humanity. Arab states have actively supported and participated in these initiatives proposed by China. By early 2022, 20 of them had signed agreements on cooperation with China under the BRI, aligning the initiative with their national development plans, such as vision 2030 plans of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain, Jordan 2025, Algeria's Vision 2035, Morocco's Mohammed VI Tangier Tech City Project, and Iraq's reconstruction list of 157 projects. Marked progress has since been made in Sino-Arab cooperation in the fields of financial connectivity, nuclear energy, new energy, and aerospace, and in the development of a Health Silk Road. In support of the GDI, multiple Arab states have joined the Group of Friends of the GDI. On May 10, 2022, the China-Arab Friendship Organization Dialogue, co-hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the Federation of Arab-China Friendship Associations, adopted a declaration, calling for parties concerned to act on the GDI, safeguard world peace with practical actions, and uphold the common interests of the Chinese and Arab peoples. China and Arab states have maintained a long tradition of supporting each other on development issues. Back in December 1963, the then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai proposed the five principles underpinning China's relations with African and Arab countries during a visit to the then United Arab Republic, a sovereign state in the Middle East from 1958 to 1971. In the new era, the two sides should follow the guidance of the GDI to enhance cooperation, advance common development, and build a Sino-Arab community of a shared future. Three areas should be prioritized. The first is economic cooperation. China and Arab partners should implement the GDI in the Arab region and advance high-quality cooperation under the BRI. For cooperation on industrial capacity, China should increase greenfield investment to help promote industrialization in the Middle East and increase local employment. For example, China can combine its technological strength in the photovoltaic industry with that of Arab states in cost, and increase production in the region. More efforts should be made to advance negotiations for free trade agreements with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and individual Arab states. The agreements, after being signed, will enhance trade facilitation between China and Arab states, particularly in non-energy sectors. Once established, the China-GCC Free Trade Zone will make RMB-denominated oil pricing a reality and advance the process of internationalization of the Chinese currency. With oil exports settled in RMB and foreign direct investment in China by overseas capitals in RMB, China and the GCC will be able to conduct cooperation across the petroleum industrial chain. The second is sci-tech cooperation. China and Arab states should seize the opportunities brought by the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation to narrow the technology gap. According to a report published by the U.S.-based Institute for Scientific Information, between 1980 and 2019, the Middle East's share in Web of Science indexed articles rose from two percent to eight percent, with half coming from researchers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, and the United Arab Emirates. Meanwhile, China's share soared from shy of one percent to 25 percent. With such remarkable progress in science and technology on both sides, China and Arab states should step up technology transfer and innovation cooperation under the Belt and Road Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation Action Plan and the Sino-Arab science and technology partnership program. These efforts can span the fields of information technology, modern agriculture, smart manufacturing, environmental protection, and especially digital economy. The third is about exchanges of experience in state governance. China and Arab states should intensify exchanges of expertise and experience in national development. A key reason why developing countries have been lagging behind in development is their lack of independence in terms of institutions, education, and science and technology. Without a development path fit for local conditions, many countries have long been entangled in the vicious cycle of political unrest, social upheaval, and economic debacle. In general, developing countries are weak in sci-tech innovation, and have to rely on foreign brains for progress. Exchanges among these countries are, therefore, of special importance for advancing South-South cooperation and accomplishing the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. When addressing the High-level Dialogue on Global Development on June 24, 2022, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China would set up a platform for experience and knowledge sharing on international development, a global development promotion center, and a global knowledge network for development, for the purpose of exchanging experience in state governance. China and Arab states have both garnered extensive development experience from their respective time-honored history. China is the world's largest developing country. With its own development, China offers peer developing countries with an alternative path to modernization, and has attracted great attention from other members of the developing world, including those in Arab regions. China is ready to share its governance experience with all other developing countries. It also values the experience of Arab states. For example, China can learn from Dubai's experience in running its free trade zone. In summary, to thrive in a world that is undergoing changes not seen in a century, China and Arab states must enhance solidarity and collaboration, set a good example for South-South cooperation, and make more contributions to human progress and prosperity. Wang Jian is director of the Institute of International Relations, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. Building Access Control BadgePass One Integrated with Schlage Intelligent Locks and Readers for Cloud-Based Access Control Security solutions and products company Allegion US has integrated the BadgePass One platform with Schlage Intelligent Locks and Readers, the company said. It will offer a subscription service to save costs for users that includes all hardware and software needed to issue ID badges and control access privileges in large facilities like K12 schools. The Schlage NDEB and LEB intelligent wireless locks are easy to install and seamlessly communicate with the software via WiFi, said Jeff Koziol, business development manager PACS partners at Allegion. The Reader Controller devices round out the solution by enabling real-time updates and offering an option for doors where wireless locks are not a fit. BadgePass has worked with K12 schools nationwide to provide various security solutions, the company said. Benefits to schools of the new integration include: Easy to use apps for badge production for employees, students, volunteers and more; Customized, secure card designs for all types of cardholders; Quick badge production process by capturing photos on a tablet or phone, eliminating the need for onsite PCs and long lines of students waiting to have pictures taken at registration or after the start of the school year; Queued print jobs, allowing the badging office to print cards on their schedule; Local printing at each school or centralized print; Lower IT burden as no software, server, or printer drivers are needed onsite; Cost-effective system subscription, including all software, hardware, supplies and service; Automated monthly or annual payment options. We chose to partner with Allegion because their hardware options help reduce common barriers to installation, including complex and costly wiring, said Derek Gibbs, EVP of Product Development at BadgePass. We started with credential issuance, giving customers the ability to enroll cardholder data and print ID badges right from their phone. He added that access control capabilities are now embedded in the system. Allegion has supported successful integrations in two other BadgePass product lines: BadgePass Access Manager and TotalCard, according to a release. A brochure and demo request for more information are available on this BadgePass One Access Control page. Allegion secures people and assets with a range of solutions for homes, businesses, schools, and institutions, with its solutions focusing on security around the door and adjacent areas. Learn more at the companys information page. AI Writing Detection Is ChatGPT Writing Your Students' Homework? A New Technology Will Be Able to Detect It AI writers like ChatGPT can often produce work that is, at least on first glance, indistinguishable from human writing. With a simple prompt like "write an expository essay on symbolism in Heart of Darkness," ChatGPT can spit out an organized, coherent, five-paragraph essay in seconds. (See results below.) And no two essays will be identical. In some cases, help from an AI may be as acceptable as using a Google search as part of the research process. But in many cases, it will be unacceptable for classroom work. So how do teachers deal with the growing ease with which AIs can complete student homework? Turnitin, which is known for its technology used for plagiarism detection, has posted a technology preview that shows its software automatically detecting work written by an AI writer, even going so far as to show which parts of an essay were written by AI versus human and indicate where AI writing transitions into human writing. In the technology demonstration, Turnitin showed the number of sentences in some sample essays that were written by an AI (24 out of 24 in one case) and highlighted text in different shades to indicate portions written by AI and portions partially written by AI. In the demo, David Adamson, Turnitin AI scientist and former high school teacher, said, "That's what we hope to share with you in some form, not just a single magic number, but a bit of context when we're all done, so that you can have these discussions with your colleagues and with your students." AI writing detection is not yet available in Turnitin's commercial release. But the company indicated its work is "far along in progress," and the technology will be available "in some form" in the future. Further details of the technology can be found on Turnitin's sneak preview page. ChatGPT itself can be accessed and tested out for free at chat.openai.com. (Note that ChatGPT is often unavailable owing to heavy demand but is usually more accessible at night.) Here's a sample essay on Heart of Darkness written entirely by ChatGPT with a simple prompt for the essay ("write an expository essay on symbolism in Heart of Darkness") and a separate prompt for the title ("write a title for this essay"). Exploring the Darkness of the Human Soul: Symbolism in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness In Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, symbolism is used to explore the theme of the darkness of the human soul and the imperialism that was taking place in Africa during the late 19th century. One prominent symbol in the novel is the Congo River, which represents the journey into the unknown and the depths of the human psyche. The journey up the river represents the descent into the heart of darkness, both literally and metaphorically. It is also a symbol of the greed and corruption that drive imperialism, as the European characters are driven by a desire for wealth and power at the expense of the indigenous people. Another symbol in the novel is the character of Kurtz, who represents the darkness within all human beings. He starts off as a model European colonizer, but as he delves deeper into the Congo, he becomes increasingly consumed by his own power and greed. He ultimately becomes a madman, representing the idea that the pursuit of wealth and power can lead to moral corruption and personal destruction. The treatment of the African people by the European colonizers is also symbolic. They are depicted as subhuman and uncivilized, which represents the dehumanization that is a necessary aspect of imperialism. It also serves as a commentary on the arrogance of the European colonizers, who believed that they were superior to the people they were exploiting. In conclusion, symbolism in Heart of Darkness is used to explore the theme of the darkness of the human soul and the corruption that is inherent in imperialism. The Congo River, Kurtz, and the African people are all symbols that help to reveal the true nature of the human condition and the consequences of greed and power. Across Illinois, more than 90 county sheriffs have issued statements voicing opposition to HB 5471 Protect Illinois Communities, a law signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker last week. Most of the statements have similar wording, saying the act is unconstitutional based on the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Franklin County Sheriff Kyle Bacon said his job and his office are sworn to protect the citizens of the county, and calls it a job and responsibility he takes with utmost seriousness. As your duly elected sheriff, my job and my office are sworn, in fact, to protect the citizens of Franklin County, Sheriff Kyle Bacon said in a statement posted on the sheriffs Facebook page. Part of the duties that I accepted upon being sworn into office was to protect the rights provided to all of us in the Constitution. One of those enumerated rights is the right of people to keep and bear arms provided under the 2nd Amendment. The right to keep and bear arms for defense of life, liberty and property is regarded as an inalienable right by the people, Bacon said in a statement posted to the sheriffs Facebook page. Bacon says HB 5471 is a clear violation of the Second Amendment. Johnson County Sheriff Pete Sopczak agreed. The right to keep and bear arms for defense of life, liberty and property is regarded as an inalienable right by the people. I, among many others, believe that HB 5471 is a clear violation of the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Sopszak said. Therefore, as the chief law enforcement official for Johnson County, that neither myself nor my office will be checking to ensure that lawful gun owners register their weapons with the State, nor will we be arresting or housing law abiding individuals that have been arrested solely with non-compliance of this Act. Other Southern Illinois sheriffs and states attorneys have issued statements saying the law is unconstitutional and that they will not arrest people for violating the rules of the law. Those include: Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Diederich, Union County Sheriff David Wilkins, Pope County Sheriff Jerry Suits, Saline County Sheriff Whipper Johnson, Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Bullard, Williamson County States Attorney Ted Hampson, and Saline County States attorney Molly Kasiar. These opinions are not limited to smaller Southern Illinois counties. The Belleville News Democrat reported that Metro-East sheriffs in Bond, Clinton, Monroe and Randolph counties also released statements disagreeing with the law and saying they would not enforce it. Even St. Clair County Sheriff Rick Watson, a Democrat, said he is opposed to the law, but did not say he would not arrest people who violate it. The sheriffs of Jackson and Alexander counties have not issued statements supporting or in opposition of the new law. Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Diederich said laws that restrict gun ownership typically do not affect persons who use guns for illegal activity. He says the laws do though, have an effect on law abiding citizens. Guns are a part of our culture. This law puts a burden on every citizen and not criminals," Diederich said. Criminals are resourceful. If we could remove their ability to get guns, they would come up with another weapon. He added that he expects to the law to be overturned in court, probably going to the Illinois or U.S. Supreme Court. A 27-year-old Orangeburg woman pleaded guilty to several charges during a recent term of court at the Orangeburg County Courthouse. Ashlyn Brooke Soles, 27, of 765 Five Chop Road, pleaded guilty to possession of a stolen vehicle valued more than $2,000 but less than $10,000, first-offense possession of less than one gram of methamphetamine or cocaine base and first-offense failure to stop for blue lights. Circuit Judge Deandrea Benjamin sentenced her to two years in prison, but gave her credit for having already served seven months in jail. She also ordered Soles to be housed in the addiction treatment unit in prison. Prosecutors dismissed Soles charges of third or subsequent-offense DUS license not suspended for DUI and use of license plate other than for vehicle which issued. In other recent guilty pleas: Tyrese Davonta Peeples, 22, of 117 Perwalt Court, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to unlawful carrying of a pistol and possession of a firearm or ammunition by a person convicted of a violent felony. Benjamin sentenced him to prison for six months. Prosecutors dismissed his charge of first-offense possession of one ounce or less of marijuana. Mac Kel Rondre Ryant, 22, of 309 Gramercy Lane, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to first-offense failure to stop for blue lights. Benjamin sentenced him under the Youthful Offender Act for three years, suspended to 18 months of probation. Prosecutors dismissed his charges of first-offense possession of a controlled substance, first-offense driving under the influence less than .10 and first-offense possession of less than one ounce of marijuana. Devontae Shyheim Shivers, 26, of 1460 Cleckley Boulevard, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to second-degree domestic violence. Benjamin sentenced him to two years in prison, suspended to 147 days. She gave Shivers credit for having already served 147 days in jail. Prosecutors dismissed Shivers three charges of second-offense driving under suspension license suspended for DUI. Mary Gantt Simmons, 45, of 910 Victoria Street, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to hit-and-run involving property damage. Benjamin sentenced her to one year in prison, suspended to nine months of probation. She gave Simmons credit for having already served one day in jail. She also ordered Simmons to complete anger management. Gerald Gregory Oneal Summers, 29, of 1237 Classic Road, Branchville, pleaded guilty to second-degree domestic violence. Benjamin sentenced him to jail for 90 days, suspended to 24 months of probation. She gave Summers credit for one day he already spent in jail. Shes allowing his probation term to end early once he completes domestic abuse counseling. Shawn Nicole Thomasson, 43, of 208 Lottie Lane, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to first-offense possession of cocaine and first-offense possession of narcotics. Benjamin sentenced her to 100 days in prison and gave her credit for time served. Prosecutors dismissed her charge of first-offense possession of one ounce or less of marijuana. Juan Torres, 54, of 252 Dawsey Street, Cordova, pleaded guilty to second-degree non-violent burglary. Benjamin sentenced him to seven years in prison, suspended to five years of probation. She gave him credit for time served. Takia Shanice Washington, 39, of Cemetery Road, Varnville, pleaded guilty to second-degree harassment. Benjamin sentenced her to one year in prison, suspended to six months of probation. She gave Washington credit for having already spent one day in jail. Antquion Terell Watson, 41, of 105 Cocktail Lane, Holly Hill, pleaded guilty to first-offense failure to stop for blue lights. Benjamin sentenced him to two years in prison, suspended to six months of probation. Andrew Maurice White, 45, of 1153 A Hodson Drive, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to first-offense possession with intent to distribute a scheduled drug. Benjamin ordered him to pay a $100 fine or spend six months in prison. Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang (L) and Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen attend a press conference after their talks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Jan. 10, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua] As a popular saying goes, do not be afraid to celebrate a promise when kept. In doing so, you are embracing the potential for a better world. In keeping with its unshakable promise made over three decades ago and following the footsteps of his predecessors, China's new Foreign Minister Qin Gang is beginning his term with a seven-day visit to five African nations - Ethiopia, Gabon, Angola, Benin, and Egypt - from Jan. 9-16. The visit also brought him to the African Union (AU) Headquarters and the League of Arab States Headquarters. This visit is widely expected to restore momentum in China-Africa cooperation, help China's work in Africa and develop an integrated strategy that does three things: establishing continent-wide objectives for China and African nations with tailored regional strategies, expanding mutually beneficial economic cooperation and investment, and supporting African nations in its independent development and capacity building. China's leadership in international realm makes it fulfil promises and commitments towards its friends and partners, which ultimately leads to building trust. This is the way to make nations and partners ready to cooperate and bear the burdens and outcomes to move forward together. This is one of the reasons why over the past three decades, China has kept its promise and has been committed to a diplomatic tradition to commence every year with a visit to Africa, which truly proves that China attaches great importance to its traditional friendship with African nations and the development of China-Africa cooperation. It also portrays China as a reliable and true friend that helps in difficult times. A cherished partnership China's unshakable willingness and commitment to its diplomatic engagement with the continent of Africa is a privilege that will forever be cherished by African people; this commitment cannot be compared to other partners of Africa. With regard to the reason why Qin visited these five African nations, these five African nations truly reflect China's foreign policy towards Africa. That is why in Angola, China would be looking to solidify its position as the nation's top trading and economic partner. As for Ethiopia, the nation could easily leverage Chinese knowledge of peace and security as well as comprehensive development to overcome its internal upheavals. As for the visit to the AU Headquarters in Ethiopia, coupled with the fact that Chinese contractors would soon finish building the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in the capital Addis Ababa, Qin's visit shows China's determination of championing multilateralism against unilateralism. As for Egypt, as a major voice and significant connection between the continent of Africa and the Arab world, Egypt provides China with the opportunity to continue with the ongoing constructive dialogue on how to encourage development collaboration on both sides of the Red Sea. As for Gabon, China is the nation's largest economic and trading partner and top investor, and the visit will help fortify the synergy between the Emerging Gabon Strategic Plan and the Belt and Road Initiative, to diversify the nation's economy. As for Benin, the visit will help to promote the financing pact between China and Benin to support high-impact social and economic projects in the nation. Likewise, the visit shows the Chinese belief that the continent of Africa should be a place for international cooperation, not for major-power competition or geopolitical gains. Qin's former role as Chinese ambassador to the United States puts him in a good position to promote China-Africa cooperation against the backdrop that the United States is increasing its presence in Africa. Shared prosperity In recent years, the Chinese government has extended its presence in Africa by not only building infrastructure, but also providing ICT and Internet services. This makes China's engagement across the continent vital because it is meeting the needs of local constituencies, from the creation of employment to providing required technology and related infrastructure. As such, China's lending, construction, investment, or other business activities are not inherently bad or dangerous for African nations. But rather, these various development projects represent an enormous opportunity for African people to create a continent where no African nation is left behind. Likewise, China offers financial support and affordable proposals to local economies to build up economic strength to weather challenges. African leaders and citizens have appreciated not just the material help arising from the continent's relationship with China, but also the sense of not being patronised. African people like seeing their economies treated as business opportunities rather than places to run randomised trials for foreign aid with political strings attached. No wonder when the Chinese government conducts negotiations with African nations, it is looking at them as partners with whom it can expand business opportunities, rather than as recipients of charity. Qin's visit will help to bring fresh impetus and great potential for China and Africa to create more hope in the next decade. That's because the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), industrial parks or special economic zones could be a major engine to connect Africa with the international market, and China could focus more on new infrastructure construction in the continent of Africa that would help to propel AfCFTA that has a market of more than 1 billion people and a combined GDP of over $3 trillion. African nations and China could use this visit as an opportunity to reinvigorate Chinese investments in Africa, and explore further ways to incentivise Chinese government decision-makers and Chinese businesses to use joint ventures more frequently as the vehicle for their investments in Africa. In conclusion, Qin's visit should be a starting point in the new era for China and African nations to work together to build a high-quality community of shared future for mankind that would grow into a community of collaboration that would help to meet the challenges in people-to-people harmony and safeguard the health of the people, promote social and economic recovery and help both African nations and China unleash development potential in the new era. The author is executive director of the Centre for Nigerian Studies, Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University. This article may have been recategorised as a regular news story and is therefore no longer available at this URL. You can try to find the updated link in the News Archive. Munguia allegedly fired the gun while the group was driving on Dell Range Boulevard. The shot struck 16-year-old Angelina Harrison, who attended Triumph High School. Heath pulled the vehicle over, and Nicholson fled on foot with the gun. He was later found and taken into custody without incident. Heath proceeded to the Frontier Mall parking lot and called police. CHEYENNE Wyomingites may see something similar to Floridas so-called Dont Say Gay law become a reality in Wyoming. Sen. Dan Dockstader, R-Afton, is sponsoring a bill that would bar classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate... The act would take effect in July of this year if it becomes law. Senate File 117, titled Parental rights in education, would also require school personnel to report changes in students well-being or use of services to parents and guardians under most circumstances, and to encourage students to discuss issues related to their well-being with their parents and guardians. School personnel would, however, be allowed to withhold information if they believed that disclosure would result in abuse, as defined under state statute. In addition, schools would have to share information with parents and guardians about health care services and well-being questionnaires for students at the school. Parents and guardians would be allowed to decline having their students use those services or fill out questionnaires. The bill directs school districts to create procedures for parents and guardians to file complaints if they believe the district isnt complying with these requirements. For the moment, Dockstader said hes waiting to see how interested and serious people actually are about the proposed legislation. He said the bill comes out of statewide concern hes seen about what kids are being taught in schools. In October, former State Superintendent of Public Instruction Brian Schroeder, who was endorsed by former president Donald Trump for the midterm elections but ended up losing his primary race to current State Superintendent Megan Degenfelder, hosted an event that focused on what he saw as the sexualization of minors in schools. He told the Star-Tribune that he considered the topic to be the most pressing issue in education at the moment. The event was attended by roughly 150 people. Many school board candidates around the state also ran on platforms in the 2022 elections that centered on this concern, some focusing in particular on ousting school library books that they described as pornographic. The attention on these topics trickles down from a national stage, with the ideas behind Senate File 117 coming from outside the state as well. Much of the language in the bill is the same as that in a Florida law that critics call the Dont Say Gay bill. The law, which was championed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, also bars educators from teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, and in general teaching material that isnt considered age appropriate. That law has been the subject of a lawsuit, with plaintiffs arguing that the law is unconstitutional and has a chilling effect on First Amendment rights, particularly for LGBTQ individuals, and that it violates equal protection rights. A federal judge last dismissed the case in October, but plaintiffs refiled the lawsuit the following month. Wyoming Education Association President Grady Hutcherson cited some of the questions that have come up over the course of that litigation when explaining his concerns about the bill in a statement to the Star-Tribune. WEA agrees with an assertion published by the American Bar Association about this same legislation, recently passed in Florida: The law arguably runs afoul of the First Amendments stringent prohibition on viewpoint discrimination and imposes an unconstitutional chilling effect on disfavored speech, he said. This bill opens the door for the State Board of Education to be asked to establish guidelines that step on constitutional rights and leave too many questions unanswered: Under this legislation, is it against the law for a teacher to assign a book that includes an LGBTQ+ character? Can a teacher assign a class speech asking students to talk about their families? What if a students parents are LGBTQ+? K-12 public school teachers and students enjoy certain basic rights to teach, learn and speak without government retaliation or censorship. This bill threatens those rights. Hutcherson called the bill a wolf in sheeps clothing. Parents undoubtedly enjoy rights in their students education. Educators want parents to be actively involved, engaged partners. But this bill doesnt protect those rights: Instead, it sows division. It is censorship and stigma. It works against creating safe, inclusive spaces for some of our most marginalized, at-risk student populations, he said. Theres at least one other bill of a similar vein to Senate File 117 thats up for consideration this session. House Bill 87, legislation sponsored by freshman Rep. Jeanette Ward, R-Casper, seeks to expand the definition of child pornography and reverse obscenity exemptions that are currently in place to allow for the teaching of sexual health topics. Ward previously told the Star-Tribune that her sponsorship of the bill stems from the controversy over school library books some consider to be pornographic. Several lawmakers who are members of or sympathetic to the hard line conservative Wyoming Freedom Caucus signed on as cosponsors for Wards legislation. The caucus, which has built a powerful stronghold in Wyomings House of Representatives, supports the bill, vice chair of the caucus Rep. Jeremy Haroldson, R-Wheatland, said in a text to the Star-Tribune. He added that the bill protects our students and empowers the parents to be included in the medical decisions of (their) children. <&rule> PHOTOS: University of Wyoming community responds to breezeway incident University of Wyoming University of Wyoming University of Wyoming University of Wyoming University of Wyoming University of Wyoming University of Wyoming University of Wyoming University of Wyoming University of Wyoming Riley Skorcz Todd Schmidt Todd Schmidt University of Wyoming CHEYENNE After a House committee last week rejected amendments to up the vote requirement for overruling both the speaker and House majority floor leaders power over when and if bills are heard, the body as a whole adopted a similar amendment that imposes the higher threshold. A complaint from the hard-line conservative Wyoming Freedom Caucus party spurred the discussion around the particular House rules that dictate how members of the House of Representatives can change the order of bills on the majority floor leaders general file, or pull bills out of the speaker's drawer. The caucus posted a statement on Facebook earlier this month stating that proposed updates to the House rules, which are reviewed every time there is a new Legislature, serve to concentrate power in the Speaker of the House, deviating from years of legislative tradition. Lawmakers aligned with the caucus have focused in particular on a rule that says the House majority floor leaders general file list, which sets the order in which bills will be discussed each day, can be changed with a simple majority vote. The order of the general file list is important because bills automatically die if they dont reach certain deadlines. Several lawmakers thought that change could only happen with a two-thirds vote. That lead lawmakers in the Wyoming Freedom Caucus to believe House rules were going to be tweaked in a way that would diminish the power of the new majority floor leader, Rep. Chip Neiman, R-Hulett. Neiman, whos in his second term in the Legislature, was one of several lawmakers aligned with the Wyoming Freedom Caucus who vied for legislative leadership posts in the November Republican Caucus. But he was the only one who was successful in that effort, earning the nomination in a 29-28 vote. To be clear, under the Legislative Service Offices interpretation of the previous Legislatures rules, members of the House could change the order of bills on the majority floor leaders general file list with a simple majority vote of the body, unless the change occurred on the same day the general file was set, or on the last day that bills can be brought out to be heard. The latter cases would require a two-thirds vote, because certain House rules would need to be suspended. So the changes that the caucus was concerned about werent actually changes. But attempts to overturn the power of legislative leadership are pretty rare, and this particular rule was unclear to many lawmakers. Some worried that wider knowledge of the simple majority vote requirement could open the door for more lawmakers to attempt to overrule the majority floor leaders decisions on when bills would be heard. The majority floor leader does not want any more authority than what he has had, but my ask was that he would not have any less than what he was perceived to have had previously, Neiman said on the House floor Monday. The House adopted an amendment on Monday that ups the vote requirement to a two-thirds majority for any change in the speakers or majority floor leaders decisions around the flow of bills through the Legislature. Speaker pro tempore and member of the House rules and procedures committee Rep. Clark Stith, R-Rock Springs, warned the body before the vote that the amendment would be a big change to the status quo. You would be giving the majority floor leader and the speaker essentially a veto over whether the bills get heard, he said. But a lawmaker who pushed the amendment, Rep. Barry Crago, R-Buffalo, described it as an attempt at compromise. Im not saying by bringing this amendment that the previous rules didnt work or that they were unfair, Crago said. What Im saying with this amendment is, its an attempt at compromise, which sometimes we need to do more of, and this is my attempt at helping further that belief. A grasping effort to bring compromise and bridge the fractures in the House was pretty evident during the Houses debate on the amendment. At one point during the debate on the amendment, speaker of the House Rep. Albert Sommers, R-Pinedale, stepped down from his seat, asking Neiman to take his place while he spoke to the body from the floor. I dont care how you vote on this one way or the other, Sommers said. But what I want to tell you it was a good faith effort by those that brought this to find a compromise. The House rules and procedures committee already considered and rejected similar amendments on Wednesday. Though several lawmakers on the committee were open to the idea of raising the vote requirement to two-thirds of the body, some were concerned that separating the amendments could end up with one amendment passing, and the other not. That would be a problem if the two-thirds vote applied to the House majority floor leader but not to the speaker, which would result in the majority floor leader having greater authority to prevent a bill from being considered by the full House than the speaker. The committee instead moved along Wednesday an amendment that would just codify the Legislative Service Offices understanding of the House rule that dictates how order of bills on the majority floor leaders general file list can be changed. That amendment, however, was voted down earlier in the day Friday. This article has been updated to clarify that the House procedure of main interest pertaining to the speaker was the procedure to pull bills from the speaker's drawer rather than the process for referring bills to standing committee that the speaker hasn't already referred. The latter would have already required a two-thirds vote prior to the amendment that was adopted on Monday. Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley will today turn the sod for the construction of the 112 mega watt (MWac) solar project. The sod-turning comes almost three years after the consortium of bpTT and Shell were selected as the preferred bidder on the project which has caused an escalation in cost to taxpayers. Trinidad and Tobagos murder toll has shot up to 164 with the killing of two men in separate 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. Flash Six people were killed in a shooting in central California in the Unites States early Monday morning, local media reported. Two of the victims of the shooting in Goshen, Tulare County, are a 17-year-old mother and a six-month-old baby, reported KFSN-TV, a television station in central California. The Tulare County Sheriff's Office said in a release posted on its Facebook page that deputies were called to a home in the 6800 Block of Harvest Road in Goshen just after 3:30 a.m. Monday local time for multiple shots heard. The Sheriff's Office did not give details in the release. The agency only said that it is investigating the shooting and will update the shooting after they receive more information. The KFSN-TV report said that deputies immediately noticed two victims dead in the street and then a third in the doorway of the home after they arrived at the spot. Deputies found six victims in total. Five of them were declared dead at the scene. Another died at the hospital, according to the report. Authorities believe there are at least two suspects at this time. They do not believe this was a random act and that there is a gang connection, the report added. As I get older, I am starting to understand my grandparents better. I have seen things grow From Thursday, Jan. 19, through Sunday, Jan. 22, playwrights from across the country will be bringing their unjuried, uncensored productions to the Tucson Fringe Festival. The fest, one of more than 40 fringe festivals that take place throughout the country, will feature a total of 46 performances, covering topics ranging from mind-altering trips to Narnia, to Ukranian ballet dancers to getting married late in life. In Futukuchi Onna, Phoenix playwright Kristin Moran follows a woman who is inflicted with a Futukuchi Onna, a Japanese monster that appears as a heckling mouth on the back of her head, according to press materials. J. Emily Peabody brings us the story of the countrys first woman elected to the U.S. Congress in Jeanette Rankin: Champion of Persistence. The festival will feature works by creative minds from Florida, Kansas, California and at least six from Minnesota, a state that holds its own Fringe Festival each year in August. These performers from Minnesota do Fringe back home so they have everything for their show ready to go, said James Pack, acting director at this years fest. It is convenient on my end. There are times when people will submit a show, they arent sure what they are going to do with it yet. They are figuring it out. Then they work through it by the time the show has to open for the festival. Other times, people are like, Yeah, Ive done this show three times at other places and I am ready to go right now. Lets do it. Anyone can submit a production pitch, whether theyve put on a stage show or not. Names are literally drawn from a hat as to who is picked each year. Most audiences know this might not be a polished show, Pack said. That is the nature of Fringe. If its the first time being performed, the creator can use the opportunity to change things around, polish it up and take it to another festival. Pima Community College: Pima Community College is a multiple finalist in the 2023 Bellwether Award competition, which honors outstanding and innovative community colleges across the U.S. Pima is a finalist in all three categories of the Bellwether Award: Instructional Programs and Services, which recognizes programs and services that foster or support teaching and learning. Workforce Development, which identifies strategic alliances that promote community and economic development. Planning, Governance, and Finance, which recognizes programs or activities that improve college efficiency and effectiveness. There are 10 finalists in each category. They will compete Feb. 26-28, in San Antonio. In the competition, teams will conduct presentations before a jury of anonymous judges and fellow community college practitioners and CEOs. The Bellwether Awards are conducted by the Bellwether College Consortium, which comprises dozens of community colleges that convene annually as an independent national forum for innovators to work as a think tank. Northwest Medical Center: Northwest Healthcares local hospitals honored four registered nurses with its Nursing Excellence Award for 2022. These winners were selected from all 81 hospitals affiliated with Community Health Systems, one of the leading operators of general acute-care hospitals and outpatient care centers in 16 states. The peer-nominated award was created to honor the critical role nurses have played in treating patients throughout the pandemic. The recipients are: Sophia Ho of Oro Valley Hospital Karen Dytko of Northwest Medical Center Houghton Tina Burgess of Northwest Medical Center Sahuarita Jessica Sauer, who has been with Northwest Healthcare for a decade and currently works in the ICU, received the highest honor the National 2022 Nursing Excellence Award. She is one of only 10 national winners. Flash Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Monday held phone talks with Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic counselor to French President Emmanuel Macron. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said that in a world full of turbulence and changes, the healthy and stable development of China-France relations is of special significance. As permanent members of the UN Security Council and independent major countries, China and France should strengthen strategic communication and play an important role in coping with global turmoil and changes, he added. China, he said, is willing to maintain close high-level exchanges with France, deepen strategic mutual trust and open up new prospects for the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership. As this year marks the 20th anniversary of the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, China is willing to work with France and other EU member states to uphold mutual respect, dialogue and cooperation and mutual benefit, so as to inject new impetus into the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, Wang said. For his part, Bonne said that France, which attaches great importance to its ties with China, is willing to work with China to strengthen high-level exchanges, deepen cooperation in innovation and technology and jointly draw a blueprint for future development. Bonne said his country, which opposes the Cold War mentality and bloc politics, is willing to play an active role in expanding EU-China dialogue, upholding multilateralism, promoting global economic recovery and collaborating on tackling climate change. France understands and supports China's anti-COVID measures, and believes China will prevail over the latest round of the outbreak, he said. The two sides exchanged views on the important agendas for bilateral exchanges in the next step. PHOENIX The way Rep. Rachel Jones sees it, once you have paid off your house you should not have to worry about property taxes. But the first-term Republican lawmaker from Tucson acknowledged there are a bunch of practical questions with her proposed legislation, including who would or should get a tax break. Her plan probably needs some major amendments to get any traction, she said. But Jones said she decided to swing for the fences and start out asking for everything, figuring that gives her lots of negotiating room. You go big, she told Capitol Media Services. Some of it, Jones said, is philosophical. Its awful that youre charged taxes on something you own, she said. Jones said that would be like buying a couch, paying the sales taxes and then having to pay some sort of fee for possessing it. But she said her focus actually is narrower. My main heart issue behind it are those, especially elderly folks who are on a fixed income, who lose their homes, Jones said. I just talked with a constituent whose uncle lost his home last year because of this very issue. Thats just unacceptable. Only thing is, her House Bill 2315 does not have any sort of means testing. She acknowledged that means anyone who pays off a mortgage at any age or even has the resources to buy a house for cash would be entitled to escape all property taxes if her measure were to become law as written. That is one thing I dont like about it, especially with all the Californians moving in, Jones said, referring to people with money who can buy a house outright with no mortgage. Thats not ultimately my mission accomplished at all. Theres a related issue. Some elderly will take out a reverse mortgage, using the equity in their paid-off homes to be able to stay there and pay other bills. And as HB 2315 is written, those people would go from paying no property taxes at all to once again having an annual bill. Shifting the tax burden? Jones also said she wants to be careful not to harm local governments which, unlike the state, are heavily dependent on property taxes. Schools also depend on locally raised taxes for budget overrides and paying off the bonds to build new schools. I understand how much property taxes go to police, education, all those things, she said. There might not be any net loss of revenues, though. Most levels of government figure out how much they need to raise. Then they divide it into the total assessed valuation of the community. The result is a tax rate. But if some property is removed from the tax rolls, that reduces the total assessed valuation. So the calculation divides the amount of money to be raised into that smaller base. That, in turn, raises the tax rate that is imposed on everyone else who is not exempt from paying taxes meaning the taxes not being paid by those with paid-off homes is shifted to them. Jones said House research staff is crunching some numbers to figure out what that shift might be. Im hoping to have a full, big compilation of all of that this week, she said. Renters contributions Jones said she sees another side, too. There are a lot of renters in Tucson currently, she said. Its becoming a big rental market. I dont particularly like that people that are renting homes arent contributing to their community, either. She said altering that could kind of take some of the pressure off of homeowners. Jones acknowledged, though, that renters may not be getting an entirely free ride. The landlords who own the homes and apartments are themselves paying property taxes, which they can pass on to tenants. There is another unanswered question in HB 2315. As crafted, it would exempt those without mortgages from paying any property taxes. Those include not just the basic levies to operate government but also the taxes that people voted to impose on themselves, such as overrides, bond debt and special districts for everything from fire protection to street lights. That would mean people who are exempt from taxes are able to approve new levies that affect everyone else. Thats a really good question, Jones said, adding shes going to have to think about that issue as her bill goes through the legislative process. She said shes a big fan of voter approval of taxes because thats the best way to get peoples opinion on something. Pima Countys rate is highest How much Arizona homeowners might save if Jones bill were to become law depends on both the value of the home and where they live. The homes full cash value is roughly equal to about 80% of its market value. Owner-occupied homes are assessed for tax purposes at 10% of that value. So a home valued by assessors at $350,000 has its property taxes computed based on $35,000. Assuming a tax rate of $9 per $100 of assessed valuation, thats about $3,150 a year. But the tax rate can vary, with the Arizona Department of Revenue pegging the figure at anywhere from $3.39 in Greenlee County, which has the benefit of a copper mine to bolster its revenues despite a low tax rate, to $13.81 in Pima County. These figures also vary within counties depending on taxes imposed by cities, schools and other special districts. No date has been set for a hearing on Jones measure. All Arizona voters will still be able to cast ballots by mail despite Republican Party efforts to kill the popular practice. The state Court of Appeals rejected arguments by the state GOP and Kelli Ward, its chair, that allowing people to vote from their own homes or anywhere other than a polling place violates a constitutional requirement for a secret ballot. There are sufficient safeguards built into Arizona law to ensure that each voter's choices are kept confidential as the Arizona Constitution requires, Judge Cynthia Bailey said, writing for the three-judge panel. Tuesday's ruling is unlikely to be the last word. Republican Party attorney Alexander Kolodin plans to seek Supreme Court review, he told Capitol Media Services. Arizona has had some form of early voting almost since the first days of statehood. But that was limited to special circumstances, ranging from military serving overseas to people who were incapacitated. In 1991, however, state lawmakers approved no-excuse early voting, allowing anyone to request a ballot be sent to them that they can fill out at home, or anywhere, and either return by mail, put in a drop box or take directly to a polling location. Early ballots made up more than 80% of the votes cast in the most recent general election. Attitudes in the GOP changed, however, after the 2020 election when Donald Trump lost his bid for a new term as president. While he outpolled Democrat Joe Biden among Arizona voters who went to the polls on Election Day, Biden had an even larger edge among those who voted early. Objections continued into the 2022 campaign, with Republican gubernatorial hopeful Kari Lake and secretary of state candidate Mark Finchem suggesting the system of unrestricted mail-in voting was ripe for abuse. The GOP lawsuit took a narrower focus, based on the constitutional requirement "that secrecy in voting shall be preserved.'' Strictly speaking, attorney Kolodin is not arguing that people can't have a ballot sent to them by mail. What he told the judges, though, is that the constitutionally mandated secrecy can be maintained only if an official is present when someone casts a ballot, and that the official "then watches the voter enclose and seal the ballot in an envelope.'' Kolodin said that can't happen if someone is filling out a ballot at a kitchen table and sealing it there because it raises the possibility that someone else is present and watching. He said it opens up the possibility someone could be coerced, or maybe paid, to vote a certain way. That can't happen if there is a "restricted zone'' around the voter, he said. Judges say protections are adequate Bailey rejected the argument, saying that's not what the Arizona Constitution requires. "Arizona's mail-in voting laws preserve secrecy in voting by requiring voters to ensure they fill out their ballots in secret and seal the ballot in an envelope that does not disclose the voters' choices,'' she wrote for herself and the other two judges. The judge also pointed out that state law requires election officials who open the envelopes to take out the ballots without unfolding or examining them. "At no point can the voter's identifying information on their ballot envelope be lawfully connected with their vote,'' Bailey said. "These protections are adequate to ensure the preservation of secrecy in voting." The judges were no more impressed with Kolodin's arguments that the ability of a voter to share his or her decisions with someone else violates the constitutional requirement for secrecy. Bailey pointed out that state law prohibits taking photographs or videos within 75 feet of a polling place. Another statute make it a crime to show someone else's ballot to any person. But she also noted that state lawmakers specifically created an exemption that allows voters to take pictures and share images of their own ballots with others without violating any laws. And she said the Republican Party's argument there needs to be a "restricted zone'' around voters when they fill out their ballots is not what the Arizona Constitution requires. "The Secrecy Clause's meaning is clear: When providing for voting by ballot or any other method, the legislature must uphold voters' ability to conceal their choices,'' she wrote. "The constitution does not mandate any particular method for preserving secrecy in voting.'' Kolodin contends the ruling erred in concluding voters can waive their right to secrecy. "The Court of Appeals came down, without really any substantiation for it, and said it's waivable by the voter, which, of course, the framers of the Arizona Constitution never intended for it to be,'' he said. Kolodin said Tuesday's ruling provides "a very clean issue'' for the Supreme Court to review. But he conceded there is no guarantee the state's high court will take up the issue. In the Tuesday decision, Bailey said there is a remedy if the state GOP wants something more. "The legislature is free to adopt the more stringent requirements urged by plaintiffs,'' the judge wrote. "But it is not constitutionally required to do so.'' Today in history: Jan. 17 1944: Monte Cassino 1955: USS Nautilus 1961: Dwight D. Eisenhower 1966: Simon & Garfunkel 1994: Northridge Earthquake 1995: Earthquake 2012: Cruise Ship 2016: Iran Prisoner Release 2017: Chelsea Manning 2017: Ryan Zinke 2021: Alexei Navalny 2021: National Guard FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. Richard Blodgett, a single father, was jailed on a drug charge when a worker from Arizona's child welfare agency delivered the news: His son was brain dead and on life support just days after being taken into state custody. Blodgett screamed, cried and screamed some more. Jakob was his only son, a "darn cute," curious 9-year-old who loved remote control cars and video games. Blodgett is now struggling to understand how it happened. A medical examiner listed Jakob's death in late December as natural with complications from diabetes, a condition he was diagnosed with as a toddler. Specifically, Type 1 diabetes, which means his body was unable to produce enough insulin to survive. Blodgett said he suspects the Arizona Department of Child Safety failed in its duty to protect his son, either by not monitoring his blood sugar levels or not ensuring that Jakob had enough insulin to prevent a serious, life-threatening complication known as ketoacidosis. "They couldn't keep him alive for two weeks, two weeks," the father told The Associated Press while on a recent furlough from jail. "That's absolutely insane. That was my pride and joy. I'm lost. I'm completely lost. My family is completely lost." The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is investigating Jakob's death. The office declined a request for an interview with Sheriff Paul Penzone, citing the ongoing investigation. The Department of Child Safety also declined to comment specifically on the case, citing confidentiality laws. But spokesperson Darren DaRonco said, in general, that foster parents are required to receive training from a medical provider before taking in a child with any medical condition. DaRonco did not respond to further inquiries, including whether Jakob's insulin pump was removed and if the boy's regular doctor was consulted about his care questions raised by Blodgett and his mother, Cheryl Doenges. They said Jakob could not manage the insulin on his own. In the fiscal year that ended last June, about 26 children died while in the agency's custody, including from overdoses, medical conditions, natural and still undetermined causes. In the previous fiscal year, that number was 14. The figures amount to a fatality rate of about 97 per 100,000 children during that period, the most recent for which data is available. That rate is higher than overall deaths of children in Arizona. Nationally, about 55 children died per 100,000 children in the general population of all causes in 2020 similar to Arizona's number. Karin Kline, director of child welfare initiatives at the Family Involvement Center in Phoenix, said the death of a child is a concern, especially if it happens under the custody of the state. "Rest assured, somebody is going to look into it if there's an inkling that the death was a result of negligence or abuse," she said. Jakob and his father were living at a motel when Blodgett was arrested in December. Blodgett, who already had a drug case pending and has spent time in prison, said was operating a backhoe much of the day and pulled over at a gas station to take a nap. The report from the Show Low Police Department corroborated as much, but officers wrote that they suspected Blodgett nodded off as a result of drug use. Authorities ultimately found more than 4,000 fentanyl pills in Blodgett's possession, according to the report. Blodgett was booked into jail in Holbrook and charged with one count of drug possession, Navajo County Superior Court documents show. Blodgett told the AP he had been using fentanyl for pain management after he dropped 300 pounds with weight loss surgery. "I wasn't getting high. I wasn't abusing them. I was using them to be able to work and provide for my son," Blodgett said. "Unfortunately, they are illegal. I can't get around that. But they were stronger than my meds, and they were working." Jakob was alone in the motel room when an officer picked him up and alerted the Department of Child Safety, according to the police report. Blodgett said someone at the motel always checked on his son, whom he called as police confronted him. He told Jakob he got into trouble, and the boy asked if his father was going to be OK, Blodgett said. The two often traveled together in vast expanses of Arizona taking selfies, stopping at gas stations to get snacks and playing with Nerf guns. "The last time I got to see my son, he was already dead," Blodgett said. Doenges couldn't make the trip to see Jakob at the hospital from Washington state where she lives because of bad weather. But she asked a friend in Arizona to sit with Jakob, pray with him and play music for him so he wasn't alone even if he didn't know she was there. WASHINGTON Republican Karoline Leavitt hoped to be the youngest member of Congress at age 25, telling supporters in stump speeches this fall that without winning over young Americans, the GOP would lose elections and lose our country. Every old person in the room always shook their head in agreement, she said in an interview. Leavitt, a former Donald Trump staffer who had his endorsement, lost her House race in New Hampshire in November by about seven points. Party leaders, she contends, should focus on an issue they have long ignored: winning support from Gen Z and millennials. Republicans managed to eke out a narrow majority in the House in the November elections, but it was the fifth midterm in a row in which voters under 30 favored congressional Democrats. The last time the parties were competitive for that demographic in House races was 2002. Across the country, President Joe Bidens party outperformed expectations in the election in part because of the outsized support from younger Americans, data shows. The Republican National Committee has poured funds into outreach to Black and Latino voters, groups that also trend Democratic. But GOP allies worry the party lacks a similar plan to make inroads with young voters from all ethnic groups. RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel launched a review of the worse-than-expected Republican midterm and created an advisory council to guide strategy going forward, including on winning the youth vote. RNC spokespeople did not respond to a request to interview McDaniel or a member of the council about the partys strategy to win the youth vote. The establishment and the leadership needs to get on board, Leavitt said. If we want to win elections, we dont have a choice. Temperatures in eastern Ukraine have been well below freezing in recent days, hardening the ground and opening a window for potential winter offensives by both sides. But such pushes may not come, either now or during a more sustained cold spell. Military analysts say that while the shift from muddy to frozen terrain is important in enabling the use of wheeled combat and support vehicles, its just one of many factors commanders would consider before a major new assault. More important are the availability of reserves, equipment and ammunition, and the need to create weak spots in enemy lines. Both sides are being stretched by slow but resource-sapping offensives. Russian forces are trying to take Bakhmut and nearby Soledar, while Ukrainian troops are attacking Kreminna and Svatove; all are small to mid-sized towns in the eastern Donbas region that Russia claims to have annexed but only partially occupies. The situation around Soledar and Bakhmut is forcing our command to use more reserves in this direction, so it may be that in the close future there wont be enough left to conduct a big offensive in the south, from Zaporizhzhia, or anywhere else, said Igor Levchenko, head of strategic modeling at New Geopolitics, a Kyiv-based think tank. How the conflict evolves is likely to be determined less by changes in weather than by the relative success each side has in wearing down the others forces and reconstituting their own by spring, he said. The risk for Russia, according to a European defense official, is that in Bakhmut it makes only a minor tactical gain at the cost of huge personnel losses. A similar mistake in the summer left Russian forces exhausted and overstretched, opening the door for Ukraine to launch successful counteroffensives in the fall. Though poorly trained, recently mobilized troops have shored up defenses around Kreminna and Svatove, slowing Ukraines advance. Taking Svatove would allow Ukraine to cut a key Russian logistics route for operations in the Donbas. Newly announced supplies of armored fighting vehicles from the U.S., Germany and France, tanks from the United Kingdom and growing signs that NATO standard tanks could follow, would better equip Ukraine for a fresh offensive. Ukraines general staff have been masters of operational design to date and will spend weeks or months setting conditions for the next, decisive phase of the campaign, Ben Hodges, a former U.S. lieutenant general and commander of the U.S. Army in Europe, said in emailed comments from Tbilisi, Georgia. While Russia may aim to use mobilized recruits to prolong the war until support for Ukraine from its allies crumbles, I dont see that happening in 2023, Hodges said. Rather I see Ukraine liberating Crimea by the end of August. Russias President Vladimir Putin annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014, turning it into a support base for his forces in the rest of occupied Ukraine. Some military analysts have expressed skepticism at Ukraines capacity to retake it. While falling temperatures hardened the ground in the east, theyve also been too low for soldiers to fight effectively away from shelter, as any offensive breakthrough would require. The human factor is far more important than the vehicles they can move in winter, said Ed Arnold, a former British infantry officer now at the Royal United Services Institute, a London think tank. In freezing weather, morale, mobility and logistics all can get hammered, he said. Frozen batteries for drones and radio sets have to be recharged twice as often, while low visibility can render unusable the surveillance drones needed for artillery to target defenses. With both sides running low on artillery shells, the need for precision offered by drones has already at times silenced guns along the front. What we call the find aspect you need for any operation just becomes much more difficult, Arnold said. Even foot patrols that can normally cover 15-20 km in a day can suddenly only cover five, because theyre burning more calories, need to carry more food and just cant do as much in the difficult conditions. Very low temperatures can favor defensive troops that enjoy effective logistics, according to Arnold, enabling them to maintain warmth and stockpile food at front-line positions for as many as 20 days. Those are luxuries unavailable to an advancing force, which has to be resupplied in real time. The cold also can force errors, such as Russias decision to concentrate hundreds of troops in the relative warmth and comfort of a dormitory in Makiivka, within range of Ukraines HIMARS rockets. That saw 89 killed in a New Years attack, according to Russias defense ministry; Ukraine put the death toll much higher. Most worrying to military planners, according to Arnold, is that a freeze can suddenly turn to thaw, leaving offensive troops exposed and unsupplied as wheeled support vehicles again become stuck in Ukraines notoriously glutinous mud. Tracked vehicles, such as tanks, can still operate but not if fuel tankers can no longer reach them. A column by Mark Barabak on January 9th implied that President Taft vetoed statehood for Arizona in 1912 over the issue of women's suffrage. The truth is that he vetoed the draft state constitution because it included a provision for voter recall of judges, believing it would limit judicial independence. Arizona submitted a new draft without that provision and was admitted to the union in 1914, and promptly restored the recall provision. Flash COVID-19 is spreading again across the United States, driven by factors including the recent holidays and fewer precautions, British newspaper The Guardian has reported. Vaccine booster uptake has been "pitiful," Neil Sehgal, an assistant professor of health policy and management at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, was quoted as saying in the report published on Sunday. Antiviral uptake has been low, and few mandates on masking, vaccination and testing have resumed in the face of the winter surge, which is once again putting pressure on health systems, said the report. New COVID hospital admissions in the United States are now at the fourth-highest rate of the pandemic, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "Hospitals are at maximum capacity," Brendan Williams, president and CEO of the New Hampshire Health Care Association, was quoted as saying while speaking of his region's current rates. "I'm not sure what the trajectory of this thing's going to be, but I am worried," he said. In the past week, COVID-19 deaths in the United States rose by 44 percent, from 2,705 in the week ending Jan. 4 to 3,907 in the week ending Jan. 11. Were gonna have some pain. Residents might be alarmed by how often City Manager Mike Carter uses the word pain when discussing the upcoming massive road project planned for the Oklahoma 97 corridor, the busiest street in Sand Springs. But Carter hopes residents will focus on a different word that starts with the same letter progress. I kind of tell people euphemistically that 2022 was the year of planning and engineering and 2023 will be the year of construction, Carter told the Sand Springs Leader recently. And he hopes that when its all said and done, residents will be so happy with the progress that they wont dwell on the pain. Were excited about this, he said. Its going to mean exciting things for our citizens. The primary project that everything else will tie into is a $15 million design of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to widen and rehabilitate Oklahoma 97 from where it intersects with Second Street north of U.S. 412 running south under the highway to where it intersects with the newly opened stretch of Main Street just north of the Arkansas River. As part of the expansion, the state also will replace all of the traffic lights in the corridor, and the city is paying extra for the lights to be connected by fiber optic cable, which will allow more intelligent, real-time management of traffic flow and congestion. ODOT put the project out for bids in the fall, but it garnered no interest. Carter said the project was up against two others that were much larger and that since only a few companies are capable of such extensive work, the other projects got the bids. ODOT pulled the project back and will put it out for bids again next month, when the climate is expected to be more favorable. Construction should start late this spring or in the early summer, with the work taking 18 to 24 months. Thats where the pain will come in. But if theres going to be pain, why not do all of the painful things at the same time and get it over with? Thats the citys thinking. Well, that and the fact that by coordinating some of its own projects to take place in tandem with the state work, the city can perhaps reap some cost-savings that can be reallocated to other needs. As most local motorists know, a new extension of Main Street recently joined up with Oklahoma 97 on the east side of the highway just north of the Arkansas River Bridge. The timing was no accident. We intentionally prioritized that project and pushed it to get it open before the Highway 97 project, Carter said. Were going to have growing pains. Its going to be tough to get through there. We needed that as a way for people to be able to get around. Whats next for that intersection will be a dedicated right-turn lane from the highway's northbound lanes onto Main Street. This project has been on the books for about 15 years, Carter said. When it was first envisioned, ODOT said they didnt think a turn lane was the right idea at the time, and the project was not approved. The current ODOT administration, which Carter said has been wonderful to work with, agreed that the turn lane was needed and said that if the city would pay for it, the agency would allow it. Although the future turn lane is paved at present, its not yet suitable for regular traffic. We will construct a new turn lane there, and that will help people not have to go down and make a dramatic 90-degree turn like they do now, Carter said. He said the city moved money around to expedite construction, adding that the project should be going to bid very soon, with the beginning of construction hoped for by summer. Carter also dispelled one rumor about the project that it has anything to do with a recent snafu when a train was stopped for hours on the tracks that cross Oklahoma 97 at that location. This is not in relation to the train issue, he said. It takes awhile to get stuff like this engineered. Weve been looking at this and talking about it for six to eight months. On the opposite side of Oklahoma 97, the city has just recently received permission from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build a road over the levee at the south end of Case Community Park that will exit onto the highway south of Dutch Bros. The new road will enhance traffic flow into and out of the park during large events such as the Fourth of July fireworks and Boo at Case Park, but a side benefit is that it will provide a bypass to Oklahoma 97 when necessary. Carter said park patrons should not worry about the road becoming an extension of the highway. Were going to put speed humps. Were going to do things to mitigate peoples speed, he said last week during his State of the City speech. Its not meant to be an expressway through the park. Although the levee road, a 2017 general-obligation bond project, was held up for a time by the Army Corps of Engineers, Carter said the corps and Tulsa County District 12 Levee Commissioner Todd Kilpatrick have been generally helpful and supportive of the plan. The project will be put out for bids soon, with construction expected to start sometime around the middle of the year, he said. Carter is excited about all of the road work, but he points out that theres even more to be positive about. Although ODOT will restripe Oklahoma 97, other city roads will get a new coat of paint, too. One of the things we did when I came into office was doubled the budget for lane markings from $50,000 to $100,000, he said, adding that another striping package will be completed this year. Also, as part of the work along Oklahoma 97, two 96-inch box culverts will be buried alongside the highway next to Dutch Bros and Chick-fil-A to convey stormwater from Morrow Road by Cox Supersaver and Walmart an area where flooding has been a chronic problem to the river. That, in turn, will allow the city to reclaim land in the Sheffield Crossing development that is being used as a detention pond and use it instead for restaurant or retail development. Road work and infrastructure improvements might not sound thrilling to many people, but Carter hopes residents will look past the pain and the tedium to the possibilities, such as the economic development opportunities the projects might facilitate. Highway 97 is the key to attracting a bunch of these things to our city, he said. An Oklahoman who prosecutors said was in the initial wave of rioters to enter the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and was later identified by a fraternity brother has been sentenced. A federal judge sentenced Levi Gable, 37, of Chouteau on Tuesday to two years of probation despite a request from prosecutors that he serve jail time, according to court records. Gable pleaded guilty Sept. 23 in District of Columbia federal court to one misdemeanor count of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds. Law enforcement officers arrested Gable on May 26 at his Tulsa business, the same day he was charged in federal court with entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct in a Capitol building or grounds; and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. Gable admitted to the FBI during a Jan. 21, 2021, interview that he traveled to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 and was near the Capitol when he saw people fighting with police and trying to get into the Capitol, according to court records. But on multiple occasions Gable denied entering the Capitol building and did not express any remorse for participating in the Jan. 6 riot, according to prosecutors. The FBI was tipped to Gables participation in the riot by a former college fraternity brother who reported seeing social media posts by Gable depicting videos of him and others inside the Capitol on Jan. 6. In one social media post, Gable claims to be one of the first to enter the Capitol building because then-Vice President Mike Pence would not stand with the American people and challenge the results of 2020s stolen presidential election. Prosecutors requested that Gable serve a 90-day jail term followed by one year of supervised release, 60 hours of community service and $500 in restitution. In support of their request, prosecutors said Gable remained in the Capitol for about 30 minutes after entering with the initial wave of rioters, at times chanting Nancy over and over while law enforcement tried to secure the building. The chant was a reference to then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Prosecutors also noted that Gable was untruthful with investigators during his interview with FBI agents. Gable did all this despite having previously served years in prison for armed robbery, an experience which should have, but did not, deter him from joining a violent mob and lying to law enforcement, prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum. An attorney for Gable wrote in a sentencing memo that the 37-year-old was profoundly remorseful for the behaviors that bring him before the court and painfully aware of the destructive force of those decisions. Gable, in his sentencing memo, denied having traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in or provoke an insurrection or a riot. Mr. Gable honestly believed President Trumps lies about the elections and moreover, that the wrongful outcome of the election would be politically corrected, according to his sentencing memo. After the rally, he made a deeply regrettable decision to wrongfully enter the Capitol with a mob of people, a restricted government building, according to his sentencing memo, noting that he did not act in a threatening or assaultive manner, destroy property or plan or prepare to enter the Capitol. Gable included in the memo words of support from those who vouched for his character. Featured video: Longtime partner of officer who died after Jan. 6 sues rioters and Trump over attack Oklahomas next legislative session starts soon. Heres a look at lawmakers from the Tulsa area, plus contact information. To find your senator, go to oksenate.gov/Senators. To find your representative, go to okhouse.gov/Members. For more info, go to oklegislature.gov. Ho Chi Minh City expects to achieve a Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) growth rate of 7.5 to eight percent in 2023, chairman of the municipal People's Committee Phan Van Mai said during a meeting with foreign diplomatic missions and organizations on Monday. In particular, the service sector will contribute over 60 percent of the citys GRDP this year. Mai also expressed hope that the city will maintain its position as Vietnam's leading economic hub and called on foreign diplomatic agencies and organizations to continue supporting it. At the meeting, Mai said the citys key missions in 2023 are to improve the effectiveness of public works, administrative reforms, and the investment environment, as well as to boost economic development and ensure social welfare. He thanked foreign organizations for creating opportunities for the city to attract and take advantage of international resources in its socioeconomic recovery and development after the COVID-19 pandemic, and for supporting the city in implementing plans for 2021-25 and reaching important achievements in 2022. To hit this years targets for GRDP growth, besides its internal resources, the city is in need of companionship from international consulates, organizations, economic-cultural offices, and business associations in order to develop Ho Chi Minh City into a smart city and an economic, financial, trade, science-technology, and cultural hub in the region. Ho Chi Minh Citys development will correspond to its role as the leading economic hub of the country, a friendly destination for international friends, and a locality with favorable conditions and potential for foreign enterprises, investors, and citizens to live and work for a long term, Mai added. Roy Kho Ngee Seng, Singaporean Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, affirmed that the Consulate General wants to continue cooperating with the city in culture and art exchange, education, public administration, healthcare, green economy, and digital economy. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Ho Chi Minh City expects to achieve a Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) growth rate of 7.5 to eight percent in 2023, chairman of the municipal People's Committee Phan Van Mai said during a meeting with foreign diplomatic missions and organizations on Monday. In particular, the service sector will contribute over 60 percent of the citys GRDP this year. Mai also expressed hope that the city will maintain its position as Vietnam's leading economic hub and called on foreign diplomatic agencies and organizations to continue supporting it. At the meeting, Mai said the citys key missions in 2023 are to improve the effectiveness of public works, administrative reforms, and the investment environment, as well as to boost economic development and ensure social welfare. He thanked foreign organizations for creating opportunities for the city to attract and take advantage of international resources in its socioeconomic recovery and development after the COVID-19 pandemic, and for supporting the city in implementing plans for 2021-25 and reaching important achievements in 2022. To hit this years targets for GRDP growth, besides its internal resources, the city is in need of companionship from international consulates, organizations, economic-cultural offices, and business associations in order to develop Ho Chi Minh City into a smart city and an economic, financial, trade, science-technology, and cultural hub in the region. Ho Chi Minh Citys development will correspond to its role as the leading economic hub of the country, a friendly destination for international friends, and a locality with favorable conditions and potential for foreign enterprises, investors, and citizens to live and work for a long term, Mai added. Roy Kho Ngee Seng, Singaporean Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, affirmed that the Consulate General wants to continue cooperating with the city in culture and art exchange, education, public administration, healthcare, green economy, and digital economy. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Italy's most wanted mafia boss, Matteo Messina Denaro, was arrested by armed police at a private hospital in Sicily on Monday, where the man who has been on the run since 1993 was being treated for cancer. Nicknamed "Diabolik" and "'U Siccu" (The Skinny One), Messina Denaro had been sentenced in absentia to a life term for his role in the 1992 murders of anti-mafia prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, crimes that shocked the nation and sparked a crackdown on Cosa Nostra. Messina Denaro, 60, was led away from Palermo's "La Maddalena" hospital by two uniformed carabinieri police and bundled into a waiting black minivan. He was wearing a brown fur-lined jacket, glasses and a brown and white woolly hat. Judicial sources said he was being treated for cancer and had an operation last year, followed by a series of appointments under a false name. "We had a clue to the investigation and followed it through to today's arrest," Palermo prosecutor Maurizio de Lucia said. Magistrate Paolo Guido, who was also in charge of investigations into Messina Denaro, said dismantling his network of protectors was key in reaching the result following years of work. A second man who had driven Messina Denaro to the hospital was arrested at the scene on suspicion of aiding a fugitive. Images on social media showed locals applauding and shaking hands with police in balaclavas as the minivan carrying Messina Denaro was driven away from the suburban hospital to a secret location. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni travelled to Sicily to congratulate police chiefs after the arrest. "We have not won the war, we have not defeated the mafia but this battle was a key battle to win, and it is a heavy blow to organised crime," she said. Maria Falcone, sister of the murdered judge, echoed that sentiment. "It proves that mafiosi, despite their delusions of omnipotence, are ultimately doomed to defeat in the conflict with the democratic state," she said. Fast cars, flashy clothes Messina Denaro comes from the town of Castelvetrano near Trapani in western Sicily, and is the son of a mafia boss. Police said last September that he was still able to issue commands relating to the way the mafia was run in the area around Trapani, his regional stronghold. Before he went into hiding, he was known for driving expensive cars and his taste for wearing finely tailored suits and Rolex watches. He faces a life sentence for his role in bomb attacks in Florence, Rome and Milan that killed 10 people in 1993 and is accused by prosecutors of being solely or jointly responsible for numerous other murders in the 1990s. In 1993 he helped organise the kidnapping of a 12-year-old boy, Giuseppe Di Matteo, in an attempt to dissuade his father from giving evidence against the mafia, prosecutors say. The boy was held in captivity for two years before he was strangled and his body dissolved in acid. The arrest comes almost 30 years to the day since police arrested Salvatore "Toto" Riina, the Sicilian Mafia's most powerful boss of the 20th century. He eventually died in jail in 2017, having never broken his code of silence. "It is an extraordinary event, of historic significance," said Gian Carlo Caselli, who was a prosecutor in Palermo at the time of Riina's arrest. Despite the euphoria, Italy still faces a struggle to rein in organised crime groups whose tentacles stretch far and wide. Experts say that Cosa Nostra has been usurped by the 'Ndrangheta, the Calabrian mafia, as the most powerful organised crime group in Italy. "There is a sense that the Sicilian Mafia is not as strong as it used to be, especially since the 90s, they have really been unable to enter the drug market and so they are really second-fiddle to the Ndrangheta on that," said Federico Varese, Professor of Criminology at Oxford University. Italy's most wanted mafia boss, Matteo Messina Denaro, was arrested by armed police at a private hospital in Sicily on Monday, where the man who has been on the run since 1993 was being treated for cancer. Nicknamed "Diabolik" and "'U Siccu" (The Skinny One), Messina Denaro had been sentenced in absentia to a life term for his role in the 1992 murders of anti-mafia prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, crimes that shocked the nation and sparked a crackdown on Cosa Nostra. Messina Denaro, 60, was led away from Palermo's "La Maddalena" hospital by two uniformed carabinieri police and bundled into a waiting black minivan. He was wearing a brown fur-lined jacket, glasses and a brown and white woolly hat. Judicial sources said he was being treated for cancer and had an operation last year, followed by a series of appointments under a false name. "We had a clue to the investigation and followed it through to today's arrest," Palermo prosecutor Maurizio de Lucia said. Magistrate Paolo Guido, who was also in charge of investigations into Messina Denaro, said dismantling his network of protectors was key in reaching the result following years of work. A second man who had driven Messina Denaro to the hospital was arrested at the scene on suspicion of aiding a fugitive. Images on social media showed locals applauding and shaking hands with police in balaclavas as the minivan carrying Messina Denaro was driven away from the suburban hospital to a secret location. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni travelled to Sicily to congratulate police chiefs after the arrest. "We have not won the war, we have not defeated the mafia but this battle was a key battle to win, and it is a heavy blow to organised crime," she said. Maria Falcone, sister of the murdered judge, echoed that sentiment. "It proves that mafiosi, despite their delusions of omnipotence, are ultimately doomed to defeat in the conflict with the democratic state," she said. Fast cars, flashy clothes Messina Denaro comes from the town of Castelvetrano near Trapani in western Sicily, and is the son of a mafia boss. Police said last September that he was still able to issue commands relating to the way the mafia was run in the area around Trapani, his regional stronghold. Before he went into hiding, he was known for driving expensive cars and his taste for wearing finely tailored suits and Rolex watches. He faces a life sentence for his role in bomb attacks in Florence, Rome and Milan that killed 10 people in 1993 and is accused by prosecutors of being solely or jointly responsible for numerous other murders in the 1990s. In 1993 he helped organise the kidnapping of a 12-year-old boy, Giuseppe Di Matteo, in an attempt to dissuade his father from giving evidence against the mafia, prosecutors say. The boy was held in captivity for two years before he was strangled and his body dissolved in acid. The arrest comes almost 30 years to the day since police arrested Salvatore "Toto" Riina, the Sicilian Mafia's most powerful boss of the 20th century. He eventually died in jail in 2017, having never broken his code of silence. "It is an extraordinary event, of historic significance," said Gian Carlo Caselli, who was a prosecutor in Palermo at the time of Riina's arrest. Despite the euphoria, Italy still faces a struggle to rein in organised crime groups whose tentacles stretch far and wide. Experts say that Cosa Nostra has been usurped by the 'Ndrangheta, the Calabrian mafia, as the most powerful organised crime group in Italy. "There is a sense that the Sicilian Mafia is not as strong as it used to be, especially since the 90s, they have really been unable to enter the drug market and so they are really second-fiddle to the Ndrangheta on that," said Federico Varese, Professor of Criminology at Oxford University. Climate change is increasing malaria infections, the executive director of the world's biggest health fund said in Davos on Monday. Huge surges in malaria infections followed recent floods in Pakistan and cyclones in Mozambique in 2021, said Peter Sands, the executive director of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. "Whenever you have an extreme weather event it's fairly common to have a surge of malaria," he said at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos. The increase in extreme weather events, and the resulting large pools of standing water that attract mosquitoes, are leaving poorer populations vulnerable. He said climate change was also changing the geography of mosquitoes. The highlands of Africa, in Kenya and Ethiopia, are now succumbing to malaria because of a shift in the low temperatures that once made the area unsustainable for mosquitoes. Sands runs the world's largest global fund, which invests in fighting tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS in some of the poorest nations in the world. The fund, which set a target of raising $18 billion, has so far raised $15.7 billion, the largest amount of money ever raised in global health. Part of the shortfall, he said, was a billion dollar hit from currency fluctuations that affected donations. Looking ahead, climate change is just one of the factors that could hamper efforts to eradicate the diseases, Sands said. The war in Ukraine has led to a worsening of AIDS and tuberculosis. In middle income countries such as India, Pakistan and Indonesia, tuberculosis cases amongst the poorest populations are also rising. With fears of a global recession rising, Sands said those countries would come under increased pressure. "I think the big concern from our perspective is what happens to health budgets in the 120 or so countries we are investing." And even within those health budgets, how much is being taken up by COVID?" Climate change is increasing malaria infections, the executive director of the world's biggest health fund said in Davos on Monday. Huge surges in malaria infections followed recent floods in Pakistan and cyclones in Mozambique in 2021, said Peter Sands, the executive director of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. "Whenever you have an extreme weather event it's fairly common to have a surge of malaria," he said at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos. The increase in extreme weather events, and the resulting large pools of standing water that attract mosquitoes, are leaving poorer populations vulnerable. He said climate change was also changing the geography of mosquitoes. The highlands of Africa, in Kenya and Ethiopia, are now succumbing to malaria because of a shift in the low temperatures that once made the area unsustainable for mosquitoes. Sands runs the world's largest global fund, which invests in fighting tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS in some of the poorest nations in the world. The fund, which set a target of raising $18 billion, has so far raised $15.7 billion, the largest amount of money ever raised in global health. Part of the shortfall, he said, was a billion dollar hit from currency fluctuations that affected donations. Looking ahead, climate change is just one of the factors that could hamper efforts to eradicate the diseases, Sands said. The war in Ukraine has led to a worsening of AIDS and tuberculosis. In middle income countries such as India, Pakistan and Indonesia, tuberculosis cases amongst the poorest populations are also rising. With fears of a global recession rising, Sands said those countries would come under increased pressure. "I think the big concern from our perspective is what happens to health budgets in the 120 or so countries we are investing." And even within those health budgets, how much is being taken up by COVID?" You are here: World Flash Russia's budget revenues in 2022 from the oil and gas industry increased by 28 percent or by 2.5 trillion rubles (36.4 billion U.S. dollars) from the previous year, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Monday. Despite sanctions by unfriendly countries, oil production in Russia amounted to 535 million tons last year, an increase of 10 million tons from 2021, while oil exports rose by 7 percent, Novak said at a government meeting. Exports of liquefied natural gas increased by 8 percent to reach 46 billion cubic meters. Still, exports of pipeline gas declined due to sanctions and sabotage on the Nord Stream pipelines, he added. "Despite all the difficulties last year, the fuel and energy complex demonstrated stable operation, resistance to external challenges, and the ability to ensure our country's energy security," Novak said. Scientists in Chile's Patagonia region are unearthing the southernmost dinosaur fossils recorded outside Antarctica, including remains of megaraptors that would have dominated the area's food chain before their mass extinction. Fossils of megaraptors, a carnivorous dinosaur that inhabited parts of South America during the Cretaceous period some 70 million years ago, were found in sizes up to 10 meters long, according to the Journal of South American Earth Sciences. "We were missing a piece," Marcelo Leppe, director of the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH), told Reuters. "We knew where there were large mammals, there would also be large carnivores, but we hadn't found them yet." The remains, recovered from Chile's far south Rio de las Chinas Valley in the Magallanes Basin between 2016 and 2020, also include some unusual remains of unenlagia, velociraptor-like dinosaurs which likely lived covered in feathers. The specimens, according to University of Chile researcher Jared Amudeo, had some characteristics not present in Argentine or Brazilian counterparts. "It could be a new species, which is very likely, or belong to another family of dinosaurs that are closely related," he said, adding more conclusive evidence is needed. The studies also shed more light on the conditions of the meteorite impact on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula that may have triggered the dinosaurs' extinction some 65 million years ago. INACH's Leppe pointed to a sharp drop in temperatures over present-day Patagonia and waves of intense cold lasting up to several thousand years, in contrast to the extremely warm climate that prevailed for much of the Cretaceous period. "The enormous variation we are seeing, the biological diversity, was also responding to very powerful environmental stimuli," Leppe said. "This world was already in crisis before (the meteorite) and this is evidenced in the rocks of the Rio de las Chinas Valley," he said. A view of a fossil at the area where scientists discovered megaraptor fossils at 'Guido' hill in the Chilean Patagonia area, close to Torres del Paine park, in Magallanes and Antarctic region, Chile in this undated handout photo provided by the Instituto Chileno Antartico on January 16, 2023. Photo: Reuters A man works at the area where scientists discovered megaraptor fossils at 'Guido' hill in the Chilean Patagonia area, close to Torres del Paine park, in Magallanes and Antarctic region, Chile in this undated handout photo provided by the Instituto Chileno Antartico on January 16, 2023. Photo: Reuters A team works at the area where scientists discovered megaraptor fossils at 'Guido' hill in the Chilean Patagonia area, close to Torres del Paine park, in Magallanes and Antarctic region, Chile in this undated handout photo provided by the Instituto Chileno Antartico on January 16, 2023. Photo: Reuters A woman holds a fossil at the area where scientists discovered megaraptor fossils at 'Guido' hill in the Chilean Patagonia area, close to Torres del Paine park, in Magallanes and Antarctic region, Chile in this undated handout photo provided by the Instituto Chileno Antartico on January 16, 2023. Photo: Reuters Scientists in Chile's Patagonia region are unearthing the southernmost dinosaur fossils recorded outside Antarctica, including remains of megaraptors that would have dominated the area's food chain before their mass extinction. Fossils of megaraptors, a carnivorous dinosaur that inhabited parts of South America during the Cretaceous period some 70 million years ago, were found in sizes up to 10 meters long, according to the Journal of South American Earth Sciences. "We were missing a piece," Marcelo Leppe, director of the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH), told Reuters. "We knew where there were large mammals, there would also be large carnivores, but we hadn't found them yet." The remains, recovered from Chile's far south Rio de las Chinas Valley in the Magallanes Basin between 2016 and 2020, also include some unusual remains of unenlagia, velociraptor-like dinosaurs which likely lived covered in feathers. The specimens, according to University of Chile researcher Jared Amudeo, had some characteristics not present in Argentine or Brazilian counterparts. "It could be a new species, which is very likely, or belong to another family of dinosaurs that are closely related," he said, adding more conclusive evidence is needed. The studies also shed more light on the conditions of the meteorite impact on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula that may have triggered the dinosaurs' extinction some 65 million years ago. INACH's Leppe pointed to a sharp drop in temperatures over present-day Patagonia and waves of intense cold lasting up to several thousand years, in contrast to the extremely warm climate that prevailed for much of the Cretaceous period. "The enormous variation we are seeing, the biological diversity, was also responding to very powerful environmental stimuli," Leppe said. "This world was already in crisis before (the meteorite) and this is evidenced in the rocks of the Rio de las Chinas Valley," he said. A view of a fossil at the area where scientists discovered megaraptor fossils at 'Guido' hill in the Chilean Patagonia area, close to Torres del Paine park, in Magallanes and Antarctic region, Chile in this undated handout photo provided by the Instituto Chileno Antartico on January 16, 2023. Photo: Reuters A man works at the area where scientists discovered megaraptor fossils at 'Guido' hill in the Chilean Patagonia area, close to Torres del Paine park, in Magallanes and Antarctic region, Chile in this undated handout photo provided by the Instituto Chileno Antartico on January 16, 2023. Photo: Reuters A team works at the area where scientists discovered megaraptor fossils at 'Guido' hill in the Chilean Patagonia area, close to Torres del Paine park, in Magallanes and Antarctic region, Chile in this undated handout photo provided by the Instituto Chileno Antartico on January 16, 2023. Photo: Reuters Switzerland will support Vietnam in practicing digital transformation toward a digital economy and green growth, Guy Parmelin, member of the Swiss Federal Council and head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, affirmed on Monday. Federal Councilor Parmelin made the affirmation at his talks with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, who is in Switzerland to attend the five-day World Economic Forums Annual Meeting, which kicked off in Davos the same day, according to the Vietnam News Agency. The host and guest expressed their delight at the good development of the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Switzerland over the past 50 years, especially in politics, diplomacy, economics, development cooperation, science and technology, and education and training. The increasing two-way trade between the two countries reached US$721.3 million in January-November, and Switzerland now has 197 active foreign direct investment (FDI) projects in Vietnam worth a combined $1.89 billion, ranking 21st out of 140 countries and territories investing in the Southeast Asian country, deputy PM Ha said. With a market of nearly 100 million people and 15 free trade agreements (FTAs) having been signed with its partners in the world, Vietnam has become an attractive market offering great opportunities for economic, trade, and investment cooperation to foreign investors, Ha told his host. In such a context, Vietnam is now transforming its economy to a new model of digital, circular, and low-carbon economy to attain sustainable and green development, Ha said. The Vietnamese official suggested that Swiss investors engage in projects with new, advanced, and clean technology and those in environmental protection, innovation, and modern administration in Vietnam. Ha asked his guest to facilitate Swiss entrepreneurs in doing long-term business in Vietnam, especially in such areas as finance, banking, insurance, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, agricultural product processing, renewable energy, and tourism. Regarding green growth, deputy PM Ha said Vietnam is in transition from fossil energy to renewable energy to reduce CO2 emissions toward fulfilling its international commitment to reduce net emissions to zero by 2050. He therefore hoped that Switzerland would participate in helping reduce emissions in developing countries including Vietnam. Federal Councilor Parmelin highly appreciated Vietnams commitment to net-zero emissions and congratulated the nation on achieving a Fair Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) with G7 countries and partners. The host pledged that Switzeland will assist Vietnam in transitioning to a circular economy and practicing circular production and digital transformation toward a digital economy and green and sustainable development. Deputy PM Ha suggested that Switzerland continue to coordinate with Vietnam to promote the negotiation of an FTA between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and affirmed that Vietnam is ready to become a bridge for EFTA to access and expand its markets in the ASEAN region. The guest also congratulated Switzerland on being elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the first time. The two sides agreed to strengthen mutual coordination and support at multilateral forums and international organizations. Deputy PM Ha asked the Swiss government to create favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community in Switzerland to stabilize their lives and integrate into the host society. After the talks, the host and guest co-chaired an exchange session with Swiss businesses and investors, at which leaders of many leading Swiss corporations expressed their impression with Vietnams economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and lauded Vietnams growth prospects in the coming time. These enterprises expressed their desire to expand their investment and promote business cooperation in Vietnam. Deputy PM Ha answered all the questions raised by the host businesses in relation to doing business and making investment in Vietnam. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Switzerland will support Vietnam in practicing digital transformation toward a digital economy and green growth, Guy Parmelin, member of the Swiss Federal Council and head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, affirmed on Monday. Federal Councilor Parmelin made the affirmation at his talks with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, who is in Switzerland to attend the five-day World Economic Forums Annual Meeting, which kicked off in Davos the same day, according to the Vietnam News Agency. The host and guest expressed their delight at the good development of the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Switzerland over the past 50 years, especially in politics, diplomacy, economics, development cooperation, science and technology, and education and training. The increasing two-way trade between the two countries reached US$721.3 million in January-November, and Switzerland now has 197 active foreign direct investment (FDI) projects in Vietnam worth a combined $1.89 billion, ranking 21st out of 140 countries and territories investing in the Southeast Asian country, deputy PM Ha said. With a market of nearly 100 million people and 15 free trade agreements (FTAs) having been signed with its partners in the world, Vietnam has become an attractive market offering great opportunities for economic, trade, and investment cooperation to foreign investors, Ha told his host. In such a context, Vietnam is now transforming its economy to a new model of digital, circular, and low-carbon economy to attain sustainable and green development, Ha said. The Vietnamese official suggested that Swiss investors engage in projects with new, advanced, and clean technology and those in environmental protection, innovation, and modern administration in Vietnam. Ha asked his guest to facilitate Swiss entrepreneurs in doing long-term business in Vietnam, especially in such areas as finance, banking, insurance, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, agricultural product processing, renewable energy, and tourism. Regarding green growth, deputy PM Ha said Vietnam is in transition from fossil energy to renewable energy to reduce CO2 emissions toward fulfilling its international commitment to reduce net emissions to zero by 2050. He therefore hoped that Switzerland would participate in helping reduce emissions in developing countries including Vietnam. Federal Councilor Parmelin highly appreciated Vietnams commitment to net-zero emissions and congratulated the nation on achieving a Fair Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) with G7 countries and partners. The host pledged that Switzeland will assist Vietnam in transitioning to a circular economy and practicing circular production and digital transformation toward a digital economy and green and sustainable development. Deputy PM Ha suggested that Switzerland continue to coordinate with Vietnam to promote the negotiation of an FTA between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and affirmed that Vietnam is ready to become a bridge for EFTA to access and expand its markets in the ASEAN region. The guest also congratulated Switzerland on being elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the first time. The two sides agreed to strengthen mutual coordination and support at multilateral forums and international organizations. Deputy PM Ha asked the Swiss government to create favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community in Switzerland to stabilize their lives and integrate into the host society. After the talks, the host and guest co-chaired an exchange session with Swiss businesses and investors, at which leaders of many leading Swiss corporations expressed their impression with Vietnams economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and lauded Vietnams growth prospects in the coming time. These enterprises expressed their desire to expand their investment and promote business cooperation in Vietnam. Deputy PM Ha answered all the questions raised by the host businesses in relation to doing business and making investment in Vietnam. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Vietnamese Party Central Committee (PCC) on Tuesday agreed to let State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc quit the posts of a member of the Politburo and of the 13th PCC upon his request. The decision was made during a meeting at the headquarters of the PCC to consider Phucs wish to retire and leave all of his positionsa member of the Politburo, a member of the 13th PCC, State President of Vietnam, and chairman of the Council of National Defense and Security in the 2021-26 tenure. Nguyen Xuan Phuc is a key leader of the Party and the state. He has been appointed to many important positions in the Party and the state by the PCC and the Politburo. Holding the post of the prime minister in the 2016-21 tenure, he made great efforts in leadership, direction and operation of the countrys COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control, achieving many important results. However, as the leader of the government, he must take the political responsibility when many high-ranking officials, including two deputy prime ministers and three ministers, committed violations and wrongdoings, causing serious consequences. The two deputy prime ministersPham Binh Minh and Vu Duc Dam had earlier resigned from their posts, while two ministers and many officials had faced criminal charges. Aware of his responsibility before the Party and the people, he tendered his resignation to retire. Based on the prevailing regulations of the Party and the state, the PCC accepted Phucs resignation. The PCC assigned the Politburo to direct relevant agencies to complete related procedures in line with the law. Phuc, 69, a native of Que Phu Commune, Que Son District, Quang Nam Province, central Vietnam, was a member of the PCC and the Politburo and a deputy of the National Assembly for many tenures. He was appointed as the State President of Vietnam on April 5, 2021 after holding the post of the prime minister of the country from 2016 to 2021. Earlier, he served as deputy prime minister, minister and chairman of the Government Office, vice-chairman of the Government Office, deputy head of the Government Inspectorate, and chairman of the Peoples Committee of Quang Nam Province. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Vietnamese Party Central Committee (PCC) on Tuesday agreed to let State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc quit the posts of a member of the Politburo and of the 13th PCC upon his request. The decision was made during a meeting at the headquarters of the PCC to consider Phucs wish to retire and leave all of his positionsa member of the Politburo, a member of the 13th PCC, State President of Vietnam, and chairman of the Council of National Defense and Security in the 2021-26 tenure. Nguyen Xuan Phuc is a key leader of the Party and the state. He has been appointed to many important positions in the Party and the state by the PCC and the Politburo. Holding the post of the prime minister in the 2016-21 tenure, he made great efforts in leadership, direction and operation of the countrys COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control, achieving many important results. However, as the leader of the government, he must take the political responsibility when many high-ranking officials, including two deputy prime ministers and three ministers, committed violations and wrongdoings, causing serious consequences. The two deputy prime ministersPham Binh Minh and Vu Duc Dam had earlier resigned from their posts, while two ministers and many officials had faced criminal charges. Aware of his responsibility before the Party and the people, he tendered his resignation to retire. Based on the prevailing regulations of the Party and the state, the PCC accepted Phucs resignation. The PCC assigned the Politburo to direct relevant agencies to complete related procedures in line with the law. Phuc, 69, a native of Que Phu Commune, Que Son District, Quang Nam Province, central Vietnam, was a member of the PCC and the Politburo and a deputy of the National Assembly for many tenures. He was appointed as the State President of Vietnam on April 5, 2021 after holding the post of the prime minister of the country from 2016 to 2021. Earlier, he served as deputy prime minister, minister and chairman of the Government Office, vice-chairman of the Government Office, deputy head of the Government Inspectorate, and chairman of the Peoples Committee of Quang Nam Province. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Here are todays leading news stories: Politics -- State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc visited and extended Tet (Lunar New Year) wishes to Most Venerable Thich Tri Quang, Supreme Patriarch of the Patronage Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Ho Chi Minh City on Monday. -- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited and presented gifts to local armed forces and residents in northern Cao Bang Province ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. Society -- Chilly weather will persist in northern Vietnam on Tuesday due to the effect of a cold spell, while it will be sunny and partly cloudy in southern provinces, the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting reported. -- Ho Chi Minh City sets a goal to achieve a Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) growth rate of 7.5-8 percent in 2023, chairman of the municipal People's Committee Phan Van Mai said during a meeting with foreign diplomatic missions and organizations on Monday. -- The former director of Phu Bai International Airport in north-central Thua Thien-Hue Province was sentenced to 15 years and six months in prison for receiving bribes between 2017 and 2020. Lifestyle -- Ho Chi Minh Citys 43rd annual Spring Flower Festival kicked off at Tao Dan Park in District 1 on Monday evening and will open to visitors until the end of January 27. -- Tourist destinations in the Mekong Delta are expecting a sharp increase in the number of tourists during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday thanks to the launching of new tourism products. Business -- National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has announced that it will increase the number of flights to 108 with 20,000 seats between January 16 and 30 to meet skyrocketing demand during the Tet festival, the Vietnam News Agency reported. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Here are todays leading news stories: Politics -- State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc visited and extended Tet (Lunar New Year) wishes to Most Venerable Thich Tri Quang, Supreme Patriarch of the Patronage Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Ho Chi Minh City on Monday. -- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited and presented gifts to local armed forces and residents in northern Cao Bang Province ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. Society -- Chilly weather will persist in northern Vietnam on Tuesday due to the effect of a cold spell, while it will be sunny and partly cloudy in southern provinces, the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting reported. -- Ho Chi Minh City sets a goal to achieve a Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) growth rate of 7.5-8 percent in 2023, chairman of the municipal People's Committee Phan Van Mai said during a meeting with foreign diplomatic missions and organizations on Monday. -- The former director of Phu Bai International Airport in north-central Thua Thien-Hue Province was sentenced to 15 years and six months in prison for receiving bribes between 2017 and 2020. Lifestyle -- Ho Chi Minh Citys 43rd annual Spring Flower Festival kicked off at Tao Dan Park in District 1 on Monday evening and will open to visitors until the end of January 27. -- Tourist destinations in the Mekong Delta are expecting a sharp increase in the number of tourists during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday thanks to the launching of new tourism products. Business -- National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has announced that it will increase the number of flights to 108 with 20,000 seats between January 16 and 30 to meet skyrocketing demand during the Tet festival, the Vietnam News Agency reported. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Do Chi Thanh, former director of Phu Bai International Airport in Thua Thien-Hue Province, north-central Vietnam, on Sunday was sentenced to 15 years and six months behind bars for receiving bribes between 2017 and 2020. The Thua Thien Hue Peoples Court also handed down the same prison term on Tran Xuan Long, former chief of the office and accountant of the airport. In addition, Le Van Loc, former deputy director of the airport, and Le Quoc Cuong, former head of the airports aviation security division, got respective jail terms of nine and 2.5 yeras. Phung Tuan Duong, another former deputy director of the airport, will be put on probation for three years. All were charged with taking bribes. Meanwhile, Nguyen Van Hien, director of Hoang Phu Thinh Joint Stock Company, the operator of Vang taxis, and Nguyen Tien Duong, director of Thanh Cong Hue Taxi Joint Stock Company, the operator of Thanh Cong taxis, were each sentenced to seven years in jail for giving bribes. Also sentenced were Ly Dieu Thanh, chief accountant of Hoang Phu Thinh Joint Stock Company, and Tran Dinh Hai, deputy director of the company, who were subject to three-year and two-and-a-half-year probation, respectively. According to the indictment, Phu Bai International Airport was given permission to choose enterprises that could provide taxi services at the airport through tenders. On September 7, 2017, Do Chi Thanh established a tender team including Le Van Loc, Tran Xuan Long, and Le Quoc Cuong. Thanh later issued regulations on the selection of taxi operators permitted to work at the airport. In particular, three taxi operators would be accepted and given 12 parking slots for taxis and a lot to pick up passengers at the airport. In late September 2017, the airport held tenders and Hoang Phu Thinh Joint Stock Company and Thanh Cong Hue Taxi Joint Stock Company won with a winning price of VND505 million (US$21,443) and VND180 million ($7,643), respectively, per month. Under the regulations, the two firms had to pay VND342 million ($14,520) per month, the average of the two winning prices. After the tenders, Duong, director of Thanh Cong Hue Taxi Joint Stock Company, met Tran Xuan Long and begged him to reduce the price, saying that the company would find it hard to offer taxi services at the airport for a long time if it had to pay such a high fee. Do Chi Thanh and Tran Xuan Long agreed to reduce the monthly fee to VND285 million ($12,136) for Hoang Phu Thinh Joint Stock Company and VND200 million ($8,491) for Thanh Cong Hue Taxi Joint Stock Company. However, the fee stated in official contracts between the airport and the two taxi firms was only VND120 million ($5,094) per month. The remaining amounts would be given to Tran Xuan Long, who would share with other leaders of the airport. The directors of the two taxi firms agreed to the deal despite acknowledging that the act was illegal. Between October 2017 and December 2020, Thanh and Long received bribes worth nearly VND6.3 billion ($268,275) from the two taxi operators. Thanh also agreed to provide each taxi firm with an additional 12 parking lots and one pick-up slot to receive an additional VND12 million ($511) per month. The defendants violations caused losses of over VND12 billion ($511,220) to the state-run Airports Corporation of Vietnam. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Do Chi Thanh, former director of Phu Bai International Airport in Thua Thien-Hue Province, north-central Vietnam, on Sunday was sentenced to 15 years and six months behind bars for receiving bribes between 2017 and 2020. The Thua Thien Hue Peoples Court also handed down the same prison term on Tran Xuan Long, former chief of the office and accountant of the airport. In addition, Le Van Loc, former deputy director of the airport, and Le Quoc Cuong, former head of the airports aviation security division, got respective jail terms of nine and 2.5 yeras. Phung Tuan Duong, another former deputy director of the airport, will be put on probation for three years. All were charged with taking bribes. Meanwhile, Nguyen Van Hien, director of Hoang Phu Thinh Joint Stock Company, the operator of Vang taxis, and Nguyen Tien Duong, director of Thanh Cong Hue Taxi Joint Stock Company, the operator of Thanh Cong taxis, were each sentenced to seven years in jail for giving bribes. Also sentenced were Ly Dieu Thanh, chief accountant of Hoang Phu Thinh Joint Stock Company, and Tran Dinh Hai, deputy director of the company, who were subject to three-year and two-and-a-half-year probation, respectively. According to the indictment, Phu Bai International Airport was given permission to choose enterprises that could provide taxi services at the airport through tenders. On September 7, 2017, Do Chi Thanh established a tender team including Le Van Loc, Tran Xuan Long, and Le Quoc Cuong. Thanh later issued regulations on the selection of taxi operators permitted to work at the airport. In particular, three taxi operators would be accepted and given 12 parking slots for taxis and a lot to pick up passengers at the airport. In late September 2017, the airport held tenders and Hoang Phu Thinh Joint Stock Company and Thanh Cong Hue Taxi Joint Stock Company won with a winning price of VND505 million (US$21,443) and VND180 million ($7,643), respectively, per month. Under the regulations, the two firms had to pay VND342 million ($14,520) per month, the average of the two winning prices. After the tenders, Duong, director of Thanh Cong Hue Taxi Joint Stock Company, met Tran Xuan Long and begged him to reduce the price, saying that the company would find it hard to offer taxi services at the airport for a long time if it had to pay such a high fee. Do Chi Thanh and Tran Xuan Long agreed to reduce the monthly fee to VND285 million ($12,136) for Hoang Phu Thinh Joint Stock Company and VND200 million ($8,491) for Thanh Cong Hue Taxi Joint Stock Company. However, the fee stated in official contracts between the airport and the two taxi firms was only VND120 million ($5,094) per month. The remaining amounts would be given to Tran Xuan Long, who would share with other leaders of the airport. The directors of the two taxi firms agreed to the deal despite acknowledging that the act was illegal. Between October 2017 and December 2020, Thanh and Long received bribes worth nearly VND6.3 billion ($268,275) from the two taxi operators. Thanh also agreed to provide each taxi firm with an additional 12 parking lots and one pick-up slot to receive an additional VND12 million ($511) per month. The defendants violations caused losses of over VND12 billion ($511,220) to the state-run Airports Corporation of Vietnam. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Yesterday marked 35 years since Home & Away launched on Australian television. Alan Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip to Kangaroo Point, New South Wales, where he noticed locals were complaining about the construction of a foster home and against the idea of foster children from the city living in the area. Patriarch Ray Meagher is staying in the Bay, having recently signed a new contract to stick with the Seven soap. Speaking to The Scottish Sun, Meagher was asked why he had remained so long with the show, now extending back to January 17 1988. I think the basic answer is the people. Weve got a wonderful crew and some of them have nearly been there as long as me, he said. We have some wonderful actors who are now in the 10, 15 and 20 year bracket, and by and large Ive thoroughly enjoyed my time on the show. I signed a contract last year for another five years! So Ill definitely see that out. In 2019 Meagher signed a 3 year contract to 2022. We work for 46 weeks of the year, but I have clauses where I can give producers a reasonable amount of notice for them to write me out to go to the UK and do pantomimes or to go to London and do Priscilla in the West End, he said at the time. In this latest contract I said I wanted to work less weeks, so weve worked that out, but Ill still be there more often than not. Im taking a tiny little bit of extra time but its not a bridge to retirement, he confirmed. Meagher is the sole remaining original cast member and he holds a Guinness World Record for being the longest-serving actor in an Australian serial. Whats it like to work at a TV network? Employment site Seek publishes 1000 company reviews a day submitted by former employees, including Australian TV networks. They highlight the positive and the negative of companies and give a star rating out of 5 according to those supplied. Like many workplaces, there are common themes about colleagues, management, hours, pay and technology. Here are a sample of the reviews around networks drawn from across the past 5 years. Note that in some cases they could also be referring to employment in radio, publishing etc. and Seek stresses neither they nor the employer can modify the review. 4.1: 10 / Paramount (45 reviews) The good things: The people make the place. There are amazing people here who value your effort and nurture your development. Hybrid work arrangement I currently do 2 or 3 days in the office and the rest at home. Work life balance is really great. Work is diverse and challenging enough to keep it enjoyable and myself interested. Fun company and team to work with. Network 10 offers a great opportunity for growth and learning. Everyone on the team is supportive and keen to help in any way they can. The people. The opportunities. The content. The inclusion. Great development opportunities and a fantastic culture. There is never a dull moment at 10. Ive never worked for an organisation so focused on its people. And these people love what they do and celebrate success together. The challenges: The pay could be better. The technology here is a bit dated for example our work computers are PCs, not laptops. Things are improving though. Also after merging with Viacom and then into the Paramount umbrella, connecting up all the technology infrastructure from these different entities is still a WIP. Being part of a Global Network has the usual challenges, systems, bureaucracy etc. Working out how to navigate this is key. We generally had to try and do more with less.. Which isnt always a bad thing! There was little to no movement within the company and management who prioritised promoting men made moving up even more challenging. Sometimes people who were the most familiar with the details werent given enough input in decision-making processes, which I think is common everywhere, but is still frustrating & probably more so in a highly technical field. A lot of people had \Egos\ and did not value you as a person. Sme nasty attitudes and Management was the worst.Appalling, and they dont know how to take care of their staff. 3.6: Foxtel (299 reviews) The good things: Good staff benefits, discounted products, free Foxtel and supportive Team Leader. High Pay Rate, 3 breaks, flexible working rosters, friendly staff. Very understanding company. Free Foxtel and discounted broadband. Good people. Good work culture. Great company which genuinely tries to add fun to the working day. Diverse mix of employees, all inclusive atmosphere is expected and achieved. Highly skilled managers. Employees are not just numbers. The challenges: Low pay, high management turnover and restructuring, next to no career development or progression structure. Everything is always unfortunately about the budget , or lack thereof. Sadly the company has felt like its on the decline the last few years. Plenty of redundancies, lack of development opportunities and management dont follow through on their promises and this is general due to making promises they know they cant keep. No challenges Foxtel has too much support for you too ever feel challenged. the only challenge is being made redundant because you never want to leave this job. The call quene was busy sometimes flat out non stop. Budgets diminished, less staff, more workload for existing workers. No career advancement, stayed in same position for 5 years. Mostly offshores to TCS in India which means job stability and security is very less. Management can decide any random day that your position is going to India. 3.6: ABC (93 reviews) The good things: Good culture, many supportive people, good reputation amongst the public. Some really lovely people and lots of opportunities for improving audience and employee experience. A work place where you feel youre working for the betterment of all Australians. Working with the community. Interesting place to work good people extremely diverse environment. Job security, variety of work and smart, creative colleagues. The challenges: Extremely stressful work environment with constantly changing targets. Lack of understanding from central management and human resources. Management can be very outdated extremely political a lot of waste. No job security, top heavy management who are only interested in keeping their own jobs. Very little work life balance and never go on maternity leave, you will be made redundant. I never did but many of my colleagues did and they did not come back. Poor management. No idea of the direction, for the projects I worked on they werent thought about and end up having no budget. I was originally told there was plenty of long term work so really wasted my time after turning down other roles. Youre on call 24/7. Youre never off. Appalling management. Totally self focused. Poor pay and little chance of career advancement. 3.4: SBS (55 reviews) The good things: Honestly would be the first company where the culture is genuinely inclusive and everyone you come into contact with is passionate, fun and enjoys working for the brand. One of the few places where you wont find many negative vibes, SLT and MD are very progressive and genuine people, this makes a real impact down the line. The people are truly passionate about what they do. There are so many aspects to make you proud to work here. I have developed my career here and have had many opportunities for development and career progression. Their parental leave policy and other policies and procedures are very inclusive and supportive. The people and the culture!!! without a doubt ! I have worked for a number of organisations and SBS is at the top as far as being included, respected and valued. Meeting people from the most incredible backgrounds is a highlight, with such diversity brings many strengths. SBS does live its values and has a down to earth culture. I am excited about the future and I am proud to be an employee of SBS. The News team at SBS have a deep committment to their values and charter. They are nimble and committed to bringing a modern version of world news to Australian audiences. Great colleagues. Great office space. Great connectivity to public transport. Great work-life balance. No one bothers you when you are on leave, after-hours or on weekends. Great people and a really impressive focus on a healthy work culture. I always feel listened to and supported and I also really appreciate the feeling of trust from management. Its not about the money at SBS, its about the charter, and making peoples lives better The challenges: Overall remuneration can be a sticking point for some across the business, its not an organisation to work for if you are purely driven by $. Being public service, some aspects can be a bit bureaucratic which can sometimes cause delays. Lacking strong leadership, recognition, and motivation. Budget and resource constraints. But everyone works together to make it happen. Stale people, negative, horrible and inappropriate management, not a fair place. About the only challenge about working at SBS is the salary. Its low compared to industry standard and you really need to ask for a pay rise, otherwise you wont get one unless you go for a new role. 3.0: Nine Network (56 reviews) The good things: Cutting edge technologies. Fantastic people to work with. Overall relaxed and enjoyable working environment. Close to home. Xmas hamper. Exciting and interesting job for a graduate journalist. Great company and managers. Most of the co-workers are amazing people. Ive been able to learn new things, write stories and get noticed in the media industry. My skills have grown and Ive met new friends and future collab partners for future ventures. The challenges: Different departments can be quite siloed and this is not always great for collaboration and efficiency. Pay is getting better but not the highest paying in the market. Management is non-existent, and long working hours (weekends / after hours) for little pay. Lack of support, poor pay and flexibility and cliquey management. Management. Lots of micro management from management that didnt know what their employees were doing. A lot of office politics as well. Management and coworkers are hard to deal with, it is a toxic environment. Can be clicky and being media, there are some big egos to deal with. 2.7: Seven Network (47 reviews) The good things: Awesome team culture. Always enjoyable coming to work when were all passionate about the same goals. People are great and supportive. There is a diverse bunch of people who work collaboratively and want to be creative. Hard working colleagues. Nice work life balance. Great culture, supportive environment and autonomous. Everything. Loved it. The challenges: Its challenging to be in a side of a company with enormous growth whilst suffering from the same sort of cut-backs and restrictions placed on declining parts of the business. The workplace culture is not great. When I look back on my experience, I realise just how badly I didnt see the toxicity. There are also many powerful personalities, both in the department I was in and in other areas that put everyone down. Also due to the age of the company and how much is going on, there is a lot to learn. Its information overload which took me a while to learn but I believe it did help me in the end. Everything from start to finish. Double standards. Technology department under construction former CEO was not aware of the importance of technology for TV If youre on the bottom of the food chain, youre below everyone in all ways. The inequality is humongous. Most of the staff are gossiping, toxic, story driven vultures. Pay is awful, hours are long. Editors dont care about employees. Source: Seek Flash China and Egypt have agreed to maintain mutual support, strengthen cooperation in various fields and deepen coordination in regional and international affairs, visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told the press on Sunday. Qin said that, during his visit to Egypt, the two sides had in-depth exchanges on implementing the important consensuses reached by the heads of state of the two countries, and reached broad consensus on bilateral relations and regional and international issues of common concerns. China-Egypt traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership are of high quality. In recent years, China-Egypt relations have achieved leapfrog development under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi. Especially during the past three years, China and Egypt have strengthened their comprehensive strategic partnership by working together to fight the pandemic and helping each other, he said. During this visit, both sides agreed that China and Egypt have solid strategic mutual trust and should continue to firmly support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns. China thanks Egypt for its valuable support on issues concerning China's core interests such as Taiwan and Xinjiang-related issues, firmly supports Egypt in pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions, and supports Egypt in safeguarding national sovereignty and security and achieving development and revitalization, Qin said. Both sides agreed that the Belt and Road cooperation between China and Egypt has yielded fruitful results and enjoys huge potential. China is ready to further synergize its development strategies with Egypt and jointly implement the Global Development Initiative. China is ready to work with Egypt to promote major projects, import more quality Egyptian products, and encourage more Chinese companies to invest and do business in Egypt to achieve greater mutual benefit and win-win results, he said. Qin said the two sides agreed that China and Egypt, with their profound civilizations, should continue to expand cultural and people-to-people exchanges, actively promote exchanges between their think tanks, youth and media, and build a deeper people-to-people bond. Recently, China has optimized and adjusted its prevention and control measures in light of the changing situation of the pandemic, which will facilitate people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries. China appreciates Egypt welcoming Chinese tourists and believes that in the near future, the number of Chinese tourists and flights to Egypt will return to or even exceed the pre-pandemic level, Qin said. The two sides agreed that China and Egypt share similar views and positions in regional and international affairs and need to work more closely to jointly promote the political settlement of regional hotspot issues, safeguard the basic norms governing international relations, safeguard the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs and safeguard the common interests of developing countries, he said. ReportLinker The Europe Military Helicopters Market is projected to register a CAGR of 15.91%. Key Highlights. Largest Market by Body Type - Multi-Mission Helicopter : Their ability to perform various combat missions is attracting several countries in the region to focus more on the procurement of these helicopters. New York, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Europe Military Helicopters Market - SIZE, SHARE, COVID-19 IMPACT & FORECASTS UP TO 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06381487/?utm_source=GNW Largest Market by Country - Italy : The countrys focus on amphibious support and special forces operations by procuring military rotorcraft is acting as a catalyst for its dominant position in the region. Key Market Trends Multi-Mission Helicopter is the largest segment by Body Type. Rotorcraft demand is being fueled by an increase in military conflict, terrorism, border disputes, territory breach, and violation. To gain a military advantage over the opposition, the regional armed forces are also upgrading the capabilities of helicopters with cutting-edge technologies. Ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine are encouraging various countries in the region to spend at least 2% of their GDP, which is a NATO standard, on their military. Thus, the countries are opting for the procurement of advanced helicopters to counter the threats in an effective way. There are currently 3,363 helicopters in operation in Europe. With 1,632 helicopter operational forces, Russia possesses the most helicopters in the region. France and Italy have active fleets of 478 and 435 helicopters, respectively, after Russia. Multi-mission helicopters are expected to record the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Multi-mission helicopters can be used for close air support for ground troops and anti-tank operations to destroy enemy armor. Multi-mission helicopters are accountable for 38% of the total helicopter active fleet in the region, the highest, followed by others and transport helicopters, accounting for 32% and 30%, respectively. A total of 901 helicopters are expected to be procured in Europe over the forecast period, mainly by Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and the Rest of Europe, which may drive the demand for rotorcrafts in the region. Italy is the largest segment by Country. In 2021, Europe spent USD 418 billion on its military, an increase of 10% over 2020. Military R&D and weaponry purchases accounted for most of Europes defense expenditure rise. By the end of March 2022, numerous European NATO member nations announced plans to increase military expenditures in reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, aiming to meet or exceed the NATO spending target of 2% of GDP or higher. In total, 26 of the 27 European NATO nations had available financing for their armed forces in 2021. Among the 26 countries, 8 spent at least 2% of their GDP on the military in 2021, a decrease from 9 in 2020. Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and the Rest of Europe plan to purchase helicopters from 2022 to 2028. A total of 901 helicopters are expected to be delivered in Europe during the forecast period. Russias major procurement includes the Mi-28NM attack helicopter and Mi-38 transport helicopter. The UK is also procuring an AH-64E attack helicopter and a CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter. France also ordered the H225M, the A400M transport helicopter, and the H160M utility helicopter. Germany is also procuring the NH-90 Attack Helicopters. During the forecast period, Romania and Hungary also plan to expand their fleet by procuring 60 and 18 helicopters. Competitive Landscape The Europe Military Helicopters Market is fairly consolidated, with the top five companies occupying 107.74%. The major players in this market are Airbus SE, BAE Systems, Leonardo S.p.A, MD Helicopters LLC. and Russian Helicopters (sorted alphabetically). Additional Benefits: The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format 3 months of analyst support Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06381487/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Story continues CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 By Timour Azhari and David Gauthier-Villars BEIRUT (Reuters) - European prosecutors in Beirut this week examined bank transfer documents related to an investigation into whether Lebanon's central bank chief Riad Salameh and his brother embezzled public funds, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Prosecutors from Germany, France and Luxembourg, who are conducting a cross-border money laundering probe, suspect Riad Salameh and his brother Raja illegally took more than $300 million from the central bank between 2002 and 2015, European judicial officials said, mirroring a Swiss probe into the case. A Lebanese judge charged Riad Salameh with illicit enrichment in March in a separate but related probe. The central bank governor and his brother deny the accusations. Riad Salameh has said he is being made a scapegoat for Lebanon's deep financial crisis that erupted in 2019. The European prosecutors, who have yet to file any formal charges, suspect the two men used some of the money to acquire real estate assets in France and across Europe, according to European officials and French court documents seen by Reuters. Property and accounts worth $130 million have been frozen across Europe in connection with the case, according to European officials and French court documents. The Salameh brothers have challenged the seizure of assets in France, their lawyers say. A French court is hearing the case. The documents viewed by the visiting European prosecutors included bank records listing money transfers which Raja Salameh made via Lebanese banks, the people familiar with the matter said. European officials said it would be the first time the prosecutors had seen the transfer details that could help track the flow of funds. Lebanese prosecutors conducting a parallel probe had not shared those findings until now, they added. Lebanon's top prosecutor, Ghassan Oueidat, did not respond to a request for comment on what documents were viewed by the European prosecutors. Story continues FINANCIAL COLLAPSE The Salameh brothers have denied diverting or laundering public funds, saying the $300 million were earned as part of legitimate business activity. They have said the probes are part of a coordinated campaign to blame Riad Salameh, who has been the governor of Banque du Liban over three decades, for Lebanon's 2019 financial collapse that has paralysed its banks and impoverished the nation. The crisis erupted after Lebanon racked up huge debts over three decades after the 1975-1990 civil war. A French lawyer for Riad Salameh said the case had been politicised and his client kept a strict separation of his money and central bank assets. "In the case file I have access to, there is no diagram of financial flows that would directly implicate Riad Salameh through a confusion of his assets and accounts, and those of the central bank," the lawyer, Pierre-Olivier Sur, told Reuters. Raja Salameh denied any embezzlement of public funds, a person close to the governor's brother said. The 72-year-old governor has previously said his wealth was built up from money he earned as a banker at Merrill Lynch before he became governor in 1993. The people familiar with the matter said banking records supplied by the Lebanese authorities were being examined by the team of European prosecutors who arrived in Beirut last week and who would stay until at least Friday. They said the prosecutors on Monday began the first of about a dozen hearings with witnesses in Beirut, including current and former employees of the central bank, senior bankers and other financial officials. The hearings are led by Lebanese judges who relay questions from the European prosecutors, they said. Lebanese prosecutors gained access to the banking documents in May. Two Lebanese judicial sources and one European official said the data could not be shared at that time because Riad Salameh had filed a legal challenge against the magistrate conducting their investigation. The magistrate was removed from the case a few days ago, Lebanon's Oueidat said, allowing for judicial cooperation with the Europeans to resume. Oueidat said a new judge would be appointed soon. Riad Salameh retains the support of some of Lebanon's most powerful politicians, including Nabih Berri, the parliament speaker who has held that top post for decades. ($1 = 0.9236 euros) (Reporting by Timour Azhari in Beirut and David Gauthier-Villars in Istanbul; Additional reporting by Samia Nakhoul in Dubai and Laila Bassam and Maya Gebeily in Beirut; Editing by Tom Perry and Edmund Blair) By Giuseppe Fonte and Angelo Amante ROME (Reuters) - Italy's cabinet is likely to decide on Jan. 19 the fate of two influential Treasury officials, sources said, with nationalist Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni seen as pushing to appoint figures closer to her right-wing administration in key jobs. Rome is due to decide to either confirm or remove the Treasury department director general Alessandro Rivera and the head of state auditors Biagio Mazzotta, both at the centre of Italian policymaking for years. The right-wing bloc, which swept to power in a resounding election victory in September, has until Jan. 24 to replace heads of ministry departments, but Meloni aims to make a decision over the two officials before her trip to Algeria scheduled on Jan. 22-23, three government sources said. The Treasury declined to comment. State auditors are responsible for ensuring that expensive measures laid out by ministers and lawmakers are funded by compensatory measures so as not to weigh on the public deficit, a role that often upsets ruling politicians. Treasury Director General Rivera in particular is in the crosshairs of Meloni and her top aides, who are unhappy with his handling of Italy's main financial dossiers, the sources added. These include the privatisation of national airline ITA Airways and efforts to relaunch the country's fifth largest bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS), which is 64%-owned by the Treasury following a 2017 bailout that cost taxpayers 5.4 billion euros ($5.84 billion). CRUNCH PHASE Meloni said last month that MPS had been "very badly handled" so far at great expense to Italian taxpayers, a remark which some politicians took as an indirect criticism of Rivera. However, Meloni conceded MPS's restructuring agreed last year by Rivera's top team with the European Commission "appears rather solid". Soon after Meloni took office, Italy in November pumped another 1.6 billion euros into MPS as part of a planned 2.5 billion euro recapitalisation. Story continues With talks within key government figures entering crunch phase, the sources cautioned that Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti had so far rebuffed calls to replace Rivera, who served under three administrations. Rivera deputises for the economy minister at G7 and G20 meetings and his department manages a public debt of roughly 150% of national output, the euro zone's second highest after Greece's. ITA Airways chairman Antonino Turicchi and the head of public procurement agency Consip Cristiano Cannarsa are seen by separate government sources as potential candidates to replace Rivera. Stefano Scalera and Stefano Cappiello, two Treasury officials who respectively help to implement Italy's post-COVID Recovery Plan and oversee financial regulation, are also under consideration for the position. Contacted by Reuters, none of them replied to requests for comment. Meloni will also in the next few months have to decide whether to replace or reappoint chairmen and CEOs when the boards of state-controlled energy groups ENI and Enel come up for renewal along with those of MPS, defence group Leonardo and power grid Terna. ($1 = 0.9225 euros) (Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte and Angelo Amante; Editing by Susan Fenton) ReportLinker The South America Specialty Fertilizer Market is projected to register a CAGR of 7.33%. Key Highlights. Largest segment by Speciality Type - Liquid Fertilizer : Liquid fertilizers can penetrate the the soil easily allow plants to absorb nutrients more quickly, reduce fertilizer waste and can be applied to either ground or foliar. New York, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "South America Specialty Fertilizer Market - SIZE, SHARE, COVID-19 IMPACT & FORECASTS UP TO 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06381451/?utm_source=GNW Fastest growing by Speciality Type - Liquid Fertilizer : Increasing trend in mechanization of the irrigation systems in the region, directly increase the demand for liquid fertilizers that allow plants to absorb nutrients quickly. Largest Segment by Crop Type - Horticultural Crops : There is an increasing trend in the fertilizer use due to the shift of growers from field crop to horticultural crop, which led to a 1.46% increase in area between 2020-2021. Largest segment by Country - Brazil : Brazil alone accounts for about 61% of the total crop area in the South American region. Which is about 74.61 million hectares of agricultural land in the country. Key Market Trends Liquid Fertilizer is the largest segment by Speciality Type. Water-soluble fertilizers in South America accounted for 41.98% of total specialty fertilizer value in 2021. Water-soluble fertilizers (WSF) simplify nutrition management as nutrient levels are not affected by leaching or erosion. Fertigation makes the most important component of modern agricultural systems, such as hydroponic and drip irrigation techniques, simple to use with minimal effort. Liquid fertilizers accounted for approximately 19.27% of the specialty fertilizer market in South America in 2021, as growers in South America are becoming more aware of the advantages of liquid fertilizers, which penetrate the soil easily and allow plants to absorb nutrients more quickly. They also help reduce fertilizer waste and can be applied to either ground or foliar. As a result, liquid fertilizers have a huge opportunity to expand in South America in the coming years. The controlled-release fertilizer market in the region grew by 50.1% during the study period. It is estimated to record a CAGR of 5.6% during the forecast period. The polymer-coated controlled-release fertilizers accounted for 56.96% of the total controlled-release market in 2021. Presently, the market is being driven by a growing interest in creating innovative and environmentally safe controlled-release fertilizers. The CRF market is expected to record a CAGR of 5.27% during the forecast period. Slow-release fertilizers continuously release a small number of nutrients over time. They accounted for 61.03% of the market value during the study period. Hence, with the growing market potential for specialty-type fertilizers, the segment is anticipated to grow significantly during the forecast period. Brazil is the largest segment by Country. Brazil is a growing market in terms of agriculture and is a major supplier of commodities like rice, maize, soybean, coffee, etc., to the international market. The specialty fertilizer market in Brazil was valued at USD 4.40 billion in 2021, with a volume consumption of 4.7 million metric tons. Agriculture in Argentina is fundamental for its economy, and the country is a major grower and exporter of important crops like wheat, corn, and soybean annually, which consume a high amount of fertilizers. For instance, the average application rate of primary nutrients in the country is 259.4kg/ha, and Argentina accounted for 8.0% of the total specialty fertilizer consumption in the region in 2021. There has been a growth in the consumption volume, which has increased from 15.8 million metric tons in 2017 to 18.3 million metric tons in 2021. The market value grew till 2019, when the COVID-19 outbreak globally caused trade and supply chain barriers. Since the region is highly import-dependent on fertilizers, the region saw a dip in 2020 to USD 3.00 billion. Rest of South American countries like Chile, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, etc., together accounted for 52.0% of the total specialty fertilizer consumption in the region in 2021, with water-soluble fertilizers being the most consumed with a volume of 5.8 million metric ton. Hence, the market for specialty fertilizers in the region is anticipated to grow due to the increased area under cultivation and increasing climatic risks that pose agricultural threats like droughts and heatwaves, boosting the adoption of efficient fertilizers. Competitive Landscape The South America Specialty Fertilizer Market is fragmented, with the top five companies occupying 9.92%. The major players in this market are Israel Chemicals Ltd, Mosaic, Sociedad Quimica y Minera (SQM), TIMAC Agro and Yara brasil (sorted alphabetically). Additional Benefits: The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format 3 months of analyst support Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06381451/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Story continues CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 A shooting in California that left six people dead was not a random act of violence, police have said. The victims, including a 17-year-old mother and a six-month-old baby, were shot dead at a home in Goshen, Tulare County on Monday. We do not believe that this is a random act of violence, we believe that this is very targeted, this is very personal, Tulare County Sheriffs Office said. What we want to do is make sure we do everything we can to bring justice to the victims of this crime. Click here to sign up for our newsletters. The operator of membership warehouse clubs in Latin America and the Caribbean becomes the first in the region to reimagine the consumer shopping experience with new Toshiba, cloud-enabled, technology RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., January 16, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PriceSmart is the first retailer in Latin America to adopt the ELERATM Commerce Platform from Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions as the international membership warehouse club looks to transform its front-end experience for its members. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230116005117/en/ PriceSmart is the first retailer in Latin America to adopt the ELERA Commerce Platform from Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions as the international membership warehouse club looks to transform its front-end experience for its members. (Photo: Business Wire) "We are honored and humbled that PriceSmart selected Toshiba as its transformation partner to harness the power of our platform to re-imagine their retail environment and create a greater connection with members," says Bill Campbell, Senior Vice President Head of Global Sales at Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions. "From the start, transparency and open communication regarding the overall objective of the project, its timelines, and implementation approach were key factors to establishing this relationship." As a highly skilled and technically savvy retailer, ELERAs self-enablement feature was crucial in PriceSmart's decision to incorporate ELERA into its entire IT, retail enterprise. The feature allows them to react to rapid changes in business and technology while incorporating new functionality and offerings in a self-directed, agile manner. Additionally, their broad base of operations in multiple countries creates unique opportunities for improved response times. "We've selected the ELERA platform to extend our comprehensive scope of services and offerings to our members," says Juan Ignacio Biehl, Executive Vice President, Digital Experience and Chief Technology Officer at PriceSmart. "It was also important for our team to establish and learn the backend of the POS software solution together to determine specific capabilities for our retail needs." Story continues The rollout will begin by replacing PriceSmart's current legacy POS system with ELERA. Supported by Toshiba's premier business partner Rhiscom, Toshiba will provide services and update the retailer's hardware and operating systems as part of a comprehensive end-to-end solutions refresh. Industry leaders in system integration, Rhiscom developers will help ensure a seamless software implementation that will extend to consulting and maintenance services as the project progresses. The Toshiba TCxSky operating system will also be installed on the new hardware provided by Toshiba partner GBM. "As a global leader in retail store technology, we look forward to working with PriceSmart and our valued business partner Rhiscom to deliver an engaging and unique experience across their Latin America clubs," continues Campbell. Toshiba continues to earn positive interest from customers, partners, and industry analysts since ELERA launched. This year, the company was named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: "Worldwide Point-of-Sale Software Vendors in Grocery and Food Store Retail 2022 Vendor Assessment (doc #US46743220, May 2022)." About Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions is a global market share leader in retail store technology and retails first choice for unified commerce solutions. Together with a global team of dedicated business partners, we advance the future of retail with innovative commerce solutions that enhance customer engagement, transform the in-store experience, and accelerate digital transformation. To learn more, visit commerce.toshiba.com and engage with us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. About PriceSmart PriceSmart, headquartered in San Diego, owns and operates U.S.-style membership shopping warehouse clubs in Latin America and the Caribbean, selling high quality merchandise and services at low prices to PriceSmart Members. PriceSmart operates 50 warehouse clubs in 12 countries and one U.S. territory (nine in Colombia; eight in Costa Rica; seven in Panama; five in the Dominican Republic and Guatemala, four in Trinidad; three in Honduras; two each in El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Jamaica; and one each in Aruba, Barbados and the United States Virgin Islands). In addition, the Company plans to open a warehouse club in San Miguel, El Salvador in the spring of 2023 and a warehouse club in Medellin, Colombia in the summer of 2023. Once these two new clubs are open, the Company will operate 52 warehouse clubs. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230116005117/en/ Contacts PriceSmart, Inc. Rosa Soto VP of Corporate Communications rsoto@pricesmart.com Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Elizabeth Romero Director, Corporate Communications elizabeth.romero@toshibagcs.com Scheme to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda to be considered by Court of Appeal The UK Governments plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda will be challenged at the Court of Appeal. Two judges dismissed a series of legal challenges against the Home Offices policy in December, following a High Court challenge. But, at a hearing on Monday, they gave the go-ahead for their aspects of their ruling to be reconsidered by senior judges. The Court of Appeal will be asked to consider a range of issues, including whether the High Court judges were wrong to find there were sufficient safeguards to prevent asylum seekers being returned to a country where they were at risk of persecution, and whether the scheme is systemically unfair. Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she remained committed to sending migrants to Rwanda as soon as possible (PA) Lord Justice Lewis and Mr Justice Swift granted permission to appeal to a number of individual claimants and charity Asylum Aid. Asylum Aid, which provides legal advice to asylum seekers and refugees, will challenge parts of the December ruling related to the safety of Rwanda for migrants. In a statement, solicitor Carolin Ott of law firm Leigh Day, who represents the charity, said: Asylum Aid is relieved that the court has rightly recognised there are compelling reasons for its case to be heard in the Court of Appeal. We look forward to presenting our clients case that the procedure adopted by the Home Office to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is unfair and consequently unlawful. No date has been set for the hearing, and the Court of Appeal may also be asked to consider other issues which Lord Justice Lewis and Mr Justice Swift refused permission to appeal against. In April last year, then-home secretary Priti Patel signed an agreement with Rwanda for it to receive migrants deemed by the UK to have arrived illegally, and therefore inadmissible under new immigration rules. Several challenges were brought against the proposals, which were described at the time as a world-first agreement in a bid to deter migrants from crossing the Channel. The first deportation flight due to take off on June 14 was then grounded amid a series of objections against individual removals and the policy as a whole. Story continues Then-home secretary Priti Patel and Rwandan minister for foreign affairs and international co-pperation, Vincent Biruta, signing the deal in April (PA) However, at the High Court in London in December, senior judges rejected arguments that the plans were unlawful. Lord Justice Lewis, sitting with Mr Justice Swift, dismissed the challenges against the policy which has already seen the UK pay Rwanda 140 million as a whole. However, they did rule in favour of eight asylum seekers, finding the Government had acted wrongly in their individual cases. Following the ruling, current Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she remained committed to sending migrants to Rwanda as soon as possible. The UK Government has refused to put a date on when the first flight to Kigali could take off, recognising the threat of further legal action. The Home Office previously said ministers stand ready to defend against further legal challenges to the Rwanda deportation policy. Peruvian farmers made their way to Lima to protest against President Dina Boluarte. Thousands of people mobilised following weeks of deadly unrest and a state of emergency. At least 42 people have died over 5 weeks of clashes between protesters and security forces. On Monday demonstrations took place in the city of Cusco and the southern town of Ilave, where angry Castillo supporters called for the resignation of Boluarte, the closure of Congress and fresh elections. Since the final decision lies with Lima, at least 3,000 protesters from Andahuaylas in south-eastern Peru were heading for Lima on Monday in a caravan of trucks and buses. Watch video in player above. You are here: World Flash Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a message of condolence to Nepali President Bidya Devi Bhandari over a plane crash in the country. In his message, Xi said that upon learning of the plane crash in Nepal, which caused heavy casualties, he would like to express deep condolences over the fatalities and offer sincere sympathies to the bereaved families on behalf of the Chinese government and people. Also on Monday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang sent a message of condolence to Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. The Maryland Made program works to help student-athletes at Maryland further develop themselves professionally and academically while creating relationships and a sense of community outside of the playing field. Kirstin Nichols first got involved in the program during her freshman year after coming to her dream school to compete on the Track and Field team. "I wanted to come to Maryland since I was a sophomore in high school. At the time I was really set on being a journalism major, and I knew Maryland has a really good journalism program, and it's super close to home." "My freshman year of college, my teammate was the SAAC president so that definitely got it on my mind as a potential thing I might be interested in, in the future. I did think it was cool she was participating in all these different events that I didn't know about otherwise," said Nichols. After hearing about Maryland Made, Nichols saw it as a way to make friends and get more involved with the closely-knit community of student-athletes at Maryland. She would then earn a role on the SAAC board, where she became the program's communications liaison. "I got involved originally as the communications liaison for the SAAC executive board. I applied to that my freshman year of college. I was really interested in applying because that was the COVID year and I feel like I had gone all year without really getting to meet many people. I viewed it as a way to get to know more Maryland athletes. I was also excited about learning more about the communications and marketing perspective of the field I was in." Dr. Nicholas Hudson to Lead Roman Pottery Studies at Greeces Athenian Agora In a career-defining moment for archaeologist Dr. Nicholas Hudson, UNCW associate professor of art history, the American School of Classical Studies at Athens has named him the Roman pottery lead of excavations of the Agora of Athens in Greece. Hudson, an expert in eastern Mediterranean archaeology, studies ancient pottery to learn more about the everyday lives of people. Since 1998, he has worked on archaeological projects in Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, and Greece to discover ways in which pottery was used during the Roman Empire. Pottery is the most common archaeological artifact at ancient sites in the Mediterranean, which makes it a valuable tool for archaeological interpretation, Hudson explained. By examining relics like large transport jars that would have contained wine and olive oil to smaller table vessels used for eating and serving, specialists like Hudson can draw conclusions about trading, the economy, and cultural trends in social drinking and eating. My research has always explored innovative ways with which to approach archaeological ceramics to improve our understanding of past behaviors at an intimate, interpersonal level, he said. Much of Hudsons work has focused on foodwayshow people procured, cooked and ate foodin the Roman Empire. His work in the Athenian Agora, which will begin this summer, will continue this trajectory. The Athenian Agora, perceived as the cradle of western civilization, is an absolute bedrock institution for all archaeology related to the Greek and Roman world in the Mediterranean, Hudson said. In ancient times, the Agora grew from being a marketplace for trading and socializing to a vibrant hub for city government and politics. Nearly 100 years of systematic excavations have produced unparalleled data sets of artifacts to study this transformation. The American School of Classic Studies at Athensa consortium of nearly 200 North American colleges and universitiesoversees the research at the Agora, after being given the exclusive rights by the Greek government in 1931 to excavate the site. Scholars like Hudson have been digging there non-stop ever since. Hudsons new role as Roman pottery lead will include examining a small section of the site that is still untouched, however, he is most excited about having access to the existing artifacts and data. My primary interest is to stand on the shoulders of the influential figures who have studied Roman pottery in the Agora before meespecially Henry Robinson and John Hayesto move studies of the same material in new directions. In a first-of-its-kind study, Hudson will use the vast body of work at the Athenian Agora to examine changing patterns of culinary traditions and social dining practices over the 600-year course of the Roman Empire. My ambition is to better understand how the people of the Roman Empire expressed their social identities and worldviews through meal preparation and consumption, Hudson said. My intention is to use archaeology to provide a voice to the voiceless populations of imperial Roman history. In addition to his research, Hudson will advise graduate students from other academic institutions around the world interested in studying Roman pottery in the Athenian Agora. He is also the author of the forthcoming book Communion. Dining at the End of Antiquity, which examines private dining experiences of the wealthy and poor and how they changed over time in relation to political and social changes. -- Krissy Vick #CAS Students in the University of North Georgia's (UNG) Mike Cottrell College of Business toured Southern Companys Plant Vogtle last November at the invitation of Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols. Louisa Schlesiger, Raven Dodson-Bankston, Sara Bruni, Tristan Taylor, all seniors pursuing bachelor's degrees in management; Joe Wytanis, a Cottrell Master of Business Administration student; and alumnus Matthew Frey attended the tour. Hugh Scott, UNG lecturer of management, reached out to Echols about the opportunity. The students also participated in a post-tour segment on "Energy Matters," Echols' podcast. Wytanis found the experience particularly insightful. "As someone who works professionally in a completely different industry than energy, it was fun to learn about the systems and processes that contribute to a major part of our energy grid in Georgia," Wytanis said. Schlesiger, a Lawrenceville, GA, resident, also appreciated the unusual nature of the tour. I felt honored to participate in these experiences. Nuclear power is usually not something that is discussed in detail, nor do we get to see a nuclear power plant in person. So this was memorable," Schlesiger said. "Energy matters, especially for our generation and those that follow, so this felt like a starting point for me in terms of personal interest and career aspirations." Scott already sees the possibilities for future similar student experiences. "I'd love to incorporate this more into my teaching. It's a matter of finding out where students curiosity is and tying it back to the subjects youre discussing," Scott said. "These things are not just words in a textbook. When you can do these things, they become tangible." The Long An WorldSteel Group building is at Lot Q9-10-15-16, St. No.7, Hai Son Industrial Park (Phase 3+4), Duc Hoa Ha Commune, Duc Hoa District, Long An Province. The building was designed with steel structure solutions manufactured at the WorldSteel Long An factory. The development of the WorldSteel Group in recent years has led to the growth of the human resources apparatus, along with a need for an increase in workspaces. Following the people-centric strategy, the board of directors advocated building a large-scale headquarters, not only to expand business activities but also to create a convenient and comfortable environment that would stimulate creativity among employees. The office building in Long An prioritises the operations team with the goal of responding quickly to activities related to production and quality, and the needs of domestic and international clients. At the ceremony on January 14, Nguyen Khanh Lam, founder, chairman and general director of the company, said the building was built with full functions and multi-utilities: open workspaces, green landscaping, parks, and many other relaxation areas. "WorldSteel Group Long An aims to bring all employees peace of mind and happiness in their workplace," Lam said. In 10 years of establishment and development, WorldSteel has resonated in the industrial construction industry with many projects in industrial parks across Viet Nam. WorldSteel's prominent projects include general contractor of the Tien Giang Tongwei project, Hai Duong Tongwei of Tongwei Group, Hau Giang Sunpro Steel complex project, Tay Ninh Brotex yarn factory project Phase 3+4, the general contractor of the advanced battery factory complex project invested in by the Singapore GPPD Energy Co. in Binh Phuoc, many bidding packages in the Dung Quat-Quang Ngai Hoa Phat project. Other key projects include the Long Son petrochemical project's H&I-8 warehouse 2 package, steel structure exports to foreign markets, especially in Southeast Asia (Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar), Australia, and the United States. The company has been awarded the AC472 certificate, a quality management system for official steel structure products for export to the US market. In 2019, WorldSteel's first office building was built at 55 Le Thuc Hoach, Phu Tho Hoa, Tan Phu District, Ho Chi Minh City. WorldSteel also acts as the general contractor of a series of large industrial construction projects that are exporting steel structure projects to the international market. HA NOI In continuation of moving their production hubs, this year many of the giants in the world of technology and electronics have announced business expansion plans in Viet Nam. Recently, Apple revealed that it will move its MacBook production chain to Viet Nam in 2023. It has asked Foxconn, its biggest supplier, to launch a MacBook production chain in Viet Nam from May this year, while making plans to produce Macbook Pros in Viet Nam. In 2025, about 20 per cent of the total number of iPads and Apple Watches will be produced in Viet Nam, along with 5 per cent of the MacBooks and 65 per cent of AirPods. Currently, 25 out of the 190 partners of Apple are running their factories in Viet Nam. Foxconn, after investing US$1.5 billion in Viet Nam, plans to invest an additional $300 million in the Fukang factory in Quang Chau Industrial Park in northern Bac Giang Province. Another Apple supplier, Goertek has announced its additional $300 million investment in Bac Giang Province. Meanwhile, Lxshare, which will assemble iPhone 15 Pro Max, is running six factories in Viet Nam with a total of 40,000 labourers. At the same time, computer producer Dell is striving to make sure all of its chips are produced outside China. Electronics firm Pegatron is also building a factory worth about $481 million in Hai Phong, while considering moving its R&D centre from China to Viet Nam at a suitable time. Many other big companies such as OPPO, HP and Bose are also considering the relocation of production plants to Viet Nam, while others, including Xiaomi, Bosch, Panasonic, Amkor, Sharp and Compal, also plan to expand their business presence in the country. Particularly, Korean firm Samsung, after pouring $18 billion and launching Southeast Asias largest R&D centre in Viet Nam, also plans to raise its investment in Viet Nam to $20 billion. Another Korean electronics company, LG, is also making plans to inject additional $4 billion in Viet Nam. Dr. Ho Quoc Tuan, a lecturer at Bristol University, commented that Viet Nam is benefiting from the diversification of production locations of international businesses. Experts attributed the phenomenon to Viet Nams advantages such as low-cost workforce, and the countrys engagement in 15 free trade agreements covering more than 50 countries, as well as Viet Nams political stability. VNS DAVOS Viet Nam has identified green growth, and green transformation as important growth engines in the long term and is actively implementing a roadmap to realise such goals. Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha made the statement as he attended and spoke at a session with corporations and investment funds on digital transformation, innovative start-ups, green finance and sustainable development held on Monday (local time) within the framework of the 53rd World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. According to the Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Geneva, the dialogue was attended by Philipp Rosler, former Deputy Chancellor of Germany, Honorary Consul of Viet Nam in Switzerland, and leaders and representatives of a number of corporations and multinational investment funds. Deputy PM Ha said Viet Nam was actively implementing a plan to amend and supplement the legal framework in order to mobilise and encourage green finance, technology, production, and investment, as well as properly implement green transition, energy transition, transition to a circular economy and low carbon economy. In addition, with the need for digital transformation at all levels and in all fields, Viet Nam has strong demand for cooperation in digital transformation and exploitation of digital resources, he noted. Deputy PM Ha called on corporations to step up investment, support Viet Nam in green growth, and well implement international commitments on sustainable development and climate change, including UNCOP26 commitments on net zero by 2050, and to raise more capital to implement the Just Energy Transition Partnership. At the dialogue, Deputy PM Ha also answered many questions and concerns of investors. Leaders of corporations expressed their impressions of Viet Nams GDP growth and congratulated Viet Nam on its economic development achievements, and highly valued Viet Nams economic prospects. The investors expressed their strong impression of Viet Nams commitment to net zero made at UNCOP26 as well as the negotiation process for the Just Energy Transition Partnership, wishing to accompany the Vietnamese Government. They said they would study investment opportunities and implement green projects in Viet Nam in the future. VNS by Nguyen My Ha When writer Nam Cao wrote Chi Pheo in 1941, he not only created one of Viet Nam's literary masterpieces of the 20th century, but the fictional name he gave to his home village also became known across the country. Nam Cao's home village of ai Hoang has become Vu ai, a village of desperate human fates, who were forced into destitution and poverty. The stories were written before the August Revolution, which gave birth to today's Socialist Republic of Viet Nam. Later in 1982, based on several of his short stories, a black and white film was made titled, Lang Vu ai Ngay Ay, (Vu ai village in those days). But the name of Vu ai once again made headlines across the country, not for its poverty or austerity, but for one of its delicacies the fish stew. Among the items for Vietnamese people's Tet food tray, the fish stew used to be a must-have. It seems that today, each village claims their delicacy is the best, but the fish stew often uses big fish living in the pond, and only caught at the end of the year, when they clean the pond and change the water. The black carp, which often live in the lower bed of ponds, lakes or rivers, can weigh up to more than 10kg and measure 1.8m long. The best fish for the stew weigh from 4 or 5 to 7 kilos. They used to be caught in the wild, but due to recent high demand for Tet, the black carp are grown in fish farms and fed with snails and corn, thus are named snail carp. Outside of Viet Nam, these fish are also found in the Amur river, and called black amur, or in China where it's known as black Chinese roach. Ha Noi's biggest freshwater lake, Ho Tay, or West Lake, is also home to black carp. We made it to ai Hoang village to look at how these terracotta fish stew pots were made. Tran Duy The, 73, the masterchef of the fish stew, was demonstrating how he cleaned the fish, marinated the pieces and then heated the pot on wood furnaces for up to 14 hours. He shows a fish of a little above 5kg, gutted it and cleaned it with fresh lemon juice, then again with rock salt. Then he marinated the fish with pounded ginger, galangal, dried shallot, chili, fish sauce, field crab sauce, lemon juice, pork belly meat and pepper. Tran Duy The used to cook this fish stew for his fellow soldiers during his two times serving in the army. He joined the military first in 1972, then demobbed in 1975 when Viet Nam was reunified. In 1979, he picked up arms again to fight the border war until he retired in 1988. His fellow soldiers used to visit him in the village and he would cook for them. The dish was simple, little did he know then that it would be a source of additional income in his later years. "My father shares his recipe with our sister," says Tran Duy Ninh, his youngest son, an army officer-turned-CEO of the family company. This is quite shocking, as in many craft families, the secrets are taught only to the daughter-in-law, not to their daughters, as they would marry out and spread the recipe out of the family circle. "We believe that the further we share it, the more people would want to try our products," his son said. "And in cooking, even if you have the recipe, each person shall make a different dish, they shall not taste the same." What he said is definitely true, because today, families living in the city can never have a wood furnace to cook a fish pot for over 10 hours. And even in ai Hoang village, each family's fish pot has a difference, you'll need to try them to tell. In the rush for Tet, Ninh said his family would employ a couple of people to help with the processing, but the major chef shall be his father with his sister as sous chef. "We need to keep our father in good shape, not to make him work too hard. In the end, it is still a home delicacy, cooked with love and care. So we want our father to be well and in good shape for Tet." If you want to visit the village today, you can still ask for Vu ai Village, because it no longer stands for destitute, today's Vu ai means great fish pot stews. VNS NEW YORK UN Under-Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacroix has lauded Viet Nams active engagement and strong performance in UN peacekeeping activities as well as the countrys commitments to implementing UN targets, especially the ratio of female Vietnamese peacekeepers. Lacroix, who visited Viet Nam last month, made the praise while meeting Ambassador ang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Viet Nam to the United Nations (UN) on January 16 to seek measures to further promote cooperation between Viet Nam and the UN. The UN Deputy Secretary-General said that he witnessed and was impressed by the Vietnamese Engineering Units successful completion of difficult tasks assigned at the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA). He said that the UN is willing to support Viet Nam during the process of preparing forces, training and carrying out pre-feasibility assessment as well as building the necessary capacity. He said that the two sides should coordinate closely in defining areas for cooperation, which are of the UNs demands and Viet Nams experience and capacity, thus further bolstering the Viet Nam-UN partnership. Ambassador Giang thanked the UN for assisting Viet Nams efforts in UN peacekeeping. He underlined that promoting cooperation with the UN, including the increase of its involvement in peacekeeping activities, is one of the priorities in Viet Nams external relations. Viet Nam will continue to support targets and programmes of the UN within its capacity, including its commitments to increasing the number of women peacekeepers joining peacekeeping operations. On the occasion, Ambassador Giang proposed that Under-Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacroix and UN agencies continue to give Viet Nam support in building capacity, especially for military and police forces joining peacekeeping operations, as well as other practical assistance, thus enabling Viet Nam to better meet requirements and demands of the UN in carrying out UN peacekeeping operations. VNS The move is part of the company's efforts to reduce its dependence on China and strengthen its supply chain in Southeast Asia. The investment in northern Vietnam would be greater than $250 million, according to a Reuters report. This will increase the footprint of its parent company in Vietnam where its electronic unit manufactures solar panels. The company is looking to lease 80 hectares of industrial land to build the plant. The sources told Reuters that negotiations are currently taking place to choose a location for the Vietnam factory. Construction work is expected to begin by the middle of the year. Once completed, the plant will export components to its planned assembly plant in Thailand. The Vietnam-based operation will also serve the local market through maintenance services and spare parts for BYD vehicles imported from China. With the investment in Vietnam, BYD hopes to increase capacity, manage costs, and diversify manufacturing away from its operations in China, where demand has been high. The company's expansion comes at a time when more manufacturers are ramping up their relocation out of China to reduce their reliance amid the trade conflict with the US and manufacturing disruption caused by China's Zero-COVID policy. Chinas FDI inflows to Vietnam to increase: Agriseco Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow from China to Vietnam is expected to rise as China is to reopen its doors and resume flights between the two countries, according to Agribank Securities Company (Agriseco). Vietnam emerges as an attractive alternative location for supply chain diversification According to a new global survey released by Germanys Container xChange this week, businesses around the world deem Vietnam and India as attractive alternative locations for the diversification of their supply chains away from China this year. Dozens wounded from oil tanker explosion in central Thailand on January 17 (Photo source: laprensalatina.com) Hanoi - An oil tanker explosion in central Thailand's Samut Songkhram province on January 17 injured dozens of people. According to the Thai national daily Matichon, the explosion occurred at around 9:15 am local time when the tanker docked at a shipyard on Mae Klong River in Muang district exploded and caused a fire. Several workers are reportedly missing and houses were damaged after the explosion. Rescuers are trying to control the fire and evacuate the injured. Thailand sees bright future for electric vehicle market in 2023 Thailand's electric vehicle (EV) market will continue to gain momentum in 2023, with sales expected to reach between 25,000 and 35,000 units, according to the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI). Thailand says no Covid test needed for travellers from China Thai authorities said Thursday that travellers from China could enter the kingdom without pre-departure coronavirus tests, hoping their return would be a shot in the arm for the country's tourism sector recovery. Thailand reports first case of XAY.2 variant Thailand has seen its first confirmed case of the XAY.2 variant of COVID-19 but people close to the patient were not infected, the Thai Health Ministrys Department of Medical Sciences said on January 6. Specifically, the company delivered gifts to hundreds of pediatric patients and orphans at the Tan Trieu K Hospital in Hanoi and the Thien Than Shelter in Ho Chi Minh City. The company also organised Thuong Minh (Love Oneself) activities to inspire the community during the year-end holiday season. From the beginning of December, Generali Vietnam has organised the Thap sang nu cuoi dem Giang sinh (Lighting up the childrens smiles on Christmas Eve) programme which was wholeheartedly supported by many of Generalis staff and agents. Generali has donated gifts to hundreds of pediatric patients at the Tan Trieu K Hospital in Hanoi and orphans at the Thien Than Shelter in Ho Chi Minh City The programme delivered 180 gift sets including milk, snacks, toys, and money. Concurrently, Thuong Minh has been sending mobile barbershops out on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to offer free haircuts to local drivers. Concurrently, Generali also organised a series of Thuong Minh activities to promote the spirit of positive living among the public. It is also handing out surprising and meaningful gifts, including food and home service vouchers to help thousands of people to rest and take care of themselves amidst the hustle and bustle of the year-end season. The activities are part of the Thuong minh mot ti, cho doi nhu y (Love yourself a little to live the life you desire) campaign, which carries heartfelt healing messages. The campaign aims to raise awareness and encourage changes so everyone can start living more positively and optimistically while loving themselves more. I am glad that our community initiatives have always been wholeheartedly supported by our people and the community, said Tina Nguyen, Generali Vietnam CEO. Apart from our positive business performance, we have closed the year on a beautiful note by successfully rolling out various community initiatives, including many campaigns and activities that have promoted our Live the Life You Desire message and inspired the community. All these efforts have contributed to Generalis commitment to becoming a lifetime partner to millions of Vietnamese families, Nguyen added. In 2022, Generali continued to partner with the National Fund for Vietnamese Children to implement the community education programme Sinh Con, Sinh Cha in 10 provinces and cities across Vietnam, increasing the number of the programmes beneficiaries to 7,900 parents, children, kindergarten teachers, and staff. Generalis community education programme Sinh Con, Sinh Cha brings benefits to more than 7,900 parents, children, kindergarten teachers, and staff Sinh Con, Sinh Cha continued to successfully deliver useful parenting content on its digital channels, attracting millions of views, interactions, and positive comments from the community. Additionally, the company also rolled out various charitable programmes to support 500 orphans who lost parents due to COVID-19, built a new kindergarten branch for disadvantaged children in Dak Lak province, and launched many other creative fundraising activities. In recognition of the companys proactive and sustainable contribution to childrens development, in November, Generali was awarded the prestigious Saigon Times CSR certification for the third time in a row. Generali Vietnam has also received commendations from the Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, recognising its outstanding contributions to Vietnamese childrens well-being and protection in 2020 and 2021. Established in Vietnam in 2011 with the motto of Simpler, Smarter, Customer-Centric, Generali Vietnam has quickly established itself as a leading life insurer in the country, persistently pursuing the ambition of becoming a lifetime partner to customers. With diverse distribution channels and a nationwide network of more than 80 GenCasa agency offices and customer service centres, Generali Vietnam is serving over 450,000 clients across the country. AkzoNobel joins hands to make life more inspiring In early October, just a few days after Typhoon Noru made landfall, the people of Quy Nhon were surprised to see Cu Lao Xanh lighthouse wearing a new look. Nguyen Phi Anh Dao, head of Marketing, Decorative Paints at AkzoNobel Vietnam, shared the journey and the message behind the renovation of the Cu Lao Xanh Lighthouse. Starbucks CSR initiatives gather pace The food and beverage sector in Vietnam is looking to capitalise on the economic recovery by kickstarting goals in corporate social responsibility. Patricia Marques, general manager of Starbucks Vietnam, explained to VIRs Quang Bao how the company is attempting to push forward with more initiatives in the name of sustainable development. Malaysia's national debt totalling 346 billion USD (Photo source: nst.com.my) Kuala Lumpur Malaysia's national debt including liabilities has reached 1.5 trillion RM (346 billion USD), equivalent to over 80 per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), according to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Addressing at a dialogue session on budget on January 17 morning, Anwar said the figure suggests that Malaysia's budget deficit will widen further than the earlier estimate of 5.8 per cent of the GDP for 2022. The issue should be addressed urgently, he stressed. Economic uncertainties are still not easing, he said, noting that the economy is still considered dim and this was also contributed by external factors including the Ukraine-Russia conflict as well as global recovery post-COVID-19. The new 2023 Budget is expected to be tabled in the Parliament on February 24 on the basis of the draft law introduced by the previous government. Previously, on October 7, 2022, former Finance Minister Zafrul Aziz proposed the 2023 Budget with a record total of 373.3 billion RM. Malaysia's Toyo Ventures inks power plant deal with Sunway-PECC2 Toyo Ventures Holdings Bhd's subsidiaries have entered into an interim engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) agreement with a consortium led by Sunway Construction Group Bhd in relation to the Song Hau 2 Thermal Power Plant Project in Vietnam. On January 16, SMBC announced that it has made its decision to terminate its capital alliance with Eximbank and started the divestment process. SMBC and Eximbank terminated their strategic alliance on March 18. Since then, SMBC has been engaging in ongoing deliberations regarding the future status of its ownership stake in Eximbank. As a result of this, SMBC came to the conclusion that it will liquidate its entire equity ownership in Eximbank. SMBC has so far decreased its equity ownership to less than 5 per cent. Specifically, SMBC has sold 10.8 per cent of Eximbank's equity to domestic investors, reducing its ownership rate to 4.27 per cent. The Japanese lender had agreed to sell 132.8 million of Eximbank's EIB shares on January 13. Following the transaction, this foreign fund is no longer a major shareholder at the Vietnamese bank. Meanwhile, SMBC will continue efforts to further enhance its Vietnam growth strategy, not only through SMBC Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City branches but also through collaborations with Vietnam Prosperity Joint Stock Commercial Bank a bank with which SMBC entered into a Business Partnership Agreement in May and its subsidiary VPBank SMBC Finance Co., Ltd. a finance company in which SMBC Consumer Finance Co., Ltd. acquired an equity stake in FY2021. SMBC terminates strategic alliance with Eximbank The Japanese financial giant Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) announced its exit from Vietnam's privately-held lender Eximbank on March 18. Benjamin Kreuz, general manager of Six Senses Ninh Van Bay Resort. Photo: Six Senses Ninh Van Bay Resort A breakdown of all the plastics used in our hotels worldwide identified that 80 per cent came from only 18 categories such as plastic cups, straws, or little napkin wraps. Today we are proud to be 95 per cent free of the 18 most unwanted items and with almost all single-use plastics being phased out of resort operations. Sustainability is one of the most important pillars of our business. As a whole group, we are following detailed and ambitious Sustainability Operation Guidelines, ensuring that we are looking at the immediate area where our hotels are based and making contributions to the local society around us. One of our core values is to be locally sensitive whilst displaying global sensibility. Highlights of our sustainable operations are our drive for renewable energy and our plastic-free campaign. Solar energy provides roughly thirty per cent of the total consumption in our resort through 800 solar panels and 5 solar hot water systems. One of the great initiatives we have is sponsoring a Vietnamese NGO called Green Viet, and together, we are working on the conservation of black-shanked douc langurs, which are listed in Vietnams Red Book. Today langurs are only found in Southern Vietnam and Eastern Cambodia. The Hon Heo mountain area behind the resort is one of their most prevalent habitats, where langurs visit the water reservoir and resort during the dry season. We now have 153 langur individuals living with us, split up into 16 families, and our guests can participate in hikes into the jungle to observe and learn about them. Black-shanked douc langurs in Ninh Van Bay We also completed biodiversity research to identify the flora and fauna around the resort and we are going to release a book to share the information with our guests. One great result of the study was that we found a new plant that is now officially registered as a new species. This plant only grows in Six Senses Ninh Van Bay. It is called the Six Senses Tumeric and blossoms in August and September. New species called Six Senses Turmeric was found at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay in April 2022 Another programme is called Water for All. Here all our resorts set out to provide water fountains for schools or villages in remote areas where a lack of access to clean drinking water is still a big challenge. We provide them with water fountains that have an integrated filter system. The biggest concern when you travel around Vietnam is that you see a lot of people drinking water from plastic bottles. By providing reusable bottles, we are helping people to step away from this. In 2022, we successfully provided 2504 students and teachers with drinking water and reusable flasks. Personally, I think one of the greatest challenges we face is that to drive change, people need to be willing to change. Creating awareness is the most important first step. We cooperate with primary schools to sow the seed of sustainability in young children and reaffirm the message through continued activities. For example, our Plogging event was a great success and we collected over 60kg of garbage with 55 students involved. Other examples of our community initiatives include sustainability talks for 99 local students and support scholarships for 10 underprivileged students. Reusable flasks were distributed by the Water for All project How do we commit and follow through? In each property, there is a Sustainability Fund which is generated from 0.5 per cent of the total revenue and is used to support the local community and preserve the surrounding nature. To implement and oversee the various sustainability programs at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay, we have the Director of Sustainability, Emmy Nguyen Thi Thuy. She is part of the Executive Management Committee. Sustainability is considered by the most senior leaders of the resort and is at the front of our minds when taking crucial decisions for the future. We constantly drive ourselves, trying to identify new approaches to become even more sustainable and socially responsible. Guest engagement Now, do the guests change their behaviour? I think absolutely yes, they do. To cater for this need, we have programmes called Climate Warriors, Reconnect with Nature, Reconnect with Others, and Reconnect with the Family that include a wide range of activities that guests can choose to accomplish different goals. There is an Earth Lab located in every Six Senses property around the world where guests will learn about sustainability through activities such as DIY workshops, educational tours and lessons, or fun and quirky activities such as collecting your own eggs from the chicken villa for breakfast. Furthermore, I believe that sustainable tourism will become even more important. Guests are choosing destinations where they know there are programmes like ours in place and where they know that hoteliers operate with a high consciousness for the local surroundings and nature. COVID-19's effects Throughout the pandemic, there have definitely been changes in the mindsets of all of our stakeholders. Firstly, for our hosts our employees. We are proud of their commitment to and focus on being sustainable. It is great to say that within the team, people come up with new ideas to help us to achieve our goals. Educating them is of utmost importance, creating awareness to drive the change. They will go home, and when they share their knowledge with their families, that is where the change begins. You can see that COVID-19 changed my employees and made them realise that mental health and wellness are very important. We have a worldwide programme at Six Senses called Mission Wellness dedicated to them. We have over 58 different activities to make sure that our employees are supported in different ways, be it financially, educationally, or from a wellness point of view. As an example, we offer yoga and swimming classes, along with jogging and hiking tours, to all our hosts. We wish for them to reconnect with themselves, finding the right balance between health, privacy, and work. Other very crucial stakeholders are of course our investors. With their funding and support, we can achieve many sustainability goals. It is not only the finance but also the joint drive to create new ways of being sustainable by exploring ideas together. Potential I have seen Vietnam as an absolutely incredible country. One of the biggest concerns I have is the development of housing and new hotels being built. If you look at what has been built in Nha Trang over the last few years, some of the buildings are destroying the environment. For the future of Vietnam, I hope to see environmentally conscious development in particular for real estate projects Vietnam has wonderful products, such as vegetables and the famous coffee from Da Lat. I want the local products of Vietnam to be used more in the tourism industry. And last but not least, I think the travel infrastructure can be made a bit easier. Bus and train connections between cities are challenging, especially for tourists. If you want to travel sustainably in the country, then a good train connection is of course much better than taking a short flight. According to the General Statistics Office, Vietnam greeted more than 3.66 million international visitors in 2022 as many international flight routes were restored, more than 23.3 times higher than in 2021. In terms of revenue from accommodation and food services, in 2022, many localities saw a significant increase compared to 2021. These include Ba Ria-Vung Tau with a rise of 155.6 per cent, Khanh Hoa (151.1 per cent), Ho Chi Minh City (121.6 per cent), Can Tho (121.3 per cent), Lam Dong (118.4 per cent), Danang (83.5 per cent), Hanoi (80.4 per cent), and Quang Ninh (57.8 per cent). These positive results raised expectations for a strong tourism recovery during this year's Tet holiday. In order to stimulate the Tet tourism market, many localities and businesses have implemented international tourism promotion programmes and introduced interesting Tet-based tours to attract foreign tourists. Cao Anh Tuan, sales director of Paradise Vietnam Group, said that this Tet holiday, the company saw a remarkable growth in the number of international tourists booking Halong Bay cruises. On the occasion of the Lunar New Year this year, Paradise Vietnam has deployed many short cruises of 2-3 days to explore Ha Long Bay on the luxury Paradise Elegance cruise, the classic Paradise Sails yacht, and the Paradise Peak cruise in order to meet the short-term travel needs of international tourists. At the same time, we also added many traditional Tet experiences such as giving lucky money at the beginning of the year, serving typical dishes of the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, and more", said Tuan. International tourists visit Duong Lam ancient village in Son Tay district Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, director of Foreign Market Business Department at Vietravel, said that tourists will give priority to shorter tours and does not expect the long-duration tours to fully recover until 2025. Tourism behaviour has changed significantly. Besides those simply visiting the natural landscape, sustainable tourism and wellness tours also increasingly attract visitors, said Thuy. With the same view, Ly Truong Xuan, in charge of marketing at Vietnamtourism Hanoi, said that international tourists still prefer short-term tours such as the traditional 9-12-day Vietnam tour, combining destinations and experiences including Hanoi and Halong with stays in Hue, Danang, Hoi An, and Ho Chi Minh City. The company has seen a large number of bookings for short-stay tours from the markets of Spain, Belgium, England, Germany, Israel, and more. During this year's Tet holiday, the company also combined many experiences for tourists to enjoy the traditional Tet atmosphere at destinations such as Yen Duc village in Quang Ninh province," said Xuan. By easing the pandemic prevention policy and opening new flight routes, the tourism industry expects an explosion in the number of foreign visitors on the occasion of the Lunar New Year, boosting growth in 2023 and aiming to meet the target of about eight million international arrivals. Competition heats up for holiday shopping storage The shortage of professional warehouse systems in big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh is leading to stiff competition between e-commerce platforms in the coming festive season. SABECO teams up with the government to help workers enjoy Lunar New Year As Vietnam's traditional festival known as Tet draws near, Bia Saigon SABECO's leading brand has joined hands with the government and authorities to ensure workers enjoy a happier Lunar New Year. Cold weather to blanket northern Vietnam in Lunar New Year holidays The northern region is expected to celebrate the Tet (Lunar New Year) festival in cold weather, according to the National Hydrometeorological Forecasting Centre. Regent Phu Quoc celebrates the Lunar New Year with flamboyant festivities Let Regent Phu Quoc provide the ideal scenario for your unforgettable Lunar New Year's Eve celebration with loved ones. WAHOO During this holiday season, the Saunders County Sheriffs Office increased their December patrols to take impaired drivers off the roadways. Additional deputies were on patrol thanks to an overtime grant from the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety. The enforcement period for the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over crackdown began Dec. 16, and lasted through Jan. 1, 2023. In 2020, 6,412 drivers were arrested for DUI and there were 1,534 alcohol-related crashes. Among all alcohol-related crashes in Nebraska, there were 76 fatalities and an additional 602 injuries in 2020. Although final data is not available for 2021 crashes, preliminary data show 32% of all fatal crashes were alcohol-related and nearly 70% of fatalities were not buckled up. We must do everything we can now to stop these dangerous driving behaviors! Driving after drinking is a choice. Choose to do the right and the safe thing: find alternate transportation, use a designated driver, or dont consume any amount of alcohol if you intend to or need to drive. Help us keep Saunders County communities safe by reporting any impaired drivers to the Saunders County Sheriffs Office at 402-443-1000. LINCOLN On Jan. 13, the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) announced 13 proposals have been selected for funding in the seventh round of the County Bridge Match Program (CBMP). The program was created as a result of the 2016 Transportation Innovation Act (TIA), signed into law in April 2016. In Saunders County, a bridge 6 miles south of Prague over a tributary of Wahoo Creek has been selected for replacement. The proposed structure is a concrete slab. Since the passage of the Transportation Innovation Act, the Department of Transportation has worked with our partners to develop and implement a program that encourages innovation and improves the overall transportation system, said NDOT Interim Director Moe Jamshidi, noting that the program has been a great success. Through partnerships with counties and groups like NACO and NACE, weve been able to collectively address some of our states issues with rural bridge access. The CBMP provides funding to counties for the innovative replacement and repair of deficient county bridges. The seventh Request for Proposals (RFP) was announced in October, with $5 million to be distributed to counties across Nebraska. Proposals were submitted by 43 counties and included 148 bridges. The County Bridge Match Program has continued to make an impact in local communities by investing in bridges that, although small or rural, really matter to local communities and industry. Many of these aging bridges required load restrictions that hinder agricultural traffic, emergency access, and cause significant detours for users. This investment has provided much needed support to local bridge agencies that work hard to keep access safe and reliable, said NDOT Bridge Engineer Ross Barron. Interest in the program remained strong again this year, with a large number of counties submitting proposals and a large number of bridges included in the proposals. Including this years selected bridges, the program has funded the replacement, repair, or removal of 370 deficient bridges since the first round of proposals were selected in January 2017. Chinese FM calls for speedy implementation of China-Arab summit's outcomes Xinhua) 08:43, January 17, 2023 Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang (L) and Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit attend a press conference in Cairo, capital of Egypt, Jan. 15, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Dongzhen) CAIRO, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- China is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with Arab countries to implement the outcomes of the first China-Arab States Summit, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said here Sunday. The summit was held successfully with fruitful results, Qin said while meeting the press with Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit. Three significant outcome documents were issued, namely the Riyadh Declaration of the First China-Arab States Summit, the Outline of the Comprehensive Cooperation Plan Between China and Arab States and a document on deepening the Sino-Arab strategic partnership for peace and development, Qin said, adding both sides also agree to make all-out efforts to build a China-Arab community with a shared future in the new era. Going forward, China is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with Arab countries to implement the outcomes of the summit, Qin said. Firstly, China and Arab countries should jointly carry forward the spirit of bilateral friendship featuring "solidarity and mutual assistance, equality and mutual benefit, and inclusiveness and mutual learning." Both sides should uphold independence, focus on economic development, maintain regional peace and strengthen inter-civilizational exchanges, so as to make solid progress in building a China-Arab community with a shared future and contribute to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, said the Chinese foreign minister. Secondly, both sides should jointly implement the spirit of the Riyadh Declaration. The Declaration emphasizes maintaining international order and multilateralism based on international law, promoting the common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom of all mankind, opposing politicizing and instrumenting human rights issues and interfering in other countries' internal affairs, upholding the concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, strengthening counter-terrorism efforts, and opposing "double standards" on fighting terrorism, strengthening dialogue among civilizations, safeguarding the diversity of civilizations, and opposing the "clash of civilizations" theory, he said. Qin added that the two sides should jointly uphold the above spirit, safeguard international fairness and justice, and safeguard the common interests of developing countries. Thirdly, both sides need to work together for more outcomes of practical cooperation. The Outline of China-Arab Comprehensive Cooperation Plan covers 182 cooperation measures in 18 fields, including politics, trade and economy, investment and finance. The eight major cooperation initiatives for China-Arab practical cooperation proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping cover 56 cooperation measures in eight areas, including development support, food security, public health, green innovation, energy security, inter-civilizational dialogue, youth development and security and stability, which meet the development needs and concerns of the Arab side, said Qin. China will establish an effective working mechanism with Arab countries to implement the above-mentioned cooperation measures one by one, accelerate cooperation projects that are ripe for development and strive for more early harvests, Qin said. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) WATERLOO After a two-year hiatus, the traditional Martin Luther King Jr. Day Banquet came roaring back Sunday night, inspired by local civil rights leader Belinda Creighton-Smith. Creighton-Smith, a pastor and university professor, encouraged a packed crowd at Electric Park Ballroom to continue working to end injustice. This American dream came at quite an enormous price. We cant deny it. It isnt until we talk about this stuff that we can be delivered from this stuff. It isnt until we deal with the stuff that we can heal from this stuff, she said. She quoted passages from Kings iconic I Have a Dream speech and compared them with current events a rise in hate crimes, efforts to suppress voting, mass shootings at grocery stores, the war on drugs disproportionately hurting minority communities. The banquets theme was The Challenge of Living the Dream in Times Like These. When have we been in times like these? Creighton-Smith asked. Until we get out there and make our voices heard we wont make a change, she added. Her microphone malfunctioned, but she didnt miss a beat, continuing on and projecting her voice throughout the building until she was handed a new mike. She said she is encouraged by seeing the young people and white suburban women take off their aprons and take to the streets as part of the Black Lives Matter movement in recent years. I have a dream that one day our communities wont be so racially segregated. I have a dream that there wont be any poor communities because poverty will be eliminated. I have a dream today that folks will stand side by side to speak truth to power, she said. We wont be afraid to say the word Black. We wont be ashamed to say the word white. We will call it what it is and bring about change because we are dealing with this. The Martin Luther King Jr. Day Banquet, a staple of the Waterloo community for more than 40 years, went virtual during the coronavirus pandemic in 2021 and 2022. The event is organized by Social Action Inc. and proceeds from the banquet go toward the organizations youth programs. Photos: Martin Luther King Jr. Banquet 2023 011523jr-mlk-banquet-1 011523jr-mlk-banquet-4 011523jr-mlk-banquet-3 011523jr-mlk-banquet-2 011523jr-mlk-banquet-6 011523jr-mlk-banquet-5 011523jr-mlk-banquet-7 011523jr-mlk-banquet-9 011523jr-mlk-banquet-8 011523jr-mlk-banquet-10 CHARLOTTE, N.C. Lauren Overman has a suggested shopping list for her clients preparing to get an abortion. The list includes a heating pad, a journal, aromatherapy oils things that could bring physical or emotional comfort after the procedure. Overman is an abortion doula. She has worked as a professional birth doula for many years. Recently, Overman also began offering advice and emotional support to people as they navigate having an abortion, often a lonely time. She makes her services available either free or on a sliding scale to abortion patients. Other abortion doulas charge between $200 and $800. Overman is one of around 40 practicing abortion doulas in North Carolina, according to an estimate from local abortion rights groups a number that could soon grow. North Carolina groups that train doulas said theyve seen an uptick in people wanting to become abortion doulas in the months since Roe v. Wade was overturned. Every three months, the Carolina Abortion Fund offers free online classes for aspiring abortion doulas. Those sessions used to have 20 sign-ups at most, according to board member Kat Lewis. Now they have 40. Its word of mouth. Its people sharing This is how I got through my abortion or miscarriage experience with the help of a doula. And someone being like, Thats amazing. I need that. Or I wanna become that, Lewis said. Demand for training has also surged at the Mountain Area Abortion Doula Collective in western North Carolina, which started in 2019. Ash Williams leads the free four-week doula training and includes talks on gender-inclusive language and the history of medical racism. The course also includes ways to support clients struggling with homelessness or domestic violence. The doula might be the only person that that person has told that theyre doing this. Thats a big responsibility, Williams said. So we really want to approach our work with so much care. Going to the clinic and holding a patients hand during the procedure are among the services abortion doulas can offer, but some clinics dont allow a support person in the room. So doulas like Overman find other ways to be supportive, such as sitting down with a woman afterward, to listen, share a meal, or just watch TV together. Its holding space being there so that they can bring something up if they want to talk about it. But also, there are no expectations that you have to talk about it if you dont want to, Overman said. Overman uses Zoom to consult with people across the country, even in states where abortion is restricted or banned. She can help them locate the closest clinics or find transportation and lodging if theyre traveling a long distance. Overman makes sure her clients know what to expect from the procedure, like how much bleeding is normal after either a surgical or medication abortion. You can fill up a super maxi pad in an hour. Thats OK, she explained. Fill up one or more pad every hour for two to three hours consecutively, then thats a problem. Abortion doulas are not required to have medical training, and many do not. Its not clear how many work across the U.S., because the job is not regulated. There has been a jump in the number of people requesting her abortion doula services over the past several months, Overman said, from around four people a month to four every week. If people are afraid to talk to their friends or relatives about an abortion, she said, sometimes the easiest thing to do is reach out to someone on the internet. A doula may start out as a stranger but can become a person who can be relied on for support. Abortion in America: How access and attitudes have changed through the centuries Abortion in America: How access and attitudes have changed through the centuries Pre-1850: Abortions in early America are commonplace Mid-1800s: Birth of the American Medical Association shifts abortion oversight from midwives to doctors; abortion is criminalized 1960s: 'Back-alley butchers,' birth control, and protests 1970s: Roe v. Wade protects women's right to abortion; politics shift 1980s-2000s: Legal challenges to Roe v. Wade introduce restrictions 2020s: Roe v. Wade is overturned; Postal Service allowed to mail abortion medication Russian Defence Minister hosts session on building up Russian Armed Forces Within the working visit to the Joint Group of Forces of the special military operation, the Minister of Defence of Russia has hosted a session with the deputy defence ministers, branch commanders-in-chief, and commanders on the implementation of the Russian Presidents decision to build up the Armed Forces to 1.5 million troops. General of the Army Sergei Shoigu noted that all the measures were to be combined into the Comprehensive Build-Up Plan of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In addition, they are to be harmonised with building the infrastructure for deploying troops (forces), the terms of supplying armament, military and special hardware, and materiel within the state defence order. The Russian defence chief added: The President of the Russian Federation decided to build up the Armed Forces to 1.5 million troops. The provision of military security of the country, the protection of the new regions and crucial facilities of the Russian Federation can be guaranteed only by reinforcing the elements of the Armed Forces as follows: to found two new inter-branch strategic territorial formations of the Armed Forces: Moscow and Leningrad military districts, as well as self-contained groups of forces in the new regions of the Russian Federation; to establish an army corps in the Republic of Karelia, three motorised rifle divisions as part of the Land Forces, and two airborne assault divisions as part of the Airborne Troops; to reorganise seven motorised rifle brigades in the Western, Central, Eastern military districts, and in the Northern Fleet into motorised rifle divisions; to reinforce the combat element of the Navy, Aerospace Forces, and Strategic Missile Forces. Large-scale changes of the Armed Forces structure, increase in their strength, amendment of military administrative structure of the Russian Federation to be introduced in 20232026 will require all the deputy defence ministers, branch commanders-in-chief, commanders of military districts, the Northern Fleet, and arms to take relevant appropriate decisions. The main emphasis is to be placed on manning troops (forces) with contracted personnel. It is also necessary to organise timely provision of units and formations with armament, military and special hardware, as well as other materiel, raise the number of training grounds in the military districts and new regions of the Russian Federation, prepare them for manoeuvres, define the training scope of cadets and students in the higher-educational institutions of the Ministry of Defence, and upscale the training scope of specialists in the training centres of the Armed Forces in accordance with heightened need of troops (forces) by increasing capacity of training centres and establishing the new ones. The whole set of measures is to be provided with relevant budget allocation. @mod_russia_en WtR We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Statkraft has announced a major deal with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) fund Copenhagen Infrastructure IV K/S (CI IV) as part of its plans to develop up to 2.2 GW of offshore wind in Ireland. This partnership will see CIP acquire a 50% stake in Statkrafts offshore wind portfolio in Ireland. The scope of the partnership includes the three phases of the North Irish Sea Array and the Bore Array . The proposed location for NISA is off the coast of counties Dublin, Louth, and Meath, while the site of the Bore Array has been proposed for the Celtic Sea. Developing and building these projects is expected to require an investment of more than 4 billion by Statkraft and CIP by 2030. The need for energy security and decarbonisation has never been as important, or urgent, as it is today. Ireland has a wealth of renewable energy resources right on its doorstep energy that has largely remained untapped. Statkraft and CIP will now work together to bring that clean, green power to the Irish people, said David Flood, Head of Offshore Wind at Statkraft. This deal marks a major development for Statkraft in Ireland as we scale up our offshore wind ambitions across Northern Europe. The countrys maritime area makes it ideal for large-scale offshore wind energy production energy we can deliver in partnership with CIP. The companys track record in offshore wind coupled with our development expertise will enable us to harness the energy of the wind in the Irish Sea to create a green energy system designed for a decarbonised future, Flood added. Nischal Agarwal, Partner in CIP, said: We are very pleased to be entering the Irish offshore market and look forward to developing these exciting projects together with Statkraft. In combining CIPs industrial background and international experience within offshore wind with Statkrafts experience of Irish renewables, the partnership will enable the provision of renewable power to Irish homes and businesses and contribute to reaching the governments ambitious decarbonisation targets. Gry J. Aamodt, Statkrafts Head of Offshore wind in Norway, said: "The agreement and cooperation with CIP gives us access to expertise and experience from both bottom-fixed and floating offshore wind projects. The projects in Ireland will make us even better positioned for the development of both Srlige Nordsj II, Utsira Nord and future projects in Norway. The North Irish Sea Array is an offshore wind energy project being proposed for an area off the coast of counties Dublin, Meath, and Louth. NISA was one of seven offshore renewable projects to be issued with a Maritime Area Consent by the Government in December 2022. A planning application for NISA is scheduled to be submitted this year, with commencement of operations anticipated for 2026. The Bore Array is a proposed Phase 2 offshore wind farm off the south east coast in the Celtic Sea. For more information on offshore wind farms worldwide, click here . loading......... Malibu, CA, Jan 17, 2023 AEST (ABN Newswire) - In this segment of The Ellis Martin Report we speak with Adam Smith, co-founder and VP of Business Development of Oroco Resource Corp. ( CVE:OCO ) ( ORRCF:OTCMKTS ). Oroco is focused on the development of a large copper deposit at the Santo Tomas project in coastal NW Mexico. Santo Tomas hosts a multi-billion pound copper resource, defined by historical drilling and currently being confirmed by ongoing exploration drilling by Oroco. Copper mineralization at Santo Tomas is located at surface and therefore potentially amenable to low cost mining methods, is very well located with respect to the infrastructure that's essential to a large mining operation, and Mexico is among the world's top mining jurisdictions, with laws and trade agreements that protect the rights of mining companies. Since commencing exploration and resource definition at Santo Tomas three years ago, Oroco has made a series of rapid advances, and the year ahead is rich with catalysts such as a formal resource definition and economic evaluation, each of which carries the possibility of a company valuation rerating. These milestones will be achieved against the backdrop of a positive forecasts for the price of copper, possibly to historical highs as a result of dramatic shifts in metal's importance to industrial and consumer markets. To listen to the Interview, please visit: https://www.abnnewswire.net/lnk/6VB231V1 About Oroco Resource Corp Oroco Resource Corporation (CVE:OCO) (OTCMKTS:ORRCF), founded in 2006, is a Canadian mineral exploration company with a history of and expertise in the development of resource opportunities in Mexico. Oroco is led by a management team with significant experience in exploration, discovery, development and operations in the mineral sector. Oroco's focus is on the confirmation and expansion of the historical resource of the Santo Tomas porphyry copper project in Sinaloa State, Mexico, while continuing its assembly of neighbouring mineral concessions and the acquisition of certain other rights associated with the project. Oroco has a controlling interest in 8,908.79 hectares of contiguous mineral concession that cover and surround the known core of the Santo Tomas mineralized structure as well as the potential extensions of the historical resource to the north and south. This controlling interest increases as Oroco funds the additional exploration and development of the project. The Santo Tomas project is a copper porphyry deposit which is historically defined by a total of 106 diamond drill and reverse circulation drill holes, totalling approximately 30,000 m. In July of 1994, Bateman Engineering Inc. conducted an economic assessment of the Santo Tomas project based on technical work by a team that included Mintec, Inc., Mountain States Research and Development, Inc., and Minetek S.A. de C.V. Bateman completed this study, termed "Santo Tomas Project, Sinaloa, Mexico, Pre-Feasibility Study." Current drilling activity is intended to confirm the historical project data and to further define the extent and quality of the resource. While the economic assessment by Bateman contains favourable metallurgical test results and engineering designs that remain broadly acceptable today, the Company considers these historical economic studies and associated mineral resource estimates to be only conceptual in nature until confirmed by current technical programs. Albuquerque police on Monday arrested the man they say is the mastermind behind a recent string of shootings targeting Democratic lawmakers homes. The suspect, Solomon Pena, is a Republican who unsuccessfully ran for office in November, has made repeated claims that the election was rigged and appears to have attended the Jan. 6, 2021, riot in Washington, D.C. Around 3 p.m. APDs SWAT team swarmed a condominium complex near the ABQ BioPark Zoo to execute a search warrant. They made announcements for Pena who they said may be armed with a firearm to surrender as drones flew overhead. Within an hour officers had arrested Pena, who is accused of paying four men to shoot at the homes of two county commissioners and two state legislators, Police Chief Harold Medina announced Monday evening. Investigators also believe Pena was present for at least one of the shootings. One of the four men Pena is accused of hiring, Jose Trujillo, is being prosecuted federally on drug trafficking and firearm charges but the names of the other suspects were not immediately released. Pena ran unsuccessfully in the House District 14 race and claimed on social media he should have won the election. He also visited three of the targeted officials homes unannounced in November complaining the election was fraudulent and should not be certified. APD essentially discovered what we had all feared and what we had suspected that these shootings were indeed politically motivated, Mayor Tim Keller said at a news conference. They were dangerous attacks not only to these individuals but, fundamentally, also to democracy. Both Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, and the House Republican Leader Ryan Lane, R-Aztec, issued statements applauding law enforcement and condemning violence. There is no place in our society or our democracy for violence against any elected official or their families, and I trust the justice system will hold those responsible for such attacks to full and fair account, Lujan Grisham said. Lane said the New Mexico House Republicans are grateful no one was injured in the shootings and referenced Penas criminal past which had been a controversial issue during the campaign. This is yet another example of a convicted felon unlawfully gaining access to firearms, which they are barred from owning or possessing, and using the weapon in a manner that causes public harm, Lane said. Dems targeted In early January APD disclosed that it was investigating several shootings targeting Democratic elected officials homes around the city. They said Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboas Southeast Albuquerque home had been struck by eight bullets on Dec. 4 and a week later, on Dec. 11, more than 12 bullets hit County Commissioner Debbie OMalleys North Valley home. On Jan. 3, shots rang out at state Rep. Linda Lopezs home in Southwest Albuquerque and three bullets went through her daughters bedroom as the 10-year-old slept. After news of the investigation began to circulate, state Rep. Javier Martinez the current nominee for House speaker and the representative for District 11 in Southwest Albuquerque inspected his home and noticed it too had sustained damage from bullets. He had heard gunfire outside his home on Dec. 8 and believes thats when the shooting occurred. Police also investigated gunshots fired near the campaign office for Raul Torrez as he ran for state Attorney General and near the office of State Sen. Antonio Moe Maestas, but a department spokesman said Monday detectives dont have any evidence linking Pena and his alleged accomplices to those shootings at this time. ShotSpotter assist The break in the case came after the shooting at Lopezs home. More than a dozen shots were fired after midnight on Jan. 3, and police received a ShotSpotter notification. Medina said responding officers found shell casings, but didnt immediately see any damage. The state senator who represents District 11 later reported that a bullet struck the ceiling of her daughters room. She had awoken to gunfire and felt material falling from the ceiling. Then, 40 minutes after the shooting, Bernalillo County Sheriffs deputies pulled over 21-year-old Trujillo, who was driving a Nissan Maxima registered to Pena. Deputies arrested Trujillo on an unrelated warrant, and during an inventory of the car found 800 fentanyl pills and two guns, a Glock handgun with a drum magazine and an AR pistol. The shell casings found outside Lopezs home were tested at APDs crime lab, and they matched the confiscated weapons, police said. APD acting Cmdr. Kyle Hartsock with the Investigative Enhancement Division said detectives have electronic and cellphone records, surveillance footage and witnesses inside and outside of this conspiracy that have helped us weave together what occurred. The persons doing the shootings we are still investigating if they were even aware of who these targets were, or if they were just conducting shootings, Hartsock said. He said Pena was at the shooting at Lopezs home and fired at least one of the guns. Hartsock said the case is still being investigated and additional charges are likely to be filed against other people. Failed candidacy Penas candidacy came under scrutiny over the summer when his opponent, Rep. Miguel P. Garcia, D-Albuquerque, filed a court challenge to disqualify him because he had been convicted in 2008 of stealing large amounts of goods from several big box retail stores in a reported smash and grab scheme. Pena served nearly seven years in prison. In September, 2nd Judicial District Judge Joshua Allison ruled that a state law barring felons from holding office unless they are pardoned by the governor is unconstitutional so Pena remained on the ballot. Less than two months later Pena lost the November election by more than 3,600 votes garnering 2,033 votes to Garcias 5,679. However, in frequent postings on Twitter, Pena maintained that he didnt lose and that the election was rigged. On Nov. 15 Pena posted a photo of himself wearing a red Make America Great Again sweatshirt that appeared to have been signed in gold by Donald Trump and said Trump just announced for 2024. I stand with him. I never conceded my HD 14 race. Now researching my options. He also posted a photo of himself that appears to be from Washington, D.C., that he said was one of the last pictures I have of the Jan 06 trip. In a reply to someone calling him a criminal on Dec. 28 on social media Pena said, Everyone in the NM government who helped overthrow Trump are the active treasonists who must be placed in Guantanamo Bay Cuba for natural life. Once they are gone I can work on rebuilding Albuquerque. On Nov. 17, in response to a Tweet by the New Mexico Secretary of State warning against attempts to manipulate the election certification process, Pena replied I will attempt to stop the certification in Bernalillo County, until a hand recount has been done. It was rigged! Early signs For Commissioners OMalley and Barboa and Sen. Lopez, Pena was a familiar face. He had visited each of their homes, uninvited, in the days following the election. On Nov. 18, OMalley, Barboa, Charlene Pyskoty and Walt Benson voted 4-0 to certify the general election results. Commissioner Steven Michael Quezada missed the meeting. OMalley whose term as commissioner has since ended told the Journal on Monday that Pena showed up at her home wanting to talk about what he alleged was election fraud, telling her he believed he should have received more votes because he had knocked on many doors during his campaign. He gave me some papers and said I want you to respond,' she recalled. She said the packet included what looked like Internet information about voter fraud and a letter. She had no communication with him after that. Pena was not hostile, OMalley said, but the encounter was unsettling enough that she notified law enforcement. I thought it was odd, and he seemed a little anxious to me and a little, kind of aggressive, and that kind of put me on alert, she said. BCSO personnel checked on her house but did not see anything, and OMalley did not think about the incident much until someone shot at her house a month later. Police said Pena also has a black Audi sedan registered under his name, which matches the description of the vehicle he drove to OMalleys house in November. Barboa said she had a similar encounter when Pena showed up on her doorstep asking her not to vote to certify the election results. I know our addresses are public, but I was a little thrown off because its not usual that people come to our door, she said. Barboa said they spoke and he handed her paperwork similar to what others who are questioning elections have given her and other officials during county commission meetings The commissioner said she grew worried for Pena during the encounter as she thought he was making illogical claims about the results of his own race. He was just sort of all over the place the things he was putting together werent quite connecting or fitting, she said. You cant say because you knocked on a thousand doors, you know you got a thousand votes. She said Monday she was pleased that police were able to make an arrest and quell some of her familys fear. Her daughter, she said, has been too afraid to bring her child over since the shooting. Im hoping today that this is done that my daughter can bring my grandbaby here again, Barboa said, while choking back tears. She said the ordeal will change the way she lives and that she is going to pursue new security strategies for herself and her family. Plus, Barboa said, its distressing that elected officials are now going to take steps to shield themselves from the public noting that the New Mexico Legislature has already removed some lawmaker contact information from its website in response. All of that is going to change because of this and that breaks my heart as someone who believes the public needs access to our elected officials, she said. Copyright 2023 Albuquerque Journal A lawsuit alleges that a Cibola County couple and their two children were injured in 2021 when an Albuquerque police officer struck the rear of their vehicle on Interstate 40. The suit alleges that the four family members were traveling east on I-40 near the Rio Grande exit when traffic slowed to a stop, according to a lawsuit filed in 2nd Judicial District Court. Nicole Kulger and her two minor children were passengers in the vehicle driven by Brad Duran, all of Milan, the suit said. All four are named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit. When Durans vehicle came to a halt, it was struck from behind by an Albuquerque Police Department vehicle driven by officer Kenneth Skeens, the suit alleges. The police vehicle was following too closely behind (Durans) vehicle at an excessive speed when traffic was coming to a stop, the suit alleges. According to an accident report, Duran told an APD officer that he had to slam on his brakes to avoid striking a vehicle in front of him after traffic on I-40 came to an abrupt stop. Durans sport-utility vehicle then was rear-ended by the APD vehicle, the report said. The collision caused Durans vehicle to roll forward, striking the rear of a vehicle in front of him, it said. The APD Dodge Charger sustained heavy front-end damages and was towed from the scene, the report said. Durans vehicle sustained moderate rear end damage and slight front end damage, but was drivable, it said. The report listed no injuries or citations. Shane Maier, an Albuquerque attorney representing the family, said that Duran, Kulger and their two children later sought treatment for injuries at a Gallup hospital. The suit alleges negligence by Skeen and the city of Albuquerque, who are identified as defendants. It seeks unspecified damages. DNIPRO, Ukraine (AP) The death toll from the Ukraine wars deadliest attack on civilians at one location since last spring reached 45 at an apartment building a Russian missile blasted in the southeastern city of Dnipro, officials said Tuesday. Those killed in the Saturday afternoon strike included six children, with 79 people injured, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on the Telegram messaging app. The toll included two dozen people initially listed as missing at the multistory building, which housed about 1,700, according to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the Ukrainian presidents office. Emergency crews cleared some 9 metric tons (9.9 tons) of rubble during a non-stop search and rescue operation, the Dnipro City Council said. About 400 people lost their homes, with 72 apartments completely ruined and another 236 damaged beyond repair, it added. People converged at the site Tuesday to lay flowers, light candles and bring plush toys. For a third day in a row, Dnipro resident Oleksandr Pohorielov came to mourn. Its like coming to the cemetery to your family. Its a memory, to say a proper goodbye. To remain a human after all, he explained as an intense reek of burning emanated from the buildings ruins. Volunteers helped Nadiia Yaroshenkos son escape from their third floor apartment on a makeshift ladder but their white cat Beliash refused to leave. He remains in his favorite place at a window that is now blown out, Yaroshenko said, desperately trying to see him from the courtyard with a flashlight. We cannot reach the apartment even with rescuers because the apartment is in an emergency and dangerous condition. Walls could collapse there every minute, she said. The latest deadly Russian strike on a civilian target in the almost 11-month wa r triggered outrage. It also prompted the surprise resignation on Tuesday of a Ukrainian presidential adviser who had said the Russian missile exploded and fell after the Ukrainian air defense system shot it down, a version that would take some of the blame off the Kremlins forces. Oleksii Arestovychs comments in a Saturday interview caused an outcry. He said as he quit that his remarks were a fundamental mistake. Ukraines air force had stressed that the countrys military did not have a system that could down Russias Kh-22 supersonic missiles, the type that hit the apartment building. Zelenskyy vowed to ensure that all Russian murderers, everyone who gives and executes orders on missile terror against our people, face legal sentences. And to ensure that they serve their punishment. The British Defense Ministry said Tuesday that the weekend barrage of long-range missiles, the first of its kind in two weeks, targeted Ukraines power grid. The Kh-22 was designed during Soviet times to strike enemy ships. It can also be used against ground targets, but with much less precision. Observers have said that Russia has increasingly used older weapons, including those intended for other purposes, to attack targets in Ukraine in what could be a sign of the depletion of Russian stockpiles of modern precision weapons. The U.K. ministry noted that the Kh-22 is notoriously inaccurate when used against ground targets as its radar guidance system is poor at differentiating targets in urban areas, suggesting that might have been a factor in the deaths in the Dnipro. Similar missiles were used in other incidents that caused high civilian casualties, it said, including a strike on a shopping mall in Ukraines central city of Kremenchuk in June that officials said killed more than 20 people. The deadliest attack involving civilians before Saturday was an April 9 strike on a train station in the eastern city of Kramatorsk that left at least 52 people dead, according to The Associated Press-Frontline War Crimes Watch project. In Moscow, a makeshift memorial to the Dnipro attacks victims appeared in front of an apartment building, an unusual act in Russia, where even a hint of criticism of the governments special military operation in Ukraine is often suppressed. Amid snow, flowers and toy stuffed animals were laid at the monument of prominent Ukrainian writer Lesya Ukrainka, along with a photo of the destroyed building and a sign that read in Russian: Dnipro. 14.01.2023. Attacks on civilians have helped stiffen international support for Ukraine as it battles to fend off the Kremlins invasion. The winter has brought a slowdown in fighting, but military analysts say a new push by both sides is likely once the weather improves. Underscoring Russias growing military needs, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday that the countrys military would increase the number of troops from 1.15 million to 1.5 million in the coming years. As part of the buildup, the military will form an army corps in the northwestern region of Karelia, near Finland, as well as three new motorized infantry and two airborne divisions. The military will also beef up seven motorized infantry brigades into divisions. On the side of Ukraine, the top U.S. military officer, Army Gen. Mark Milley, traveled to the Ukraine-Poland border on Tuesday to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart for the first time. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, in southeastern Poland. On Monday, Milley visited troops from Ukraine training at a military base in Germany under U.S. commanders. Aid is also on the way from the Netherlands. Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Tuesday in Washington that his country plans to join the U.S. and Germanys efforts to train and arm Ukraine with advanced Patriot missile defense systems. It remains unclear if the Dutch will ultimately send Patriot systems, although Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Tuesday that the Netherlands had agreed to send Ukraine a battery of the equipment. So, there are now three guaranteed batteries. But this is only the beginning. We are working on new solutions to strengthen our air defense, Zelenskyy said. Ukrainian troops are at Oklahomas Fort Sill Army base learning how to operate and maintain the Patriot, the most advanced surface-to-air missile system the West has pledged to provide to Ukraine to help repel Russian aerial attacks. Ukraines first lady was doing her part Tuesday to help. She pressed world leaders and corporate executives at the World Economic Forums annual gathering in Switzerland to exercise their influence against a Russian invasion she said is leaving children dying and the world struggling with food insecurity. As the first anniversary of the war nears, Olena Zelenska said parents in Ukraine are in tears watching doctors trying to save their children, farmers are afraid to return to their fields filled with mines and we cannot allow a new Chernobyl to happen, referring to the 1986 nuclear power plant disaster. What you all have in common is that you are genuinely influential, Zelenska told attendees. But there is something that separates you, namely that not all of you use this influence, or sometimes use it in a way that separates you even more. Meanwhile, the head of the U.N. nuclear agency is visiting several of Ukraines four nuclear power plants this week to oversee the establishment of a permanent presence of inspectors at each of them to oversee operations and ensure safety. Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Tuesday the missions will make a very real difference through supporting the Ukrainian operators and regulator in fulfilling their national responsibility of ensuring nuclear safety and security. ___ Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine BEIJING (AP) Chinas population shrank for the first time in decades last year as its birthrate plunged, official figures showed Tuesday, adding to pressure on leaders to keep the economy growing despite an aging workforce and at a time of rising tension with the U.S. Despite the official numbers, some experts believe Chinas population has been in decline for a few years a dramatic turn in a country that once sought to control such growth through a one-child policy. Many wealthy countries are struggling with how to respond to aging populations, which can be a drag on economic growth as shrinking numbers of workers try to support growing numbers of elderly people. But the demographic change will be especially difficult to manage in a middle-income country like China, which does not have the resources to care for an aging population in the same way that one like Japan does. Over time, that will likely slow its economy and perhaps even the worlds, and could potentially keep inflation higher in many developed economies. China has become older before it has become rich, said Yi Fuxian, a demographer and expert on Chinese population trends at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A slowing economy could also pose a political problem for the ruling Communist Party, if shrinking opportunities foment public discontent. Anger over strict COVID-19 lockdowns, which were a drag on the economy, spilled over late last year into protests that in some cases called for leader Xi Jinping to step down a rare direct challenge to the party. The National Bureau of Statistics reported Tuesday that the country had 850,000 fewer people at the end of 2022 than the previous year. The tally includes only the population of mainland China, excluding Hong Kong and Macao as well as foreign residents. Over 1 million fewer babies were born than the previous year amid a slowing economy and widespread pandemic lockdowns, according to official figures. The bureau reported 9.56 million births in 2022; deaths ticked up to 10.41 million. It wasnt clear if the population figures were affected by a widespread COVID-19 outbreak following the easing of pandemic restrictions last month. China recently reported 60,000 COVID-related deaths since early December, but some experts believe the government is likely underreporting deaths. The last time China is believed to have experienced a population decline was during the Great Leap Forward, a disastrous drive for collective farming and industrialization launched by then-leader Mao Zedong at the end of the 1950s that produced a massive famine that killed tens of millions of people. Chinas population has begun to decline nine to 10 years earlier than Chinese officials predicted and the United Nation projected, said Yi, the demographer. At 1.4 billion, the country has long been the worlds most populous nation, but is expected to soon be overtaken by India, if it has not already. China has sought to bolster its population since officially ending its one-child policy in 2016. Since then, China has tried to encourage families to have second or even third children, with little success, reflecting attitudes in much of east Asia where birth rates have fallen precipitously. In China, the expense of raising children in cities is often cited as a cause. Zhang Huimin bemoaned the fierce competition young people face these days a fairly typical attitude toward starting a family among her age group. Home prices are high and jobs are not easy to find, said the 23-year-old Beijing resident. I enjoy living by myself. When I feel lonely, I can take pleasure in staying with my friends or keeping pets. Yi said that his own research shows Chinas population has actually been declining since 2018, indicating the population crisis is much more severe than previously thought. The country now has one of the lowest fertility rates in the world, comparable only to Taiwan and South Korea, he said. That means Chinas real demographic crisis is beyond imagination and that all of Chinas past economic, social, defense and foreign policies were based on faulty demographic data, Yi told The Associated Press. The looming economic crisis will be worse than Japans, where years of low growth have been blamed in part on a shrinking population, Yi said. The statistics bureau said the working-age population between 16 and 59 years old totaled 875.56 million, accounting for 62% of the national population, while those aged 65 and older totaled 209.78 million, accounting for 14.9% of the total. It also reported Chinas economic growth fell to its second-lowest level in at least four decades last year, although activity is reviving after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions that kept millions of people at home. Any slowdown has wider implications. China became a global manufacturing powerhouse in the early 2000s. With millions of its citizens flocking from the countryside to its cities, Chinas seemingly endless supply of cheap labor lowered costs for consumers around the world for computers, smartphones, furniture, clothes and toys. Its labor costs have already begun to rise and changing demographics will likely accelerate that trend. As a result, inflation could creep higher in countries that import Chinas products, though production may also move to lower-cost countries such as Vietnam, as it already has. On top of the demographic challenges, China is increasingly in economic competition with the U.S., which has blocked the access of some Chinese companies to American technology, citing national security and fair competition concerns. If handled correctly, a declining population does not necessarily translate to a weaker economy, said Stuart Gietel-Basten, professor of social science at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi. Its a big psychological issue. Probably the biggest, Gietel-Basten said. According to the data from the statistics bureau, men outnumbered women by 722.06 million to 689.69 million, the bureau reported, a result of the one-child policy and a traditional preference for male offspring to carry on the family name. The numbers also showed increasing urbanization in a country that traditionally had been largely rural. Over 2022, the permanent urban population increased by 6.46 million to reach 920.71 million, or 65.22%. The United Nations estimated last year that the worlds population reached 8 billion on Nov. 15 and that India will replace China as the worlds most populous nation in 2023. Indias last census was scheduled for 2022 but was postponed amid the pandemic. Gietel-Basten said China has been adapting to demographic change for years by devising policies to move its economic activities up the value chain of innovation, pointing to the development of semiconductor manufacturing and the financial services industry. The population of India is much younger and is growing. But there are many reasons why you wouldnt necessarily automatically bet your entire fortune on India surpassing China economically in the very near future, he said. Among Indias many challenges is a level of female participation in the work force that is much lower than Chinas, Gietel-Basten said. Whatever the population you have, its not what youve got but its what you do with it to a degree, he said. ___ Associated Press writers Huizhong Wu in Taipei, Taiwan, Kanis Leung in Hong Kong, and Chris Rugaber in Washington, and AP video journalist Emily Wang Fujiyama and video producer Olivia Zhang in Beijing contributed to this report. Solomon Pena is suspected of masterminding a string of shootings targeting New Mexico Democratic lawmakers homes between early December and early January. Police believe Pena paid four men to carry out drive-by shootings at the homes of Bernalillo County Commissioners Adriann Barboa and Debbie OMalley; of Rep. Javier Martinez, and of Rep. Linda Lopez. Police also believe Pena himself participated in the shooting at Lopezs home. THE BASICS: Born in April 1983, Pena is 39 years old. Hes listed as currently living in an Albuquerque apartment complex a few blocks from the ABQ BioPark Zoo. Although court records identify him as Solomon Pena, he spells his name as Pena on his website, social media and in correspondence. PUBLIC CANDIDACY AND ELECTION CONTROVERSY: Last year, Pena was the Republican candidate for New Mexico House District 14 in the South Valley. In August, Penas Democratic opponent, incumbent Rep. Miguel P. Garcia, asked a judge to bar Penas name from appearing on the ballot because Penas felony criminal record would have prevented him from holding elected office. Second Judicial District Judge Joshua Allison, however, decided against Garcia, ruling that the state law that bars felons from holding office unless they are pardoned is unconstitutional. Pena lost that race by a significant margin, garnering 2,033 votes to Garcias 5,679. CRIMINAL HISTORY: Pena served nearly seven years in prison after being convicted of several counts of commercial burglary, larceny and contributing to the delinquency of minor in 2008, according to earlier reports. He was part of a burglary crew that carried out smash and grab schemes using stolen vehicles to smash into stores including two Circuit City locations, as well as Hastings, K-Mart and Toys R Us, according to court records. During the ballot controversy, Penas attorney did not dispute records of his criminal history. IN HIS OWN WORDS: Pena refused to talk about his criminal history with the Journal ahead of last years election. I stand with Donald J. Trump, he said in a subsequent text. I dont want anything to do with you. Pena also declined to fill out a candidate questionnaire with basic information about his background and platforms, although his opponent did. Penas Twitter account, though, shows him refusing to accept his loss, and repeatedly claiming that the election was rigged. Once the rigging is stopped, I will be sworn in as the State Rep for district 14, Penas account posted on Dec. 12, weeks after the November election. I door knocked from June until Nov 08. It is rigged! Miguels own Dems were mostly against him. Penas Tweets which at times range from profane to misogynistic show support for former President Donald Trump. In one, replying to a Republican Party of New Mexico post congratulating former GOP state Rep. Rebecca Dow on a leadership role in the party, Pena called Dow a prostitute. That prostitute stood silent while Donald J. Trump was overthrown. I dissent. Solomon Pena for NM (@SolomonPena2022) December 4, 2022 That prostitute stood silent while Donald J. Trump was overthrown, Penas tweet said. I dissent. In another post, Pena tells another female candidate to drop 20 pounds. Fact, another woman posted. liberal women are more attractive than conservative women. Gross, Pena responds. U r effing ugly In yet another Tweet, posted Nov. 13, Pena shows a picture of himself smiling near a group of people. This is one of the last pictures I have of the Jan 06 trip. I lost that phone at the Trump rally in Phoenix, July 2021. Make America Great Again! pic.twitter.com/EJToLrD8md Solomon Pena for NM (@SolomonPena2022) November 14, 2022 This is one of the last pictures I have of the Jan 06 trip, the post says. I lost that phone at the Trump rally in Phoenix, July 2021. Make America Great Again! In response to a celebratory post-election Tweet from U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, the Democrat who won New Mexicos Second Congressional District in November, Penas account posted: Get the (expletive) outta here. It was rigged. You have no democratic claim to legitimacy. Make America Great Again! Get the fuk outta here. It was rigged. You have no democratic claim to legitimacy. Make America Great Again! Solomon Pena for NM (@SolomonPena2022) December 8, 2022 CURRENT CRIMINAL CASE: Pena is facing charges in connection with several shootings that occurred over about a month around Albuquerque. On Dec. 4 around 4:41 p.m. eight shots were fired at County Commissioner Adriann Barboas home in SE Albuquerque. Barboa said bullets went through her front door as her family was preparing to celebrate Christmas. Then, Dec. 8, Rep Javier Martinez reportedly heard gunshots outside his home near the North Valley and, after the investigation was announced a month later, found damage presumably from gunfire to the house. On Dec. 11 in the early morning gunshots were fired at County Commissioner Debbie OMalleys home in the North Valley and more than 12 bullets struck the house. And on Jan. 3 just after midnight, eight shots rang out at Rep. Linda Lopezs home in SW Albuquerque. Lopez said that three bullets went through her 10-year-old daughters bedroom as she slept. Pena, who was taken into custody Monday and booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center early Tuesday morning, is charged with four counts each of shooting at a dwelling, shooting at or from a motor vehicle and conspiracy to commit a shooting at a dwelling; and one count each of possession of a firearm by a felon, attempt to commit aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and criminal solicitation to commit a shooting at a dwelling. Its unclear who Penas attorney will be. Police believe Pena masterminded the attacks. While nobody else has been charged in connection with the case, police have identified two other men linked to the investigation: 21-year-old Jose Trujillo and 41-year-old Demetrio Trujillo. Its not clear whether the two are related. Both are currently in jail on unrelated charges. Instagram Celebrity The Grammy-winning musician talks about having a baby boy with wife Katharine McPhee after previously raising five daughters from previous relationships. Jan 17, 2023 AceShowbiz - David Foster is still learning to find balance in raising a toddler at 73. Having a 23-month-old son called Rennie with his wife Katharine McPhee, the veteran musician admits that it's a "different" kind of challenge than he's used to. David - who also has Allison, 52, Amy, 49, Sara, 41, Erin, 40, and Jordan, 36, from previous relationships - shared, "I had all daughters until my son and I love all my daughters immeasurably, but having a son is a little bit different." The musician has also approached the situation with a different mindset. The Grammy-winning star - who married Katherine in 2019 - told PEOPLE, "At this point in my life, it's different again. Not better or worse, just different. I still work, I'm still gone a lot, but maybe the time is a little more precious to me because I got more runway behind me than I have ahead of me now." David is also determined to pass his "wisdom" onto his son. He said, "I think that I can offer one thing to Rennie even though I won't be around when he's 50 or 40 even, or 30 maybe. I think I can offer him wisdom from my 72 years on the planet. And maybe that's not a bad trade-off. I hope so." Meanwhile, Katharine previously insisted that the loved-up couple "don't care" about their age gap. The brunette beauty shared, "Of course, some people think it's a thing, but we don't we don't care. Here's the thing about social media [and] people who make comments ... You have to remind yourself that they make that comment and five seconds later, they're not thinking about you anymore." You can share this post! Cover Images/Dutch Press Photo Celebrity In a new statement responding to the former 'Top Gear' host's public apology, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex additionally accuse him of spreading 'hate rhetoric.' Jan 17, 2023 AceShowbiz - A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has accused Jeremy Clarkson of spreading "hate rhetoric." The outspoken TV star took to Instagram on Monday, January 16, to apologize for a controversial article that he wrote about the royal couple, but a spokesperson for the duo has now disputed Jeremy's claim that he reached out to them both. The spokesperson said, "On December 25, 2022, Mr. Clarkson wrote solely to Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex. The contents of his correspondence were marked Private and Confidential." Jeremy sparked outrage in December when he wrote that he was "dreaming of the day" the duchess would be forced to "parade naked through the streets" while crowds threw excrement at her. The former "Top Gear" host has now been accused of spreading "dangerous conspiracy theories and misogyny". In a statement given to PEOPLE, the spokesperson said, "While a new public apology has been issued today by Mr. Clarkson, what remains to be addressed is his long standing pattern of writing articles that spread hate rhetoric, dangerous conspiracy theories, and misogyny. Unless each of his other pieces were also written in a hurry, as he states, it is clear that this is not an isolated incident shared in haste, but rather a series of articles shared in hate." Jeremy previously took to Instagram to discuss his controversial newspaper article. The 62-year-old wrote on the photo-sharing platform, "Usually, I read what I've written to someone else before filing, but I was home alone on that fateful day, and in a hurry. So when I'd finished, I just pressed Send. And then, when the column appeared the next day, the landmine exploded." "I therefore wrote to everyone who works with me saying how sorry I was and then, on Christmas morning, I e-mailed Harry and Meghan in California to apologise to them too. I said I was baffled by what they had been saying on TV but that the language I'd used in my column was disgraceful and that I was profoundly sorry," he continued. You can share this post! Cover Images/Media Punch Music In a new interview, the 'No Problem' artist weighs in on the multiple issues at the Black Star Line Festival, which he and Vic Mensa hosted in the country a week ago. Jan 17, 2023 AceShowbiz - Chance the Rapper has addressed the criticism against him after he and Vic Mensa hosted the Black Star Line Festival in Ghana a week ago. In a new interview, the Chicago rapper weighed in on the backlash for inviting Dave Chappelle as well other issues. "I think it's something that Dave was actually shining a light on," Chance told Rolling Stones of Dave's inclusion in the festival despite his scandal surrounding his anti-trans comments. "That's where that conversation came from. Dave was making a comment about the comedy scene in Ghana when he said, 'I bet gay jokes go over so well here,' to which everybody laughed about." The rapper continued, "And he was making a point to say that in Ghana, you can make jokes about things that are about gay people, about trans people, about a lot of social constructs, just about anything in the world. But you can't make a comment about the government there. That's not funny and that's not respected, and it can be dangerous. It's the complete opposite where we come from, where we can speak about the government all we want." During the interview, Chance also talked about how his sets were delayed. When he eventually hit the stage at 5 A.M. local time, people had already left and it allowed unticketed guests to enter. "And by that time, obviously the crowd going from 50,000 to 1,500 - it's a lot of space. I think by that time the guards and everybody are likethere's no real reason to keep people out at that point," he explained. "I think they let a few hundred people in that had stayed all night because the video towers also allowed you to see the show from outside of the square. I'm still processing the whole thing, everything. It didn't go all as planned, but it went perfectly," he noted. Further elaborating on the situation, "The Highs & The Lows" spitter said that while "this is the second or third free one that [he's] done," he claimed that "none of them have been to the scale of 50,000 plus people." He shared, "Then for it to be overwhelmingly black and for it to be on the continent. And for a lot of people that was their first time in Ghana, whether they were American or of the diaspora. It was completely organized and put together by black folks on the continent. I think everybody was just very happy." Despite the pushback, Chance dubbed the Black Star Line Festival, which was a celebration of art, culture and unity in the black community, "a really dope and deep moment." You can share this post! Cover Images/ROGER WONG Celebrity Things got explosive between the 'Rich Flex' rapper and a Clubhouse user as the Atlanta-based hip-hop artist told the man to 'shut the f**k up' in a leaked audio. Jan 17, 2023 AceShowbiz - 21 Savage has become the butt of jokes on the Internet. The "Rich Flex" rapper has been trolled after an audio of him getting into a heated argument on social media app Clubhouse emerged. The audio of the interaction went viral on Monday, January 16. In it, the Atlanta-based hip-hop star could be heard getting into it with someone from Chicago. Though what they were beefing over doesn't make it into the one-minute clip, the result was the "Her Loss" rapper promising that his detractor will die. "You waited for this moment your whole life, so you could argue with a n***a on Clubhouse," the agitated 21 Savage said. "You keep letting all these Chicago n***as boost your head up, like y'all n***a ain't dying in real life, man. Stop playing." When questioned by his detractor about his own team's losses, 21 Savage became more aggressive. "Every n***a that we beef with, 30 of they n***as get smoked and don't nothing happen to us," he fumed, "In real life, n***a. It's real life!" Other voices could be heard trying to interject and 21 Savage went off again. "Aye, cap, you from Chicago. I advise you to shut the f**k up," the emcee added, " 'Cause the n***as that I f**k with up there spanking s**t, so stop playing. Y'all ain't spanking nothing, n***a." He later repeatedly said, "You will die," when one of the other men on the app tried to counter his claims. Shortly after the audio made its round on the Internet, social media critics were quick to mock him. One person tweeted, "someone get 21 savage off clubhouse man bro itching for that RICO." Another remarked, "21 Savage needs a job. He clearly has too much time on his hands to be posted up in Clubhouse being too chatty." A third quipped, "Can 21 savage be deported back to the uk? Are those clubhouse interviews he giving enough to do it?" 21 Savage has made headlines previously from Clubhouse. In November last year, the rapper, born Sheyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, caught backlash for saying Nas was not relevant to today's consumer. 21 Savage ended up backtracking on the comments and doing a song with Nas to show there was no ill will. Prior to that, in October of that year, 21 confronted fellow Clubhouse frequenter Wack 100 on the app for calling 21 a snitch. You can share this post! Instagram Celebrity The 'Resume' rapper was reportedly headed for a music video filming with Ice Spice in New York when he was busted by cops for alleged weapons violation during a traffic stop. Jan 17, 2023 AceShowbiz - Lil Tjay seemingly can't live without a gun, despite having had a bad episode with a firearm last year. The Bronx rapper has been arrested for gun possession in New York, six months after he survived a near-fatal shooting. According to multiple reports, Tjay, whose real name is Tione Jayden Merritt, was pulled over by cops on East 183rd Street in the Fordham Heights section on Monday afternoon, January 16. He was inside a car with four other people during the traffic stop. Upon searching the vehicle, law enforcement officials found two loaded guns. It is unclear why police pulled him over and searched the vehicle in the first place. Tjay and one of his friends were subsequently taken into custody and are facing charges for alleged weapons violation. A video taken by a bystander shows the 21-year-old rap star being escorted by an officer to a police vehicle with his hands cuffed behind his back. The person who filmed the clip asked if he's okay, but he only briefly looked at the camera and didn't say anything. Words are Tjay was headed for the shooting of Ice Spice's music video when he was pulled over. Earlier that day, he confirmed his schedule as he posted on his Instagram Story, "Video shooot today lol it's litt." Lil Tjay and Ice Spice teased about a music video shooting before his arrest. Ice Spice also teased the music video shooting, writing on her own Story, "video shoot tmm who poppin out??" She tagged Bronx, NY as the location. She has not addressed Tjay's arrest, but a video shows her proceeding with the filming without Tjay. She was seen being joined by Cleopatra during the filming. Tjay's arrest comes just six months after he was shot seven times during an attempted robbery in Edgewater, New Jersey. The incident took place in the early hours of June 22. He was flown to Hackensack University Medical Center and underwent emergency surgery, while a second victim, 22-year-old Antoine Boyd, who is friends with the rapper, was also shot once and was in stable condition. Meanwhile, the shooter was also hit by gunfire, but managed to escape with help from an unidentified co-conspirator. After spending months in the hospital, in September, a video surfaced of the "Resume" spitter walking out of a hospital room with the help of a nurse. At the top of the clip, he wrote, "The blogs said I was paralyzed and couldn't walk. But I started walking in a week after surgery. I beat the odds." Earlier this month, he took to Instagram to share pictures of him showing his gunshot wounds during a performance in New Jersey. You can share this post! Instagram Celebrity When speaking to Jason Lee on his new podcast show, the 'Bodak Yellow' femcee opens up about the harrowing moment when she and her husband found out about the late Migos rapper's tragic death. Jan 17, 2023 AceShowbiz - Cardi B has gotten candid about the moment she and Offset learned the tragic news that his cousin Takeoff died. In a new interview with Jason Lee, the "Bodak Yellow" raptress detailed how her husband first reacted to the fallen Migos member's untimely passing. In the Monday, January 16 episode of "The Jason Lee Podcast", Bardi broke down how she and Offset found out Takeoff had been killed last November. "We was in bad," the New York-born femcee began recalling. "We was supposed to go to La La's party in New York and my daughter threw up all over my costume...We just fell asleep and out of nowhere, Offset phone kept ringing, my phone kept ringing," Cardi shared. "Offset picked up the phone and he's just like 'No!' He screaming and screaming. And I'm like, 'What's going on?' He's like, 'Takeoff is dead.' " Cardi continued, "I smacked him, I was like, 'Don't say that.' He's just like screaming." The mom of two went on adding, "Throwing things. Throwing up. Running all over. I was just so scared. I was just crying so much. It was terrible." Cardi, Offset and the hip-hop community were all shocked by Takeoff's death on November 1 last year. The 28-year-old rapper was shot and killed outside of 810 Billiards & Bowling in Houston when an argument turned into gunfire following a private party outside the venue. Offset's first public reaction was to change his profile picture to Takeoff in tribute. Two weeks after the shooting, the 31-year-old emcee broke his silence on social media with a heartfelt statement. Shortly after, Cardi admitted that it's hard to make Offset happy again. "We living our life normally, but deep down inside our hearts have been so heavy," the femcee claimed in a since-deleted Twitter voice note. "No lie, I have been feeling so hopeless trying to make my husband happy. Trying to make him crack a smile. Seeing him randomly cry, see him trying to distract his mind completely, schedules been changing, trying to keep up with work after everything that he's been going through these past couple of weeks." Then in December, Offset confessed that he's faking his smile this whole time following his cousin's tragic death. "S**t not easy fake smiling and s**t tryna keep walking with my head up," he tweeted alongside a photo of the late rapper flashing a peace sign onstage. You can share this post! Cover Images/BauerGriffin Celebrity Lawyers from the firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP claim that they are left with no other choice but to use 'alternative means' to reach the Yeezy designer as he allegedly ghosts them. Jan 17, 2023 AceShowbiz - Kanye West's lawyers are seeking to use newspaper ad to inform the rapper that they have decided to cut ties with him. According to court documents, lawyers from the firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP have been left with no other choice as the Yeezy designer allegedly ghosted them. Obtained by TMZ, the legal paper stated that there's been "a breakdown in communication" between Ye and the law firm as they attempted to let him know they're no longer representing him. According to the firm, the "Donda" artist deactivated the phone number they previously used to get in touch with him. The situation prompted his legal team to use "alternative means" to reach him and that includes putting ads out in 2 L.A.-based newspapers and publicly publishing the order from the judge that allows them to withdraw from the case. Described as a "multi-pronged approach," the move is designed to "apprise him of the Withdrawal Order" which would finalize him being dropped as a client. "Publication of the Withdrawal Order's contents in two Los Angeles-area newspapers, where Ye appears to reside, will also apprise him of the Withdrawal Order," the legal filing reads. "Given Ye's public status, publication of the Withdrawal Order will likely garner significant media attention, resulting in broader publication and provide an even greater likelihood of apprising Ye of the Order." Greenberg Traurig had been repping Ye in his copyright infringement case against Ultra International Music Publishing. On November 30, 2022, judge Analisa Torres granted the law firm's motion to stop representing the embattled star, but the firm is given only two weeks to serve him the necessary court documents. The law firm isn't the only one who is struggling to contact Ye. The Chicago star's former business partner Thomas St. John, who is suing him for breach of contract, also claimed that he had been missing as he was unable to reach the rapper. In his $4.5 million lawsuit, Thomas stated that Ye hired him to be the Chief Marketing Officer of Donda with $300,000/month salary, but then stopped paying him. Meanwhile, recent reports claimed that the musician enjoyed a new chapter in life with his new wife Bianca Censori. The couple allegedly tied the knot in a private ceremony in Beverly Hills, though the union may not be legally binding as they haven't filed a marriage certificate. It was also said that the spitter and the Yeezy architectural designer went on a honeymoon in Utah following the nuptials. According to Daily Mail, the embattled star and the Yeezy architectural designer spent time at Amangiri resort last week. You can share this post! Instagram Celebrity The 'Bloody Valentine' musician tells trolls to keep their 'insecurities' to themselves after he was mocked for comparing his Milan outfit to Jules from 'Euphoria'. Jan 18, 2023 AceShowbiz - Machine Gun Kelly has fired back at trolls who mocked his style. The pop punk star - who is engaged to actress Megan Fox - faced negative comments about his fashion sense after comparing his Milan Fashion Week ensemble - a silver jacquard Dolce and Gabbana suit, complete with pointed metal finger covers - and spiky updo hairstyle to the style of Jules from the teen drama "Euphoria" - "if she went to Milan." "I call this, if jules from euphoria went to milan (sic)," MGK - whose real name is Colson Baker - wrote on Instagram alongside his snaps from the event. He later reacted to the comments on Twitter, writing, "You can't comment about my style, if you have none." And sharing the tweet to his Instagram, he added in the caption, "Keep your insecurities to yourself." The "more than life" star is known to match his bold red carpet outfits to his future wife's. The couple often turn up at public events in matching nail art and previously attended UN/DN LAQR's launch party chained together by their fingers. MGK also said his unisex nail polish line for the brand was inspired by ancient myths and the God of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection, Cupid. He added, "Many of the men in Greek mythology were warriors or soldiers or gods who had used their strength, and then there was Cupid, who was poetic and beautiful. I wonder what a world of Cupids (would) look like instead of just people falling into what they think we have to be as 'men.' " You can share this post! Vanity Fair Magazine/Mario Sorrenti Celebrity The 'Magic Mike' actor confesses 'relationships are hard' for him as he reflects on his separation from then-wife Jenna Dewan, the mother of his daughter Everly. Jan 18, 2023 AceShowbiz - Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan tried "for a really long time" to make their marriage work. The "Magic Mike's Last Dance" star and his "Step Up" co-star - who share daughter Everly, nine - called it quits in 2019 after almost a decade together, and the Hollywood star admits they tried their best to stay together but they were ultimately on different paths in life. "We fought for it for a really long time, even though we both sort of knew that we had sort of grown apart," the 42-year-old actor, now in a relationship with his "Pussy Island" director Zoe Kravitz, 34, told the February 2023 issue of Vanity Fair magazine. "I think we told ourselves a story when we were young, and we just kept telling ourselves that story, no matter how blatantly life was telling us that we were so different. But when you're actually parents, you really understand differences between the two of you. Because it is screaming at you all day long. How you parent differently, how you look at the world, how you go through the world." Channing added about their split, "In the beginning, it was super scary and terrifying. Your life just turns on its axis. This whole plan that you had literally just turns into sand and goes through your fingers and you're just like, 'Oh, s***. What now?' " The "Dog" director - who dated British pop star Jessie J between 2018 and 2020 - also admitted he's always feared heartbreak and often ends up "trying too hard" in relationships as a result. He explained, "Relationships are hard for me. Even though I am a bit of a monogamist. In business, I have no real fear of anything being destroyed. But heart things, when it comes to people I love, I have a really hard time. I end up trying too hard, you know?" However, he's trying to live more in the moment and not think too far ahead about what may or may not happen in the future. Tatum added, "So I can actually experience these moments, instead of just trying to change it or something. Or being afraid that it's not going to work out how I wanted or something." Read "Channing Tatum Is Back for Magic Mike's Last Dance" by Jessica Pressler in Vanity Fair's February issue, on newsstands January 24, and on VanityFair.com. You can share this post! WASHINGTON, Jan. 17, 2023 The American Chemical Society (ACS) Scholars Program awards renewable scholarships to undergraduate students from historically underrepresented groups who are majoring in chemistry-related disciplines and intending to pursue chemistry-related careers. Selected recipients are awarded up to $5,000 per academic year. To date, more than 4,000 students have received funding from the ACS Scholars Program. In addition to providing financial support, the ACS Scholars Program pairs students with academic and professional mentors, provides access to internship experiences and offers conference travel awards. Scholarship applications will be accepted online at the ACS Scholars Program website through March 1, 2023, for the 2023-24 academic year. There you can also find eligibility requirements, application advice and a webinar recording with important tips. For additional information, please send an email to scholars@acs.org. Watch this short video to meet just a few of the thousands of ACS Scholars alumni who credit the program for helping them launch successful careers. The ACS Scholars Program is made possible by generous contributions from many corporations, foundations and individuals. Colgate-Palmolive (India) Ltd. has joined hands with the Andhra Pradesh government to kick-off the Oral Health awareness program with Project Dr YSR Chinaravvu in the state. This will begin today from a school in the Nellore district, where Colgate-Palmolive India will work with the state government to educate children on oral health and build awareness on saying No to tobacco. Chief guest at the occasion was Mr. Kakani Govardhan Reddy, Hon'ble Minister for Agriculture, Cooperation, Marketing and Food Processing, Government of Andhra Pradesh. He inaugurated the project with a lamp lighting session along with Prabha Narasimhan - MD & CEO, Colgate-Palmolive India. Present on the occasion were Dr. Satheesh Reddy - Vice President Dental Council Of India, District Education Officer Nellore, representatives from the National Health Mission, Administration and Poonam Sharma - Head CSR & Sustainability, Colgate-Palmolive India. Ms. Vidadala Rajini, Hon'ble Minister of Health, Family welfare and Medical Education, Government of Andhra Pradesh said, "As part of our National Health Mission, the Andhra Pradesh government believes strongly in enabling the right primary healthcare as the first step in achieving health goals. We are excited to partner with Colgate India in the journey of elevating oral health awareness and preventive tobacco sensitisation for the school children of the state. This collaboration very well supports the Andhra state's Project DR YSR Chirunavvu - the brain child initiative of our Chief Minister Shri. YS Jagan Mohan Reddy garu. We deeply appreciate the efforts of Colgate India for providing dental medical equipment infrastructures in government dental colleges and hospitals, which will further strengthen better oral health for people of the state." "We are honored to partner with the Andhra Pradesh government to contribute in achieving the common vision for improved oral health in India. The support from the Hon'ble CMs office and related departments on this partnership has been exemplary and Colgate Palmolive is grateful for their vision and commitment to Project Dr. YSR Chirunavvu. This project seeks to bring down the incidence of cavities and other dental problems in children through structured information on oral health and building the right oral care habits. For over 85 years Colgate Palmolive India has been committed to the improvement of oral health in India through programs like the Bright Smiles Bright Future program and this is another important step in that journey. We hope to reach about 4 million children in Andhra Pradesh with this project said Prabha Narasimhan, MD and CEO of Colgate-Palmolive India. Colgate has partnered with the NGO Sambhav Foundation, to implement the school program. Beginning from the Nellore district, Colgate-Palmolive India will cover over 2600 government schools, before moving to other districts in Andhra Pradesh. True to its commitment to oral health, Colgate-Palmolive has also supported dental equipment and mobile dental vans in Government Hospitals of Kadappa, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam. ORAL DISEASE BURDEN IN INDIA Prevalence of oral diseases (2019) Prevalence of untreated decaying milk teeth in children 1-9 years (%) 43.3 Prevalence of untreated decaying of permanent teeth in people 5+ years (%) 28.8 Source: World Health Organisation (WHO) report 2022 Quaker, one of Indias leading brands in the breakfast cereal category and world leader in the Oatmeal segment, has launched an unique campaign, called Ab Breakfast Ko Banao Unskippable Breakfast. In support of the campaign, three videos have been released that demonstrate how adding the wholesome, delectable, and simple-to-make Quaker Oats Muesli to ones breakfast can turn it into a regular part of peoples everyday lives. In the opening scene of the first movie, a family is seen rushing through breakfast and the morning rush in an effort to do everything at one go. In contrast, the protagonist of the second movie skips breakfast to start the day, which makes him angry when he gets stuck in traffic in the city. The third movie depicts the professional problems of a lady attempting to stay awake during a work meeting while feeling low on energy as a result of her unhealthily prepared breakfast. In the films climactic reveal of the benefits of five grains oats, wheat, maize, barley, and rice along with fruit, nuts, and seeds, Quaker Oats Muesli is positioned as the perfect breakfast choice for individuals juggling busy morning schedules. This oat-a-licious product combines a delectable flavour with convenience and is a fantastic source of protein and fibre. With two flavourful variants Fruit & Nut and Berries & Seeds it provides a nutritious start to the day with a crunchy, multi-textural, and wholesome experience. It was created to provide Fuel For The Real Fit. In conversation with Adgully, Sonam B Vij, Associate Director and Category Head Quaker, PepsiCo India, speaks at length about the newly launched muesli category, the campaign strategy, and much more. Quaker is one of the leading brands in the oats segment, but within the BFC category, there is a space that we thought we needed to expand. Given the upward trend of people moving towards healthier choices and lifestyle, we thought that this was the opportune time to bring out a product in the RTEC category. Muesli was the product that we were thinking about for some time now and we felt that this was the right time to do it. Speaking about the launch, Vij said, We started with a digital-first approach, but as consumers are everywhere, so its an omnichannel experience that we are looking at to provide our consumers. Hence, we are going to be present in e-commerce, modern trade and retail. About the markets, she noted, We are going to start by being present in some of the top cities and top markets for now and then penetrate further step by step. On the new campaign, she remarked, We have launched our campaign Ab breakfast ko banao unskippable with three interesting TVCs. We did some research and found out that 44% of people were skipping breakfast and that is how we started thinking about how we get consumers to start consuming breakfast, which is the most important meal of the day. So, we aimed to address this with the launch of Quaker Oats Muesli and the subsequent campaign. Unravel Data, the first DataOps observability platform built to meet the needs of modern data teams, today announced that Zia Mansoor has joined the companys Board of Directors. Mansoor currently serves as Microsofts Vice President of Data & AI, and has extensive expertise in go-to-market strategy and providing product and solution leadership across operational database, analytics, AI/Machine Learning, data governance, and business intelligence solutions. We are excited to welcome Zia to our Board. Hes had tremendous success enabling customers to build efficient and scalable solutions while instilling a strong data culture within organizations. His appointment reflects our strong relationship with M12, Microsofts venture fund, a key investor in Unravel, said Kunal Agarwal, CEO of Unravel Data. We look forward to working together as Unravel continues to help organizations efficiently deliver data outcomes and effectively control skyrocketing cloud compute and storage costs. Mansoor has held various positions at Microsoft for the last 15 years. Prior to his current role leading Worldwide Data and AI commercial business, he led Microsoft Canadas largest team of technical professionals as Vice President of Customer Success. Mansoor has helped numerous organizations accelerate their journey to the cloud and realize potential across all Microsoft commercial solution areas, including Modern Workplace, Azure (App Development and Infrastructure, Data and AI), Business Applications, and Security. I am excited to work with Unravel Data, which has proven itself to be a fast-growing data observability company. Alongside my fellow advisors, I look forward to helping drive innovation in its data operations solutions. I have long admired the team, their work, and how they are leveraging AI to meet the growing opportunities for the modern data stack, said Mansoor. Founded by data pioneers Kunal Agarwal and Dr. Shivnath Babu, Unravel Data understands that the exponential growth of data combined with the broad adoption of the public cloud requires an entirely new way to manage and optimize the data pipelines that support the real-time analytics needs of todays data-driven enterprises. Numerous Fortune 100 companies, including two of the top five global pharmaceutical companies and three of the top 10 financial institutions in the world, rely on Unravel Data to gain unprecedented visibility across their data stacks, proactively troubleshoot and optimize their data workloads, and define guardrails to govern costs and improve predictability. Customers who have deployed Unravel have been able to double productivity of data teams and ensure data applications run on time, while scaling costs efficiently in the cloud. To learn more about how Unravel is leading the DataOps observability space, visit the new library of demonstration videos. The latest edition of the India Influence report by Zefmo Media (Zefmo), now in its fifth edition, chronicles the growth of the influencer economy in 2022 and provides a peek into the global trends of 2023. India to have more than 100 million content creators across all social media platforms in 2023, to become the largest base of influencers in the world. Organised influencer marketing sector to breach Rs 3,000 crore ($375 million) in FY 2023-24; revenue share of micro-influencers to increase from 9% in FY 2022-23 to 14% in FY 2023-24. The hyperlocal micro-influencers are disrupting the Indian influencer economy. Brands are tapping into these hyperlocal micro influencers sticky engagement quotient to further strengthen their connection with their customers. In its latest report on the influencer economy in India by one of the largest pure-play influencer marketing platforms Zefmo lays out how the influencer marketing space is radically transforming itself to provide monetisation avenues for hyperlocal micro-influencers across Indias metros and hinterland. The report also underscores the normalization of mega-influencer fees, alongside visible trends in the form of fractional brand ambassadorship, and metaverse exploration. The India Influence Report 2022 is a first-of-its-kind study of more than 1500 micro-influencers across 35 cities who shared their views on a range of topics, including brand collaborations, choice of platform, content formats, and future plans. In the previous reports, ranging from the year 2017 to 2022, some of the top takeaways included: the emergence of video as the dominant content medium, the popularity of short-video format amongst both influencers and their audience groups, the rise of vernacular content among influencers, increasing share of voice of micro-influencers, and finance as a major influencer content genre. In the current edition of the India Influence Report, Zefmo has incorporated inputs from micro-influencers to capture the essence of what a majority of new and emerging influencers are experiencing on a daily basis across India. Shudeep Majumdar, Co-founder and CEO, Zefmo, said, In our most exhaustive influencer market report yet, our team went both broad and deep to collect inputs from a wide variety of emerging content creators. These influencers are at the heart of the creators economy and will dictate the content creation trends in times to come. It is heartening to learn that hyperlocal micro-influencers are pushing the boundaries of content creation while effectively monetizing them. Also, this years report sheds light on some of the emerging trends for 2023 which marketers may find useful in planning their marketing mix. Sushmita Verma, Co-founder and COO, Zefmo, added here, At Zefmo, we have been working with vernacular, hyperlocal micro-influencers since 2017, but 2022 can be truly termed as the inflexion year for these influencers. With a growing base of over 1,50,000 influencers, Zefmo has been actively engaging hyperlocal micro-influencers to brands of all flavours and sizes. And it gives us immense joy to handhold micro-influencers and brands to traverse the mutually beneficial journey hand-in-hand. Survey insights of India Influence Report 2022 Choice of social media platform : 38% - YouTube, 36% - Instagram, 11% - Twitter, 6% - Facebook, 9% - others : 38% - YouTube, 36% - Instagram, 11% - Twitter, 6% - Facebook, 9% - others The ideal time period for videos : 23% - less than one minute, 27% - between one and three minutes, 22% - more than 5 minutes, 33% - cant say : 23% - less than one minute, 27% - between one and three minutes, 22% - more than 5 minutes, 33% - cant say Sectoral split of brand campaigns : 53% - FMCG, 17% - D2C, 14% - Electronic devices, 9% - Finance, 7% - others : 53% - FMCG, 17% - D2C, 14% - Electronic devices, 9% - Finance, 7% - others Preferred content language mix by the brands : 29% - Hindi and other regional languages, 38% - mix (bilingual) of English and regional languages, 33% - English : 29% - Hindi and other regional languages, 38% - mix (bilingual) of English and regional languages, 33% - English Campaign duration and payout: 44% - increase in campaign duration and hike in payout, 34% - reduction in both campaign duration and payout (vs 2021), 22% - no change in either campaign duration or payout Influencer marketing trends, 2023 and beyond Trend 01: Metaverse exploration (NFTs) - Influencers, including those who have recently embarked on their social media journey, are increasingly focussing on how they can create multiple channels to both better engage and monetize via their presence in the metaverse as well as the creation of NFTs. While they remain cognizant of the market fluctuations when it comes to cryptocurrencies, a majority of influencers are bullish regarding the long-term prospects of cryptos and their positive impact on NFT valuations. Trend 02: Fractional Brand Ambassadorship - Mega influencers, and even celebrities who have now embraced influencer marketing, are now open to the idea of fractional brand ambassadorship allowing smaller brands to afford them for brand promotion. Going forward, influencers and celebrities will be evaluating endorsing non-competing brands at a fraction of their brand ambassadorship fee due to this innovative model. Trend 03: Hyperlocal Micro Influencer Monetisation - Brands across India are now embracing the power of micro-influencers to reach out to their customers. Moreover, brands are now relying on hyperlocal micro-influencers to talk in regional language and approach better relationships with their customers. In doing so, brands are forging a more personal relationship with their customers via these influencers. In turn, such influencers are able to monetize their content across established platforms. This phenomenon is adding to the democratisation of the influencer economy. Trend 04: Merchandising & Productization - Influencers are keen to monetize their personal brand by promoting their range of merchandise. In addition, influencers are also converting their content streams into products, such as training courses and knowledge repositories. Over time, content streams have the potential to become knowledge banks on topics ranging from travelogues to coding. Trend 05: Brand Agnostic Advocacy - Influencers are associating themselves with multiple brands without any particular affinity towards a certain sector. In fact, influencers are now embracing brands from various backgrounds that are more akin to their content genre rather than endorsing brands that are alike. On the brand side too, marketers are more open towards engaging with influencers whose content comes across as unique and has a high relatability factor with their audience. The start of a new year is seen as bringing in new operational efficiencies, stronger strategies, a far greater emphasis on building deep bonds with various stakeholders and consumers. In keeping with the current market ecosystem, technology and a human approach are seen as going hand in hand. As 2023 kicks off, Adgully has approached key industry leaders to Crystal Gaze into 2023, as part of our annual Trending Now series, to highlight the major trends and developments that they see dominating the industry in the year ahead. Deepshikha Dharmaraj, Chief Executive Officer, BCW India Group, speaks about the key trends that will dominate the PR Industry this year, the digital-first phase of communications, a larger need for policy advocacy and public affairs, as well as focus area for BCW India Group in 2023, and more. Key trends that will dominate PR industry in 2023 Digital-first communication: In the last three years, we have seen at least a decades worth of development and innovation on the digital front. From a digital-also, were now in the digital-first phase of communications. Traditional PR and technology dont just co-exist, but work seamlessly together. Additionally, technologies like Web3, Metaverse, AR/VR, AI, and ML, are offering a whole new dimension to immerse the target audience in the message even more. Conversations around ChatGPT, DALL-e, Writely and other AI-driven platforms taking over basic tasks are already abuzz. But just like with the Metaverse, we will have to keep reminding ourselves that technology is only as good as the person using it. Increasing need for public affairs and advocacy: Global issues are taking more and more precedence in corporate life and the regulatory environment is becoming increasingly complex. There is a larger need for policy advocacy and public affairs. The aim for the industry should be to do both educate clients on the changing landscapes, and inform the government on what the industry requires for its growth. Purpose-driven: Companies are realising that for communication to be effective, it has to be authentic, and for that, it has to align with its purpose. Purpose is the true north for a company the reason for its existence. But it cant just be a sentence to be put up on the companys website. It has to link through all the stakeholders consumers, government, employees, community, partners and others. While there are mandates for ESG, DEI, etc, purpose goes beyond that. It helps align an organisations values and strategy to a shared vision. Major expectations One of the biggest expectations is to help clients engage with stakeholders in times of uncertainty. Whether or not there is a recession, there is certainly an anticipation of it. To manage that, it will be important to communicate clearly what goals and strategy will guide the organisation. Given that India holds the presidency of G20 this year, businesses will want to engage with the government more frequently this year. There will, therefore, be a higher expectation from the public affairs community to facilitate this engagement. There is also continued focus on managing people. After almost three years of disruption, the workplace is finally getting back on track. But perhaps in a much different way than it was. Expectations from the workplace have changed. BCWs Expectations at Work study identified the top expectations people have, and of the top 10, six are those that we can address with communications. Major focus areas for BCW India Group in 2023 Our focus areas align with the expectations and trends I have mentioned above. And to deliver on that, our people are working together with a growth mindset. Open to change, curious, creative, and looking forwards these are the indicators of a growth mindset. So, our biggest area of focus will be to continue nurturing this growth mindset in our people to take on the goals and imperatives of 2023. Road Safety Week is organised annually to promote awareness on road safety measures and rules. This year the Mumbai Traffic Police has teamed up with &TV for an awareness campaign starting January 11-17, 2023. &TVs immensely popular and beloved bhabhis, Angoori (Shubhangi Atre) and Anita (Vidisha Srivastava), will reinforce numerous road safety measures like wearing helmets, seatbelts, no drinking and driving, among others. Both the bhabhis kicked off the public awareness drive, urging Mumbaikars to follow the rules in their unique style, characteristic of their on-screen personalities. Talking about Road Safety Week, the Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Shri Pravinkumar Padwal, said, "Road safety is one of the most important goals for the Mumbai Traffic Police and it is our constant endeavour to create safer streets for the citizens of Mumbai. In continuation of this endeavour, we are happy to partner with &TV to spread awareness of various safety measures and traffic violations. Through the use of their popular characters, we hope to positively influence Mumbaikars to take road safety very seriously, for themselves and the safety of others. On joining forces with the Mumbai Traffic Police for Road Safety Week, Vishnu Shankar, Chief Cluster Officer, &TV, Zing, Big Magic and Anmol, said, The Mumbai Traffic Police has always been at the forefront when it comes to road safety and their campaigns have been outstanding. We at &TV are honoured to partner with them on the occasion of Road Safety Week and keep our roads and communities safer together. Angoori Bhabhi and Anita Bhabhi, who enjoy tremendous love from their fans, will be seen urging Mumbaikars to follow the safety rules in their unique style. Apart from the on-ground campaign in Mumbai, we have developed a microsite where people across the country can send personalised road safety videos to their loved ones. Adding to this, actor Shubhangi Atre, aka Angoori Bhabhi of Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai, said, I am delighted to be a part of a campaign that generates awareness about road safety. Understanding and following traffic rules are imperative to avoid endangering your life and others lives. My fans can click on andtvroadsafety.zee5.com and send my safety message videos to their loved ones. Vidisha Srivastava, aka Anita Bhabhi of Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai, adds, "Kudos to the Mumbai Traffic Police for their consistent efforts on educating and sensitising commuters on road safety. Let us all do our bit to make our roads safer for everyone. &TV and the Mumbai Traffic Police urge every citizen to drive safely and follow the traffic rules, Kyunki Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai! You can go to andtvroadsafety.zee5.com and send Angoori Bhabhis safety video messages to your loved ones Harsh Shah has been appointed as Chief Digital Officer at Wunderman Thompson South Asia effective 17th January 2023. In his last stint, Harsh was with Dentsu Creative as President West, and led operations, revenue, people and culture for Dentsu Webchutney, and regional business for the rest of Dentsu Creative. In his new role at Wunderman Thompson South Asia, he will be responsible for accelerating the digital transformation of the Wunderman Thompson Group, and working with all of its agencies across Creative, Communication, Tech, Health and Commerce to deliver an integrated solution to all clients across the Group. Commenting on Harshs appointment, Shams Jasani, Chief Executive Officer, Wunderman Thompson South Asia, said, We are Delighted to welcome Harsh to the Wunderman Thompson Family. He brings in a wealth of experience across Digital, Technology and Commerce. Our work at Wunderman Thompson harnesses the power of creative, technology, and Commerce to drive unprecedented growth for some of the worlds biggest brands. We are glad to have Harsh onboard at a critical juncture when we are keenly looking at offering end-to-end capabilities to our clients at scale. On his appointment at Wunderman Thompson South Asia, Harsh Shah, said, I am deeply excited by the vision drawn up at WT and my specific charter as a key growth partner. I look forward to drive this vision and unlock growth with my highly experienced and talented peers at the agency. In the ever-evolving social and economic fabric of the world, it is essential to look at culture and consumer demand as an important ongoing thread in what we do. Leading Digital at WT makes this journey especially thrilling for me. Based out of Mumbai, Harsh will report directly to Shams Jasani, Chief Executive Officer, Wunderman Thompson South Asia. A couple of weeks ago, while reading a splendid new biography of the nineteenth-century English landscape painter John Constable, I pulled off the shelf my go-to guide on all things about art, Paul Johnsons incredible work, Art: A New History. I have relied on this volume to boost my own meager knowledge of art more times than I can count over the past 20 years. I hadnt thought about or heard anything about Paul Johnson in a few years. I knew that he had not published anything in some time, so as we are all wont to do, I Googled him and went on Wikipedia. When I saw that he was still alive, I breathed a sigh of relief. My relief was sadly short-lived. Just last week, I saw the notice of Paul Johnsons passing. A great journalist and a world-renowned historian has left us. But what a legacy and body of work he has given us. The impact he has had on so many over these past 50 years is incalculable. The range of subjects about which Johnson endeavored to write exceeds measure. There is simply no one in his league when it comes to the prolific nature and broad scope of his work. If an historian can count one book as being a groundbreaking and hugely impactful work, then that person can be considered blessed. But Johnson didnt just write one hugely influential book; he wrote several. Everyone has their favorites of the over 50 books he authored, but I will count three as magisterial. The already mentioned Art: A New History surely belongs on that list. It is a magnificent 800-page guide to all things about art; the history, the great artists, and providing an historical context to art over the sweep of the centuries that is unsurpassed. Johnson, a Roman Catholic, can count as one of his other great achievements the writing of A History of the Jews, still one of, if not the best, history of the Jewish people written in the past couple of hundred years. For all his abundant and wide-ranging areas of scholarship, there is little disagreement on which work is Johnsons most influential book: Modern Times: The World from the Twenties to the Eighties. I read that book when I was in my mid-twenties, and it changed everything I had ever thought or learned about history. I have probably gone through three or four copies of that book, the dog ears, the notes, the pages torn from wear. No other book, outside of perhaps, Whittaker Chamber's Witness or Solzhenitsyns Gulag Archipelago had such an influence on me. I know I am not alone in making such a statement. I could go on with examples from Modern Times ad infinitum, but just one will suffice here. After being educated in the public schools of America in the latter part of the 20th century, who would think that Calvin Coolidge was a great president? Paul Johnson, more than any other historian of his time, was responsible for resurrecting the image of one of our greatest presidents and one of our most misunderstood decades, the 1920s. I hesitate to call Johnson a conservative, though he was. But then history is history, it isnt conservative or liberal. Not all historians appear to understand that fact. Howard Zinn was made famous, with no small help from Matt Damon and the movie Good Will Hunting. A good movie, but Zinns book, A Peoples History of the United States, was nothing but left-wing claptrap, a screed of leftist propaganda. We have lost so much ground to the Left in the war over our history and culture over the past half century, but a bulwark against that tide has been the efforts and yeoman work of the giant Paul Johnson, who with Modern Times and The History of the American People should be and hopefully will be, ranked at the top of last centurys historians of America, as opposed to the likes of Howard Zinn. I never had the honor of meeting Paul Johnson; we only corresponded a few times. Back in 2004, as part of the David Horowitz Freedom Center, we planned a trip to Florence, Italy and I invited Paul Johnson to lead us on the tour. He accepted and I was thrilled at the prospect of spending a week in Tuscany with him. Unfortunately, just a short time before the trip, he fell and broke his hip. He was unable to make the trip, so we scrambled and invited Victor Davis Hanson to lead us. He did, the trip and Victor were spectacular, and as they say, the rest is history. Hanson is one of the great historians that we have been blessed to have read over the past decades, with Martin Gilbert and Anthony Roberts being just two more amidst a plethora of great writers. Paul Johnson certainly stands among them, his impact being second to none. May he continue to influence us for decades and centuries to come. Image: Alan Davidson We've got to save Democracy, is the left's new talking point, designed to replace the old debunked Russia collusion hoax. Or as Kurt Schlichter said in Townhall, "Democrats Want to Destroy Democracy to Save It." Democrats brought popcorn onto the floor of the House of Representatives to mock Republicans as they did due diligence in voting for the speaker of the House. Then the Dems even jeered when Rep. Kat Cammack (R) accused them of having alcoholic beverages on the floor in addition to popcorn. The Democrats/socialists want to make this look like a circus for their media cameras. They ignore the fact that this is what Republican voters wanted their representatives to do. Democrats, by comparison, usually listen only to people who agree with them not the peasants. When finally elected speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy said, "Our nation is worth fighting for." How different this is from Pelosi, who said that in D.C., you have to seize power because it is not given. That shows the difference between the two philosophies differences that many in the media just don't understand. Recently, Susan Page published a book, Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of Power. It's telling that a book about a U.S. public servant talks about power rather than service, but Democrats always seem to be about power and not freedoms, democracy, or what is best for Americans. On January 5, Pelosi said the Republicans' "cavalier attitude in electing a speaker was frivolous, disrespectful, and unworthy of this institution." She also said that "all who serve in the House share a responsibility to bring dignity to this body." CNN's Chris Wallace and guest Stephen Colbert agreed and said that such problems would never have occurred under Pelosi. Colbert referred to Kevin McCarthageddon and referred to "people like Kevin McCarthy, who are overt hypocrites, who clearly sold their soul for political power and get nothing in return." (Democrats always seem to want a return on their investments.) There is so much material to work with here that it's hard to know where to start. First, of course the fight for the speakership wouldn't have happened under Pelosi. It wouldn't have happened under Stalin, Hitler, or Mao, either. As my dad said about the Democrat party, the Bolsheviks never break ranks (or they're never allowed to). For instance, a recent report says that less than 40 percent of Democrats approve of the Democrats' new House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries but ordinary Democrats are never asked for their opinions. As for people who sold their souls for political power, look at Pelosi and her career politician father, Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr. Nancy has reportedly said that her father taught her from a young age that "no one is going to give you power. You have to seize it." Since entering the political arena, she has obviously followed and echoed her dad's advice. History shows she has fought for as much power as she could get like other totalitarians before her. Her dad likely taught her the dark side of the political force as well. An FBI background investigation on D'Alesandro ordered by President Kennedy revealed some interesting facts about this career Democrat politician. The FBI said there were allegations that daddy D'Alesandro associated with criminal elements when he was mayor of Baltimore and when he was a congressman. An FBI report said Pelosi's father was a "constant companion" of notorious mobster Benjamin Magliano as well as other mobsters. Another said that her dad got payoffs from applicants to the police force and that this helped him help some of his friends. An FBI source also said that in 1943, D'Alesandro attended a rally for the National Council of American-Soviet Friendship a front group formed by the U.S. Communist Party. It appears that Nancy's dad had concrete ideas on how to acquire and keep power and who could help him do so. Unfortunately these apparently included mobsters and communists. As for things that are frivolous, disrespectful and unworthy of Congress the Democrats under Biden & Pelosi made those attributes a specialty. But what else would you expect from a Speaker of the House who tore up a copy of the President's state of the union speech on camera. Frivolous: When the DNI, James Clapper, reported that there was no evidence of collusion between Russia and Trump in the 2016 election, Nancy Pelosi said that a full investigation was still needed likely by people picked by her, just like the nominally "bipartisan" January 6 committee. Basically, a dishonest, Stalinesque show trial scheme. Disrespectful: Pelosi said that drag queens are what America is all about. She claimed she was honored to be seen with them "because they knew their power." Again it's all about power and not what is good for American society, families, or children. It's Democrat showmanship over substance, forced on people who have to pay her exorbitant salary. As an aside, it's funny how mocking blacks by wearing blackface is an insult (unless you're a Democrat governor), but men (?) mocking women in grotesque costumes is somehow OK. Unworthy of Congress: In 2020, when Antifa and BLM were attacking the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, Nancy Pelosi referred to the rioters as First Amendment "protesters" and denounced federal agents as Trump's secret police. Her protesters tried to burn down the federal courthouse with people still inside but they aren't considered violent. The police are. Dignity of the Body: Other than tearing up Trump's State of the Union speech, Pelosi disgraced herself, her office, and the House when she sat behind the president looking like what the N.Y. Post called a "malfunctioning Stepford wife." They also said that "her lower face twitched, she muttered to herself, shook her head, smiled inappropriately, gazed around, chewed her lip or remained glued to her seat during standing ovations in honor of special guests." The Post finished by saying that this performance showed her petty hatreds and destroyed the myth that she was some sort of "master political strategist." Responsibility to bring dignity to the House: Violating the First Amendment of the Constitution and civil rights of Americans does nothing to bring honor or dignity to the House or the government as a whole. Elon Musk's release of Twitter correspondences has started an avalanche of data indicating that the U.S. government colluded with social media to censor Americans and influence U.S. elections. One article even suggested that Biden apparatchiks pressured Facebook to censor the Fox journalist Tucker Carlson. And that is just Pelosi. If you look at Joe, Hunter, and James Biden and their business dealings with the Chinese communists, it's even worse. Worse than that is the probability that the DOJ and FBI (our law enforcement entities) helped hide these facts from the American people. And these people all took oaths to uphold and defend the Constitution. Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0. I thought the Afghanistan bug-out was the ultimate arms deal. Biden abandoned billions of dollars of weapons, leaving them behind for the Taliban to enjoy. Which meant that our military Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines were out a lot of weapons and vehicles, aircraft and drones, and God alone knows what else. When youre in the middle of a bug-out, its hard to find the time to go take an inventory of equipment youll never see again. Why we didnt use a little C-4, which we were probably abandoning as well to render all of those vehicles inoperable (a fancy term that means terminally broken) Ill never know. There must have been an angle. The actual value of what was left behind was all over the map. A quick review of contemporary headlines range from a CNN claim that we left behind $7 billion worth of materiel a lot of money, equipment-wise, for sure. However, FactCheck.org insists that the Republicans inflated the cost of what the Taliban seized, claiming that $85 billion is too high an estimate. They came in with a marginally-deflated number, $82.9 billion. Which is not far from what President Trump said in Alabama on August 22, 2021: Theyve left $83 billion worth of equipment behind, including brand new Apache helicopters, thousands of Humvee vehicles with armor guard, equipment that nobody has ever even seen before, it was so sophisticated. A few days later, Trump expanded on his perspective of the weapons left abandoned. In addition to the obvious, all equipment should be demanded to be immediately returned to the United States, and that includes every penny of the $85 billion dollars in cost. If it is not handed back, we should either go in with unequivocal military force and get it, or at least bomb the hell out of it, Trump said. Whatever the loss, when the military loses a weapon, its time to go back to the manufacturer to get it replaced. Tankers without a tank arent much good to the Army, just as pilots without planes arent doing a whole lot for the Air Force. So it does matter how much weaponry assigned to the U.S. military exempting those given to our Afghan allies was left behind and need to be replaced. One of the joys of that at least to military equipment manufacturers is that the replacement is not just brand-new, but almost always progressively enhanced in capabilities and price. Getting back to Afghanistan, the Government Accountability Office reported that between 2003 and 2016, the U.S. supplied Afghan defense and security forces with an arsenal that included 208 aircraft, 42,000 pickup trucks, 22,000 Humvees, nearly 9,000 MTV cargo and transport trucks, nearly 1,000 mine resistant ambush protected vehicles, nearly 200 armored personnel carriers and hundreds of thousands of rifles, pistols, machine guns, grenade launchers, rocket propelled weapons and night vision goggles. More had been provided between 2016 and August of 2021. If those weapons came out of military stock vehicles stored in armories waiting for the military to need them to fight our enemies du jour they will be replaced with newer ones. However, new-built weapons ordered for Afghanistan were already written off. Their loss didnt hurt Americas military preparedness. Regardless of what was given to the Afghans on our side during the war but later captured by the Taliban and what was abandoned in good condition or totally junked is up for debate. Whats not up for debate is that our armed forces after turning over used-but-workable weapons and vehicles to our Afghan allies, or abandoning them in the desert for the Taliban to find -- had to go back to our military-industrial complex with orders for replacement equipment. Remember, a soldier without a rifle, a sailor without a ship, or a pilot without an airplane isnt worth much to Americas defense. Naturally, we have to replace that equipment. Normally, equipment has a projected life-cycle, and is not replaced until it has ended its projected combat lifetime. A USS Virginia-class nuclear submarine is projected to last 42 years. If the Navy wants another one faster, it has to prove that the need is greater than had been planned. But if the Virginia is accidentally rammed while docking and essentially ruined, the Navy will go hat-in-hand to Congress asking for the funding for a replacement sub and will probably get it. But what about Ukraine? Its hard to pin down, because that number of weapons required seems to grow astronomically, every time Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky showed up in his olive-drab t-shirt to justify how his country in defending against and defeating the Russians is somehow supporting international democracy. But wait, thats a polemic for another time. Last summer, The Hill reported that the Biden administration has committed nearly $13 billion worth of military assistance to the Ukraine since Russia invaded six months earlier. This support is made up of either state-of-the-art or recently downgraded but still useful arms and equipment. Because it takes so long to order, build, and ship brand-new equipment, everything sent came out of military armories, or even from active-duty units. What are those weapons? Are they antiquated hand-me-downs? Not likely. Weve shipped and this is far from a comprehensive list: High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems 1,500 Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided antitank missiles, known as TOW, which can destroy a tank up to 5,000 yards away. 155mm Howitzers 126 cannon and 806,000 artillery rounds, along with 126 tactical vehicles to tow the Howitzers into combat National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems an advanced system that can knock down a Russian MiG more than 100 miles away. Seven hundred Phoenix Ghost Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems combat drones these are attack drones, not recon systems. These kill tanks, troops and anything else worth killing. Seven hundred Switchblade Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems light, short-ranged combat drones designed to attack troops and soft-skinned vehicles. This is just the tip of the iceberg, and to date check out the list in The Hill article the Biden administration has committed at least as much to the Ukraine as was lost in Afghanistan when we bugged out. Maybe a lot more. Say, between Afghanistan and the Ukraine, the total is close to $175 billion in equipment. That's equipment that must be replaced before our military services will be ready to once again defend America. Which means that this is a gold mine for the American military-industrial complex. Setting aside Hunter Bidens ties to the embattled nation, why was Biden so eager to support the Ukraine? And why was Congress so eager to support the Ukrainians with American-built, top-shelf weapon systems? Because defense contractors have factories and other support operations in virtually every congressional district in America. Because replacing those weapons means high-paying jobs at a time when were teetering on the edge of recession if were not already there. Dont believe me? Will you believe the military? How about Defense.gov? Heres what they had to say, in an article published in September 2022. Because so much gear has been pulled from U.S. military units, that equipment must now be replaced in order to sustain America's own readiness, and the Defense Department has already contracted with an array of manufacturers to give back to military units what was taken from them in order to support Ukraine. As we work with industry to accelerate production on both replenishment systems and direct procurements under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative or USAI, we're using a number of tools to get the funding moving, and the contracting happening quickly, Bill LaPlante, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, said during a briefing today at the Pentagon. Maybe abandoning billions of dollars in equipment in Afghanistan was the right thing to do. I dont see how thats possible, but maybe it made sense. Maybe it was all worn out and needed to be replaced. Why it then wasnt dynamited is beyond me. And maybe it makes sense to support the Ukraine with state-of-the-art military equipment, including artillery, ammo, combat vehicles and so much more. And maybe the massive building blitz of replacement state-of-the-art equipment makes national defense sense, or even anti-recession sense. In 1934, FDR bought the Navy a couple of aircraft carriers, the famous USS Yorktown and USS Enterprise, because it meant jobs for unemployed blue collar workers, and theres nothing wrong with putting skilled workers back to work, is there? Or maybe it just makes sense to kowtow to military equipment manufacturers, companies whove been known to support politicians who support them. Whats clear is this. Every vehicle, weapon and artillery shell we give to the Ukraine will be replaced, brand-new, at taxpayer expense. And maybe just maybe the degradation of Russias military might, and its fearsome reputation, which has been shattered, is worth billions of dollars. Time will tell, if we listen closely. Ned Barnett, a military historian whos appeared a number of times on the History Channel, is currently working on a near-future novel about how the Chinese Communists tried to invade Taiwan after persuading North Koreas dictator, Kim, to launch the Second Korean War, a battle that tied up almost all the US military forces that might otherwise defend Taiwan. In addition to being the author of 40 published books, including ten historical novels set in the skies over the Pacific at the start of World War II, he works with other authors as a ghostwriter, writing coach, editor and perhaps most important as a marketing and promotion expert who can help books become bestsellers, and writers dreams into profitable writing businesses. He can be reached at nedbarnett51@gnail.com or at 702-561-1167. Image: 7th Army Training Command, via Flickr // CC BY 2.0 Did the prolonged fight for the Speakers gavel create circumstances for change in Washington -- especially in the Republican party? For the first time in over a century, it took 15 rounds of voting, cajoling, compromise, and almost one fistfight to select a Speaker of the House. The MSM gleefully reported on the Republican clown show, predicting that the conflict would split the party. They even fantasized that it could result in a Democrat Speaker, in a majority Republican House of Representatives. What a sweet victory that would be. Well, the Republicans didnt break up, the Democrats didnt pull off an upset, and the MSM was blind to something much more significant. The Dems screwed up -- again. They had an opportunity to pick the kind of Speaker theyd like to work with, and they squandered it. If theyd had their thinking caps on, they would have realized that it was to their advantage to vote for Kevin McCarthy -- the Republican. They probably could have even negotiated some concessions from McCarthy for their support -- because he wanted the job really, really bad. Had the Democrats done so, they could have pulled McCarthy over the finish line, and he would have become the Speaker despite resistance in his own party -- before he had to make concessions to that resistance. It would have been business as usual in the House. The Republican leadership would talk big, but do little -- just the way the Democrats like it. The Republican base would become disillusioned, frustrated, and start thinking about sitting out the next election. There would continue to be no accountability for broken promises. Return to Democrat control would be a short two-year wait. For the Dems, it would be like a nice long vacation before returning to work. But instead, the Democrats unanimously and consistently voted for someone who was never going to be voted the Speaker -- regardless of how many rounds of voting occurred. Their rabid base would rather see childish defiant gestures than shrewd tactical maneuvering. Theyre beginning to see the cost of that tactical error. The Republican Freedom Caucus refused to vote for Kevin McCarthy until they got concessions -- and boy did they get them. McCarthy wanted the job so bad that he was willing to give up almost anything to get it. The Freedom Caucus figured that out, and played a masterful game of chicken. They got a lot. And what they got may end up changing the mindset of the whole Republican party. The Freedom Caucus got: A promise to push several conservative pieces of legislation A commitment to fiscal constraints Investigations of deep state corruption And most significantly, rule changes Those rule changes include such things as actually coming to work to do the job voters elected congressmen to do, and reading bills before voting on them (yes, theyve really been passing bills without reading them for years). Perhaps the most significant rule change is one that enables a single House member to call for a vote to remove the Speaker. If McCarthy steps out of line, they can start the contest for his job all over again. They got the ability to hold the Speaker accountable. What a novel concept -- accountability in government. I dont think weve ever seen that. So, what happens when Speaker McCarthy tentatively takes a few steps to the Right (politically and morally), and his popularity explodes? Will he go from being a hostage of the conservatives, to being an enthusiastic supporter of their agenda? He is beginning to take those baby steps. Hes preparing to remove several of the most repugnant Democrats from their committee assignments. The base is ecstatic. Adam Schiff, Eric Swalwell, and Ilhan Omar can thank San Fran Nan for setting that precedent -- another tactical blunder. He's making good on his promise to bring bills that the base wants to the floor. Bills that the House has passed so far include everything necessary to give the Democrats ulcers. Rescind certain balances made available to the Internal Revenue Service Born alive abortion survivors protection act Protecting Americas Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act Establishing the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party Granted, these bills will likely be killed in the Senate or vetoed by the President. At least the Speaker is doing what he does have the power to do -- getting every House Democrat on record supporting the killing of newborn babies (aka abortion survivors). Letting the constituents of those Democrats know where their representatives moral compass points is also a measure of accountability -- no? McCarthy is even talking about releasing all 14,000 hours of security footage from the January 6 insurrection of unarmed cosplay nuts and selfie photographers. Panic is setting in with the Dems. Apparently, they dont want the public to actually see what happened on that day. The conservative base is beginning to praise Speaker McCarthy -- and he loves it. Will any other Republicans learn from McCarthys experience? Will they see that its safe to stop being the battered wife of politics? That they can fight back, and win? Will the Republicans finally realize that when one side wants freedom and the other tyranny, its not a time for comity and compromise? Its a time to fight. Will they come to realize that Trumps success was not an anomaly? His fighting spirit was how he succeeded -- and they can do the same. How different will Washington be if the Republicans stop playing victim, start listening to the voters, and fearlessly deliver for them? I know thats a lot to ask -- and it wont happen overnight. But were seeing those baby steps. The next couple of years may be very interesting -- thanks to a colossal tactical error by overconfident Democrats. John Green is a political refugee from Minnesota, now residing in Idaho. He has written for American Thinker, and American Free News Network. He can be followed on Facebook or reached at greenjeg@gmail.com. Image: Vikram Gupchup One of the most important things I know is a fundamental mistake of Sigmund Freud. Siggie asked: "What do women want?" Everybody knows that Siggie was asking the wrong question. It is not what women want, it is what they "expect." And what women expect is: Women expect to be protected. Once you read this, learn it, and inwardly digest it, life looks a lot different. The limit case on women and protection is described in A Woman in Berlin by Anonymous. Yes, what does a woman do in Berlin in May 1945 when it's been invaded by the Red Army and she's already been raped a few times? Bueller? Anyone? I say that a fundamental male skill in this world is to have your mind tuned to things that "women expect." I bet you had never thought that "women expect to have gas stoves." I hadn't, which just shows that we men are all dumb or some'pn. It's obvious, now. Women like their gas stoves -- even Dr. Jill Biden -- and they all think it is ridiculous to ban them. But who knew, two weeks ago? Okay. So the green transition stubbed a toe on the gas stoves issue. Trouble is that when it comes to "EVs," another vital step in the green transition, women are all in. They tell you proudly of their "EVs" and how they are up on the jargon, such as being "iced" at a charging station by a MAGA F-350 truck occupying the charging space. But women should be terrified by "EVs." Suppose a nice liberal lady goes to the Seattle Symphony in her "EV" and it's a really cold night and she has to stop at a charging station on the way home in a supermarket parking lot at 11:00 p.m. and there are drug dealers about? Of course, there are three charging stations in the basement of Symphony Hall, but good luck getting ahead of the Gold Membership patrons -- or matrons, as the case may be. But, ladies, what happens in ten years when there are 50 charging stations in the basement of Symphony Hall and one of the "EVs" has a battery fire -- in a basement parking garage full of EVs with nice explodable lithium batteries? But women expect to be protected. I think there is gold in them thar protection hills. We just have to learn how to implement the scare tactics. Teacher rapists: 269 K-12 "educators were arrested on child sex-related crimes in the U.S. in the first nine months" of 2022. Sexual harassment: "81% or eight out of 10 students experience sexual harassment in school" says La Wik. Electric vehicle fires: "Statistics compiled by AutoInsuranceEZ found that for every 100,000 EVs, there are about 25 fires each year. But what happens in ten years when millions of bitter clingers are charging their decrepit EVs at Bill's Discount Charging down the street from Walmart? Social Security: Experts agree that Social Security "combined trust funds would become insolvent [in 2032], because incoming tax revenue would be sufficient to pay only about 80% of scheduled benefits." That means cuts of 20 percent in Social Security payments. How protected will the average single childless TERF be then? Medicare: Canada already has its MAID program (Medical Assistance In Dying) to relieve the pressure on its " free" health care program . Don't think it can't happen here, ladies. Multiple sex partners: According to experts, "There was a strong association between number of sexual partners and having an STD: those women with 5 or more sexual partners were 8 times more likely to report having an STD than those with only 1 partner[.]" Maybe there's a reason why honor among women is chastity, according to James Bowman in Honor: A History. You gotta keep yourself clean and pure if you want to have kids, ladies, or the STDs are gonna get you. Rats: If you are a legacy media outfit like the Seattle Times you can't beat putting an article about rats in the Sunday Pacific NW Magazine this weekend. Why? Because nothing worries a woman more than a rat emerging into the toilet And so on. Now, the conceit of our lefty friends is that They Care about women, their rights, their welfare and their safety. But I say it's all a lie. Women's rights meant nothing in Berlin in May 1945, or in any blue city in America in 2023. Women's welfare adds up to nothing if she doesn't have a husband. Women are fundamentally unsafe -- especially in the Age of Depolicing -- without a man with a gun. It's our job, each of us racist-sexist-homophobes, to teach our beloved women these practical facts of life. Because women expect to be protected. And have gas stoves to cook with. Christopher Chantrill @chrischantrill runs the go-to site on US government finances, usgovernmentspending.com. Also get his American Manifesto and his Road to the Middle Class. Image: PxHere The New York Times reports that China has admitted for the first time that its population is declining. (Ive heard from sources that this has been going on for some time; whats different is that China is admitting it.) Populations across the West are declining as well, including in the U.S. What does this mean for our children and grandchildren? The sure bet is that they will not live as we have lived. In 1968, Paul Ehrlich and his wife wrote The Population Bomb, a book that quite literally changed (and is continuing to change) the Western world. Basically, it was premised on the Malthusian concept that a wealthy society, rather than planning for the lean years, simply produces so many people that its resources fail, at which point there is a horrible, painful, and violent collapse involving mass starvation and war as different nations fight for scarce resources. What neither Thomas Malthus nor the Ehrlichs envisioned (although the Ehrlichs should have) was that technology would make such great advances that well-run countries are able to feed not only their own citizens but other countries citizens as well. Paul Ehrlich is still out there shilling his failed theories, and Western countries are still acting as if theyre real. Image: Village School Children in China by Thomas Galvez. CC BY 2.0. The result of Ehrlichs theories is that Western countries, which used technology to feed themselves and others, are no longer replacing themselves and are in steep demographic decline. Although its not literally a Western country, within the concept of the modern, developed world, China is the country that keeps the rest of us supplied with just about everything. And now, China has admitted that it also belongs on the demographic decline list, resulting from 50 years of its disastrous one child policy, which led to the mass murder of female fetuses and infants. From the NY Times: The government said on Tuesday that 9.56 million people were born in China last year, while 10.41 million people died. It was the first time deaths had outnumbered births in China since the Great Leap Forward, Mao Zedongs failed economic experiment that led to widespread famine and death in the 1960s. [snip] Now, facing a population decline, coupled with a long-running rise in life expectancy, the country is being thrust into a demographic crisis that will have consequences not just for China and its economy but for the world. Indeed, data released on Tuesday showed that the Chinese economy last year had one of its worst performances since 1976, the year Mao died. Theres more in the same vein. The gist is that China, like the rest of the West, will have a small young population incapable of supporting a massive older population. There will be labor shortages that will affect a world thats come to rely on Chinese productivity and a food shortage that will be disastrous domestically for China. When that happens, war usually follows. Were not doing any better in America, where were also having a baby bust: According to the US Census Bureau, the fertility rate - which measures how many children an average woman will give birth to during her life - was 1.6 in 2020. This falls far below the level of 2.1 needed to maintain current population levels. There are many reasonswomen in the workforce, the expense of having a family, climate change panicbut they all mean the same thing: Americas native-born population is slowly vanishing. Europe and Japan, of course, two regions with the culture and technology to beat Malthuss and Ehrlichs grim predictions, have experienced disastrous demographic slides for decades. Indeed, as I heard Ben Shapiro say, anywhere that the culture replaced religion with leftism has seen a population collapse. Thats because leftism has no reverence for life and family, it needs women to prop up the labor force, and the future is invariably grim. There are countries and regions that are doing well. India is one of the fastest-growing countries in the world. It has three factors that can help fight the Malthusian decline: Hard workers, a rising middle class, and a respect for real science, as opposed to woke science. Israel, too, has a booming population and is a huge contributor to advances in food and health, advances that benefit the whole world. However, the other areas of population growth are regions that do not have the infrastructure to beat the Malthusian threat. If you look at this map, you can see that Africa, the Middle East, India (of course), Latin America, and the Malayan peninsula are where the worlds population is really taking off. Image: Wikipedia. Barring India, none of those regions have shown the capacity to grow their economies to keep up with their populations. Few have anything even approaching civil rights. And most of them (logically) have shown a willingness to use violence as a means to appropriate the resources they need for their own countries. Xi Jinping has been trying to offset his countrys population decline through his Belt and Road initiative, where he stakes out interests in poor countries around the world (including in Europe). He may discover, though, as England did, that when your population shrinks, the residents of the areas you colonized tend to move to the home country and, suddenly, its a different country. Although Robert Kennedys speechwriter made up the old Chinese curse May you live in interesting times, its a pretty accurate summation of the world in 2023. We are living in interesting times of the type that promise a poorer, more primitive, more violent future. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) has introduced a bill that could make political criticism of non-white individuals by white people a federal crime. You read that correctly. The convoluted-- yet potentially extremely dangerous-- bill proposes that a white person who vilifies any non-white person, and whose words subsequently end up on social media, could themselves be guilty of committing a federal crime if those words were accessible by persons who are predisposed to engaging in any action in furtherance of a white supremacy inspired hate crime. Huh? Who decides what constitutes a white supremacy-inspired hate crime under this proposed statute? Sheila Jackson Lee? Adam Schiffhead? If the left considers words themselves violence now, might saying Sheila Jackson Lee is an ignoramus be considered a white supremacy-inspired hate crime on a stand-alone basis? What constitutes vilification or political criticism? You can bet it will only and always fall to progressives to decide, with no agreed-upon limiting principle. The proposed legislation, H.R. 61, is labeled the Leading Against White Supremacy Act of 2023. The LAWS Act, get it? If someone were, unbeknownst to me, to commit a white supremacy-inspired hate crime against a person that I have politically criticized on social media (such as a post on American Thinker) at some point in the past, however justifiably, would I then have committed a federal crime myself? It appears that would be the case. So, if I were to state that The Squad is to Congress as The View cohosts are to intelligent dialogue, or that Sheila Jackson Lee is a vile, race-baiting, authoritarian, I could be brought up on federal charges. For telling the truth. Screw the First Amendment. Yet the vile, race-baiting authoritarianand her ilk-- can say whatever the hell they want about Donald Trump (and family), Republicans, conservatives, Christians, and white people, also called honkeys, deplorables, etc., in general with no repercussions? That seems fair, just, equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist, does it not? Yet if I were to call Adam Schiff, Larry Nadler, Nancy Pelosi, Elizabeth Warren, Hillary and Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Chuck Schumer, Eric Swalwell, Peter Strzok, John Brennan, et al. vile lying traitorous scumin other words if I were to tell the truth again I would be O.K. under this proposed law. (Though Id likely be savagedor worse-- by those I just named.) This proposed bill, were it to become law, would be used by leftists to prohibit valid political criticism of any non-white person or group-- such as Black Lives Matter or Sheila Jackson Lee-- because such criticism could leave those levying it liable to federal charges. Free speech? Freedom of the press? Quaint, anachronistic notions of a bygone era. Many revile the occasional gridlock of a two-party system. Well, your time may have arrived. If this bill passes, welcome to a one-party state. I wonder when the rest of us will feel vilified enough to successfully push back on this blatantly hypocritical, racist, authoritarian attack on democracy and sanity? Image: AFGE, via Flickr (cropped) // CC BY 2.0 Washington, D.C.'s city council has just provided incontrovertible proof of the willful incompetence of the gun control movement. The same people who want to outlaw the possession of firearms by law-abiding people passed legislation to reduce penalties for carjacking, home invasion, and similar violent crimes. Use of a gun to commit a violent felony in the nation's capital can now be punished by no more than four years in prison. This makes it clear that the D.C. city council has no real desire to keep firearms away from violent criminals who really shouldn't have them, and the legislation is so dysfunctional that Mayor Muriel Bowser, who is certainly no conservative, intends to veto it. It also makes Washington, D.C. the ideal place for carjackers, robbers, home invaders, and gun felons to ply their trades because, in contrast to almost every other jurisdiction in the United States, they won't get much prison time. If you want to stick a gun in somebody's face to demand money, then you should do it in D.C., where you can't get more than four years (unless U.S. attorneys step in, as discussed below). If you want to force somebody out of a car at gunpoint, then D.C. is the place to do it. If you do it in Florida, you can get up to life in prison. The mere possession of a firearm during a crime of violence in Florida is punishable by ten years, or twice the five-year mandatory federal sentence available under 18 U.S. Code 924. If the offender shoots a victim during the felony, there's a 25-year mandatory minimum in Florida. Carjacking is punishable by up to 20 years in Texas, and life in prison if a weapon is used. It looks, in fact, as though you can do five or more carjackings in D.C. for the price of one in Texas, assuming consecutive sentences in D.C. Pennsylvania Republicans have meanwhile proposed impeachment of Philadelphia district attorney Larry Krasner for apparently letting off violent criminals with lenient sentences. As but one example, a man who was charged with murdering a carjacking victim was let off with ten years. "McSwain's office alleges Tuggle shot Petersen in the chest, dragged him out of the car, robbed him, and left him for dead in the road as he screamed in pain." Pennsylvania law allows death or life in prison without possibility of parole for a crime of this nature, but Krasner allowed this felon to plead to third-degree murder in exchange for information the felon never provided. But you can't impeach somebody for doing a poor job. What they really want is a recall election, which is not available. U.S. attorneys have, however, stepped in to do Krasner's job for him by adding charges under 18 U.S. Code 924. These are prosecuted in federal court, and Krasner has no say over them. This law says in part (emphasis is mine), [A]ny person who, during and in relation to any crime of violence or drug trafficking crime (including a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime that provides for an enhanced punishment if committed by the use of a deadly or dangerous weapon or device) for which the person may be prosecuted in a court of the United States, uses or carries a firearm, or who, in furtherance of any such crime, possesses a firearm, shall, in addition to the punishment provided for such crime of violence or drug trafficking crime be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not less than 5 years; if the firearm is brandished, be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not less than 7 years; and if the firearm is discharged, be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not less than 10 years. Charges of this nature were in fact filed against Petersen's killer, who now faces up to life in prison, noting that ten years is the minimum and not the maximum sentence for firing a gun during a violent crime. 18 U.S. Code 924 focuses squarely on individuals who should not have firearms, and prison is about the only place in the country where they cannot gain access to them. It is to be noted that, had this law been applied to George Floyd, he might still be in prison and still alive, as he would not have run into Derek Chauvin. Floyd was convicted of robbing a woman at gunpoint which means he brandished the firearm in question, but he never faced the federal charges for this. If the D.C. city council declares open season on law-abiding citizens with relatively trivial punishments for crimes that could be punished by 20 or more years in prison elsewhere, then U.S. attorneys need to step in for every single case that involves a firearm to add no less than five to ten years to the consequences, depending on whether the gun is possessed, brandished, or fired during the crime. Civis Americanus is the pen name of a contributor who remembers the lessons of history and wants to ensure that our country never needs to learn those lessons again the hard way. The author is remaining anonymous due to the likely prospect of being subjected to "cancel culture" for exposing the Big Lie behind Black Lives Matter. Image via Pxhere. The call to ban gas stoves in the U.S., based on environmental concerns, certainly drew backlash from an angry public tired of seeing their household appliances, critical possessions, and standard of living being targeted. After all, they've already gotten our incandescent light bulbs and flush toilets in many quarters. They've meddled with the design of our cars and guns. They're trying to get our meat, telling us to eat bugs instead. Many consumers, and professional chefs, who say gas is best for cooking, simply put their collective foot down. Where did this lunacy come from? About where you'd expect from our enemies. According to the Washington Free Beacon: The green energy group behind a study cited in Consumer Product Safety commissioner Richard Trumka Jr.'s call to ban gas stoves has partnered with the Chinese government to implement an "economy-wide transformation" away from oil and gas. Colorado-based nonprofit Rocky Mountain Institute, which published the December study that attributes 13 percent of U.S. childhood asthma cases to gas-stove use, is hardly staffed by an objective group of scientists. The organization is demanding "systemic change and economy-wide transformation" to address a climate crisis it says we must go to great lengths to avoid. In 2013, for example, the Rocky Mountain Institute joined forces with China's National Development and Reform Commission the government agency tasked with planning the communist nation's economy to produce a report that advised China to replace existing appliances and generators with "clean energy technologies." So this green think-tank, which comprises non-scientists, takes money from China, has a Red Chinese oligarch as board member, and participates in ongoing projects with China's central planners, all under the rubric of "going green." Anyone smell anything stinky here? China has been trying for years to reduce our standard of living, in a sorry strategy of elevating its own. That makes U.S. energy production a top target, so removing gas stoves, or failing to permit new ones, pretty much meshes with that aim, as it reduces U.S. natural gas consumption. What's China's agenda on natural gas? Well, resource-wise, it has some of its own but not as much as it would like. According to Worldometers.info, a statistical data site: China holds 184 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of proven gas reserves as of 2017, ranking 10th in the world and accounting for about 3% of the world's total natural gas reserves of 6,923 Tcf. China has proven reserves equivalent to 21.9 times its annual consumption. This means it has about 22 years of gas left (at current consumption levels and excluding unproven reserves). The U.S., meanwhile, has this: The United States holds 322 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of proven gas reserves as of 2017, ranking 4th in the world and accounting for about 5% of the world's total natural gas reserves of 6,923 Tcf. The United States has proven reserves equivalent to 11.9 times its annual consumption. This means it has about 12 years of gas left (at current consumption levels and excluding unproven reserves). Some reports say that China has less than 3%. Whether it's 3% or 2%, it's a fact that China would like to therefore get its hands on ours. According to a report by the Department of Energy's U.S. Energy Information Administration, which ran in April 2022, they're ravenous for it: China increased both natural gas imports and domestic production in 2021 In 2021, an average 35.5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas was consumed in China, more natural gas than in any previous year. More than half of the natural gas consumed in China in 2021 came from domestic production, but China also imported record amounts of natural gas by pipeline and as liquefied natural gas (LNG), based on data from Global Trade Tracker and China's General Administration of Customs. Government policies promoting coal-to-natural gas switching to reduce air pollution and meet emissions targets have been a major factor in the rapid growth of both domestic natural gas production and natural gas imports in China. In March 2022, China's government released its 14th Five-Year Plan (202125), which sets the domestic natural gas production target at 22.3 Bcf/d by 2025, or 3.0 Bcf/d more than domestic production in 2021. According to this piece that ran in Politico last fall, it's created problems for them: China wants America's natural gas. Some lawmakers are worried. China is buying up America's natural gas sparking worries across Washington and fueling a potential new clash between the two global powers. Chinese energy companies are the fastest growing customers of American natural gas exports, purchasing nearly half the gas that U.S. companies agreed to ship in the last year. But some of those firms are working against U.S. interests dealing in oil from sanctioned countries, drilling in areas notorious for human rights abuses or helping the Chinese military capture contested territory from its neighbors. As tensions between Washington and Beijing rise and high natural gas prices squeeze American manufacturers lawmakers from both parties are calling for the White House to consider new limits on the gas sales to China. They want more Chinese energy companies added to a trade blacklist and they're calling for the Biden administration to close a loophole that allows one major company already on that list to buy American gas and oil. What better than to lower demand for natural gas in the U.S. by demonizing the use of gas stoves as "unhealthy" and leaving the rest to the energy companies to lobby Congress to open up exports of the product as a substitute? China would like nothing more than to get its hands on our natural gas, even as it bankrolls think-tanks to tell us to shut our use of it down. It has expended billions in LNG port capacity and storage and is already trying to hoard a lot of it. Now the Chinese have cynically put out an idea for the greenie rubes out there to promote, that gas stoves are Bad For Us, hoping to scare low-information voters out there and gullible Democrat lawmakers that natural gas may be a health hazard, all to scarf up the unused natural gas in the wake of its legislated disuse in the U.S. They're long-term players, and like Russia's President Vladimir Putin, who's been caught handing out money to greenie groups intent on promoting a halt to domestic fuel production in Europe and elsewhere, they see the green agenda as the lever for achieving their long term aims of reducing America's standard of living. The Beacon notes that the think-tank study cited and picked up by the Consumer Product Safety commissioner, Richard Trumka, Jr., who promoted it and then said he didn't, was a junk study with no scientific rigor to it, done by non-scientists with irrelevant majors from college. What a plan the Chicoms have, to separate Americans from their standard of living in order to take the remains of it for themselves. Somewhere in Beijing, they must be laughing. Image: Pixabay, Pixabay License. Yesterday the New York Post reported that a former top intelligence official who had previously signed the letter that claimed the Posts expose on Hunter Bidens laptop was Russian disinformation is now conceding that he knew a significant portion of the recovered files had to be real. The man in question is Douglas Wise. Wise is a former Defense Intelligence Agency deputy director and was among the 51 former intelligence officials who signed a public letter on Oct. 19, 2020, claiming the Posts series of reports on Hunters shady overseas business dealing, had all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation. Among the other signatories of the letter were former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan, etc. The New York Post had carried a series of reports on Hunter's laptop that contained evidence that Biden, as vice president, used his influence to enrich Hunter. Regular people have to work to earn a living and are hired based on their capabilities, experience, and expertise. Hunter faced no such challenges, thanks to Biden, Sr. who was vice president. But that wasnt the only disgrace. The laptop also revealed the depravity in Hunters personal life. The laptop had photos of a drug-inebriated Hunter in flagrante delicto with a prostitute. There were text messages from Hunter where he used racist language. It not only reflected on Biden's abuse of power to enrich his son but also revealed the immorality of the Biden family. A lot can be said about a person from the way his child behaves. Hunters behavior obviously reflected badly on Biden, whose reputation isnt exactly stellar. The Democrats responded by launching a campaign to dismiss and suppress the story. The letter signed was part of the 'dismiss' claim. The Russian disinformation claim also served as a link to the Trump-Russia collusion hoax. It allowed Democrats to claim that Vladimir Putin wanted President Trump re-elected. Prominent reporters and pundits from various Democrat mouthpieces such as MSNBC, NBC, the Washington Post, the Daily Beast, CNN, and the New York Times collaborated to dismiss the story. NPR, which is funded by taxpayer dollars, claimed there were red flags in the Posts story. Joe Biden, who remained hidden in his basement all through his 2020 campaign, gladly pushed the narrative of the reports of Hunters laptop being Russian disinformation even during the presidential debate. Big tech worked to suppress the story. Twitter baselessly claimed that the source was hacked materials and used this excuse to block the story. Twitter users who clicked the link to the story were shown an alert that the webpage may be unsafe. This usually dissuades people from accessing any site. Twitter also prevented users from sharing the New York Posts reports. By mid-October 2020, Twitter locked both accounts of the New York Post and the Trump campaign for posting the Hunter laptop stories. The first installment of Twitter Files offered proof that the social media giant worked closely with politized government agencies and Democrats to suppress Hunters laptop reports. Twitter unlocked the NY Posts account on October 30, but the damage was already done. During the 2020 presidential election, an unprecedented 69% of voters voted by mail or prior to election day. This means a significant number of citizens cast their votes either assuming that the Hunter laptop story was fake or did not know of it at all. A NewsBusters poll revealed that 16% of Biden voters would have voted differently had they known of Hunters laptop. Another survey showed that 79 percent of Americans think Trump would have won reelection if voters had known facts about Hunter's laptop. Back to Douglas Wise. Wise is attempting to reinvent history by claiming the letter was merely a warning about the possibility that the Hunter laptop story was "Russian deceit. He also attempted to distance himself from Hunter claiming that the letter did not "say Hunter was a good guy, it didnt say what he did was right and it wasnt exculpatory. Wise claimed the letter referred to their view that the Russians are involved in the Hunter Biden email issue and concluded with the message: It is high time that Russia stops interfering in our democracy. Despite the letters unambiguous statements, Wise insists that its critics, who include the "conservative journalist community, conservative politicians or just ultra-right wing extremists havent paid attention to the content. Wise also has no remorse for signing the letter claiming the context is important, i.e., it was signed at the time when Trump's then-lawyer Rudy Giuliani was visiting Ukraine trying to dig up evidence on the Bidens." Wise claimed that the laptops chain of custody left it open to alteration, i.e., Russians or even ill-intended conservative elements" may have planted incriminating evidence. The laptop was abandoned by Hunter at a Delaware repair shop in 2019. When shop owner John Paul Mac Isaac viewed its contents, he alerted the FBI. When investigators failed to respond, Mac Isaac gave a copy of the hard drive to Giulianis office; Giuliani then handed the hard drive copy to the Post on Oct. 11, 2020 three days before the first report was published. The FBI seized the laptop and hard drive that December. Late last year, Democrat mouthpieces such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, and CBS News, all of whom dismissed the story in 2020, accepted that the computers contents were authentic. Wise is more evidence of how deep the rot runs in the swamp. These rogue swamp chiefs are not only corrupt but are blatant about it. No longer do they consider protecting democracy their function. Instead, they have become Democrat proxies instead. Worse still, they are not even embarrassed or remorseful about it. In their self-righteous minds, their opinions are of greater value than the votes of the people. Hence they manipulated the discourse leading to the 2020 elections to get the result they desired. They seem proud of this feat. Consequently, the public is suffering on myriad fronts due to Biden's misgovernance, but that hardly matters to the swamp as long as they have power and means for pecuniary gains. The public has been subjected to one disinformation campaign after another since Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016. When disinformation becomes the norm and the guilty are never punished and the innocent are targeted, it breeds cynicism. It is natural to wonder about the point of exposing what we already suspected if there are no consequences the election results of 2020 will never be undone and neither will the hardships suffered by the people due to Bidens misgovernance. Recently the Republican-controlled House of Representatives set up the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, which is expected to investigate the ordeal as part of its mission to look into inappropriate links between intelligence agencies and social media platforms in the wake of revelations that the FBI pressured Twitter to censor the Hunter Biden story. The House Oversight Committee last week launched an investigation into the Biden familys business dealings. Could there be hope? Optimism has no perils. UPDATE: The title of this post has been amended to reflect more accurately the post's contents. Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License Some people have to learn things the hard way. A case in point is Portland, Oregon. The politicians continue making poor decisions when it comes to public safety, and the city residents continue voting them back into office. Now those decisions are weighing heavily on the city, but it is going to be hard for the politicians to walk them back, particularly because they will search desperately for a way to do it without accepting any blame. Once again, the city set a new record for the number of homicides last year. A fatal stabbing in early December 2022 became the city's 91st homicide of the year and broke the previous year's total, which itself was a record year. The previous record had been 70 homicides in 1987. It was not a record anyone wanted to break. Things didn't end there, either. The city finished out the year with 101 homicides. Damala Badon, the mother of the 101st victim, told The Oregonian/OregonLive, "At some point, we have to be tired of burying our children, having our children's names turned into hashtags." She is right. Residents who are seeing their neighborhoods turned into war zones because of poor political decisions have to demand action and vote people into office who will take action to make their cities safer. The problem is that there aren't enough people doing that. Chloe Eudaly, the city commissioner, who voted against large cuts in the police budget in 2020, was voted out of office rather than supported in her efforts to protect citizens. The city had understaffed its police force for years. Then, in 2020, politicians reduced the police budget by $27 million because "defund the police" was the politically correct thing to do after the death of George Floyd. One councilperson tweeted proudly of the cuts. She had actually wanted to see nearly twice as much cut. Manhattan Institute fellow John Ketcham told the DCNF, "A tripling in the annual number of homicides since 2019 far above the national trend has further diverted officers from responding to other important calls. Some city leaders' repeated criticisms of the police have compounded understaffing to dampen morale further in the bureau, resulting in unprecedented struggles to hire and retain qualified officers. While the latest budget restored police funding, it will take time and political will to repair mutual bonds of trust." In the face of the growing crime problem, politicians were virtually forced to add police officers last year. While it seems unlikely that adding 20 officers to the 773 sworn officers will help much, it was a baby step in the right direction. They need more, though, which will be hard to get as long as politicians and activists call the police criminals while failing to prosecute actual criminals. "Everyone knows that Portland elected officials embraced the 'defund the police' narrative in 2020, which has resulted in budget cuts, loss of police officers (to other jurisdictions or retirement), and difficulties in police recruitment," John Charles, president of the Oregon-based Cascade Policy Institute, told the DCNF. "But it's not clear how to reverse that, or whether reversing it would actually lead to fewer homicides." In part because prosecutors aren't actually prosecuting criminal cases. This only encourages criminals because they know they can get away with the crimes. The citizens of Portland are reaping what they sowed, and unfortunately for people like Badon, they aren't tired of burying their children yet. Michael A. Letts is the CEO and founder of In-VestUSA, a national grassroots non-profit organization helping hundreds of communities provide thousands of bulletproof vests for their police forces through educational, public relations, sponsorship, and fundraising programs. Image via Needpix. After years of flip-flopping, the ATF has issued a rule recharacterizing guns with pistol braces, making millions of currently owned guns subject to federal "short-barrel" rifle registration, together with a $200 tax. The effect of this rule change is particularly potent in Connecticut, where existing laws banning so-called "assault rifles" are immediately triggered. Owners there of handguns with pistol braces cannot merely remove the brace if the weapon has a "forward pistol grip" or "second hand grip"; these guns are effectively rendered instantly illegal due to the fickle federal rule change. Prior to the rule change, Connecticut gun-owners could legally own pistols with braces that possessed features otherwise prohibited by Connecticut's 2013 ban on "assault weapons." Generally called "others," these in-between guns were classified as illegal handguns (barrel too long), not specifically banned under the state's definition of assault weapons (barrel under 16 inches, exclusive of pistol brace), and yet were long enough (when fitted with the brace, which acts as a butt extension) to evade federal classification as "short-barrel rifles" under the former ATF determination. The State of Connecticut classified them per federal rules as legally permissible, not as prohibited short-barrel rifles. With the ATF rule change, Connecticut "others"-gun owners will overnight find themselves in possession of illegal assault weapons. Connecticut's assault weapon ban punishes illegal possession of an assault weapon as a class D felony subject to up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine...with a mandatory minimum one-year prison term! This penalty is reduced to a class A misdemeanor with up to one year in prison "if the violator can prove that he or she lawfully possessed the weapon before the ban[.]" There are an estimated 81,849 pre-ban legal weaponowners in Connecticut, who retained their otherwise prohibited weapons following that state's ban by registering them. Last year, Governor Ned Lamont publicly proposed making those guns illegal also. It is to be presumed he will pounce on the chance to ban the in-between "others." The anticipated retroactive prohibition by ATF rule change of possession of what was a legal weapon in Connecticut may be alleged to be an "ex post facto" law prohibited by the U.S. Constitution. This defense won't likely fly. Presuming the State of Connecticut seeks to incorporate the "others" as illegal assault weapons under its existing statute, it will charge people with crimes not for having owned the guns before the rule change (which would be ex post facto, meaning "from a thing done afterward"), but for the ongoing current offense of possessing the gun presently in violation of existing law. Connecticut "others"-owners thus would not face prosecution for preATF rule change violations but would have to dispose of or surrender their guns in order to avoid criminal liability for a new offense that springs up with this controversial rule change. This is the rub the "others," unlike owners of unregistered and thus illegal pre-ban assault weapons, are registered. Connecticut implemented a postSandy Hook registry of the "others," which it could conceivably begin to investigate and compare with guns surrendered (or bought back, should the state implement such a policy in order to sidestep unconstitutional "taking" violations). Connecticut would be able to prosecute those possessions as class A misdemeanors; it is hard to imagine that prosecutors could successfully apply the preATF rule change five-year felony penalty. Connecticut owners of these "others" guns find themselves in a panicked squeeze between the Scylla of federal rulemaking and the Charybdis of a state bent on banning their guns without mercy. If they register these weapons with the feds and pay the $200 fee, they are not free of the rocky perils of Connecticut criminal statutes that ban them as short-barrels. And if they simply remove the pistol brace (as many in other states are free to do), they cannot legally possess what remains under Connecticut law because of a non-detachable pistol grip or second-hand grip. Joe Biden and Ned Lamont will doubtless clink champagne glasses at this predicament. Law-abiding Connecticut citizens transformed into criminals overnight by the sweep of a bureaucratic pen are not celebrating the loss of their property and liberty. Image via Pxhere. The American people are enduring a relentless woke oppression provoked by liberal elites and delivered by the Democrat Party. This woke assault is eroding bedrock concepts of western culture. The woke movement has blurred cultural norms and actively works to instill the perception that disagreement with their narrative is an exhibition of bigotry. They use the nexus of government and media to oppress freedom of thought, restricting liberty. The keystone of American governance is liberty. Americas founding document declares liberty to be an unalienable right provided by our Creator. For government to suggest that personal thoughts and expressions must be altered to parrot what government purports to be correct is un-American. Political factions enjoy the liberty to persuade the public to accept their ideas. They collect and spend great sums of money to accomplish this. It is incumbent upon the American people to understand these ideas and accept or reject them based on their merit. Political factions have no right or authority to use the government as a tool to create and disseminate propaganda to promote their ideas. Nevertheless, thats exactly whats happening today. The State of Washington has determined that urgency, paternalism, individualism, and objectivity are aspects of white supremacy. This propaganda is disseminated by the Professional Education Standards Board in Washington for use in educating the states children. Democrats all over the country deny that critical race theory is being taught in public schools. The state calls its propaganda indigenous relational pedagogy, which they claim supports cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion standards. Image: John Trumbulls Signing of the Declaration of Independence (edited). Public domain. Children in Washington State are being taught to suspend logic and reason so woke propaganda will be accepted without question. When a teacher tells a child that exhibiting individualism and objectivity demonstrates evidence of racism, the child will likely accept the pedagogic propaganda as fact, clouding future judgment. This is immoral and an infringement of liberty. The same problem exists at the federal level. Upon entering office, Biden issued Executive Order 13985 stating, a historic movement for justice has highlighted the unbearable human cost of systemic racism. In response to the Executive Order, by April 2022, all cabinet departments and 90 agencies responded to Bidens request for an ambitious whole of government equity agenda by publishing equity plans. Systemic racism is a dogma the Biden Administration is disseminating to indoctrinate the American people via the federal bureaucracy. The Biden administration is selling this anti-American ideology abroad, too. Bidens Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told an assembly, the original sin of slavery weaved white supremacy into our founding documents and principles. The Chinese no longer need to create anti-American propaganda. Our government does it for them. The Supreme Court ruled in Bostock v Clayton that Americans cant be discriminated against because of sexual identity or orientation. This is consistent with the principle of liberty holding that People should be able to express their choices as they see fit so long as no laws are violated. The woke, unsatisfied with the courts decision, insist that Americans use pronouns and accept lifestyle choices that defy cultural norms defined by thousands of years of human interaction. The government demands their employees accept these woke concepts and push them into the culture as a demonstration of equity. Equity is an invention of the liberal elite to feed the woke impulse. The Constitution demands equal protection under the law, not an illiberal government equity policy. How one chooses to address the woke impulse is an expression of individual liberty and not the business of the government or subject to a court ruling. Americas government cant deny liberty to the people, but the people can abdicate their liberty to an oppressive government. If parents allow their childrens minds to be warped by government propaganda, they jeopardize their childrens liberty. If people parrot the prescribed woke liturgy, they surrender their own liberty. The people and their children become wards of the state only if they choose it. Two contrasting news stories show that the anti-liberty left only cares about power and not about asylum seekers from socialism. A report that the U.S. Coast Guard Returned 177 Cuban Migrants to the Communist Island contrasted with one that DHS Is Helping Illegal Migrants Avoid Deportation is direct proof that this was never about asylum seekers. It was always about setting up a permanent underclass to keep the fascist far-left in power until the country implodes, Cloward-Piven style. Cuban refugees in their small boat will be sent back YouTube screengrab (cropped) Three recent news stories show that the fascist far left never really cared about the plight of asylees or anyone else for that matter. They only care about their power. But what is the gaslight de jour from the leftist liars (sorry for the redundancy) on the border? Do they still laughably claim its closed or is that just another way of oppressing us? Tell us a lie and force us to believe it? Nevertheless, it should be obvious to everyone thats informed -- excluding viewers of the national socialist media of course -- that Bidens opened the border to an illegal invasion along with deadly amounts of Fentanyl in the CCPs version of a new Opium war. Ostensibly, this is to let in people who have been oppressed under far-left regimes. These are supposed to be asylum seekers, not economic refugees. Thus, you would think that asylum seekers from Communist oppression would be at the top of the list. But you would be wrong: Around 177 Cuban migrants who were apprehended off the Florida coast earlier this month were returned to the island by the U.S. Coast Guard on Thursday, CBS Miami reports. The Cuban migrants were intercepted earlier in the month by the Coast Guard and repatriated by two Coast Guard cutters. Meanwhile, a group of around two dozen Haitians, who arrived by sailboat from Port-de-Paix, were taken into custody by U.S. Customs and Border Protection upon reaching Virginia Key, a small island near Miami. So much for taking in asylum seekers, the excuse is that people shouldnt risk traveling when they dont have to. Then why have they thrown open the southern border to anyone and anything when the Darien gap is just as treacherous? No, the fascist far-left doesnt want asylum seekers who will oppose them when they get to the states, proof that their rationale for trying to destroy the country overloading it with people is just another big lie. This is contrasted with the report that DHS Is Helping Illegal invaders Avoid Deportation and that New York City Mayor Eric Adams is calling for a "national solution" and immigration reform. For those unschooled in the ways of the fascist far-left, reform has a special meaning for them. Usually, it means taking a problem they caused and exploiting it to expand their power base. In this case, when they say reform due to the illegal invasion crisis, it means rewarding the invaders to make the crisis even worse, while still turning away true asylum seekers. D Parker is an engineer, inventor, wordsmith, and student of history, the director of communications for a civil rights organization, and a long-time contributor to conservative websites. Find him on Substack. Mayor Jorge Elorza (Providence, R.I.) is an accomplished race-baiter who never anticipated confronting charges of "racism" over his altruistic vision of launching a "truth and reparations commission." The mayor is well known for his ugly accusations against white constituents, alleging their perpetrating "generations of pain and violence," but that's not his first line of offense. The best way for whites to atone for their sins against people "of color," according to Mayor Elorza, is to monetize their transgressions as far as the city budget will stretch. That entailed a cash-grab of $10 million in a city budget already stretched to the limit. Then the mayor encountered a stumbling block to what would have been a payout of $346.00 for each black resident in Providence. Ironically, the funds could not be distributed on the basis of color because they had been earmarked from the federal government, which prohibits distribution of monies on a discriminatory color basis. This didn't stop Mayor Elorza from sermonizing about "uncomfortable truths" to a growing number of unrepentant non-slaveholders (i.e., Caucasians). He was considered tone-deaf by many white constituents, who did not think of themselves as culpable for "systemic oppression" or give merit to the mayor's pushing the "white guilt" issues, according to social media posts. The suggestion to "heal by discussing" did not go in the direction the mayor had in mind. He is now confronting "uncomfortable truths" about the noble history of the tiny state's position on slavery none of which was considered by the "truth and reparations commission." Chief among these historic facts is that Rhode Island was the first state to ban slavery, and Rhode Island mobilized more than 25,000 residents who served in the Civil War. As a further testament to the courage of Rhode Islanders, more than 1,700 lost their lives in the conflict, and an astounding 20 soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor. Should the mayor include reparations for white families whose loved ones paid the ultimate price in the conflict? This isn't the first time the mayor has found himself disparaged for his "equity" arguments and his misguided legislative attempts to "close the equity gap." He was the target of a lawsuit filed by the city's former Department of Public Works director, Paul J. Thomas, who claimed he was fired for attempting to maintain integrity in hiring practices. The director refused to "hire unqualified people based on discriminatory color practices" and was "banned from hiring qualified applicants of a different ethnic background." One thing Mayor Elorza cannot complain about is the color make-up of his 15-member city council. It is a diversity officer's dream come true, with all Democrats, including six Latino members, and several of African heritage. Such a formidable "progressive" force continues to legislate a city now confronting its own "uncomfortable truths" about the horrible socioeconomic decline taking place in every aspect of life. The poverty level is a dispiriting 23 percent, crime continues to escalate annually (due to decriminalizing crime laws), and students in public schools are rated at an appalling level of academic proficiency. There isn't any amount of "virtue-signaling" the mayor can offer that will hide his appalling track record, and he shows no sign of recognizing these ugly realities in his city. Perhaps he should divert his efforts from allocating funds based on skin color and targeting public statues for destruction to issues of real concern to the taxpayers of Providence. Image: Cat Laine. I am grateful to San Francisco's official African American Reparations Advisory Committee for the damage it has done to the notion that the current populace of the United States, none of whom were alive during slavery, owe some kind of debt to African Americans. Its draft proposal recently released would elevate into the top 2% of wealth every African American resident of San Francisco who meets its criteria. The notion that but for the "harms" it cites, including mortgage discrimination, the construction of public housing, and the "war on drugs," every African American would be rocketed into the ranks of the wealthiest Americans is patently absurd. Adding on the debt forgiveness it demands the cancelation of mortgage, student, and credit card debt and the guarantee of at least area median income (currently $97,000 in the affluent Bay Area), regardless of any employment, for two and half centuries, exposes it as a greedy fantasy of people who want unearned wealth. On the upside, it doesn't propose the massive looting of other people's earned wealth to any African American who can move to the city. The criteria: To qualify, people need to have identified as black on public records for at least 10 years and be at least 18 years old. They also must qualify for two of a number of requirements, including having been born in the city or migrated to it between 1940 and 1996 and then lived there for 13 years. These limits are related to the "harms" it cites, since slavery was never legal in California or San Francisco. "San Francisco's international reputation as a shining progressive gem in the west is undermined by its legacy of mistreatment, violence towards, and targeted racism against Black Americans. While neither San Francisco, nor California, formally adopted the institution of chattel slavery, the values of segregation, white supremacy and systematic repression and exclusion of Black people were legally codified and enforced," the proposal reads. The claim is that but for these "harms," the targeted residents and their descendants for the next 250 years would all have earned wealth putting them into roughly the top one and a half percent of Americans. (The top 2% of Americans have a net worth of $2,472,000, and the top 1% have $10,815,000.) Here are the gifts demanded from the taxpayers of San Francisco. [T]he committee proposed the city make a lump sum payment of $5 million to black residents who are at least 18 and have identified as black or African American on public documents for at least ten years. Residents must also meet at least two of eight other requirements. Among those requirements is that the resident is "personally, or the direct descendant of someone, incarcerated by the failed War on Drugs" or is a "Descendant of someone enslaved through US chattel slavery before 1865." (snip) The panel released a lengthy list of recommendations, another of which was to create a "a comprehensive debt forgiveness program" for black residents to cancel student loans, housing loans, and credit card debt in an effort to give "Black households an opportunity to build wealth." The report also suggests that the city offer financial compensation for families affected by "education harms" on black students, though it does not include specifics. Other proposals include allowing black residents who are eligible for reparations to receive first choice of subsidized rental units and prioritizing "members of San Francisco's current and past African American communities for employment opportunities, training programs, professional certification, partnerships and contracting." It is interesting that people with $5 million in cash and no debts would be prioritized for subsidized public housing over, for example, destitute Asian immigrants working two jobs to make ends meet. San Francisco's population is "majority minority," with Whites (including many Hispanics) constituting 41.9%, Asians 33.9%, multiracial people 9.9%, African Americans 5.3%, Native Americans, Alaskans, Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders 1.1% and "other races" 8.4% of the population. The idea that Asian- and Hispanic-descended people would happily fork over their tax money to make multimillionaires of Blacks and guarantee their descendants a high average income without working for 250 years is absurd on its face. Thanks for totally discrediting your mission, folks. Flag of San Francisco. Google is rumored to be working on a Bluetooth tracking tag similar to what you see from Tile, Apples AirTag, and Samsungs Galaxy SmartTag. The rumor comes from Twitter user Kuba Wojciechowski (via XDA), who states the device is currently in development under Googles Nest team. Nest is generally the smart home arm of Googles hardware though. So a Bluetooth tracking tag might sound like an odd endeavor for the Nest brand. With that in mind, Wojciechowski does point out that Nest handling development is not an admission of this being an upcoming Nest product. It is entirely possible that Nest is currently handling development but may end up passing it off to another team later further down the line. The rumor mentions that Google could be looking to launch this device towards the end of the year. Which would put it around the time of its annual Fall Pixel event. That isnt to say that this is going to be a Pixel product either. Just that when you generally have a Google product launch towards the end of the year, it makes an appearance at this event. Its also possible that Google may mention this at its upcoming Google I/O conference that happens in May. Google will offer a variety of different colors of its Bluetooth tracking tag Details are somewhat light at the moment for this potential new device. But the rumor does contain some information about it. Google will potentially be offering this device in a few different colors. This isnt at all a stretch considering every device Google sells these days has at least two or three colors available. All of its Nest products, the Chromecast with Google TV, and all of the products in its Pixel line. So it makes sense here that Google would do more than one color for a tracking tag too. Advertisement In addition to multiple color options, the tracking tag is said to have an onboard speaker. As well as support for UWB (ultra-wide band) and Bluetooth Low Energy. Both of which are used to accurately track the location of the tag. Smartphone cameras have been getting better with each new generation. Industry analysts expect smartphones to beat DSLR cameras in terms of image quality in a year or so. This trailer for an upcoming short film is certainly affirmative of that claim. Show it to someone without saying anything and they probably wouldnt know it was recorded using a smartphone, not a professional camera. Yes, the trailer that you can watch below was shot on Samsungs Galaxy S22 Ultra by none other than Oscar-winning filmmaker Charlie Kaufman. The filmmaker shot the entire film on the 2022 Samsung flagship. Samsungs Galaxy S22 Ultra was used to shoot a short film by an Oscar-winning filmmaker Its not new for smartphone companies to partner with famous filmmakers to shoot short films using their latest devices. Apple has done it numerous times to showcase the camera capabilities of its new iPhones. Even Samsung has done it on at least a couple of occasions. The Korean firm teamed up with English film director Joe Wright, the director of Pride & Prejudice, Atonement, and Darkest Hour, in 2021 to make a short film using the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Titled Princess & Peppernose, you can watch the 20-minute film here. In March last year, Samsung got Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown to make her directorial debut with a short film shot entirely with Galaxy S22 Ultras Nightography features. That came shortly after the Galaxy S22 launch. Now, a couple of weeks ahead of the Galaxy S23 launch, the Korean firm has now found a partner in Oscar-winning filmmaker Charlie Kaufman. The trailer for the new short film, titled Jackals & Fireflies, isnt anything groundbreaking. But its still incredible when you learn that the entire film is shot using a smartphone. Samsung doesnt tell when this film will release. But, the timing of it suggests that the company is trying to build some hype around its Ultra smartphones ahead of the Galaxy S23 Ultra launch. The new flagship arrives on February 1. It will be the Korean behemoths first smartphone with a 200MP camera. The device should get the third-gen ISOCELL HP2 200MP camera that Samsung launched earlier today. The companys teasers have also suggested improved zoom capabilities and night photography. Overall, the Galaxy S23 Ultra should bring substantial camera improvements over the 2022 model. Advertisement The new flagship will be accompanied by the vanilla Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+. Samsung will also launch the Galaxy Book 3 series Windows laptops during the same event. You can already reserve these unannounced Galaxy products for some extra benefits. Samsung will launch the Galaxy S23 series in a couple of weeks with One UI 5.1 onboard. Based on Android 13, its a minor upgrade from the current version One UI 5.0. As usual, the new version will reach some older Galaxy flagships a few weeks after the Galaxy S23 lineup is official, which happens on February 1. Meanwhile, the company may have just inadvertently confirmed which flagship models will get the One UI 5.1 update. Samsung recently released an update for the Galaxy Watch 5 series. It added zoom functionality to the Camera Controller app, something the company had already announced. However, the changelog noted that the new feature will only be available for connected Galaxy smartphones running One UI 5.1 or higher. But that isnt it. Samsung even said that flagship models released after the Galaxy S20 series or the Galaxy Z Flip will get the camera zoom functionality on the Galaxy Watch 5. This essentially confirms that all Galaxy flagships launched in 2020 and beyond will get One UI 5.1. We are looking at the Galaxy S20 series, Galaxy S21 series, Galaxy S22 series, Galaxy Note 20 series, Galaxy S21 FE, Galaxy Z Flip, Galaxy Z Flip 5G, Galaxy Z Fold 2, Galaxy Z Flip 3, Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 4, and Galaxy Z Fold 4. Unfortunately, we still dont know when the rollout will begin. The Galaxy S23 series is expected to arrive in stores in mid-February. One UI 5.1 update may reach a few Galaxy models by the end of next month. The One UI 5.1 update should reach some Galaxy tablets as well If history is any indication, newer models like the Galaxy S22 and the Galaxy Z Fold 4 should get priority for this update. Samsung has been testing One UI 5.1 for these devices for some time now. But that said, One UI 5.1 is also in testing for the Galaxy S20 series. So you never know. Rest assured, we will let you know when the updates start arriving. Recent Galaxy tablets and a few premium mid-range smartphones may also get One UI 5.1. At least, some of the new features should trickle down to those devices even if the One UI version remains unchanged. Advertisement Speaking of new features, it is not quite clear what One UI 5.1 will bring to the table. Samsung previously hinted that this update will add more customization options to Galaxy devices. We may get to learn more about the new One UI version closer to the Galaxy S23 launch early next month. If youre interested in the new Samsung flagships, you can reserve a unit now and get up to $100 in Samsung Credit. (ANSA) - ROME, JAN 17 - Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro will have treatment in jail in Abruzzo for cancer after being caught in a Palermo clinic after 30 years on the run Monday, prison sources said Tuesday. A special chemo therapy room is being set up in the L'Aquila jail where the 60-year-old superboss is being held. The Cosa Nostra kingpin had been receiving chemo for metastasis of a liver tumour for a year under an assumed name when he was arrested in a major coup for Italian police. He was Italy's most wanted man. (ANSA). (ANSA) - ROME, JAN 17 - Chief 'Qatargate' suspect and centre-left Italian ex-MEP Antonio Panzeri on Tuesday cut a deal with Belgian prosecutors probing the alleged corruption case involving the Mideast country. Panzeri signed a confession in exchange for jail time, a fine and the confiscation of all his criminal assets, estimated to be worth some one million euros," Belgian federal prosecutors said. The plea bargain came after his lawyer said those probed risked up to four years in jail and media reported that Panzeri had given fellow suspect and Belgian MEP Marc Tarabella around 120-140,00 euros in the case. It also came a day after a Brescia court approved a request by Belgian prosecutors for the extradition of his daughter in relation to the so-called Qatargate scandal. Panzeri's wife, Maria Dolores Colleoni, had already seen the request for her extradition approved. The two cases will now be put to the supreme Court of Cassation. Panzeri, who is in jail in Belgium, his daughter Silvia and Colleoni are accused of involvement in alleged efforts by Morocco and Qatar to condition EU affairs via bribery. Panzeri has been charged with corruption along with fellow Italians Francesco Giorgi, an assistant to Democratic Party (PD) MEP Andrea Cozzolino and Niccolo' Figa'-Talamanca, the secretary general of the No Peace Without Justice NGO. Greek MEP Eva Kaili, who was removed from her position as European Parliament vice president after the scandal exploded, has been charged too. Kaili is Giorgi's partner. A total of around 1.5 million euros in cash has been seized by Belgian prosecutors from the homes of Kaili and Panzeri and from a suitcase in the possession of Kaili's father in relation to the case. Kaili's lawyer recently denied media reports that Kaili, who has been in jail since December 9, has confessed to telling her father to hide packs of banknotes and to being aware of alleged illegal conduct by Giorgi. The reports in the Belgian media said Panzeri had admitted involvement too and said he had alleged that Belgian MEP and fellow Socialist Tarabella had benefited from 'gifts' from Qatar. Panzeri is a 67-year-old member of the left-wing Article One party and of the directorate of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) alliance, the oldest European caucus. He was an MEP for three terms from 2004 to 2019, serving as chair of the subcommittee on human rights. A European warrant for the arrest of Panzeri's wife and daughter said that the former MEP "seems to have developed and driven...a vast fraudulent organization". (ANSA). PALERMO - The ROS unit of the Carabinieri police and investigators from the Palermo Public Prosecutor's Office have found the hideout used by Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, who was arrested at a private clinic in the Sicilian capital on Monday after 30 years on the run, and is now held at a maximum-security prison in the central Italian city of L'Aquila The hideout is in the town centre of Campobello di Mazara, in Messina Denaro,'s home province of Trapani, sources said. It is the home town of Giovanni Luppino, the man who was arrested with Messina Denaro on Monday and is accused of helping him while he was a fugitive. The home was searched inch-by-inch throughout the night and the operation was personally overseen by Palermo Deputy Chief Prosecutor Paolo Guido, who has been investigating the former Cosa Nostra fugitive for years. The 60-year-old mobster was taken to the Abruzzo city of Pescara and is unlikely to ever return to his native Sicily. According to media reports, Messina Denaro may be being held at L'Aquila prison . This is a possible location because it is a maximum security facility equipped for the tough 41bis jail regime that mafia convicts are subjected to and because there is a good oncology centre in the city's hospital. Messina Denaro was arrested at a clinic where he had been undergoing treatment for cancer for over a year. Messina Denaro had been condemned to life in prison in absentia for involvement dozens of murders, including the 1992 bombings that killed anti-mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, the killing of Giuseppe Di Matteo, the 12-year-old son of a mobster-turned-State witness who was strangled and dissolved in acid in 1996, and bombings in Milan, Florence and Rome in 1993. TEL AVIV - Israeli authorities said Tuesday they had deported the Italian woman Stefania Costantini due to suspected links to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). She had been detained in a military raid in the Bethlehem area of the occupied West Bank on Monday, in the Deheishe refugee camp, before being taken to the Tel Aviv airport and repatriated. The PFLP is considered a terrorist organisation by Israel. Media outlets quoted Israel's intelligence service, Shin Bet. Mafia boss Messina Denaro's hideout found and searched In the hometown of the man arrested with him in Plermo clinic (ANSAmed) - ROMA, 17 GEN - The ROS unit of the Carabinieri police and investigators from the Palermo Public Prosecutor's Office have found the hideout used by Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, who was arrested at a private clinic in the Sicilian capital on Monday after 30 years on the run. The hideout is in the town centre of Campobello di Mazara, in Messina Denaro,'s home province of Trapani, sources said. It is the home town of Giovanni Luppino, the man who was arrested with Messina Denaro on Monday and is accused of helping him while he was a fugitive. The home was searched inch-by-inch throughout the night and the operation was personally overseen by Palermo Deputy Chief Prosecutor Paolo Guido, who has been investigating the former Cosa Nostra fugitive for years. The 60-year-old mobster was taken to the Abruzzo city of Pescara and is unlikely to ever return to his native Sicily. According to media reports, Messina Denaro may be being held at L'Aquila prison . This is a possible location because it is a maximum security facility equipped for the tough 41bis jail regime that mafia convicts are subjected to and because there is a good oncology centre in the city's hospital. Messina Denaro was arrested at a clinic where he had been undergoing treatment for cancer for over a year. Messina Denaro had been condemned to life in prison in absentia for involvement dozens of murders, including the 1992 bombings that killed anti-mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, the killing of Giuseppe Di Matteo, the 12-year-old son of a mobster-turned-State witness who was strangled and dissolved in acid in 1996, and bombings in Milan, Florence and Rome in 1993. (ANSAmed). ROME - A law decree including a tightening of regulations on humanitarian ships "is not amendable and should simply be abrogated since it hinders rescues at sea", NGOs involved in migrant rescue efforts in the Mediterranean Sea said before a joint meeting of the constitutional affairs and transportation committees of the Camera dei Deputati, Italy's lower chamber of Parliament. They suggested that, instead, "it is necessary to set up an investigative commission on what is happening in the Mediterranean". The NGOs discussed and protested all the points in the measure, which was signed by Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi. From Alarm Phone to Emergency, from ARCI to Open Arms, Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Sea Watch, Sos Mediterranee, and Migrantes, all the associations used data to explain the negative effects of the decree on rescue efforts. MSF mission chief Juan Matias Gil said that, "now we leave after the first rescue while before we conducted 4-5 rescues on average per mission." The average number of people rescued has thus dropped from 300 to 80. The regulation, Sea Watch's Giorgia Linardi said, "creates problems. Recently we have been using smaller and faster vessels that can be present more in the search and rescue area". The NGOs will be assessing the possibility of appealing the law decree. "The Court of Cassation," Linardi stressed, "reiterated in 2020 that no one should neglect to save anyone who is in difficulty at sea." In the words of ARCI's Filippo Miraglia, "the sole concrete objective, beyond the criminalisation of rescues at sea, and thus of the NGOs that engage in them instead of the state, is to get the ships of the central Mediterranean away to limit their ability to operate". The head of the Italian Refugees Council, Roberto Zaccaria, called the law decree "incongruous and discriminatory". Palestinian killed in West Bank 'during shootout' Reportedly part of Palestinian Authority police (ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, JAN 17 - A young Palestinian man was shot and killed on Tuesday morning by Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint set up in Halhul near Hebron in the West Bank. Military sources quoted by the Israeli state radio said that he had opened fire first against the soldiers, who had allegedly then shot back and killed him. The Palestinian news agency MAAN reported that the man killed was named Hamdi Abu Dayeh and that he was a police captain. Other media added that he had left a goodbye letter. The Israeli army is investigating whether he was the one who shot at an Israeli bus in the same area two days ago.(ANSAmed). French strike on Thursday to be 'difficult', says minister Urges those who can stay home to do so (ANSAmed) - PARIS, 17 GEN - French transportation minister Clement Beaune has urged French citizens to prepare themselves for a "Thursday of inconveniences in transportation" due to a strike in the sector over pension reform. He urged those who can do so to postpone or bring forward any planned movements and to choose to work remotely. The situation on Thursday will be "very difficult" due to the first street demonstration against a reform backed by Emmanuel Macron, Beaune told state-owned TV France 2. "I am addressing all those who can: any bringing forward or postponing of movement, or working remotely, is advised. I hope above all that it will not last," the minister said, noting that he is not able to predict repercussions that any sort of protracted strike might cause. (ANSAmed). Foreign Secretary James Cleverly is holding talks in Washington as he seeks to bolster support for Ukraine in its struggle against Russias invasion. Mr Cleverly will meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday before travelling to Toronto for talks on Wednesday with his Canadian counterpart, Melanie Joly. He is expected to use his visit to urge the allies to go further and faster in their support for the government in Kyiv, arguing that, with the right equipment, the Ukrainians can prevail against Moscow. His intervention comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced at the weekend that the UK is to become the first nation to supply Ukraine with modern Western tanks a key demand of President Volodymyr Zelensky. Britain will send 14 Challenger 2 main battle tanks, to be followed by around 30 AS90s a move which the Ukrainians hope will unlock similar offers of support from other Nato allies. Poland has offered to provide a company of German-built Leopard 2 battle tanks but, because they were originally imported from Germany, it would have to be signed off by Berlin before they can be re-exported. In a statement ahead of his visit, Mr Cleverly said: The UK, US and Canada always have each others backs when it counts, protecting the rules-based order for nearly 80 years. Today we stand united against (Vladimir) Putins illegal war, and we will continue to use our uniquely strong defence and security ties to ensure that, in the end, the Ukrainian people will win. Mr Cleverly is also expected to use his visit to raise the issue of Iran following the execution of dual British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari, a former defence minister who was accused of spying for MI6. In response, the UK temporarily recalled its ambassador to Iran while imposing sanctions on Tehrans prosecutor general. Global superstar Harry Styles has joined the line-up of performers for the 2023 Brit Awards, organisers have confirmed. The former One Direction star will share the bill with previously announced artists Sam Smith, Kim Petras and rock duo Wet Leg. Both Styles and Wet Leg lead the nominations at this years Brits, both having secured four each. Styles capped off a successful 12 months by earning nods for album of the year for Harrys House, song of the year for As It Was, artist of the year and best pop/R&B act. Styles is nominated for four Brits at this years awards (Isabel Infantes/PA) Following its release in May last year Harrys House debuted at No 1 on the UK album charts, US Billboard 200 and over 12 countries around the world. It has remained in the UK Top Ten Album Chart since release. In July, he was nominated for the Mercury Prize, a rarity among pop acts, and also further forged his acting career with roles in the films My Policeman and Dont Worry Darling. Since launching his solo career, Styles has gained numerous prestigious accolades including two Brit awards, a Grammy, and an Ivor Novello Award among many others. At this years Grammys he is nominated in six categories including album of the year, record of the year and song of the year. Styles has played to more than two million people on his current tour (PA) He is also the first man to appear solo on the cover of Vogue Magazine. Since beginning his Love On Tour shows in the US in September 2021 he has played to a combined audience of more than two million people. The tour is set to continue worldwide this summer, arriving in Europe in May supported by Wet Leg with a string of UK dates starting on June 11. The Isle of Wight duo, comprised of Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers, are also nominated for album of the year for their chart-topping self-titled debut, which won plaudits for its sardonic lyrics and angular riffs. They also received nods for group of the year, best new artist and best alternative rock act, as the awards entered a second year with gender-neutral categories. Wooo weve been nominated for 327 Brit awards, see you in February @BRITs #brits pic.twitter.com/mq58mmq48h Wet Leg (@wetlegband) January 12, 2023 Last year, when the awards went gender-neutral for the first time, 18 female artists or all-women groups were nominated the most in a decade. This year it was 20. Elsewhere at the 2023 nominations, grime star Stormzy, The 1975, newcomer Cat Burns and dance music DJ Fred again.. all scored three nominations. Artists including George Ezra, Arctic Monkeys, Nova Twins, Aitch and Dave claimed two. Debut nominations went to K-pop girl group Blackpink, Eurovision star Sam Ryder, Kentucky rapper Jack Harlow and British grime and hip hop artist Kojey Radical. Ryder, who came second at the Eurovision Song Contest this year before climbing to number one with his debut album, was among the nominees for best new artist. Eurovision star Sam Ryder also earned his debut Brit nomination (PA) In the international artist of the year category three of Americas biggest female acts Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Lizzo will battle it out for the prize. This year four genre categories will be decided by the public via a vote on TikTok alternative rock act, hip hop/rap/grime act, dance act and pop/R&B act. R&B girl group Flo were previously announced as the winners of the 2023 Rising Star award. The Brits Awards 2023 will take place on Saturday, February 11, and will broadcast live on ITV1 and ITVX from Londons The O2 arena. Industrial action set to cause more disruption in days and weeks ahead Industrial action in different sectors is continuing to cause disruption across the UK in 2023. Services from education to health to transport are being hit by walkouts this month and beyond. Here are some of the strikes planned: January 17 The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) continues its national strike for 16 days between January 16 to February 6, which will see members in two local authorities strike each day. Members of the Association of Headteachers and Deputes in Scotland (AHDS) union are also continuing 16 days of rolling strikes, mirroring the EIS action. Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland protest over pay outside the Corn Exchange in Haddington, East Lothian (Jane Barlow/PA) January 18 Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members in England will strike. Unison members at the Environment agency will strike. EIS and AHDS members will continue their strike. January 19 London bus workers at Abellio will go on strike. RCN members in England will continue their strike. EIS and AHDS members will also continue their strike. January 20 EIS and AHDS members will continue their strike. January 21 Around 300 members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union working as legal advisers and court associates in more than 80 courts across England and Wales will strike in a long-running dispute about a case management system called Common Platform. January 23 Unison members working for five ambulance services in England will stage another walkout. Unite ambulance workers will also strike. EIS and AHDS members will continue their strike. Ambulance workers will strike again in January (Danny Lawson/PA). January 24 EIS and AHDS members will continue their strike. January 25 London bus workers at Abellio will go on strike. EIS and AHDS members will continue their strike. January 26 London bus workers at Abellio will continue their strike. Physiotherapists will strike in a dispute over pay and staffing. EIS and AHDS members will continue their strike. January 27 EIS and AHDS members will continue their strike. January 28 PCS members working in courts across England and Wales will strike again in a long-running dispute about a case management system called Common Platform. January 30 EIS and AHDS members will continue their strike. (PA Graphics) January 31 EIS and AHDS members will continue their strike. February 1 Teachers in England and Wales who are members of the National Education Union (NEU) will begin the first of seven days of walkouts. A strike by 100,000 civil servants belonging to the PCS union will go ahead which will have an impact on governments, driving test centres, museums, ports and airports. Aslef union train drivers will strike. RMT union train drivers at 14 rail operators will also strike in the long-running dispute over jobs, pay and conditions. EIS and AHDS members will continue their strike. Train drivers from the Aslef union will strike (Gareth Fuller/PA) February 2 EIS and AHDS members will continue their strike. February 3 Aslef and RMT union train drivers will strike again. EIS and AHDS members will continue their strike. February 6 Nurses from 73 Trusts in England will strike in an escalation of industrial action by the RCN. The RCN in Wales will also strike if progress is not made in negotiations by the end of January. EIS and AHDS members will strike for a final day in this wave of action. February 7 RCN nurses in England and Wales will continue striking. February 9 Physiotherapists will continue their strike. February 14 Teachers from the NEU in Wales will strike. February 28 Teachers from the NEU in the Northern, North West, Yorkshire and The Humber regions in England will strike. Teachers from the EIS will start a fresh wave of strikes in an escalation of the dispute. February to March More than 70,000 staff at 150 universities across the UK will strike for 18 days between February and March in disputes over pay, conditions and pensions. The precise dates are expected to be confirmed next week. March 1 Teachers from the NEU in the East Midlands, West Midlands and Eastern regions in England will strike. Teachers from the EIS will strike. March 2 Teachers from the NEU in the London, South East and South West regions in England will strike. March 13 Teachers from the EIS will begin a rolling programme of strikes for 20 days until April 21. The exact dates are not yet known. March 15 Teachers from the NEU in England and Wales will strike. The NEU has said there will also be rallies held at Westminster to address the Government there and in Cardiff to address the Welsh Government. March 16 Teachers from the NEU in England and Wales will strike in a final day of walkouts. Jeremy Renner says he is missing my happy place as he continues to recover from a serious snowplough accident. The actor, known for playing the bow-and-arrow-wielding Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), shared a picture of a snowy rural scene online, less than three weeks after the incident. Renner was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries after he was accidentally run over by his own six-tonne ploughing machine while trying to help a family member. A picture shared to his Instagram story on Monday showed a high wall of snow, with the top of a house and snow-tipped trees peeking out. Missing my happy place, the actor wrote. In a later post he warned those living in the area to be safe out there. He captioned another picture on his Instagram story: Its a rough ride over the pass. Be safe out there Reno/Tahoe. Renner has continued to share updates of his recovery process online as well as promotions for the new season of thriller series Mayor Of Kingston, in which he plays Mike McLusky. He also thanked staff at the intensive care unit where he was taken following the incident, for beginning this journey. The incident took place around the New Year, near the Mount Rose Highway, which links Lake Tahoe and south Reno as it straddles the Nevada-California border. Immediately after the incident, Renner posted a picture of himself from his hospital bed, thanking fans for their support, but saying he was too messed up to type. Scores of famous faces, including his Marvel co stars, praised the actor for his bravery and sent well wishes in the aftermath. Michelle Obama has led US celebrities in hailing the patience and perseverance of Dr Martin Luther King Jr and the magnitude of his legacy. Monday marked Martin Luther King Jr Day a public holiday in the US to remember the world famous activist and his fight for justice. Dr King, who was one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 onwards, was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s fight for justice took patience and perseverance, leadership and compassion, and a love for humanity that all of us should strive for. #MLKDay Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) January 16, 2023 He was well known for his I have a dream speech, and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Obama praised Dr Kings work, encouraging others to engage in community efforts to honour his legacy. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s fight for justice took patience and perseverance, leadership and compassion, and a love for humanity that all of us should strive for, she wrote in a series of posts. Oscar-winning actresses Jennifer Hudson and Halle Berry, and Will and Jaden Smith were also among those to post online tributes to the minister. Sharing a picture of herself on the set of 2021 Aretha Franklin biopic Respect, Hudson said: When it comes to a giant like Martin Luther King Jr., words never seem enough to capture the magnitude of his legacy. A couple years ago, while filming Respect, I got to sit on the steps of Dr. Kings birth home. I sat there soaking in the significance of that place, and I imagined him sitting on these very steps as a child, unaware of the impact he would have. As we honor him today, lets continue his dream, raising up more Dr. Kings that make this world a better place to live. Berry wrote: Today we honour the work of Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr and all those that worked towards a better future for ALL people. Smith and his son also both posted pictures in tribute to Dr King. Mick Lynch urges Keir Starmer not to be vanilla politician and to back workers Union leader Mick Lynch urged Sir Keir Starmer not to be a vanilla politician and to back workers rights as thousands of demonstrators gathered outside Downing Street to protest against the controversial strikes Bill. The general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union said the shadow cabinet should be promising to resolve pay disputes and rip up anti-union legislation if they win the next election. He was joined Labour backbenchers Zara Sultana and Bell Ribeiro-Addy, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn and former Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, as he made a speech to crowds braving subzero temperatures on Whitehall on Monday evening. The protest was held to mark the second reading of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill in Parliament. The proposed legislation would see the right to take industrial action restricted by imposing minimum service levels. Bosses would be legally able to fire employees who ignore a notice requiring them to work on strike days. The Bill is in response to the wave of strikes which has been sweeping across the country for months, in bitter disputes over pay, jobs, staffing and conditions. Addressing demonstrators from a podium, Mr Lynch said: There are some people missing tonight. You get this every time you hear me. Weve got Jeremy (Corbyn), hes with us, weve got SNP MPs, weve got Caroline Lucas from the Green Party. But theres a big question wheres the Labour front bench tonight? The union boss said the Labour leader should not try to be a vanilla politician in a vanilla suit, adding: Come and stand with us stand up for socialism, stand up for workers and lets change this going forward. Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union and Unison were also present at the demonstration. Mick Lynch and Eddie Dempsey of the RMT with former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn (Kirsty OConnor/PA) Protesters chanted f*** the Tories and the people united will never be divided and others banged drums as they gathered in Westminster. Addressing protesters, Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union, said she was keeping warm by thinking about how National Education Union (NEU) teachers had earlier voted to strike. Its absolutely freezing but you know whats keeping me warm? The NEU just smashed their ballot, she told the crowd. Picket lines, democracy, we are the champions of them and we are not going to accept any extra conditions on our ability to do that. Mr Corbyn condemned disgusting levels of inequality in Britain under the Tory Government, while Ms Ribeiro-Addy, having come straight from Parliament, said the Bills introduction in the Commons had been absolutely disgraceful. All we heard from the minister was lies, deceit and utter contempt for our public service workers, she told protesters. Clare Keenan, from the PCS, described the Bill as an attack on my human rights and those of my fellow workers. She said: You cant make people go to work five days a week and having to use food banks and removing their ability to protest. Its just a hurdle that theyre putting in the way to stop workers from taking industrial action. Retired George Hallam, who attended to show solidarity with workers, likened the Bill to anti-strike action under Margaret Thatchers government. He said: I think the Government is chancing its arm because the last time it tried something like this was the 1970s. Its worse than a sin, its a mistake, because theyre likely to get a bloody nose like they did back then. Commenting on the protest earlier, Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack said: The protest at Downing Street is the start of a mass movement of resistance to this pernicious attack on the rights of working people to defend their jobs, wages and conditions against attacks from their bosses or cutbacks from the Government. The Prime Minister is seeking to steamroller extremely severe restrictions on the right to strike through Parliament today, without any meaningful scrutiny. Firefighters and other key workers, who kept our public services going during Covid, are at Downing Street, to tell Rishi Sunak that they will not accept this dictatorial assault on their democratic rights Instead of launching draconian attacks on the rights of working people, the Prime Minister must provide the resources to resolve this dispute by paying firefighters and other workers a decent wage, to alleviate in-work poverty. Almost 100 charities and organisations are collectively calling for a social energy tariff to help low-income and vulnerable older and disabled households heat their homes. In an open letter to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, the group including Age UK, Fair By Design, National Energy Action (NEA) and Scope warn that many older and disabled people, their carers and low-income households, are facing an uncertain future as they grapple with unaffordable energy bills. A survey for Age UK suggests that 24% of over-60s are living in homes which are colder than they would like them to be, rising to 27% for older people with a disability. The letter calls for targeted support for those on means-tested benefits, disability benefits and carers allowance, as well as those missing out on welfare support but still struggling with their bills. It describes deep concern that the withdrawal of universal energy support from April will leave many older and disabled people in a increasingly desperate situation. The cold weather can increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke, as well as hypothermia. Please check on your older friends, family, and neighbours this winter to ensure that they're wrapping up well and that their homes are warm: https://t.co/WQg47XV7eR pic.twitter.com/JdzTwrvqq2 Age UK (@age_uk) January 16, 2023 Charities said they were being inundated with calls from people in dire need, including those relying on medical equipment like dialysis machines and who were facing a daily struggle to keep their equipment turned on and stay warm and well. NEA estimates that the energy crisis has pushed more than 6.7 million UK households into fuel poverty, up from 4.5 million in October 2021. It predicts that the figure will jump to 8.4 million households when the Governments energy bills support scheme comes to an end. Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: Imagine having to choose between staying warm, feeding your family or powering essential medical equipment. This is the reality for increasing numbers of older and disabled households across the country. If youd like more information about these payments, including what to do if your payment doesnt arrive, we have advice on our website:https://t.co/WhpraMyke9 Scope (@scope) January 5, 2023 Older people are struggling to get by now, and thats before another energy price increase comes their way in a few months time. Many will simply not be able to cope with further price rises and were extremely concerned their health and wellbeing will pay the price. There needs to be much more protection for those who have no other means of paying such extortionate energy costs. The Government must introduce a social tariff for the energy market whilst prices are so high, and ensure we never face a crisis like this again. Martin Coppack, director of Fair By Design, said: We need to make sure vulnerable households are protected from future hikes in energy prices. This is why Fair By Design has been calling on the Treasury and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to introduce an energy social tariff. This would benefit those in greatest need, who would no longer be faced with the impossible decision of going without essentials such as food just to be able to heat their homes. The number of signatories to our joint letter to the Chancellor shows there is broad consensus on what the solution is. We urge the Government to make good on its commitment to work with organisations like ours to consider the best approach for those struggling with their bills. James Taylor, director of strategy at disability equality charity Scope, said: Astronomical energy bills are pushing disabled people to the brink. Our helpline has been inundated with calls from disabled people whose bills have doubled or even quadrupled in a year. Prices will rise again this April but disabled families have nothing left to cut back on. They cant turn off vital, life-saving equipment and budgets cant stretch any further. The Government must introduce a social tariff, a discounted energy rate, for disabled people before its too late. Union leader Mick Lynch urged Sir Keir Starmer not to be a vanilla politician and to back workers rights as thousands of demonstrators gathered outside Downing Street to protest against the controversial strikes Bill. The general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union said the shadow cabinet should be promising to resolve pay disputes and rip up anti-union legislation if they win the next election. He was joined Labour backbenchers Zara Sultana and Bell Ribeiro-Addy, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn and former Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, as he made a speech to crowds braving subzero temperatures on Whitehall on Monday evening. The protest was held to mark the second reading of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill in Parliament. The proposed legislation would see the right to take industrial action restricted by imposing minimum service levels. Bosses would be legally able to fire employees who ignore a notice requiring them to work on strike days. The Bill is in response to the wave of strikes which has been sweeping across the country for months, in bitter disputes over pay, jobs, staffing and conditions. Addressing demonstrators from a podium, Mr Lynch said: There are some people missing tonight. You get this every time you hear me. Weve got Jeremy (Corbyn), hes with us, weve got SNP MPs, weve got Caroline Lucas from the Green Party. But theres a big question wheres the Labour front bench tonight? The union boss said the Labour leader should not try to be a vanilla politician in a vanilla suit, adding: Come and stand with us stand up for socialism, stand up for workers and lets change this going forward. Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union and Unison were also present at the demonstration. Mick Lynch and Eddie Dempsey of the RMT with former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn (Kirsty OConnor/PA) Protesters chanted f*** the Tories and the people united will never be divided and others banged drums as they gathered in Westminster. Addressing protesters, Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union, said she was keeping warm by thinking about how National Education Union (NEU) teachers had earlier voted to strike. Its absolutely freezing but you know whats keeping me warm? The NEU just smashed their ballot, she told the crowd. Picket lines, democracy, we are the champions of them and we are not going to accept any extra conditions on our ability to do that. Mr Corbyn condemned disgusting levels of inequality in Britain under the Tory Government, while Ms Ribeiro-Addy, having come straight from Parliament, said the Bills introduction in the Commons had been absolutely disgraceful. All we heard from the minister was lies, deceit and utter contempt for our public service workers, she told protesters. Clare Keenan, from the PCS, described the Bill as an attack on my human rights and those of my fellow workers. She said: You cant make people go to work five days a week and having to use food banks and removing their ability to protest. Its just a hurdle that theyre putting in the way to stop workers from taking industrial action. Retired George Hallam, who attended to show solidarity with workers, likened the Bill to anti-strike action under Margaret Thatchers government. He said: I think the Government is chancing its arm because the last time it tried something like this was the 1970s. Its worse than a sin, its a mistake, because theyre likely to get a bloody nose like they did back then. Commenting on the protest earlier, Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack said: The protest at Downing Street is the start of a mass movement of resistance to this pernicious attack on the rights of working people to defend their jobs, wages and conditions against attacks from their bosses or cutbacks from the Government. The Prime Minister is seeking to steamroller extremely severe restrictions on the right to strike through Parliament today, without any meaningful scrutiny. Firefighters and other key workers, who kept our public services going during Covid, are at Downing Street, to tell Rishi Sunak that they will not accept this dictatorial assault on their democratic rights Instead of launching draconian attacks on the rights of working people, the Prime Minister must provide the resources to resolve this dispute by paying firefighters and other workers a decent wage, to alleviate in-work poverty. More than 100 applications have been received in the UKs 33rd round of offshore oil and gas licensing. The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), which regulates the sector, said a total of 115 bids have been received from 76 companies, covering 258 blocks of the sea. The licensing round for exploration and potential development opened in October. 115 bids across 258 blocks or part-blocks have been received in the UKs 33rd offshore oil and gas licensing round. The round, which will boost energy security, included 4 priority areas, which have known hydrocarbons. For more info, go to https://t.co/ZgsA72LLK8#energysecurity pic.twitter.com/4alFST134S North Sea Transition Authority (@NSTAuthority) January 17, 2023 The NSTA says the bids will now be studied and those that go ahead could begin production in as little as 18 months. Several different consents are needed after licences are granted but before production can begin, including ensuring it is in line with climate commitments. While offshore licensing is reserved to Westminster, last week the Scottish Government published its draft energy strategy which discussed its policy on the North Sea. Ministers in Edinburgh are consulting on whether to adopt a position of a presumption against new oil and gas drilling. Ministers in Edinburgh launched their energy strategy last week (Jane Barlow/PA) Nick Richardson, the NSTAs head of exploration, said: We have seen a strong response from industry to the (licensing) round, which has exceeded application levels compared to previous rounds. We will now be working hard to analyse the applications with a view to awarding the first licences from the second quarter of 2023. UK climate minister Graham Stuart said: Putins illegal invasion of Ukraine has led to volatile global energy markets. Its fantastic to see such interest from industry in this round, with the awarded licences set to play an important role in boosting domestic energy production and securing the UKs long-term energy security of supply. People are struggling with sleep, seeing friends less often and cutting back on hobbies due to financial concerns, research suggests. Money worries are stopping people from engaging in some of the activities known to help protect mental health and prevent problems developing, according to a survey for the Mental Health Foundation. Three in 10 UK adults who responded said they have experienced poorer quality sleep, while 23% said they socialised with friends less often over the previous month. One in six respondents (15%) pursued a hobby less often, and 12% exercised less. Some 3,060 adults aged 18 and over in the UK were surveyed for the charity by Opinium between November 7 and 14. Alongside the polling, the charity has published a briefing: Mental Health And The Cost-of-living Crisis: Another Pandemic In The Making? This sets out recommendations for UK leaders to tackle the mental health impacts. The briefing says Governments must ensure suitable financial support schemes are available to prevent people experiencing poverty, financial stress, and related mental health problems, and make fast-track funding available for community organisations. Mark Rowland, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, called the cost-of-living crisis a public mental health emergency. He said: We need good quality sleep. We need to be able to do things we enjoy. We need exercise. We need to be able to spend time with people we love. We need to do more than simply survive to have good mental health and wellbeing: we must thrive if we are to prevent mental health problems developing. We need our governments to do more to alleviate the negative mental health impacts of the cost-of-living crisis. A Government spokesperson said: We are protecting the most vulnerable from the pressures of rising prices with a package worth 26 billion, which includes our Energy Price Guarantee, capping the typical household bill at around 2,500 and saving 900 to April. Were investing an extra 2.3 billion per year into mental health services by 2024, which will deliver an additional 27,000 mental health professionals and give two million more people the help they need. We have also awarded 3.6 billion to the National Academy of Social Prescribing to support development of social prescribing, aiming to help thousands of people access innovative types of mental health support through a wide range of community-led social activities, services and opportunities. Queen has been voted the Childrens Word of the Year after the country mourned the loss of Elizabeth II. The Oxford University Press (OUP) said the findings highlight that the news has an impact on children and they absorb the language around current events. More than 4,000 children aged between six and 14 were asked for words they felt had been important during 2022 and, based on the top themes, three words Queen, happy and chaos were shortlisted. A separate poll, of a further 1,000 children by Opinium, was carried out to determine the Word of the Year 2022 from the shortlist of three. The research from Oxford University Press (OUP) suggests that nearly half (46%) of those children chose Queen as their number one word. This was followed by happy (36%) and chaos (14%). When asked why they chose Queen, many children cited sadness and loss as well as feelings of pride in relation to the late monarch. The Queen featured prominently in childrens lives over the past year, with last February marking 70 years since her accession to the throne. This was followed by Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June, and the country mourning her death at the age of 96 in September. Many children across the UK will have taken part in Jubilee celebrations last year, and experienced the death of a monarch for the first time. While more than half (52%) of girls questioned chose the word Queen, this was lower for boys at 39%. The OUP report suggests the difference between the sexes could be because the Queen provided an important female role model for girls, or that they could relate to her more readily. The Queen receives a posy from five-year-old Ashlynne Kingshot (centre) and her cousin, Leah, six, (left) during a visit to the Tower of London (Geoff Caddick/PA) Helen Freeman, director of Oxford Childrens Books, said: It comes as no surprise that Queen is Childrens Word of the Year for 2022. This not only reflects her majestys 70 years of incredible service, but over the past decade our research consistently reveals how attuned children are to the news and the impact current affairs have on their language. Its vital we continue to invest in language development and ensure children have access to a wide range of vocabulary in order to feel equipped to process and discuss the news. For more than a decade, lexicographers, experts and academic researchers in the childrens language department at the OUP have analysed the evolution of childrens language and self-expression. Last years Childrens Word of the Year was anxiety, and in 2020 it was coronavirus. The OUP also included a shortlist of three colloquial words cool, sick/sic and slay in its survey of 1,000 children. Two in five (40%) chose cool to be their top slang word, ahead of sick/sic (28%) and slay (15%). The Governments decision to move evacuated Afghan families hundreds of miles across England to new temporary accommodation caused considerable disruption to the education of children facing exams, the High Court has been told. Three refugee families are bringing a legal challenge against the Home Secretary, alleging she failed to fulfil a commitment to help them rebuild their lives in the UK after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in the summer of 2021. They claim an offer to transfer them from a London hotel in an area where children were studying and others had jobs to further temporary accommodation in northern England was unlawful, the court was told. Lawyers for the families say several children still do not have school places months after the move, while one woman is at risk of losing her job in the capital. The families have launched a legal challenge against the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman (Victoria Jones/PA) They accuse the Home Secretary, a role currently occupied by Suella Braverman, of failing to take into account the personal circumstances of the Afghan nationals when considering where they could be housed. The Home Secretarys lawyers dispute the linked claims, saying individual situations were looked at but the Cabinet minister was not under an enforceable duty to provide accommodation to the families. Martin Westgate KC, for the families, told a High Court hearing in London on Tuesday they were brought to the UK via resettlement schemes and settled in London over the course of a year. They experienced upheaval when they were offered the move up north last September after their hotel ended its contract with the Government, the court was told. Mr Westgate said the families had a vulnerability to a succession of temporary moves, with the transfer coming when some children were at a critical stage in their education. The barrister said the families situation applies to many others who are in bridging accommodation and while he did not have current figures, last August some 9,667 people under the resettlement schemes were still living in hotels. In written arguments, Mr Westgate said the UK Governments Operation Warm Welcome aimed to ensure Afghans arriving in the UK receive the vital support they need to rebuild their lives, find work, pursue education and integrate into their local communities. This involved arranging temporary bridging accommodation in hotels until families could secure permanent housing likely in the private-rented sector with the support of public funding, Mr Westgate said. Afghans who had worked with the British Army were evacuated from Kabul after the country fell to the Taliban (LPhot Ben Shread/MoD/PA) While in London, he said, the families, among the 15,000 Afghans evacuated to the UK during the British militarys Operation Pitting, had established themselves in the area and children were making good progress in schools and had made friends. Mr Westgate said: The families have been constrained to give up jobs, school places, support networks and other important ties only to be moved to further temporary accommodation, which may itself be brought to an end at any time. Children were taken out of school with no other placement arranged for them. Whilst they remain in temporary accommodation, they are vulnerable to further moves potentially to an indefinite string of temporary placements so making it impossible for them to settle or to progress with their education and social development at any location. He said there is no evidence the Home Secretary balanced the childrens best interests, no indication there was an inquiry into the availability of new school places and no consideration that several children faced exams this year. He said while the families had not been forced to live anywhere, the practical reality is they had no option but to move. Cathryn McGahey KC, representing the Government, said in written arguments that the bid to have the accommodation offers quashed and the families rehoused in or near where they previously lived was misconceived. She said the interests of school-aged children had at all times been central to decision-making and individual circumstances were considered. Ms McGahey said the availability of local education was taken into account when commissioning bridging accommodation. She said a decision last summer to end the temporary housing of evacuated Afghans in London hotels was made due to cost and local migration pressures exacerbated by migrants arriving to the UK via small boats across the Channel. The barrister said that as a result it was inevitable the families would be offered accommodation outside the capital, with the concern it was unrealistic for Afghans to find permanent rented homes there. She said providing temporary accommodation was an operational measure and the Home Secretary was not under any enforceable duty to provide accommodation to the (families). There was no published policy through which the Secretary of State purported to commit herself to providing bridging accommodation to these individuals, she added. Ms McGahey told the court the Home Secretarys decisions were all fully within the lawful exercise of her discretion. A claim brought by a fourth family has been withdrawn after private rented accommodation was found, the court was told. The hearing before Mr Justice Henshaw concluded on Tuesday, with a judgment due at a later date. A man wearing a camouflage uniform walks out of PMC Wagner Centre, which is a project implemented by the businessman and founder of the Wagner private military group Yevgeny Prigozhin, during the official opening of the office block in Saint Petersburg, Russia, November 4, 2022. (Igor Russak/Reuters) MOSCOW (Reuters) - A former commander of Russia's Wagner mercenary group who fought in Ukraine said he has fled to Norway and is seeking asylum in fear for his life after witnessing the killing and mistreatment of Russian prisoners brought to the frontline. Andrei Medvedev, who joined the group in July 2022 on a four-month contract, said in a video posted by the Gulagu.net rights group that he had crossed the border into Norway before being detained by Norwegian police. Medvedev, an orphan who joined the Russian army and served time in prison before joining Wagner, said he had slipped away from the group after witnessing the killing of captured deserters from Wagner. "I am afraid of dying in agony," Medvedev told Vladimir Osechkin, founder of the Gulagu.net rights group, which said it had helped Medvedev leave Russia after he approached the group in fear for his life. He said he crossed the border, climbing through barbed-wire fences and evading a border patrol with dogs, and heard guards firing shots as he ran through a forest and over thin and breaking ice into Norway. Norwegian police said a foreign citizen had been arrested on the night of Thursday to Friday after illegally crossing the Russian-Norwegian border in the Arctic and was seeking asylum. His Norwegian lawyer said Medvedev was now in the "Oslo area" but did not give details. "What is important for him (Medvedev) is that immigration authorities clarify his status as soon as possible," lawyer Brynjulf Risnes told Reuters. Medvedev had not yet talked with Norwegian security police and no agreement for an interview had been made, Risnes said. "I am sure that will be a question at some point," said Risnes, who declined to say where Medvedev was fighting in Ukraine. "He says he has taken part in battle, which he says were clear battle situations ... and that he has not been in contact with civilians," said Risnes. Visitors pose for a picture outside PMC Wagner Centre, which is a project implemented by the businessman and founder of the Wagner private military group Yevgeny Prigozhin, during the official opening of the office block in Saint Petersburg, Russia, November 4, 2022. (Igor Russak/Reuters) Yevgeny Prigozhin, who founded Wagner, said that Medvedev had worked in a Norwegian unit of Wagner but had "mistreated prisoners". "Be careful, he's very dangerous," Prigozhin said in a statement released by his spokeswoman. Prigozhin did not address the claims of killings or mistreatment of prisoners in the statement. In interviews with Gulagu, Medvedev said he grew disaffected after his contract was repeatedly extended by Wagner without his consent. He said he had witnessed the killing and mistreatment of Russian prisoners who were brought to the front by Wagner. Medvedev said losses were very high after Wagner began sending large numbers of prisoners to the front in the second half of 2022. Wagner's internal security service handed out extreme punishment, Medvedev said. He said a man who was shown in November being executed with a sledgehammer had been part of his unit. The Wagner statement did not address Medvedev's accounts of punishment and of battlefield losses, or that his contract was repeatedly extended. Prigozhin has said his group is an effective fighting force because it had extensive battlefield experience, it is well supplied, has a meritocratic command system in which all can contribute and "the most severe discipline". Russia sent forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, in what it calls a "special military operation" to "denazify" its neighbour and protect Russian security. Overseas doctors share COVID-19 treatment experience with China Chinadaily.com.cn) 08:51, January 17, 2023 Disease control and prevention workers collect samples from frozen products in Tianjin's Nankai district on Nov 9, 2020. [Photo/China Daily] United by a common purpose, doctors across national borders are exchanging their expertise and experience online to improve the clinical treatment of COVID-19 patients. Earlier this month, the Society of Chinese American Physicians and Entrepreneurs and the Alliance of North American Chinese Physicians presented an online lecture series to share treatment experiences with their peers in China. "Our lecture is for the public good," said Chen Xiongying, the host of the lectures and president of the society, known as SCAPE. "The only hope is to share our experience with our Chinese counterparts and help them avoid detours. We believe this will benefit all and help ensure quality care for Chinese patients. "For the lectures, eight doctors from key hospitals in the United States were invited. All have been battling the Omicron variant since last year. Their expertise covered infectious diseases, immunology, internal medicine, pediatric cardiology, respiratory medicine, critical care and other fields." The program attracted many Chinese doctors, and online viewership reached 7 million. "The Chinese doctors we have encountered are very diligent and dedicated," said Gao Lei, president of the North American alliance known as ANACP. Some of them were our classmates. They kept working even after they fell sick, which earned our respect." The first lecture on Jan 1 was followed by others on Jan 2, 8 and 15.Qiao Renli, a doctor in the respiratory and critical care department at University of Southern California Medical Center, expressed his gratitude to Chinese doctors during the Jan 8 lecture. "In 2020, Chinese doctors donated masks and other protective equipment to my hospital. Now they are working to protect our domestic families and friends. I want to express my sincere thanks to them," Qiao said. Lu Xin, deputy director of the rheumatology and immunology department of China-Japan Friendship Hospital, attended the lecture on Jan 1. She said the academic and clinical exchange was very instructive for her as she approached her patients. "The experience and progress of domestic and foreign clinicians in the diagnosis and treatment of Omicron infections have reference value for the diagnosis and treatment of all types of COVID-19 patients," Lu said. "It is helpful as clinicians work to improve their diagnostic capabilities and treatment skills." Previously, in mid-December, ANACP and Tsinghua University presented two lectures for ordinary Chinese people coping with the infection. Three US physicians Wang Jin, an infectious disease specialist at Mercy Hospital in St Louis, Missouri, Lisa Huang from Virginia and Huang Li from California wrote articles on COVID-19 prevention and treatment that were viewed 3.2 million times online. Faced with urgent demand, SCAPE and ANACP agreed to host lectures on COVID-19 for Chinese doctors. For real-time communication, they set up four WeChat groups, which were soon joined by as many as 1,800 Chinese professionals. Chen, SCAPE's president, said there are no borders in the medical domain. "Since COVID-19 broke out, medical workers all over the world rushed to exchange their knowledge on prevention and treatment. This not only benefits ordinary people but is also helpful in developing new vaccines and medicines,"Chen said. Gao, ANACP's president, said: "Through China-US communication, Chinese doctors can adopt mature treatment programs. They will not need to redo clinical trials on hormones and anticoagulant drugs that have been proved ineffective by their US counterparts. Meanwhile, China's experience will also help other countries redouble the fight against new variants in the future." Saint Lucia Consulting, a medical advisory company, also invited doctors this time from Singapore and the US in December and January to present online lectures and share their experiences in COVID-19 intervention and developing treatment strategies. Cai Qiang, chairman of the company, said he believes the key for a human community with a shared future is working together. "Chinese patients and their families have various questions about COVID-19, especially patients with underlying conditions. To answer them, we did a lot of investigations and coordinated with doctors overseas before the lectures began," Cai said. "US doctors are very passionate about helping the Chinese people, even though they were in the middle of their Christmas holiday." (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun) The husband of Ana Walshe, a Massachusetts mother of three who has been missing for more than two weeks, has been charged with her murder, according to a warrant issued from Quincy District Court on Tuesday. Brian Walshe is scheduled to be arraigned on the charge on Wednesday, according to the district attorneys office in Norfolk County. Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey declined to disclose what led to the murder charge, though he said in a video statement Tuesday that the "evidence in support" of the charge will likely be presented at the arraignment. PHOTO: Brian Walshe, of Cohasset, faces a Quincy Court judge charged with impeding the investigation into his wife Ana' disappearance from their home, on Jan. 9, 2023. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool) Brian Walshe, 47, was previously arrested for allegedly misleading investigators after his wife was reported missing earlier this month. He entered a not guilty plea to the charge of misleading a police investigation at his arraignment in Quincy District Court last week and is being held on a bail of $500,000 cash or $5 million surety bond. MORE: Police arrest husband of missing Massachusetts mom of 3 for allegedly misleading investigators Ana Walshe, 39, was reported missing on Jan. 4 by her husband and employer, police said. She was reported last seen by a family member around 4 or 5 a.m. on Jan. 1 at her Cohasset home and was supposed to take a ride share to the airport for a flight to Washington, D.C. -- though police have not been able to confirm that she took a ride share, according to Cohasset Police Chief William Quigley. PHOTO: In this image posted to her Facebook account, Ana Walshe is shown. (Ana Walshe/FaceBook) Police confirmed she never boarded a flight out of Boston Logan International Airport, Quigley said. Neither her cellphone nor credit cards have been active since Jan. 1, he told reporters during a press briefing on Jan. 6. Prior to his wife's disappearance, Brian Walshe made a trip to a local home improvement store to purchase a tarp and cleaning supplies, according to Assistant District Attorney Lynn Beland. Police investigators found a knife and blood in the basement area of the Walshes' home, according to Beland. Husband charged with murder of missing Massachusetts mom of 3: Prosecutors originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Former Mexican Secretary of Public Security Genaro Garcia Luna, shown in 2010, is on trial in the U.S. on federal charges of conspiring to traffic cocaine. (Marco Ugarte / Associated Press) Just a few days into the trial of drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, a witness dropped a bombshell allegation: A Sinaloa cartel associate testified that he had personally given Mexicos top drug cop briefcases full of cash millions in bribes to let the cartel operate with impunity. Now, the man who had been considered an architect of Mexicos anti-drug battle and a key partner of U.S. law enforcement is on trial in the same New York federal court. Genaro Garcia Luna head of Mexicos version of the FBI from 2001 to 2006 and public security minister from 2006 to 2012 is accused of conspiring with the criminals he was ostensibly aiming to take down. Jury selection began Tuesday. Garcia Luna, 54, who was arrested in December 2019, is the highest ranking Mexican official to face trial in the U.S. on drug-trafficking charges four counts of conspiracy to traffic cocaine. Its as if the head of the FBI or Drug Enforcement Agency was accused of taking millions in drug money. Garcia Luna frequently met with top U.S. security officials while in office and was often portrayed as the public face of Mexicos drug war. But prosecutors say they plan to show that Mexico's former top cop provided the cartel with safe passage for its drug shipments and with sensitive information about investigations into the cartel or rival gangs. This is the most important national security and drug-trafficking trial of this century, even more so than El Chapos, said Rodolfo Soriano Nunez, a sociologist and former professor who has long studied the use of military force in Mexico. We knew Chapo was dirty, Soriano said, but Chapo is nothing but a peasant from rural Sinaloa. Garcia Luna, by contrast, was a powerful public official who held the trust of Mexicos president from 2006 to 2012, Felipe Calderon, who mobilized the military and federal police in what became a bloody, more than decade-long battle against drug cartels. It has the potential to unveil one of the key aspects of the so-called war on drugs here in Mexico, Soriano said, which is that of the ties, the links, the connection between political power and the so-called drug gangs. Mexico's President Felipe Calderon speaks to reporters in 2010 as Genaro Garcia Luna, then security minister, stands behind him. (Alexandre Meneghini / Associated Press) The stakes of the trial The testimony and evidence that could come out at the trial could have far-reaching consequences on both sides of the border. With a career spanning three decades, Garcia Luna has intimate knowledge of the drug war in Mexico and ties to the countrys administrations going back to the early 2000s. And he had a particularly close relationship with the DEA and FBI from the latter part of President George W. Bush's second administration through President Obamas first, said Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, a professor at George Mason University. Revelations from the trial could be a major stain on past administrations in Mexico. To critics of the drug war, a conviction would confirm the failure of the joint U.S.-Mexico effort, which received billions of dollars in U.S. aid and was blamed for tens of thousands of deaths but did little to reduce cartel violence or smuggling. The collaboration has not resulted in the dismantling of drug-trafficking networks, said Correa-Cabrera. Today, the United States consumes more drugs than ever before, and through the border more drugs than ever before enter the United States. The trial could put additional strain on declining security cooperation between the two countries. During the Calderon years, U.S. security agencies had essentially a free pass to go wherever they wanted in Mexico, Correa-Cabrera said. Las agencias entraban hasta la cocina, said Correa-Cabrera, using a Mexican expression that translates as The agencies made it all the way into the kitchen. She noted that Mexicos current administration has shifted toward more limited cooperation with U.S. security agencies on Mexican territory. And with the 2024 U.S. presidential election in sight, experts say the United States doesnt hold a lot of leverage to pressure Mexican authorities to change that, considering how much Washington relies on Mexico City to control U.S.-bound migration through Mexico. Who is Garcia Luna? As minister of public security from 2006 to 2012, Garcia Luna is widely regarded as the architect of Calderons controversial war on the drug cartels. Garcia Luna started his career at the National Intelligence Center, Mexicos CIA equivalent, in 1989 and joined a special counterterrorism unit. After nearly a decade, he joined the federal police, and in 2001 then-President Vicente Fox named him head of the new Federal Investigation Agency. At the agency, known as the AFI, which has since been dissolved, Garcia Luna led what was hailed as a transformation of Mexicos police forces. In a series of interviews that Correa-Cabrera had with Garcia Luna in 2017 and 2018, he said that the federal judicial police had ties to drug trafficking and that he had been given the responsibility to clean it up. AFI was the promise of a better police, one not connected to drug trafficking, she said. The Mexican government at the time likened the new agency to the FBI. When Calderon took the presidency in 2006, he elevated Garcia Luna to his Cabinet. Genaro Garcia Luna speaks during a 2011 ceremony in Mexico City. (Alexandre Meneghini / Associated Press) Rumors and cold trails Soon after Fox took office in 2000, the government captured several Sinaloa cartel members. But after that initial sprint, things quieted down. Opposition politicians and security experts started to question why the governments hunt for the elusive cartel leader El Chapo seemed to have gone cold. Calderons declared war on the drug cartels shattered old alliances and drove drug lords to fight over the territory. There were high-profile arrests, but they were mostly from rival organizations such as the Zetas or the Beltran Leyva organization. Rumors of government favoritism toward the Sinaloa cartel grew louder. During the heat of the drug wars in 2008, Mexicans in several states woke up to banners, or narcomantas, hanging from bridges or spread across the entrance to a cathedral that accused Garcia Luna of protecting drug dealers. One of the most controversial claims appeared in a letter published in November 2012 in the pages of the well-regarded national newspaper Reforma. Writing from prison, Edgar "La Barbie" Valdez Villareal, a drug kingpin from the Beltran Leyva cartel, accused Garcia Luna and his closest associates of receiving narco money since 2002. I can attest that he has received money from me, from drug-trafficking groups and organized crime, said Valdez, before adding, I may be guilty of a lot, but they, the officials, are part of the criminal structure of this country. Officials said the accusations were an attempt by Valdez to gain privileges while in prison; Garcia Luna remained untouched. (Valdez was sentenced in 2018 by a U.S. judge to 49 years in prison.) Garcia Lunas life in Miami When Calderons term ended in 2012, Garcia Luna fell out of the public eye. Married with two children, he was granted permanent residency in the United States and was soon a routine guest at conferences hosted by American universities. He started a private security consulting and risk management firm with offices in Miami and Mexico City. His clientele included foreign governments and companies, and his primary client was the Mexican government, his defense said in pretrial filings. In 2018, he applied to become a naturalized U.S. citizen. Before his arrest in Miami, he was living in a waterside mansion with a dock and boat for his use, all given to him by his business partners because he had no wealth to speak of at the time, Garcia Lunas defense wrote in a court filing. Because his business partners wanted to ensure Mr. Garcia Lunas continued involvement with their business, they provided him a place to live in Miami, the defense wrote. On to Brooklyn It seems unlikely that Garcia Lunas trial which is expected to last two months will be as theatrical as that of Guzman, who was famous worldwide as an escape artist who had long eluded arrest. But prosecutors have telegraphed in court filings that they expect to present numerous witnesses including former high-ranking members of the Sinaloa cartel to testify about the bribes Garcia Luna is accused of accepting. The judge granted prosecutors' requests for an anonymous and partially sequestered jury, the same protections that were used during Guzmans trial. The documents in the case are voluminous. Garcia Lunas public defender, assigned by the court after the defendants assets were seized, complained in initial court appearances about having to go through millions of pages of evidence with little support. If found guilty, Garcia Luna could face a minimum of about 20 years and a maximum of life in prison. Another arrest, at LAX Mexico's current president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, has called the case against Garcia Luna emblematic of the institutional corruption of his predecessors, especially Calderon, a longtime political adversary. However, Lopez Obrador was furious when, the year after Garcia Lunas arrest in Dallas, U.S. authorities detained a former Mexican defense secretary, Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda, moments after he landed with his family at Los Angeles International Airport. Like Garcia Luna, Cienfuegos was charged with collaborating with Mexican drug cartels while in office. Lopez Obrador, facing fierce backlash from the powerful military, denounced the charges against Cienfuegos and demanded that Washington release the retired general. The Trump administration ultimately dropped the charges and returned Cienfuegos to Mexico, where he went free. In Mexico, Lopez Obrador who once assailed the deployment of the military against drug cartels has been harshly criticized for greatly expanding the militarys role in internal security. He is repeating the same mistakes" as Calderon, Soriano said. Corona is a special correspondent. Times Mexico City bureau chief Patrick J. McDonnell contributed to this report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. FILE - Members of the Missouri House of Representatives recite the Pledge of Allegiance as they begin their annual legislative session, Jan. 5, 2022, in Jefferson City, Mo. Women who serve in the Missouri House will face a tougher dress code when they return to the floor this week after a debate that Democrats panned as a pointless distraction from the issues facing the state. The new rules require female legislators and staff members to wear a jacket such as a cardigan or blazer. The Republican lawmaker who introduced the change said it was done to ensure decorum and mirror the mens dress code. Democrats called it ridiculous, saying women should not be policed for their fashion choices. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) Women who serve in the Missouri House will face a tougher dress code when they return to the floor this week after a debate that Democrats panned as a pointless distraction from the issues facing the state. The new rules require female legislators and staff members to wear a jacket such as a cardigan or blazer. The Republican lawmaker who introduced the change said it was done to ensure decorum and mirror the mens dress code. Democrats called it ridiculous, saying women shouldnt be policed for their fashion choices. Republican Rep. Ann Kelley, who introduced the amendment, said it cleans up language in current House rules so that the dress code for women will mirror the dress code for men. It is essential to always maintain a formal and professional atmosphere on House floor and to ensure this happens, I have felt compelled to offer this amendment, she said during Wednesdays floor debate. Her initial amendment said women would be required to wear business attire specifically a jacket, which would include blazers and knit blazers. After spirited debate, a revised amendment was adopted to clarify that a cardigan could also be worn. Men in the Missouri House of Representatives were already required to wear a jacket, shirt and a tie. Under the previous dress code, women were required to wear dresses or skirts or slacks worn with a blazer or sweater and appropriate dress shoes or boots. A second layer of clothing was not required. Kelley said ensuring decorum was a key reason behind her proposal - an idea Democrats seized on. Ive seen a lot of lack of decorum in this room in my two years here and not once has that lack of decorum spurred from someones blazer or lack thereof, said Rep. Ashley Aune, a Democrat. There are a lot of ways we could break decorum in this room. But a woman, what shes wearing, that is ridiculous. Aune went on to say she has personally been asked about her attire, even though she was following the rules. Do you know what it feels like to have a bunch of men in this room looking at your top trying to determine if its appropriate or not? she said. Virginia Ramseyer Winter, an associate professor at the University of Missouri School of Health Professions and director of the Center for Body Image Research and Policy, said lawmakers shouldnt have even debated this because it unnecessarily put the focus on the way women look instead of the issues. I think it reinforces the idea that we value women more for their appearance above other more important things like their intelligence and their contributions, she said. Ramseyer Winter and other critics of the measure said the debate echoed the one over abortion restrictions lawmakers approved last summer after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. I do think that it also sends the message that we have to police womens bodies, she said. Rep. Raychel Proudie, a Democrat, took issue with the amendment before it was amended to include cardigan. She pointed out that it wouldnt be easy for pregnant women to comply because they dont make jackets or blazers for women who are pregnant. That could be very uncomfortable, particularly in a pro-life state. The dress code was a small part of a package of rules that state lawmakers ultimately approved last Wednesday. There are some very serious things that are in this rule package that I think we should be debating, but instead we are fighting, again, for a womens right to choose something. And this time it is how she covers herself, Proudie said. Lawmakers in other states have pushed back against dress code rules as sexist and culturally insensitive. Congress' longstanding ban on sleeveless tops and open-toes shoes generated a fight in 2017 before those rules were updated. Missouri Republicans said the criticism of the dress code was overdone when all the rules did was clarify what is required. Its a normal process for any entity regarding a professional work environment, Republican state Rep. Doug Richey said. We just happen to have a political context that we have to navigate and, because of that, it is ripe for some members to grandstand and try to make it into something that its not. Still Rep. Peter Merideth, a Democrat, declined to vote on the dress code amendment because he didn't want to dare say what was appropriate or inappropriate for women to wear. In the House, there are 43 women and 116 men. This is ridiculous, he said. Our people sent us here to pass laws not fight about mandates and rules on womens clothing. The 2018 killing of Lesandro Guzman-Feliz, known as Junior, was caught on tape, sparking outrage NEW YORK (AP) The final five defendants were sentenced Friday in the fatal gang stabbing of a 15-year-old whose attackers mistook him for an underworld rival, a killing that unleashed outrage in New York and beyond. Fridays sentencing marked an end to a slate of prosecutions in the June 2018 killing of Lesandro Guzman-Feliz, who was known as Junior. In all, 13 people have pleaded guilty or been convicted in the crime. Captured on video, the killing left the Bronx community and the world horrified at such complete disregard for human life, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said in a statement. This undated file photo provided by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) shows Lesandro Guzman-Feliz, 15, who was attacked at a bodega in the Bronx borough of New York on June 19, 2018, and died after being slashed in the neck with a machete. (NYPD via AP, File) Two gang leaders set the assault in motion by telling their underlings to go after members of another subgroup of their gang, prosecutors said. The two leaders were convicted of murder and sentenced last year to 25 years to life behind bars. Guzman-Feliz wasnt affiliated with any gang, authorities said. Nonetheless, gang members zeroed in on him. The five who were sentenced on Friday, plus a sixth who was sentenced Tuesday, dragged the youth out of a corner store where he tried to hide. All six pleaded guilty to manslaughter and got prison terms that vary between 12 and 18 years. Five other defendants attacked the victim with knives and a machete, prosecutors said, citing trial evidence. The five were convicted of murder and got at least 23-year sentences; one was sentenced to life behind bars. The crime triggered protests demanding Justice for Junior. Thousands of people paid respects at his funeral. An aspiring police officer, Guzman-Feliz was a member of the New York Police Department Explorers program, which introduces young people to careers in law enforcement. The New York City Police Foundation established a college scholarship in his honor. TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today! The post Mistaken-identity gang killing case ends with 13 in prison appeared first on TheGrio. As the number of people experiencing homelessness increases across the country, more cities and states have passed laws making it illegal to live out of tents and cars or sleep in public spaces. More than 100 jurisdictions have had such bans on the books for years, according to the National Homelessness Law Center.In recent months, high-profile measures have been approved targeting homelessness in many western U.S. cities and across entire states. Federal data shows 582,462 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2022. Experts warn more people will enter homelessness as housing costs increase, as has been the case for decades in cities such as New York and in much of California. If visible, unsheltered homelessness continues to grow, city leaders will have an easier time passing measures advocates say criminalize basic needs such as sleep and sheltering oneself, Eric Tars, legal director for the National Homelessness Law Center, told USA TODAY. "The danger is that the worse the housing situation gets, the more people we see on the streets, the more will be the push for these punitive policies," Tars said. A woman pushes a cart past a tent along the sidewalk on Dec. 20, 2022, in Salt Lake City. These states and cities have passed laws making it illegal to live in tents or sleep on public property: Missouri bans sleeping in parks On Jan. 1, a statewide ban on sleeping on state-owned land took effect in Missouri, making it a misdemeanor to sleep in public spaces such as parks or under bridges. Experts say Missouri's law is concerning because it covers the state and adds pressure on top of municipal bans. It's wrong to assume people experiencing homelessness can just leave and go to another state, Tars said. People have an "assumption" that "homeless people are infinitely mobile and theyll go somewhere else," Tars said. "But most people, contrary to this notion of vagrancy and transience, are homeless in the community where they were once housed." Missouri's law also restricts state funding for permanent housing, a model taken from template legislation created by the conservative Cicero Institute, according to Stateline, the Pew Charitable Trusts news service. "To take funding away from housing that has the appropriate resources attached to it is devastating, problematic and perpetuates the issue of homelessness," said Kathy Connors, executive director of Gateway180 shelter in St. Louis. She added that people experiencing homelessness who are displaced from rural areas are forced to seek temporary services available only in cities, which is straining the system. Gabe DeBay, Medical Services Officer with the Shoreline Fire Department, checks the blood pressure of a homeless man at a tent encampment during the hottest part of the day on July 26, 2022, in Shoreline, Washington. The Pacific Northwest is experiencing a heat wave with potentially record-breaking temperatures, which is expected to last for the rest of the week. Tennessee makes it a felony to live in a tent In July, Tennessee became the first state to make it a felony to live in a tent or sleep on state land. Statewide bans have been introduced in recent years by legislators in five other states, Pew says. "Policies like this are making homelessness worse," Tars said, because arrest, jail time and a criminal record put up steep barriers to employment, securing an apartment and accessing social services. Portland, Oregon, bans tent living The City Council in Portland, Oregon, voted in November to approve a plan to ban living in tents and will shift people living in encampments into six city-sanctioned mass encampment sites capped at 250 people. The measure includes plans to build 20,000 additional affordable housing units and eventually would require everyone living on the streets to move into shelters, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported. The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon sent the Portland City Council a letter warning the new measure could be unlawful. Last month, the civil rights group sued the city of Phoenix over a similar ban, resulting in a temporary block from a federal judge. Oregon's recently elected Gov. Tina Kotek started her term this week by declaring a state of emergency for parts of the state that have seen huge increases in unsheltered homelessness, including Portland. Paskal Pawlicki from My Friends House Foundation, hands a bottle of water to a homeless man in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022. Washoe County, Nevada, considers bans In December, Washoe County Commissioners in Nevada voted 3-2 to consider an ordinance to ban camping in tents or vehicles and storing personal items in public when it poses "significant harm to any person, or public area." Violators could be charged with a misdemeanor or a $500 fine. Within the county, Reno and Sparks already had similar ordinances in place. In 2021, 25% of young people experiencing homelessness served by the Eddy House shelter in Reno lived on the streets, CEO Trevor Macaluso told USA TODAY. He added that people displaced by sweeps in Reno and Sparks usually relocate their encampment somewhere else in the city, which makes the bans ineffective. Los Angeles bans some homeless tent cities A City Council-approved ban on tent living in certain areas was expanded in August 2022 to prohibit encampments within 500 feet of schools and day care centers after teachers and parents complained students couldn't access nearby sidewalks. School administrators have said the ban isn't always enforced by the city and police, according to EdSource, an outlet covering education in California. More recently, the mayors of Los Angeles and Long Beach and Los Angeles County declared states of emergency over the homeless crisis aimed at speeding up services to reduce and prevent homelessness. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Homeless in the US: Tent cities banned as more people lose their homes FILE - Former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at Mar-a-lago on Election Day, Nov. 8, 2022, in Palm Beach, Fla. Trump will be joined by two of his highest-profile South Carolina supporters at the first public campaign event of his 2024 White House bid later this month in the early voting state. Gov. Henry McMaster and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham will be with Trump on Jan. 28 at the Statehouse in Columbia, where he will unveil his South Carolina leadership team. . (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Former President Donald Trump will be joined by two high-profile South Carolina supporters U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Gov. Henry McMaster at his first public 2024 presidential campaign event in the early voting state later this month. Trump will be at the Statehouse in Columbia on Jan. 28 and will unveil his South Carolina leadership team, according to a person familiar with the plans. That person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the person wasnt authorized to speak publicly. Trump's campaign had previously confirmed the South Carolina event but hadn't provided details. The event will also include members of South Carolinas congressional delegation, as well as state lawmakers, according to the person. U.S. Rep. Russell Fry, who with Trump's support ousted U.S. Rep. Tom Rice in a primary last year, told the AP on Tuesday that he would be at the rollout, saying Trump "delivered for the American people before and can do so again. U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, who defeated a Trump-backed opponent in her own GOP primary last year, told AP she would not attend the event, and that she would would wait to endorse a 2024 candidate once the field is set." Until then, my powder is dry," she said. Among remaining Republicans in South Carolina's U.S. House delegation, Rep. William Timmons' office said he would attend Trump's event, Rep. Jeff Duncans office said he would not, and a spokesman for Rep. Ralph Norman said his attendance wasn't certain. A representatives for Rep. Joe Wilson didn't immediately return a message Tuesday. According to South Carolina government officials, the Trump campaign has blocked off 3 a.m. to 10 p.m. at a variety of sites inside and outside the Statehouse building, planning for 500 attendees. Reservation information shared with AP promotes the event "as an opportunity to exemplify the strong support from elected officials in the state as we approach the one year mark to South Carolinas Republican Presidential Primary. Some operatives and elected officials in South Carolina have been receiving calls from Graham asking for their support for Trump's reelection bid. At least two of the people asked had turned down the request, according to the person, who spoke with the pair. Since announcing his latest presidential run in November, Trump has limited his public campaign appearances to events at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida before an invited crowd or in a virtual setting. Trumps visit to South Carolina comes as two of the states top Republicans mull 2024 bids of their own. Nikki Haley, a former governor and onetime U.N. ambassador, said she would take the holiday season to consider a White House campaign. U.S. Sen. Tim Scott has been making visits in other early voting states and launched a political action committee that could become a presidential campaign vehicle. A Scott spokesperson did not immediately comment Tuesday when asked if the senator would attend Trump's event. ___ Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP In this image provided by the U.S. Army, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley meets with U.S. Army leaders responsible for the collective training of Ukrainians at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Grafenwoehr, Germany, on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. At left is Brig. Gen. Joseph E. Hilbert, who is the commanding general for the 7th Army Training Command. Milley visited the training site in Germany for Ukrainian forces and met with troops and commanders.(Staff Sgt. Jordan Sivayavirojna/U.S. Army via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) A MILITARY BASE IN SOUTHEASTERN POLAND (AP) The top U.S. military officer, Army Gen. Mark Milley, traveled to a site near the Ukraine-Poland border on Tuesday and talked with his Ukrainian counterpart face to face for the first time a meeting underscoring the growing ties between the two militaries and coming at a critical time as Russia's war with Ukraine nears the one-year mark. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met for a couple of hours with Ukraines chief military officer, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, at an undisclosed location in southeastern Poland. The two leaders have talked frequently about Ukraine's military needs and the state of the war over the past year but had never met. The meeting comes as the international community ramps up the military assistance to Ukraine, including expanded training of Ukrainian troops by the U.S. and the provision of a Patriot missile battery, tanks and increased air defense and other weapons systems by the U.S. and a coalition of European and other nations. It also marks a key time in the war. Ukraine's troops face fierce fighting in the eastern Donetsk province, where Russian forces supplemented by thousands of private Wagner Group contractors seek to turn the tide after a series of battlefield setbacks in recent months. Army Col. Dave Butler, a spokesman for Milley, told two reporters traveling with the chairman that the two generals felt it was important to meet in person. The reporters did not accompany Milley to the meeting and, under conditions set by the military, agreed to not identify the military base in southeastern Poland where they were located. These guys have been talking on a very regular basis for about a year now, and theyve gotten to know each other, Butler said. Theyve talked in detail about the defense that Ukraine is trying to do against Russias aggression. And its important when you have two military professionals looking each other in the eye and talking about very, very important topics, theres a difference. Butler said there had been some hope that Zaluzhnyi would travel to Brussels for a meeting of NATO and other defense chiefs this week, but when it became clear on Monday that it would not happen, they quickly decided to meet in Poland, near the border. While a number of U.S. civilian leader s have gone into Ukraine, the Biden administration has made it clear that no uniformed military service members will go into Ukraine other than those connected to the embassy in Kyiv. Butler said only a small group Milley and six of his senior staffers traveled by car to the meeting. He said that the meeting will allow Milley to relay Zaluzhnyi's concerns and information to the other military leaders during the NATO chiefs' meeting. Milley, he said, will be able to describe the tactical and operational conditions on the battlefield and what the military needs are for that, and the way he does that is one by understanding it himself but by also talking to Zaluzhnyi on a regular basis. Milley also will be able to describe the new training of Ukrainian forces that the U.S. is doing at the Grafenwoehr training area in Germany. The chairman, who got his first look at the new, so-called combined arms instruction during a nearly two-hour visit there on Monday, has said it will better prepare Ukrainian troops to launch an offensive or counter any surge in Russian attacks. More than 600 Ukrainian troops began the expanded training program at the camp just a day before Milley arrived. Milley and Zaluzhnyi's meeting kicks off a series of high-level gatherings of military and defense leaders this week. Milley and other chiefs of defense will meet in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday, and then the so-called Ukraine Contact Group will gather at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Thursday and Friday. That group consists of about 50 top defense officials, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and they work to coordinate military contributions to Ukraine. The meetings are expected to focus on Ukraine's ongoing and future military needs as the hard-packed terrain of the winter months turns into muddy roads and fields in the spring. After several months of losing territory it had captured, Russia in recent days claimed it took control of the small salt-mining town of Soledar. Ukraine asserts that its troops are still fighting, but if Moscows troops take control of Soledar it would allow them to inch closer to the bigger city of Bakhmut, where fighting has raged for months. And in a barrage of airstrikes over the weekend, Russia struck Kyiv, the northeastern city of Kharkiv and the southeastern city of Dnipro, where the death toll in one apartment building rose to 44. Western analysts point to signs that the Kremlin is digging in for a drawn-out war, and say the Russian military command is preparing for an expanded mobilization effort. ___ Follow the AP's coverage of Russia's war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine. FILE - In this image made from video of WisconsinEye feed, Commissioner Robert Spindell Jr. speaks during a virtual Wisconsin Elections Commission meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. A Wisconsin judge on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, dismissed an open records complaint against a Republican Wisconsin Elections Commission member who served as a fake elector for former President Donald Trump. Allegations that the elections commission violated the state open records law will go forward, but claims made against Commissioner Robert Spindell were dismissed by Dane County Circuit Judge Robert Frost. (WisconsinEye via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) MADISON, Wis. (AP) A Wisconsin judge on Tuesday dismissed an open records complaint against a Republican member of the Wisconsin Elections Commission who served as a fake elector for former President Donald Trump. Allegations that the elections commission violated the state open records law by wrongly withholding documents will go forward, but claims made against Commissioner Robert Spindell were dismissed by Dane County Circuit Judge Jacob Frost. The commission itself, not Spindell, is the legal authority that must maintain the records in question and be the target of any lawsuit seeking them, Frost ruled after oral arguments. Madison-based law firm Law Forward, known for the liberal-leaning cases it takes, filed the lawsuit against the commission and Spindell. Law Forward attorney Scott Thompson said after the hearing that he remained optimistic the records would be turned over even though Spindell is no longer a party to the lawsuit. The Associated Press left a voicemail and sent an email to Spindell's attorney, Mark Maciolek, seeking comment. The lawsuit stems from a complaint filed by Law Forward with the elections commission in 2021. It alleged that Republicans illegally posed as Wisconsin electors in an attempt to convince the U.S. Congress to declare that Trump won the state in 2020, even though he in fact lost to President Joe Biden by about 21,000 votes. Republican attempts to cast electoral college votes for Trump in seven swing states he lost were a focus of the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attacks on the Capitol. The Wisconsin Elections Commission last year rejected a complaint about the events, saying that Republicans who attempted to cast the state's 10 electoral college votes for Trump did not break any election laws. Spindell did not recuse himself from considering the complaint, even though he voted as one of the fake GOP electors. In a closed meeting, the commission voted unanimously to reject the complaint. The Wisconsin Department of Justice concluded that Republicans were legitimately trying to preserve Trumps legal standing as courts were deciding if he or Biden won the election. That is the same argument that Trump allies and the fake electors from Wisconsin have made, including in testimony to the Jan. 6 committee. Law Forward filed two lawsuits after the complaint was rejected. In one pending action, the group alleges that Spindell should have been excluded from considering the complaint before the commission because his actions were at the heart of the matter. The other case, heard Tuesday, alleged that Spindell and the elections commission failed to turn over records that Law Forward requested multiple times under Wisconsin's open records law. The law firm sought documents related to a comment Spindell made during the public portion of a November 2021 commission meeting where he openly discussed his decision not to recuse himself from considering the complaint related to fake electors. The commission had been considering the request in closed session only, which made Spindells comments unusual. Specifically, Law Forward asked for communications surrounding material Spindell appeared to be reading from during the meeting. According to the lawsuit, the elections commission provided a single document that resembled what Spindell read from and said Spindell had no other related records. Frost dismissed claims against Spindell, agreeing with his argument that the commission is the legal authority in charge of the records. Law Forward brought the case on behalf of Paul Sickel, executive director of the Service Employees International Union's Wisconsin State Council. The firm has also filed another lawsuit, currently pending in federal court, against the 10 electors and Trump attorneys Kenneth Chesebro and Jim Troupis seeking $2.4 million in damages. That case alleges Trump and his allies conspired to overturn his loss in the battleground state. ___ This story has been corrected to reflect the name of Dane County Circuit Judge Jacob Frost. A previous version listed his first name as Robert Frost. Police received more than 3,600 calls around domestic abuse in Northern Ireland over the Christmas period, figures show. This includes 110 calls from domestic abuse victims and concerned loved ones on Christmas Day an increase of 10% on 2021. On New Years Eve, the police received 106 calls, an increase of 5% from 2021. The Police Service of Northern Ireland released the figures following their annual Operation Seasons Greetings. In total, police received 3,604 calls around domestic abuse over the Christmas period, from November 24 to January 2. This year during our annual Operation Seasons Greetings we received 3,604 calls from victims of domestic abuse.If you or someone you know is suffering please contact us on 101 or 999 in an emergency. Read more: https://t.co/OalIgRLv4D pic.twitter.com/ArGdZNV8Or Police Service NI (@PoliceServiceNI) January 17, 2023 Detective Superintendent Lindsay Fisher said reports of domestic abuse often increase on key dates such as Christmas Day and New Years Eve. Although these figures are shocking, we know that a large number of incidents still go unreported to police and we will continue to encourage all victims to reach out to us for help, she said. Behind each one of the statistics is a victim who, statistics suggest, has endured up to 35 incidents of abuse before coming forward to report. We are determined to do all we can to protect them and bring perpetrators to justice. Over the festive period, police made 753 arrests for domestic abuse offences, an increase of nearly 15% from 2021, and 340 of these resulted in a charge, an increase of nearly 17% from 2021. Ms Fisher added: Domestic abuse, in all its forms, has no place in our society and tackling these crimes remains one of Police Service of Northern Irelands top priorities. Those reporting domestic abuse can report to police on 101 or in an emergency always dial 999. Police have advised if it is an emergency and youve dialled 999 but cannot speak then stay on the line and press 55 when prompted, then cough or tap in response to the operators queries. A 24-hour Domestic and Sexual Abuse Helpline is available to anyone who has concerns about domestic or sexual violence, now or in the past, on 0808 802 1414. Oklahoma officials looking for a missing 4-year-old girl found the remains of a child Tuesday, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said. "At this time, the OSBI cannot confirm the remains are those of Athena Brownfield," the bureau said in a statement. "The remains will be transported to the Medical Examiner's Office in Oklahoma City for positive identification." The couple who had been taking care of Athena Brownfield have been charged in connection with her disappearance. The remains were found outside Rush Springs, a town in rural Grady County, about 60 miles south of Oklahoma City. Rush Springs is about 25 miles from Cyril, which is where a postal worker spotted Athena's sister wandering by herself this month. On Monday, after a week of looking for the girl, investigators said their search had shifted to a "recovery operation" to find her remains. Authorities have arrested two people in connection with the girl's disappearance while they continued searching for her Friday, Jan 13, 2023. (Trooper Eric Foster / AP) Authorities and volunteers have been searching for Athena since Jan. 10, when a postal worker spotted her 5-year-old sister alone near the girls home in Cyril, the State Bureau of Investigation said. Ivon Adams and his wife, Alysia Adams, have been arrested in connection with the case. The State Bureau of Investigation has said the couple are caretakers for the girls. Alysia Adams, 31, was arrested Thursday by the Grady County Sheriffs Office on two counts of child neglect and booked into the Caddo County Jail on two counts of child neglect, the agency said. Ivon Adams, 36, was arrested Thursday in Arizona and is scheduled to be extradited to Oklahoma on charges of murder and child neglect, the state bureau said. It was not clear whether either had attorneys. Alysia Adams was related to Athena and her 5-year-old sister, the state bureau said, adding the two siblings had been in her care for at least a year. Officials have said the sisters' biological parents were cooperating with the investigation and had been interviewed by authorities. Athena's sister has been taken into protective custody, the state bureau said. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. STEPANAKERT, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan again disrupted gas supply to Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), the State Ministers Advisor Mesrop Arakelyan said in a statement. Azerbaijan continues actions aimed at depopulating Armenians from Artsakh, he added. Azerbaijan is keeping the Lachin Corridor blocked since December 12, 2022. The corridor is Nagorno Karabakhs (Artsakh) only road to Armenia and the rest of the world. The blockade has caused an ongoing humanitarian crisis with widespread shortages of essential supplies such as food and medicine. Azerbaijan disrupted and then eventually restored gas supply early on during the blockade in December 2022. Furthermore, on January 9 the electricity transmission line supplying energy from Armenia to Artsakh was damaged in the area controlled by Azerbaijan. Since then, Azerbaijan has been barring repair crews from accessing the site. On January 12, an internet blackout was reported in Artsakh. The internet cable was damaged in the area where the fake eco-activists are blocking the corridor. A day later, as a result of negotiations conducted by Russian peacekeepers, repair crews were allowed to access the site and internet was restored. The corridor remains blocked. YEREVAN, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. Assyrians are among those who are now stranded in Artsakh amid the Azeri blockade, Member of Parliament Zemfira Mirzoyeva from the Hayastan faction of the Armenian Parliament said. Mirzoyeva, who represents the Assyrian community of Armenia in parliament, called on the international community to sanction Azerbaijan as the blockade entered the 36th day. This provocation by Azerbaijan is even more cynical because the perpetrators of a crime against humanity are hiding behind the mask of so-called environmentalists. This provocation carried out by Azerbaijan has caused a grave humanitarian disaster in the Republic of Artsakh. I am saying this for the whole world to hear, today there are Assyrians who are stranded in Artsakh who went there for various reasons, they are unable to return because the road of life is closed, the lawmaker said. Mirzoyeva said that unfortunately Azerbaijan continues to ignore the calls by the international community, many countries and the UNSC to open the corridor. I think its high time that the international community, international organizations, countries that play a key role to impose sanctions against Azerbaijan, the country which is keeping 120,000 people blockaded, and its leaders, she said. The MP called on international organizations dealing with the protection of national minorities to act to prevent Azerbaijans policy of ethnic cleansing in Artsakh, which is targeting not only Armenians but also representatives of national minorities. YEREVAN, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan appointed the former foreign minister David Babayan as his Advisor and special envoy. Dear compatriots, friends, party members, Today I was appointed advisor to the Artsakh Republic President - Presidential representative-at-large. We will continue to serve our state and people, Babayan said on social media. by Francis Khoo Thwe The place of worship built in 1894 had a 'priceless' historical value for Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Before setting fire to it, soldiers desecrated it by drinking and smoking inside. Catholics and Buddhists have lived together in harmony in the area for centuries. In the past year, the village has been attacked four times by militia, without any clashes or provocations. Yangon (AsiaNews) - The Burmese military junta has launched a new attack against Catholics in Myanmar, burning one of the oldest and most important places of worship in the country to the ground. The military targeted the historic Church of Our Lady of the Assumption in the village of Chan Thar, Ye U, Shwe Bo district, Sagaing Division. Built in 1894 and with 129 years of life behind it, inside it was celebrated the baptism of what would become Burma's first bishop. It is a new wound for the religious minority, after two air force fighter jets carried out a raid in Karen State in recent days, destroying a church and killing five people including a child. The first Catholic presence in the area, which refers to the diocese of Mandalay, dates back about 500 years and the village of Chan Thar itself arose and developed thanks to the work of descendants of Portuguese Catholics who then inhabited it for centuries. Since the military coup in February 2021 that overthrew the democratic government led by Aung San Suu Kyi - now under arrest - and returned power to the army, soldiers have already attacked the area four times. Many - at home and abroad - consider the church a 'priceless historical site'. In the village, the population has always been predominantly Catholic, scattered in 800 houses in close contact and harmony with two neighbouring Buddhist centres. Last year, the military set fire to the houses of Chan Thar on 7 May and a second time a month later, on 7 June 2022, destroying 135 buildings. The third assault took place on 14 December, just before the start of the Christmas celebrations; the last was a few days ago, on 14 January 2023, when the Tatmadaw (Armed Forces) men razed and burnt almost all the houses. Local sources, on condition of anonymity, report that the soldiers attacked and set fire to the church "for no apparent reason", because there was no fighting or confrontation going on in the area, and without any provocation. The soldiers had been stationed in the area in front of the church since the evening of 14 January, and before leaving the area, they carried out an "atrocity" by setting fire to the building and "completely burning" the church, the parish priest's house and the centuries-old nunnery, which collapsed after being enveloped in flames. The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption was a source of pride for Catholics in Upper Myanmar not only because of its centuries-old tradition, the baptism of the first bishop and the birth of three other archbishops and over 30 priests and nuns. The place of worship was in fact a historical and cultural heritage for the entire country, including Buddhists, and proof of this is the climate of fraternal cooperation that was established between the different communities. The church, bell tower and other buildings were destroyed on the morning of 15 January. Government soldiers, an eyewitness revealed, also "desecrated" the sacredness of the place by "looting, drinking alcohol and smoking" inside. In response to the attack, a number of Burmese priests on social networks have been raising appeals to pray for the country and for the Christian community itself. On the other hand, there have been no official statements or declarations from the Archdiocese of Yangon and Card. Charles Bo. In his message to the faithful published a few days ago on the occasion of the New Year, the cardinal had declared January as the "month of the ceasefire", addressing all parties - including the military - asking them to "silence their weapons" and "believe in a peaceful solution". He had emphasised the value of 'dialogue' in conflict resolution and called for the resumption of the Panlong peace process. An appeal, as we can see these days, which has fallen on deaf ears on the Naypyidaw side. by Dario Salvi At least 80,000 people took to the streets against a bill proposed by Justice Minister Levin. For lawyers, magistrates and critics, it is a coup. For defenders, it is a simple revision to rebalance powers. Netanyahu's corruption and fraud trials loom in the background. President Herzog is trying a difficult mediation. Milan (AsiaNews) After only a few weeks in office, Israels new government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has laid out its new priorities. One of them involves plans by Justice Minister Yariv Levin to undertake a major overhaul to the countrys justice system. For its defenders, it is just a reform; for its detractors, it is tantamount to a regime change or a coup, turning Israel into a nation "without an independent judiciary" with a government free to act "arbitrarily". Leading the charge against the changes are former judges, lawyers, and magistrates, plus many civil society groups. A first salvo came last week with a protest rally that brought together at least 80,000 people from different parts of the country. "My parents immigrated from non-democratic regimes to live in a democracy," one woman, a second-generation Holocaust survivor, told the BBC. They came from the totalitarian regime to live freely. So seeing that destroyed is heartbreaking." Like others, she expected Mr Netanyahu to try radical changes, but never thought he would go so fast. A controversial reform The proposed reform has elicited many labels. For Aharon Barak, an influential former Supreme Court Chief Justice, a man not prone to overemotional remarks, the bill is the beginning of the end of the Third Temple. Such prophecy-laden words suggest nothing less than the extinction of Israel as seen by its own citizens, namely the only democracy in the Middle East; in its stead, it would become an authoritarian democracy. This, at least, is the best-case scenario according to former Attorney General Michael Ben-Yair, for whom it could end up even worst, in a "dictatorship of a casual parliamentary majority. In such a nightmare scenario, the independence of the judiciary would end, corruption would grow, minority rights would be dead, and the country could be completely discredited. To avoid this, opposition parties plan a general mobilisation to "save democracy". But what does the reform entail? According to Justice Minister Yariv Levin, a simple majority in the Knesset (the Israeli parliament) will have the power to overturn Supreme Court rulings. This would allow the cabinet to pass laws without fear that they will be overturned by justices. Politicians would also have greater influence on the appointment of judges and justices, because the majority of the members of the selection committee would be directly appointed by the cabinet. Moreover, it would be easier to legislate in favour of Jewish settlements and outposts in the West Bank, without any interference from the courts who in past shielded Israel from international criticism against its expansionist policies. The complex and delicate system of checks and balances between powers would be at risk, including the independence of the judicial branch, which would be weaker than the executive branch. One change would touch the committee that appoints judges. At present, the governing coalition has three seats on the nine-member body; under the changes, the cabinet would get five seats. Then there are suspicions that the reform will shield Mr Netanyahu from ongoing inquiries and legal woes involving charges of corruption, fraud and obstruction of justice. Since the first accusations were made, Netanyahu proclaimed his innocence, claiming that he was the victim of a plot. Under the proposed reform, the Supreme Court would lose power in favour of the Knesset. At present, the court can reject bills approved by parliament if they contradict Israel's 13 basic laws, which serve as the countrys constitution, ranging from protecting human dignity to civil rights. Levin's reform project includes an override clause that would give lawmakers the right to reintroduce a bill struck down by the Supreme Court with a majority of 61 (out of 120). Despite criticism from magistrates, lawyers, judges and rights organisations who see the bill as a frontal attack against the judicial system, the government plans to go ahead. Netanyahu defends the project. We will complete legislating the reforms in a way that will correct what needs correcting, Netanyahu said. The bill will totally protect individual rights and will restore the publics faith in the justice system that so much requires this reform. Polarised society The issue of citizens' trust in institutions, from the cabinet to the judiciary, is one of the factors that is polarising Israeli society, and can hardly lead to mediation between the parties. A recent poll found that a 58 per cent of Israelis believe the Supreme Court should have the power to overturn laws passed by parliament if they conflict with democratic principles. However, the Israeli Democracy Index, now in its 20th edition, shows that trust in courts plummeted to 42 per cent down from a multi-year average of 59.5 per cent. The study also found that trust in parliament was just 18.5 per cent. Levels of trust were slightly lower among the countrys Arab minority. In a country that is increasingly turning to the right, especially among young people, 85 per cent of Israeli Jews trust the army (IDF) against only 8.5 per cent for political parties. Optimism towards the future is decreasing (49 per cent against 76 per cent in 2012) and the feeling of security plunged from 76 per cent in 2020 to 38 per cent in 2022, as did the sense of belonging to the state and its problems. For Naomi Chazan, former deputy speaker of the Knesset and professor emeritus of political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, All the signs today point to the fact that the new government in Israel is doing everything consciously and systematically to equate the common good with what it wants here and now. In her view, The new Netanyahu government believes that it can repeat the mistakes of the past and ignore the experience of other beleaguered regimes. [. . .] This is foolhardy, arrogant, and mistaken. How this will play out will determine Israels fate. The proposed changes exposed the fault lines in Israeli society, a country torn between those who want to preserve liberal and democratic ideals and those moving away from them. President Isaac Herzog, who normally plays a largely ceremonial and guarantor role, issued a statement saying that he was trying to bridge the gap between the parties by meeting with various political leaders. To this end, he was ready to work to avert a historic constitutional crisis. GATEWAY TO THE EAST IS THE ASIANEWS NEWSLETTER DEDICATED TO THE MIDDLE EAST. TO RECEIVE A WEEKLY UPDATE EVERY TUESDAY, CLICK HERE. by Mathias Hariyadi Last week local workers demanded greater workplace safety, but did not receive the support of foreign colleagues, sparking clashes. Gunbuster Nickel Industri is owned by a Chinese tycoon who pledged big investments in Indonesia. Experts and residents fear more violence. Jakarta (AsiaNews) Production resumed today at a Gunbuster Nickel Industri (GNI) smelter in North Morowali regency after it was suspended in the wake of protests that broke out last week that left two Indonesian and one Chinese workers dead. The situation is now under control thanks to large-scale action by police. Security forces have hit back those responsible, according to Central Sulawesi Police spokesperson Didik Supranoto. Meanwhile, the Indonesian government dispatched a special team to investigate the situation. Amateur videos of the violence went viral on social media. In some, Indonesian workers can be heard blaming the government for conceding too much to the Chinese. Moreover, in December, two Indonesian workers died in workplace accidents. On Saturday, workers represented by the National Workers Union (SPN) met with company officials presenting eight demands, including the implementation of occupational safety regulations, the provision of personal protective equipment to workers, a halt to wage deductions, and the rehiring of SPN members fired because they had gone on strike. When the two parties failed to reach an agreement, Indonesian workers decided to go on strike. When Chinese employees refused to join them, clashes between local and foreign workers began. Vehicles were set on fire as were dormitories used by Chinese workers. The GNI employs 11,000 Indonesian workers and 1,300 foreign personnel, the police said. Jiangsu Delong Nickel Industry owns the smelter, which is operated by businessman Tony Zhou Yuan. In addition to smelting, the company is involved in mining and mineral refining in the Xiangshui Industrial Economic Zone, Jiangsu province. GNI was established in 2019, while the smelter was officially inaugurated by Indonesian President Joko Widodo two years later. Some US$ 8 billion have been invested in three nickel smelters in North Morowali and are expected to have a combined workforce of 27,000. President Widodo has always been open to Chinese investments and workers, but experts warn that this incident, combined with traditional anti-Chinese sentiments and high unemployment, could spark further violence in other parts of Indonesia. There are at least 15 smelters in northern Morowali that use advanced technologies and hire thousands of workers, said Anton, a local resident who has been working in the mining industry for more than 10 years, speaking to AsiaNews. As the demand for batteries soars internationally, the huge nickel deposits in Central Sulawesi province become, building smelters has been Indonesia's priority, he explained. As the battery industry becomes fully developed, mining will become huge, but with some serious challenges, such as different treatment of domestic and foreign workers," Anton added. When social envy starts, the potential for mass violence looms. The decision to quit was voluntary but comes after a long anti-corruption campaign. Last month, two deputy ministers were removed from the Politburo. The centralisation of power by the country's leader, Nguyen Phu Trong, continues. Hanoi (AsiaNews/Agencies) The President of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc, number two in the Communist Party, has voluntarily resigned and is no longer a member of Politburo. This follows a corruption scandal that saw two deputy ministers removed from the top body in late December. Vietnam's Communist Party, now increasingly linked to the general secretary, Nguyen Phu Trong, the country's de facto leader, accused Nguyen Xuan Phuc, 68, of "violations and wrongdoings" while he was prime minister from 2016 to 2021, before becoming president, a largely ceremonial position. As he was well aware of his responsibilities to the Party and the people, Phuc filed a request to resign from his positions and retire, the government said in a statement. However, to become effective, the resignation must be approved by Vietnams National Assembly. As in previous cases of senior officials removed from the Politburo, the latter held an extraordinary meeting. Political power in Vietnam rests on four "pillars": the party secretary, the president, the prime minister and the speaker of the National Assembly. According to many analysts, Phuc was destined to become party secretary, but recently the rumour mill was in full swing that he was going to resign. One of the consequences of Nguyen Phu Trongs blazing furnace anti-corruption drive is greater centralisation of power. In 2022 alone, 539 party members were prosecuted or disciplined for deliberate wrongdoings. Police investigated 453 cases of corruption over the past year, a 50 per cent increase over 2021. I'm fine, as I'm very fortunate to own my home I own, but I'm feeling the pinch on my mortgage with other inflation costs I rent and it's expensive, but it could be worse I'm seriously considering leaving the valley if something doesn't give Vote View Results The Western Slope Veterans Coalition Resource Center in Glenwood Springs will hold on Wednesday the first meeting in a new vets writers workshop series. The workshop is for veterans and their families to bring written works of any kind and is free of charge. Attendees can also sit in without sharing written work. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 Well, That Was Quick: Resolution to Ban EVs in Wyoming Dies in Committee Written by Kevin Killough, Cowboy State Daily Published Jan. 17, 2023 A Wyoming Senate resolution to phase out electric vehicles in Wyoming has died. If it had passed the full Legislature, Senate Joint Resolution 4 would have made it a goal that the sale of new electric vehicles (EV) in the state be phased out by 2035. It requested that Wyoming industries and residents voluntarily limit their sales and purchases of new EVs. It failed to gain traction with the Senate Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee meeting Jan. 16, but not without some debate. Voluntary Compliance The resolution was not a bill and, had it advanced all the way to becoming law, wouldnt have had the force of a ban. Its sponsors have said the main purpose was to make a statement against states like California and New York, which are similarly banning the sale of gas-powered cars. We didnt want to make a bill that would say that the dealerships have to really quit selling vehicles, said Sen. Jim Anderson, R-Casper, the resolutions sponsor. We just wanted to make a statement that there is a counter to stopping selling gas vehicles in other states. While the resolution wouldnt have the force of law behind it, it still sparked some spirited testimony against it from representatives of Wyomings automotive dealerships and the Wyoming Outdoor Council. Ignores Benefits Sen. Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie, challenged the concern raised by some committee members that the adoption of EVs is a threat to Wyoming industries, including coal, oil and gas. They still require energy, he said, which will be a challenge as EV use continues to grow. Its exactly the type of challenge that Wyoming stands to benefit from, because we produce all types of power, Rothfuss said. The vehicles also require lithium and rare earth minerals, of which Wyoming has large deposits. Speaking after the committee meeting, Rothfuss told Cowboy State Daily theres an opportunity with EVs the resolution failed to grasp. Were looking for our opportunities, because we have traditionally been one of the top five energy-producing states, Rothfuss said. Risks And Hazards Anderson introduced the resolution to the Senate Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee, explaining SJ 4 was intended to support Wyomings oil and gas industries, which he said are under attack from states that move to outright ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles. Our oil and gas industries are huge for Wyoming---and for that matter, every state in the West, Anderson said. He said electric vehicles pose a hazardous waste risk, as the batteries are difficult to recycle and dispose of. The state also has a lack of charging infrastructure to support them. My friends that have electric vehicles are having trouble with charging stations. They do not have enough charging stations in Wyoming, Anderson said. Dealership Response Marsha Allen, executive vice president of the Wyoming Dealers Association, testified against the bill, saying its message is extremely concerning. We fully understand the frustrations toward mandates, actions that are taken by other states and even the federal level that trickle down to policy in Wyoming. We do not support those, Allen said. However, dealerships across Wyoming sign sales and service agreements with manufacturers, she said. These require dealerships to invest in charging stations, training and tools. The resolution would put dealers in direct conflict with their manufacturers sales and service agreements, Allen said. As an example, Allen referenced Cadillac, which plans to produce only electric vehicles between 2025 and 2030. For dealers to keep selling the brand, they would need to make a minimum investment of $250,000 in infrastructure for charging stations and stronger lifts, as EVs are heavier than conventional vehicles. kWh Down Under, an iron ore company called Fortescue Metals Group is investing $6.2 billion in decarbonization by the end of the decade, hoping that by cutting the use of fossil fuels it could save even more than that in the long run. And one way to do that is to turn the companys fleet of over 240 mining haul trucks, which ate up 200 million liters (almost 53 million gallons) of fuel in 2021, into EVs.In the summer of last year, Fortescue struck a deal with German equipment manufacturer Liebherr to jointly develop a battery electric mining haul truck based on the T 264. Thats a 240-ton beast loaded with a 2,700 hp diesel engine and backed by 4,425 hp electric wheel motors.Under the deal, one of the 120 haul trucks Fortescue will purchase from Liebherr will become an electric prototype to be tested starting this year in the Pilbara region of Australia.For that to happen though, a battery pack was needed, and this week Fortescue announced it got just that. Put together by WAE Technologies ( until recently Williams Advanced Engineering), the system is simply breathtaking.Described as the largest battery of its kind, the hardware is a 1.4 MWh piece (thats 1,400, or about 24 times more than the battery capacity of a Tesla Model 3) that weighs 16 tons, is 3.6 meters (12 feet) long, 1.6 meters (5.2 feet) wide, and 2.4 meters (7.8 feet) high.The battery is not one-piece, but comprises eight separate sub-packs. Each of the sub-packs is made up of 36 modules, each of them with its own cooling and management systems.Were not told for how long the battery will be able to power the T 264 truck, but a couple of other juicy details have been made public. One would be the fact that when plugged in, the battery can be fast charged in just 30 minutes although, to be fair, were not told if thats for the entire system or just one sub-pack. Another would be power regeneration, as the truck will be capable of generating energy as it drives downhill.Fortescue said the battery arrived at its workshop in Perth, where it will be assembled and then installed on the mining truck. It will then head to Pilbara for real-world testing.If successful, the electric mining beast will spawn an entire family of similar machines, which will be accompanied in the Fortescue fleet by hydrogen-powered haul trucks as well. Photo: Flickr Inspiring Jets For Years to Come Photo: Flickr Avia S-92: What's Fact and What's Fiction? Photo: Flickr Did The Israelis Fly German Jets? Photo: Flickr An Interesting Footnote in Aviation History The Me-262 is a jet that needs no introduction. Perhaps no German WWII fighter on this side of the Bf-109 and possibly the Fokke Wulf Fw-190 is as recognizable as the Me-262 jet. But for how well-known and well-celebrated the world's operational first jet fighter is, its history post-1945 is largely forgotten.The Me-262 may have been conceived as a Nazi wonder weapon, but its history after the fall of the Third Reich is less cut-and-dry. Those who paid attention in history class need not hear another dissertation about the dog days of World War II. Something along the lines of Hitler getting too big for his britches before Stalingrad and then D-Day put his Wehrmacht in its place.As grossly oversimplified as that explanation may be, what matters in the case of the Me-262 is the timing. With its deployment date of April 1944, Herman Goering's Luftwaffe had plenty of time to become acquainted with the particulars of novel jet engines. As many as 11 to 12 months before the Second World War's end.Compared to Allied British and American jet fighters of the era, like the Gloster Meteor and Lockheed Shooting Star, it was clear the extra development time played very much in Messerschmitt's favor. Under the U.S. Army Air Force's Operation Luftwaffe Secret Technology (LUSTY), captured Me-262s remaining intact after Germany's surrender were transported to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, where this point was only proven further.Now the site of the National Museum of the United States Air Force, the base, then called Wright field, housed the Air Technical Intelligence branch of the Army Air Force's Technical Intelligence School led by Colonel Harold E. Watson. If there were any team well equipped enough in the money and brains departments to reverse German engineer technology, no other fit the bill better than 'Watson's Wizzers,' as they were known. In the end, many designs of post-war American, British, and Soviet jets became inspired by the efforts to uncover the true abilities of the Me-262.For instance, the wing-slat configuration of the famous North American F-86 Saber looked awfully familiar to that of the German jet. Of course, this feature is by no accident on the part of the Saber. But while the Soviets and Americans busied themselves reverse engineering the Me-262's technology, the Czechoslovakian Military took an altogether different approach, at least at first.Their answer to post-war jet fighters involved continuing the Me-262's production with factories and tooling left over from the German occupation. The Czechoslovak Avia group manufactured parts of the airframe during the war. By 1945, Avia was even building entire Me-262 airframes in kit form. Doing so using pre-assembled sections of airframes joined together by Czechoslovak laborers. They were some of the last German jets to take to the skies before the capitulation of all Axis forces.Overlapping with the reformation of the pre-war Czechoslovak State and subsequent adoption of state communism, these Czechoslovak Me-262s looked identical to their Second World War counterparts. Each unit's Junkers Jumo axial-flow turbojet engines were also holdovers from before the fall of the Luftwaffe. The results were nothing short of uncanny.It's as if one's mind struggles to comprehend a Messerschmitt 262 in anything other than Luftwaffe green with Luftwaffe roundels. Dubbed the Avia S-92 Turbina (Turbine), the Czechoslovak's entry into the jet age felt like using a video game cheat code to acquire jet-age military planes. In relation to the costly Soviet and American jets of the day, it was at least a time-conscious and price-effective approach on the part of the Czechoslovakians.The type's first test flight took place on August 26th, 1946. At the controls was Avia's chief test pilot, a man by the name of Antonin Krause. Though the S-92 was every bit the hot shot it was as its forbearers, the test airframe crashed the following month. In total, at least 12 Avia S-92 airframes were constructed, using the same four 30-mm cannons as the German Messerschmitt.Nine were built in the single-seat variant and a further three in the CS-92 two-seater configuration. All S-92s still flying after testing concluded had their Junkers Jumo 004 engines overhauled by in-house Avia engineers and dubbed the M-04. One airframe was trialed with the BMW 003 engine with negative results, switching to the M-04 soon after.This overhaul is thought to have extended the service life of each engine well past the 30 to 50 flight hours of the German Me-262 up to as many as 60 or more. However, murky record-keeping by post-war communist governments makes this hard to verify. What's even harder to verify is possibly the most historically significant part of the Avia S-92's story. Its alleged, yet unconfirmed, secretive service with the Israeli Air Defense Forces.So the story is told in the American author Bill Norton's biography of the IADF, Air War on the Edge; the Israeli response to newly acquired Gloster Meteor British jets by the Egyptians was one they likely wanted to keep quiet. The notion of the Jewish state operating an aircraft even remotely related to the Third Reich by heritage would have been a societal outrage in the newly formed country. Though no mention of any significance has ever been publicized, photographs taken by talented miniature model enthusiasts show what the Avia S-92 would have looked like in IADF markings.The sight of a Messerschmitt bearing the powerful symbol that is the Star of David is one that's no doubt shocking. It's almost unfathomable, given the context of the war. But these deceptively realistic models were created in the spirit of an interesting conspiracy theory shared on model airplane forums and fringe aviation websites . So the story goes, a secret deal was cut between the new Israeli government and the communist state of Czechoslovakia to procure a handful of Avia S-92s.Bill Nelson's book detailing the earliest days of the IADF deduces how the fledgling Air Force may have wanted the S-92 to be an introductory vehicle to help Israeli pilots understand and become used to jet technology as a whole. Hidden amongst a crate of Czechoslovak Avia S-199 piston fighters , the S-92s were purported to have entered Israel without so much as a peep."According to Egyptian and British intelligence, a jet fighter of unknown type exploded in flight inside Israeli airspace during April 1950. The British thought that it might be a de Havilland Vampire of unknown origin, while the Egyptians stated that they had information revealing that the IAF had secretly taken delivery of crated Avia S.92 jets." Nelson's book states. "The Czechs' Russian masters might have approved such a sale in the first half of 1950, and Israel may have felt an urgent need to answer the threat posed by the new Egyptian Meteors, which arrived in October 1949, to buy this, the only jet available to them."Admittedly, nowhere in the book does Nelson claim this story is true. Quite the opposite. "The Me 262 was hopelessly antiquated in 1950, and the late Second World War technology was of very limited service life. If the story is true, it is odd that the Israelis would not have admitted to operating the Me 262, no matter how briefly and unsuccessfully, since 1950."Some on forums, like key.aero , claim the S-92's only air-to-air kill was a single Egyptian C-47 cargo plane. Even then, this single air-to-air kill has yet to be verified by the Egyptians. In truth, Bill Nelson's book appears to be the only source of evidence linking the S-92 with the Israelis. Apart from some truly spectacular and realistic model art, that is.Whether or not it's legitimate, what this means for our purposes is that the much-anticipated dogfight between the German Messerchmitt 262 and the British Gloster Meteor that never happened in World War II likely didn't occur during the Arab-Israeli conflict either.By 1951, the Czechoslovakians had finally obtained Soviet-aligned jet fighters like the MiG-15. This allowed the nation to retire their hideously obsolete S-92s. As of 2022, the two remaining Czechoslovak S-92 airframes are on display at museums located in the modern-day Czech Republic. The Mercedes-AMG G 63 4x4 is one of the latest cars to arrive in Manny Khoshbins garage. But while well probably never get to see his wife, Leyla, drive it, she definitely enjoyed using it as a prop in a new photoshoot. 6 photos Photo: Instagram / Leyla Milani SUV Celebrities usually treat family members with cars. And Missy Elliot is doing her bit. But it was not really for a family member this time, but someone equally close to her. She surprised her assistant, Keon Foley-Griffin, on her birthday with a great gift: a new car.The 51-year-old rapper shared the details about the present via Instagram Stories over the weekend, showing a black Range Rover with a silver bow up on the hood. Next to it was Keon, her assistant, and she smiled as she held her son and a set of car keys.Besides a new means of travel, her assistant also received a thoughtful message, because, on top of the picture, Missy Elliot wrote: "Happy born day to my sister/ friend/ assistant, my rider!" She continued, "I wanted to give you this truck last week because I wanted to see your surprised face!" The rapper added that her assistant works hard and is always there "no matter the hour," which is why she decided to go above and beyond for her.From the looks of it, theis not from the current generation that was introduced in 2022, but the previous one, the models fourth generation. Land Rover introduced it in 2012 and kept it on the market for almost a decade. It was available with three gasoline engine options and two diesels. Later on, in 2018, the British manufacturer also added a plug-in hybrid version.The one Keon received seems to be from the 2014 model year and it looks like it might be the 5.0-liter V8 Supercharged version. When shes not treating her close ones to new cars, Missy Elliot has quite a busy career. The four-time Grammy winner, who has been in the music industry for over three decades, will be honored next month at the Record Academys second annual Black Music Collective during Grammy Week. The list of honorees also includes Dr. Dre and Lil Wayne. All three of them will get the award for personal achievements in the music industry.The Black Music Collective group was founded in 2020 by musicians like John Legend, Jimmy Jam, and Quincy Jones, in an effort to find ways to drive Black representation and inclusion. The event will take place at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, California, on February 2, ahead of the Grammy Awards, which will be on February 5.Besides this upcoming honor, Missy Elliot also received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star back in November 2021. So, were not ready to really head out and colonize the solar system , and that is simply because we lack the tech to do so. Sure, we have satellites, spaceships, and space stations, and were planning even more, but as long as most of the hardware we use for space exploration needs to be put together here on Earth, there will be uncomfortable limits to everything we do.In recent years, some started pushing for in-space manufacturing of exploration tools, from space stations to ships. Freed from the restrictions of gravity and the size of current rockets and transport modules, well have all the liberty we want to get creative and really build the tools that will spread mankind among the planets and stars.Earlier this month, NASA awarded the Phase I grants for its yearly Innovative Advanced Concepts ( NIAC ) program. Several of the 14 winning projects have to do with in-space manufacturing, including the one were here to discuss today, the so-called Bend-Forming of Large Electrostatically Actuated Space Structures.The complicated name hides a project by MITs Zachary Cordero intended to create high-performance reflectors with dimensions greater than 100 meters (328 feet).Reflectors are nothing more than structures meant to reflect solar light. They can be used for anything from communications to solar sails and from satellites to other kinds of power generation, but current designs cant be larger than a few tens of meters because of the constraints of Earth-based launches: these things are sent up complete, but packed inside their transporters, and unfold one they reach the target orbit.Corderos method, called Bend-Forming, was not completely detailed to the public, but we are told it allows for the in-orbit creation of so-called smart structures that can have virtually any combination of size, mass, and stiffness. That means they can move away from the traditional design of space structures that includes the use of traditional trusses and tension-aligned components.Applying this method would create space structure with each of the lightweight trusses also acts as an actuator that can be engaged when needed, kind of turning a standard space structure into a shape-shifting one.Its unclear how much of the $175,000 NIAC grants went to Corderos idea, but the scientist says there are plans in place to use the method to make a microwave radiometry reflector and place it in geostationary orbit. From there, it should keep an eye out for atmospheric temperature profiles and map the internal structures of tropical cyclones.No date as to when the project should be ready was announced, but if successful the projects lead believes such tech will lead to significant improvements in storm forecasts as well as improved understanding of atmospheric processes related to the hydrologic cycle. PHEV That gave them a bundle of opportunities to showcase just about anything, from feisty WRC-inspired car concepts to overlanding-focused big and premium SUVs . But now the hype is over, and maybe it is time for Toyota to move its attention back toward the crucial North American market.There, it has an interesting year ahead of it. For example, the $27,450 Prius Hybrid Reborn looks sleeker than ever, and the $39,950 Crown crossover sedan has signaled the return to North America of the all-new sixteenth generation after the nameplates big hiatus, among others.The Japanese automaker is also keen on presenting even more goodies, such as the upcoming 2023 Prius Prime, the new Trailhunter series (most likely a measured response to Hondas TrailSport), or the 2023 Corolla Cross Hybrid. Notice how most of these introductions are all of the hybrid variety? Well, if we are to heed the advice of the rumor mill, more HEVs are coming, including best-selling nameplates.So, after we recently checked out the unofficial vision of a potentially upcoming 2024 Toyota 4Runner hybrid (sixth generation), now it is also the ripe time to witness the digital 2024 Toyota Tacomas hybrid introduction as the fourth iteration of the best-selling mid-size pickup truck. This fresh CGI also arrives courtesy of TopElectricSUV.com, and we can (again) almost bet our lunch-break pocket money on relying on lots of Toyota rumor mill whispers.Among the interesting highlights, we can certainly count on the full redesign arriving in the coming months to be the juiciest one, along with the potential arrival of the next-gen Tacoma with the companys new Hybrid Max powertrain. Naturally, the publication has illustrated the all-new mid-size pickup truck (which retained its sales crown in 2022 with 237k deliveries!) with lots of styling DNA taken from its bigger Tundra sibling.Alas, the powertrain credentials will not be shared among them, as the latters 3.4-liter twin-turbo hybrid V6 with 437 electrified ponies would represent overkill even for the TNGA-F platform shared with the latest Land Cruiser. Instead, the informal ideas regarding the fresh Tacoma (with a rumored starting MSRP of around $33k for the hybrid version) revolve around Crowns hybrid heart.As a reminder, the S235 crossover sedan packs a Hybrid Max turbo 2.4-liter inline four aided by two electric motors for a total system output of 236 horsepower. Well, it remains to be seen how many of these opinions do pan out in the real world and in the meantime, we recommend taking all this with the proverbial grain of salt until theres some official word from Toyota on the Tacoma matters AWD kW Mind you, the Porsche 911 Dakar is a finished product, but it appears that it needs some last-minute adjustments, hence why the Zuffenhausen brand put one to the test recently in the cold. Or thats what we think anyway.Nonetheless, the reason behind unleashing it in the white stuff is not that important. What truly matters here is that it looks even better in real-life images than it does sitting under the spotlight at a car show, or in the official press pictures that accompanied the release late last fall.Deemed by many enthusiasts as being the hottest 911 in decades, the new Porsche 911 Dakar has 2 inches (50 mm) more ground clearance than a stock911, and it can be further lifted by another 1.2 inches (30 mm) when engaging the off-road mode, available at speeds up to 105 mph (170 kph). A dedicated Rally mode is also included. The car features black plastic cladding on the lower parts of the body that makes it look more utilitarian, and rides on 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels, wrapped in 245/45 and 295/40 Pirelli Scorpion all-terrain tires respectively.It may be the hottest 911 in decades, but it is also one of the slowest, with a 150 mph (240 kph) electronically limited top speed. This was mandatory in order to preserve the meat on the tires. At least it is not slow to 60 mph (97 kph), with the sprint taking 3.2 seconds, according to Porsche. The 911 Dakar has four-wheel steering, dynamic engine mounts, and a curb weight of 3,552 pounds (1,611 kg). Power is supplied by the familiar twin-turbo 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine, which pushes out 473 hp (480 ps/353) and 420 lb-ft (570 Nm) of torque. The thrust is directed to the all-wheel drive system via an eight-speed PDK transmission.Anyone who can afford spending a couple hundred thousand dollars on a ride and has a soft spot for the 911 Dakar should go ahead and reserve a build slot while they still can, because production of the model will be capped at only 2,500 units. Pricing kicks off at $220,020, excluding the $1,450 destination charge, dealer fees, and options, which makes it a bit more expensive than a brand-new 911 Turbo S in the United States. It is likely that the jacked-up variant of the 911 will return for the next generation, even if the automaker hasnt said anything about it, and it might eventually become a regular in the family, hopefully with a more affordable price tag attached to it. Full Self-Driving There has been a flurry of crashes involving Tesla vehicles in the past two years, and in many cases, the drivers reported the car suddenly accelerated out of control. Sudden Unintended Acceleration (SUA) is more common than you might imagine as a crash cause, and it happens across all car brands. Nevertheless, accidents involving Tesla vehicles instantly gain more coverage because people react more emotionally to these kinds of stories.Tesla also uses driver-assist features with confusing names, like Autopilot and, which tricks people into thinking the car is smarter than it is. Often, these features are abused by drivers, and videos of people asleep behind the wheel of a Tesla are not uncommon. Nevertheless, having these assist features onboard also encouraged some drivers to put the blame on them in case of a crash. Its easy to claim the car is possessed by a malefic spirit that took over control and crashed it, but most of the time, such claims have been proven false.Investigators in Canada are working on another case of sudden acceleration , which caused a Tesla Model 3 to slam into a BC Ferries ramp in West Vancouver, British Columbia. According to eyewitnesses and police reports, the car suddenly accelerated into the gate at the Horseshoe ferry terminal on Saturday, January 14. Both the gate and the vehicle were severely damaged due to the crash, and the ferry ramp was closed for the rest of the day. The driver and the passenger were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.A spokesperson for the West Vancouver Police Department told North Shore News that the cause of the accident is still under consideration. The investigation favors either a mechanical cause or a driver error. In the former case, the car is to blame for not responding to the drivers input or accelerating on its own. In the latter, the driver pressed the accelerator instead of the brake pedal, which is a fairly common mistake Another cause could be the driver inadvertently leaving the traffic-aware cruise control (TACC). The feature can also be activated by mistake, as it is triggered by the same lever that controls gear selection. Without other vehicles in front, the car tends to resume the previously-set speed, which can take the driver by surprise. It happened before in at least two other Tesla high-profile crashes Over the summer, Teslas Autopilot Software Director Ashok Elluswamy shared interesting info that the Autopilot system can identify instances when the driver mistakenly presses the accelerator instead of the brakes. According to Elluswami, Tesla Autopilot prevents around 40 such crashes per day . Unfortunately, the system seems it's not yet good enough to avoid all such unintended acceleration events. HP One of the best news for yachting enthusiasts, especially the ones in Europe, is that the popular Boot Dusseldorf is finally coming back, after an extensive three-year hiatus. Like so many other events, it was seriously affected by the pandemic-caused cancellations, but now its finally back on track.Claiming to be Europes largest watersports exhibition, and certainly one of the most impressive displays of yachts and maritime equipment in the world, Boot Dusseldorf (or the Dusseldorf International Boat Show) is ready to kick off this weekend, and delight its visitors until January 29, 2023. This year, around 2,000 exhibitors will be showing off their latest developments, and almost 250,000 people are expected to attend.Yacht manufacturers that will be displaying at the event in Germany include big names such as Sunseeker, Princess, Silent Yachts, and Beneteau. One of the builders that have already announced important debuts at this years edition is the German Bavaria Yachts.Even if you might not be familiar with this brand, youll most likely be intrigued by its latest launch. The company has had remarkable success with its previous releases, the SR41 and SR36 lines. The Bavaria SR41 officially became the 2022 Boat of the Year in the UK, while the Bavaria SR36 was nominated for two major awards the 2023 European Powerboat of the Year, and the 2023 Best of Boats.Bavaria SR33 is the youngest model, gearing up to show what it can do starting this weekend. At 11.4 meters (37.4 feet) its rather on the small side, but thanks to an ingenious layout its supposed to feel a lot more spacious. The elegant, balanced style is owed to the acclaimed Italian designer Marco Casali, while the Bavaria Yachts team took care of the engineering.Versatility is a keyword for this boat. For example, the sunbed at the stern can also be used for storage, can turn into a bench seat for the cockpit table, or can become a beach terrace right next to the water (together with an optional table).Below deck, the salon and the generous bed can be turned into a single, loft-like room with plenty of space. And, when additional sleeping accommodation is needed, the salon table can be lowered to provide an extra sleeping berth.The cockpit area is also surprisingly generous, and it includes a large table thats perfect for enjoying a fresh meal prepared at the wet bar (equipped with a fridge, sink, and cooking plate).Another highlight of the Bavaria SR33 is its "open-with-hardtop" structure, with large windows, thanks to which guests onboard can enjoy unobstructed, beautiful 360-degree views.In terms of power , the Bavaria SR33 claims to offer economical propulsion without killing the thrill of the ride, thanks to its double Volvo Penta and Mercruiser engines (of up to 700) plus a 380 HP single drive from Volvo Penta.More details about the new boat s pricing and specs will be revealed at the upcoming Boot Dusseldorf. The Toyota Land Cruiser is the "Land Crusher" in the activists' campaign SUV Photo: Katy Rodda Still Wants 2m on Twitter BMW, slammed for promoting oversized SUVs Photo: Spelling Mistakes Cost Lives on Twitter Toyota missed the start of the all-electric race WATCH: Subvertisers in 14 European cities have hacked 400 corporate ad spaces with parody car adverts. #Toyota, and #BMW are using advertising to greenwash their public image whilst lobbying hard against climate regulations.#BanFossilAds #BeyondZero #BrusselsMotorShow pic.twitter.com/IM2TJue6is Brandalism (@BrandalismUK) January 16, 2023 Calling themselves subvertisers, the activists claim that carmakers are misinforming prospective buyers. They also say that brands like Toyota and BMW are taking advantage of a phenomenon called greenwashing, which refers to deceiving customers about the positive impact of a product or a service on the environment.The people involved in the campaign that mocks BMW and Toyota through outdoor advertising received help from 12 artists who submitted witty artwork that replaced 400 billboards in 14 European cities. The action comes right as this years Brussels Motor Show car-centric event celebrates its 100th anniversary.Activists say that Belgiums capital city has lately been overwhelmed by billboards displaying all sorts of cars. They also argue that the messages associated with them are not honest. So, to put their own vision about these new vehicles out there, they decided to make use of the artwork all over Brussels. Overnight, the city was filled with new ads which painted a different perspective. They even managed to get them into bus stops, train stations, or inside subways.For example, Toyotas Land Cruiser got renamed the 'Toyota Land Crusher' and was joined by Crush the life or Dominate life slogans written in French and English. The UK-style number plate also reads "CO2 XXL" which is hinting at the vehicle's carbon footprint. This is how activists tried to emphasize thes large dimensions and its off-road capabilities which may be used to the detriment of protecting wildlife and their habitats.Another Japanese SUV can be seen in some adverts with a bright purple paint job, surrounded by nothing but smoke and destruction, while the writing says that this billboard is a commercial for the end of the world.The activists also claim that Toyotas transition to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) is not a real strategy. According to them, the automaker will continue manufacturing gas-guzzlers for decades to come. Toyotas CEO is also depicted as the protagonist of a horror movie where it's suggested that the only thing he sees worthy is oil and the environment doesn't matter.On the other hand, BMW has been targeted through even harsher artworks. Some display messages like When we test our emission, the test dummy is you. Even though these are made by artists in a somewhat relatable design, the text and images replicate to some degree the official identity of the brand. This may make them look almost like they were approved and plastered everywhere by the manufacturer itself.Other posters depict a BMW X5 as the image of a guaranteed climate catastrophe.One of the artists who participated in this campaign said they picked BMW because of the Dieselgate-era emission scandals. Darren Cullen says that BMW "was one of the car manufacturers who installed emissions test cheating devices in thousands of their vehicles, which meant they released far more toxic fumes than regulators and consumers believed."The eco-warriors demand the UK and the EU introduce the same mandatory labeling for car advertisements as it is now standard practice for tobacco-based products. This may include even banning some ads before they can be shown to the public. The people involved in this movement also underline that BMW and Toyota carry out aggressive lobbying against climate policy and blame them for not selling more EV s.A spokesperson argued that Toyota isnt serious about its transition to zero-tailpipe emission vehicles and accused both the Japanese and German manufacturers of slick marketing campaigns that promote over-sized SUV models that clog up urban neighborhoods.The activists also hate the idea of all-electric SUVs because theyre too big and endanger people, a notion which was made clear last year by The Tire Extinguishers .The results of the campaign have been spotted in Brussels, London, Berlin, Paris, and other ten major European cities from the UK, France, Germany, and Belgium. It is an effort made by three organizations Brandalism, Subvertisers International, and Extinction Rebellion.While Toyota may struggle with finding the successful recipe for a great all-electric vehicle , BMW succeeded in offering customers alternative options to fossil-fuel-powered models. However, no matter what carmakers are currently doing, the UK and the EU have already made up their minds regarding vehicles that come with a tailpipe. If regulators stick to their plan, new gas- or diesel-powered vehicles will disappear from dealerships from 2035.Interestingly enough, the activists say that Toyota and BMW rank 10th and 16th, respectively, on the "anti-climate lobbying map" cropped up by InfluenceMap, a self-named "independent think-tank," which encompasses a UK nonprofit organization and a U.S.-based charity.For now, its not entirely clear if the authorities will seek to punish the eco-warriors or if the cities administrations will want reparations for what the organizations did. BMW and Toyota might also try to get reimbursements if they realize that their ads were not displayed properly. Its unclear if the activists paid for the advertising space or just replaced the original ads with the artwork. But, at least for now, the organizations behind this movement managed to attract people's attention. How effective their actions will be... Well, that's up for debate.Finally, besides overlapping with the 100th edition of the Brussels Motor Show, this campaign comes soon after it was uncovered that Exxon predicted what climate change would do to Earth but kept this information hidden from the public and relevant authorities. However, we reported about this back in 2017 when we showed you that Exxon lied about global warming for 40 years. The Japanese carmaker explains that anticipating whats going to happen in the supply chain is still difficult, not only because of the global health issue (which could still hurt some of its suppliers) but also due to the lack of semiconductors.The shortage is showing signs of recovery, but Toyota says it cant ignore the impact that the lack of chips can eventually have on its production capacity. The company has previously suspended production at all its Japanese facilities due to the semiconductor crisis, with the yearly output eventually impacted as well.In 2023, Toyota believes it would be able to produce a maximum of 10.6 million units if everything goes according to the plan. However, the automaker acknowledges that the production challenges caused by the parts supply shortages could eventually impact this figure.Toyota says the baseline production shouldnt drop below 10 percent of the yearly target, so in theory, the company should still be able to produce over 9.5 million vehicles in 2023 no matter what.On the other hand, the uncertainty thats still swirling around in the automotive industry is the one that makes Toyota extremely cautious when it comes down to releasing production estimates for 2023. While some companies expect the global chip shortage to ease off gradually in the first half of the year and then be resolved completely towards the end of 2023, Toyota doesnt seem too optimistic that such a scenario is very likely.The prediction released by the Japanese automaker is in line with the expectations of other large companies in the market as well. A few months ago, GMs CEO Mary Barra said she expects the constrained chip inventory to remain a problem in 2023 a nd even beyond, therefore suggesting that the production of cars could still be impacted in the long term.Unfortunately, it doesnt look like the ridiculously long waiting times for new cars would be resolved anytime soon. Toyota says its continuously working with everybody involved in the supply chain to make sure cars would be produced and shipped as fast as possible, but we all know what this means. The constrained chip inventory continues to cause headaches for carmakers, and despite Toyotas efforts to achieve minimal fluctuation, the uncertainty could lead to production slowdowns.If anything, tech giant Intel has previously estimated the chip shortage would continue to wreak havoc in the world until the end of 2024 despite all investments in capacity, and judging by the current production struggles in the automotive space, this forecast is very likely to be spot on. 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. In a statement, a Karabakh government body said that a pipeline supplying gas from Armenia and passing through Azerbaijani-controlled territory was again blocked by Baku early in the afternoon more than one month after Azerbaijani government-backed protesters blocked Karabakhs land link with Armenia Azerbaijan is continuing its actions aimed at ethnically cleansing Artsakh, an aide to Ruben Vardanyan, the Karabakh premier, wrote on Facebook. Vardanyan held an emergency meeting in Stepanakert of a Karabakh task force dealing with economic and other consequences of the continuing blockade. An official statement on the meeting said they discussed ensuring uninterrupted operation of vital facilities cut off from gas. It said Vardanyan instructed Karabakh officials to find alternative ways of supporting those facilities and meeting the minimum needs of the population. The local gas operator Artsakhgas reported later in the day that gas is again flowing to Karabakh from Armenia. It said it is now making technical preparations for swiftly resuming gas supplies to Karabakh households. The vital gas supplies were already disrupted on December 13 the day after the closure of the sole road connecting Karabakh to Armenia. They were restored three days later. Supplies of electricity from Armenia to Karabakh were similarly blocked by Azerbaijan on January 10, leading to serious power shortages in the Armenian-populated territory. The resulting daily power cuts have hit particularly hard local residents using electricity to heat their homes. The absence of natural gas would only aggravate the problem. We dont know what to think because wood stoves are becoming the only option, Nona Baghdasarian, a Stepanakert resident, told RFE/RLs Armenian Service before the restoration of the gas supply announced by the authorities. Karabakh is also grappling with growing food shortages resulting from the blockade. Later this week, the authorities will start rationing some basic foodstuffs to ensure their even distribution to the population. Every local resident is to receive one liter of sunflower oil and one kilogram of rice, macaroni, buckwheat and sugar a month. Karabakh food stores now mostly sell bread, milk and other dairy products made by local farmers and firms. Even bread is not always available, said Baghdasarian. As for dairy products, only those who line up [outside shops] before 9 a.m. may manage to buy some of them. The United States, the European Union as well as Russia have repeatedly urged the Azerbaijani side to unblock the Lachin Corridor. Baku has dismissed their calls and defended Azerbaijani protesters continuing to occupy a section of the corridor on ostensibly environmental grounds. Lois Henry is the CEO and editor of SJV Water, a nonprofit, independent online news publication dedicated to covering water issues in the San Joaquin Valley. She can be reached at lois.henry@sjvwater.org. The website is sjvwater.org. MANILA, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos on Monday expressed his wish that his country and China will strengthen ties in the new year. "Allow me to extend my warmest greetings as we welcome the Chinese New Year," Marcos said in a video message during a celebration held by the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year to be celebrated this weekend. This occasion provides an opportunity to look into the cultural and historical richness and strengthen the ties that bind the peoples of both countries, Marcos added. Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte said the upcoming Rabbit Year "marks a fresh start and rejuvenation" for the peoples of the two countries. With Marcos' substantive state visit to China early this month, the vice president said she looks forward to closer bilateral ties between the Philippines and China "based on mutual trust and mutual respect." Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian stressed the need to "gear up the important consensus" forged during Marcos' Beijing visit "to new heights." "Deepening friendly cooperation is what our peoples long for," Huang said, adding that both sides shall further promote the people-to-people exchanges. "We are neighbors that can not be moved away. Therefore, we have every reason to share a peaceful neighborhood and no reason to attrit each other," Huang added. This photo taken on Jan. 16, 2023 shows a first-day cover with the stamps marking the Year of the Rabbit at Hungary's Stamp Museum in Budapest, Hungary. A commemorative postage stamp marking the Chinese Lunar New Year (2023, Year of the Rabbit) was issued here on Monday. The stamp was issued by Hungary's Stamp Museum in collaboration with the Chinese Embassy in Hungary, the country's Ministry of Economic Development, the China Cultural Center in Budapest and the Hungarian Post Office. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua) BUDAPEST, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- A commemorative postage stamp marking the Chinese Lunar New Year (2023, Year of the Rabbit) was issued here on Monday. The stamp was issued by Hungary's Stamp Museum in collaboration with the Chinese Embassy in Hungary, the country's Ministry of Economic Development, the China Cultural Center in Budapest and the Hungarian Post Office. The sheet of four stamps was designed by graphic artist Krisztina Maros. It will be printed in 20,000 copies. Against a red and white background, the stamps depict two pairs of rabbits in blue and white porcelain colors. The text over the image says "Year of the Rabbit" in Chinese and Hungarian. The stamp also features the Chinese symbols of Yin and Yang. The launch ceremony was addressed by Yang Chao, interim charge d'affaires at the Chinese Embassy in Hungary, Marton Nagy, Hungary's minister for economic development, Barnabas Balczo, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Hungarian Post Office, and Jin Hao, director of the China Cultural Center in Budapest. According to Yang Chao, the issuance of Chinese Lunar Zodiac stamps is a significant element of the cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and Hungary. It also symbolizes the strong friendship between the two peoples. "The government of Hungary believes that it is extremely important to continue to strengthen the existing good relationships with China, and we are open to further cooperation," Nagy said. Balczo recalled that the rabbit is the luckiest of the 12 animals in the Chinese Zodiac, and said he wished this would prove true for both countries in 2023. The Year of the Rabbit stamp is the 10th Chinese Lunar Zodiac stamp issued by the Hungarian Post Office. Yang Chao, interim charge d'affaires at the Chinese Embassy in Hungary (L), shakes hands with Marton Nagy, Hungary's minister for economic development, at the launch ceremony of the Year of the Rabbit stamp at Hungary's Stamp Museum in Budapest, Hungary, Jan. 16, 2023. A commemorative postage stamp marking the Chinese Lunar New Year (2023, Year of the Rabbit) was issued here on Monday. The stamp was issued by Hungary's Stamp Museum in collaboration with the Chinese Embassy in Hungary, the country's Ministry of Economic Development, the China Cultural Center in Budapest and the Hungarian Post Office. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua) Jin Hao, director of the China Cultural Center in Budapest, addresses the launch ceremony of the Year of the Rabbit stamp at Hungary's Stamp Museum in Budapest, Hungary, Jan. 16, 2023. A commemorative postage stamp marking the Chinese Lunar New Year (2023, Year of the Rabbit) was issued here on Monday. The stamp was issued by Hungary's Stamp Museum in collaboration with the Chinese Embassy in Hungary, the country's Ministry of Economic Development, the China Cultural Center in Budapest and the Hungarian Post Office. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua) This photo taken on Jan. 16, 2023 shows a first-day cover with the stamps marking the Year of the Rabbit in Budapest, Hungary. A commemorative postage stamp marking the Chinese Lunar New Year (2023, Year of the Rabbit) was issued here on Monday. The stamp was issued by Hungary's Stamp Museum in collaboration with the Chinese Embassy in Hungary, the country's Ministry of Economic Development, the China Cultural Center in Budapest and the Hungarian Post Office. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua) Donald Lu, the United States assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs (left), speaks with Bangladesh Foreign Minister A. K. Abdul Momen at a meeting in Dhaka, Jan. 15, 2022. A senior U.S. official highlighted tremendous progress made by Bangladesh in reducing alleged extrajudicial killings by its elite RAB security force, which Washington had sanctioned in December 2021 over gross human rights abuses. Donald Lu, the United States assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs, noted the progress as he wrapped a weekend visit to Bangladesh. Bilateral tensions arose in the wake of the U.S. sanctions on the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and comments by the Biden administration about upcoming national elections in the South Asian country. In commenting on the reduction of extrajudicial killings, Lu cited information from a newly published annual report by international watchdog Human Rights Watch. If you have seen the statement this week by Human Rights Watch, they recognize, and we recognize, tremendous progress in the area of reducing extrajudicial killings by the RAB, Lu told a press briefing in Dhaka on Sunday. This is amazing work. It shows that the RAB is able to carry out its important counter terrorism and law enforcement function while respecting human rights. At the end of 2021, the United States announced it was imposing targeted sanctions against several commanders of RAB. It accused the unit of more than 600 enforced disappearances in the past 12 years, a similar number of extrajudicial killings, and the use of torture. In the Bangladesh chapter of its World Report 2023 published last week, Human Rights Watch opened it by saying that the government had been able to rein in RAB following the U.S. sanctions. Following the US Global Magnitsky human rights sanctions against Bangladeshs Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and some of its top commanders in December 2021, extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances dropped dramatically, indicating that authorities have the ability to bring security force abuses under control, the report said. Meanwhile on Tuesday, the New York-based watchdog group said that another Bangladesh security unit, the Armed Police Battalion (APBn), was committing rampant abuse against Rohingya refugees, including extortion, arbitrary arrests, and harassment of refugees who were already facing violence from criminal gangs and armed groups. Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said that he had an excellent meeting with Lu on Sunday. He emphasized protection of human rights, political freedom, and other issues, the minister told BenarNews on Tuesday. I made it clear that the government is serious about the protection of human rights and political freedom of all parties. The home minister said he also talked with Lu about Washington lifting the sanctions on RAB. Donald Lu told me that lifting of the sanctions is a complex procedure. He told me that we were on the right track for lifting of the sanctions and hoped that it would be lifted with the completion of the procedures, Khan said. According to Khan, the U.S. official told him that Washington had considered further sanctions in December, but held off because RAB had shown improvement in its duties. As we are on the right track, they decided to hold off on further sanctions, the minister said. No time-frame for sanctions removal On Tuesday, BenarNews sought comments from the U.S. embassy in Dhaka about the procedures for lifting of the sanctions, but did not immediately hear back. For his part, Lu said he had honest and open discussions with Bangladesh officials. The U.S. has made a commitment on democracy and human rights that we will speak when we see problems and where we can offer suggestions, we will stand up for freedom speech, freedom expression and we look forward to working very closely with our partners here in Bangladesh, Lu said at the press briefing on Sunday. During his meetings in Dhaka, Lu did not indicate a time frame for the removal of RAB sanctions, the U.S. embassy said in a statement on Tuesday. We applaud the Government of Bangladeshs efforts in these continued reforms and encourage the Bangladesh government to conduct independent investigations of alleged extrajudicial killings, the statement said. During his meeting, according to the Bangladesh home minister, he told Lu that the government had not been obstructing the opposition parties from holding peaceful political programs. But the government would not tolerate any attempt to destroy public property and cause anarchy in the guise of political freedom, Khan said about their conversation. The minister was referring to recent U.S. statements calling on Dhaka to ensure that upcoming elections be free, fair and transparent. Last week the Bangladesh foreign minister had responded to these comments by saying that Dhaka did not need lessons on democracy from other countries. Sanctions saved many lives Human rights activists, meanwhile, said the U.S. sanctions on RAB did have a positive effect on extrajudicial killings but that the unit as well as the police were now using a new tactic for detention. Frankly speaking, the U.S. sanctions on RAB saved many lives that would have been lost on the pretext of the recovery of illegal arms and narcotics. The stereotypical narrative of crossfire with criminals has almost disappeared, Nur Khan, executive director of the rights body Ain-O-Salish Kendra, told BenarNews. Many people are whisked away, and they are presented before court weeks after their unlawful arrests. In most of the cases, the law enforcers brand those arrested as suspected of militant activity, he said. This type of practice is another form of human rights violation. Nevertheless, Lus visit had smoothed relations between Dhaka and Washington, said Munshi Fayaz Ahmad, former chair of the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies. Before the visit the public perception was that Bangladesh-U.S. relations were not going in a smooth way. But after the visit, the two sides talked in a very amicable way on common issues. The tone has changed now, Ahmad told BenarNews. From now on, I think, both sides will engage in constructive ways to maintain friendly relations. A Chinese Coast Guard vessel (top) is seen near a ship of the Vietnam Marine Guard in the South China Sea, May 14, 2014. Indonesian officials said they were not worried about the presence of Chinas largest coast guard ship in the Natuna Sea. Jakarta has sent naval ships and a patrol aircraft to the area to monitor the Chinese ships movements but the Navys Chief, Adm. Muhammad Ali, said everything was under control. Vietnamese analysts, however, are concerned the Chinese ships presence may signal a prolonged stand-off in the newly demarcated maritime boundaries. Last month, Vietnam and Indonesia concluded talks on the boundaries of their exclusive economic zones (EEZs), which also lie within the imaginary nine-dash line that Beijing uses to demarcate what it calls its historical rights over almost 90% of the South China Sea. An EEZ gives a state exclusive access to the natural resources in the waters and seabed. Hanoi and Jakarta have not disclosed details of the agreement and China has not protested officially, but Beijings largest coast guard ship has been in the area between Vietnam and Indonesia since Dec. 30. The CCG 5901, also the worlds largest coast guard ship, was still in the area on Tuesday, according to ship tracker Marine Traffic. Past track of Chinas CCG 5901, the worlds largest coast guard ship, from Dec. 29, 2022, to Jan. 17. [MarineTraffic] There are no problems A spokesperson at the Chinese embassy in Jakarta told BenarNews the Chinese ship was in sea areas that China has jurisdiction in accordance with domestic law and international laws. A United Nations tribunal in 2016 invalidated the nine-dash line but Beijing has so far rejected the ruling, insisting that China has jurisdiction over all areas within the line. Its for the purpose of maritime security and order, the official was quoted as saying. In response, Adm. Muhammad Ali told BenarNews on Tuesday we have at least three to four warships in Natuna on the ready and one marine patrol aircraft. Ali added the Indonesian Air Forces drones would also be deployed for joint patrols in the North Natuna Sea. There are no problems, he said. Satya Pratama, a senior Indonesian government official and a former captain at Indonesias Maritime Security Agency Bakamla, said the presence of warships in the area is not abnormal. The Indonesian Navy regularly patrols the area so I dont think the fact that the ships are there alone will escalate the tension, Pratama told Radio Free Asia. It happened before. It is just parties sending messages, he said, adding that nobody would want additional tension in the area where the Indonesian government has just passed an oil and gas development plan. Earlier this month, Indonesias Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Task Force (SKK Migas) approved the plan to develop the Tuna oil and gas field, also known as the Tuna Block, in the North Natuna area. The Tuna Block lies entirely inside Indonesias EEZ and just 13 km (8 miles) from the border of the Vietnamese EEZ but the area is frequented by Chinese law enforcement and fishing boats. Vietnams concerns Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia have all accused China of disrupting their oil and gas exploration activities with frequent incursions by Chinese coast guard and maritime militia ships, leading to confrontations. Vietnamese analysts said the deployment of the CCG 5901, dubbed the monster ship and armed with heavy machine guns, may be Chinas response to the Vietnam-Indonesia maritime limitation agreement. Le Hong Hiep, Senior Fellow at the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, said the Chinese coast guard ships operating area is very close to the supposed boundary between Vietnam and Indonesia, and it is an indication of Chinas protest. Viet Hoang, another Vietnamese analyst and university lecturer, said he fears this may signal a prolonged stand-off in the area. China will not let it [the Vietnam-Indonesia agreement] go easily, he said. In 2021, Chinese survey and coast guard ships loitered uninvited for almost a month in the North Natuna area, where Indonesias oil and gas exploration was underway. Van Pham, who runs an independent research project focusing on the South China Sea, points to another area of Vietnams concerns the Vanguard Bank. Vanguard Bank is located within Vietnams EEZ. [Google Maps] It is an entirely submerged feature that hosts three Vietnamese outposts, located within Vietnams EEZ and about 400 km (249 miles) from Indonesias Riau Islands, north of the Natuna Sea. Chinese coast guard ships are known to be present at a very regular frequency around the Vanguard Bank, from where they monitor and from time to time harass Vietnams oil exploration activities nearby, said the chief administrator of the South China Sea Chronicle Initiative. The Vanguard Bank is a known South China Sea flashpoint between Vietnam and China. In July 2019, a Chinese Coast Guard contingent accompanied a Chinese survey vessel operating within Vietnams waters around the bank, causing diplomatic outcry and a tense, months-long standoff between the Vietnamese and Chinese coast guards. Radio Free Asia (RFA) is a news service affiliated with BenarNews. Officers from the police and military conduct a security check at the entrance of PT Gunbuster Nickel Industry, a Chinese-owned plant in North Morowali, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, Jan. 17, 2023. Production resumed at a China-owned nickel smelter in Indonesia on Tuesday after a deadly weekend riot highlighted lingering tensions over the presence of Chinese workers in the Southeast Asian country. Police said the violence erupted on Saturday at the PT Gunbuster Nickel Industry (GNI) plant in Morowali, Central Sulawesi province, and was fanned by an allegedly false rumor that Chinese employees had attacked their Indonesian counterparts who were protesting over wages and labor safety. An Indonesian worker and a Chinese worker were killed. Information from the management shows 2,963 employees returned to work today, including 350 Chinese workers, Central Sulawesi provincial police spokesperson Didik Supranoto told BenarNews. Indonesias manpower ministry said it was sending a team to investigate the violence, during which workers torched part of the plant. The point of the investigation is to find out what caused the riot and resolve the existing problems so that similar incidents do not happen again, said the head of its provincial office, Arnold Firdaus Bandu. Officials said 71 people were in police custody and 17 of them were considered suspects in connection with the violence. Meanwhile, more than 700 police and soldiers have been deployed to maintain security around the plant, and there were no new tensions reported between Chinese and Indonesian workers, police spokesman Didik said. They are getting along well, he said. Some Indonesians have expressed concerns about what they see as an influx into the country of workers from China, accusing them of stealing menial jobs from locals. The government insists that only Chinese nationals with specific skills are allowed to work in Indonesia, especially on Beijing-backed projects. According to the Ministry of Manpower, there were more than 42,000 Chinese workers in Indonesia in 2022, accounting for about 44 percent of all expatriates in Indonesia. Didik spoke about events leading up to Saturdays clash. At a meeting between the workers union and the companys management on Friday, the employees demanded an upgrade to safety procedures, an end to wage cuts, reinstatement of employees whose contracts had ended, and better compensation for the families of two workers who were killed in a factory fire in December, he said. Several demands were fulfilled, but some need follow-up, especially regarding the termination of employees whose contracts have expired, Didik said. Local employees went on strike on Saturday and invited their Chinese co-workers to join, Didik said. In the afternoon, security personnel managed to keep the tension under control. But late at night through Sunday morning, they became anarchic, resulting in fatalities, injuries and damage to company facilities, he said. Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo, the national police chief, said a rumor about Chinese workers having beaten up local colleagues was false. What happened was there was a call to strike and there were attempts to coerce [other workers to join] and they were rejected, and rumors went viral that there were attacks by foreign workers on local workers, Listyo told reporters. The National Police, assisted by the TNI [the military], is ready to provide security because this, of course, affects Indonesians who also work there, and this smelters activity certainly has provided added value for the country, he said. Chinese companies dominate nickel smelting The ministrys provincial office said PT Gunbuster did not give access to its officials who went there to investigate after a fire killed two Indonesian employees in December. PT GNI was too strict and uncooperative. If they had been transparent, we could have given the workers understandings, he said. According to the manpower office, GNI employs 12,247 people, including 1,312 Chinese nationals. A member of the provincial legislative council, Muharram Nurdin, called for a thorough investigation. Im asking the police to be neutral in handling the case. There should be no discrimination. If foreign workers violated any law, they must be punished, he said. Muharram said the company should be penalized if it remained uncooperative. We all hope that there will be no more unrest between Indonesian employees and foreign ones at PT GNI. And all the problems that exist are resolved properly, he said. Indonesia imposed a ban on nickel ore shipments in 2020, prompting the European Union to seek a review by the World Trade Organization. Chinese-linked companies dominate the nickel smelter industry in Indonesia, according to information from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources. Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said the government policy requiring companies to refine commodities at home to make exports more valuable had attracted Chinese businesses. After Singapore, China is the second largest foreign investor in Indonesia. Chinese investments in Indonesia reached U.S. $3.6 billion in the first half of 2022, compared with $1.7 billion in the same period of 2021, according to the Indonesian Ministry of Investment last year. China is also funding projects in Indonesia as part of Beijings Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) worldwide infrastructure-building program. These include the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail project, which is expected to be completed in June 2023. Tria Dianti in Jakarta contributed to this report. Thai firefighters spray foam to extinguish the blaze on the Smooth Sea 22 oil tanker at Ruammitr Dockyard Co. Ltd. shipyard on the Mae Klong River in Samut Songkram province, Thailand, Jan. 17, 2023. Updated at 1:50 p.m. ET on 2023-01-17 A huge explosion aboard an oil tanker killed at least two people including a Burmese national at a Thai shipyard and injured at least 10, while others were reported missing, the provincial governor and Marine Department of Thailand said Tuesday. A video clip showed a fireball rising from the Smooth Sea 22 at around 9:20 a.m., said officials in Samut Songkram, a coastal province on the Gulf of Thailand southwest of Bangkok. The ship was carrying more than 30,000 liters of bunker oil commonly used in marine and land-based steam power plants along with 2,500 liters of diesel fuel, said officials who had not yet identified a cause for the blast. The tanker was docked at the Ruammitr Dockyard Co. Ltd., a shipyard on the Mae Klong River in Laem Yai subdistrict where welders were working on it as part of a maintenance procedure. Officials said the fire was extinguished by 3 p.m. We found two bodies which are being forensically examined. We have to determine if they are Thai or of foreign origin, Samut Songkram Gov. Somnuk Phromkeaw told reporters on Tuesday afternoon, adding that those injured were welders who were not among the tankers 17 crew members. The provincial disaster relief center identified one of those killed as Tui, 36, of Myanmar. The identity of the second victim was not released, but the Marine Department reported that at least 10 were injured. In a Facebook post, rescue worker Siridech Siricamhom said five people were missing as of 5 p.m. Meanwhile, Somnuk and Marine Department officials noted that flammable products were stored on the tanker. But to find the cause, we have to set up an expert committee to investigate the case. The results should be known in 10 days, said Puripat Teerakulpisut, the Marine Departments deputy director-general. Sorapong Paitoonpong, Marine Department acting chief, ordered the shipyard shut down after the explosion. Marine scientists urged authorities to contain any oil spill from seeping into nearby mangrove and seashore surroundings, which are home to Brydes whales, mollusks and fishes. The explosion was the second involving a Smooth Sea Co. Ltd. ship in Thailand in less than a year. On March 9, 2022, the Smooth Sea 2 carrying 1.8 million liters of gasoline/alcohol car fuel and 1.3 million liters of diesel fuel exploded in Samut Prakan, near Bangkok, killing one and injuring three others. This report has been updated to include details about victims and comments from officials regarding an investigation into the cause of the explosion. JERUSALEM, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Tuesday that an Israeli held captive in Gaza is alive, a day after Hamas released a rare video of him. "Yesterday we received additional confirmation of what we have known all along - that Avera (Mengistu) is alive," Netanyahu said in a statement after a meeting with Ronen Bar, the chief of the Shin Bet internal security agency. In a rare video released on Monday by Hamas, an Islamist Palestinian group that runs the Gaza Strip, Mengistu is seen seated against a white background, appealing for Israel's help to free him. Mengistu has been held in the Gaza Strip since he crossed into the Palestinian enclave in 2014. His family said in the past that the man, now 36, is suffering from mental health problems. Mengistu "is a young man, not in the best of health, and Hamas is entirely responsible for his fate," Netanyahu said. Israel has "not ceased its efforts to bring back Avera Mengistu and our other captives and missing persons," he added. Hamas is reportedly seeking a prisoner swap deal in which Palestinian prisoners would be released in exchange for Mengistu's freedom. 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. OTIS Its been 16 years since Andy Pyenson stopped raising chickens at his longtime business, the Otis Poultry Farm. A few years after that, his wife, Lynn Pyenson, began running the Farmington River Diner down Route 8 near the town center. Now the couple he is 72, she is 68 hope to cash out on their investments of time and labor, having placed both the farm and the diner on the market. There is interest in the diner at 119 South Main Road, which is priced at $369,000 for the post-and-beam structure on an acre in the center. And the farm is back on the market, after a purchase-and-sale agreement fell through months ago. The would-be buyers planned to operate a marijuana cultivation and retail facility on the nearly 25-acre farm. The farms list price is $995,000. Both feel its time to bow out. I love the place, Lynn Pyenson said of the diner, where she works from 3:30 a.m. until close. Dont get me wrong. But Im pushing 70. Im tired. On some days, she runs the place alone. On days when it snows, she makes sure to feed the men who work at the nearby Commonwealth of Massachusetts Highway Department a hot breakfast early in the morning. Im everybodys mother, whether they like it or not, Pyenson said. The diner closed from March to July of 2020 due to the pandemic. When it reopened, Lynn Pyenson took out about half the seats, bringing the capacity from 45 to about 20, partly in deference to social distancing, but also because of the labor shortage. Its now open Friday through Monday for breakfast and lunch. A native of Albany, N.Y., Lynn Pyenson grew up in Mechanicville, N.Y., working at her grandfathers restaurant, Central Dairy, and has spent most of her working life in restaurants. The Pyensons met when she was working at the East Lee Steak House and he was, as Lynn Pyenson puts it, the egg man. They married nearly 30 years ago in Otis, a second marriage for both; they have four children, four granddaughters and two great-grandchildren. Andy Pyenson is clear on his reason for seeking buyers. My wife and I would both like to spend some time enjoying whats left, he said. The poultry farm, at 1570 North Main Road, is iconic in Otis. From Route 8, a la Burma Shave advertising, chicken coops are painted with the words Farm Fresh Eggs Laid Here and Egg Eaters Make Better Lovers. Andy Pyenson grew up working on the farm started by his grandfather, David Pyenson, in 1904. He now runs the sprawling country store at the Otis Poultry Farm alone, stocking pies, cookies, sweatshirts, wine, beer and local products, including cheese from Gould Farms. Chickens no longer lay eggs on the farm, but the store buys from local producers. A restaurant on site, which Lynn Pyenson ran, closed during the pandemic and hasnt reopened. Lynn Pyenson still uses the commercial kitchen there for catering. Andy Pyenson said he would like to see the next owner keep it somewhat as is, with the store, expand upon that. Maggie C. Merelle, real estate associate at William Pitt Sothebys International Realty in Great Barrington, declined to comment on the diner listing, citing interest in the property. Farms future Chapin Fish and Jared Kelly, who are representing the farm through William Pitt Sothebys International Realty, and are principals of the Brockman Group in Monterey, spoke of the opportunities the farm holds for a new owner. Any commercial operation will require a special permit, Kelly said of the farm, which went back on the market in December. Were not narrowly focusing on marijuana or any one industry, he said. While winter is not the busiest time for commercial real estate sales, Fish said there have been nibbles. That will quicken as we get further into winter and into spring. It really is awesome land. He described the terrain as flat and gently rolling down to the road and up. The site lies near the headwaters of the Farmington River and has considerable road frontage. Fish said Otis is a very innovative town, referring to its municipally owned wind turbine. At the diner, Lynn Pyenson does the cooking, although her husband prepares all of the bacon in the Otis Poultry Farms kitchens. She often puts out treats she baked on table 9, the large double booth in the center of the dining room often occupied by locals. Last Friday, the offering on the communal table was monkey bread. Through the years, film critic Gene Shalit, comedian and director Justin Long and bagel magnate Murray Lender have been customers of the diner. Lynn Pyenson says that while travelers are welcome, the diner depends on the loyalty of area residents. We do need the tourists and the second-home owners, but we cant forget the local people. The husband of a Massachusetts woman who's been missing for weeks has been charged with murder PITTSFIELD If these walls could talk, volunteer Laura Harbin-Waters thinks theyd have a lot to say. Harbin-Waters stood alongside other volunteers at the Habitat for Humanity property at 58 Gordon St., white primer dripping from rollers and brushes as the crew was tasked with coating the second floor. The act, she said, was more than meets the eye. The volunteers gathered there were putting a bit of themselves into the home, rather than just painting it. Were putting love here in the walls, Harbin-Waters said. And the person that lives here will feel it. Not consciously, but theyll feel it. Harbin-Waters was part of a group of volunteers sent to the house by Berkshire Community College, as part of the Rev. Martin Luther King Day of Service, organized by the school alongside the Berkshire Branch of the NAACP. The day is celebrated in recognition of the birth of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., who was known for his advocacy and practice of nonviolent protest and demonstration. The day of service saw participants head to play bingo at Soldier On, make cards for first responders and run youth activities at the Boys and Girls Club to pay forward Kings commitment to bettering communities around the world. The event also featured a keynote speech from Charles Redd, the diversity, equity and inclusion officer for Berkshire Health Systems, at the First United Methodist Church. Redds speech highlighted the need for a service mentality every day to address the challenges facing Berkshire County. Redd spent much of his time highlighting health disparities in the area. He noted that Berkshire County ranked 13th out of 14 counties in the commonwealth for health outcomes, leading to worse results for those suffering from chronic heart disease, diabetes, cancer and more compared to the rest of the state, based on a community health needs assessment from 2021. One of the biggest factors in these outcomes is poverty, he said. Money affects how often someone sees a doctor, what kind of food they eat and whether or not they can afford the things their children need. The median income in Berkshire County is 25 percent lower than the state average, he said. Much of the speech was highlighting resources and organizations in the county doing the work of addressing these disparities including the NAACP, the Berkshire Stonewall Community Coalition, West Side Legends, the Berkshire Alliance to Support the Immigrant Community and the Southern Berkshire Rural Health Network to name a few. These groups provide different services, but aim at a common goal, in his view. Redd refers to these organizations as dignity freedom fighters that help community members and provide a voice for the voiceless in health care settings and society at large. I think a lot of times, people will link dignity and respect, Redd said. Respect is something that you earn dignity is your inherent right to be treated fairly that we all have. This is not a sentiment for one day a year, he said. While the holiday is a nice reminder, he held up workers at these organizations as examples of those who try to promote Kings ideals every day. Our job is really to move this forward, Redd said. Everything [King] did in his short life is carrying through after his death there are people that carry that forward every day. It was the first time the college was able to organize the event and volunteers in-person since 2020 after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Anahid Avsharian, another participant at the Habitat house, said it was a refreshing change of pace. Im glad to be back in person, Avsharian said. Meeting other people has been really sweet. For Jenny Bell, another volunteer working at the site, it was the continuation of a longstanding tradition. Growing up in Washington, D.C., she said that King was a significant figure in local history. Every year, doing something to honor Dr. King has always been part of my life, Bell said. Its taken many forms over the years: In Washington, she helped prepare meals for homeless people. In New York City, she did homeless outreach. In Boston, when her kids were young, she helped them make cards and crafts for first responders. During her first Martin Luther King Day in the Berkshires, she spent her time painting with Habitat. Bell said that one of the lessons from King she connects with most is the idea of a "beloved community" a society where caring and compassion drives policy that supports the elimination of poverty, hunger, and all forms of bigotry and violence, as relayed by Redd. Bell said she felt a responsibility to be part of her community and seek out areas where residents need help. To see the real Pittsfield, she said, and advocate for solutions to problems the city must face. She wants to bring others along with her and raise awareness about poverty and struggle in the community. What were doing today is just one little thing, but hopefully it inspires us to do more, Bell said. "Beloved community" was a central theme in the keynote speech from Redd. Though the concept itself is a big task, his takeaway for the audience was simple: you can do this, too. We all have neighbors, Redd said. We need to reach out our hand to see if they need help to really be involved in your community and learn who your neighbors are. Redd shared quotes from King, to drive home his point. One of them has a message he identifies with strongly: An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity. He sees that sentiment playing out all over Berkshire County and hopes to see it grow. We have people in this community that are looking past themselves and giving back to the place where they live and giving people the opportunity to grow and to succeed, Redd said. Senior Chinese diplomat, French president's diplomatic counselor hold phone talks Xinhua) 09:00, January 17, 2023 BEIJING, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Monday held phone talks with Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic counselor to French President Emmanuel Macron. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said that in a world full of turbulence and changes, the healthy and stable development of China-France relations is of special significance. As permanent members of the UN Security Council and independent major countries, China and France should strengthen strategic communication and play an important role in coping with global turmoil and changes, he added. China, he said, is willing to maintain close high-level exchanges with France, deepen strategic mutual trust and open up new prospects for the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership. As this year marks the 20th anniversary of the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, China is willing to work with France and other EU member states to uphold mutual respect, dialogue and cooperation and mutual benefit, so as to inject new impetus into the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, Wang said. For his part, Bonne said that France, which attaches great importance to its ties with China, is willing to work with China to strengthen high-level exchanges, deepen cooperation in innovation and technology and jointly draw a blueprint for future development. Bonne said his country, which opposes the Cold War mentality and bloc politics, is willing to play an active role in expanding EU-China dialogue, upholding multilateralism, promoting global economic recovery and collaborating on tackling climate change. France understands and supports China's anti-COVID measures, and believes China will prevail over the latest round of the outbreak, he said. The two sides exchanged views on the important agendas for bilateral exchanges in the next step. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's mining production, one of the country's pillar industries, declined 9 percent year on year in November 2022, official data showed Tuesday. Iron ore, diamonds and platinum group metals were the biggest negative contributors, which fell 19.4 percent, 21.5 percent and 22 percent, respectively, according to data released by Statistics South Africa. Seasonally adjusted mining production decreased 0.4 percent in November compared with the previous month, the data showed. In the three months ending in November, seasonally adjusted mining production dropped 1.9 percent when compared to the prior three months. Along with the drop in production, mineral sales at current prices in the country decreased 15.2 percent year on year in November, with the largest negative contributors being gold, iron ore and platinum group metals, according to the data. NORTH ADAMS Could opening a new peer recovery center in the city help reduce opioid deaths? Wendy Penner, a member of the citys HEALing Communities Study coalition, thinks so. It seems like a missing piece, she said. There are several across Western Massachusetts, but not in North Adams. The public can learn more about a possible peer recovery center and weigh in during a meeting 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at 195 Ashland St. It is open to all, and the coalition is particularly looking for input from those in the recovery community. Peer recovery centers offer support for people in recovery and anyone affected by addiction, and are run by those in the recovery community, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. What is really critically important is there is an understanding that this is meant to be an effort informed by and led by the voices of people in recovery, Penner said. In 2019, North Adams and Pittsfield were selected to be part of the HEALing Communities Study, a multistate project studying overdose prevention and substance use disorder treatment through the National Institutes of Health. Countywide, opioid overdose deaths have been rising over the last decade. Nine people died from opioid overdoses in North Adams in 2021, the most recent state data shows. The North Adams coalition has been meeting since last year to discuss ways to address opioid overdose deaths. Now, the group has around $300,000 in grant funding for the project to spend by the end of the year, and opening a peer recovery center is an idea the group is considering, Penner said. If the coalition decides to work on a center, it would need to find a host agency to work with and a location for it, ideally centrally located, on a bus line and visible. The idea is a lot of recovery happens in church basement or spaces that are hidden, she said. Thats good for some people, but a recovery center is meant to be visible and accessible to all. In the early church Christians used a fish symbol called an Ichthys to identify each others faith in secret circles, because many Christians were persecuted during that time. Ichthys is the ancient Greek word for fish, and it forms the acronym Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior. The Christian fish symbol features the outline of a fish shown with two intersecting arcs. Jesus uses the symbolism of fish when he first calls his disciples to join him. While theyre fishing in a lake, Jesus calls out to them. Mark 1:17 records: Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will send you out to fish for people. The Bible often mentions fish, which were a staple food for people during biblical times. When Jesus miraculously multiplied food to feed thousands of people who were listening to him teach, he turned only a few fish and loaves of bread into enough food to fulfill everyone in the large crowds. The Bible describes those two separate miracles, known collectively as feeding the multitude and separately as feeding the 5,000 and feeding the 4,000, in Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9, John 6, Matthew 15, and Mark 8. After Jesus resurrection, John 21:1-14 describes how Jesus appears to his disciples by the shore of the Sea of Galilee and gives them miraculous power to catch an extraordinarily large amount of fish. Then Jesus cooks some of the fish along with some bread and invites the disciples to join him to eat breakfast. Symbol #4: The Candle Candles have served as symbols of hope and spiritual enlightenment since ancient times. In many religions including Christianity light represents Gods presence, which brings hope and the enlightenment of wisdom. The Bible tells us in 1 John 1:5 that God is light, and 1 John 1:5-7 encourages us to walk in the light of relationships with God: This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. Christians adopted the candle as a symbol of Jesus work giving hope and enlightenment to the world. Jesus serves as the ultimate light in our world, and he calls us to join him shining light into the darkness of our fallen world. In John 8:12, Jesus says: I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. During his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus urges us all to shine our God-given lights into the world through good deeds, saying in Matthew 5:14-16: You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. The candle symbol reminds us that God is with us, so we can choose faith rather than fear in any circumstances. As Psalm 27:1 says: The LORD is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid? Connect Everything Collective is an independent media company based in Cape Town, South Africa that is dedicated to capturing the zeitgeist of South Africa's and Africa's creative arts community. Founded in 2021 by Candice Erasmus as a women-led business, together with head of content, and esteemed writer Holly Beaton, they have created a network of readers and exceptional creative changemakers through the lens of written and visual storytelling. With a reverence for the interview format, their vision for the publication lies in translation of print-style publishing into accessible, digital media. The team curates stories and asks questions of South Africas emerging cast of international creatives. Some of their notable interviews thus far include Roger Ballen, Lea Colombo, Lukhanyo Mdingi, Nao Serati, Lady Skollie, Jack Parow, Gina Jeanz and an array of local artists, directors and musicians making waves in the industry within sub-Saharan Africa and internationally. Known as CECZA on social media channels, they are at the forefront of reporting on local events, art exhibitions and fashion. Image by Koooooos Connect Everything Collective also recently launched their column "Navigating Reality - Slightly Satirical, Mostly Factual", in which various guest writers are invited to offer insight, cushioned by doses of humour, on pertinent topics experienced by people in the 21st century. It is Connect Everything Collectives vision to encourage reading and thoughtfulness in all areas of what it means to be human, and to be creative. Their second self-produced and funded cover as a digital publication was in March of 2022, with the renowned BROKE crew, a local brand with a cult-following that has appeared in Vogue Italia, Nowness and Highsnobiety. CEC is also home to a monthly fashion column called Interlude which covers sartorial insight locally and internationally in chapters, and is one of the only spaces in the country solely dedicated to collating interesting themes and topics around fashion. Image by Keegan Foreman Founded on a vision piqued by a nostalgia for publications like Vice, Dazed and i-D; our mission is to archive and celebrate culture as it is created within South Africa and sub-saharan Africa; one of the most critical regions beaming with minds and creativity like nowhere else in the world. Connect Everything Collective is a creative, communal home communicating the ideas and work of our region outwardly to the world, and we have only just begun says Candice Erasmus. Check out CECs Vimeo which showcases our self-produced Connect Everything Collective productions. Read more articles at www.ceconline.co.za Social Media Instagram Facebook Twitter Ofentse Moloko, a 37-year-old entrepreneur from the North West, says the support government gives to Black-owned companies operating in the poultry industry will contribute significantly to transforming the sector and ensuring food security in the country. Source: Tookapic via Pexels Moloko, the CEO and Managing Director of Baramakama Poultry, runs a family-owned egg-laying chicken company in Molote City, North West. He believes that the sustainability of businesses depends on Black-owned companies occupying the entire value chain of the industry. Baramakama received support to the tune of R50 million from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) and its development finance institution, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), as part of the Black Industrialists Programme. We are the perfect example of the success that Black-owned companies can achieve with the support of government in the poultry industry, says Moloko. The Black Industrialists Programme is part of governments efforts to accelerate the quantitative and qualitative increase and participation of Black Industrialists in the South African economy, selected industrial sectors and value chains. Moloko recalls how his father, who started from nothing back in 2016, used his savings to invest back into the community of Molote City. We decided to establish a poultry business, specifically in the layers as they showed the greatest opportunity for employment creation ,as well as massive room for economic and ownership transformation. For almost three years, we persistently and continuously knocked on the doors of all the private banks in this country, but the doors were all slammed on us after months of completing their processes, mainly due to the land belonging to the community. When the dtic and IDC decided to fund our business after a thorough due diligence process, it was like music to our ears. The financial support from the dtic and IDC enabled Baramakama to expand its operations by adding five new automated chicken houses and a modern, state-of-the-art pack station. The family business has also managed to increase the premises carrying capacity from 100,000 hens to 280,000. In addition, the company has now added 40 new jobs, while the number of permanent employees jumped from 80 to 112. Of these, almost 80% of the employees are young people, while 44% are women. Today, our operation runs 24 hours per day and on average, we produce 225 000 eggs per day at full capacity. The support we received from government has made us a recognisable and important player in the industry, Moloko says. Although he appreciates the importance and recognises the value of the support that government provides to Black Industrialists, Moloko strongly believes that government should consider extending its backing across the value chain of the poultry industry to achieve sustainability and ensure success. Government support needs to cut across the value chain if we want meaningful transformation of the industry, and if we want the Black industrialists to play an important and discernible role in food security in the country. This includes feed production, hatcheries, abattoirs, chick rearing, processing and market access. Although we regard ourselves as a success after obtaining the support, we are left at the mercy of our key competitors from whom we source feed and hens. That makes us vulnerable as the supply tabs can and are regularly switched on and off, depending on how they want to control and benefit from the market conditions, Moloko says. He does not pin all his hopes on the Poultry Sector Master Plan -- which was developed in close partnership between government and several stakeholders in the industry -- to increase the level of Black participation, particularly ownership across the value chain, employment creation and worker share-ownership in the sector. Moloko is of the opinion that the decisions taken within the Poultry Master Plan depend on the existing big players in the industry, who, through their actions, do not easily allow Black players into the more profitable value chain channels. However, he remains resolute and hopeful that with more Black players in the value chain, the industry will not only transform but also allow healthy competition to the benefit of all participants. PayFast has officially announced a rebrand, one that sees it representing the offerings of both PayGate and SID - whose respective brands have been dissolved - under Network International. PayFast's new brand identity includes a fresh logo and colour palette, represented under the network banner. It was unveiled at an exclusive media roundtable event held at the organisation's new headquarters located in the Southern Suburbs, Cape Town. It houses employees from PayGate, SID and Network International under one roof, bringing the staff complement to 290. "We wanted to create a new brand that was fresh and energetic - one that everyone we've brought together will associate with, both internally and externally - one that still speaks to the South African market, but can cater to markets outside of South Africa as well," says Williamson. Network International is a company spun out of a large bank in Dubai more than 25 years ago, and listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2019. Trading in the UK, it is the largest acquirer in the UAE and the leading enabler of digital commerce in the Middle East and Africa (Mea) region. "Network International has established businesses and operations in about nine major markets and operates with customers in over 55 countries. It services more than 200 banks and financial institutions," says Chris Wood, regional managing director, southern Africa and Palops, the group of Portuguese-speaking African countries, at Network International. "We're a processing company. We provide technology to banks, retailers, telcos and other fintechs to enable them to operate in what is obviously a very highly regulated and often complex payments environment. Then we've got the acquiring side: which is where we, as a network, compete with the banks and actually provide acquiring language and services directly to merchants in South Africa. "Then we've got the acquiring side: which is where we, as a network, compete with the banks and actually provide acquiring language and services directly to merchants in South Africa. The new PayFast organisation fits into that acquiring side, because we at Network International have a direct relationship with merchants." Frictionless payment processes Managing director at PayFast, Brendon Williamson says: "Because we now have different payment rails that we can potentially explore in terms of capabilities and solutions that we can build and offer merchants, it allows us to be a lot more diverse, a lot more exploratory in terms of our approach in terms of payments and allows us to offer consumers a better service by making their payment processes a lot more friction-less. "Prior to the consolidation, we were very much focused on the micro SME merchants in terms of enabling online payments. We were an aggregator allowing smaller merchants to easily readily access the online space, which was ideal for start-ups. Now we're becoming a little more sophisticated in that we are focusing on the large enterprise merchants who don't have their own capabilities with their own banking partners to facilitate that process. "This milestone represents a new era in the payments industry." PayFast's new future blueprint Williamson said PayFast is currently exploring "a whole bunch of new partnerships" but that he wasn't currently at liberty to disclose the details. "There are potential acquisitions that we are viewing in the South African market to further enhance our offering and our services," he said. "It's really exciting to see what the new PayFast has to offer in terms of South Africa and southern Africa." To be able to have an acquiring element of your business in-house gives me goosebumps in terms of the capabilities that are now provided to us in South Africa. In the meantime, Wood said Network International is in the process of deploying its global leading payment technology stack in South Africa. "By April or May this year we will have a full network operating at full scale in South Africa. What that allows us to do as a network is to literally run an unlimited number of banks, telcos and retailers." With time, he said, the local platform will be available to migrate southern African customers to SA on the local cloud. New partnerships on the cards The benefits to PayFast and Williamson's team, Wood says, is having that techstack driving Payfast's API integration of up to 180 partners. "These partners become instantly available to PayFast and the broader group in terms of being able to plug in," says Wood. "Whereas before we would normally work for a third party or partner to have these discussions, we now physically have an acquirer in the room which allows us to explore the acquiring element directly as a business, and pay customers as a supporting partner," says Williamson: "To be able to have an acquiring element of your business in-house gives me goosebumps in terms of the capabilities that are now provided to us as PayFast in South Africa. "Operationally, PayFast gives merchants peace of mind that they are dealing with a single legal entity, without losing the comfort of dealing with familiar products and systems from the PayFast-, PayGate- and SID teams day to day. "This is a major step in creating a unified brand and legal entity which solidifies a single vision to take us forward in business." Court judgment has consequences for companies that invoice via email. Image: The Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg has ordered Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs to pay R5.5m plus punitive costs to Judith Hawarden. Archive photo: Ashraf Hendricks/GroundUp Judith Hawarden received an email from what she thought was Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs (ENS) with the details of the account into which she paid the balance of money owed on a property sale. But the email was forged and the money stolen. Hawarden sued ENS for the money. In finding for Hawarden, the Gauteng High Court criticised ENS for relying on email, which is insecure, for invoicing her. The case likely has profound consequences for how companies invoice clients. ENS also had to pay punitive costs for the way it handled the case. One of South Africas leading law firms has been held liable for R5.5m which a property buyer intended to deposit in its trust account. The money was stolen as a result of fraudsters manipulating emails from an employee of the firm. Johannesburg High Court Judge Phanuel Mudau has ruled that Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs (ENS) must pay Judith Hawarden R5.5m, plus interest, and pay the legal costs of the lawsuit on a punitive scale. In her arguments, Hawarden claimed that ENS owed her a duty of care, and that in corresponding with her, it also had a legal duty to warn her of the danger of business email compromise (BEC), that this was on the increase and that it was already prevalent. She said the firm should have warned her, before she made any payment, that she should verify the account details, and it should have loaded its trust account details on online banking systems so that the account number would not have to be sent out on unprotected and unsafe emails. ENS denied liability, claiming that Hawarden herself had been negligent in using an electronic transfer without ensuring that the bank details were correct. The case dates back to 2019 when Harwarden put in an offer on a Forest Town property through Pam Golding Properties for R6m. She paid a deposit of R500,000 directly to the estate agency. The seller appointed ENS as the conveyancing attorney. Hawarden received an email from Eftyhia Maninakis, a secretary in the property division of the law firm, with details of what was still required in order for the sale to go through and the option of providing a bank guarantee for the outstanding amount. What Hawarden did not know was that this email was fraudulent, that a fraudster had intercepted the genuine email and altered the firms bank account details. In response to this email, Hawarden telephoned Maninakis a few days later. Maninakis confirmed that she could transfer the outstanding amount in cash directly to ENS. Hawarden received an email from what appeared to be Maninakiss email later that day - what she believed was a follow up to their earlier conversation. That email contained the firms bank account number, as confirmed by First National Bank. What Hawarden did not notice was that the email address was from ensafirca.com - not ensafrica.com. Judge Mudau said the emails actually sent by ENS had been intercepted and forged and the bank account details were incorrect. Further correspondence between Hawarden and Maninakis was also intercepted by the fraudsters, including an investment mandate which contained several warnings about BEC. This was after payment had been made but before the fraud was discovered. The money was paid into the FNB account but was transferred out and the bank was unable to retrieve the misappropriated funds. Hawarden, who has now retired, said in her evidence during the trial that nothing in the two emails alerted her to the fact that they were fraudulent and that she knew nothing of the dangers of business email compromise. She said after she paid the money into the fraudsters bank account, she received a statement of account from ENS, to make a second payment. At the foot of that account was a warning urging readers to telephonically verify the firms banking details, a warning which had been absent on previous communications. In evidence, Hawarden conceded that she had, during and after her divorce, dealt with large amounts of money - and that she had heeded the BEC warning on the Pam Golding correspondence - but said she trusted ENS implicitly and assumed they would take care of anything that was not safe. Hawarden called a digital forensic expert witness, Anton Vant Wout, who prepared a video demonstration for the court showing the ease with which an email can be altered. He suggested alternative safer ways of communicating safer information. He testified that there was no reason why ENS could not have used a secure portal. Another witness, attorney Mark Heyink, an expert in information and communications technology law, testified that this type of cyber crime was a well-known risk. Under cross examination he conceded that most attorneys sent invoices to clients by way of ordinary emails and PDF attachments and that his evidence reflected what ought to be done, not what actually happens. ENS led the evidence of Maninakis who said she had not known that PDF documents could be manipulated until this incident. She said she had not sent the initial mandate letter with the fraud warnings to Hawarden because she did not know at that stage that Hawarden was going to pay the money in cash, rather than by bank guarantee. She also thought Hawarden was in safe hands because she was liaising with her own bank on the issue. Judge Mudau said Hawarden blamed ENS for her loss because, she said, the firm should have done more to protect her and used more secure means to communicate with her. She contended that ENS was well aware of this type of fraud. The evidence in this case shows that BEC attacks are rife, especially in the conveyancing industry. The parties experts agree that BEC has been around for many years. ENS contends that if this court holds ENS liable, it would expose all conveyancers, big and small alike, to claims of the same kind by third parties, with whom they have no relationship, for losses they suffered at the hands of fraudsters who hacked their own email accounts. ENS contends that the ripple effect thereof would not only extend to all firms of attorneys but indeed to all businesses who send their invoices, with their banking details, to their clients by email which is a near universal practice for all firms. ENS submits that it is the responsibility of the debtor, who chooses to make an electronic payment, to ensure that it is paid into the right account, the judge wrote. He said while Hawarden was not a client of ENS, the firm owed her a general duty of care as a purchaser of property. ENS, as Hawarden contends, had control over the way its bank account details were conveyed to her. It chose to do this by way of an unprotected email attaching its bank account details as a PDF document which could be easily manipulated as the evidence clearly established. ENS failed to safely communicate its bank details using technical safety measures ... Hawarden depended on [ENS] to act professionally. The judge said the fact that most businesses sent their banking details by emails did not absolve the law firm from unsafe behaviour which it knew at the time was unsafe and knew to take precautions. Viewed objectively, Hawarden cannot be faulted for placing her trust in the firm who she believed was a very large and reputable firm. I have no difficulty in finding that the firms banking details were financially sensitive information and needed to be treated as such, that the risk of BEC was foreseen by ENS ... and that sending bank details by email is inherently dangerous. The risk of loss to Hawarden was highly foreseeable by ENS. The interests of society demand that a legal duty is recognised in this case, Judge Mudau said. Punitive cost order The judge awarded a punitive cost order because ENS breached Hawardens privacy by including irrelevant documents about her divorce and other investments and business dealings in the court papers. Hawarden had made her hard drive available to ENS to conduct a forensic investigation to determine where the hacking occured. ENS breached an undertaking not to copy certain documents on her hard drive. This article was originally published on GroundUp. Eskom said it would shorten power cuts from Tuesday morning, 17 January, as 14 generators come back on tap this week, but electricity shortages look set to continue at least into 2024. Source: Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko President Cyril Ramaphosa cancelled plans to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos this week over the crisis, prompting the rand to fall on Monday. On Sunday, his spokesperson said he was due to meet leaders of political parties, an energy crisis committee and Eskom's board of directors. But even while Eskom said that from Tuesday power cuts would be reduced slightly, two opposition parties that attended a meeting with Eskom officials over the weekend said they had been told outages would persist well into next year. Major source of frustration The company implemented power cuts on more than 200 days last year, the most in a calendar year. The power shortages are a major source of frustration for voters ahead of 2024 elections that could see the governing African National Congress lose its majority in parliament for the first time. Eskom's outgoing CEO Andre de Ruyter made a submission to political party leaders during an emergency meeting called by Ramaphosa on Sunday night. "They told us what the plan is to procure new energy [generating capacity] and money, and the core of the message is that we will be saddled with power cuts even after 2024," Pieter Groenewald, leader of the Freedom Front Plus, told Reuters, echoing a statement by the EFF on the meeting. Creaking coal-fire power stations, underinvestment in new generating capacity, corruption in coal supply contracts and foot-dragging on policies that would enable private providers to plug the shortfall with renewable energy have all conspired to leave South Africa woefully short of its power needs. High degree of uncertainty Eskom said from Tuesday the pattern would be Stage 4 rotational outages from 5am until 4pm, followed by Stage 5 from 4pm until 5am the following morning. The utility said it had procured an additional 50 million litres of diesel, which would be used to manage pumped storage dam levels and limit power cuts. However, Eskom added there was a high degree of uncertainty and these changes would only be possible if the units returned to service as planned. In recent days, Eskom has been implementing Stage 6 outages, reducing supplies on the national grid by up to 6,000MW. Under Stages 4 and 5, the reductions are 4,000MW and 5,000MW, respectively. Almost 22,000MW of its 46,000MW nominal capacity is offline for planned repairs or because of breakdowns. The world of work has changed dramatically over the past three years and continues to be shaped by a number of overarching trends, from societal influences, to technology, economic and political factors, and even environmental concerns. From the pandemic to digitalisation, the rise of the gig economy to climate change, here are some of the factors shaping the labour market today and into the future. Natashia Barnabas, IR Manager at Workforce Staffing Rise of e-commerce and the digital economy The Covid-19 pandemic caused far-reaching consequences across the world and in all sectors. Most businesses were affected negatively, but certain sectors such as those in the digital space as well as e-commerce, saw business skyrocket. This effect has continued as many people have come to prefer online shopping, and the growth in this sector continues, creating additional job opportunities nationally. We have noticed that this trend has brought more employment to the warehousing industry, and we expect this growth to continue. From great resignation to gig economy In the post-Covid era, we are experiencing a rapid trend called the great resignation, a phenomenon that has been noticed worldwide. Instead of staying in permanent full-time positions where they may not have had much work-life balance since the pandemic, many people are opting for different gigs because this offers more flexibility and the freedom to negotiate their own terms and conditions. The rise of the gig economy has drained businesses of talent, but at the same time, it opens up these opportunities for others who seek permanent employment. While the gig economy is being touted as something new and innovative, the reality is that it is just an iteration of temporary fixed-term employment, which has existed for a long time. Those seeking it voluntarily are doing so to enable them to be more flexible in terms of time and commitments. For others, it has become the only way to make ends meet in a strained economic climate. This trend is seeing significant growth and is one of the major macro trends impacting the labour space for the foreseeable future. 4IR, the rise of automation and need for new skills Advancing technology along with increased digitalisation and automation are part and parcel of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). While these trends threaten job loss for low-skilled employees whose tasks can easily be replaced by machines, this also makes way for new, higher skilled positions with subsequently higher wages. There is an opportunity to upskill workers to enable them to move up the value chain, but the challenge that remains is that employees lack technology skills and knowledge. New skill sets are needed to leverage next-generation technologies effectively. 4IR will bring about significant disruption, including the evolution of jobs and careers paths that currently do not exist. We need to focus on the skills that will enable this, and training institutions need to adapt to the latest trends. Soft skills are an emerging trend in this aspect. Temporary employment gives job candidates the opportunity to grow their skill and experience, and flexible staffing models allow businesses to restructure their businesses to accommodate technological advances. Globalisation, urbanisation, mobility, and demographics Increasing globalisation creates additional employment opportunities throughout the supply chain and exposes employees to cross-border and international opportunities, helping to grow their skill and experience. As the workforce becomes more digital, less permanent and more flexible, there is also a growing trend of remote workers moving away from cities and main centres. This is an opportunity to grow areas of the country that have previously seen outflows of people moving to cities in order to seek work. There is also a growing trend of the multigenerational workforce, with younger people seeking temporary employment and older people working past retirement age. Resource scarcity and climate change Dealing with the climate crisis means that alternative energy is in demand locally and globally, creating huge business and employment opportunities within the green energy space. These project-based initiatives can benefit significantly from the Temporary Employment Services (TES) industry because flexible labour is key in meeting seasonal, volume and production fluctuations. Moving forward, a reputable TES provider can supply the compliant and practical staffing solutions to allow energy producers to focus on growing their core business. Increased focus on wellness The combination of Covid-19, the gig economy, and generational attitudes toward employment, resulted in a growing focus on balance and wellness as part of the working environment. Employee wellness can take many forms, from counselling to relaxation areas, ergonomics, bringing pets to work, and more, and navigating this landscape is something businesses will have to take on board today and in the future. The only constant is change While many areas of the labour sector remain unchanged, others have seen dramatic shifts and changes deriving from the widespread impact of the pandemic and the increase in digital technologies. Skills required are changing, jobs available are changing, and the demands of employees from their employers are changing. Businesses need to prepare themselves to meet these changes to remain relevant and competitive in future. To anyone doubting the availability of finance for South African business owners, consider this: Business Partners Limited has provided business loans totalling R19.5bn in over 71,600 transactions with business owners since its start in 1981, totalling R19.5bn worth of finance. Jeremy Lang, chief investment officer at Business Partners Ltd "Finance is clearly available, but entrepreneurs have to meet certain criteria to access these business loans. They also have to follow processes set out by each financier," says Jeremy Lang, chief investment officer at Business Partners Ltd. "The key is to understand the financier you are applying to and the extent to which your business fits their client profile. When applying at Business Partners Ltd for finance," says Jeremy, "a good place to start is to work through the following questions to gauge and improve your chances." 1. Who are Business Partners Ltd and its target market? Business Partners Ltd is a company that specialises in providing risk finance to small and medium businesses in South Africa and in certain other African countries. Unlike many other financial institutions, it is focused solely on servicing small and medium businesses. It does not, for example, give out personal loans or finance the big-business sector. 'Risk finance' means that Business Partners Ltd does not necessarily disqualify businesses that do not have enough collateral to cover the whole loan, depending on the strength of the business. Apart from finance, Business Partners Ltd also provides technical assistance to its clients as well as mentoring services and owns many business premises throughout South Africa which it rents out to small and medium businesses. 2. What kind of finance does Business Partners Ltd provide? Business Partners Ltd loan sizes range from R500,000 to R50m, and include working-capital finance, business property finance, asset finance, as well as finance for buying a business, buying out a partner, or buying a franchise. The company is unique in that it regularly provides 100% finance for businesses that want to buy premises to trade from, thereby helping growing businesses to keep valuable working capital in their business instead of having to fork it out as a deposit. 3. What industries and sectors does Business Partners Ltd operate in? Business Partners Ltd would consider applications from businesses in all industries except the following: Outdoor primary agriculture. Because of the risk of adverse weather conditions, Business Partners Ltd avoids financing outdoor farming operations. However, indoor farming, hydroponics and tunnel farming do qualify, as well as the factory processing of farming produce Underground mining operations Non-profit organisations Money-lending businesses. Except for these exclusions, Business Partners Ltd does not red-line whole industries at times when they go through a slump. Each application is considered on its own merit. Because the Business Partners Ltd evaluation process relies heavily on up-to-date verifiable financial information about the applying business, it cannot finance businesses in the informal sector. If your business operates informally to a certain extent, you will first need to hire expertise to set up formal systems in your operations for at least a year or two before applying to Business Partners Ltd. 4. What does Business Partners Ltd look for in an applicant? There are three broad elements that Business Partners Ltd considers with each applicant: The calibre of the entrepreneurs behind the business. Business Partners Ltd will look at the qualifications, experience, and involvement of the business owner. The cashflow viability of the business. Are the revenues of the business such that it would be able to realistically afford the repayments of the loan and still be viable? The financial risk of the loan for Business Partners Ltd. How much of the loan will not be covered by the collateral provided by the business? It is the combination of these three main elements that determines whether a loan will be approved for finance by Business Partners Ltd or not. 5. What are the main reasons for turning down a finance application? Most unsuccessful applications are turned down because the business is not viable, in other words, it will probably not make enough money to repay the loan and still be profitable. Another common reason is a bad credit score on the part of the business or the entrepreneur behind the business. One or two defaults in the record may not be disqualifying, provided the circumstances can be explained, but serial defaults will disqualify the application. High gearing of a business, in other words high levels of existing debt can also lead to the application being rejected. 6. Are there any other red flags that Business Partners Ltd looks out for? Business Partners Ltd is wary of approving a loan when the information that a business provides is inconsistent, for example when the sales records do not correspond with the annual financial statements. Incomplete or outdated annual financial statements or management accounts are also stark warning signals. Another red flag is unrealistic sales projections. Make sure your estimates of future sales and expenses are explainable, and generally in line with what reasonably can be expected in the market. 7. And what are the good signs that give Business Partners Ltd comfort? Apart from a solid track record of making good profits - at least two years is a good rule of thumb - Business Partners Ltd also puts great store in the entrepreneur behind the business, specifically: Are you committed to the business? It is a good sign if the owners have invested their own capital in the business and are involved in the running of the business. The technical knowledge of the entrepreneur relating to the industry in which the business operates, and their understanding of the market and their customers. The integrity of the business owners, reflected in their reputation, their relationships with their stakeholders such as their suppliers, workers and customers, and their practices such as tax compliance. The owners passion and enthusiasm for what they are doing and for growing the business. Good sustainable practices such as trying to minimise environmental impact and promote staff development. 8. How can you increase your chances of getting finance even further? The level of commitment and business prowess of the entrepreneur are often apparent in the application. Invest the time and energy in preparing and checking the accuracy and relevance of the application and its supporting documents. The involvement of high-quality professional practitioners such as accountants and lawyers also enhance the chances of your application. 9. How does the application process work? A basic application form can be completed online via the Business Partners Ltd website. This must be filled in accurately and submitted with all the relevant supporting documentation. The application will go to an investment officer who will do an initial assessment. Business Partners Ltd commits to giving an applicant an initial, in-principal decision within a week of applying. If the answer is a tentative yes, the investment officer will conduct a thorough due diligence process which will include meetings with the owners and site visits to the operations of the business. Information submitted in the application will be checked and verified. It is difficult to place a timeline on the due diligence process because it depends on the complexity of the business and the availability of all relevant information. Once the due diligence process is complete, the report will be submitted to a Business Partners Ltd investment committee, which meets once a week. If your application is not approved at any point in the process, Business Partners Ltd will explain to you the reasons for turning it down. The annual conference of the World Economic Forum begins today in Davos, Switzerland. Global elites landed in luxurious private jets over the last few days in airports around Davos to discuss important global challenges, such as climate change, behind closed doors. "The rich and powerful are swarming to Davos to discuss climate and inequality behind closed doors using the most unequal and polluting form of transport: private jets," Klara Maria Schenk, transport campaigner for Greenpeace's European mobility campaign, told news website Politics.co.uk. Greenpeace International published a new report that showed 1,040 private jets flew in and out of airports around Davos for last year's meeting, causing CO2 emissions from private jets to increase four times more versus a weekly average. "Given that 80% of the world's population has never even flown, but suffers from the consequences of climate-damaging aviation emissions, and that the WEF claims to be committed to the 1.5C Paris Climate Target, this annual private jet bonanza is a distasteful masterclass in hypocrisy. Private jets must be consigned to history if we are to have a green, just and safe future for all. So-called world leaders must lead by example and ban private jets and useless short-haul flights," added Schenk. WEF hopes to tackle what they believe is a climate crisis plaguing the world despite most attendees arriving by private jets, which are the most polluting mode of transport per passenger The worlds elite has arrived in Davos on over 1000 private jets to lecture you about climate change. pic.twitter.com/2WyDiqLbV6 DiEM25 (@DiEM_25) January 16, 2023 And motorcades of WEF attendees were spotted in gas-guzzling SUVs and high-end sedans. Over 2,500 delegates Over 1,000 private jets Motorcades Yes, its the annual WEF Davos jamboree of hypocrisy where a bunch of elites / parasites preach to us plebs about saving the planet and use virtue as a smokescreen for their own greed. pic.twitter.com/MLL97DfFFz James Melville (@JamesMelville) January 13, 2023 Meanwhile, climate protesters spent Monday morning blocking at least one airport used by the super-rich. @debtforclimate activists blocking the elites arriving on private jets to attend #WEF - the 1% is responsible for the illegitimate debt of the global South & the climate crisis most felt in Africa & Asia. pic.twitter.com/3WeO4NMwKn Payal Parekh (@payalclimate) January 16, 2023 and we are successful: the first planes have landed with WEF-guests, who are blocked from driving up to Davos by our activists. If you block climate action, we block you. We demand:#debtcancellationnow #polluterspay #stopneocolonialWEF #stopgreenwashing pic.twitter.com/Qr26S74GRr Debt for Climate Switzerland (@Debt4ClimateCH) January 16, 2023 BREAKING: We are blocking the private airport used by #Davos23 attendees to demand the richest 1% pay their climate debt!#DebtforClimate is putting pressure on the global elites to demand debt cancellation for the Global South to enable a just transition!#MakeThemPay pic.twitter.com/s61c4lwZ4a Debt for Climate (@DebtforClimate) January 16, 2023 5/6 We demand that the rich pay their #ClimateDebt through the unconditional cancellation of all foreign debts of countries in the Global South to enable #JustTransition and #polluters pay for the #LossAndDamage they cause in the countries most affected by the climate crisis. pic.twitter.com/DAmljQpOxi Debt for Climate (@DebtforClimate) January 16, 2023 "Davos has a perfectly adequate railway station, still these people can't even be bothered to take the train for a trip as short as 21 km. Do we really believe that these are the people to solve the problems the world faces?" Schenk said. And remember, these elites will discuss how to reshape the world while guarded by soldiers and private security forces. Given the unique nature of the event - with more than 50 heads of state and government, heads of the UN and EU etc expected to attend - security in #Davos is extremely tight. Army/police are everywhere and the whir of helicopters enforcing a strict no-fly zone is commonplace. pic.twitter.com/A3ts61TQAV David Walsh (@David_M_Walsh) January 15, 2023 I remeber in the 90is. All was easy going with zero security. But what is happening in the last few years in davos, army/police present,is just batshit crazy arrogant. Took the picture today on way up to davos pic.twitter.com/QSDbFPdQ6Q 12grad Sonnig (@marcograss2) January 12, 2023 The fact that WEF attendees arrive in droves of private jets only to discuss the climate crisis is hypocrisy at its finest. If there was actually a crisis, wouldn't these so-called climate warriors take public transportation to save the planet? Maybe the crisis that WEF promotes is just manufactured hype. Update: Internet sleuth 'Truth Ninja' has deducted that Hunter made a crackhead mistake after all, as the $49,910 in 'rent' matches the amount he paid at the "House of Sweden," an office space which was for his business. Hunter Biden never paid his dad 49,910 for rent. The form was dated late 2018. His security deposit and time of lease (3/2017 to 2/2018) at House of Sweden match the the amount listed: 49,910. This was for his business Owasco. On purpose or not, he filled the form out wrong. pic.twitter.com/mq2y4eTjNk Truth Ninja (@TruthNinja316) January 16, 2023 * * * A Thursday tweet from the NY Post's Miranda Devine containing a background check for Hunter Biden has people asking questions. "The now-52-year-old began listing the Wilmington home as his address following his 2017 divorce from ex-wife Kathleen Buhle even falsely claiming he owned the property on a July 2018 background check form as part of a rental application," the Post reported. Of note, this is the same house where classified documents were found. Yet, upon closer inspection, Hunter lists the "Monthly Rent" as $49,910 - or roughly $550,000 for the 11 months he indicated he lived there? In 2018 Hunter Biden claimed he owned the house where Joe Biden kept classified documents alongside his Corvette in the garage Via @jj_talking pic.twitter.com/L7c80MRRiS Miranda Devine (@mirandadevine) January 12, 2023 A Zillow search reveals that the most expensive home currently for rent in Wilmington, Delaware is going for $6,000 per month. According to Town & Country magazine, Biden's home is worth around $2 million. Could Hunter, a crackhead, have accidentally listed the annual rent payment to his father for the house which contained classified documents? Sure. But why was his wealthy ex-VP dad charging him rent in the first place, when Hunter was allegedly broke? Trending Politics asks the quiet part out loud; was this Hunter's way of funneling money to his father? After Hunters divorce was finalized in May of 2017, he was included in an email from his business partner James Gilliar about a venture with Chinese state-funded energy company CEFC China Energy. The email stated that Hunter and his partners would receive 20% of the shares in the new business, with 10% going to Hunters uncle James Biden and the other 10% being held by H for the big guy. Tony Bobulinski, another one of Hunters former business partners, claims that he had a meeting with Joe Biden regarding the CEFC venture on May 2, 2017, and that the president was the individual referred to as the big guy in Gilliars email. Additionally, Gilliar himself confirmed that Joe Biden was the big guy mentioned in a message found on the laptop. And as the NY Post reports, "The following year, federal investigators began looking into whether Hunter and his business associates violated tax and money laundering laws during their dealings in China and other countries. Emails and other records related to the deals were found on the laptop, which Hunter dropped off at a Delaware repair shop in 2019 and never reclaimed." "I hope you all can do what I did and pay for everything for this entire family for 30 years," Hunter told his daughter Naomi in January, 2019. "Its really hard. But dont worry, unlike pop, I wont make you give me half your salary." Of course, Hunter paid his daddy $50k a month in rent. Heres a text message Hunter sent his daughter in 2019 saying he gives JOE BIDEN half his salary. This was found on Hunters laptop.https://t.co/Ys1TzTlq3l pic.twitter.com/gsO8hP8r3b kanekoa.substack.com (@KanekoaTheGreat) January 14, 2023 As the Post continues: The laptop doesnt contain any direct evidence of such money transfers but shows Hunter was routinely on the hook for household expenses including repairs to the Wilmington home. In December 2020, weeks after his father was elected president, Hunter Biden announced that his tax affairs were being investigated by federal authorities in Delaware, and said he was confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately. Recent reports have indicated investigators believe they have enough evidence to charge the first son with tax crimes as well as with lying about his drug abuse on a federal form so he could buy a gun in 2018. So, was the $49,910 'monthly' rent a simple crackhead mistake when that was in fact the annual payment amount, or did Hunter create "Exhibit A" for any honest prosecutors to pursue? We aren't holding our breath on the latter. BISHKEK, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Kyrgyzstan has temporarily restricted withdrawing foreign currency in cash from the country until the Cabinet of Ministers "makes a relevant decision," the cabinet said Monday in a press release. The decision, signed by Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Akylbek Zhaparov, would ensure financial and economic security, stabilize the domestic currency market and protect national interests, the statement read. Non-residents and foreign citizens are prohibited from withdrawing more than 5,000 U.S. dollars in cash. The limit is 10,000 dollars in cash for residents and citizens of Kyrgyzstan. If they withdraw more, a fee of 10 percent of the amount exceeding the limit will be charged. The Border Service of the State Committee for National Security of Kyrgyzstan and the State Customs Service under the Ministry of Finance were instructed to take necessary measures to prevent the withdrawal of U.S. dollars in cash. SYDNEY, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The sails of Australia's iconic Sydney Opera House will be lit up in red on Jan. 23 to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year and welcome the Year of the Rabbit. Dominic Perrottet, premier of the state of New South Wales (NSW) said on Monday the Chinese Lunar New Year is widely celebrated in the state's diverse communities. The lighting of the Opera House could be a symbol of good fortune, prosperity and happiness for everyone in the new year. "While Lunar New Year is significant to many across the state, it also represents much of what we all stand and hope for in a new year, especially new beginnings," said Perrottet. "To everyone celebrating the Lunar New Year, I wish you all prosperity, good health and fortune for the year ahead." The Chinese Lunar New Year, or the Spring Festival, is the most important holiday for Chinese people around the world and it falls on Jan. 22 this year, which marks the Year of the Rabbit according to the Chinese zodiac. During the celebration period, some of Sydney's other popular attractions and main streets will see rabbit-shaped artworks that were designed by local illustrators. A traditional dragon boat racing will also be held at Sydney's picturesque Darling Harbour over the weekend from Jan. 28. Achilles, Odysseus and the ancient history of reunions Photo/Getty Images Odysseus recognises Achilles - disguised as a woman - amongst the daughters of Lycomedes in this 1620 oil painting by Frans Francken the Younger. Joel Christensen is a professor of classical studies at Brandeis. This article originally appeared on The Conversation. Celebrations are a joyous time of reuniting with family and friends. But afterward, people can sometimes be left uneasily mulling over their relationships. Annual returns home can induce an uncomfortable nostalgia in the tension between how the past is remembered and how the present is experienced. As someone who studies ancient Greek myth and poetry, I often find myself making sense of my own life through my work. Even though many Greek myths are infamous for disturbing topics such as infanticide and incest, ancient audiences did look to their stories to make sense of themselves and their world. The bittersweetness of family relationships and reunions turns out to be an important theme. Heroes and families What most people may remember from Greek myth are heroes like Hercules or Theseus, who make the world safe for other human beings by killing threatening monsters or punishing criminal humans. Hercules killing of the hydra, a dragon with regrowable heads, as one of his labors represent the forces of civilization conquering nature. At a fundamental level, these kinds of stories center on how heroes are capable of making life safer for human communities. But most heroic narratives also emphasize how individual heroes are a poor fit for family life and may even come to threaten their communities. For example, one reason Hercules had to complete his many labors as a punishment was because he killed his first wife and their children due to a fit of madness sent by the gods. One of the most famous Greek heroes, Achilles, underscores the antisocial aspect of heroes well in Homers Iliad. At the beginning of the epic, he actually prays for his people to suffer and die because they didnt preserve the honor he believed he had earned. Indeed, audiences often overlook that it is Achilles own desire to be honored that causes his people to suffer and the death of his companion Patroclus. The most popular image of heroes is of a savior figure. But their stories also include details about isolation, alienation and the destruction of families, leaving little in the way of hope for relationships. How we know who we are Heroic failure in personal relationships helps to emphasize their alienation from their communities. Instead of being distractions, however, I think these personal challenges are part of the point of mythical narratives for audiences who dont live in fantasy worlds. Learning how to live a normal life is an important theme of the Homeric Odyssey, as it describes a 20-year-long journey of the famous hero of Homers Iliad, Odysseus, on his way home from the Trojan War to be reunited with his family. This particular narrative from ancient Greece is an exploration of nostos, a word that means homecoming but has come to mean sweet in modern Greek. In the Odyssey, Odysseus reunion with his family is part of the difficulty of his homecoming. Central to this difficulty is the question of who the hero is after 20 years at war. As psychiatrist Jonathan Shay argues in his 2002 book, Odysseus in America, Odysseus travels function as a metaphor for the challenge of reintegrating veterans as they return home. Just as today, the return home is far more than a simple journey to an old place. For Odysseus, it was a return to the relationships that defined him before he left for Troy. At its core, the Odyssey emphasizes that warriors come from communities and are defined by their families. As I explore in my recent book The Many Minded Man: The Odyssey, Psychology, and the Therapy of Epic, the Homeric epic is deeply interested in where our identities come from: memories, the stories we tell about them and the relationships that rely on both memory and story. Acknowledging the past is crucial for Odysseus and his audiences because familiarity is necessary for recreating relationships as a bridge from our past to present selves. A sequence of reunions occupies the epics second half. Odysseus meets his son, a mother figure an enslaved nurse named Eurycleia his wife Penelope and his father, Laertes. In each case he lies to them about his identity and has his identity confirmed by an external sign. The signs are linked to stories from the past: Eurycleia recognizes the scar on Odysseus leg from a boar hunt when he was a child; Penelope uses the bed he built for them to test his identity; and his father doubts who he is until the two of them tour the orchard they tended together when he was young and Odysseus describes to him the varieties of trees and recounts who planted them. These details often surprise modern readers who wonder why the Odyssey spends so much time on small encounters. Each reunion emphasizes that Odysseus is not truly home until he has reconciled who he is now with who he was before. He must also undergo a similar, more violent reckoning with the people he used to rule. The cumulative effect of this sequence of reunions is to emphasize that individual identity is created and confirmed by other people. Outside of his home, Odysseus was a warrior; he cannot truly return until he remembers how to be a king, a father, a husband and a son. Individualism vs. the hero Odysseus famous homecoming his nostos provides part of the root of our modern word nostalgia, coined in 1688 to describe a kind of mad longing for the past. Literally meaning grief for/from a homecoming, nostalgia describes well that bittersweet feeling of coming to familiar places and memories, but feeling the distance and the passage of time. Modern research is split over whether nostalgia is good for us. For some, yearning for the past can create anxiety and distress; for others, it can be a resource to create a stronger sense of self. I believe the Odyssey acknowledges that nostalgia works both ways: It helps us remember who we were and drives us to navigate that uncomfortable space between our memories and our identities. The Odyssey works against the individualism of the basic heroic myth to help audiences think about how other people matter to us and how the stories we tell each other confirm and create who we are. Australians may have shown their passion for spending on fashion over the past 12 months, but its been a rough year for plus-sized clothing outlet City Chic Collective. The company is one of the most globally focused retailers on the Australian Securities Exchange and has significant ambitions to capture a larger slice of the $180 billion plus-sized womens fashion market, making numerous acquisitions over the past few years. City Chic CEO Phil Ryan says the landscape the business operates in has become more competitive. Credit: Janie Barrett Its share price has cratered from $5.03 at the start of 2022 to 53 this week a decline of 89 per cent and management has been warning investors since last year that the company is caught in volatile trading conditions, particularly overseas. City Chic, which has 90 stores in Australia and New Zealand as well as operating the Avenue fashion business in the US, now generates 56 per cent of its sales in the northern hemisphere. Commodities have the strongest outlook of any asset class in 2023, with a perfect macroeconomic environment and critically low inventories for almost every key raw material, according to the head of commodities research at Goldman Sachs. This year has started with a pullback in prices driven by warm weather shock and rising interest rates, Jeff Currie said at a presentation in London on Monday. But demand in China starting to rebound and theres insufficient investment in supply, meaning the year as a whole will be a Goldilocks moment for rising prices, he said. You cannot come up with a more bullish concoction for commodities, Currie said. Lack of supply is apparent in every single market you look at, whether it is inventories at critical operating levels or production capacity exhausted. Goldman Sachs is bullish on the outlook for global commodities. Credit: AP Currie sees parallels with the record run-up in commodities prices from 2007 to 2008. The only exception, he said, is European natural gas, where inventories look sufficient to get through this year. An e-scooter has caught fire in a south-east Queensland house, setting the home on fire and forcing the family to go to hospital for treatment. Paramedics were assessing four people. Credit: Jocelyn Garcia Emergency services were called to Nelson Street in Bundamba about 6.15am on Tuesday. One man in his 40s was rushed to Royal Brisbane and Womens Hospital in a serious condition with significant smoke inhalation. A woman in her 30s and two young children were taken to Ipswich Hospital for smoke inhalation, all in stable conditions. TIRANA, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Representatives of the governments of China and Albania signed here on Monday an agreement on mutual visa exemption for officials and citizens alike. The agreement was signed by Chinese Ambassador to Albania Zhou Ding and Albania's Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Megi Fino. It means that no matter what kind of passport they hold, citizens of both China and Albania can enter each other's country without a visa. In 2018 and 2019, Albania implemented a visa-free policy for Chinese citizens who arrived in the country for short visits during the busy tourist seasons. The following year, Albania allowed short-term visit for Chinese citizens without a visa. Dramatic photos showing the charred remains of e-scooters in the aftermath of fires and explosions have been released, as Queensland firefighters are called to almost one blaze caused by a lithium-ion battery each week. The latest e-scooter house fire resulted in four people being hospitalised in Ipswich and followed another fire in Darra last week. Last year a man died during a caravan fire believed to have been started by an e-scooter battery. The remains of an e-scooter after a fire. Credit: Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Over the past six months, Queensland firefighters have been called to 24 house fires linked to lithium-ion batteries, with 48 in 2021-22. As the popularity of private e-scooters rises, authorities have explained how their owners can avoid falling victim to a fire or explosion. Worker shortage putting increasing pressure on businesses Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later. Dismiss The decision for Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines has taken on a life of its own, divorced from disciplined considerations such as cost, effectiveness, and alternatives. At best, the decision is ill-considered. At worst, its Treasury-busting lunacy. Former head of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute Peter Jennings has claimed that Australias purchase of the subs eight in total at an estimated cost of an additional $20 billion per year, out to about 2050 is necessary to deter China. Thats a big call in a number of ways. Illustration Credit: Dionne Gain In particular, what would the submarines deter China from doing? Is it to deter China from attacking Australia? There is no evidence that China even dreams of such a misadventure. Australia is thousands of kilometres from China, and its approaches are characterised by maritime choke points and potential killing zones. Thats thousands of kilometres where its forces would be exposed to attack; thousands of kilometres of stretched supply lines requiring enormous and sophisticated logistics. Money laundering, addiction and ruined lives: how a powerful lobby group has set up a multibillion-dollar industry. Powerful banking executive Anna Bligh says the industry is ready to implement a cashless gaming solution, with hundreds of thousands of Australians already seeking self-exclusion tools on personal cards with the big four banks. Bligh, the head of the industrys lobby group, said if the initiative was legislated banks would assist in its rollout, adding they were deeply aware of the harm caused by problem gambling. Australian Banking Association boss Anna Bligh says banks are ready to implement a cashless gaming solution. Credit: Louise Kennerley Should the NSW government legislate for this initiative, banks will, of course, engage with the government at an appropriate time and assist with implementation where possible, the Australian Banking Association boss said. The future of the states gaming industry is firming as a key state election issue after NSW Labor vowed to cut the number of poker machines and launch a mandatory cashless gaming trial of 500 machines to counter the Perrottet governments pledge to enact sweeping gambling reform. A Melbourne hairdresser has been ordered to pay significant costs to the family of a decorated World War II veteran after failing to win her battle for a significant portion of his $3.5 million estate, including the family home. Norman William Maddock died in June 2020 aged 97. He had suffered a series of falls and been diagnosed with a psychotic disorder, paranoid ideation, cognitive difficulties and low mood in the two years before his death. World War II veteran Norman Maddock and Marcia Reynolds. In the 15 months before he died, Maddock changed his will three times, each time giving more assets and control of his estate to his friend, Marcia Reynolds (nee Bailey). Last June, the Supreme Court of Victorias Justice Kate McMillan found Maddocks solicitor should have been more suspicious about Reynolds motives, saying the evidence suggested Reynolds was pushing the outcome of Maddock giving her his family home. Climate change activist Greta Thunberg detained in Germany for second time Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later. Dismiss Stanadyne is planning to triple its sales revenue from its India operations to about Rs 1,100 crore by 2027, Pinson told Business Standard. US-based auto parts maker Stanadyne is exploring a few locations in western and northern India to establish its second plant in the country. For this, the company plans an investment of Rs 200 crore, said its chief executive officer (CEO) John Pinson. Stanadynes only plant in India is in Chennai and it employs about 700 people. The company manufactures fuel pumps and fuel injectors for agricultural and commercial vehicles. It sells them to automobile companies such as Bajaj Auto, Greaves, TAFE and Simpson. Out of its total India revenues, about 75 per cent come from exports and only about 25 per cent from domestic consumption. The Chennai plant currently sends products to companies in Italy, the US, Mexico, China and Turkey. The revenue coming from India accounts for about 30 per cent of the companys total global revenue, Pinson said. About 60 per cent of Stanadynes total global revenues come from the US. Also Read Sundram Fasteners wins $250 mn international contract to supply EV parts Indian consumers concerned about residual value of EV battery: Survey Auto firms have foot on price pedal, even as commodity costs tail off Maruti Suzuki's car transportation through rail doubles in five years Maruti Suzuki transported record 320,000 units via railways in 2022 This (expected domestic growth) is due to the fact that Stanadyne India is gearing up to launch new products for the Indian emission regulations. These products will start adding to the sales revenue in a phased manner. Stanadyne expects domestic and export market revenues from India to be 50 per cent each by 2027 as domestic demand for its products is rising, he said. Real driving emission (RDE) norms, under which auto companies have to install a self-diagnostic device in their models to monitor emissions real-time, will be implemented in India from April this year. We will also benefit due to the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) volume growth expected in India. The combined effect will be that the domestic share will contribute 50 per cent, he said. The deal is one of the largest won by an Indian supplier for this range of products of an EV platform, said Sundram Fasteners Ltd (SFL). The company plans to invest Rs 200 crore to support the new order under a six-year long purchase package, involving shaft sub-assemblies and drive gear sub-assemblies . . The international companys name was not disclosed. Sundram Fasteners, which serves original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and automakers, said on Tuesday it had won a $250-million contract by an international company to supply sub-assemblies for an electric vehicle (EV) platform. The company said it will ship the parts from its powertrain divisions in Mahindra World City in Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, and Sri City in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh. The parts will be serviced from the companys warehouse in North America. Sundram Fasteners has estimated an annual sales peak of $52 million in 2026 with a supply of 1.5 million drive unit sub-assemblies per annum. . The sub-assemblies will be used in the EV models like mild hybrid electric vehicle (MHEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), battery electric vehicles (BEV), covering various segments including mid-size trucks, sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and sedans. We are extremely delighted to win this prestigious award that marks a significant milestone in our Companys history. The $250-million supply contract, one of the largest in India, is a further testimony to our commitment to manufacture and supply high-quality industry-leading products such as sub-assemblies, which are used widely in various segments of the EV sector, said Arathi Krishna, managing director, Sundram Fasteners. Also Read Sundram Fasteners' net profit rises 14.5% to Rs 138.03 cr during June qtr Auto component firm Sundram Fasteners posts 6% dip in Q2 net profit Smart fasteners are not just nuts and bolts Top headlines: Vehicle sales up 8% in Aug; Fitch affirms rating for 4 NBFCs EVs need the spark of regulation in India to accelerate transition: Experts Indian consumers concerned about residual value of EV battery: Survey Auto firms have foot on price pedal, even as commodity costs tail off Maruti Suzuki's car transportation through rail doubles in five years Maruti Suzuki transported record 320,000 units via railways in 2022 Triton EV to acquire AMW Motors' Bhuj manufacturing plant for Rs 210 crore The Companys vast experience in manufacturing intricate products involving complex engineering will be aligned with the specific requirements of new customers under the contract and help them achieve superior performance parameters, it said in a statement. Photo: Shahzid Chauhan Muzaffar Ali's The Cheetahs in Main Art Gallery. (Photo: Shahzid Chauhan) Maqaam at Bikaner House. (Photo: Shahzid Chauhan) Also Read Art as investment: How to build a collection that will last in value Reliance Retail launches lifestyle departmental store format Centro Paintings, photos, passion: How to build an art collection for your home Centre lays down 75-point climate-friendly agenda under Mission LiFE Opposition parties treated Muslims as a vote bank, says Basit Ali SIDBI to partner with AMFI to support Bengal's women entrepreneurs Coal India subsidiary NCL to start M-Sand production, says ministry Amazon secures $8 bn in term loan to safeguard against economic headwinds Where's the New Year's party? It's everywhere, across restaurants & resorts Most of RFL lenders approve Rs 2.3k-cr OTS plan, on track to restart biz Awaaz e Ishq. (Photo: Shahzid Chauhan) This cold January, the walls of Bikaner House in Delhi are alive with frames from the life of the multifaceted Muzaffar Ali.On display are some 100 artworks spread through 11 sections of this beautiful heritage building, which was once the house of the maharaja of Bikaner and is now a vibrant cultural centre on the India Gate hexagon.Muzaffar Ali, 78, is a man who has journeyed to many destinations, and his artworks paintings, collages, installations, furniture capture five decades of that creative journey. So it is only apt that each of these sections should be called Makaam (destination).Through these works you see the filmmaker, the poet, the thinker, and the traveller who is captivated by the wonder of nature with leaves, stones and horses holding a special place in his world. You also get a glimpse of the designer (in another lifetime, Muzaffar Ali was even involved in designing uniforms for the Air India crew and the interiors of its aircraft).So where does one start the tour of Muzaffar Ali: Mystic Journeys in Art?Perhaps from the gallery of leaves, a symphony in the soothing shades of the earth that could be read as an ode to eternity. The dried leaves and the aged barks, which are central to these paintings, tell you it is autumn, the magic of which the artist is celebrating. Autumn, after all, holds within it the promise of spring.A self-taught artist and a geology graduate from Aligarh Muslim University, Muzaffar Ali, whose subjects included botany, is clearly a keen observer of nature. The cheetah watching from one of the paintings is just another proof of that.The House of Kotwara, the couture brand he founded in 1990 and which is named after his home some 160 km from Lucknow, is also referenced in this exhibition through installations in the corridor leading to the room of leaves.Head to a different wing of Bikaner House and among the first things you encounter is a small painting of his father, Raja S Sajid Husain of Kotwara with his 1924 Rover outside La Martiniere College, Lucknow, and the photograph it recreates. On the wall running alongside the wooden staircase near the entrance is another one, this time of the Raja with his 1929 Isotta Fraschini in Scotland.Now, is it even possible to talk about Muzaffar Ali and not mention Gaman, his 1978 directorial debut that captured the despondent lives of migrants struggling to find a foothold in a big city? Or skip Umrao Jaan (1981) altogether?So intense is the hangover of these films that curator Uma Nair thought it best to put the Portraits section right in the beginning so that people can see them and then move on to the many other things Muzaffar Ali is about, she says, laughing.So, there is a painting of Umrao Jaan (Rekha), her face and hand glowing in an otherwise dark composition. Theres also Khairun Nissa (Smita Patil from Gaman), her eyes looking down, reminiscent of the films last scene when she slowly closes the door after yet another day of a hopeless wait for her migrant, Ghulam Hasan (Farooq Shaikh). And, there is one a vertical frame of his muse, his wife Meera. Unsubscribe to continue This is a subscriber only feature Subscribe Now to get daily updates on WhatsApp Sheetal Sapale, president (marketing), AIOCD-AWACS said that at least 40 more brands are expected to be launched in this category, leading to a price erosion of at least 50 per cent. Indias Rs 20,000-crore cardiac drug market is in for a shake-up as generic launches of Novartis heart-failure drug Vymada begin. Mumbai-based Glenmark Pharmaceuticals on Monday announced the launch of their own brand of Sacubitril-valsartan tablets Sacu V, priced between Rs 19-35 per tablet. According to IQVIA sales data, as of December 2022 moving annual turnover (MAT), the total cardiology market is estimated to be Rs 20,730 crore, growing at 7.7 per cent. The market for sacubitril-valsartan combination is estimated to be Rs 514 crore, with an annual growth of 37.2 per cent. Earlier in December, JB Pharma, which had acquired the Azmarda brand from Novartis AG, Switzerland for the India region for a consideration of Rs 246 crores in April 2022, had slashed its prices by half to Rs 39.6 per tablet. Only four companies were marketing Novartis drug in India who had acquired the brands from the innovator Mankind, Dr Reddys Laboratories, JB Pharma apart from Novartis itself. Now, a slew of generic makers is set to enter. The patents of the Entresto fixed-dose combination of sacubitril-valsartan expired on January 16. In a breather to Indian drug makers, the Delhi High Court has advised the assistant patent controller to hear Hyderabad-based drugmaker Natco Pharmas opposition to Novartis patent for the latters heart failure drug (a combination of sacubitril and valsartan). Also Read Breather for Natco in Novartis cardiac drug case from Delhi High Court Price war begins for Novartis cardiac drug as JB Pharma cuts rate by 50% Bayer launches novel heart failure drug Verquvo for Rs 127 a pill Sun Pharma's Q1 margins likely to be hit on elevated input costs: Analysts Sun Pharma Q1 net profit soars 43% YoY to Rs 2,061 cr; revenue up 10% Gera Developments buys land in Pune for themed residential project PepsiCo plans to expand operation in Hyderabad, to add 1,200 workers Network18 posts Rs 76.8 mn net loss in December quarter amid ad slowdown Glenmark Pharmaceuticals launches drug to treat heart failure in India Lenders select Ramkrishna Forgings resolution plan for ailing JMT Auto Alok Malik, executive vice-president and business head, India Formulations, Glenmark Pharma said, Heart failure is growing in India at an alarming rate; its prevalence is about 1 per cent and affects around 8-10 million individuals. Sacu V will be an affordable treatment option for patients for a drug that has shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death or heart failure hospitalisation and to improve symptoms associated with heart failure. This decision by the court opens the door for Indian pharma players to launch their generic versions of the heart failure drug Vymada (sold globally as Entresto). Had the court upheld Novartis latest patent, it could have potentially scuttled the plans of several Indian drug companies to launch their generic versions of this popular cardiac drug. Meanwhile, Indias price regulator is keeping a close watch on key drugs going off-patent. The Centre and the industry are working on a pricing mechanism for drugs that are going off-patent. The sacubitril-valsartan combination is currently prescribed to 30-35 per cent of heart failure patients, and doctors believe that this share can go up to 50-60 per cent with the right pricing. While a final decision is yet to be made, the pricing mechanism is likely to set a ceiling price for drugs going off patent at 50 percent of the innovator price. Add to this, if there is any other drug which is already under price control in combination with the patented molecule, then one may take a ceiling price which is 20 per cent lower than the prevailing ceiling price, an industry source explained. As part of the engagement with Infosys, JNTU-K will offer e-content on their website including self-learning material, assignments and projects, powered by Infosys Springboard, to accelerate digital skills development. Infosys today announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Kakinada (JNTU-K) to accelerate digital and life skills development across India through its online learning platform, Infosys Springboard. Dr. G.V.R. Prasada Raju , Vice Chancellor, JNTU-K, said, We seek to improve the employability of the youth of Andhra Pradesh by providing them exposure to cutting edge technologies such as data analytics, mobility, AI, ML and cloud. We offer them extensive training through experiential and collaborative learning delivered via e-learning platforms along with opportunities for industry networking and access to research. JNTU-K has introduced 8 skill-oriented courses in collaboration with Infosys. Industry-relevant content will be made available, through Infosys Springboard, to 200+ affiliated institutions impacting about 1.5 lakh students. This will benefit not just students but members of their faculty too, to help implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, said the company in a press release. Since its launch, Infosys Springboard continues to expand its reach to learners by growing its thriving community to more than 3.5 million registered users. Through its academia-industry collaboration initiative, Campus Connect, over 1,000 higher educational institutions have registered on the Infosys Springboard platform. Infosys, in line with its ESG Vision 2030, aims to enable digital skills at scale and empower over 10 million people in India through the Infosys Springboard program. We are delighted to collaborate with JNTU-K to support a generation of enthusiastic learners who have a strong aspiration to participate in our digital future. We are confident that this collaboration will contribute massively to the advancement of technical education in India and help youth build industry-relevant skills in a rapidly transforming world, said, Thirumala Arohi, Senior Vice President and Head Education, Training and Assessment at Infosys. The company has signed a binding term sheet to acquire 100 per cent of the share capital (on a fully diluted basis) of Sproutlife in tranches, expected to be completed over a period of 3 to 4 years. Diversified conglomerate, ITC, said on Tuesday, it would acquire 100 per cent of Sproutlife Foods Private Limited, makers of Yoga Bar healthy foods. A further infusion of Rs 80 crore would be made through primary subscription, in one or more tranches, by March 31, 2025 or later. In an exchange filing, ITC said that acquisition of 47.5 per cent was on a fully diluted basis through primary subscription and secondary purchases. An initial investment of Rs 175 crore would be made for acquisition of 39.4 per cent, which is expected to be completed by February 15, 2023 or a later date mutually agreed upon. The acquisition of Yoga Bar, which has a strong online presence, comes on the back of ITCs investments in D2C brands, Mylo and Mother Sparsh over the past one year. Purchase of balance shares taking the shareholding to 100 per cent would be determined based on pre-agreed valuation criteria and subject to fulfilment of various terms and conditions. Also Read ITC Q1 results preview: Here's what analysts expect from the FMCG major ITC to acquire 100% shares of startup 'Sproutlife Foods' over 3-4 years After over 50% rise in 2022, is the stupendous rally in ITC fizzling out? Zebronics launches ZEB-Juke Bar 9750 soundbar: Know price, specs and more ITC hits new high in a subdued market; zooms 63% thus far in 2022 Improving marketing margins, prices to restore OMC profits in FY24: Moody's Lotte Confectionary to invest Rs 450 cr in Havmor Ice Cream in 5 years ITC to acquire 100% shares of startup 'Sproutlife Foods' over 3-4 years A first: DVC seeks to sell 3.7 Gw of power from three thermal units Taiwan's Gogoro signs deal with Belrise to invest $2.5 bn in Maharashtra Positioned as a digital first brand, Yoga Bar has a high salience of online sales (D2C, e-commerce platforms), with a growing presence in offline stores. According to a ITC statement, Yoga Bar has established itself as a leader in the bars segment and has built a strong market position in the muesli segment. The Yoga Bar acquisition, ITC said, would fortify its presence in the Rs 45,000 crore fast growing, nutrition-led healthy foods space. Its product portfolio comprises nutrition bars, muesli, oats and cereals. Commenting on the acquisition, Hemant Malik, Divisional Chief Executive, Foods Division, ITC Limited, stated, We believe that this investment is an exciting opportunity that aligns with ITCs Foods Business aspiration to build a formidable portfolio in the nutrition-led healthy foods space. The acquisition would also enable ITC to augment portfolio in the good for you space, which currently includes Aashirvaad multigrain atta, Aashirvaad Natures Super Foods, Farmlite range of biscuits, Sunfeast protein shake, B Natural Nutrilite ABC Beverage, among others. And leveraging ITC strengths in sales and distribution, sourcing, product development and digital, it is expected to be scaled up rapidly. Suhasini Sampath Kumar and Anindita Sampath Kumar, co-founders, said, ITC has a long history of building world-class brands, leveraging its core competencies which encompass superior understanding of the consumer, strong backward linkages with agri supply chain and a deep and wide distribution network. We look forward to scaling the Yoga Bar brand offering superior and healthy consumer choices. Post-pandemic there has been a growing interest in the D2C space. In December, Hindustan Unilever announced its entry into Indias health and wellbeing category by signing a deal to acquire a majority stake in Zywie Ventures, which sells plant based and clean-label consumer wellness brand under the brand name Oziva for Rs 264.28 crores. We are confident that this partnership will add to Yoga Bars competitive advantage and take it to the next level from the current Annualised Run Rate of over Rs 100 crore. We are delighted that ITC and Yoga Bar will work together to build one of the largest brands in the healthy foods space. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday ordered the immediate closure of a distillery and ethanol plant in Ferozepur after a months-long agitation against the unit by local villagers. Alleging that the distillery was polluting groundwater in several villages and causing air pollution, the villagers staged demonstrations in front of the plant for the past six months under the banner of Sanjha Zira Morcha. In a video message announcing the distillery's closure, Mann said, "For purity of Punjab's water, air and its land, and keeping in view the interests of the people, after consulting legal experts, I announce that orders have been issued to shut down the liquor factory in Zira with immediate effect. "In future, too, if anyone takes law into one's hands, be it concerning pollution norms, laws related to mining or the Transport department, any law framed by the government, if anyone violates that deliberately or for any vested interests or for economic gain causes harm, no matter how big (powerful) that person may be, will not be spared." The Samyukt Kisan Morcha had also expressed solidarity with the agitating Ferozepur villagers. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday made a statement on India's presidency of G20 at the party's national executive meeting as he asserted that the country's image has transformed globally in the last nine years of the Narendra Modi-led government. During the convention, a statement on "garib kalyan" (ruling party's welfare policies) at the Centre and in states where it is in power was also made, with BJP Parliamentary Board member Sudha Yadav dismissing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's criticism about concentration of wealth. Gandhi keeps raising the same issue without looking at figures about crores of people benefitting from the government's welfare policies, she said, accusing him of making false claims. The attention given to the SC, ST, poor and backwards in the last nine years is unprecedented, she said. Briefing reporters on the statement made by Jaishankar in the closed-door meeting, BJP vice president Baijayant Jay Panda quoted the minister, saying the world's view of India has changed in the last nine years. When the Covid pandemic broke, there were concerns that India will be one country which may not manage it but now the G20 and the world in general is "full of admiration" as it not only dealt with the crisis but also reached out with help to other countries, he said. Also Read India is an invaluable partner: US State Department on Jaishankar-Blinken Guterres, Jaishankar to unveil Mahatma Gandhi's bust at UN headquarters Relations with Indian diaspora bolstered due to Sushma Swaraj: Jaishankar 'US looking forward to support India's G20 presidency': Janet Yellen Another lotus blooms G20 Health Working Group meet: India to play proactive role in negotiations Exposure of highway stretch in Uttarakhand to landslides likely to increase SC unhappy with 6 states, UTs for not giving comments to govt on minorities Subsidies, road connectivity, 'magnets' attracting global investors: Shinde No link between Hydropower projects and Joshimath subsidence: R K Singh India used to depend on other countries during earlier crisis but it not only met the challenges of the pandemic on its own but also helped others, Jaishankar said. Panda said BJP workers will in their individual capacity work to connect the society as the country hosts over 200 G20-related events over 50 places. It is an opportunity to connect the society and showcase India's progress and its rich heritage as delegates from not only the elite bloc of 20 leading economies but also many multilateral bodies like IMF will visit the country, he added. India has also succeeded in keeping its economy strong, he said. The statement on the welfare policies was made by Samrat Chaudhary, an OBC leader who heads the party's legislators in the Bihar legislative council. Speaking to reporters on its content, Yadav said Modi had asserted that his government will be dedicated to the poor, deprived and backwards after he assumed office in 2014 and that he has worked to ensure it since then through a host of welfare policies. "It was the Modi government under which the direct benefit transfer was used to help crores of the people receive money in their bank accounts even during the pandemic. Right from 'Har Ghar Jal', 'Housing for All' and the farmers' welfare policies, the Modi government has touched every segment of the society," she said. From providing housing, electricity and water to the poor, it has launched numerous schemes to help different segments of the society. BJP governments in different states have also worked on these lines, she said. Justice C Hari Shankar, while hearing the lawsuit by Subway IP LLC on Monday, said "Subway" and "Suberb", when used in the context of eateries serving submarine sandwiches, were not "deceptively similar" and their lettering, font and appearance were also easily distinguishable from each other. The Delhi High Court has refused to restrain the sale of sandwiches under the name "Suberb" by a Delhi-based outlet, saying the global restaurant chain Subway cannot claim monopoly over the term "sub". The term, it said, was used widely by eateries for submarine sandwiches. "Subway and Suberb, when used in the context of eateries serving submarine sandwiches are not, therefore, deceptively similar, as 'Sub' is publici juris (of public right) and common to the trade, and 'way' and 'erb' are neither phonetically nor otherwise similar. After the modifications undertaken by the defendant, the appearance of the defendant's red and white mark cannot be said to be deceptively similar to any of the plaintiff's," said the court in its order. Rejecting Subway's plea for interim injunction against the Delhi-based outlet, the judge said "sub" was an abbreviation for "Submarine", which represented a well-known variety of long-bodied sandwiches, and it could not be said the defendant's "Suberb" mark infringed the "Subway" wordmark. The high court also observed that there was substance in the defendant's contention that the "Subway" brand was so well-known that there was "hardly any chance that a person who wished to partake from a Subway outlet would walk into a Suberb outlet". "No exclusivity can be claimed by the petitioner over the first part of its registered Subway mark, i.e, 'Sub'. The plaintiff cannot claim a monopoly over all two-syllable word of which the first syllable is 'Sub', especially when used in the context of eateries which serve sandwiches and similar items," it added. Also Read Copycat threat to goodwill, trademark of legacy brands increasing Delhi HC halts release of Tamil movie 'Ajinomoto' over trademark Delhi HC restrains Dominick Pizza from copying Domino's brand name Delhi HC restrains firm from using Swiss Military symbol in trademark case Strengthening defence ties with Paris provide hope for submarine deal Joshimath in focus, all you must know about Uttarakhand's Char Dham Yatra Services row: Centre raises issue of protest by AAP MLAs against Delhi Gov Delhi assembly: BJP alleges scams in govt, demands Kejriwal's resignation Mercury drops to -4.5 celsius for 4th consecutive day in Sikar of Rajasthan Maharastra signs MoUs worth Rs 45,900 crore on World Economic Forum day 1 It also said the plaintiff did not hold any registration in respect to the "S" logo and it therefore could not allege any infringement in that regard. It added that the defendant had modified the decor, layout, wall hanging, menu cards and uniforms of the staff and its outlets so as not to retain any similarity with the plaintiff in this regard. The court also rejected Subway's contention with respect to the infringement of its registered trademarks "Subway Club" and "Veggie Delite", noting that the defendant had changed the name of its sandwiches to "Veg Loaded Regular" and "Torta Club" and "quite obviously" the marks could not be said to be similar. (With agency inputs) The nearly 60,000 Covid-related deaths China reported for the first five weeks of its current outbreak, the largest the world has ever seen, may underestimate the true toll by hundreds of thousands of fatalities, experts were quoted as saying in a media report. China's abrupt pivot from Covid Zero in early December (2022) unleashed a surge of omicron infections and led to 59,938 virus-related deaths in the nation's hospitals through January 12, Bloomberg news agency reported, citing the figures disclosed by the National Health Commission. While the number swamps the few dozen deaths previously recorded in the official tally - which drew widespread criticism both at home and abroad, including from the World Health Organization (WHO) - experts say it's still likely to be an underestimate given the enormous scale of the outbreak and the mortality rates seen at the height of omicron waves in other countries that initially pursued a Covid Zero strategy, the news agency reported. "This reported number of Covid-19 deaths might be the tip of the iceberg," Zuo-Feng Zhang, chair of the department of epidemiology at the Fielding School of Public Health at University of California, Los Angeles was quoted by the news agency as saying. While the figure is roughly in line with what Zhang estimated might be coming from the country's hospitals, he said it's only a fraction of the total Covid deaths across the country. Using a report from the National School of Development at Peking University that found 64 per cent of the population was infected by mid-January, he estimated 900,000 people would have died in the previous five weeks based on a conservative 0.1 per cent case fatality rate. That means the official hospital death count is less than 7 per cent of the total mortality seen during the outbreak, the news agency reported. Also Read Xi Jinping makes first public appearance since returning from overseas Chinese President Xi creates history, wins record third term in power China's Xi Jinping plans to meet US President Biden in November Xi ensures 'complete control' over Chinese military in third term: Report Chinese firm shares slump in US as President Xi Jinping starts third term Yamuna's pollution doubled in 8 years of Kejriwal govt: Guv office Difficult terrain, loose regulations: What makes Nepal so risky to fly Maharashtra CM to sign MoUs worth Rs 1.4 trn at Davos, eyes 66.5k new jobs NHRC orders probe in 2014 custodial death case at Etah district of UP Budget 2023: Real estate sector wants tax sops, PPP in affordable housing The official toll translates to 1.17 deaths daily for every million people in the country over the course of five weeks, according to a Bloomberg analysis. That's well below the average daily mortality rate seen in other countries that initially pursued Covid Zero or managed to contain the virus after relaxing their pandemic rules. When omicron hit South Korea, daily deaths quickly climbed to nearly seven for every 1 million people. Australia and New Zealand saw mortality nearing or topping four per million a day during their first winters with omicron. Even Singapore, which had a well-planned and gradual shift away from its zero tolerance approach, had deaths peak at about two per million people daily. "These figures would suggest that China is having a very mild wave, with very few deaths per case," Louise Blair, head of vaccines and epidemiology at the London-based predictive health analytics firm Airfinity, was quoted by the news agency as saying. "It would be the lowest of any country/region abandoning a zero Covid policy." It could be that many of the country's deaths occurred in nursing care facilities or at home, explaining some of the undercount, Blair said, as China's latest disclosure only counted hospital deaths. Reports of overwhelmed crematoriums around the country suggest excess mortality is at a high level. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently spoke with Ma Xiaowei, the director of China's National Health Commission, about the Covid-19 situation in the country. "WHO appreciates this meeting, as well as the public release of information on the overall situation," the United Nations' health agency said in a statement. Chinese officials have provided information to the WHO on a range of topics, including outpatient clinics, hospitalisations, patients requiring emergency treatment and critical care, and hospital deaths related to Covid-19 infection. The WHO is currently analysing the information, which covers early December 2022 to 12 January 2023, and allows for a better understanding of the epidemiological situation and the impact of this wave in China. --IANS sha/ India and the UK will launch the Young Professionals Scheme next month that will allow degree-holding Indian nationals in the age group 18-30 years to live and work in Britain for up to two years. The scheme would be launched on February 28, according to a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) statement issued after the 15th India-UK Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) held here. Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra led the Indian delegation while the British side was helmed by Philip Barton, Permanent Under-Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Barton also called on External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. "Discussed our expanding bilateral relationship, including progress under our Roadmap 2030 and global issues," Jaishankar said on Twitter after meeting Barton. According to a UK government statement, Barton said, "I am delighted to be here in New Delhi, at the start of 2023, to underline the UK's commitment to the 2030 Roadmap for deepening cooperation with India. Through our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the UK and India are together playing a key role in tackling the biggest challenges facing the world today, including food and energy security, economic recovery post-Covid and preventing future pandemics." He also said the UK and India are increasingly working together multilaterally, including with the World Health Organisation and the international community on potential malaria and ebola vaccines. Also Read Vinay Mohan Kwatra gets 14-month extension as Foreign Secretary: Report UNSC's counterterrorism committee meets in India's iconic cities: FS Kwatra FS Vinay Kwatra meets Pentagon official, discusses bilateral defence ties Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra meets UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres Foreign Secretary Kwatra meets US Deputy Secretary of State Sherman China's coronavirus death data underestimates actual count: Report Yamuna's pollution doubled in 8 years of Kejriwal govt: Guv office Difficult terrain, loose regulations: What makes Nepal so risky to fly Maharashtra CM to sign MoUs worth Rs 1.4 trn at Davos, eyes 66.5k new jobs NHRC orders probe in 2014 custodial death case at Etah district of UP "I was pleased to hear from Foreign Secretary Kwatra about India's ambitious plans for its G20 Presidency. India is at the heart of the Indo-Pacific region, where half the world's people live and 50% of global economic growth is produced. The UK is committed to working closely with India in making its Presidency a success," he said. During the FOC, Barton and Kwatra appreciated that letters formalizing the Young Professional Scheme were exchanged on the occasion of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas on January 9 in London. The UK-India Young Professionals Scheme will offer 3,000 places annually to 18 to 30 years old degree-educated Indian nationals to come to the UK to live and work for up to two years. The programme will be reciprocal, also allowing UK professionals in the same position to participate in a professional exchange by living and working in India. India overtook China as the largest source country for student visas issued by the UK in the 12 months ending June 2022, according to UK Home Office statistics. The MEA statement said that India and the UK share a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with the adoption of Roadmap 2030 for Future Relations. The FOC provided an opportunity to review the progress made in the implementation of Roadmap 2030 despite the restrictions imposed by the Covid pandemic, it added. Both sides discussed issues like trade & economic cooperation, defence & security, science & technology, people-to-people relationship, health and climate change, the statement said. The statement said that both India and the UK aspire for early conclusion of a balanced and comprehensive India-UK FTA that may intensify the economic engagement between the fifth and the sixth biggest global economies. The two sides also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, including Afghanistan, Ukraine, the Indo-Pacific, Commonwealth and United Nations, it said. The UK appreciated India's contribution at the UN Security Council in 2021-22 as a non-permanent member and reiterated its support for UNSC reforms. Britain also commended India's priorities as President of G20 this year as it looked forward to its participation. ? Both sides agreed to maintain regular exchanges at political and senior official levels and hold the next FOC in London in 2024, the statement said. Kerala Higher Education Minister Dr R Bindu on Tuesday said that the government is considering granting menstrual leaves in all the state varsities as recently announced by the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT). The CUSAT on Saturday announced to grant menstrual leaves to its female students. "Considering the mental and physical difficulties faced by female students during menstruation, the Kerala government is planning to extend this to all universities under the State Higher Education Department," Bindu said in a press release issued from her office today. Menstrual leave was implemented in the CUSAT on the basis of demand from the student union led by SFI, the release said. The CUSAT on Saturday announced an additional 2 per cent of condonation of shortage of attendance to female students in each semester on requests for "menstruation benefits" to female students. Usually, only students who have 75 per cent attendance of the total working days will be allowed to appear for each semester examination. With menstrual leave giving two per cent condonation of shortage of attendance, the mandatory attendance would be brought down to 73 per cent for women students. Also Read In a first, housing scheme proposed for trans community in Maharashtra All appointments in university will be made on merit basis: Kerala Governor Odisha govt disburses Rs 43 crore to poor dependent on Kendu leaves Kerala Assembly passes contentious University Laws Bill; UDF boycotts Army chief General Manoj Pande leaves for three-day visit to Bangladesh SC unhappy with 6 states, UTs for not giving comments to govt on minorities Subsidies, road connectivity, 'magnets' attracting global investors: Shinde No link between Hydropower projects and Joshimath subsidence: R K Singh Campaign against electric, barbed wires in two tiger reserves in UP Kanjhawala hit-and-drag case: Delhi court grants bail to Ashutosh Bhardwaj A proposal from CUSAT Students Union and various students' organisations was formally submitted to the Vice-Chancellor recently and it was approved following which an order was issued, the varsity has said. Light to moderate rain and a hailstorm with winds gusting up to 50 kilometers per hour is predicted to lash northwest India, including Delhi, next week, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Tuesday. The IMD said an active Western Disturbance is very likely to affect northwest India from January 21 to January 25. ...Read More In his written submissions, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said the entire argument of the AAP government about lack of power proceeds as if the Central Government is interfering in the legislative and administrative field of a full-fledged "State", violating the federal structure. The Centre told the Supreme Court on Tuesday a fiction is being created by way of a public perception that the Delhi government has absolutely no control over the officers and employees working in the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi. "So far as the control is concerned, almost a fiction is created by way of a public perception that they have absolutely no control over the officers and employees working in GNCTD.This is fictional perception and far from truth," Mehta said in his submissions. "In the case of NCT of Delhi, the functional control vests in the elected wing and all officers/employees are required to function under the administrative control and supervision of the elected wing and implementing the programmes and policies of the elected wing which would reflect the wish and the will of the electorate, while the administrative control is vested both constitutionally and other in the President who exercises the same through the Lt. Governor. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud is hearing submissions on the Centre-Delhi government row over control of services. Explaining the position of Delhi, Mehta said all All India Service officers, DANICS officers and all other officers working for GNCTD are under the functional control of the Ministers concerned, the Chief Minister of GNCTD and the Council of Ministers. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud is hearing submissions on the Centre-Delhi government row over control of services. Also Read SC Collegium recommends 3 new chief justices for HCs, transfers 2 SC bench expresses displeasure in order over new case listing system CJI U U Lalit intends to focus on 3 areas, including listing of cases in SC SC live-streams constitution bench proceedings for the 1st time in history In a first, Supreme Court to live steam proceeding of CJI's court BJP shows receipts of Rs 1,917 crore; Congress Rs 541 crore in FY22 Retired director general of BSF Pankaj Kumar Singh appointed deputy NSA Give specifics of notices to exporters seeking GST relief, says SC CBI seizes Rs 15 cr during searches at retired Railway official's premises Indians view US as biggest military threat after China, shows survey "So far as the all senior and middle level officers are concerned (who are under the functional control of the elected Government and through whom the will and wish of the electorate in terms of the programmes and policies of the Government are to be implemented), their APAR are under direct control of the Chief Minister of Delhi either as reporting authority, reviewing authority or accepting authority," it said. "Secondly, for any officer, the most important element of his service is career progression in terms of promotion which is based upon the Annual Performance Appraisal Report (APAR). The Centre had earlier told the top court the Constitution never contemplated a separate service cadre for Union Territories (UT), which are a mere extension of Union of India, and persons working in the UTs are working in "services and posts in connection with the affairs of the Union". The functional control for undertaking the government business lies with the minister concerned and for this purpose IAS officers and all other officers report to the minister, Mehta said. Precious Melodies: If Martin Luther King, Jr. had a Playlist NEWS PROVIDED BY Alveda King Ministries Jan. 16, 2023 ATLANTA, Jan. 16, 2023 /Christian Newswire/ -- The following is submitted by Dr. Alveda King, she is available for comment: Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Around the country, all of the memorials and community service days will, for a few hours, unify the nation. Under the brilliant glow of my uncle's words and the memory of his actions, many Americans will set aside our differences and work together. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy is universally celebrated. Few figures in modern history collectively bring people of divergent views together. I may be biased because he's my "Uncle ML," but you have to be a truly miserable person not to appreciate the good that his living gave to the world. His legendary "one blood" (Acts 17:26) declaration of one human race still resonates. When I think of the areas that influenced Uncle ML, I must consider the music that engulfed our lives and the family home on Auburn Ave. The music was rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel music tradition of the Black church is the playlist of my life. It was the playlist of my uncle's life. Gospel music derived from the hard struggle of the African-American community combined with the truth of scripture was a source of comfort and inspiration for my uncle; and remains the same for me today. Our family has sacrificed many lives on the altar of justice for this nation. In 1974, my beautiful grandmother Alberta Williams King was assassinated as she sat at the church organ while playing "The Lord's Prayer." That was the same year I published my first song - Let Freedom Ring. As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy, I want to look to the music that gave him courage in the darkest hours. Even on the day he was assassinated, the last request he made was to Ben Branch when he asked Branch to play Take My Hand, Precious Lord. His dear friend songstress Mahalia Jackson's recording of the song remains a classic today. It's quite possible that Branch already had that tune prepared to play that day because it was one of my uncle's favorites. Many people are not familiar with the history of the song. Today it is celebrated and heralded around the globe. But it was not immediately accepted by the Christian community because of its roots. Take My Hand, Precious Lord was written by Thomas A. Dorsey, a musician who honed his craft performing blues and jazz. He rose to fame touring with Ma Rainey, who was not known for her wholesome concerts. Like most extraordinary works of art, the song was conceived and born through tragedy. Dorsey wrote the song after he lost his wife to childbirth and his infant son within 24 hours. The song speaks to the pain and anguish of a dark night that can only be conquered with God's hand. My uncle had many such nights and days as he worked to save the soul of America. Already 2023 has brought my share of pain and anguish to my door. Two of my sweet "sisters in Christ"- Civil Rights icon Cleo Orange and freedom fighter Diamond (of Diamond and Silk) - have passed away. They will be missed. May God comfort and heal all of us who mourn. I find myself seeking comfort in prayers, scripture and favorite hymns. In my book King Rules, I conclude with a chapter: If MLK Could Tweet. Today I honor Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with an addendum: If MLK Had a Playlist. Headlining this list is of course Precious Lord. My upcoming album Freedom Melodies - to be released for Black History Month on February 3, 2023 - will highlight other favorites. For a sneak preview, enjoy a fresh take on the 20th century Civil Rights anthem We Have Overcome. Also, in tribute to the Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Dream, I've covered The Impossible Dream. I am grateful that my Uncle M.L. taught us that, in God's hands, the Dream isn't so impossible after all. The Impossible Dream - Alveda King Ministries "I have a dream; it is rooted in the American Dream." -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Finally my friends, today for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday and the March for Life quickly following, I pray God's blessings for you and everyone. Let faith, hope and love guide you in the days ahead. For more information on the King Family Legacy, including news about my parents Rev. AD and Naomi King, please check out King Family Legacy Featured Documentaries. Our ministry is funded by generous individuals like yourself. We have many ongoing projects that help us to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a world much in need of His message. Please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Alveda King Ministries. About Alveda King: Alveda C. King, PhD, serves as Chair of the America First Policy Institute's Center for the American Dream. She is the daughter of the late slain civil rights activist Rev. A. D. King and the niece of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as a Christian evangelist; graduate of Aidan University; and is founder of SPEAK FOR LIFE, and ALVEDA KING MINISTRIES (www.alvedaking.com). Dr. King is also an acclaimed author, Fox News Channel contributor, Fox Nation host, NEWSMAX blog contributor, twice elected to GA State House, past presidential appointee, 2021 recipient of the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award, and is a film and music industry veteran. SOURCE Alveda King Ministries CONTACT: Brian Mayes, 615-771-2040, brian@nashvillepublicity.com Share Tweet Also Read Centre tells fertiliser companies, states to promote Nano urea use Fertiliser stks prey to subsidy withdrawal risk, high input costs: Analysts Unproductive fertiliser policy Cabinet hikes ethanol prices, approves subsidy for non-urea fertilisers Centre to put curbs on imports of some items to arrest rupee's fall: Report Gaming firms seek distinction between 'video games' and 'real money games' RBI advises states against reverting to old pension scheme, says big risk Visa, Mastercard may be allowed a share of India's online payments Despite support from Centre, big states lagged on capex in FY23 The artificial intelligence is garnering interest in Davos at the World Economic Forums annual meeting this week. Business titans trudging through Alpine snow cant stop talking about a chatbot from San Francisco, ChatGPT. Microsofts chief executive, Satya Nadella, said the techs progress has not been linear. AI capabilities will completely transform all of Microsofts products, he said in an on-stage interview with the Wall Street Journal. Executives have floated wide-ranging applications for the nascent technology, from use as a programming assistant to a step forward in the global race for military supremacy. Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir Technologies, a software provider helping governments visualise an armys movements or enterprises vet their supply chains, among other tasks, said such AI could have military applications. Matthew Prince, CEO of Cloudflare, a company that defends websites against cyberattacks and offers other cloud services, sees generative AI as good enough to be a junior programmer. Prince said Cloudflare was using such technology to write code on its Workers platform. Also Read ChatGPT vs humans: What it can and cannot accomplish You can't insult me by saying Biryani is tiffin: Satya Nadella to ChatGPT OpenAI announces ChatGPT chatbot: What is it, how it works, and limitations Podcast: What is ChatGPT and why has it taken the Internet by storm? Microsoft in talks to invest $10 bn in ChatGPT owner, says report China's GDP growth falls to 3% in 2022, second lowest growth in 50 years WEF Davos 2023: Global leaders roll up sleeves to tackle a tough 2023 India writes to IMF backing Sri Lanka's debt restructuring plan: Report Pak EC suspends 271 lawmakers for not submitting financial statements International trade faces a stagnant decade lagging the world economy Ukraine first lady calls for unity, peace Ukraines First Lady Olena Zelenska on Tuesday called for the world to come together to ensure global peace, as she stressed that the war in her country was deeply intertwined with other international issues. PTI In a special address here at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2023, she urged world leaders and business heads to wield their influence in support of Ukraine. $3-trn a year for climate and nature The World Economic Forum on Tuesday launched the Giving to Amplify Earth Action (GAEA) to help unlock the $3 trillion of financing needed each year to reach net-zero, reverse nature loss and restore biodiversity by 2050. Also Read IND vs PAK Asia Cup Highlights: Rizwan, Nawaz win a thriller for Pakistan Asia Cup India vs Pakistan Highlights: All-round Pandya wins it for India Asia Cup: Pant vs Karthik crisis for India, Pakistan suffer bowler shortage PAK vs AFG Asia Cup Highlights: Naseem Shah hero in Pakistan's 1 wicket win IND vs PAK T20 World Highlights: Last ball win for India, Virat the hero Over 1,600 tech employees being fired a day on average in January US Prez Joe Biden to host Netherlands PM for talks on tech, Ukraine Why does Nepal's aviation industry have safety issues: An explainer Nations express 'deep concern' at Israeli punitive measure on Palestine Pakistan's top election body has suspended the membership of 271 lawmakers across the country for not submitting their statements of assets and liabilities. The statements have to be filed by December 31 every year, and the lawmakers were directed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to submit their financial statements up to June 30, 2022, by January 16, 2023. It also warned that failing to submit the financial statements would result in the suspension of their respective memberships. The ECP said on Monday that those targeted include 136 Members of the National Assembly, 21 senators, and 114 Members of Provincial Assemblies. Relations between South Korea and Japan have shown a clear trend of improvement recently following a period of "deep ordeal" in the past few years, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said in a message on Tuesday. "Relations between South Korea and Japan went through the most difficult and deepest ordeal for the past few years, but they are showing a clear trend of improvement recently," Yoon said in the message, read by First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong, at a joint Seoul conference of the two countries' private panels on helping develop bilateral relations. Yoon stressed South Korea and Japan are "the closest and most important neighbors" that need to cooperate in all fields, including security and the economy. The president added the Seoul government will continue to make efforts toward "practical improvements" of the relations, Yonhap news agency reported. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also pledged to work toward improving bilateral ties in his message delivered by Koichi Aiboshi, Japan's ambassador to South Korea. Kishida said he will maintain close communications with Yoon for a prompt resolution for pending issues. Yoon has repeatedly expressed a commitment to improve the bilateral relationship in a departure from his liberal predecessor, Moon Jae-in. The two neighbours have stepped up efforts to improve security cooperation against North Korea's provocations and threats. Also Read China's legislator to meet S Korea leaders for talks on Seoul-Beijing ties Leaders of South Korea, Japan agree to work towards improving partnerships Seoul announces additional sanctions on Pyongyang for missile tests Leaders of South Korea, Japan agree to mend ties frayed over colonial past Kim threatens to use nuclear weapons amid tensions with US, S Korea Energy war, chip-battle, Taiwan in focus at WEF in a turbulent world order US military's expanded training for Ukraine forces begins in Germany Ahead of Jaishankar's visit, Sri Lanka Prez assures to fully implement 13A Iran to get Russian Su-35 fighters in next Iranian year, says lawmaker Like India said, 13A should be implemented: Sri Lanka president --IANS int/sha In a major development, Pakistan-based deputy leader of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) Abdul Rehman Makki has been designated as a global terrorist by the United Nations, subjecting him to an assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo. The UN Security Council's 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee added 68-year-old Makki, the brother-in-law of JUD/LeT Chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, to its list of designated terrorists on Monday after China withdrew its hold on a joint proposal by India and the US. Makki and other LeT/JUD operatives have been involved in raising funds, recruiting and radicalising youth to violence and planning attacks in India, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), the sanctions committee said, providing a statement for the reasons of Makki's listing. Makki, born in Bahawalpur, Punjab Province of Pakistan, is the deputy chief of LeT and head of the political affairs wing of JUD/LeT. According to a press release issued here, Makki also served as head of LeT's foreign relations department and member of Shura (governing body). The UNSC 1267 Sanctions Committee said Makki, wanted by the Indian Government, was listed as being associated with ISIL or Al-Qaida for participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing, or perpetrating of acts or activities by, in conjunction with, under the name of, on behalf of, or in support of, recruiting for, otherwise supporting acts or activities of, and either owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by, or otherwise supporting Lashkar-e-Taiba. Also Read Significant increase in presence of ISIL-K in Afghanistan: India tells UNSC Suspected LeT terrorist arrested in Bengaluru, four others detained 3 LeT terrorists trapped in J&K's Budgam encounter with security forces China holds India, US proposal to list Shahid Mahmood as global terrorist Pakistan accepts LeT terrorist's body for first time in over 3 decades China's economic growth falls to 3% in 2022, not even half 2021's rate Ukraine set to get 3 bn euros from EU this week: PM Denys Shmyhal China's population shrinks for first time since 1960s in seismic shift US expands premium processing of various visa and green card categories India among few nations evolving food systems for farmer-allied SMEs: Study Makki is a US-designated terrorist and a member of JUD's Markazi (Central) Team and Daawati (proselytisation) team. Makki was arrested on May 15, 2019 by the Pakistan Government and was under house arrest in Lahore. In 2020, a Pakistani court convicted Makki of terrorism financing and sentenced him to prison, the sanctions committee said. China, an all-weather friend of Islamabad, has repeatedly placed holds and blocks on bids by India and its allies to list Pakistan-based terrorists. In June last year, China had put a hold, at the last moment, on a joint proposal by India and the US to list Makki, the brother-in-law of JUD/LeT Chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, under the 1267 Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council. The sanctions committee said that while Makki has held his leadership positions within LeT and JUD, the LeT has been responsible for or had involvement in prominent attacks including the Red Fort Attack in which six LeT terrorists had stormed Red Fort on December 22, 2000 and had opened indiscriminate fire on the security forces guarding the Fort. In the Rampur Attack, five LeT terrorists had attacked a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in Rampur on January 1, 2008 in which seven CRPF personnel and a rickshaw puller were killed. Describing the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks as the most audacious attack by LeT in India, the committee said 10 LeT terrorists from Pakistan entered via Arabian Sea in Mumbai with pre-decided targets out of which Amir Ajmal Kasab was caught alive, rest were killed. In the Karan Nagar, Srinagar attack of February 12-13, 2018, LeT Fidayeen (suicide squad) stormed into CRPF (23 Battalion) camp at Karan Nagar area of Srinagar in which one CRPF trooper was killed one Policeman was injured. In the Khanpora, Baramulla attack of May 30, 2018, three civilians were shot dead by LeT militants while in the Srinagar attack of June 14, 2018, senior journalist & Editor in Chief of Rising Kashmir, Shujaat Bukhari, and his two Personal Security Officers (PSOs) were shot by LeT terrorists, the committee said. In the Gurez/ Bandipora attack of August 7, 2018, four Army soldiers including a Major were killed as Army foiled a major infiltration bid by heavily armed LeT militants along the Line of Control (LoC) in Gurez Sector of Bandipora District, Jammu and Kashmir. In November 2010, the US Department of the Treasury had designated Makki as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. As a result of this designation, among other consequences, all property, and interests in property, of Makki that are subject to US jurisdiction are blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with Makki. In addition, it is a crime to knowingly provide, or attempt or conspire to provide, material support or resources to the FTO LeT, the US said. The US Department of State's Rewards for Justice programme is offering a reward of up to USD 2 million for information on Makki, also known as Abdulrahman Maki. Makki has occupied various leadership roles within Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO). He has also played a role in raising funds for LeT operations. "In 2020, a Pakistani anti-terrorism court convicted Makki on one count of terrorism financing and sentenced him to prison. The United States continues to seek information on Makki because the Pakistani judicial system has released convicted LeT leaders and operatives in the past, according to information on the Rewards for Justice website. A Yeti Airlines ATR 72-500 aircraft crashed in Pokhara in central Nepal on January 15 2023, killing at least 68 passengers on board. The aircraft was en route from Nepals capital Kathmandu to Pokhara, the countrys second largest city, situated under the picturesque Annapurna mountain range. While the picturesque landscape of the country appeals to tourists, it poses significant challenges to aviation operators, who need to embrace and navigate the challenging environment. The air crash on Sunday was Nepals worst aviation disaster since 1992. The country has been working to overcome its challenges in aviation. A challenging landscape Topography has gifted Nepal with picturesque landscapes, but posits unrivalled challenges to flight operations. Nepal, situated between India and China, is home to eight of the worlds 14 highest mountains, including Mount Everest or Sagarmatha. For flight operations, its an almost unrivalled, harsh environment with sudden weather changes that can make for hazardous conditions. Also Read Investigation underway over midair crash of two planes at Dallas air show 68 dead, 4 missing in Nepal's worst airplane crash in three decades Nepal plane crash: At least 68 dead, rescuers search for 4 missing persons Plane crashes into New Hampshire building; all on board die: Official Difficult terrain, loose regulations: What makes Nepal so risky to fly Nations express 'deep concern' at Israeli punitive measure on Palestine UN blacklists LeT deputy chief Abdul Rehman Makki as 'global terrorist' China's economic growth falls to 3% in 2022, not even half 2021's rate Ukraine set to get 3 bn euros from EU this week: PM Denys Shmyhal China's population starts shrinking in 2022, first drop since 1960s Airports built in mountainous regions often need to have shorter runways that can only accommodate turboprop-powered regional aircraft, rather than large jet airliners that can access larger cities in Nepal. As a result, aviation carriers in Nepal have a variety of aircraft on their fleets. These craft vary in condition, presenting potential safety hazards. The ATR 72 aircraft is one typical aircraft used by Nepali carriers. It is a turboprop-powered regional aircraft with a capacity between 44 and 78 passengers. These aircraft are manufactured by a joint venture of Airbus in France and Leonardo in Italy. The aircraft involved in this crash had been in service for 15 years, a fairly typical age for an aircraft. The final report on what happened to the tragic Yeti Airlines flight will take over a month to complete. A growing and fast-changing industry Nepal has welcomed private investment into its aviation sector since 1992. Yeti Airlines is one of 20 domestic carriers. The airline, headquartered in Kathmandu, flies to ten domestic destinations using ATR 72-500 aircraft. In addition, 29 international airlines operate into Nepals capital too. With air travel in Nepal becoming more accessible and affordable, airport infrastructure development has remained far behind compared to the growth of air traffic. This has resulted in increasing congestion at airports, fare competition between airlines, and decreased safety records. In fact, the country has recorded at least 350 casualties associated with aeroplanes or helicopters since 2000, which has raised questions about the effectiveness of its aviation safety regulations. The aviation regulator in charge is the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, a government agency established in 1998. Working hard to improve Nepal became a member of the UNs International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in 1960. This membership obliges the country to abide by international conventions, ICAOs regulations, standards, and recommended practices in aviation safety. While Nepals aviation industry has made significant efforts to improve safety, unfortunately the safety record still doesnt match up with the requirements of other civil aviation authorities. In particular, the European Union banned all Nepali airlines from operating in the blocs airspace in 2013 after ICAO raised a red flag. That ban still hasnt been lifted, and Nepal remains on the EU Air Safety List. Despite the tragic casualty record, Nepal has stepped up its efforts to improve aviation safety. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has been focusing on improving safety in Nepali aviation such as building improvements at airports, upgrading safety equipment, and fostering a positive safety culture by encouraging hazard reporting. Nepals considerable improvement in safety measures and compliance with international standards was recognised by ICAO in 2018. However, the country must continue work on its aviation reform to make its skies safe for everyone. Chrystal Zhang, Associate professor, RMIT University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Capital markets regulator Sebi on Tuesday proposed to introduce a blocking of funds facility for trading in secondary markets, a move aimed at safeguarding investors' money from misuse and default by stock brokers. This is similar to Application Supported by Blocked Amount (ASBA)-like facility already available for the primary market which ensures that money from an investor gets moved only when an allotment happens. In its consultation paper, Sebi said the proposed introduction of a blocking of funds facility for trading in secondary markets would allow investors to trade in secondary markets based on blocked funds in one's bank account, thereby eliminating the need to transfer funds to stock broker. Also, the facility would provide client level settlement visibility (both pay-in and pay-out) to clearing corporations (CC) by direct settlement of funds and securities between client or investor and CC. The process safeguards clients' assets from misuse, brokers' default and consequent risk to their capital. Under the existing framework, clients' assets pass through stock broker and clearing member before reaching CC. Similarly, the pay-out released by CC follows a similar cycle of passing through clearing members and stock brokers before reaching the client. Also Read Sebi drops Indian connection clause to make investment easy for AIF, VCF Sebi working on new ASBA-like payment system for secondary trades: Buch Board examinations may begin from Feb 15, practicals from Jan 1: CBSE ASBA for secondary market in the works: Sebi chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch Supreme Court dismisses SEBI's review petition against Reliance Industries Federal Bank declines 5% on profit booking post strong Q3FY23 Rebound in power demand to fire up related stks over medium-term: Analysts L&T hits record high on hopes of strong order inflows, stock rises 4% Nykaa hits new low; stock plunges 10% in two days on heavy volumes IDFC, L&T Finance, 3 others hit 52-week highs; charts show up to 23% upside While CCs provide final settlement instructions to their members each day, it is the stock broker who settles obligations with clients. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has sought comments from the public till February 16 on the proposal. The markets regulator has suggested that Unified Payments Interface (UPI) Mandate service of single block and multiple debits can be integrated with the secondary markets to provide a block mechanism (similar to pledge-like mechanism in securities) whereby the clients will be able to block funds in their bank account for trading in secondary market, instead of transferring them upfront to the trading member, thereby providing enhanced protection of cash collateral. Under the proposed model, funds would remain in the account of client but will be blocked in favour of CC till the expiry date of the block mandate or till the block is released by the CC, whichever is earlier. CC can debit funds from client account, limited to the amount specified in the block. Further, while a UPI block upon creation would be considered towards collateral, the same would also be available for settlement purposes. For the clients who prefer to block lump sum amount, their block can be debited multiple times, subject to available balance, for settlement obligations across days. "This comes with a dual advantage, whereby firstly it eliminates the need to transfer funds to the brokers and secondly, the funds blocked from savings accounts earn interest for the investor," Sebi said. Effectively, the amount which earlier used to get transferred to the stock broker for trading in secondary market will remain in investors' bank account and can now earn interest for the investor, it added. With regard to handling of collection of brokerage from clients opting for UPI block facility, it has been suggested that the brokerage should be kept outside the proposed UPI framework and carried out bilaterally between the client and the stock broker. Alternatively, CCs should deduct standard rate of brokerage from the UPI block for all clients of a stock broker along with settlement dues and pass it to the stock broker. Such rate of brokerage can be decided by the stock broker but should be fixed at least for a quarter. The key equity indices were trading with decent gains in early trade. The Nifty traded above the 17,950 level. PSU bank, IT and oil & gas shares were in demand while metal, pharma and media shares corrected. At 09:25 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 218.23 points or 0.36% to 60,311.20 The Nifty 50 index added 60.20 points or 0.34% to 17,955.05. In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index slipped 0.02% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index gained 0.06%. The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 1,493 shares rose, and 1,070 shares fell. A total of 182 shares were unchanged. Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 750.59 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs), were net buyers to the tune of Rs 685.96 crore in the Indian equity market on 16 January, provisional data showed. Stocks in Spotlight: NTPC rose 0.75%. NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd. (NTPC REL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Government of Tripura for Development of Floating and Ground Mounted based Renewable Energy Projects in the State of Tripura. Also Read Sensex jumps 710 pts, PSU bank stocks advance Nifty below 18,400 level, PSU bank shares advance Benchmarks extend gains; Nifty hovers above 17,950; PSU banks advance Power shares gain Power shares edge higher Nifty climbs above 18,000; Sensex adds 387 pts; FMCG shares gain Stocks may open on flat note Sensex slides 168 pts, Nifty ends below 17,900; IT shares advance Quick Wrap: Nifty PSU Bank Index gains 1.57% Nifty settles below 17,900; Sensex down 168 pts; VIX jumps 3.89% Siemens added 1.73%. Siemens has received an order for 1,200 locomotives of 9000 horsepower (HP) from Indian Railways. Siemens will design, manufacture, commission and test the locomotives. The contract has a total value of Rs. 26,000 crore (approximately), excluding taxes and price variation. Angel One rose 0.91%. Angel One reported 38.3% rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 227.7 crore on a 25.5% increase in total income to Rs 759.7 crore in Q3 FY23 over Q3 FY22. Global markets: Asian stocks are trading mixed Tuesday as investors digest the Chinese economic data released today. China reported 3% GDP growth for 2022. Retail sales in December declined by 1.8% from a year ago. Industrial production rose by 3.6% in 2022. The figure rose by 1.3% in December. US stock market were closed on Monday, 16 January 2023, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is scheduled to hold a meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, as per reports. The two will hold a meeting to strengthen macroeconomic and financial policy coordination. Powered by Capital Market - Live News Infosys Ltd is quoting at Rs 1533.6, up 0.53% on the day as on 12:44 IST on the NSE. The stock is down 20.16% in last one year as compared to a 0.78% slide in NIFTY and a 22.8% slide in the Nifty FMCG. Infosys Ltd is up for a fifth straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 1533.6, up 0.53% on the day as on 12:44 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.43% on the day, quoting at 17970.95. The Sensex is at 60402.9, up 0.52%. Infosys Ltd has gained around 1.74% in last one month. Meanwhile, Nifty FMCG index of which Infosys Ltd is a constituent, has gained around 2.97% in last one month and is currently quoting at 29264.65, up 0.48% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 29.93 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 65.22 lakh shares in last one month. The benchmark January futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 1535.55, up 0.57% on the day. Infosys Ltd is down 20.16% in last one year as compared to a 0.78% slide in NIFTY and a 22.8% slide in the Nifty FMCG index. The PE of the stock is 28.38 based on TTM earnings ending December 22. Powered by Capital Market - Live News South Africa: Entrepreneur hopes for meaningful transformation of poultry industry Ofentse Moloko, a 37-year-old entrepreneur from the North West, says the support government gives to Black-owned companies operating in the poultry industry will contribute significantly to transforming the sector and ensuring food security in the country. Moloko, the CEO and Managing Director of Baramakama Poultry, runs a family-owned egg-laying chicken company in Molote City, North West. He believes that the sustainability of businesses depends on Black-owned companies occupying the entire value chain of the industry. Baramakama received support to the tune of R50 million from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) and its development finance institution, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), as part of the Black Industrialists Programme. We are the perfect example of the success that Black-owned companies can achieve with the support of government in the poultry industry, says Moloko. The Black Industrialists Programme is part of governments efforts to accelerate the quantitative and qualitative increase and participation of Black Industrialists in the South African economy, selected industrial sectors and value chains. Moloko recalls how his father, who started from nothing back in 2016, used his savings to invest back into the community of Molote City. We decided to establish a poultry business, specifically in the layers as they showed the greatest opportunity for employment creation ,as well as massive room for economic and ownership transformation. For almost three years, we persistently and continuously knocked on the doors of all the private banks in this country, but the doors were all slammed on us after months of completing their processes, mainly due to the land belonging to the community. When the dtic and IDC decided to fund our business after a thorough due diligence process, it was like music to our ears. The financial support from the dtic and IDC enabled Baramakama to expand its operations by adding five new automated chicken houses and a modern, state-of-the-art pack station. The family business has also managed to increase the premises carrying capacity from 100 000 hens to 280 000. In addition, the company has now added 40 new jobs, while the number of permanent employees jumped from 80 to 112. Of these, almost 80% of the employees are young people, while 44% are women. Today, our operation runs 24 hours per day and on average, we produce 225 000 eggs per day at full capacity. The support we received from government has made us a recognisable and important player in the industry, Moloko says. Although he appreciates the importance and recognises the value of the support that government provides to Black Industrialists, Moloko strongly believes that government should consider extending its backing across the value chain of the poultry industry to achieve sustainability and ensure success. Government support needs to cut across the value chain if we want meaningful transformation of the industry, and if we want the Black industrialists to play an important and discernible role in food security in the country. This includes feed production, hatcheries, abattoirs, chick rearing, processing and market access. Although we regard ourselves as a success after obtaining the support, we are left at the mercy of our key competitors from whom we source feed and hens. That makes us vulnerable as the supply tabs can and are regularly switched on and off, depending on how they want to control and benefit from the market conditions, Moloko says. He does not pin all his hopes on the Poultry Sector Master Plan -- which was developed in close partnership between government and several stakeholders in the industry -- to increase the level of Black participation, particularly ownership across the value chain, employment creation and worker share-ownership in the sector. Moloko is of the opinion that the decisions taken within the Poultry Master Plan depend on the existing big players in the industry, who, through their actions, do not easily allow Black players into the more profitable value chain channels. However, he remains resolute and hopeful that with more Black players in the value chain, the industry will not only transform but also allow healthy competition to the benefit of all participants. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2023-01-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Chinese vice premier to meet U.S. treasury secretary in Switzerland Xinhua) 09:01, January 17, 2023 BEIJING, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Liu He and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen will meet in Zurich, Switzerland, on Wednesday to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state in Bali island and strengthen macroeconomic and financial policy coordination, a spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce said Monday. The economic and trade teams of China and the United States have maintained good communication, the spokesperson said in response to a media query. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) The software solutions provider's consolidated net profit jumped 59.23% to Rs 48.20 crore on 12.74% increase in net revenue to Rs 254.92 crore in Q3 December 2022 over Q2 September 2022.On a consolidated basis, profit before tax (PBT) jumped 65.46% quarter-on-quarter to Rs 61.07 crore in Q3 December 2022. Revenue from operations witnessed a growth of 26% Q3 YoY on the back of broad-based growth across all geographies. Subscription revenues (ATS/AMC and cloud) stood at Rs 84 crore, up 37% YoY. Annuity revenue streams (ATS/AMC, support, and cloud/SaaS) were at Rs 154 crore, up 38% YoY. Revenue from the sale of products/licenses was at Rs 58 crore. Profit after tax stood at Rs 48 crore in Q3 FY'23 (up 0.8% YoY). EBITDA (adjusted for other income) jumped 56.8% QoQ and 1.8% YoY to Rs 58.90 crore in Q3 FY23. EBITDA margin stood at 23.1% in Q3FY23, higher than 16.6% in Q2FY22 and lower than 28.6% in Q3FY22. Speaking about the results, Diwakar Nigam, chairman & managing director, Newgen Software Technologies said - "We are happy to share that we have made good progress and delivered strong performance across key business metrics. This is our first quarter with revenues exceeding Rs 250 crores. We witnessed a broad-based growth across all geographies, with overall Q3 revenue growth of 26% YoY. India and EMEA geographies continued to be major growth drivers with revenue growth of 40% and 27% respectively. The subscription revenues had been growing steadily at a healthy pace of 38% YoY. We closed significant cloud/ subscription license projects during the quarter." "Overall, in the first 9 months of the year, we clocked in revenues of Rs 669 crores, indicating a 22% growth YoY. We witnessed 36 new logo wins in the 9 month period with Q3 clocking 16 new logo wins spread across geographies. This shows strong customer sentiment for enterprise-wide automation using NewgenONE low code digital transformation platform," said Virender Jeet, CEO, Newgen Software. During the quarter, the company struck a cloud deal with a full-service financial institution in the Southeast region in America with $23.7 billion in assets and 193 offices across America. In India, Newgen won large sized projects from a leading public sector bank and a private sector bank. Also Read Newgen Software slides after Q1 PAT drops 67% QoQ Newgen Software Technologies standalone net profit declines 2.94% in the June 2022 quarter Kirloskar Ferrous Industries Ltd leads gainers in 'A' group National Standard (India) Ltd leads gainers in 'A' group Newgen Software Technologies consolidated net profit rises 0.82% in the December 2022 quarter Kesoram Industries Ltd leads losers in 'B' group Volumes spurt at V-Mart Retail Ltd counter Healthcare shares edge lower Metal shares fall Consumer Durables stocks slide Newgen Software Technologies is the leading provider of a unified digital transformation platform with native process automation, content services, and communication management capabilities. Globally, successful enterprises rely on Newgen's industry-recognized low code application platform to develop and deploy complex, content-driven, and customer-engaging business applications on the cloud. From onboarding to service requests, lending to underwriting, and for many more use cases across industries. Shares of Newgen Software Technologies were down 1.21% at Rs 400 on the BSE. Powered by Capital Market - Live News NTPC: NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd. (NTPC REL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Government of Tripura for Development of Floating and Ground Mounted based Renewable Energy Projects in the State of Tripura. M&M: M&M announced pricing for the fun and fast XUV400, its first electric SUV, unveiled on World EV Day in 2022. The XUV400 is designed and engineered for car buyers looking to join the electric revolution. Set to take Mahindra's electrification journey forward, the all-electric SUV will be priced from Rs 15.99 lakh. Siemens: Siemens has received an order for 1,200 locomotives of 9000 horsepower (HP) from Indian Railways. Siemens will design, manufacture, commission and test the locomotives. The contract has a total value of Rs. 26,000 crore (approximately), excluding taxes and price variation. Angel One: Angel One reported 38.3% rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 227.7 crore on a 25.5% increase in total income to Rs 759.7 crore in Q3 FY23 over Q3 FY22. V-Mart Retail: A fire accident took place at one of the company's store located at Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, on 16 January 2023. The company is in process of ascertaining the actual loss caused due to the fire. Powered by Capital Market - Live News SGX Nifty: Trading of Nifty 50 index futures on the Singapore stock exchange indicates that the Nifty could fall 7 points at the opening bell. Global markets: Overseas, Asian stocks are trading mixed Tuesday as investors await a slew of Chinese economic data. US stock market were closed on Monday, 16 January 2023, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is scheduled to hold a meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, as per reports. The two will hold a meeting to strengthen macroeconomic and financial policy coordination. Also Read Nifty above 18,000 level; India NSE VIX jumps 5% Benchmarks extend gains; Nifty hovers above 17,950; PSU banks advance Sensex jumps 710 pts, PSU bank stocks advance Nifty below 18,400 level, PSU bank shares advance Nifty reclaims 18,000 level; metal stocks advance Sensex slides 168 pts, Nifty ends below 17,900; IT shares advance Quick Wrap: Nifty PSU Bank Index gains 1.57% Nifty settles below 17,900; Sensex down 168 pts; VIX jumps 3.89% Barometers trade with modest cuts; Nifty below 17,900 Indices come off day's low; Nifty regains 17,900 mark; IT shares climb Domestic markets: Back home, the benchmark indices ended a volatile session with moderate losses on Monday. The barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex declined 168.21 points or 0.28% to 60,092.97. The Nifty 50 index shed 61.75 points or 0.34% to 17,894.85. Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 750.59 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs), were net buyers to the tune of Rs 685.96 crore in the Indian equity market on 16 January, provisional data showed. Powered by Capital Market - Live News V-Mart Retail fell 1.43% to Rs 2767.55 after a fire accident took place at one of the company's store at Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh on Monday, 16 January 2023.V-Mart Retail clarified that there was no loss or injury to human life. However, this has resulted in damage of inventory, fixed assets, cash and others in the store, thereby disrupting the operations of the aforementioned store. The company said that it has adequate insurance coverage and have already informed the insurance company about the incident. The company is in process of ascertaining the actual loss caused due to the fire. Founded in 2002, V-Mart isacomplete family retail store chain offering apparel, footwear and accessories for men, women and kids. The company also offers a wide range of home furnishings, general merchandise, toys, tableware, utensils, and other home utility items. V-Mart Retail reported net loss of Rs 11.31 crore in Q2 September 2022 as against net loss of Rs 14.14 crore in Q2 September 2021. Net sales rose 49.76% YoY to Rs 506.16 crore in Q2 September 2022. Powered by Capital Market - Live News The Uddhav Thackeray-led faction of Shiv Sena on Tuesday told the Election Commission that the arguments placed by the Eknath Shinde camp on the flaws in the party's amended constitution were full of contradictions. The Thackeray faction also sought more time from the poll panel to complete its arguments in a case related to the control of the organisation, following which the next hearing was fixed for January 20. Talking to reporters after the hearing at Nirvachan Sadan here, Anil Desai of the Thackeray faction said the Shinde camp had said that the party's constitution changed by Uddhav Thackeray was flawed and later it claimed that Shinde was appointed as the 'chief leader' of the party under the provisions of the same constitution. "The whole argument was contradictory," Desai said. Another Thackeray camp leader, Anil Parab, questioned the validity of the designation 'chief leader', saying there is no such provision in the party constitution to appoint a person to the post. Desai also claimed that the documents filed by the Shinde camp to support their claim over Shiv Sena were flawed and not in order. Also Read EC allots 'two swords and a shield' poll symbol to Shinde faction of Sena Shinde faction posts Sule's photo sitting in CM chair; NCP files complaint Shinde faction to meet Election Commission on Friday over Sena poll symbol EC's Sena order doesn't mean Thackeray faction weak or demoralised: NCP SC to hear on July 20 Thackeray camp's plea on disqualification proceedings No end in sight to Cong, BJP leadership muddle in poll-bound Rajasthan Rahul gone, power gone from Rajasthan, quips BJP leader Arun Singh Pawar pitches for MVA allies to contest Maha Assembly and LS polls together Oppn legislators stage demonstration demanding Maharashtra guv's removal MVA's collapse, its aftermath kept political pot boiling in Maha in 2022 The Thackeray faction also told the EC that it should not decide on the Sena symbol dispute till the time the Supreme Court delivers its verdict in a related case pending before it. In the last hearing on January 10, Mahesh Jethmalani, lead counsel for Shinde faction, had told the EC that the Shinde faction had passed a resolution in July last year to split the party as Thackeray had made changes to its constitution and compromised on ideology. The Shinde faction's lawyers had said that Balasaheb Thackeray had drafted the Shiv Sena constitution in 1981 and changed it in 1999 to include a provision for organisational polls on the direction of the EC. The Shinde faction argued that Uddhav Thackeray was elected as the Shiv Sena president, but this was not followed by elections for office bearers. On Tuesday, Thackeray faction's lead counsel Kapil Sibal sought more time to complete arguments, on which the EC agreed and posted the matter for January 20. Alphabet Inc's company will pay Rs 1,144 crore over first 10 years with a rental escalataion of 1.75 per cent every 12 years. Earlier, it had acquired a 464,000 sq ft facility at Adani Centre in Noida on a 10-year lease. In a bid to expand the cloud infrastructure to cater to the growing demand in India, tech giant Google has signed a deal with Raiden Infotech India to pick up a data centre spread over 381,000 sq ft in Navi Mumbai through a lease of 28 years, a report by The Economic Times said. Big tech firms are making huge investments in expanding their data centres. Recently, an IANS report stated that Microsoft has acquired Fungible, a provider of composable infrastructure. The deal was done to "enable high-performance, scalable, disaggregated, scaled-out data centre infrastructure with reliability and security". The data centre in Mumbai will be an eight-storey building with a basement and a roof and is expected to be developed in next 24 months, the ET report added. The stamp duty on the property is over Rs 7.26 crore. Another tech firm, CtrlS Datacenters Ltd, is also aiming to triple its number of data centres from the existing eight to about 25 by 2024-25 in India. "The announcement further signals Microsoft's commitment to long-term differentiated investments in our data centre infrastructure, which enhances our broad range of technologies and offerings including offloading, improving latency, increasing data centre server density, optimising energy efficiency and reducing costs," Microsoft said in a blogpost. Also Read Sachin Bansal-led Navi Tech gets Sebi green signal for Rs 3,350 cr IPO Adani aviation plan: A top airline may be shifted to Navi Mumbai airport Microsoft Fall Event 2022: Where to watch livestream and what to expect Microsoft Teams gets instant polls, schedule send, other features: Details More Apple services coming to Microsoft Xbox, Windows 11: Details here Apple likely to launch new M2-series MacBook Pro on Jan 17: Report Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 may feature 108MP camera, in-built S Pen slot Microsoft to add OpenAI's bot ChatGPT to Azure cloud services soon iQOO Neo 7 5G smartphone to launch in India on February 16: Details here Microsoft releases new Windows 11 preview build for Insiders in Dev Channel It was in the process of expanding its footprint by an additional five million sq ft from the current 1.2 million sq ft space. As part of its expansion, the company's two million sq ft Hyperscale Datacenter Park in Navi Mumbai is under construction, while another similar size one in Hyderabad is ready for construction. Gantry cranes and stacked containers at the Tanjong Pagar Terminal near the central business district in Singapore, on Nov. 7, 2021. Photo: Bloomberg (Bloomberg) Singapores exports came in weaker than expected in December, dragged down by a fall in shipments to China. Non-oil domestic exports declined 20.6% from a year earlier, steeper than the median expectation for a 16% contraction in a Bloomberg survey. That follows a 14.7% fall in November. Total trade decreased by 7.7% during the month from a year ago, according to a report released by the Enterprise Singapore. Total exports declined by 7.1%, while overall imports shrank by 8.2%. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrived in the financial hub Shanghai on Wednesday night with several delegations, beginning his four-day state visit to China. Xie Feng (left), a vice minister of foreign affairs, welcomed him and his wife at the airport. The following day, Lula visited New Development Bank and Huaweis innovation center in Shanghai. This marks Lulas third official visit to China as president Apr 13, 2023 07:33 PM Patrice Lumumba Archives Anniversary is 1st since Lumumbas remains were returned last year from Belgium KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - The Congo commemorated Tuesday the 62nd anniversary of the assassination of Patrice Emery Lumumba, the countrys first prime minister. The ceremony at a mausoleum in the national capital of Kinshasa was presided over by Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde, the first anniversary marked by the Congolese since Lumumbas remains were returned from Belgium last year, more than 61 years after his assassination. In attendance were government officials, members of the Lumumba family and other dignitaries. Lukonde paid tribute to the nations independence hero before leading government officials in laying a wreath at his mausoleum. Nations of the world must remember great men who have marked their history through their struggle, said Lukonde. He hailed Lumumba for a fight that he said helped get the country out of colonization. Here is an opportunity to pay tribute to Patrice Emery Lumumba, the first time after his remains were returned. Today, we honor him and a lay wreath to pay tribute to him now that he is at home here in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he said. Lumumba was an anti-colonial icon at the time Congo acquired independence from Belgium on June 30, 1960. He was toppled in September of that year and separatists from the southern region of Katanga and Belgian mercenaries executed him Jan. 17, 1961. They dissolved his body in acid. Lumumbas remains were discovered decades later in Belgium, after a police officer, who took part in his assassination, boasted about his actions in the media. Belgian authorities would eventually seize a tooth from the officer in 2016. During a handover ceremony of the remains in Brussels, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo apologized for his country's moral responsibility in Lumumba's death. Belgium's King Philippe also expressed his deepest regrets for the wounds of Belgian colonial rule. Lumumba was born in 1925 in Onalua, in Sankuru province. James Tasamba/AA Faced with the possibility of being left behind in the shift towards EVs, Toyota has announced a radical shift in company policy and directi... Ahead of Republic Day, Delhi Police is hunting for four other terror suspects, besides the two who were arrested last week from the Jahangirpuri area in the national capital, sources said on Tuesday. According to the Delhi Police Special Cell sources, the terror suspects recieved weapons from Pakistan through the drop-dead method and were in touch with their handlers on the other side of the border through a social media app. "Delhi Police looking for 4 other suspects. They received weapons from Pakistan through the drop-dead method and were in contact with handlers in Pak on the Signal app. They got weapons at an unidentified location in Uttarakhand which is being verified," sources said. This comes after two terrorists were arrested from the Jahangirpuri area in Delhi earlier in January who, according to the police, were tasked to carry out the targeted attacks in various states. In the latest development, the Delhi Police got information about the involvement of 8 persons in the module. The police suspect the possible presence of four suspects in India presently. "Their handlers sitting at the border sent instructions on the Signal app, after which they shared the location of the bag full of weapons through Google Maps. About 8 people are involved in this module of terrorists out of which 4 can still be present in India only. 2 terrorists were used to provide weapons and 2 were used to send the Google location of the weapons to their bosses by keeping the weapons at a particular location," sources said. According to sources, the weapons recovered from the terrorists were found at an unknown location in Uttarakhand which is now being verified. Meanwhile, the two terror suspects arrested from the Jahangirpuri area of the national capital on Thursday were assigned to carry out targeted killings of rightwing leaders on January 27 and January 31, sources in the Delhi Police claimed on Monday. The Delhi Police had earlier said it arrested two 'suspicious' men and recovered two hand grenades from their house in the Bhalswa Dairy area of Jahangirpuri. The Special cell of the Delhi Police had arrested the two suspects -- identified as Jagjit Singh (29) and Naushad (56). They were produced before the Patiala House Court on Friday and sent to police remand for 14 days. Police sources later claimed that three rightwing leaders of Punjab and Delhi were on their hit list and they had even set a date and time to take out two of their targets. Further, according to sources, the suspects, now in police custody, had receed two of their targets and had even taken note of their movements and daily schedules. The sources added that the suspects were to receive Rs 50 lakh on killing the first target, Rs 1 crore for taking out the second and Rs 1.5 crore for eliminating the third. Both had received Rs 5 lakh as token money through hawala operators, sources claimed further. Police said they carried out a raid at their rented house at the Shradha Nand Colony in the Bhalswa Dairy police station limits on Friday, under relevant sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and recovered hand grenades. The police said they also recovered three pistols and 22 live cartridges from the suspects. A team from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) also visited the house and collected blood samples on Friday. According to sources, it is alleged that the suspects killed a person in the house and shared a video of the killing with their handler. The police said they were in the process of finding out who was killed. Delhi Police earlier said it has information that Jagjit Singh has links to Khalistani terrorist Arshdeep Dalla. He is also a member of the notorious Bambiha gang and has been receiving instructions from anti-national elements based abroad, the city police said, adding that he is also a parole jumper in a murder case in Uttarakhand. Naushad is also associated with Harkat-ul-Ansar (HUA), a terror group which is based in Pakistan and primarily operates in Jammu and Kashmir. He has been a life convict in two counts of murder and has also served a 10-year sentence in connection with a case under the Explosive Act. The accused took up residence at the rented house last year, during Diwali, adding that the construction of their own house is ongoing, according to the neighbours. (ANI) Also Read: 41 per cent rape cases in Rajasthan false; Madhya Pradesh has most cases: Raj DGP You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Dr. Marisa Richmond, president of the Tennessee Federation of Democratic Womens Clubs and a co-chair of the Transgender Advisory Committee of the Democratic National Committee, will present the program at the monthly meeting of Greater Chattanooga Democratic Womens Club Thursday, Jan. 26, 6 p.m., at Hamilton County Democratic Party headquarters, 1089 Bailey Ave. The public is invited to attend, according to an announcement made by GCDWC President Pat Combs. Dr. Richmond is a native of Nashville and is a transgender woman of color. She has served on the Democratic National Committee, was elected to four terms on the Davidson County Democratic Executive Committee and served as president of the Davidson County Democratic Women in 2013. She also served as a Tennessee Delegate to Democratic National Conventions in 2008, 2012 and 2020. Dr. Richmond currently is a member of the Metro Nashville Historical Commission, past chair of the Metro Nashville Human Relations Commission, and the Davidson County General Sessions Court Judicial Equity Collective. Previously, she served many years as the president and lobbyist for the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition. Dr. Richmond is a prolific author and speaker on transgender rights and has served on many boards at the local, state and national levels. She has been recognized for her work with many awards. Dr. Richmond teaches history and womens and gender studies at Middle Tennessee State University and is a native of Nashville. She has three degrees, all in United States History. Her A.B. is from Harvard University, her masters from the University of California Berkley, and her Ph.D. from George Washington University. U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann released the following statement after being named the chairman of the House Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee for the 118th Congress. I am excited to be named the Chairman of the House Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee in the 118th Congress. This is a critically important position for our great state and our nation, and I am humbled by the trust vested in me by Chairwoman Granger, Speaker McCarthy, and my colleagues on the Appropriations Committee. The work of the Energy and Water Subcommittee is incredibly important to our nations long-term energy security and national security. I am excited to find bipartisan common ground to advance important initiatives like modernizing our nations nuclear stockpile and advancing groundbreaking nuclear fusion research. As Chairman, I will also work to cut all wasteful and unnecessary government spending and ensure that every dollar of the taxpayers money is responsibly allocated. In this new role, I will continue fighting as Tennessees only appropriator in the House of Representatives for fiscal responsibility and our states priorities in Congress. House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Kay Granger (TX-12) said, I am proud to have selected Rep. Fleischmann to work alongside me as the chairman of the Energy and Water Development Subcommittee. Congressman Fleischmann has worked diligently over the last four years to strengthen our homeland security, and as chairman of the Energy and Water Subcommittee, I know he will work to cut wasteful government spending and restore fiscal responsibility while meeting our military and energy security needs." The Lee University mens track & field team opened its 2023 indoor season on Saturday at the UAB Vulcan Invitational. The Flames left the Birmingham CrossPlex with two Lee records and four NCAA Division II provisional marks.Cale Kassen won the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.80 seconds to break Jeremiah McCains standard of 8.14. Kassens time also met the provisional qualifying mark and is currently the top time recorded in NCAA Division II. Cameron Stine finished 12th with a time of 9.22.Kassen and Stine finished in the top four of the high jump with Kassen clearing 2.00 meters and Stine making it over 1.90 meters for second and fourth, respectively.Eli Brooks set a Lee record on his way to a first-place finish in the pole vault. Brooks cleared 4.75 meters to eclipse Daniel Surmans previous record of 4.70 meters. Riley Margene placed seventh with a successful jump of 4.05 meters, while Randall Kramer was eighth with a height of 3.75 meters.Donoven Jackson finished second with a provisional time of 6.86 seconds in the 60-meter dash. In the event preliminaries, he stopped the clock at 6.93, while Kassen was ninth in the preliminary round with a time of 7.03.Justin Steele added another provisional mark in the 200-meter dash. He placed second with a qualifying time of 21.47, while Niquaine Henry finished ninth (22.51). Steele and Henry were joined by Nokia Masengu in the 400 where Steele won the race at 48.67. Henry was 10th (50.92) with Masengu right behind in 11th (50.98).Will Stone was the first of seven Lee runners to cross the finish line of the 3000-meter run. He placed third with the seventh-best provisional time of 8:12.24. Aaron Himes was fourth (8:19.88) and Matthew Fowler was sixth (8:20.79). Ezekiel Harless (8:27.52) was eighth, Adan Rodriguez finished ninth (8:28.69), Stephen Clark (8:50.20) placed 13th and Caleb Guthery recorded a time of 8:55.76 for 14th.Jacob Hatcher and Roberto Fajardo claimed first and second in a pair of events. Hatcher was first (1:55.15) in the 800-meter run and second in the mile (4:14.43). Fajardo was second in the 800 (1:55.44) and first in the mile (4:13.13). Ryan Lovelace and Evan Moore completed Lees representation in the mile. Lovelace was seventh (4:21.16) and Moore placed eighth (4:22.50).Myles Mann covered 12.41 meters to place seventh in the triple jump. He added a ninth-place finish with a long jump of 6.13 meters.Matthew Blacks weight throw of 17.23 meters was good for second in the event. Braxton Philpott was 10th with a throw of 12.52 meters. Camden joined Black and Philpott in the shot put. Williams was 10th with a mark of 13.82 meters. Black recorded a throw of 12.45 meters (13th) and Philpott was 19th with a toss of 10.49 meters.The 4x400-meter relay team of Henry, Kassen, Masengu and Steele posted a second-place time of 3:19.92.The Flames are scheduled for two meets this coming weekend with some of the team returning to the CrossPlex for the Samford University Open on Friday, while the rest will travel to Nashville for the Vanderbilt University Invitational on Friday and Saturday.The Lady Flames exited the Birmingham CrossPlex with two Lee records and an NCAA Division II provisional mark.Carissa Hall broke Liezl Therons long jump mark of 5.41 meters with a first-place finish of 5.61 meters. Jydia Faucette placed third with a leap of 5.22 meters. Hall added a seventh-place finish in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.38 seconds.Brynn Depinet was second in the pole vault after clearing 3.50 meters. The mark broke the record of 3.25 meters that had been held by Kendra Irvine for almost three years.Three Lady Flames took on the weight throw with Deborah Rubin finishing second with a provisional mark of 17.10 meters. Symphony Buxton was third with a throw of 16.73 meters and Samara Brinks placed 21st at 10.64 meters. The trio also competed in the shot put. Rubin was sixth (11.91 meters), Buxton was 10th (11.31 meters) and Brinks finished 20th (9.83 meters).Lee placed four runners in the top six of the mile run. Megan Adams was the winner at 4:59.00 with Lily Hare in second (4:59.97). Liza Kellerman (5:03.27) and Aria Hawkins (5:06.35) were fourth and sixth, respectively. Hawkins won the 800-meter run with a time of 2:16.83. Hare was sixth (2:18.92), Adams eighth (2:19.36) and Kellerman 11th (2:20.32).Julia Halterman, Olivia McLain and Katie Krueger were Lees representatives in the 3000-meter run. Halterman completed the circuit at 10:12.25 to finish second. McLains time of 10:19.40 put her in fourth, while Krueger was eighth (10:30.61).Liezl Theron cleared 1.60 meters to win the high jump. Sydney White finished fourth with a jump of 1.50 meters. Theron and White also competed in the 60-meter hurdles. Theron placed 14th (9.62) and White was 19th (10.21).Kristen Blevins was Lees top performer in the 60-meter dash after stopping the clock at 7.77 seconds in the semifinal. Baylie Murphy was 10th 7.89) in the preliminary round and 21st (7.95) in the semifinal. Jaila Whitaker posted a time of 8.03 (17th) in the prelims.Eve Hine led three Lee runners to the finish line of the 400-meter dash. Hine crossed the line at 57.71 to claim fifth place. Janay Ryan was ninth (59.02) and Kaia Martz was right behind in 10th (59.36).The 4x400-meter relay team of Faucette, Ryan, Martz and White posted a sixth-place finish with a combined time of 3:58.47.The Lady Flames are scheduled for two meets this coming weekend with some of the team returning to the CrossPlex for the Samford University Open on Friday, while the rest will travel to Nashville for the Vanderbilt University Invitational on Friday and Saturday. Police responded to a shoplifting at 480 Greenway View Dr. via a phone call. An employee said four suspects were in the store and had a verbal dispute with one another. She didnt have an exact amount of merchandise that was stolen, but said it was around $50 of random items. The employee wanted a report of the incident and for the four to be trespassed from the property. Police explained to the woman that in order for police to trespass an individual, they needed to be on scene. The woman told police the suspects told her they would be back tomorrow to steal more stuff. The employee said if they were to come back that she would call the police to have them trespassed. * * * A woman on Browntown Road told police someone during the night sheared off the double mailbox and destroyed it. She says looking on the Internet she found that it will cost $1,000 to replace it. * * * A woman at apartments on Mountain Creek Road told police a young white male came by the office and asked for the womans apartment number and directions saying he had some legal documents. The man then went to outside the womans apartment building and sat in a black Jeep for at least a half hour, then left. The man was gone by the time police arrived. The residence was placed on the watch list. * * * An officer reported a black Ford pickup truck unoccupied and parked at E. 38th Street and Rossville Boulevard. The business was closed so the officer ran the VIN to the vehicle to verify that it was not stolen. The truck was not stolen. * * * An officer saw a black sedan driving north on Rossville Boulevard displaying a Tennessee tag which came back as not on file. The officer initiated emergency traffic lights and conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle at E. 41st and Rossville Boulevard. The driver told police he just got the car from his friend. The officer verified the car wasnt stolen and that the driver had no active warrants for his arrest. He was given a verbal warning. * * * Police spoke to two people in a verbal disagreement at the homeless camp at E. 12 Street and Peeples Street. The man and woman were very loud and disturbing the peace in the campsite. The guard wanted the two to leave the property for the remainder of the day, but not be trespassed. The officer saw the man and woman leave. * * * A woman on Bailey Avenue told police her tires had been slashed around 7 a.m. She had turned on her car to warm it up, and when she came back out, she found her tires slashed. The woman saw a man walking away down the alley from her residence. She said she didnt see the man actually vandalize her vehicle. She has had ongoing issues with him. She estimated the damage to the tires to be around $320. * * * A woman on E. 38th Street told police she was with her boyfriend and his cousin when the vehicle they were in caught fire in the engine compartment. They stopped and put out the fire and her boyfriend and boyfriends cousin took off in the van. The van was located right down the road, abandoned. The woman said she didnt know they left without her. Located in the van was a stolen motorcycle. The woman said she knew nothing about the motorcycle except that it was in the van before she got in it. She said her boyfriend and his cousin went out while she was at her cousins house and came back with the motorcycle. While the Biden administration claims that their open border agenda is a compassionate and humane alternative to enforcing the immigration laws currently on the books, what we witnessed last week was anything but that. I spent two days on the ground at the Del Rio Sector of the U.S.-Mexico border with Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and Senator Katie Britt, working with local, state, and federal law enforcement. Unlike President Bidens short, sanitized detour while flying to Mexico, we spent time with those victimized by the cartels and saw firsthand the unvarnished truth of Bidens border crisis. Standing on the banks of the Rio Grande River early in the morning, I witnessed nearly two dozen illegal immigrants, including a pregnant woman and small children, wade across the near-freezing water and illegally enter the United States. They immediately turned themselves in. When we asked them why, they told us Biden said they could come. Cartels have capitalized on the administrations refusal to enforce the law and are now charging between $8,000 and $20,000 to smuggle migrants into our country. Large-group crossings have become commonplace, and the ensuing chaos allows cartels to distract and overwhelm Border Patrol. While agents are stuck in the office processing paperwork, cartel scouts order smugglers upstream to sneak criminal aliens, drugs, and other contraband into our country undetected. Over the last two years, drug overdose deaths, largely driven by fentanyl, have become the leading cause of death for adults ages 18 to 45 years old. Last year alone, law enforcement seized over 14,000 pounds of fentanyl at the border, enough to kill over 3.3 billion people. This is just one devastating consequence of Bidens border crisis that has turned every state into a border state and every town into a border town. During a roundtable discussion with former Mexican Congresswoman Rosa Maria de la Garza and human trafficking survivor Karla Jacinto Romero, we learned that cartels kidnap young women and girls to be exploited for sex and labor. Karla, who is truly one of the bravest women I have ever met, told us the heartbreaking story of how she was raped more than 40,000 times. While visiting the Harris Ranch, we heard from Texans about how smugglers will abandon both distressed and deceased migrants at the propertys edge, putting a strain on already overwhelmed emergency resources. It is clear that we are experiencing a humanitarian and national security crisis, courtesy of President Biden. Biden ended the successful Remain in Mexico policy, terminated construction of the border wall, halted deportations, and pushed to end Title 42 expulsions. Americas immigration laws have remained unchanged since 1996, and never before have we had this many illegal immigrants entering our country. One thing, however, has changed: we now have a President who refuses to enforce our immigration laws. Since Biden took office, law enforcement officials have recorded over five million attempts by migrants to enter our country illegally, and more than one million migrants have entered and evaded capture. In fiscal year 2022 alone, 98 terrorists were apprehended at the border. Bidens open border policies have emboldened the cartels and allowed them to profit off of raping migrants and killing Americans with fentanyl. Put simply, President Biden and the radical left created a crisis that has killed countless Americans, and made ignoring the rule of law their official policy. In Washington, I will continue to work on legislation to address the humanitarian and national security crisis created by President Biden. We must immediately begin detaining and deporting illegal immigrants, build the wall, provide agents with better technology, and increase the number of border patrol agents. It is imperative we send a strong message to the cartels that they do not have free reign over our border and listen to our Border Patrol agents begging President Biden to enforce laws currently in place. These men and women working day and night to protect our country are true American heroes, and we owe them a great debt of gratitude. Senator Marsha Blackburn * * * I want to begin that I do not condone illegal entry into this country. All immigrants should be treated as equally as possible. And though I do not live in Tennessee, all U.S. citizens have an interest in addressing illegal immigration in a meaningful manner. But methinks Senator Blackburn and her fellow Republicans see or hear only what they want to see or hear, and not what they really saw or heard. She began with the sympathetic story of the pregnant woman's crossing. And I'm sure that those the senator spoke with did say the reason for entering the country was that "Biden said they could come". That was all Senator Blackburn wanted to hear. Just enough for her to continue the MAGA game plan of blaming President Biden for a problem he inherited as did all Presidents since Bill Clinton. Everyday we are bombarded with ads to move to a new house, drive a new car, fly away, or go to a theme park or island. Do we go because they ads say we could come? No, of course not. If we go, it's because of our expectation of the experience we may have. The expectation of the experience holds true for anyone leaving his or her home to come to the U.S. For these immigrants, it's not that Biden told them they could come. They want to enter this country for a better experience that what they may have now. The next thing that Senator Blackburn wanted to only see or hear became apparent in her next sentences. She only "sees" cartels profiting from charging for illegal entries into this country, just to create chaos to smuggle drugs. While drugs are smuggled in, the immigrants are "seen" by her as mere pawns, not human beings. She provides no examples of how these humans are victimized by the U.S. She succeeds by leaving the reader thinking only about an intolerable flow of drugs into the country, which she "sees" as the sole reason all immigrants try to enter. Yet illegal immigration and illicit drugs are two different problems. The senator describes a victim of human trafficking, which is not a border problem, and the abandonment of distressed and deceased migrants in Texas. Both are tragic. But she offers nothing about a compassionate or caring solution. She only "sees" making it exceptionally harder to enter as the only answer, thereby stopping the flow of drugs, which, she "sees" as the only problem. She "sees" President Biden as the sole cause of the problem of immigrants bringing drugs into this country, and the barrier to immigration reform. So she "sees" the need to criticize and blame him constantly. Rather than working for a better solution regardless of its genesis, she "sees" herself as stopping any meaningful legislation solely because it was offered by President Biden or the Democrats. She does not "see" that she has had ample opportunity to begin solving any immigration problem; she was first elected to the House in 2002. As with any legislation or acts by President Biden, she and the Republicans see themselves never compromising nor working with Democrats for the good of immigrants or the country. Just meaningless rhetoric from a senator tooting her own horn, the major thing she likes to hear. Joe Warren Margaret Peg Lindsay Bookout passed away on a beautiful Monday morning, January 16, 2023, after a brief illness. Peg lived most of her life in East Brainerd residing the most recent 25 years less than a mile from the house in which she was born on June 13, 1931, 40 years before I-75 would separate the two locations. She personally experienced East Brainerd growing from a rural community to a bustling suburb of Chattanooga and could recall agrarian anecdotes such as travel by mule on East Brainerd Road. Her parents were well-known, respected residents and Lindsay Avenue off Graysville Road is her fathers namesake. An only child, she developed lifelong dear friendships with schoolmates, church friends, coworkers and five close double first cousins. Most significant among those friendships was her 70 years of marriage to her high school sweetheart Bob Bookout. A devout Christian, Peg attended Concord Baptist Church for her entire 91 years aside from a short time living in Birmingham and a few other jaunts which were arranged by the US Army while Bob served during the Korean conflict. Over the years she eagerly participated in many activities of the church including the WMU and teaching Sunday School. Handwritten scriptures decorated her kitchen and her family will miss the comfort of being consistently prayed for. A Tyner High School class of 1949 graduate, she later attended the University of Chattanooga (now UTC) as an adult, married mother, earning a degree in education. Prior to UC she worked as an artist at Olan Mills using oils and airbrushes, colorizing and retouching black & white portraits before smartphones and image filters made it easy. Her next career was in the Catoosa County school system, at several schools, in varied roles including teaching art. Later she and her husband Bob recognized that her art talent and his decades of experience in the printing industry made them a perfect match to purchase the Koenig Art Emporium at Hamilton Place Mall. They operated that store for 10 years, selling art and drafting supplies to local professional artists, sign painters and students along with consumer products such as fountain pens and custom picture framing. During that period they worked tirelessly seven days per week and made many friends of other mall workers, employees and customers. Peg was a lifelong learner, memorizing poetry and scripture in her adolescence and continuing to enjoy art and sewing projects, reading and working on genealogy records until weeks before her passing. After she became a widow at 89 she embraced the computer and began emailing friends and family. She was selfless with her talents, always available to replace a button or hem a skirt and during retirement she sewed over 700 dresses for little girls which she donated to ministries in Africa. She taught English as a Second Language at Concord where she made several long-term friends. Peg and Bob enjoyed RV traveling as retirees but her primary role was as caretaker of her centenarian mother, husband, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren whom she not only nurtured but tutored academically. She was a great-great-grandmother for several years and absolutely adored the little ones. She was preceded in death by her parents, Frankye and Virgil Lindsay, infant sister Mary Francis Lindsay, son Charles Lindsay Bookout and husband Harold Robert Bob Bookout. Remaining relatives include a daughter, Alice Barlew (Leon Graham), grandsons, Jared (Kelly) Barlew and Jordan Barlew, great-grandchildren, Jake (Robert) Card-Johnson, Kyle (Brittany) Bowman, Lindsay (Jacob) Warner and Allison (Connor) Eischeid and great-great-grandsons, Oliver Card-Johnson, Crew Warner and Coen Eischeid. Visitation will be at Heritage Funeral Home, 7454 East Brainerd Road, from 4-7 p.m. on Thursday, and 10-11 a.m. on Friday with a service to follow at 11 a.m. on Friday. Interment will be at the Chattanooga National Cemetery. Over 40 vendors will gather their local history for the community to enjoy this Saturday at the Annual History Fair of the Soddy, Daisy & Montlake Historical Association. Genealogy, coal mining relics, Civil War relics, local American Indian artifacts, antique bottles from the area and just lots of local history will be on display. "Also, again we will host Tracy Knauss, 'The Photo Doctor,' from Chattanooga," officials said. "If you have issues with an old photo - torn, discolored and blurry, or any other problem with a photo, 'The Photo Docto' can eliminate the problem. "Sam Hall, the 2021 Tennessee Historical Merit Award winner, will have his chattanoogahistory.com website running to show the many photos of not only Chattanooga, but throughout Hamilton County. The great thing about so many of Sams photos they are from glass negatives. Stefanie Haire with the picnooga.com website will also be there with photos from across the county." The event will be held at the Soddy-Daisy High School in the Commons area. There will be at least three rows of tables, each having around 22 tables full of history. "The Soddy, Daisy & Montlake Historical Association is proud of our local history and we want to show it to everyone who will come and spend some of their day with us," officials said. "If you have an interest in the local history of Soddy, Daisy or the mountain communities of Mowbray, Montlake and Flattop, their unique history will all be included. "Do you have anything we might find of interest? If so, please bring it along. We will have people who might be able to assist you in determining what your item may be. Old photos from these areas? Bring these along as well. We will have a printer on site and can copy any photo, so you can take your photo home with you. Curtis Cecil and Kelly Flemings with the Soddy-Daisy Library will be there to make these copies of any historical photo or document you may bring. We try to collect these items for our museum. 'The Historical Association opened a museum in the old Soddy Bank building in July of 2017. We continue to strive to display new photos as they are brought to us. We make changes in the museum following the History Fair and we will reopen on March 31 and April 1 or sooner. " The hours for the History Fair will be from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. They ask for a $5 donation from each adult not a member of the Historical Association. Students seven years to 18 years of age will enter with a $3 donation, and children under seven are encouraged to come, but there is no charge for them; they ask that they are accompanied by a parent or guardian. "If you have a collection of local memorabilia, we would like for you to come and be a part of this event with a display. We have people coming from as far away as Nashville, Atlanta and Knoxville to spend a few hours in the area where they may have grown up, or maybe this is where their family lived," officials said. "Thanks and we look forward to seeing you on the 21st." If you have any questions about the event, call 423-718-0528. The City Council is deferring for one week action on a Request for Proposals for upgrading the Airport Inn on Lee Highway for supportive services for the homeless. Council members spoke by video with Joda Thongnopnua, the mayor's chief of staff, about the project. Council members wanted some stronger language regarding safeguards that had been promised earlier through the mayor's "contract with the community." Council members spoke about the need for around the clock security, a fence at the rear, no tent camping and a ban on sex offenders. Officials said it is projected that the provider will need to spend at least $5.5 million in upgrading the old hotel. The Council was told that there could be two contracts - one for a developer on the project and another for a separate service provider. Councilwoman Carol Berz said it is expected that similar homeless supportive facilities will be place elsewhere in the city. She said, "This is going to be the first one, and it needs to be a very good model." The RFP had been due to come before the Council this Tuesday night, but it will be delayed until next Tuesday night. Dr, Katie Duffy April F. Holland Dr. Martina Suttle Harris Previous Next Erlanger Health System Foundation Board announces Katie Duffy, Dr. Martina Suttle Harris and April F. Holland as board members for 2023. President of Erlanger Health System Foundation Julie Taylor stated, The Foundation is fortunate to have Dr. Duffy, Dr. Harris and Ms. Holland joining our board. They each bring their unique skills that will support our efforts to raise funds and awareness for the Erlanger Health System. Dr. Duffy, PharmD, is a lifelong resident of the Chattanooga community. She grew up in LaFayette and graduated from Gordon Lee High School. Dr. Duffy earned her bachelor of arts in English, doctorate of pharmacy and master of business administration from Mercer University. After completing her education, she returned to the area and started her 16-year career at Erlanger Health System, beginning in the inpatient pharmacy as a resident. She went on to serve as theinfectious diseases clinical pharmacy specialist, the clinical pharmacy director and the senior director of pharmacy. She left the pharmacy to then serve Erlanger as the vice president of operations. Recently, Dr. Duffy was appointed as the chief operating officer for University Surgical Associates. Dr. Duffy is passionate about the healthcare available in her community, especially as it pertains to pediatric patients. She has served on the Believe Bash Sponsorship Committee for the last three years.A Chattanooga native, Dr. Harris currently serves as interim dean of Nursing and Allied Health at Chattanooga State Community College. She graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a bachelor of science in nursing. In 1999 she earned her masters of science in nursing from Vanderbilt University, and in 2006 she earned a doctorate of education from Tennessee State University. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she served as a member of the Hamilton County Joint Task Force under the leadership of former Mayors Coppinger and Berke. Dr. Harris is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, Downtown Rotary Club, and serves on several local community boards and professional nursing associations.Ms. Holland is a corporate transactional attorney and member of Miller & Martin PLLC, where she works with businesses through all stages of mergers and acquisitions matters on both the buy and sell sides. Ms. Holland also counsels individuals and companies in a wide range of general corporate law matters, including but not limited to, fund formation, securities and investment advisory matters, and state franchise registration filings. Ms. Holland has experience in industries ranging from technology, healthcare, flooring, transportation, insurance and bottling. She is the chair of the firm's Hiring Committee and the past chair of the firm's Inclusion and Diversity Committee.Erlanger Health System Foundation plays an integral role at the hospital and will continue to grow and evolve alongside the hospital as Erlanger becomes a private 501(C)3, said Foundation Board Chairman Less Lee. I continue to be inspired by the physicians and clinical staff as well as my fellow Foundation Board members and Erlangers staff as we look into the future of Erlanger together.The Erlanger Health System Foundation is governed by a board of directors comprised of volunteers led by newly elected 2023 officers, Chairman Less Lee, Vice Chair Rachel Allred, Secretary Dr. Dave Bhattacharya, Treasurer Larvizo Wright, Past Chair Lynn Mosier Bryant and Members At-Large Dr. Rachael Tindell and Jay Dale. The Board of Directors serves to build community awareness and raise funds for the Foundations fundraising initiatives.Erlanger Health System Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Erlanger. Their mission is to compassionately care for people by engaging the community to drive philanthropic and volunteer support. For more information regarding the Foundation and their efforts in fundraising, visit www.erlangerfoundation.org. Ashland City homeowner and Riverview Lane resident David Schlundt was one of several area residents who expressed concerns about a quarry owned by Jason Walker of Walker, LLC, which they claim is operating in a residential area next to their homes, at the Ashland City Town Council meetings in December and January.It is an epic failure that Ashland City failed [] The college town of Moscow, Idaho, was thrust into the news in November 2022 when four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death in their home while two other housemates slept nearby. The murders led to a month-long investigation. Idaho State Police, in conjunction with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies, arrested the suspected killer, Bryan Kohberger, a Ph.D. student at nearby Washington State University, at his familys home in Pennsylvania. 20/20 and 48 Hours have covered the case, but true crime enthusiasts are curious to see if Netflix produces a documentary on the case. Considering the streaming service providers penchant for true crime, it feels like a possibility. An overview of the Idaho student murders On Sunday, Nov. 13, a 911 call was placed around noon for an unconscious person at a Moscow, Idaho, home. The home was shared by five college students. According to Fox, police arrived and found the bodies of four victims instead. All were killed with an edged weapon sometime in the 4 am hour. Two other people were in the house at the time of the slayings. They were unharmed. The scene of a quadruple murder in Moscow, Idaho | David Ryder/Getty Images The victims, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Maddie Mogen, 21, and Xana Kernodle, 20, were housemates. Ethan Chapin, 20, is the fourth victim. He was at the house as a guest of Kernodle. The pair were dating. Goncalves and Mogen were seen on a Live Stream at a food truck just hours before their deaths. Chapin and Kernodle were allegedly at a fraternity party just before the murders. Nothing seemed to be amiss in the hours leading up to the slayings. According to court documents, police believe Kohberger drove b the house several times before entering in the early morning hours of Nov. 13 and attacking. A surviving roommate reported seeing a man wearing a mask in the home that morning. The Grub Truck in Moscow, Idaho | Kevin Fixler/Idaho Statesman/Tribune News Service via Getty Images Idaho police, along with the FBI, narrowed their suspect pool to someone driving a Hyundai Elantra. They later asked the public for help finding it. Cell phone data and surveillance camera footage from the area appeared to place the 28-year-old Ph.D. candidate at the scene of the crime. Law enforcement agencies followed Kohberger across the country as he traveled home to Pennsylvania during the school break. He was arrested in his home state and extradited back to Idaho, where he will stand trial. 20/20 and 48 Hours have both jumped to cover the tragic case 20/20 and 48 Hours were both quick to cover the case. 48 Hours covered the case on Jan. 7. 20/20 followed with an episode that aired on Jan. 13, just one day after Kohberger appeared in court. Both episodes offered viewers an overview of the crimes and information about the alleged killer. Still, a lot remains unknown about the case. Most specifically, police have not revealed a motive. In the days since Kohbergers dramatic arrest on the opposite side of the country from the murders, several people who allege to have spent time around Kohberger have come forward to tell their stories. They are largely conflicting. The Kohberger they knew largely depended on the time in his life that they knew him. Still, none of the close encounter stories have offered insight into why the Ph.D. student would have broken into a home and brutally murdered four occupants that he didnt seem to know. That information may come later, or it may never be revealed to the public. However, the 48 Hours and 20/20 episodes felt premature. Some true crime enthusiasts are eying a longer, more involved documentary, and thats the type of content that Netflix does well. Will they be doing it? Well, not yet. Netflix has yet to comment on whether or not theyll be creating a true crime offering on the case. The streaming service providers catalog is pretty full of true crime offerings already, though. The platform released a project that covered another infamous true crime case out of Idaho just two months before the deaths of the Chapin, Goncalves, Kernodle, and Mogen. Sins of Our Mother follows the disappearance and death of Tylee Ryan and J.J. Vallow. Their mother, Lori Vallow Daybell, stands accused of their murders. Netflix released Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street and The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker this year. The streaming platform is set to premiere Tokyo Crime Squad: The Lucie Blackman Case in 2023, as well. More true crime series and documentaries are expected. If Netflix opts to cover the case, it would likely be some time before subscribers see it. Kohberger last appeared in an Idaho courtroom on Jan. 12. A preliminary hearing is set for June 2023. No new information is expected to be released between now and the preliminary hearing. As a complete picture of the alleged murderer, and his victims, who were all described as bright, ambitious, and caring, comes into view, there will surely be more to the story. Emily in Paris has become a surprising hit on Netflix, with a section of fans who cant get enough of the protagonist and her shenanigans in Paris. Although the first season of the series was very controversial and widely panned by audiences for its insensitive portrayals of French people, it has come out ahead with a fourth season on the way. The cast of Emily in Paris recently revealed that Lily Collins had a lot more in common with her character. [Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for Emily in Paris season three.] Lily Collins as Emily Cooper | Stephanie Branchu/Netflix Emily is a cheery character in Emily in Paris Emily Cooper is an American college graduate with a Masters degree in communication. She lands an unexpected job opportunity in Paris, France, after her boss becomes pregnant and is unable to travel and make such a huge commitment. Emilys task is to bring an American perspective and social media presence to the French marketing firm her American company acquired. When Emily lands in Paris, she immediately realizes that things are more difficult than she initially imagined. While she enjoys the city and all it has to offer, she finds that its inhabitants arent as friendly as shed hoped. Her new coworkers are very dismissive, and her new boss Sylvie seems to hate her guts. However, Emily chooses to look at every situation in a glass-half-full way. Along the way, she makes friends, and although she and her boyfriend break up, she meets a new man, Gabriel, with whom she engages in a love triangle. Emily in Paris cast thinks Lily Collins is most like her character Season 3 of Emily in Paris hit Netflix on December 21, 2022, and the cast has been up and about promoting it. In a recent interview with BuzzFeed Celeb, the cast of Emily in Paris engaged in a game of Whos Who. When asked who was more like their character, Camille Razat, who plays Camille on the show, pointed at Collins, to which the other female stars of the show agreed. Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu said she felt she had more in common with her character Sylvie, but Collins disagreed. Collins said she initially thought Leroy-Beaulieu was like her character but admitted that when she got to know the French star, she got a different view of them. I thought you were like your character, but then I was like, I dont understand. She loves nature, and shes an Earth angel, Collins said of Leroy-Beaulieu. Collins also said Razat was more like their character. The male actors agreed that William Abadie had the same elegance as his character. What to expect for Emily in Paris season 4? With season three out, fans are already looking forward to season four of Emily in Paris. In season three, Alfie returned to Paris after leaving for London in season two, and although he didnt inform Emily about his return, they reunited and patched things up. Camille and Emily made a pact that forbade them from pursuing a relationship with Gabriel, but Camille broke the agreement and accepted his proposal. However, Camille interrupted their wedding by coming clean about their pact. Not wanting to be a second option, Alfie breaks up with Emily, and she and Gabriel proclaim their feelings for one another, but Gabriel drops a bombshell on Emily, telling her that Camille returned from Greece because she was pregnant. Season four will dive into Emily, Gabriel, and Camilles difficult relationship now that a baby is on the way. Camille might end up finding love with Sofia, as hinted in season three. Mindy may decide to leave Nicolas to be with Benoit, given their shared love for music. Emily may lose her job once more after Juliens frustrations with her and Sylvies promise to handle the situation. In this photo released by the Office of the Secretary Department of the Interior, U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland speaks at the Sabinoso Wilderness in Las Vegas, N.M., July 17, 2021. The U.S. Department of the Interior renamed five places in four states that had featured a racist term for a Native American woman until Jan. 12, 2023. HARTFORD Much like Gov. Ned Lamonts inaugural speech last Wednesday, the bills filed in the first week of the General Assemblys five-month session offer Connecticut a hint of objectives to be pursued, if not a blueprint for producing them. Senate Democrats filed 10 bills co-sponsored by all 24 members of the majority caucus, each a statement of a lofty purpose, such as Senate Bill 4: To promote fair and equitable housing opportunities in every community in the state. Exactly how that would be accomplished is for another day. This is just a very first step procedurally, said Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven. We wanted to reserve these 10 numbers to show that these are the 10 themes that we want to address in the course of the session. Lamont also made housing an issue in his speech, though his policy solutions have yet to be reduced to legislative language. He also promised a middle-class tax cut, details to come. Adam Joseph, the governors communications director, said the administration will be offering specifics in the weeks leading to Lamonts budget address in February. We look forward to working with our legislative partners to address issues that matter to Connecticuts residents, including: housing, health care, energy, climate, education and career readiness, Joseph said. All were issues raised in his speech and are addressed in legislation filed this week. The goal of Senate Bill 7 is timely, if vague. It seeks to promote a more equitable and transparent energy market that works in the best interest of Connecticuts consumers of energy. With everyones electric bill recently jumping to reflect the competitive market costs of generating power, energy legislation may be in vogue this year. House Bill 5013 provides a more specific, if whimsical, take on the issue than Senate Bill 7. It states: That the general statutes be amended to require a vote by each chamber of the General Assembly on all electric or natural gas rate increases approved by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. PURA sets rates for transmission, roughly half a typical bill. The cost of generating power is set by the markets, not PURA, Eversource or United Illuminating. The bill was filed by Rep. Christine Conley, D-Groton, who said lawmakers were getting lots of complaints from constituents about electric rates. The current laws dont allow the legislature to do anything about it, so I put in a bill to start a discussion about how can we have a little more control over these rates, because the increases are really hard for a lot of families to pay right now, she said. In legislative speak, start a discussion can be synonymous with dont hold your breath. Mitch Gross, a spokesman for the company that provides power to the majority of Connecticut homes and businesses, Eversource, declined to address the unlikely prospect of lawmakers voting on electric rates. We understand theres been a request for legislation and look forward to seeing the specific language, he said. Until we can review the bill, it would be inappropriate to comment. Looney said not every bill is filed with the expectation that it will become law. Some people put in a bill as a statement of an ideal or sometimes as a statement of protest, knowing that its not actually likely to result in legislation, but to strongly express a point of view on an issue and just to stake out a position, he said. House Minority Leader Vincent J. Candelora, R-North Branford, agreed with Looney, but noted that sometimes unlikely proposals gain traction. Were sort of in the megaphone process, making a statement, than seeing what can stick, Candelora said. You put your oar in the water, but if you can get some advocacy on an issue, sometimes to can go forward. The General Assembly meets for three months in even-numbered years and five months in odd ones. Only in the longer session are lawmakers free to file individual bills; in the short session, they must be filed as committee bills. Because any legislator can introduce any bill they want, you do get a mixture of things, said House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford. Committees will screen individual bills, clearing some for public hearings and allowing others to die without action. The first months of the session turn on getting bills voted out of committee to the floor of the House or Senate. House members filed about four dozen bills on Wednesday, the first day of the session. House Bill 5002 would extend bond covenant restrictions adopted in 2017 as a means to enforce so-called fiscal guardrails against overspending when revenues spike. This starts the conversation, and it was important to all of us that we get this out early, said Rep. Maria Horn, D-Salisbury, the new co-chair of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee. This is a conversation that has a better chance of leading to the passage of a bill. It is co-sponsored by Horn and the top Democrats, Ritter and House Majority Leader Jason Rojas of East Hartford, and reflects a priority of the governor. Rep. Jeff Currey, D-East Hartford, the new co-chair of the Education Committee, filed House Bill 5003, a measure co-sponsored by the House leaders to reform the states complex formulas for subsidizing local education. Right now, we have a disjointed system of, I believe, 11 different formulas, Currey said. So were trying to wrap them all into one so that we get away from the internal and external battles when it comes to funding each budget cycle between our traditional public schools, our magnet schools and our charter schools, all of which are public schools. House Bill 5004, filed by Rep. Matt Blumenthal, D-Stamford, with Ritter and Rojas is a good bet for passage. It would implement early voting, as permitted by an amendment to the Connecticut Constitution approved in November. The bill does not yet specify exactly how early voting would be allowed. Other bills and resolutions run the gamut. Rep. Keith Denning, D-Wilton, is brand new, but one of his bills addresses an issue as old as Tesla cars: It would allow car makers to bypass dealers and directly sell motor vehicles, the only way Tesla does business. Rep. Christie Carpino, R-Cromwell, proposed a constitutional amendment placing a limit of two terms on the governor. It might have been appreciated by the last governor, Gov. John G. Rowland, who was elected to three terms. Rowlands third term was cut short by an impeachment inquiry, followed by resignation and a stint in federal prison. This story originally appeared at ctmirror.org, the website of The Connecticut Mirror. Have you ever laid awake late at night wondering what you would do if you only had one more day left to live? Lets be honest: we all have. Would you travel to that European country youve always wanted to visit? Perhaps, or maybe the flight would take up too many of your dwindling hours. Instead, you might try to initiate some social change or give back to the community. For others, spending time with family would be of utmost importance, right? Well, if you have ever wondered what other people would do with their remaining twenty-four hours, one Reddit user recently opened up that can of worms. They set the scene for the online community: your doctor tells you that you only have one day left, there are no laws, and you have infinite money. Then, they asked the people of Reddit how they would spend their final hours. And surprisingly, most of the answers are seriously touching. Of course, there were some jokesters who immediately commented, get a second opinion, in regards to the doctor bit. But then, many others actually detailed how family time would be their main priority. Those who have partners or spouses shared how they would want to revel in the romance for as long as they could. I would be glued to my partner those last few hours, and they would be glued to me. No money or illegal activities needed. Random_silly_name Sign up for Chip Chicks newsletter and get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Last summer, I was on vacation with my family in Seville, Spain, and we ordered a traditional paella. To my surprise and amusement, it arrived at our table topped with a rabbit head. Our meal reminded me of the popular Sichuan delicacy of spicy rabbit head and brought back memories of my childhood. I grew up in Chengdu, a city known for its mouthwatering food. We were poor, but on occasion, my grandma would buy me a rabbit head to snack on as a treat. It cost only six Chinese cents, but it would bring me so much joy. According to the Chinese zodiac, 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit. The dinner on the Chinese New Year Eve is the most important meal of the year for Chinese. I wondered on that evening this year how many Chinese families feasts will include rabbit. Of course, not all Chinese eat rabbit head, as the sight of it on a table is not necessarily all that appealing. In China, the lunar New Years Day is the first day of chun jie, or Spring Festival, which lasts for a half month. This year, Chinese New Years Day happens to fall on a Sunday (January 22). I wondered if Chinese church pastors and leaders would preach about the Chinese New Year and if they would mention rabbit in their sermons. Christ has made rabbits clean A few Chinese preachers I spoke with told me that they would likely mention the lunar New Year and say a few blessing words, but they do not plan to preach specifically about rabbit. It is not unusual for Chinese preachers to give a sermon about the lunar New Year around Spring Festival. But older generation Christians in conservative Chinese house churches would regard the Chinese zodiac as a superstition that is harmful to the spiritual life of believers. Therefore, sermons mentioning the Chinese New Year would typically not touch on the animal of the year. Some of such sermons would mention the Old Testament Passover story because of its connection to lunar New Year and to the Chinese practices of celebrating chun jie, such as putting chun lian (red couplets of blessing words) on both sides of the doorframereminding people of the Israelites putting blood on both sides of the doorframe on Passover night (Ex. 12:22). Other Chinese pastors may preach from the Chinese New Year custom of putting on new clothes to the biblical teaching for Christians to put on the new self (Eph. 4:24) and clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 13:14). But no preacher would preach about rabbit just because its the Year of the Rabbit. There is simply not much for a Christian to preach about rabbit. There are only two verses in the Chinese Bible that mention rabbit (Lev. 11:6 and Deut. 14:7), so its too difficult to connect rabbit to the Christian faith without stretching it. (Wen-lian Chang, a well-known Taiwanese Christian writer and former environmental science professor, did write an article about the uncleanness of rabbit as food, but he was giving scientific explanations for the uncleanness, saying that rabbit carries the most parasites and viruses in its body among the worlds grass-fed animals.) Article continues below However, this is not to say that the long-eared animal has nothing to do with the Christian faith. Image: plej92 / Getty Both verses that mentioned rabbit are part of the Mosaic laws about food in the Old Testament. Both say that rabbits are unclean, just like pigs, so their meats should not be eaten as food. This would easily bring up a faith-related question: Arent Christians supposed to obey Gods laws? How can Christians eat rabbit or pork (the most consumed kind of meat for Chinese), against the food laws in the Old Testament? The answer to this question is in the Gospel of Christ. The key to understanding the Mosaic laws is that they are the shadow of Christ, as Vern Poythress explained in The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses. The ceremonial laws of cleanness and uncleanness in the Old Testament signify and foreshadow the way in which God cleanses sin. But Gods redemption is fulfilled by Christ and his crucifixion. Consequently, all foods are cleansed by the Word of God and by prayer now offered in the name and power of Christ. The Mosaic laws are a foretaste of the saving grace of Jesus Christ as the ultimate atoning and redeeming sacrifice. That is why Jesus, who told the disciples he came not to abolish but to fulfill the Old Testament law (Matt. 5:17-18), taught them that all foods were to be reckoned clean (Mark 7:19). In Acts 10, God told Peter three times to eat all kinds of animals, including those that the disciple considered unclean, and indicated he should not call anything impure that God has made clean. (Acts 10:15) The apostle Paul said that although the heretic hypocritical liars ordered believers to abstain from certain foods, everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving (1 Tim. 4:2-4). Article continues below So, the essence of Christian faith is not about the religious regulations of not eating this or not touching that. The Gospel of Christ has set us free, and we have freedom of conscience when it comes to food. Although eating and drinking is taken seriously for the Spring Festival celebration in the Chinese culture, the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17). This also means that we should not abuse our Christian freedom. I have the right to do anything, you saybut not everything is beneficial (1 Cor. 6:12). If eating rabbit head causes my brother or sister to fall (because it is too gross or unhealthy for them), I will not eat rabbit head. The Good News overcomes bad astrology It is customary for the Chinese to say blessings related to the zodiac animal of the lunar year, but for the Year of the Rabbit, a lot of the popular contemporary sayings are just homophonic puns containing tu (), the Chinese word for rabbit. They dont have any zodiac significance or reference. (And some of them may not be appropriate for Christian preachers to use in their sermon.) The omen of the rabbit in Chinese zodiac mythology is actually not auspicious. Many of the online zodiac-based, fortune-telling tips about the Year of the Rabbit warn readers about the dangers of misfortune brought by the rabbit for mysterious astrological reasons. Readers are cautioned to avoid offending the God of the Year (tai sui) because this particular Year of the Rabbit brings with it double bad luck that only repeats itself once every 60 years. Newly-weds are advised not to have new babies born in the Year of the Rabbit. Thankfully, few Chinese, especially among the young generation, take such astrological advice seriously. But Chinese people in China have experienced three difficult years due to COVID and their governments response to the pandemic. The danger is such negative superstitious information could cause psychological damage and pull people deeper into a pit of despair. For us Chinese Christians, the good news is that the Gospel truth has set us free from the fear of misfortune. Because of Christs crucifixion and resurrection, our sins are forgiven, and we now have the Christian freedom from the bondage of sin and from cultural superstitions. The plans God has for us are plans to prosper us and not to harm us (Jer. 29:11). Just like Christ has made all food clean, he has also given us the ultimate blessing of salvation that overcomes bad omens. So, at the start of this Year of the Rabbit, let us share the real good news: Go ahead, enjoy eating rabbitor beef steak, or healthy Chinese vegetables of your choice. Gladly and boldly ignore the superstitious warnings of zodiac misfortunes. And give thanks to Jesus, the source of true heavenly blessings. [ This article is also available in and . ] In an international scene full of competing value systems and brute power politics, Americans tend to approach the conduct of foreign relations in one of three ways. The firstand by far the most commonis to be passive unless it intimately affects day-to-day life. The second clause of Reinhold Niebuhrs Serenity Prayer works as the credo of many Americans: God, give us courage to change what must be altered, serenity to accept what cannot be helped, and insight to know the one from the other. Trade relations between the United States and China or US proposals for Middle East peace are things most Americans cannot help. But two other approaches have their followings. For realists, US foreign relations is fraught with centuries of mistakes, either by design or by ignorance. The best the United States can do, whether to protect its own interests or those of the rest of the world, is to remove any sense of transcendent values from foreign policy. In international-relations circles, realists are known for their so-called realistic assessment of the world and the base interests that govern nations. For idealists, foreign policy is unavoidably bound up with moral questions. They believe the way America conducts itself on the international stage implicates its moral standing, whether as a sign of greatness and exceptionalism (including divine favor) or as an expression of deep-seated injustices at the heart of the American experiment. In international-relations circles, idealists are known for their principled assessment of the United States and its global commitments. Translating Neibuhrs prayer into foreign-policy categories, we might apply the first clause to idealists (who insist we can change the world for the better), the second clause to most Americans (who find it easier to assume we cant), and the third clause to realists (who claim the mantle of clear-eyed discernment). Though Christians can be found in all three camps, they might be best known as idealists, for either criticizing or justifying American conduct in the world. Perhaps no foreign-policy issue raises the hackles of idealists and realists like the relationship between the United States and Israel. Designated by many as a special relationship matched only by the relationship between America and Great Britain, the US-Israel bond appears constantly in our headlines. It is debated on college campuses, on cable news, and in op-ed columns. Even minor policy issues, such as changing the location of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, become the subject of presidential campaign promises. Article continues below A lot of people have tried to explain the American fascination with a country more than 6,000 miles away with roughly the size and population of New Jersey. Walter Russell Mead, the well-known columnist and author of such books as God and Gold and Special Providence, has produced a new and clarifying answer in The Arc of a Covenant: The United States, Israel, and the Fate of the Jewish People. In the cottage industry of books purporting to explain the special relationship, Meads is a singular achievement. The sweeping history, spanning from the 18th century to the present, could have come only from a first-class writer, storyteller, and generalist like Mead. Driving forces Clocking in at more than 580 pages of narrative text, The Arc of a Covenant, by its structure and insistence on taking seriously both national interests and values, offers something of a bridge between realist and idealist explanations of the US-Israel relationship. The book examines the role of religious communities and values in forming foreign policy, touching on vast slices of world history that intersect with this story. There are long passages on 19th-century immigration to the United States, on the decline of European empires before World War I, and on the rise of the Sunbelt in the American South (among other topics). There is essentially a book within a book (over 100 pages) on the presidency of Harry Truman, whose time in office saw the US government grapple with the aftermath of the Holocaust, the establishment of the State of Israel, and the deepening of the Arab-Israeli conflict. If it werent so well written, the book might be criticized as overly long. As it stands, it is an achievement that will be hard to replicate, in either its breadth or its balanced arguments. The title gives away the books recurring focus on religion and faith. Meads deepest insight is one idealists and realists share: that Zionism of one sort or another has been present since the beginning of American history. Even before the organized Zionist movement led by Theodor Herzl in the late 19th century, interest in Jews and the nation of Israel was pervasive in American political culture. The driving forces behind Americans fascination with Israel, Mead writes, originate outside the American Jewish community and are among the most powerful forces in American life. Those forces include religion, but they are too broad (and diffuse) to narrowly identify with one interest group or worldview. Article continues below Meads telling of this religious storywhich begins in the Reformation and includes themes of prophecy, conversion, humanitarianism, and antisemitismbuilds on earlier studies. Other historians, including Caitlin Carenen, Shalom Goldman, and Samuel Goldman, have excavated parts of this story. And scholars like Yaakov Ariel, Walker Robins, and Melani McAlister have pondered the puzzle of how conservative evangelicals emerged in the second half of the 20th century to become Israels most committed American supporters. Mead also interacts with a wave of Israel lobby analysis that broke into the open with The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, a 2007 volume written by political scientists John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt. The book, along with others of its ilk, applies a realist perspective, acknowledging the role of religious values but finding them deeply troubling. In sorting through this maze of claims and counterclaims, Mead resists any single, simple interpretation of how the US-Israel relationship developed. Instead, he offers multiple explanations, sometimes half a dozen at once. To take one example, consider the famous Balfour Declaration, issued by the British government in 1917, which supported the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people. US responses to this declaration, Mead shows, are incomprehensible without considering multiple factors: division within the American Jewish community over the desirability of a national home outside the United States; anti-immigrant legislation that imposed severe restrictions to Eastern European Jews; the encouragement of national self-determination, by influential figures like Massachusetts senator Henry Cabot Lodge, as a way to expand American commerce and economic activity; wartime passions, led by President Woodrow Wilson, to establish minority rights in once-imperial holdings like Palestine; and a history of American Christian declarations similar to the Balfour Declaration dating back to the Blackstone Memorial in 1891, named after Methodist preacher and businessman William E. Blackstone, an early popularizer of dispensational theology and Christian Zionism. By holding these strands together, Mead explains a history without simplistic answers. There is no use in isolating one explanation to the exclusion of others. In fact, doing so will distort reality. For some readers this might be discomforting. Yet the loss of concise explanatory power or obvious policy implications is more than worth the gain in capturing the complex range of historical actors, motivations, and forces at work in defining US-Israel relations. Article continues below The truest insights What, if anything, are Christians today called to do in the foreign-policy world? Mead, a Christian himself, offers no religious instruction as such. But he does offer a framework that clears away simplistic and conspiratorial thinking in favor of the complexity of the past. Mead is especially critical of realist arguments that attribute the US-Israel relationship to the influence of a nefarious set of actors. He is particularly dismissive of Israel lobby theories, which blame Jewish American organizations for exercising an outsized influence on bending US policy in favor of Israeli interest. And he attends to the ways such arguments play on historic tropes of antisemitism. Mead compares Israel-lobby advocates to the scientists who searched for Planet Vulcan, a celestial body proposed by 19th-century astronomers to account for irregularities in Mercurys orbit. Scientists compiled evidence, even visual proof, of Vulcans existencebut of course the irregularities were due to their own flawed theories. Einsteins theory of relativity explained that the suns gravity warped space-time in the exact ways observed by scientists on Earth. This did away with the supposed irregularities and thus the need for Vulcan. Similarly, Mead does a good job depicting the lobby as a mythical body invented to account for forces better explained through more comprehensive analysis. Most Christians, when it comes to foreign policy, oscillate between idealism and detachmentbetween yearning to change the world and accepting that, in most cases, we cant. Mead is a rare observer in the Niebuhrian tradition of Christian realism who insists, in keeping with the Serenity Prayers third petition, that we should focus on better understanding where change is possible and where it isnt. As a realist, Mead admittedly prefers a good foreign policy to a Christian foreign policy. As he remarked in a 2018 speech, just because something is made in a church or made with love doesnt mean it is any good. Article continues below But as a Christian, Mead has mined that traditions valuespsychological, theological, social, culturaland is convinced that Christianity offers the truest insights to promote human flourishing, as well as the only real antidote to human fallenness. And he appreciates the extent to which Christians have deeply shaped the institutions, structures, and practices of international relations for centuries. From the emergence of human rights and international law to the origins of many NGOs and global charities, Christians have played an integral role in shaping the current world order. If Christian wisdom bridges the idealist-realist divide, it should finally push Christians back toward Niebuhrs first petition, which exhorts us to change what must be altered. Certain biblical injunctions come into play: Gods command to grieve for other peoples pain (James 2:1517) and to be peacemakers (Matt. 5:9). How we live these out can vary, but they are not exclusive to a professional diplomatic class. There are also theological tools that the Christian tradition bestows. In a recent interview, Mead reflected on the importance of a religious faith, connected to one of the great historical traditions including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, for becoming an effective observer and actor in international relations. Such a grounding gives you a degree of insight and potential for self-criticism that are absolutely crucial to foreign affairs. More than any specific policy solution, Mead concludes The Arc of a Covenant by encouraging Americans to better appreciate the connections between how they think and act in the world. In this sense, the US-Israel relationship is no different than any other domain of human existence and far less special than it first appears. Daniel G. Hummel is a religious historian and the director for university engagement at Upper House, a Christian study center located on the campus of the University of WisconsinMadison. His forthcoming book is The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism: How the Evangelical Battle Over the End Times Shaped a Nation. Nearly 400 Orthodox Christian theologians from 44 countries convened in the largest international conference of its kind in Greece on Thursday (Jan. 12) to discuss Nicaea-sized questions facing the Eastern Orthodox Church amid war and bitter division. Some of the most contentious issues at the Mega-Conference of the International Orthodox Theological Association, meeting in Volos, have been exposed by Russias invasion of Ukraine in February, which exacerbated a split between a newly independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine in Kyiv and the Russian Orthodox Church based in Moscow. The conferences keynote speaker, Metropolitan Ambrosios (Zografos) of Korea and Exarch of Japan, a bishop of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, told the assembly Wednesday evening that the various branches of Orthodox Christianity had fomented a heresy by taking sides in the war, calling it an unspeakable travesty that as a result, most Orthodox leaders have failed to condemn this diabolical war unequivocally. We cannot even say, Well this is a war driven by politicians. Our churches are against it, Ambrosios said, because so few of our church leaders have actually taken a public anti-war stance. At the root of the Russia-Ukraine split is a theological heresy called ethno-phyletism that conflates church and nation, Ambrosios argued. The practice of applying church governance based on ethnicity, nationality, or culture rather than geography, the metropolitan said, is nothing less than the greatest danger to the Orthodox unity of the church. The effects of ethno-phyletism often lead to church members excluding Christians who dont match their particular ethnic identity, however subtly, or to elevating nationality over faith. The debate over the ideology has led to finger-pointing: Critics of the Moscow Patriarchate point out the Russian church has expanded into jurisdictions, such as Africa, where it had no canonical authority. Critics of the Patriarchate of Constantinople point out, on the other hand, that in 1922 the Greek Patriarch established Greek Orthodox Churches in the US, rivaling the Russian churchs presence. Russian-led organization of the Orthodox churches in the US shifted after the Russian Revolution and amid waves of immigrants from Eastern Europe who requested priests from abroad to serve them. Image: Photo courtesy of IOTA Some argue completely eliminating ethno-phyletism would mean consolidating the independent Orthodox churches in the US, such as the Greek, Serbian, Antiochian, Russian, and others that currently overlap their jurisdictions, into one Orthodox Church for the region. Ambrosios diagnosis broadly echoes a contingent of Orthodox scholars and clergy who oppose Russias invasion of Ukraine that includes the events sponsors, the International Orthodox Theological Association (IOTA), the Orthodox Theological Studies Association, and the Volos Academy for Theological Studies. The scholars represent some 28 areas of study, including women in the church, asceticism, science and theology, political theology and more, all under a theme of mission and the Orthodox Church. Members of the Moscow Patriarchate attended, too. The Mega-Conference has become a most, if not the most, significant gathering of Orthodox Christian scholars from throughout the world, said Anton Vrame, a member of the IOTA board and a professor of religious education at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts. The spirit of the conference is joyous, with a strong sense of unity among the diverse membership. IOTA held its first conference in Romania in 2019. Fostering collaboration among Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant scholars, the conference aims to help church leaders continue Orthodox traditions in modern contexts, said IOTA President Paul L. Gavrilyuk. He listed religious fundamentalism, climate change, the pandemic, economic uncertainties, and the war in Ukraine as pressures on the church to respond to world affairs, for the sake of serving Christ and the church. Pantelis Kalaitzidis, director of Volos Academy, told the audience that the mission of the church cannot be only a theoretical or historical concern but must also be a contemporary one, since Gods revelation takes place in history. Many see the Russian churchs support for the war in Ukraine as an unfortunate outcome of ethno-phyletism, expressed as a Russian World ideology. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Patriarch Kirill of the Moscow Patriarchate have often invoked this ideology, which says that a transnational Russian sphere of influence called Holy Russia has a common political center, spiritual center, language, church, and patriarch that co-labor with the national leader to govern and uphold morality and culture. But the effects of Orthodox fragmentation can be seen not only in Ukraine but also in every Orthodox jurisdiction, some conference participants say, from Western Europe and the US to Africa and East Asia. On Thursday, Gavrilyuk led a prayer for victims of war in Syria, Afghanistan, and Ethiopia, where fragile peace has recently ended a civil war along ethnic lines with Oriental Orthodox Christians on each side. He said the Orthodox Church must be more than an ethnic club. Of particular concern to critics of the members is the establishment of Russian churches in regions where other branches of Orthodox Christianity already have a foothold, such as Ambrosios jurisdiction in Korea, where a canonical order states that only one bishop should serve all languages and ethnicities. The Moscow Patriarchate has also been rapidly expanding across Africa, stepping on the Patriarchate of Alexandria, which, since the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D., has operated on a decree of territorial sovereignty over North Africa. The Russian church declared Alexandria to be in schism after its patriarch recognized the independence of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, granted by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I in 2019. The promising revival of Orthodoxy in the 20th century is being endangered by the serious problems that arose after the fall of communist regimes in so-called Orthodox countries which have sought to expand into other ecclesiastical jurisdictions, Ambrosios said in his address. In 2016, the Council of Crete condemned not just ethnic particularism but also a kind of nationalism that further restricts belonging and mutual acceptance. But such pronouncements have had little effect in the past: The Eastern Orthodox Church condemned ethno-phyletism as heresy at the 1872 Council of Constantinople, but only Greek-speaking church leaders were present, and the move was ignored in practice. Still, Gavrilyuk is hopeful that the conference can lead to real reforms in the Orthodox Church. With the attendance in Volos of Russian Orthodox members and the sheer size of the meeting, he said, with the characteristic reserve of a churchman, such a hope is not unsubstantiated. [ This article is also available in and . ] Biden says country at 'inflection point,' must decide whether to choose 'love over hate' President Joe Biden said Monday that America faces another "inflection point" in its history, which he believes will determine how the country looks in the future, calling it a "time for choosing." Biden joined civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton and the National Action Network for an annual breakfast in Washington commemorating the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. The event also honored former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and "other national leaders who have kept Dr. King's mission alive." During his speech, the president stated that it was a "time for choosing," and Americans must decide whether to choose "democracy over autocracy," "community over chaos," and "love over hate." "These are the questions of our time," Biden said. "Dr. King's legacy shows us the way forward. We've got to be prepared." The president stated that his administration has made "important progress," noting that the U.S. economy was "on its back" two years ago due to COVID-19. He emphasized how the pandemic "disproportionately" impacted African Americans and that his administration acted "decisively" to create a "resilient" economy and ensure minorities are not left behind. Biden promised to combat housing discrimination, citing concerns about how developments built in predominantly white neighborhoods are valued more than homes built in a predominantly African-American community. He lamented that minorities living in predominantly black neighborhoods also pay for more insurance. "We are working with leaders to address the negative impacts of redlining," Biden said. In addition, Biden highlighted how his administration delivered nearly $6 billion in federal funding to historically black colleges and universities. The president promised to keep funding HBCUs and continue investing in "the next generation of black leaders." The speech included criticism about what Biden referred to as "trickle-down economics," claiming that he has "never liked it." "I think the economy the way it should grow in America is from the bottom up and the middle out. That way, poor folks have a shot, middle-class people do well, and the wealthy still do very well. They still do very well. But they start to pay their fair share," Biden said. The president said he's "ready to work" with Republicans now that they've taken control of the U.S. House of Representatives while also condemning the party for passing a bill he claims benefits the wealthy. "Like many Americans, I was disappointed to see the very first bill that House Republicans are bringing to the floor that would help the wealthy people and big corporations cheat on their taxes," he said, addressing Republicans' vote earlier this month on a bill to rescind funding to the Internal Revenue Service. Biden also criticized Republicans for passing a House bill barring oil sales from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to China and a proposal for a national sales tax. He argued that Republicans want to increase taxes on the middle class and supplant the money lost through taxes to the millionaires and billionaires by imposing a sales tax on everyday items, including clothes, groceries and gasoline. "That's how they're starting their new term," he said. "If any of these bills happen to reach my desk, I will veto them." He also claimed that he didn't "want to hear a word from the other side" about his plan to forgive student loan debt, accusing Republicans of accepting pandemic-related relief loans without complaint last year "to the tune of tens of millions of dollars." "And they're complaining about some kid being able to take away $20,000 of student debt that keeps him and his wife or his husband, her husband, from being able to buy a home or start a business or just get going?" he asked, expressing confidence that his plan would overcome the lawsuits against it. The speech also included Biden's frequent promises to ban assault weapons, ensure that no one spends time in federal prison for marijuana-related charges and protect abortion access. The president concluded his speech by highlighting the need to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, named after the civil rights leader, to revitalize the 1965 Voting Rights Act and protect minority voter access. "We have the most vibrant economy in the world right now. We're doing better than any other major nation in the world today," Biden said, encouraging members of the audience to be guided by Dr. King. "The path is clear to go forward. We need to go together," he said. As The Christian Post reported, Biden spoke Sunday at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Georgia, where King once served as a pastor. The president praised King as a "non-violent warrior for justice," urging everyone to commit to the civil rights leader's path. Chris Pratt 'wouldn't change a thing' in speech about God, prayer Actor Chris Pratt said that he wouldnt change a thing about his 2018 MTV Speech in which he told audiences that God loves them and stressed the importance of prayer. In a recent Instagram post, the Jurassic Park actor reflected on a speech he gave after accepting the Generation Award at the MTV Movie & TV Awards. In the speech, he outlined several points of advice for his audience, much of it infused with biblical wisdom. I was given three minutes to impart wisdom to the next generation, he shared. Given the chance to do it again I wouldnt change a thing. Except maybe I wouldnt try to eat the popcorn backstage, the actor captioned a video of the event. The advice included: You have a soul, be careful with it. God is real. God loves you. God wants the best for you; believe that, I do. Learn to pray. It's easy, and it is so good for your soul. Grace is a gift. Like the freedom that we enjoy in this country, that grace was paid for with somebody else's blood. Do not forget that. Don't take that for granted. God bless you, the actor concluded his speech, drawing cheers and applause from the audience. The 43-year-old actor, who recently welcomed his second child with his second wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger, has been open about his Christian beliefs and how they have guided him throughout his life. Pratt and his family attend Zoe Church, pastored by Chad Veach. Pratt told Esquire magazine in 2014 that he was introduced to religion as a rebellious teenager in Maui, Hawaii, by a complete stranger. "This guy came by and was like, 'What are you doing tonight?' I was like, 'Oh, I dunno...' So he's like, 'Will you fornicate tonight?' I was like, 'I hope so.' 'And drugs and drinking?' It's like, 'Most likely, yeah. Probably all three of those things. I mean, at least two of them, possibly all three,'" Pratt said. "He was like, 'I stopped because Jesus told me to stop and talk to you. He said to tell you you're destined for great things.' My friends came out, and I was like, 'Hey, I'm gonna go with this guy.' I gave my soul to Jesus within, like, two days. I was stuffing envelopes for his organization, Jews for Jesus." He also shared how his faith sustained him when, during his first marriage with Anna Faris, their son, Jack, was born five months premature and with significant health issues. "We were scared for a long time. We prayed a lot," he told People magazine. "It restored my faith in God, not that it needed to be restored, but it really redefined it." Pratts boldness hasnt come without a cost. In 2019, actress Ellen Page, who now identifies as Elliot Page, claimed in a tweet that Pratts Church was infamously anti lgbtq. Pratt later denied the allegation in an Instagram story: It has recently been suggested that I belong to a church which hates a certain group of people and is infamously anti LGBTQ. Nothing could be further from the truth. He also clarified in an interview with Mens Health that while he loves God, he takes issue with the ways people have misused religion for evil purposes. I think theres a distinction between being religiousadhering to the customs created by man, oftentimes appropriating the awe reserved for who I believe is a very real Godand using it to control people, to take money from people, to abuse children, to steal land, to justify hatred. Whatever it is. The evil thats in the heart of every single man has glommed on to the back of religion and come along for the ride, he said. In response to the backlash Pratt receives for his faith, Joe Rogan, who has the No. 1 most-listened-to podcast in the United States, commented that people in Hollywood are terrified that if they step outside the lines, they will experience criticism and ostracization from their overwhelmingly liberal and secular colleagues. Chris Pratt gets in trouble because hes Christian, Rogan remarked, explaining that the adverse treatment Pratt has received is unwarranted. He described the actor as the nicest ... guy Ive ever met in my life. ... He's done nothing. Hes so nice. Hes kind of outside of the lines in terms of his ideology. Hes a Christian and pretty open about it, he added. Because of that, they attack him. Its something so simple, like, he just believes in Jesus and he likes to be a good person. More deaths from faith-healing recorded in Idaho as advocates fight to end practice Activists in Idaho are continuing their push to repeal or amend laws that protect parents from prosecution when they allow their children to die from preventable illnesses by denying them medical care and relying exclusively on prayer and spiritual healing. Last Wednesday, a panel discussion organized by The Campaign To Protect Idaho Kids, a nonprofit organization, said more than 200 children in Idaho have died of preventable illnesses and diseases since a 1972 state law began allowing parents with religious objections to medical treatment to have the legal right to let their children die from medically preventable illnesses. Idaho is one of six states in the U.S. where religious exemptions are allowed for negligent homicide, manslaughter or capital murder. Since 2014, activists against faith healing have lobbied the Idaho Legislature to change the law, but havent gotten much support due to concerns about parental rights and religious and medical freedom, the Idaho Statesman reported. Activists like retired Idaho Supreme Court justice and former Idaho Attorney General Jim Jones said the exemption needs to be amended or repealed. The Committee to Protect and Preserve the Idaho Constitution, where he serves as a member, is prepared to mount a legal challenge against it to prevent more children from dying. I have looked at doing the same for the faith healing exemption. We may well do it and take it to court, but it would be so much easier if public policy was directed by the Legislature and they just repealed the exemption, Jones said, according to the Idaho Capital Sun. It has resulted in the deaths of many children. The Followers of Christ church, an infamous religious group that shuns western medical practices and embraces only healing by the power of prayer, have been accused of allowing children to die from preventable deaths. The causes of death range from food poisoning and diabetes to pneumonia and heart defects. Linda Martin, a former member of the church, told the Idaho Statesman that she witnessed family members die as a result of the churchs beliefs. Martin, who is now 68 and lives in Oregon, left the church when she was 16, but still monitors deaths connected to the church. Coroners reports reviewed by the Idaho Statesman showed eight child deaths, including stillbirths, associated with faith healing since the start of 2020 in Canyon County, where the Followers of Christs largest church group is located, the publication said. Another report by the publication in February 2020 found 11 faith-healing deaths in the same county during the previous five years. How many people are willing to sit back and say, This doesnt affect me? Martin told the Statesman. When you see that kids are hurting, how do you step away when you can help? Church pastor, wife sentenced after using homeless for forced labor, stealing benefits A California pastor and his wife will serve time behind bars after pleading guilty to forcing homeless people to give up their welfare benefits and panhandle for up to nine hours a day, six days a week, in what federal prosecutors call a church labor trafficking scheme. Victor Gonzalez, the head pastor of Imperial Valley Ministries, was sentenced to six months in prison and an additional six months in home confinement after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit benefits fraud in a San Diego federal court. His wife, Susan Gonzalez, received a time-served sentence. The church, headquartered in El Centro, owned and operated group homes for men and women in the El Centro area, Calexico and Chula Vista. According to prosecutors, they recruited from outside El Centro and as far away as Texas. Prosecutors allege that IVM leaders forced group home program participants to panhandle and held those who joined the program confined in group homes against their will. An indictment alleges that the defendants confiscated identification documents that prevented participants from leaving their homes. Participants were also forced to adhere to church rules, which included no contact with family members for roughly 30 days from the time they joined, City News Service reports. The defendants also used and distributed benefits the participants received through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, according to the plea agreement. Gonzalez's attorney, Robert Rexrode, was quoted by City News Service as saying that IVM's program was like any other "aggressive drug treatment program" where rules are stricter and often prevent participants from contacting others as they remain in confinement. Rexrode argued that the fundraising IVM participants took part in was not involuntary and that Gonzalez completed the ministry program and wanted participants to follow the same rules he did. Gonzalez reportedly lived for free in an El Centro home and had access to a weekly salary and "other financial benefits such as occasional $ 1,000' blessings' from IVM," noted City News Service. According to a statement released in 2019 by the U.S. Attorney's Office based out of the Southern District of California, the Gonzalezes are two of about a dozen defendants indicted in the case. The allegations are based on the defendant's alleged involvement in recruiting homeless people in San Diego and other cities and forcing them to raise money on behalf of the El Centro-based church. All the other co-defendants, prosecutors say, pleaded guilty alongside the Gonzalez for their involvement in recruiting homeless people for labor-intensive work and panhandling for church leaders to reap the financial benefits. The U.S. Attorney's Office confirmed that the church spearheaded roughly 30 affiliate churches in the United States and Mexico. The church's mission statement included the goal of helping "to restore drug addicts and their families." The Salvation Army issued a case study in 2020 expressing concerns about the ministry's labor tactics as having been "a disturbing case of labor trafficking in which leaders of a church ministry exploited several people under the guise of helping them." "Often, faith communities can have a powerful and positive impact on people's lives but unfortunately sometimes that power is manipulated and corrupted by individuals who are willing to exploit others for their own benefit. This case is a tragic example of how vulnerabilities are targeted by traffickers and power and control are employed to exploit victims," the Christian charity stated in a report. The Salvation Army defined labor trafficking under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act as "the use of force, fraud, or coercion to recruit, harbor, transport, obtain or employ a person for labor or services in involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery." "We know that at least one of the victims reached out to the police. Law enforcement was key in identifying this trafficking situation and making arrests. There are many details of this case that are still unknown, but it is still important to consider what points of identification were missed," The Salvation Army continued. "What red flags might community members living and working near the group homes, bus stations, or panhandling sites have noticed? Were there medical providers that had contact with the victims? Could the employees in the benefits office have picked up on anything strange?" John MacArthur 'recovering well' following procedure after health scare Pastor taking a few weeks off ahead of Shepherds Conference Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church of Sun Valley, California, who fell ill about two weeks ago, has been successfully treated for a blockage in his arteries but will take the next few weeks off from preaching, his church said. After a week of tests, the doctors determined that a procedure was needed to clear some blockage in his arteries, Grace Community Church said in a brief update on MacArthurs health. The procedure was very successful, and the pastor is recovering at home and is doing well, the church added in a public statement on Friday. The update said the pastor would not preach for the next few weeks to recover ahead of the Shepherds Conference: "Our pastor is recovering at home and is doing well. He will take the next few weeks off from preaching to recover and to prepare for Shepherds Conference. God has answered our prayers and we can add to those prayers thanksgiving that his situation was identified and resolved. Our pastor is feeling better and is grateful for the opportunity to rest in the coming weeks. The 83-year-old pastor fell ill on Jan. 1, which was a Sunday, and couldnt preach in the second service. We are pleased to report that he is doing well. He saw a doctor on Sunday afternoon, and he is in good health and just needs rest from a busy holiday week, the church stated at the time. "Just so you know, Pastor John had a bug this week and preached our first hour but asked if he might be able to take a break for the second hour," stated an elder, as quoted by Protestia. "So, Mike Riccardi is going to be answering the call. It's pretty, pretty amazing we have guys with sermons in their Bibles wherever you go, and so Mike's going to be here." MacArthur became the pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in 1969, a few years after graduating from Biola Universitys Talbot Theological Seminary. During that time, MacArthur reportedly preached over 3,000 sermons. The Grace Community pastor has garnered his share of criticism over the years for his views on women preachers, the Charismatic movement and religious freedom. In 2020, when California issued strict, ongoing lockdown orders during the COVID-19 pandemic, MacArthur's church complied with the first rounds of lockdowns but eventually began gathering in person, engaging in a lengthy legal battle over the issue in which the state threatened to jail the pastor. Eventually, California and Los Angeles County agreed to a settlement with Grace Community Church in which government officials paid $800,000 in legal fees to end the litigation. Last September, MacArthur sent an open letter to California Gov. Gavin Newsom denouncing the elected official's use of the Bible to champion abortion. "You revealed to the entire nation how thoroughly rebellious against God you are when you sponsored billboards across America promoting the slaughter of children, whom He creates in the womb," wrote MacArthur. "You further compounded the wickedness of that murderous campaign with a reprehensible act of gross blasphemy, quoting the very words of Jesus from Mark 12:31 as if you could somehow twist His meaning and arrogate His name in favor of butchering unborn infants." No child should be trapped in poverty: Sarah Huckabee Sanders defends school vouchers, CRT ban Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the youngest governor in the country, defended her executive order banning indoctrination and critical race theory from school classrooms and her plans to reform the state's education system through school vouchers. "No child should ever be trapped in a lifetime of poverty because of their bank account or their ZIP code," Sanders told "Fox News Sunday" host Shannon Bream, declaring that parents know best how their children should be educated and how they "can best be put on a path to success." The newly elected governor said protecting students is what's most important during her interview with Bream, who questioned Sanders about the "Executive Order to Prohibit Indoctrination and Critical Race Theory in Schools. Sanders, 40, signed the executive order on her first day in office. Bream noted that Democrat Arkansas state House Minority Leader Tippi McCullough and Axios both claimed that schools in the state are not teaching CRT. We have to make sure that we are not indoctrinating our kids and that these policies and these ideas never see the light of day, Sanders said, explaining why she believes the executive order was necessary. Sanders added, We should never teach our kids to hate America or that America is a racist and evil country. Under her executive order, teachers can still teach students about the sins of Americas past, but they cannot instruct students to hate this country. CRT emerged in academia in the 1970s. According to the book Critical Race Theory, co-author Richard Delgado explains: the movement came about with a "collection of activists and scholars engaged in studying and transforming the relationship among race, racism, and power. ... Unlike traditional civil rights discourse, which stresses incrementalism and step-by-step progress, critical race theory questions the very foundations of the liberal order, including equality theory, legal reasoning, Enlightenment rationalism, and neutral principles of constitutional law." Sanders raised concerns that the theory presents an overly harsh, inaccurate depiction of the country. During the interview with Bream, the governor also outlined her plans for an education reform package to improve students literacy and career readiness, stating that she intends for Arkansas to have the largest conservative education reform package in the next legislative session. Bream highlighted some critics' concerns with Sanders support for school vouchers, which would provide public money for students to attend school outside their ZIP code. The Fox News host also noted that critics are concerned that Sanders wants to roll back the states income tax, as Arkansas teachers salaries are among the lowest in the country. According to World Population Review, the average salary for teachers in Arkansas is $52,486, compared to Mississippis average of $47,162, which reported the lowest average teacher salary. In response, Sanders said that the states current budget for education is not producing the results that students and parents deserve, asserting that Arkansas can do better with its money. I absolutely think that we can, and we should raise teacher pay and put incentives where they need to be, she added. We need to reward our hard-working teachers. Thats part of the education package that were going to roll out here in the next couple of weeks. But we also have to make sure that those teachers are delivering for our students and that parents are empowered to make the best decisions possible for how and where their kid can be best educated. Sanders is not the only governor that has expressed support for school vouchers. As The Christian Post has previously reported, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott openly endorsed school choice last May. Abbott said parents should be allowed to use taxpayer dollars to send their children to the school of their choice. Robert Francis "Beto" ORourke, who ran for governor against Abbott and lost, disagreed, citing fears that school vouchers could cripple traditional public schooling in rural areas. In July, Arizona adopted one of the country's most expansive school choice laws, ensuring that all K-12 students are eligible for scholarship funds. Families who participate in the program receive $6,500 a year per child for private school, homeschooling, tutoring or micro-schools. Senior British lawmaker urges CofE to back same-sex marriage at General Synod Calvin Robinson asks if Penny Mordaunt has asked the Catholic Church, Muslim imams to support gay marriage One of the most powerful voices in the British government is urging the Church of England to change its doctrinal teaching on same-sex marriage. Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the British House of Commons, tweeted an image of a letter Monday in which she called on her local bishop to back reform and permit parishes and clergy to conduct weddings for same-sex couples or, at a minimum, enable authorized blessings. I have written to the Bishop of Portsmouth in advance of Februarys General Synod regarding discussions on how the Church will move forward on the issue of same sex relationships. I hope they will back reform. pic.twitter.com/MqGWhgmxjS Penny Mordaunt (@PennyMordaunt) January 16, 2023 She tweeted: I have written to the Bishop of Portsmouth in advance of Februarys General Synod regarding discussions on how the Church will move forward on the issue of same sex relationships. I hope they will back reform. In her letter to the Rev. Jonathan Frost, the bishop of Portsmouth, Mordaunt referred to her time as a minister in the British Armed Forces in which she enabled such ceremonies to take place in non-shared churches. While the issue is expected to be taken up next month at the churchs parliament, known as the General Synod, Mordaunt wrote that she fears if it is not resolved.....the matter will continue to fester and detract from the positive contribution the Church of England makes to our society." Mordaunt also warned about what she described as pain and trauma experienced by the LGBT community. It is also important to recognize the pain and trauma this continues to cause many [LGBT] people who are left feeling that they are treated as second class citizens within our society," she wrote. In response to the letter, Calvin Robinson, a former CoE minister, questioned whether it was appropriate for a political figure to wade into matters of the church. Robinson tweeted: Has @PennyMordaunt written to the Catholic Church and the Muslim Council, too? Should a cabinet member be politicizing matters of faith? Mordaunts letter was timed to coincide with a scheduled all-day meeting Tuesday, where bishops are expected to decide on a recommendation to present to the General Synod, according to The Guardian. Last November, a Church of England bishop released an essay arguing that clergy within the denomination should be allowed to bless same-sex unions. In the essay titled Together in Love and Faith, Rt. Rev. Steven Croft, the bishop of Oxford, argued that the Church of England should remove its prohibition on blessing same-sex unions, but stopped short of citing church infallibility. I confirm my affection and respect for those who will want to argue, in good conscience, against change and potential provision for such change. I also make no claim whatsoever to infallibility: I may be wrong, either in the detail or in the overall argument, wrote Croft. Despite formerly ascribing to a biblical view on the issue, Croft argued that there were fruits and benefits of same-sex partnerships that the Church could benefit from, adding that the current stance of the denomination created hurt and pain for the LGBT community. Vaughn Roberts, a theologically Evangelical same-sex attracted clergyman who Croft dialogued with in advance of announcing his views, wrote an essay in disagreement with Crofts push for the floundering denomination to support and advocate for same-sex marriage. One point of content put forth by Roberts was his belief that the bishop had failed to adequately engage with same-sex attracted Christians who had chosen celibacy over homosexual romance. There is a reference to one meeting with some same-sex attracted Christians, who hold to the traditional teaching of the Church, but there is no evidence of any greater engagement with what is a significant group, wrote Roberts. The deep pain they feel at being undermined by church leaders who are, in effect, telling them that their efforts to remain godly are unnecessary, needs to be recognized, along with any wider engagement with the experience of LGBTQ+ people in our churches. Roberts acknowledged that there are examples of long-term same-sex relationships, yet cautioned that this does not mean, however, that the relationships are morally good in every aspect, or that the positive fruit is necessarily a result of them being sexual. Bishop Steven is certainly right in recognizing the missional challenge caused by these cultural shifts, but there is, of course, nothing new in the Church experiencing such dissonance within and hostility from its surrounding culture, he added. Church bombing kills at least 17 Christians in DRC; Islamic State affiliate claims responsibility Police in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo arrested a Kenyan man after at least 17 Christians were killed and dozens injured in a bombing that targeted an Evangelical church in Kasindi town in North Kivu province, an attack claimed by an Islamic State affiliate. The incident occurred on Sunday during the worship service in the Pentecostal church, and the Allied Democratic Forces, a militant group that pledged its alliance to the Islamic State, claimed responsibility for the bombing, AFP reported. At least 17 people were killed and 39 wounded, BBC relayed, citing officials. The bombing was "visibly perpetrated" by ADF "against citizens in full worship in the parish of the 8th Community of Pentecostal Churches of Congo," DRC's Communications Ministry said on Twitter. The ADF is considered one of the most dangerous armed groups in the DRC, responsible for thousands of civilian deaths and bomb attacks. The group is also active in Uganda. The Congolese army stated that investigations are ongoing, and a Kenyan man has been arrested in connection with the attack, according to the military. Scott Morgan, a United States-based Africa security analyst, said in a statement to The Christian Post that ADF recently launched an attack in Uganda, resulting in the capture of one of its high-ranking leaders. The language used in their statement claiming the bombing suggests that the ADF may be using Christians in the Eastern DRC as "scapegoats." "More than 24 hours later, the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has said very little except for that the Army has arrested a Kenyan National in this incident," Morgan wrote in an email. "This is also part of a pattern where the Tshishekedi Government has found it easier to blame outside actors for the problems in the Kivus than admitting that they are turning a blind eye towards some of these atrocities." "Blaming Rwanda for the actions of M23 did result in a regional visit by Secretary of State Blinken last summer," he added. "It is telling that M23 has been more of a concern to Kinshasa than the actions of the IS branch, which has been declared an [Foreign Terrorist Organization] by Washington." Morgan said there are "no easy answers" to the question of what DRC government can do to eradicate the threat of ADF. "[This is] due to the fact it targets Uganda as well and both the Ugandan and Congolese Militaries are working together to end this threat," he wrote. Eastern DRC has been plagued by armed conflict and violence for decades. Various militia groups and rebel groups are operating in Eastern DRC. Among the region's major sources of violence and terror are the various ethnic-based militia groups, which have targeted civilians and government forces. These militia groups often fight for control of resources such as gold, tin and tungsten and have been accused of committing human rights abuses, including rape and murder. The UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC has been deployed in the region since 1999 to protect civilians. However, it has faced challenges in effectively stemming the violence. The U.S. strategy towards the militias in the Eastern DRC has been "haphazard," Morgan said. "I am being generous by calling it that," Morgan contends. "The IS threat has garnered an FTO designation but has not been designated as an Entity of Particular Concern under the International Religious Freedom Act. This is a quick and easy fix. M23 and CODECO, for their actions, deserve the same status, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo deserves to be placed on the Special Watch List under IRFA." The DRC government has also launched several military operations against these militia and rebel groups to restore regional security, but the violence continues. The region also faces a humanitarian crisis, with millions of people displaced and needing assistance. The situation has been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected the whole country and made it harder for organizations to provide assistance. Last week, The Voice of the Martyrs, which has tracked the persecution of Christians worldwide since 1997, added four more African countries, including DRC, to the list of the world's most dangerous and difficult places to follow Christ in its 2023 prayer guide for churches. The church in the eastern parts of Congo is "under immense pressure," VOM explained, saying Islamist groups severely persecute Christians there, raiding villages, destroying churches and brutally killing hundreds of believers. Last October, a group of nongovernmental organizations urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to allow Congolese citizens to remain in the United States with a work permit as they face the possibility of severe persecution by Islamic extremist groups in their home country. The U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern also warned at the time that Christians in the eastern DRC were suffering persecution at the hands of extremist groups like the ADF. "Though the Congolese government is pushing back against these terrorist groups, insufficient attention is paid to Christian communities, which are targeted for their differing religious beliefs," ICC stated in a report. "ICC has witnessed the violence in the DRC firsthand, in one instance coming across the still-smoking wreckage of a car attacked by terrorists in June of this year. Just days later, at least 10 Christians were killed when an Islamist extremist group ambushed their three vehicles near the village of Makisabo, Beni. The Allied Democratic Forces, an Islamist extremist group, allegedly blocked the road, shot all the passengers, and set the vehicles on fire." E-commerce propelled by linguistics By Zhu Wenqian in Beijing and SHI RUIPENG in Nanning (China Daily) 09:13, January 17, 2023 Nutchaya Seyungkun, a Thai livestreaming anchor, holds a livestreaming session during the fifth China International Import Expo in Shanghai in November. [Photo/China Daily] Speakers of Southeast Asian languages help drive cross-border biz in Nanning Nanning, capital of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, has seen a spark in business thanks to residents who speak languages that, while regionally important, are not spoken widely across the globe, officials said. The city is incubating its cross-border e-commerce livestreaming business as a result of the talent living there being fluent in what are sometimes called minor languages. Unlike Shenzhen, Guangdong province, and Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, Nanning doesn't possess many advantages in the e-commerce supply chain. Yet, with a low cost of living and government support for foreign trade with Southeast Asian nations, Nanning has shown an important strength. The city has also benefited from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement that took effect on Jan 1, 2022. The RCEP agreement covers 15 Asia-Pacific countries, which include 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Over the next 20 years, the pact is expected to reduce up to 90 percent of tariffs on goods traded among its members. Nanning is located close to Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. Many foreigners have gravitated to Nanning, which has provided the city with a diverse language pool. Nutchaya Seyungkun, a young Thai livestreaming anchor, has continued to live and work in Nanning after her graduation from Guangxi Minzu University in 2020.Besides anchoring e-commerce livestreaming sessions, Seyungkun said she is considering opening a Sino-Thai cultural company to promote exchange between the two countries. During the fifth China International Import Expo held in Shanghai in November, Seyungkun set up a demonstration livestreaming session representing Guangxi. During the 19th China-ASEAN Expo held in Nanning in September, Seyungkun recommended Thai products at a booth. Livestreaming has reshaped the e-commerce business in China, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. Anchors serve as the core of the livestreaming sector, and providing a competitive salary has been critical for retaining talent. Anchors who speak minor languages and conduct livestreaming sessions often earn 4,000 yuan ($596) to 5,000 yuan monthly, comparable to the average level of local salaries, based on public recruitment information. In higher-cost cities such as Shanghai, Hangzhou and Shenzhen, the monthly salary of a similar job is often above 10,000 yuan. One company, Guangxi Tus Innovation Cross-Border E-Commerce Co Ltd, has recruited international students in cooperation with a number of domestic colleges, officials said. They have attracted students from Southeast Asia who are eager to learn about cross-border e-commerce and encouraged them to start their own businesses in China. The company has also helped overseas returnees and high-level overseas talent engage in cross-border e-commerce entrepreneurship or work in Guangxi. "The popularity of cross-border e-commerce livestreaming in minor languages in Nanning is expected to rise continuously and drive the accumulation of resources such as talent, materials and more cross-border platforms," said Zhao Hui, head of overseas projects at Guangxi Tus. A Vietnamese student (left) from Guangxi University of Foreign Languages introduces products in his mother tongue at a livestreaming booth in Nanning in May 2020. [Photo by LIN HAO/CHINA NEWS SERVICE] Another company, Guangxi G&M Enterprise Management Co Ltd, a cross-border integrated service platform, opened a livestreaming center in Nanning a few months ago. It aims to recruit and train anchors and conduct livestreaming sessions on TikTok. It also plans to organize an anchor contest, officials said. The salaries of anchors who speak English or minor languages are anticipated to range from 3,000 yuan to 20,000 yuan a month, they said. In the first quarter of 2023, the center plans to foster 30 retailers on TikTok conducting livestreaming sessions in minor languages. It will provide offline training, and qualified businesses will be supported through subsidies, it said. The company already operates a Thai livestreaming room, and a couple of Chinese anchors who speak Thai serve as anchors. They hold livestreaming sessions on TikTok and sell products to Southeast Asian countries, with average daily transactions exceeding 1,000 yuan. The center plans to foster 500 cross-border e-commerce anchors and create a total of 2,000 jobs by 2025. It also plans to provide professional services to more than 1,000 local enterprises in Guangxi. Meanwhile, the shopping platform Lazada, acquired by Alibaba Group in 2016, has been a primary force in advancing the development of livestreaming sessions locally. While the business is still in the beginning stage, the company jointly trains talent with the local government and colleges. COVID-19 has accelerated online shopping among residents from Southeast Asian countries. The gross merchandise volume of Southeast Asia's digital economy is expected to have reached $200 billion, according to a recent report jointly released by Google, Temasek Holdings of Singapore and management consultancy Bain &Company of the United States. E-commerce adoption is high across both urban and suburban consumers in the six countries the report tracked Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. According to another survey released in early December by Singaporean consultancy Black Box Research, 35 percent of surveyed respondents in Singapore said they prefer online shopping and deliveries. In Nanning, more companies involved in cross-border e-commerce businesses are looking to work with local colleges and recruit more talent. The School of Southeast Asian Language and Culture under the Guangxi University of Foreign Languages has been a major source of training in Asian languages in Guangxi. The school offers undergraduate majors in Vietnamese, Thai, Cambodian, Indonesian, Burmese and Japanese. "The school has been devoted to teaching practical, interdisciplinary skills, and students should constantly improve their language abilities to be better prepared for future jobs. The school is looking to strengthen cooperative arrangements with more related enterprises," said Wu Guiming, vice-principal of the Guangxi University of Foreign Languages. Southeast Asian markets are continuing to expand, according to executives at Nanning Lightning Future E-commerce Business Co Ltd, and the demand for related language talent is also growing. The company hopes to work with the university and fill the shortage of those who can speak regional languages, the executives said. The Guangxi branch of another company, Shenzhen Jiuye Industrial Group, which is involved in cross-border e-commerce business, plans to strengthen cooperation with the university by training recent graduates in minor languages at its e-commerce incubation center in Shenzhen. During internships, the company offers opportunities for students to learn and practice in a type of apprenticeship, according to Liu Zhiping, general manager of Shenzhen Jiuye. Students will have opportunities to conduct livestreaming sessions on different social media platforms. "Students will also engage in work such as answering and solving different problems and complaints from customers about the usage of products. We will help students introduce the related resources of trading companies and propose employment solutions based on their needs," Liu said. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun) A Torrington man died after crashing into a tree in Litchfield on Monday evening, according to the Connecticut State Police. Dominique Ehlinger, 24, was traveling east on Reder Road in Litchfield after 8:45 p.m. Monday when his Jeep Liberty crossed the center line, ran off the road and hit a tree, state police said. The Jeep sustained heavy front-end damage and was disabled in the crash. Ehlinger sustained fatal injuries in the crash, according to state police. The crash is under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact Troop L at 860-626-7900. Former CIA agent Mike Baker tells Joe Rogan he wishes he'd raised his kids in the church In a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, former CIA covert operations officer Mike Baker expressed his regret for failing to raise his three sons in the Church and reflected on the benefits religion offers, from instilling a sense of something bigger to self-discipline. I think one of the things that I've failed on with the kids and this is going to sound odd is church, is religion, Baker told Rogan in Wednesday's episode of the podcast (offensive language warning). I'm not agnostic, I'm not an atheist, by any means, I think theres something higher up there. I don't mean that I've failed to take the kids to a certain organized church every Sunday but I feel like I may have dropped the ball in giving them a sense of something bigger. Baker, who has four children a daughter who is 30, from a previous marriage, and three sons with his second wife, who is Catholic said that historically, hes been resistant to organized religion because he takes issue with the fact that groups believe they have a lock on the truth. Thats what's kind of bothered me, he said. But I think because I've always had this thing about ... organized religion, that I may have gone too far the other direction. I shouldve given them the chance to at least think about it. Rogan agreed that some of the most disciplined people he knows are religious, adding: I also think there is some sort of a benefit to having structure, and there's a benefit to having purpose. There's a benefit to having rituals and things that everyone does together. There's like a bonding that comes with that, that can't be denied. Baker, who serves as the CEO of Portman Square Group, a global intelligence firm, said that recently, he and his wife attended a United Methodist Church where the Bible was explained to him in a unique way: The whole point of the Bible is it's ambiguous, its diverse, it's a collection of, of books, essentially, over a long period of time. and that was the first time I really heard that about the Bible, where its not an instruction manual or how to manual; it's more of a way to pursue, in a sense, what am I looking for? I think the question, 'what am I looking for?' maybe there's some value there. Earlier in the nearly three-hour conversation, Baker revealed that during the COVID-19 lockdowns, he and his wife enrolled their sons in a Catholic school. However, when restrictions were lifted, they re-enrolled the boys in an Idaho public school after their middle son locked his knees and passed out during Mass three weeks in a row. He became known as the Mass fainter, he said with a laugh. Baker expressed hope that maybe later in life his sons will become interested in religion, be it Presbyterian, the Church of England or another denomination, adding: Never say never. Rogan, who has the No. 1 most-listened-to podcast in the United States with an average of 11 million listeners an episode, often discusses hot-button issues and pushes against cancel culture, sometimes leading to backlash. In a recent episode, he criticized Twitter for locking the account of parody site The Babylon Bee, after it awarded trans-identified Biden administration official Rachel Levine, formerly known as Richard, the title of man of the year. Twitter also enacted a nine-month suspension of The Christian Post's Twitter account in response to a factually correct tweet saying that Levine is a man. Both the Babylon Bee and CP have since been reinstated. In an October episode with Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, he applauded Matt Walshs recent film What is a Woman? as amazing. I mean, with wokeness, you can identify as a woman, you get to use the female restroom. Like, OK, but what is it? Whats a woman? You know, can a man get pregnant? Rogan said. OK, well, what is it, can a biological male get pregnant? And then people panic, and they start, The people that identify as a woman are capable of being pregnant, and people that identify as a male are capable of also being pregnant. Like, what are you saying? You know, youre marching for womens rights. But what does that mean? So, if I decide Im a woman, and I go out, youre marching for me? Im a woman now? You can just say it? We cant have that, that doesnt make sense, Rogan continued. And it doesnt mean you cant have trans people. It doesnt mean that youre not denying anyones existence either they exist. However, if you want to be pregnant, you must be a biological female. This is science. Pastor Mike Glenn announces pending departure from megachurch to focus on church planting Mike Glenn, the senior pastor of Brentwood Baptist Church, a megachurch in Tennessee, has announced he is stepping down from the pulpit to focus on church planting and re-purposing churches in changing communities. Knowing that this day would come doesnt make it any easier now that it has arrived, Glenn wrote in a letter to the congregation. Today, I want to announce to you that 2023 will be my last year as the senior pastor of Brentwood Baptist Church. Thirty-two years by any standard is an amazing run, and Im grateful for every minute. But the time has come for someone else to lead BBC into the future that Im convinced God has for our church. Glenn became the senior pastor of the Nashville-area church in 1991. Under his leadership, the church has grown to a membership of over 11,000 people, according to the churchs website. Since 2010, the church has grown from two campuses to seven locations throughout Middle Tennessee. In his letter, Glenn stressed that the decision to step down was his alone and came after months of prayer and a deep love for you. The pastor also said he wants to spend more time working with pastors, church planters and leaders in Middle Tennessee. I want to work with churches to plant new churches and re-purpose churches in changing communities. The most fun I have right now is working with our campus pastors. I want to do more of this, he said. In a video statement accompanying his letter, Glenn said in January 2024, he will become the executive director of the Engaged Church Network, which is described as a family of gospel-centered churches, serving together to reach their communities for Jesus Christ. This is an exciting time for our church. I can see where we're going, I can see what has to happen. I'm just not the guy to get us there. I've been confirmed in this and my prayer time and my conversation with other leaders. You're ready, the future is ready, he said. Glenn is a well-known figure in the Southern Baptist Convention, the biggest Protestant denomination in the United States. He previously served on the executive board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, the Board of Trustees of Belmont University and the Board of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. According to the Brentwood Baptist Trustees, Glenn will continue to offer his wisdom, experience, and vision as the church seeks to fill the soon-to-be vacant position of senior pastor. We will share updates on the process for a new senior pastor in the coming months, they said. Our church bylaws outline the steps for this process, and ultimately, the church body will decide on the Trustees recommendation. On Twitter, local pastors reacted to the news of Glenns announcement. Major news here locally, but also big for the SBC, wrote Jonathan Howe, host of SBC This Week. Mike Glenn announced his pending retirement as pastor of @brentwoodbc llikely toward the end of 2023. Please be in prayer for this great church and for Mike during this time of transition. Robby Gallaty, pastor of Long Hollow Church in Tennessee, called Glenn the real deal, adding: Hes been a friend and mentor to me over the past year. Former Russian-linked denomination suggests Ukraine's church crackdowns hamper religious freedom An Orthodox denomination in Ukraine that holds historic ties to Moscow has questioned the Ukrainian government's recent crackdown efforts targeting dozens of churches formerly affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which has long been affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church, has been the subject of an investigation by authorities since Russia invaded Ukraine last year. This is even though the UOC publicly severed its connections to the Moscow Patriarchate in May 2022, and its leadership has denounced the Russian invasion. UOC Bishop Metropolitan Klyment told CNN in an interview published Sunday that raids by the Ukrainian Security Service have not found anything that proves the church's alleged disloyalty to Ukraine. "There was no mention in the findings of weapons or saboteurs. What they said they found was printed matter, documents, which are not prohibited under Ukrainian law," said Klyment. "Members of the Ukrainian Orthodox ... are citizens of Ukraine, and sometimes among the best citizens of Ukraine, proving their patriotism with their own lives," he added, referring to church members who were fighting the Russians. Since the beginning of the war, hundreds of church buildings have been forcibly converted from UOC to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Orthodox denomination based in Ukraine that was founded to be independent of Moscow. According to CNN, the Ukrainian government reports that since the invasion began last February, 19 church clergy have been charged and five convicted. The UOC has been a concern for the Ukrainian government due to their longstanding ties with Russia, since Moscow Patriarch Kirill has been a staunch supporter of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Ukrainian Security Service told CNN in a statement that while it is not illegal to possess Russian propaganda, it is illegal to distribute it. "If such literature is in the library of the diocese or on the shelves of a church shop, it is obvious that it is intended for mass distribution," the statement contends, adding that the operations against churches are for national security purposes and "not a matter of religion." A spokesperson for the Russian Orthodox Church told the outlet that the church raids are an "act of intimidation." Last November, Ukrainian authorities searched the Pochaiv Theological Seminary in Ternopil Oblast and the Ivano-Frankivsk Eparchy of the UOC, claiming to have found pro-Russian propaganda materials that "denies the existence of the Ukrainian people, its language, as well as Ukraine's right to statehood" on the premises. "The Security Service also found pamphlets and books of xenophobic and hateful content with offensive fictions about other nationalities and religions," stated authorities. "We emphasize that in its activities the SBU adheres to the principle of impartiality towards the activities of any religious denomination and respects the right of every citizen to freedom of worldview and religion, as defined by the Constitution of Ukraine." In December, Ukraine's Security Council took possession of the assets of seven Orthodox clergy and banned them from certain economic and legal activities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky justified the actions by arguing that the measures were to prevent the clergy from helping Russian forces. "We are doing everything to ensure that no strings are available to be pulled by the aggressor state that could make Ukrainian society suffer," stated Zelensky, as quoted by Reuters last month. In early December, Zelensky called on the Ukraine government to make a law banning any church that might take orders from Moscow. Zelensky claimed Russia was trying to "weaken Ukraine from within." Some in the United States have expressed concern over the crackdowns on Orthodox churches, seeing them as threats to religious liberty in the Eastern European nation. "We claim Ukraine's battle against Russia is a fight for democracy, but sending the army into monasteries is not promoting liberty," wrote Hedieh Mirahmadi, a columnist for The Christian Post, in an article published last month. "This latest move by our ally in Ukraine should be grounds for a loud outcry from Christians, regardless of where we stand on the political spectrum." UK Christian teacher faces potentially career-ending decision for misgendering trans student An Evangelical Christian teacher in England could be permanently banned from teaching after he was suspended for referring to a biologically female student as a "girl." Joshua Sutcliffe was removed in November 2017 from his position as a teacher at the Cherwell School in Oxfordshire after he allegedly discriminated against a student by stating "well done, girls" when addressing the student's small group during class. Sutcliffe was the focus of a number of allegations by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) during the groups professional conduct panel last week, according to the London-based Christian Legal Centre (CLC). The hearing could ultimately result in Sutcliffe no longer being allowed to teach in the U.K. In addition to the 2017 allegations, the TRA is considering comments made by Sutcliffe on his YouTube channel describing the Islamic prophet Muhammad as a false prophet. Sutcliffe is also accused by officials at Cherwell of sharing his opposition to same-sex marriage after he was asked by a student about his views. That incident, according to CLC, occurred during a Bible study that was organized by a Christian group at the school. TRA officials also say Sutcliffe showed videos from conservative advocacy group PragerU titled Make Men Masculine Again, an allegation Sutcliffe denied. In response to the allegations, Sutcliffe was expected to cite a statement from former Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, who said, Any teacher, if asked direct or invited to share his view by a parent or a student, is perfectly at liberty to say, with equal marriage as with adultery, divorce or abortion what their own moral view might be. According to the Oxford Mail, Sutcliffe had taught at the Cherwell School since 2015. At least six trans-identified students attended the school at the time of the incident. CLC said Sutcliffe avoided using gender-specific pronouns to accommodate the students needs and his own Bible-based Christian beliefs that humans are born male or female. The TRA is targeting an exceptional teacher because his Christian beliefs do not fall in line with the prevailing secular orthodoxy which cannot tolerate any dissent, said CLC Chief Executive Andrea Williams. With critical shortages of teachers in the profession, why are the TRA so determined to force a high-performing teacher out for their Christian beliefs? ... True misgendering is accepting trans identities. A December 2017 investigation alleged Sutcliffe had misgendered the student in violation of the schools equality policy. He denied the allegation and said he did not share [the head teachers] belief in the ideology of transgenderism, and later sued the school for discrimination. The case was later settled out of court. Sutcliffe, who also regularly preaches on the street and says he has given out over 2,000 Bibles to members of the public, has said he was unlawfully targeted and punished by the school because he had been vocal about his evangelical Christian beliefs, according to CLC. In November 2019, he was forced to resign from another teaching position at St. Aloysius in North London for sharing his convictions about Islam on YouTube. In addition to calling Muhammad a false prophet, Sutcliffe added, the fruit of Islam is not peace, its division. Theologian advises pastors on how to tackle divisive topics A theologian and author recently shared several tips for pastors on addressing divisive topics with their congregations. Andy Naselli, an associate professor of systematic theology and New Testament at Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, warned church leaders in an online discussion posted on Jan. 3 that far too often, pastors fall short of the glory of God based on their moral consciousness or their awareness of what is right and wrong. Naselli, a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, Society of Biblical Literature and Institute for Biblical Research, alluded to the idea that pastors tend to fail in their preaching when they shy away from handling current events in the pulpit by using a gentle but truthful approach. He said that often, pastors would rather avoid specific topics to protect congregants who are sensitive to the truth of the Word of God. "When you preach, it just takes so much wisdom to know where your audience is at. Even in a small group of people, you can't assume that their consciences are all functioning the same way," said Naselli. "The safest way to do that is to just herald whatever the text of Scripture says and let Scripture help form those consciences and develop them and fix them and correct them and grow them." Naselli advised that for a pastor to be considered a "wise preacher," they should be aware of where certain congregation members stand on certain issues before preaching to them. Pastors should be more careful in how they address sensitive or divisive topics to help those people the issues impact directly as they hear the Gospel truth. "If you're aware that you have people in your congregation who are watching films with sexually charged nudity and you're preaching the passage on sexual immorality, and you want to apply it to your [preaching], and you're thinking it would be wise to go there, you'll probably approach that differently, more carefully, but still powerfully, still directly, still faithfully," Naselli said. "But, you might approach it with more tact and carefulness than you would if you are aware that they already had conviction that watching sexually charged nudity is awful." According to Naselli, preachers can be "unfaithful to the Lord" when they address a Gospel passage that touches on a glaring issue facing their congregation or their culture but refuses to address the issue directly. "If we're talking about how the passage is addressing marriage between a man and a woman and the nature of sexuality, and the pastor, just kind of like a jetski, they kind of ski across the surface of the text and doesn't connect it to the modern day Sodom and Gomorrah that we're in and all of the sexual perversions that are influencing us in media and culture If [they] don't address those kinds of issues head on [they're] actually not helping people," Naselli warned. "You're hating them; you're hurting them, you're harming them, you're not protecting them. And it's reinforcing their sense of well-being when they're in a culture that's totally going take on that issue." Naselli said pastors must remain humble when addressing controversial current issues, adding that just because someone has status in the church doesn't make their theological conscience morally inerrant. "Consciousness could be wrong. A person today could think, 'abortion is a civil right, and to deny someone of that right is evil.' Their conscience actually could testify to that, and I'd say that their conscience is functioning in an evil way. They have an evil conscience and an immoral conscience," Naselli said. "Just because your conscience registers something doesn't mean that's what God wants you to think. But that's how it feels to you. It's your sense of what you believe is right and wrong." Pastors should not only be humble, but they should be teachable, Naselli noted. "We should be growing in our ability to teach. Now, how to do that. Some of it is just natural like God has wired people to teach, and you got it, or you don't know how to do that. But everyone, I think, can improve. You can get better at the craft," Naselli said. "One of the ways I tried to improve in the craft of teaching is to receive feedback from others. Like good feedback, not like the nice old lady who just says: 'that was the best sermon I ever heard.' Get it from people who will tell you the truth. That's the way to go. Another way to grow in your teaching is to learn from master teachers. I love to listen to excellent teachers and pick things up." Harvard Med Teaches How To Treat LGBT Infants, Abortions Down 99% In Texas, Nick Vujicic Warns Churches link to download the audio instead. link to download the audio instead. 08:13 08:13 Subscribe to the Freedom Post, delivered every Monday and Thursday One of the nation's most historically prestigious universities is offering a course that instructs students how to provide healthcare services to "infants" who "identify" as LGBT. A Pennsylvania school board has implemented a policy requiring teachers to refrain from engaging in political advocacy in the classroom as concerns about the promotion of LGBT ideology and critical race theory in public schools loom large in American politics. The number of abortions in Texas has flatlined following the United States Supreme Court decision last June to overturn Roe v. Wade. Nick Vujicic joined Sadie Robertson Huff on her "Whoa That's Good" podcast, where he warned that churches are at risk of dying unless they shift their focus. Biden touts efforts to protect 'religious freedom,' condemns persecution in annual proclamation President Joe Biden touted his faith and condemned religious persecution worldwide in declaring Monday Religious Freedom Day, even as critics contend that his administration has demonstrated hostility to religious liberty in the United States. Biden issued a presidential proclamation Friday designating Jan. 16 Religious Freedom Day. In the message, the president stressed how "faith has sustained me throughout my life," adding, "for me and so many others, it serves as a reminder of both our collective purpose and potential in the world." The Religious Freedom Day proclamation has been issued annually by presidents dating back to 1993, marking the 1786 passage of the "Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom" authored by Thomas Jefferson. The 80-year-old Catholic lamented that "for far too many people within our borders and beyond, practicing their faith still means facing fear and persecution." He stressed that "religious freedom" is the "freedom to practice religion fully and freely or to practice no religion at all" and "is enshrined in our Constitution." Biden listed his administration's efforts to advance religious freedom worldwide, including allocating $20 million to "promote religious freedom and protections for members of religious minorities globally" to "ensure that people everywhere can practice their faiths free from fear." He also listed the establishment of the "Protecting Places of Worship Interagency Policy Committee." The president recalled that the White House hosted its first summit on combating hate-motivated violence in September. "In December, I established a new interagency group to increase and better coordinate the Federal Government's efforts to counter antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of bias and discrimination within the United States," he stated. "As a founding member of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance, we also have coordinated with partners around the world to promote the rights of religious minority groups and combat persecution." He also highlighted the implementation of "training on religious freedom and its central importance to our work." Biden's proclamation comes as his administration has faced pushback from religious liberty advocacy groups for policies that critics say force religious adherents in the U.S. to take actions that violate their deeply held beliefs. The administration implemented a rule barring healthcare providers from refusing to discriminate based on "sexual orientation and gender identity." Opponents warn that it could force religious doctors, hospitals and healthcare providers to perform or cover genital-mutilating surgeries on trans-identified individuals in violation of their religious beliefs about gender and sexuality. Both the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals have found the rule unconstitutional. In December, Biden signed the so-called Respect for Marriage Act after being passed by the Democrat-controlled Congress with support from a handful of Republicans. Religious freedom groups expressed concern that the law could trample on conscience protections for religious business owners who object to same-sex marriage. Some business owners believe that providing services celebrating such unions, including wedding cakes, floral arrangements and websites, would violate their convictions that marriage is a union between a man and a woman. While the president condemned the "intimidation, violence, and unequal protection under the law" faced by religious communities worldwide, pro-life advocates believe that his administration has not done enough to thwart the "intimidation, violence, and unequal protection under the law" that they experience in the U.S. The conservative advocacy group CatholicVote launched a $1 million ad campaign ahead of last year's midterm elections to highlight what the organization characterized as the "inaction of the Justice Department" in response to the targeting of churches for vandalism. The ad featured video footage of headlines reporting attacks directed at churches followed by an empty podium to indicate a lack of response from "our second Catholic president." CatholicVote previously sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice about the attacks on churches and pro-life pregnancy centers amid a rising trend of vandalism and arson following the leaking of the U.S. Supreme Court's June opinion overturning the national right to abortion. Catholic Vote urged the administration to "commit to vigorous efforts to prevent them, and to investigate and prosecute them; and to proactively engage with the affected faith communities to ensure their concerns and security needs are being met." "The relative silence from the Administration endangers Americans even more," the letter contended. Bill Donohue of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights echoed similar concerns in a letter to top Republicans on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. He suggested that the Department of Justice was imposing "unequal justice under the law" by raiding a pro-life activist's home with a SWAT team while taking little action to address the violence directed at churches and pro-life pregnancy centers by pro-abortion groups. Donohue's letter followed the arrest of pro-life activist Mark Houck on charges that he "twice assaulted a man because he was a volunteer reproductive health care clinic escort" in violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. A GiveSendGo fundraiser set up to cover Houck's legal expenses asserts that the clinic escort was "harassing" the pro-life activist and his son as they prayed outside a Philadelphia Planned Parenthood clinic and that Houck "pushed him away" as he "continued yelling at Mark's son." "There seems to be much interest in pursuing alleged wrongdoing by pro-life activists, yet little interest in pursuing alleged wrongdoing by abortion-rights activists," Donohue wrote. "This kind of overreaction to a minor infraction of the law is deeply troubling, and it becomes even more troubling when paired with the underreaction by the Department of Justice when the pro-life side is targeted." Pro-lifers counter Newsom's pro-abortion advertisements with billboards of their own A coalition of pro-life advocacy organizations is sponsoring billboards promoting chastity in response to California Gov. Gavin Newsoms advertising effort to promote his state as an abortion sanctuary in states that ban or severely restrict abortion. In a statement released Wednesday, the Life Legal Defense Foundation announced that the Coalition for an Abortion-Free Future is posting billboards promoting chastity in the exact locations where Newsom's election campaign posted pro-abortion billboards. Save sex for marriage. Plan your future. Not your abortion, one billboard reads. The billboard includes a picture of a young woman looking at the results of a pregnancy test as a young man sitting beside her, presumably her boyfriend, puts his fingers over his eyes as an indication of stress due to the positive pregnancy test result. The billboard also contains statistics suggesting that over 85% of abortions are performed on unmarried women and encourages passersby to learn more at abortionlessfuture.com. Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collected in 2020 shows that 86.3% of abortions are performed on unmarried women. The Coalition for an Abortion-Free Future, which describes itself as a group of national pro-life organizations committed to saving children in the womb and ending abortion, noted that one of the billboards is located in Columbus, Ohio. If men and women stopped having sex outside of relationships truly committed to protecting the lives of the babies they create, the demand for abortion would largely disappear, the announcement predicted. Pro-life resources could then focus on helping families welcome their unexpected additions. The coalition's spokesperson Mark Harrington said in a statement that the billboards seek to remind people "of the inconvenient truth that the main driver of abortion is irresponsible sexual activity. We need to have a conversation in this country including in the pro-life movement about the true cause of most abortions, Harrington said. Newsom, a Democrat, launched the billboard campaign last September to promote California as a destination for women seeking abortions in states that have issued total or near-total bans on abortion following the U.S. Supreme Courts June decision determining that the U.S. Constitution does not confer a right to abortion. One billboard in Mississippi sparked outrage for including a Bible verse at the bottom. The Mississippi billboard quotes Mark 12:31, proclaiming, Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commandment than these. The larger text above the Scripture passage reads, Need an abortion? California is ready to help. The billboard directs women to abortion.ca.gov, a $1 million state-run website promoting the state as a destination for women unable to obtain abortions in other states. Unlike the states where Newsoms re-election campaign posted the pro-abortion billboards, specifically Indiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and Texas, California has codified the right to abortion into state law. In addition to re-electing Newsom on Nov. 8, California voters approved Proposition 1, which amends the states constitution to guarantee a right to reproductive freedom in the form of abortion and contraception. A database compiled by the pro-life advocacy organization Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America reveals that following the Dobbs decision, 13 states have total or near-total bans on abortion in effect, including four of the seven states where Newsom's campaign posted billboards. Pro-life laws in Indiana and Ohio are currently entangled in legal challenges while the South Carolina Supreme Court permanently struck down the states ban on abortions after six weeks gestation last week. According to the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-abortion advocacy organization that once served as the research arm of Planned Parenthood, California is one of three states with a constitution that explicitly contains a right to abortion. The state is one of 16 that protects the right to abortion in state law. DOJ appeals $230 million ruling holding gov't liable for Texas church massacre Less than a year after U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez ruled that the government must pay $230 million to the survivors of the 2017 mass shooting at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas, the Department of Justice has filed an appeal, angering some. "I'm feeling kind of hurt and abandoned and really disrespected," Juan "Gunny" Macias, 58, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who was shot five times during the attack on the church told USA Today in response to the DOJs appeal. As the small congregation worshiped at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs on Nov. 5, 2017, former U.S. Air Force airman Devin Kelley, 26, began firing his Ruger AR-556 rifle inside the building shortly after the 11 a.m. service began. Within minutes, 26 people were dead and 22 others, including Macias, were left with serious injuries. At least eight members of one family, including a pregnant mother, were killed. Kelley took his own life after the shooting. Rodriguez ruled in February 2022, that the Air Force was partially responsible for the shooting because it failed to report to an FBI database that tracks criminal history, that when Kelley was discharged in 2014, he had been convicted of assaulting his wife and stepson. The conviction, if reported, would have legally barred Kelley from purchasing or possessing a firearm. Kelley went on to purchase firearms from federal dealers over several years and used three of those guns in his attack on the church. In the U.S. government's appeal filed on Jan. 9 and cited by The New York Times, Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Departments civil division, argued that their failure to report Kelleys conviction should not make them liable for the crimes he committed after he was discharged from the Air Force. That mistake is not a legally proper basis for imposing liability on the United States, or for finding the Air Force more culpable for the deadly massacre than the shooter himself, Boynton argued. The U.S. government withdrew from a mediation process with lawyers for the families of the dead church members and survivors late last year and decided to appeal the decision by Rodriguez. Jamal Alsaffar, a lawyer for the families and survivors, told the New York Times that the decision was a blow to nationwide gun safety efforts and a betrayal by their government. The families offered to settle this case for less than the judges awards and far less than what the D.O.J. settled for in the Charleston and Parkland mass shootings, but they were rejected, Alsaffar said. Dena Iverson, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, told the publication that even though the government has filed an appeal it didnt mean they could not negotiate a settlement in the future. Although the formal mediation has now ended, we remain open to resolving the plaintiffs claims through settlement and will continue our efforts to do so, she said noting that the government will continue our efforts at an out-of-court resolution. Library allows Pastor Story Hour event after previously canceling event A Massachusetts library that previously canceled a "Pastor Story Hour" event following complaints from residents changed its mind about allowing a local minister to use its space to read to children. The Chelmsford Public Library announced the update on its Facebook page, stating that it reinstated the Pastor Story Hour's Friday reservation after receiving advice from legal counsel. However, the library stated that allowing the event is not a sign of endorsement for it or its sponsors. Kendall Lankford, the teaching pastor of The Shepherd's Church, reserved a Friday morning time slot at the library to teach children about the Lord. Lankford wanted to host the event in response to several libraries nationwide holding drag queen story hour events, which involve men dressing as women and reading to children. In a Friday statement to The Christian Post, Lankford claimed the library changed its mind about canceling the event after the pastor obtained legal counsel from the Massachusetts Family Institute. The pastor and his attorneys submitted a letter to the library on Thursday night. Lankford said the event was a "huge success," with about 50 people in attendance, including adults and children. The library told CP in a Friday statement that it has always advocated for free speech and the "principles of respectful and kind treatment of others." The Chelmsford Public Library seeks to serve as a space where its community members feel "valued and welcome." "We now recognize that actions taken subsequent to the approval of the reservation, and communications immediately before the event, seemed to violate some details of library policy and directs hate at members of our community played too large a role in our decision, to the detriment of our commitment to everyone's right to free speech," the library wrote. The library issued an apology, acknowledging that it unintentionally erred in its attempt to honor the principles and rights it supports and that it's "unequivocally committed" to allowing Lankford to host his scheduled event. "Nothing that has taken place over the past couple of days changes the exceptional work that library staff does every day that demonstrates our values and supports our community," the library continued. After initially approving the event, the Chelmsford Public Library stated Wednesday on its Facebook page that it only allowed Lankford to use one of its rooms and was not condoning the Pastor Story Hour. "Use of a library meeting room by a nonprofit does not indicate endorsement by the library," the statement said. "We support your individual choices as to what to attend and do not advertise or promote any non-library meetings on the library calendar." Some responses to the post accused the library of allowing "hate" and sending a message to vulnerable populations that the library is unsafe. Other comments said that permitting the Pastor Story Hour was an example of "blatant discrimination, homophobia, bigotry, transphobia." In a now-deleted Facebook post, the Chelmsford Public Library said it canceled Lankford's reservation, claiming that the Pastor Story Hour would contradict the library's policies. As CP reported, multiple libraries told Christian actor Kirk Cameron last month that he could not host a story hour event to read his faith-based children's book, As You Grow. One library, the Rochambeau Public Library in Providence, Rhode Island, told the actor's publisher that it would not host Cameron due to concerns about a conflict of values. "No, we will pass on having you run a program in our space. We are a very queer-friendly library. Our messaging does not align," the Rochambeau Public Library stated. Last month, Cameron's publisher, Brave Books, claimed that over 2,500 people attended the actor's story hour event at the Indianapolis Public Library, while the latter said the door count was around 750. The library also denied allegations that it refused the actor permission to rent a space for the event, claiming that it only said it would not officially partner to promote the event. A man accused of assaulting a Derby police officer before escaping from police custody was re-arrested in Hartford 12 days after his escape, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. On Jan. 5, Felix Rodriguez requested medical care while in police custody on firearms charges and was transported to Griffin Hospital. While receiving medical care, he allegedly assaulted an officer from the Derby Police Department and escaped on foot. Police established a perimeter, but he was not captured, the U.S. Marshals Service said. On Tuesday, members of the U.S. Marshal Connecticut Violent Fugitive Task Force, Hartford Police Department and Department of Corrections apprehended Rodriguez at a residence on Crown Street in Hartford. Rodriguez is facing additional charges of escape from custody, assault of a police officer, larceny and a parole violation in addition to previous firearm charges, the U.S. Marshals Service said. Voters recall school board members who wanted to keep kids' trans identities secret from parents Residents of a small town in Maine have voted to recall two school board members over their support for a policy that would allow school district employees to keep students' gender confusion and their chosen identities secret from parents. Voters in the small town of Paris, Maine, part of the Maine School Administrative District 17, voted to recall two school board members who supported a proposed policy that would allow school employees to withhold from parents details about their child's struggles with gender identity. The town reported on its Facebook page that 333 Paris residents voted to oust school board members Julia Lester and Sarah Otterson on Tuesday, while 243 voted against the recall. The Lewiston Sun Journal reported that the school board voted to table the proposed policy at a Dec. 5 meeting. It would have required Oxford Hills School District to accept a students assertion of their gender identity when there is a consistent assertion while at school. In the case of a student who has not yet informed their parent(s)/guardian(s), the administrator shall first discuss parent/guardian involvement with the student to avoid inadvertently putting the student at risk by contacting their parent(s)/guardian(s), the proposed policy stated. The student shall be notified by the administrator prior to contacting their parent(s)/guardian(s). The tabled policy added: ... in the event that a student and their parent or legal guardian do not agree with regard to the students gender identity or gender expression, the school shall abide by the wishes of the student with regard to their gender identity and gender expression while at school. In other words, the policy would have required the school district to address trans-identified students by their chosen pronouns and non-legal names even if parents insisted their child be addressed by their legal name and biological sex. The policy also would have allowed students to enter opposite-sex bathrooms and locker rooms. Thus, male students who self-identified as female would have been allowed to enter girls' restrooms, locker rooms and showers and vice versa. The Sun Journal reported that nearly 700 voters signed a petition calling for the recall of Lester and Otterson following outrage over the policy, leading the town of Paris to schedule a special election on Jan. 10. Lester resigned before the recall vote and has been replaced. The Paris Board of Selectmen will appoint a replacement for Otterson at a special meeting Tuesday night. The recall of Lester and Otterson comes as schools across the U.S. face scrutiny and outrage from parents over policies designed to keep their child's chosen gender identities a secret from them while at school and allow students confused about their gender to go by different names and opposite-sex pronouns. Last year, a judge in Montgomery County, Maryland, dismissed a lawsuit over the school districts policy ordering school officials to address students by their legal birth name when communicating with their parents but using the student's chosen name and gender in the classroom. Meanwhile, parents in Leon County, Florida, sued the school district for concealing the fact that they were referring to their daughter with they/them pronouns without their consent. Shortly thereafter, the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature passed a measure defending parental rights in education that Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law early last year. The law requires schools to keep parents informed about any changes to their childs mental, emotional or physical health, including confusion about their gender. In Virginia, the Department of Education released a directive last year requiring schools to keep parents informed about all aspects of their childs psychological development, including their gender identity, and required students to submit legal documents before schools can refer to them by their chosen name and gender identity. A sanctity of human life month like no other For those of us who have been working for years on the pro-life cause, this is a very special and joyous Sanctity of Human Life Month. Its the first one since the Supreme Court in June 2022 struck down Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion. Instead of the latest protest against Roes cruelty and unconstitutionality, this month-long observance and the annual March for Life on January 20 will be celebrations. We still have much to do to protect innocent human life from the abortion industry. The battle is underway state by state and even city by city. But Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization is a game changer. The highest law of the land as interpreted by the highest court in the land is no longer hostile to the pro-life viewpoint. Its no longer defensible to pretend that a baby in the womb is not human and is therefore disposable. Those who continue to advocate for abortion must make the immoral case that some human lives are not worth protecting. That should be a steep hill to climb in a nation with a Christian heritage. Like slavery, abortion violates the moral law given us by our Creator. Gods law states that all human life is sacred because we are made in His image. Many of Americas founders, including Declaration of Independence author Thomas Jefferson, a slave owner, predicted that slaverys inherent conflict with God-given liberties would one day end it. It took a terrible civil war, but slavery was finally abolished. The arguments for abortion are also unsustainable. Thats why the pro-life movement has never given up. Pro-life doctors, nurses and scientists have been reminding everyone that at the moment of conception, a new human life springs into being with his or her unique genetic code. So what if academia, Hollywood, the media and corporate America use their enormous clout to push the fiction that human life is not in fact human? Proverbs 31:8 admonishes those of us who have voices to speak out for those who cannot speak. We must tell the truth, promote adoption, provide more help to mothers who keep their babies, and shore up marriage, the surest family structure in which a child can thrive. We need to make sure that the legal system, as the enforcement arm of the representative democratic republic in which we live, is no longer abused to justify the taking of innocent human life. This means persuading millions of our fellow Americans that abortion is not the answer to an unwanted pregnancy. It means letting women who have had abortions know that Jesus offers forgiveness, peace, and new life. I recall vividly the day that my wife, Bonnie, and I saw the film Silent Scream at a theater in Orlando around 1990. This powerful movie depicts a fetus a tiny human being desperately trying to avoid the abortionist. Few people can watch it and walk away unaffected. Our growing faith and clarity about abortion were driving forces in the creation of an investment fund, in 1994, for Bible-believing Christians, Timothy Plan, which pioneered Biblically Responsible Investing. Other powerful films have also carried the pro-life message. In 2018, Timothy Partners, Timothy Plans advisor, bought out a theater in Orlando to show the movie Gosnell to our local community. Starring Dean Cain, the film exposes the evils committed by Kermit Gosnell. He was a West Philadelphia-based doctor convicted of murdering infants who were born alive and of manslaughter for the death of a woman patient. In March 2019, our firm bought out seven theaters in Orlando to show the movie Unplanned. Its about the story of former Planned Parenthood clinic director Abby Johnson, who became a pro-life champion. We gifted 500 tickets that were snapped up within 24 hours. At the movies conclusion, we asked the audience to remain for a couple of minutes while we introduced the directors of 11 pro-life, crisis pregnancy centers that we support. I am sharing this to encourage others to use whatever tools and influence they have to steer us toward a truly pro-life culture in which all lives are deemed sacred. The end of Roe is a huge victory we should celebrate. It is also a clarion call to speak out for those who cannot speak. Revelation 6: A shattered universe and a time of unprecedented terror Recently, there was an article in the New York Post titled: Nostradamus Predictions for 2023: An Antichrist Arrives, World War III and the Monarchy Dies. The author, Reda Wigle, explained that Nostradamus popularity had endured the centuries since he wrote Les Propheties in 1555. The book contains his predictions as far into the future as AD 3797. Wigle sarcastically notes that no one seems to grip us with grim quite like Nostradamus. His prophecies foretell wars, pestilence, natural disasters, civil unrest, political assassinations, and other sunny stuffs. The seer has been credited with foretelling the Great Fire of London, Hitlers rise to power, the September 11, 2001 attacks, and the COVID-19 pandemic, to name a few. So, people are naturally curious, says Wigle, what fury and hellfire lay in store. There is, however, one fundamental distinction between the predictions of a clairvoyant like Nostradamus and a genuine prophet of God. The prophet of God always gets it right. His prophecies always come to pass because hes getting his information straight from the Lord. Wigle readily admits Nostradamus predictions, more often than not, muddily miss the mark. In The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict, apologist Josh McDowell says: Throughout the New Testament, the apostles appealed to two areas of the life of Jesus of Nazareth to establish his Messiahship. One was the resurrection, and the other was the fulfillment of messianic prophecy. The Old Testament, written over a one-thousand-year period, contains nearly three-hundred references to the coming Messiah. All of these were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The prophets who spoke of the coming Messiah, the worlds Savior, got their information directly from on high. The fact that each of their predictions concerning him was fulfilled establishes their credentials as true prophets of God. In Revelation chapter 6, the apostle John, another genuine prophet of God, who tells of the Second Coming of the Messiah, predicts the world will be overwhelmed with mass deception, war, hunger, disease, Christian martyrdom, and colossal cataclysmic disturbances before Christ establishes his earthly kingdom. John writes: I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood. Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from a tree shaken by a strong wind. The sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places. Then everyone the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?' (Revelation 6:12-17). This time is one of universal terror. In what has been called The Olivet Discourse, Jesus instructed his disciples regarding this day, saying: There will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again (Matthew 24:21). Many Bible scholars have called these days The Great Tribulation. Thomas Ice, who has written extensively on The End Times, provides a good summary of the Bibles teaching on The Tribulation. He writes: The Tribulation in Bible prophecy is the period of time that begins with the signing of a covenant between Israel and the Antichrist [this is the rider on the white horse] and ends seven years later at the second coming of Jesus Christ. The most extensive biblical comments on the Tribulation are found in the writings of John, specifically in Revelation 6-19. In these chapters, John provides a detailed exposition of the Tribulation days. Daniels 70 weeks, prophesied in Daniel 9:24-27, are the framework within which the Tribulation or the 70th week occurs. The seven-year period of Daniels 70th week provides the time span with which a whole host of descriptives are associated. Some of those descriptive terms include Tribulation, Great Tribulation, Day of the Lord, Day of Wrath, Day of Distress, Day of Trouble, Time of Jacobs trouble, Day of Darkness and Gloom, and the Wrath of the Lamb. Some Christians maintain these passages are not to be taken literally and only apply to a time shortly after Jesus death and resurrection. More specifically, the sacking of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD. However, this view seems seriously weakened by Jesus statement, which says the trouble of this period will be unlike any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again (Matthew 24:21). The fall of Jerusalem was indeed a terrible time. Unquestionably, Jesus words foreshadowed the destruction of that holy city, and figuratively speaking, what happened in some ways matches Jesus prophecy in Matthew 24:1-25. Except, since Jerusalems devastation, much worse things have happened. The time described appears to be a future stage that is global in impact. John says there will be a tremendous earthquake, a darkening of the sun and moon, the moon turns as red as blood, the stars fall, the heavens roll up like a scroll, and tremendous geological movements and disruptions occur. Other passages of the Bible corroborate these same predictions. (Amos 8:8; Ezekiel 38:19; Joel 2:10; Haggai 2:6; Amos 8:9; Isaiah 13:10; 50:3; Ezekiel 32:7; Joel 2:31; Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24; Luke 23:45; Isaiah 13:13; 34:4; Jeremiah 4:24; Nahum 1:5). These passages describe an impending age of unprecedented trepidation and horror. It is so terrifying; Jesus said peoples hearts would fail them for fear (Luke 21:26). There are several plausible ways these events might take place. Some biblical writers and teachers reason a full nuclear exchange could create much of whats expressed. The falling of the stars might be a meteor shower. John Phillips, in Exploring Revelation, correctly contends there is no reason not to take the Revelation record literally. Drastic changes in the heavens could result in earthquakes and drastic changes in the topography of the planet, he says. Nevertheless, Phillips also insists, It is just as possible that what we have here is symbolic and depicts a total collapse of the establishment. The earthquake suggests that everything stable in society will be shaken. The disasters of the sun, the moon, and the stars suggest the downfall or the plunging into confusion of all governing bodies. The moving of the islands and the mountains indicates tremendous changes in constituted government. In Lectures on the Revelation, H.A. Ironside says that the stars falling from heaven indicate the downfall and apostasy of great religious leaders, the bright lights in the ecclesiastical heavens. He says the stars in the first part of Revelation signified the messengers, the pastors of the churches. And, [s]o it would seem clear that we are to understand the symbol in the same sense here. After the true Church is caught up to meet the Lord in the air [the Rapture], there will be a vast host of unconverted ecclesiastics left behind, says Ironside. Thousands of church dignitaries, Protestant and Romanist, who, though looked upon as guides in things spiritual, shall be manifested as utterly bereft of divine life professional clergymen, who despite their pretensions and exalted calling, are simply natural men intruding into spiritual things These are the stars who will be hurled from their places of power and eminence in that awful day of the wrath of the Lamb, and who, apostatizing from the last vestiges of Christianity, will soon become leaders in the worship of Antichrist. Something of this nature has already happened, and it will happen again but in a more significant way. Richard Wurmbrand, who for 14 years suffered in a communist prison for his faithful leadership as a pastor in communist Romania, gave a chilling account of what church leaders did when the communists came to power: The communist convened a congress of all Christian bodies in our parliament. There were 4,000 priests, pastors, and ministers of all denominations. 4,000 priests and pastors chose Joseph Stalin as the honorary president of this congress. At the same time, he was president of the World Movement of the Godless and a mass murderer of Christians. One after another, bishops and pastors arose in our parliament building and declared that communism and Christianity are fundamentally the same and could coexist. One minister after another said words of praise for communism and assured the new government of the loyalty of the Church (From the book, Tortured for Christ by Wurmbrand). John concludes that, ultimately, no one is exempt from the judgment of the Almighty. It doesnt matter if one is exceedingly rich and powerful or terribly poor and without influence; every life outside of faith in Jesus Christ will be weighed in the balance. All of the unsaved will be found wanting and see Gods face of righteous fury. On that day, no matter where people still living in sin choose to run and hide, they will not escape him. All these prophecies concerning Christs return will come to pass, and not even one will fail. The Psalmist instructs on how to prepare: Submit to Gods royal son, or he will become angry, and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities for his anger flares up in an instant. But what joy for all who take refuge in him! (Psalm 2:12). London church shooting linked to Colombian cartel A shooting outside a church in London Saturday, which injured at least six people, including a 7-year-old girl, might have been linked to a Colombian cartel that flooded the U.K. with cocaine, according to officials who said a 22-year-old man has been arrested as a suspect. A money deliverer in a London-based drugs gang tied to the Colombian Cali cartel, identified as Carlos Arturo Sanchez-Coronado, was a former husband of 50-year-old Fresia Calderon, whose memorial service was targeted by the shooter, The U.K. Times reported, citing officials. The shooting occurred outside St. Aloysius Roman Catholic church in Phoenix Road during the memorial Saturday afternoon for Calderon and her 20-year-old daughter, Sara Sanchez, who died within days of each other last November. Sanchez had been battling leukemia and died three weeks after her mother died from a pulmonary embolism on a flight from Colombia to London, according to The Sunday Times. The gunman opened fire on mourners, leaving a 7-year-old girl fighting for her life and five others wounded. On Sunday, the girl was said to be in a serious but stable condition. At least four women aged 21, 41, 48 and 54 and a 12-year-old girl were also injured in the shooting outside Euston railway station. Police on Sunday arrested a 22-year-old man after a car was stopped in Cricklewood Lane in Barnet, north London, The Guardian reported. The identity of the suspect has not been revealed. Sanchez-Coronado was jailed in the U.K. in 2009 for five-and-a-half years for helping his drugs gang launder money, said the Times, adding that he had briefly fled Britain, but was later captured by the police and became the first man to be extradited from Colombia to the U.K. He is believed to have died last year. Officials were quoted as saying that the gangs stranglehold on the countrys drug market was so tight that the price of cocaine surged 50% after its dismantling. It is suspected that the shooter might have been targeting a particular guest in a revenge plot. Hundreds of people were attending the memorial service when shots were fired from the vehicle. "We believe the suspects discharged a shotgun from a moving vehicle, which was a black Toyota C-HR, likely a 2019 model or similar," said Superintendent Jack Rowlands of the Metropolitan Police. An area resident told The Daily Mail that an emergency services helicopter had made an aborted landing near the railway station before flying off and eventually landing in a nearby school playground. When the service finished, we were outside to see the flying of doves [released as part of the memorial service]. A black car came and started to shoot bullets. It was chaotic, a witness was quoted as saying. Another witness said, No one knew if it was a bomb or gunman. We were looking for places to hide. We all just snuggled into corners where we could. We left after about 10 minutes, I did not dare [leave before], according to MyLondon. Priest burned to death by assailants who set fire to his home Militants were unable to break in 'so they decided to set the house ablaze' ABUJA, Nigeria A Roman Catholic priest in northwest Nigeria was burned to death before dawn today when assailants set his parish living quarters ablaze and wounded an assistant priest, sources said. Police said the assailants tried to enter the home of the Rev. Fr. Isaac Achi, on the premises of the St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Kafin-Koro, Paikoro County, Niger state, and set it on fire before fleeing when security forces arrived. The bandits reportedly attempted to gain entrance into the residence, but it seemed difficult, and they decided to set the house ablaze while the said Rev. Father was burned to death, Niger State Command spokesman Wasiu Abiodun said in a press statement. A police tactical team attached to Kafin-Koro Division were immediately drafted to the area, but unfortunately the bandits had completed their evil acts and escaped before their arrival. An assistant priest, the Rev. Collins Omeh, was shot in the shoulder during the attack and rushed to a hospital for treatment, Abiodun said. Area resident David Ndukwe said in a text message to Morning Star News that Achi was dean of the Kafin-Koro Deanery of the Minna Diocese and chairman of the Paikoro County Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). His assistant, the Rev. Fr. Collins Omeh, was shot by the bandits and wounded, while the rectory, the churchs residence, was burned down. Area resident Israel Bitrus grieved the attack. Its a black Sunday for the Catholic Diocese of Minna, Bitrus said in a text message to Morning Star News. Nigeria led the world in Christians killed for their faith in 2021 (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. A Manchester man with 21 active arrest warrants across two states was arrested alongside another man after allegedly making over $1,700 in fraudulent purchases from Westfarms Mall in West Hartford Saturday, according to West Hartford police. The West Hartford Police Department was flagged that a vehicle allegedly tied to several crimes throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts was located in the lower level parking lot of Macys at Westfarms on Saturday after 8 p.m. The alleged driver was also suspected in other criminal activity in West Hartford earlier Saturday, police said. Police set up surveillance and watched the suspect return to the vehicle after exiting the mall with another man. The second man, identified as 36-year-old Rondell Jackson of Middletown, was arrested at the scene. The suspected driver, identified as 31-year-old Dezmond Bonds of Manchester, was arrested after a brief foot pursuit, police said. Officers seized over $1,700 worth of merchandise they allege was fraudulently purchased, $1,900 in suspected counterfeit currency and Green Dot cards suspected of being purchased using counterfeit currency, police said. Bonds was charged with first-degree forgery, conspiracy to commit first-degree forgery, interfering with an officer, fourth-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit fourth-degree larceny. He was also wanted on 21 other outstanding warrants, including 17 from local police departments in Connecticut including Fairfield, Windsor, Manchester, Torrington, Vernon, Wallingford, Clinton, Bloomfield, Southington, South Windsor, Granby, Willimantic, Berlin, Newington, East Hartford and two from Glastonbury as well as the Connecticut State Police Troop E. The two warrants from Massachusetts are from the Sturbridge Police Department, with extradition authorized, and Southbridge police. He was also wanted by the New Haven Department of Corrections Parole Fugitive Unit on an extraditable warrant. Jackson was charged with first-degree forgery, conspiracy to commit first-degree forgery, fourth-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit fourth-degree larceny. The New York Field Office of the Secret Service was notified of the incident due to the involvement of counterfeit currency, police said. Several students from Sage Park Middle School, as well as of the John Lewis Institute for Social Justice at Central Connecticut State University, were featured speakers at the annual Martin Luther King Day Celebration. The event, held at Windsors Town Hall and presented by the Archer Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, was subtitled Why They Matter: The Power of Youth and Young Adults in the Fight for Civil Rights and Social Justice. Patricia Gardner, organizer and emcee of the event, said youth voices are important, because it was when King was young that he learned the lessons he used later on in fighting for social justice. Perhaps, she said, some element of that was when King spent time in Connecticut, when he spent two summers working on tobacco farms in Simsbury. Dr. King, as we know, spent time here in Connecticut, she said. I really think that started some sparks for him, in terms of looking at the inequities that he experienced. We know that, as a six-year-old, he experienced racism. After being in the south and experiencing segregation, he comes here as a young teen, and experiences something totally different, and then has to go back to that way of life. Ava Smith, a Sage Park student, spoke about Kings legacy, and how people can keep it alive. Dr. King dedicated his life to the non-violent struggle for the Civil Rights Movement. He played a major role in ending segregation for African Americans in the United States, by leading a non-violent campaign for racial injustice, Smith said. One thing is we can lead by example. Two is to advocate for voting rights. Three, and most important of all, is to have faith and always dream. Jhayden-Atier Morrison, a seventh grader, has co-authored two books with his mother. One, titled My Body Belongs To Me, addresses sexual abuse for young kids, and the other is Children Have Rights, Too. An example of social injustice is when people are treated unfairly, as in the case of when children are being abused and neglected, or also mistreated, Morrison said, adding that he was able to attend and observe at a retreat for child survivors of abuse. It was there that I first realized that many young children are deprived of the freedom to enjoy their childhood, he said. After many annual visits to these retreats I realized that not only did the justice system fail these youths, but also the lack of the knowledge of their rights as children, as it relates to their bodies. Sage Park student Samantha McNeil represented her classmates, as the voice of their future. She asked her peers why it was important that they have a voice. Samantha McNeil said that people her age actually have a lot to say, and should be heard. One student said, To speak up about how they feel about racism. Another student said, Kids can say powerful things from experiences theyve had, and my personal favorite, a close friend of mine said, Kids are not dumb, they just lack context,' McNeil said. What we do and say now can, and will, affect is in 10, 20, or even 30 years from now. We are very lucky to go to a school, Sage Park Middle School, which is part of Windsor Public Schools, in a community where we have a voice, said student Madeline Hellman. Sammy, Jaydhen, and I know this, but do other kids know it? We think that many kids in our school dont know it, and maybe they dont know that they can have an impact on our worlds ever-changing issues today. That is why it is important for you [adults] to support us, by telling us we have a voice and that we should advocate for change. Madeline Hellman said one important thing adults can do is to encourage and empower youths to have their voices heard. Samantha Curtis, JLI student and a senior at CCSU, said she was inspired by something that took place when she was 15 and a volunteer with Group Work Camp, which helps fix peoples homes. She was working on a home of an elderly woman in New Jersey, and met two young boys in the neighborhood. One day, I asked them what they wanted to be when they got older. One looked at me and said he wanted to be better than Tom Brady in the NFL. The other said he was going to be the next Michael Jordan, only four times better than him and Lebron James combined, Curtis said, adding that both boys were excellent in their sports, but what was said next was what changed her. The six-year-old looked at me and said, At the end of the day, that probably wont happen, she said. I asked him why. His heartbreaking, life-changing response was that he would do whatever it takes to make sure his grandma and family were okay, even if that means hell turn to the streets to make money. The idea that these five- and six-year-olds already knew the world had failed them changed my entire outlook on life. That day, I decided my path would take a drastic turn. I have begun putting in the work to open a nonprofit that provides school resources to low-income communities. That way, the whole community can get involved in the kids, I can reach more age groups, and have the time to ensure that no child will feel like that child did that day. All COVID-19 restrictions outside of hospitals and medical settings have ended. Some hospitals still have restrictions in place. You should check with the hospital or healthcare facility you are going to. You should continue to self-isolate if you have symptoms of COVID-19. You are advised to wear a face mask on public transport and in healthcare settings. There is no requirement to show proof of vaccination or recovery to travel to Ireland. You also do not have to complete a Passenger Locator Form. When Cmora Blakes, an eighth-grader at Waterburys Michael F. Wallace Middle School, started spending hours in her room on math homework, her mother Tyneka Brown didnt know what she was up to. I kept calling her, Cmora, come do your chores, [and shed say] All right, Mom, Im almost done with my homework. I was thinking, This kid is never doing homework this late. Its 5, 6 oclock in the evening,' Brown said. Next thing you know, 7 oclock crept up, and Im like, What are you doing? Varsity Tutors. She kept saying it was homework, but it was Varsity Tutors. Waterbury Public Schools late last year announced its partnership with Varsity Tutors, a personalized online learning service, to provide each of the districts students with free 24/7 live-chat academic support and essay review services. The program is expanding this month, offering high-dosage tutoring via video calls and screen sharing for Waterburys third- and sixth-graders. Administrators hope the partnership can help solve the crises facing schools post-pandemic: learning loss and the teacher shortage. I feel more confident, Blakes said, describing how her relationship with math has changed since first logging on to Varsity Tutors. The teachers on there are very nice. They will help you with whatever you need. If you need help, just go use it. Do it and use it. Brown said that within the last month, shes seen her daughters understanding transform. She wants to know [more] and shes eager to learn the math concept that theyre offering to her, Brown said. Shes using it very frequently every chance she gets. Its like once she gets on it, she cant stop. Brown, who works as an intervention specialist at Crosby High School in Waterbury, said shes been trying to introduce the platform to her ninth-grade students and their families. She sees students with parents who may be disengaged, or unable to help with homework. As a working mother of seven, Brown acknowledged the difficulties of juggling her childrens studies, and it is equally hard at times for Browns teacher colleagues to provide students with one-on-one attention. But she said Varsity Tutors fills that gap. A lot of the kids, since the pandemic, [have] suffered a lot. They want that attention so that they can grow to move forward with certain subjects because the teachers dont really have that time to sit and focus on one student at the time because theres just no time, Brown said. This service is there to help with that. In Waterbury, nearly 80% of the districts more than 18,600 public school students were classified as high needs last year, falling into the category of an English-language learner, a student with a disability, or a student eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Statewide, the percentage of high-needs students is slightly over 51%, according to data from the Connecticut State Department of Education. Before the pandemic, Waterburys English language arts, math and science performance was on the rise, but, like many districts, shuttered classrooms and virtual instruction forced these gains into decline. In Connecticut, the target performance index for each subject is 75. But in Waterbury last year, students, on average, scored 51.3 in ELA, 47.1 in science, and 42.3 in math. The 2021-2022 school year saw Waterburys math performance index fall 13% from 2018-2019 compared to the states 7% decline. The performance indices for ELA and science each dropped by 8%, compared to 5% and 4% at the state level. Similar issues were seen nationwide. The National Assessment of Educational Progress tested hundreds of thousands of fourth and eighth graders across the country in 2022 and found: Across the country, math scores saw their largest decreases ever, reading scores dropped to 1992 levels and nearly four in 10 eighth graders failed to grasp basic math concepts, the Associated Press reported. Not a single state saw a notable improvement in their average test scores, with some simply treading water at best, AP repoted. Waterbury Superintendent of Schools Verna Ruffin said that the Varsity Tutors partnership is one of several academic investments made with federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds. She said that the district is keeping a close eye on which initiatives have the largest impact on teaching, learning and student outcomes. If it is what our students have always needed and [they] are able to provide that on demand, it is something that were expecting to keep for multiple years, Ruffin said. Ruffin said she is eager to gauge the results of this months second phase of the partnership with in-depth video tutoring for all third- and sixth-graders. Our data shows us that our third grade and our sixth grade are where we need some of the deep catch-up on the achievement gap right now, Ruffin said. I consider that to be the most intensive kind of tutoring. That is what I consider would close an achievement gap. She said Varsity Tutors 24/7 access has removed scheduling obstacles that previously prevented busy students from finding help late at night. Ruffin is hopeful that the essay review service with a 48-hour turnaround will provide students with quicker, more detailed feedback that teachers dont have the resources to provide. I heard that teachers were excited about the possibility of this being an answer for them, especially as we are experiencing a very large teacher shortage in Waterbury, Ruffin said. Waterbury is currently reporting 169 staff openings across the district amid a teacher shortage that is pushing more educators to retire early and overburdening the staff that remains with larger class sizes and heavier workloads. We have many teachers that are teaching extra classes. Where a student may have had an opportunity to meet with them during the day, its very restricted right now. A lot of the teachers do offer their time after school with students. But then if you have 20 students wanting to say after, its kind of hard, said Vincent Balsamo, the principal of Michael F. Wallace Middle School. [Varsity Tutors] provides much-needed flexibility for students, parents and teachers to help close that gap with learning. Brian Galvin, the chief academic officer of Varsity Tutors, said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the 15-year-old individual learning platform shifted to address the rapidly emerging need across the nations public schools. Galvin explained that Varsity Tutors began partnering with school districts to fill academic holes made by the pandemic. Through these partnerships, Varsity Tutors realized that they were not just helping the students, but also their teachers. There was sort of a revelation in our big evolution [which] was realizing how much wed be able to help support teachers, Galvin said. [For teachers] just knowing that theyre not the last line of defense when kids need help [and] to know that they have this extra outlet that eases some of the burdens has been really meaningful, Galvin added. Galvin said that Varsity Tutors is staffed by tens of thousands of tutors with expertise in hundreds of subjects. He said that the highly vetted experts include current teachers, retirees, grad students and others who all share a passion for the service they provide. Theres just this kind of education heart here of everyone wanting to be able to give back [and we have] a lot of pride in our ability to partner with underfunded districts and underserved populations and know that were really making a difference, Galvin said. Knowing that its oftentimes folks who wouldnt have been able to afford [tutoring] or seek it out on their own, that that really matters. Thats been a pretty big cultural win for us as weve gotten more and more school partnerships going. Alison Cross can be reached at across@courant.com. Sorry, no valid subscriptions were found for this Publication. Please select from an option below to start a subscription. SUBSCRIBE TODAY! 24 Hour Access Support service workers at London-based charity Hestia are taking further strike action this week over an ongoing pay dispute. According to workers union Unite, 13 of Hestias around 20 staff based in Hounslow are striking from Monday to Friday this week and will stage a protest outside the charitys head office on Wednesday. The charity disputed the unions numbers, saying instead that only seven workers went on strike on Monday. Unite has accused Hestia of refusing to negotiate while the charity has said it recognises a different union, Unison, for collective bargaining rights. Union: Low pay, lost expenses Hestias staff previously took part in strike action in December over the pay dispute. Unite regional officer, Steve ODonnell said: Hestia now faces a series of strikes in Hounslow. The council must be genuinely concerned about the disruption and Hestias refusal to negotiate. The issues wont go away just because bosses ignore them. Workers continue to face unmanageable caseloads, low pay, lost expenses, increased stress and increased sickness. Hestia have done nothing to address the lack of resources. Hestia management are truly delinquent. Bosses need to step-up and resolve this dispute. Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham said: Hestias shambolic management are running the service into the ground. The workers on strike are taking a brave stand against ignorant bosses who refused to listen to wise counsel. It must be dawning on Hestias management that strike action wont end until negotiations begin and a deal is reached. Charity: We are trying to reduce staff workloads Hestia Hounslow LIFE is a referral service which provides adult services in Hounslow. A Hestia spokesperson said: As a charity, we value our dedicated and passionate staff without whom we would not be able to deliver life-changing services across the capital. We have been working with staff at Hounslow LIFE about changes to their service to reduce their workloads and have had positive feedback from them on the steps we have taken. A small number of staff at our Hounslow service went out on strike. We are of course doing everything we can to ensure that any disruption for our service users is minimised. We will also continue to work alongside our staff to ensure we are doing everything possible to make this vital service as successful as it can be. We cannot deliver support to those who need us without our talented and dedicated staff. To strengthen our engagement with employees, we have formally recognised Unison for collective bargaining rights, and we will continue to work with them alongside our existing employee forum to create the best working environment possible for Hestia employees. sign up to receive the Civil Society News daily bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector, In difficult times, the British public often dig the deepest. We are hugely grateful to the public, whose generosity never seems to waiver, and to our incredible partners, for helping us to raise 50m over the past year. Whilst that number is lower than what Comic Relief has raised in previous years, and many charities are finding it more difficult to fundraise, its still a significant amount that will make a difference to thousands of lives. We have a lot to be thankful for and proud of. Our Red Nose Day campaign in 2022 saw over 10,000 schools take part, a new partnership with LEGO, the BBC One night of TV was broadcast live from Salford for the first time, and we were able to act fast in response to the war against Ukraine. The Ukraine crisis happened during our Red Nose Day campaign, and were proud that we were able to mobilise quickly and provide 1.5m in emergency funding in March thanks to our long-standing partner Sainsburys, and a further 1m was donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee crisis appeal, which the public backed in the most extraordinary way. At Comic Relief, we need to keep finding ways to make it easy to give, to raise awareness of where need is greatest, and to tell stories of hopeful solutions that are addressing poverty and injustice. Crises around the world, a volatile economic climate, and the continuing cost of living crisis have taken a toll on our fundraising efforts. For us and for the charity sector, its been a tough year and the challenges will continue. Charting a path ahead We must adapt. Because our work in funding community organisations who are on the frontline of tackling poverty is needed as much as ever. Wealth and advances in society are benefitting too few and are not providing a good life for all. The issues around us may be serious, but when we come together and help each other out, were at our best as a society. We have always believed that being charitable can be easy and even fun. So, alongside our work to raise money and fund real change and impact, weve been hard at work on charting a path ahead. We have developed a new 2023-27 organisational strategy that reconfirms our commitment to our vision of a just world free from poverty and which reflects the rapid changes in the world today. We have a clear model of where we can make a difference towards the vision, through alleviating povertys consequences, tackling related injustices, and, in a new area for us, addressing the link between climate change and poverty. And well strive to get as many people as possible to see a role for themselves in making change, by engaging through multiple campaigns throughout the year, and meeting people where they are: what interests them, the popular culture they interact with, the formats and channels that they use the most. Focus on the climate crisis We have strengthened our focus on daily poverty, and were putting the strategy into action. A great example is our partnership with the Evening Standard and the Independent on a Christmas cost of living appeal which raised the most a campaign has ever raised in a month in the newspapers history. This, plus some wider activity we ran alongside the media appeal, has raised 1.7m for Comic Relief to award emergency grants to help people through the toughest times of their lives. This funding includes support for food and meals to reach vulnerable families, warm clothing and energy top up cards, and mental health support for people across the UK. Using the power of popular culture to drive change is very much part of Comic Reliefs DNA and something that well look to grow and support in other organisations. We have created our first Power of Pop Fund to harness the creativity and the power of popular culture to inspire social change and racial justice. Working with our progressive partners OAK Foundation, Esmee Fairbairn, Unbound Philanthropy and Paul Hamlyn Foundation we are committed to investing in organisations led by, and for, people of colour and look forward to supporting more communities and individuals with lived experience of racial injustice to tell their own stories authentically. The year ahead will also see Comic Relief make the climate crisis a key focus for our funding work for the first time, thinking specifically about how we can increase participation and engagement of minoritised communities in achieving climate justice. Red Nose Day 2023 We now look forward to a new chapter for Comic Relief. For 2023, we are aware that donations are hard to come by with so many donors struggling themselves. But we are hopeful, and full of determination. We are Comic Relief, after all, and weve never shied away from thinking big and bold. We have Red Nose Day 2023 just around the corner which will see the launch of a brand-new Red Nose that will be very different to anything anyone has ever seen from us before. Were also reigniting our beloved Sport Relief brand, with some surprises in store for the summer. Were on a journey, and were at the beginning. We need to keep refreshing what we do, keep listening to and learning from our audiences and stakeholders, and keep collaborating with those we work with to help save and improve more lives in this country and across the world. Samir Patel is chief executive of Comic Relief Civil Society Voices is the place for informed opinion, and debate about the big issues affecting charities today. Were always keen to hear from anyone, working or volunteering at a charity, who has something to say. Find out more about contributing and how to get in touch. is the place for informed opinion, and debate about the big issues affecting charities today. Were always keen to hear from anyone, working or volunteering at a charity, who has something to say. When you hear the word turkey, what comes to mind first: the country or the bird? The fear that it might be the bird is one of a number of reasons why the countrywell, its government anywayhas pushed in recent years for the international community to start referring to Turkey using the Turkish spelling of Turkiye (pronunciation: TUR-kee-yeh), a request made of governments and international institutions and also, explicitly, of the worlds media. On the diplomatic front, the push has had some success. The United Nations officially accepted the Turkiye spelling last summer; earlier this month, the US State Department finally followed suit, promising to use the Turkish spelling in most formal, diplomatic, and bilateral contexts after the United States Board on Geographic Namesa federal body that I, for one, was delighted to learn existsapproved the change. It will get a workout this week: starting today, Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, is visiting the United States with a range of important matters on the table (not least Swedens and Finlands stalled requests to join nato). On the international media front the Turkiye push has been noticeably less successful, at least when it comes to major English-language outlets; none that I was able to find have taken up the Turkish spelling. I contacted a smattering of major US-based news organizations to find out whether they might adopt it. I didnt get much clarity in response (the American media, regrettably, does not have a shared Board of Geographic Names), but it doesnt look like Turkiye will be in vogue anytime soon. The Associated Presswhose Stylebook, a linguistic bible for many US newsrooms, was, as of last summer, watching to see how much acceptance the Turkish spelling gainedis still considering whether to adopt Turkiye, John Daniszewski, the APs vice president and editor at large for standards, told me. Reuters and BuzzFeed News (where I worked on the copy desk as an intern in 2017) are also reviewing the matter. The Washington Post and CNN were more definitiveboth said that they are sticking with Turkeythough CNN didnt rule out a future change. (The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and NPR didnt get back to me.) ICYMI: Both-sidesing the climate story Deciding whether to scrap Turkey for Turkiye may sound pedantic, but it could, at least in theory, be fraught for news organizations. The Turkiye push has been driven by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the increasingly authoritarian (not least toward the media) Turkish president, whoentering a year that will see both a crucial presidential election and the centenary of the founding of the Turkish republicseems to see Turkiye as a symbolic way to project his nationalist politics beyond Turkish borders. Critics see it as a convenient distraction from the struggling Turkish economy. Equally, Erdogan is far from the first Turkish leader to oppose the English Turkey spelling, and there are legitimate reasons for doing so. In an email, Erdag Goknar, an associate professor of Turkish and Middle East Studies at Duke University, described the Turkey spelling as a holdover from an old colonial order; in the nineteenth century, Western cartoons caricatured the late Ottoman Empire as a turkey in a fez. The media needs to consider whether the term Turkey has been used pejoratively in the past and has a denigrating legacy or associations, Goknar said. The historical record shows that it does. Its not new, of course, for a country to want the world and its media to call it something different. Often, the US press has followed suit. Burma is now commonly referred to as Myanmar even though the name change was highly controversial when the countrys military junta effected it in 1989. (The US State Department still says Burma.) More recently, North Macedonia and Eswatini (or eSwatini, as its sometimes styled) both quickly gained widespread acceptance in US media, though the latter is often still followed by the clause the country formerly known as Swaziland. Nor is it only country names that change. In 2019, the Times switched its spelling of Ukraines capital city from Kiev, a transliteration from Russian, to Kyiv, a transliteration from Ukrainian (though the paper retained the former spelling for the dish Chicken Kiev). Russias invasion last year considerably raised the stakes of the letter swap. While less geopolitically consequential, the case of Turkiye is perhaps more similar to that of Kyiv than that of another country; Turkey and Turkiye look very similar written down, and the latter spelling is already in use within Turkey itself. In theory, you might think that this would lower the bar for news organizations to make the change to Turkiye. But you might be wrong. Justifying their decision not to adopt the Turkish spelling, a spokesperson for the Post said that Turkiye and Turkey, though in different languages, are synonymous and the Posts style guide dictates the use of countries names in English; a spokesperson for CNN, meanwhile, said that the network strives to weigh requests for name changes with how well the original names are understood by our audience, and that it is comfortable for now that the English spelling best serves our audience. A Reuters spokesperson and Daniszewski, of the AP, both stressed the importance of clarity for their audiences as they weigh any change. Sign up for CJR 's daily email Clarity and fealty to existing style guides are not the only factors that news outlets told me they consider when mulling changes of this nature; Dru Moorhouse, the copy chief at BuzzFeed News, for instance, said that her desk takes self-identification and the origin of the name (e.g., colonialism) into account. Still, among the US outlets I canvassed, I heard very little back on the specific politics of the Turkiye push. I also checked in last week with CJRs own Mike Laws, who told me that it gets really tricky when copy desks make value judgments based on how much we like the politics of a given regime. He said that he doesnt think switching to Turkiye would be confusing for news consumersI think we need to give readers more credit than that, he saidthough he added that copy editors often like to scout around to see whether a given change has caught on before recommending it themselves. I suggested that this sounded ironic given that the news media is itself a key arbiter of whether a new word or name catches on. Its kind of a chicken-and-egg type situation, he acknowledged. I figured, in the course of reporting this newsletter, that Id come to a view of my own on whether we should follow the Turkiye push, but if anything, I feel more confused and conflicted now than when I started. Political value judgments are tricky, but language is political, unavoidably so, and I still cant quite shake the sense that acceding to a PR campaign from Erdoganin an election year, no lessrisks playing to the whims of a tyrant who is, among other things, one of the worlds leading jailers of journalists. Still, the question is deeper than Erdoganand, as Goknar told me, keeping the name Turkey wouldnt do much to save liberal democracy in the country either. And all proposed geographic name changes are politically unpalatable to someone. Deciding whether to go along may never be easy, but it strikes me as easier for an entity like the State Departmentwhich deals in the gray zone of diplomatic expediency and political self-interestthan for the press. All this to say: I guess Ill keep writing Turkey for nowat least until Mike Laws tells me otherwise. Turkish officials will, of course, continue to litigate the case for Turkiye in their overseas dealings; indeed, it wouldnt be surprising to hear Cavusoglu, the foreign minister, do so with the DC press corps this week. At a press conference last summer, a reporter asked Cavusoglu, in English, when Turkey might stop blocking Sweden and Finland from joining nato. You mean Turkiye, right? Cavusoglu replied. Yes, of course, the journalist said. Other notable stories: ICYMI: Is Twitter dying? And what would that mean for journalism? Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop. Juno Vu has suffered numerous blackouts and a heart attack, but nothing his doctors tried was able to stop his uncontrolled rapid heartbeats. Vu has ventricular tachycardia, caused by malfunctioning electrical signals in the lower chambers of the heart, which, besides heartbeats of more than 100 a minute, can result in insufficient blood being pumped throughout the body. Doctors at Hartford HealthCare turned to ablation by radiation, a rare therapy that is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration but was used off label to stabilize Vus heart. Its the first time its been done in Connecticut, they said. Its not a routine procedure. In fact, Dr. Helaine Bertsch, a radiation oncologist with the Hartford HealthCares Cancer Institute, said it was difficult for her because she is always sure to avoid the heart when using radiation to treat cancer. Vu, 44, who lives in Middletown and has no family history of heart problems, said he feels better than he has in years. Ive been having a heart issue for a good 10 to 15 years now, but the last two years, theyve really kicked up a notch, he said. I would just normally pass out out of nowhere. I can just be sitting there eating dinner and my heart would just stop working. This is despite having quintuple-bypass surgery in 2010 and a defibrillator implanted after a 2018 heart attack. Last year the defibrillator kicked in five times, he said. Before an attack, he would feel dizzy, and then, boom, youre done, he said. Lets do it! Vus heart was not serving him well. Vu is not eligible for a transplant because his hearts pumping ability is not reduced, according to Dr. Aneesh Tolat, the electrophysicist at the health care systems Heart and Vascular Institute who led the team that treated Vu. He was taking care of me for a good year before he decided to put me into something like this because we tried everything, said Vu, a technician at Stylux, a Southington nail salon. We tried medicine, we tried the ablation and apparently it doesnt work. When Tolat suggested radiation, Vu had a quick reaction: Lets do it! Im always willing to try new stuff, Vu said. If this works, and then if this works for future patients, then why not? I mean, I have nothing to lose because Im passing out all the time. Juno Vu at work at Stylux Beauty Lounge in Southington, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023. Vu has severe ventricular tachycardia. Hartford Hospital used a non-FDA-approved radiation treatment to treat him and Vu doing well. Before the procedure on Dec. 28, Vu would get winded at work or on the treadmill, but no more. He no longer has to take daily naps. It is early, however, to know the full effects, Tolat said. As of right now, I feel fantastic, Vu said. I can do a lot more, more than what I was able to do a couple of weeks ago. Im not as winded. I can just pretty much live a normal life as of right now. Tolat, who came to Hartford HealthCare in 2020, reached out to Bertsch before he arrived, saying hed like to work together on the rare therapy. She and Ted Steger, a radiation oncologist in the Cancer Institute, worked together to target and plan the procedure. I represent cardiology from the Heart and Vascular Institute. Ted and Helaine are in the Cancer Institute, so normally we dont really cross-communicate too much, Tolat said. We dont really cross paths. Weve been interested in this modality for treating patients who have no other options. That was very hard Vu was a good candidate because, Tolat said, his ventricular tachycardia was life threatening. He had two ablations, which electrically cauterize the muscles where the electrical signals are located. It basically heats and destroys the tissue within that area that the catheter is touching, Tolat said. So its like trying to cut off a short circuit. Juno Vu of Middletown works on client Savannah Dickson, right, at Stylux Beauty Lounge in Southington, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023. Vu has severe ventricular tachycardia. Hartford Hospital used a non-FDA-approved radiation treatment to treat him and Vu doing well. Ablation has a success rate of about 70%, but the scarring from his heart attack, caused by dead heart cells, was too deep and massive. There can be many channels and in Junos case his entire floor of the ventricle was covered with diseased and scar tissue, Tolat said. Hartford HealthCare is planning a clinical trial on the radiation therapy, but the doctors decided Vu couldnt wait. The procedure, first done at Stanford University in 2014, has been performed on 15 to 20 patients since with dramatic reduction in these arrhythmias, Tolat said. I told him that we had never done this here at Hartford Hospital, but there was data and we would be in touch with people who have done it to be able to do this safely for him, Bertsch said. And he was quite excited, she said. He really wanted to do this. You could not have found a more enthusiastic patient. During the planning session, Dr. Tolat, myself and Ted got together to design the radiation that is targeted to the area of the heart thats causing the abnormal impulses and this is the difference between doing it for people with cancer and doing it with someone with an invisible electrical problem, Bertsch said. Its one thing to target a visible tumor, but another to target an amorphous area inside the ventricle. I cant see the area thats causing the abnormality in the heart. Thats invisible to my eye, she said. So thats where Dr. Tolat really came in to help me know where to aim the radiation. Juno Vu of Middletown works on client Savannah Dickson, left, at Stylux Beauty Lounge in Southington, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023. Vu has severe ventricular tachycardia. Hartford Hospital used a non-FDA-approved radiation treatment to treat him and Vu doing well. The other challenge is the heart not only has cardiac motion from beating, but also when the patient breathes, the whole heart itself moves, Steger said. So hitting a moving target is something that is challenging. We do have experience with it in the lung, but adding that cardiac motion is an extra challenge. So they performed a 4D CT scan to determine how to target the radiation, and another CT scan when Vu was ready for the procedure to make sure everything lined up properly. We successfully delivered the intended dose to the target so that is the success, Bertsch said. So longer term it takes a little while for his new aberrant pathways to go away. That doesnt happen instantaneously. Bertsch said the procedure was stressful for her. For me, my biggest worry is again, normally that big circle mass in the heart, in the chest is something I avoid, she said. Every single time I try not to aim any radiation at that. Every time. And now youre asking me to give one high-dose radiation to the thing that Ive avoided my entire life. So that was very fear inducing. That was very hard. Its a promising, exciting area that still needs some careful evaluation, Tolat said of using radiation to ablate the heart. Its a treatment that is available for people who have tried all other FDA-approved treatments and continue to have a problem. And its certainly not something that we do for just anyone. And its a very specialized thing, but its innovative and important enough to have in the state. A spokesman for Yale New Haven Health said the Yale New Haven Heart and Vascular Center is working on being able to offer radiation treatment soon. As for Vu, who said he is an optimistic person, its so far so good. Im loving it. Im living life. Ed Stannard can be reached at estannard@courant.com. I am that red-faced embarrassed person who has to announce awkwardly that Im in a messy divorce process and no longer consider myself to be part of the couple referred to as having been together for four decades. I recently received a thank you from Josh Cochran, the curator of American History and Diplomacy at Yale Universitys Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. His thank you letter ended: Thank you again for your wonderful contributions over the past four decades in preserving the record of the Kent State tragedy at Yale special collections. Please know we are honored to preserve and steward the materials you donated. Oops. Maybe Dr. Cochran is new to his job at the rare book library and doesnt know that in the last two years I have publicly announced my desire for a divorce. Yale refused my request to dissolve the arrangement as co-founder of its Kent State Collection established in 1977, so I requested that if no divorce were possible, at least the university should give me personally a separation by transferring my own files in Yales Kent State Collection to Kent State itself. Yale refused that too. So I now consider myself kicked out of the Yale house without my own clothes, not divorced, but effectively separated without being officially out of the marriage. How awkward then to receive a painfully polite thank you from Dr. Cochran for my loyal 44-year marriage (1977- 2021) to Yales Kent State Collection, when I am self exiled from that very collection which I co-founded with Peter Davies, author of The Truth About Kent State: A Challenge to the American Conscience. (1973, Farrar, Straus & Giroux). I replied to Dr. Cochran on January 10, and tried to explain to him that, like most disintegrating marriages, my disillusionment began decades ago. Here is what I told him: I became doubtful of Yale s commitment to its Kent State Collection decades ago, after the donation of national guardsmens murder weapons was quietly abandoned, perhaps due to criticism from conservative Yale alumni, which was animated at the time. (NYT May 5, 1985 Yale to add Kent State Weapons to Archives attached ). As co-creator of the Kent State Collection at Yale Library in 1977 with Davies, I arranged donation of his manuscript and 60 boxes of research for The Truth About Kent State: A Challenge to the American Conscience to go to Yale Library instead of to Kent State Library because at that time Kent State Library was funded by the Ohio Legislature, the same funding source for the rifles that killed four students and wounded nine others in the May 4, 1970 demonstration, by Ohio National Guardsmen. This was a clear conflict of interest. On May 4, 1970, I was a graduate student at Kent State University and witnessed four students killed and nine other students wounded when Ohio National Guardsmen fired into a crowd of unarmed student demonstrators. A man reads the Ohio historical marker commemorating the Kent State shootings, Monday, May 4, 2020, in Kent, Ohio. The Ohio National Guard opened fire on unarmed college students during a war protest at Kent State University on May 4, 1970. Four students were killed, and nine others were injured. Not all of those hurt or killed were involved in the demonstration, which opposed the U.S. bombing of neutral Cambodia during the Vietnam War. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) As the 50th anniversary of the killings approached on May 4, 2000, all lawsuits had long ago been settled and the state of Ohio (the Kent State Library funding source) no longer had any interest in using Davies research and documents to defend itself in court. The logical time had come to consolidate all Kent State research at Kent State in my opinion. That commitment waned further after Larry Dowler who had negotiated donation of Yales Kent State Collection in 1977 as head of Sterlings Manuscripts and Archives Division departed Yale to become archivist at Harvard, leaving Yales Kent State Collection in effect an orphan in foster-parent hands. Subsequently the closing of the collection to new donors by Christine Weideman ended public attempts to add the papers of Kent State President Glenn Olds to the collection, unfortunately, perhaps, allowing some of his candid communications with the Nixon White House to forever wash out to sea, never to be found. An axiom emerges from my attempts to preserve evidence in the Kent State issue through the muscle of academic freedom: Politics prevails over the Academy, despite Henry Steele Commagers 1970 address at Kent State University to the contrary: The Academy and the Community of Learning. Another axiom emerges from my attempts to preserve evidence in the Kent collection: If Dr. Cochran is going to be an effective curator of American History and Diplomacy as his title at Yale describes him, he needs to know the facts, even if my face has to turn redder. Paul Keane is a Connecticut native, a Yale divinity School graduate and a retired Vermont teacher. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 16) A group of young farmers on Tuesday laid out possible solutions that will help the onion industry amid the issues it is facing. Speaking to CNN Philippines The Source, Elvin Laceda, national president of the Young Farmers Challenge Club of the Philippines Inc. (YFCI), said the Department of Agriculture (DA) should have a market-driven production using data management system. We need to create a system that will enable us to know what the market needs three to six months ahead of time, he said. We need innovation in creating data management system in Department of Agriculture so that hindi guesswork lang... dapat data driven (so that we don't guesswork, it should be data driven). YFCI, formed through a competitive financial grant assistance program of the DA, serves as a community platform, policy advocacy center, and knowledge hub to promote the welfare and build the capacity of Filipino young farmers. Laceda maintained that they are not seeing onion shortage in the country. Its just that supply is in cold storages that are controlled by traders and hoarders. Aside from this data system, he said the government should ensure existing laws are implemented. Onion farmers should also be given access to credit with low interest, since this is currently limited to other industries, he added. Laceda is also pushing for the creation of a law that will give more power to farmers for them to be heard on critical matters being tackled by the government, like importation. For private individuals, they can also help by purchasing agricultural products on their platform Sa Kahon Marketplace. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 17) The worsening state of the agriculture sector, with farmers recording massive crop losses, has triggered deep emotional stress among local producers. At a Senate hearing on Monday, Elvin Laceda, national president of the Young Farmers Challenge Club of the Philippines, said five farmers died by suicide in Bayambang, Pangasinan. Present during the hearing was the wife of one of the onion farmers, Nanay Merly (not her real name), who regained strength to continue running their family farm after her husband took his own life in 2022. This, as their farm went bankrupt after harabas or army worms killed their crops. While they replanted, Nanay Merly shared that they still suffered losses due to storms. "Milyon-milyon po ang utang nila dahil sa harabas, army worm. Ngayon pa lang sila sana nakabawi pero dahil may importation po, wala pang 100 days, pero kailangan nang i-harvest, 85-90 days," Laceda said. [Translation: They owe millions because of harabas, army worm. Their recovery should start now, but because there is importation, they have to harvest early, 85-90 days instead of 100 days.] "Yung storya ni Nanay, sana hindi na maulit sa ibang magsasaka," he added. [Translation: I hope Nanay's story won't happen again to other farmers.] Last week, the Department of Agriculture said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved the importation of 21,060 metric tons (MT) of onions amid soaring prices in local public markets. The supply is expected to arrive later this month or the first week of February. Meanwhile, during the same hearing, municipal agriculturist Romel Calingasan of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro revealed that farmers in the town were forced to sell their onions for 8 to 15 per kilo during the harvest season in 2022 due to a cold storage shortage. They later found out that traders sold their produce for up to 700 per kilo in Metro Manila markets from September to December, Calingasan said. Reacting to Laceda's information about the death of some onion farmers, AGAP Party-list Rep. Nicanor Briones said the situation was "alarming." "Nakakaalarma. Maliwanag na ang magsasaka ay nahihirapan at ang pagkain ay napakamahal," he told CNN Philippines' The Source on Tuesday. [Translation: It's alarming. It is clear that the farmer is struggling, and food is costly.] The lawmaker said this was the result of inadequate support from the government for farmers, as well as insufficient efforts to stomp out smuggling. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 17) Actress-TV host Alex Gonzaga is trending once again, this time for her behavior during her recent birthday party. In a video clip that spread online on Monday, the 35-year-old Gonzaga blew her birthday candle, then smeared the chocolate icing on the face of the service worker who held the cake. In the video posted and quickly deleted by content creator Dani Barretto, the guests can be heard cheering while the server turned his head. Gonzaga's name landed on the top trending topics on Twitter on Tuesday, with social media in uproar over her actions. Online personalities and netizens expressed disappointment over how she treated the male staffer while calling for better treatment of workers in the service industry. Vlogger Janina Vela said there was a clear imbalance of "power dynamics" since the staff wouldn't be able to complain. "Service workers are our equals. It's their job to serve, but it's our job to give them the respect they deserve," she tweeted. TikTok content creator Arshie Larga noted that playfully smearing cake icing is a common occurrence during celebrations, but he said that doesn't apply to this situation. "Ginagawa rin naman natin yan PERO sa mga taong ka-close lang natin. Hindi sa taong gusto lang naman magtrabaho ng maayos," he wrote. [Translation: We also do that, but only to people we are close to. We don't do that to people who just want to work.] One netizen lamented, "What irks me about this alex gonzaga fiasco is the power imbalance between her and the server. Being laughed at in front of so many rich ppl must've been hard for him, but alex probably thinks of it as a "joke" lang. tbh [To be honest] this is blatant bullying in plain sight." Internet personality Oliver of Otakoyakisoba reflected on his past experience in customer service, saying workers shouldn't be humiliated for the sake of content. "Just because you pay them does not mean you can do anything to them. Even if it was with consent, some will feel the pressure and just go along with it even if they feel uncomfortable... Make sure if you see something wrong, please say something and dont be a bystander and take a video of it for giggles," he wrote on Facebook. Gonzaga has yet to comment on the issue. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 16) A local agriculturist from Occidental Mindoro urged the government to establish more storage facilities after farmers in the province were forced to sell their onions for 8 to 15 per kilo during the harvest season in 2022 due to cold storage shortage. In a Senate hearing on Monday, municipal agriculturist Romel Calingasan of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro said traders were tapped to directly buy onions from farmers, with the price set by the buyers due to the high volume of imported supply and lack of storage area for local produce. They later found out that traders sold their produce for up to 700 per kilo in Metro Manila markets from September to December, he noted. "'Yung presyo na pinag-uusapan ngayon na nagra-range sa 600 to 700 sa merkado ay binili lamang sa mga magsasaka ng San Jose, Occidental Mindoro ng 8 to 15 during harvest season sa amin noong buwan ng March to April, 2022," Calingasan said. [Translation: The prices we are talking of now that range from 600 to 700 in the market were bought from farmers of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro at 8 to 15 during our harvest season in March to April 2022.] He said local farmers who were categorized as producers have become consumers by that time because they no longer have onions. Farmers present during the hearing said they did not benefit from the high price of onion, adding they cannot do anything if the traders want a lower price. They also noted that if the traders will not purchase their produce, these will just be wasted. Calingasan said local producers failed to preserve the onions since storage facilities in the province, and even in Metro Manila, were already "full." He said the province, especially the town of San Jose, needs more storage facilities as its onion production in 2022 alone reached 3,485 hectares. The Department of Agriculture said it hopes to build more cold storage facilities this year. However, farmers said this is now a life-or-death situation after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved the importation of more than 21,000 metric tons of onions. Pinagsamantalahan na patungan ng almost 1,000 percent. Tapos ngayon na mag-aani na po si Juang magsasaka sasabayan niyo ang importasyon, Calingasan said. Papatayin niyo po talaga kami. [Translation: They took advantage of the situation by marking up by almost 1,000%. Now that Juang magsasaka will harvest, importation was allowed. You are really killing us.] CNN Philippines correspondent Eimor Santos contributed to this report. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 16) The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) would need the help of other law enforcement agencies if it were to investigate the alleged involvement of cartels and hoarders in the surging prices of onions, the agencys new chief said. One thing that we have to emphasize is that the PCC is just one of the government agencies that should be looking into this, PCC Chairman Mike Aguinaldo told CNN Philippines The Final Word. According to Aguinaldo, if hoarding is involved, the Agriculture and Trade and Industry departments should be in the picture. He added that if the inquiry is to determine the persons involved in the hoarding of the commodity, then the National Bureau of Investigation and the national police should be expected to help as well. These things are definitely not that simple, he said. That would require a certain level of investigation that I'm not sure the PCC is actually equipped to do, but maybe other law enforcement agencies can assist or provide that service. The Ombudsman earlier said officials from the Department of Agriculture will be investigated regarding the soaring prices of red and white onions in the market. Marikina Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo previously filed House Resolution No. 681, which calls for a legislative investigation into the alleged existence of a cartel, as well as supposed anti-competitive practices in the onion sector. Quimbo also said she wanted to know if the PCC has done enough to address the onion crisis. RELATED: EXPLAINER: Why onions in PH are now more expensive than meat Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 16) Despite having only two senators in the opposition, Senate Minority leader Koko Pimentel on Monday said he believes the whole upper chamber will not let the controversial Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) just easily pass and be a law. We will really scrutinize this and I think although we only have a 2-person minority, I believe that the 22-person majority will also scrutinize this measure, he told CNN Philippines The Source. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he will explain to business leaders who are attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland that his administration aims to establish the Maharlika fund for investments in agriculture, energy, digitalization, and climate change, among others. The forum is a great venue for a soft launch of the MIF given its prominence and its participants, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Carlos Sorreta earlier said. However, Pimentel disagrees. The opposition senator earlier said a soft launch of the bill is premature. He also said this move may only pressure the senators to pass the controversial bill, which was swiftly approved by the House of Representatives. If the president announces this therefore it is premature and the more dangerous effect is this will be an indirect way of pressuring the Senate to blindly approve this measure which we should not, Pimentel explained. The senator said that the current version of the bill is not well thought of, it is not well written, and it has internal inconsistencies or contradictions. One of the issues he raised is on funding. House Bill 6608 states that the initial capitalization of the fund will be from the Landbank of the Philippines (Landbank) worth 50 billion, and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) worth 25 billion. It also noted that subsequent annual contributions, specifically in the first and second year of implementation, the Bangko Setral ng Pilipinas (BSP) shall remit 100% of its declared dividends, the bill said. In the succeeding years, the BSP shall remit 50% of its declared dividends to the MIF, and other half to the national government to fund the increase in the capitalization of the BSP. Pimentel said these funds already have their purpose since these help banks run in prudent manner to maintain the ratios required by the BSP. If we move this from the balance sheets of DBP and Landbank of the Philippines then they will be, they might be already falling below the ratios or the reserve requirements required by the Bangko Sentral, he pointed out. Moreover, requiring the BSP to remit dividends will deprive the national government of some cash flow, he said. What will replace the cash flow from a dividend of a governmental body like the BSP, either higher taxes or more borrowings so balik din po tayo (we just go back), Pimentel said. The Maharlika Corporation actually will be another reason to incur more borrowings. The House approved the proposed Maharlika Investment Fund on Dec. 15, barely two weeks after it was filed on Nov. 28 by House Speaker Martin Romualdez, presidential son and Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos, and four other lawmakers. It was received by the Senate on Dec. 19, but the upper chamber has yet to tackle the proposed measure. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 16) Progressive groups have condemned the alleged abduction in Cebu City of union organizers Dyan Gumanao and Armand Dayoha, who were reunited with their families on Monday after they were reported missing since Jan. 10. The staggering experience of Gumanao and Dayoha exposes the barefaced disregard of basic human rights by state forces and their rabid intent to harm and attack unionists, Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said in a statement. Citing Gumanaos father, womens group Gabriela said the abductors presented themselves as members of the Philippine National Police (PNP). A video released by human rights group Karapatan and which it credited to a concerned citizen, purportedly showed Gumanao and Dayoha being abducted in broad daylight at the Port of Cebu. The video showed men in plain clothes apparently shoving someone into a car at the port as onlookers shouted and called for help. But the video was shot from afar and the faces of those involved could not be seen. Gumanao is from ACT while Dayoha works for the Alliance of Health Workers. Both are based in Cebu. The abduction took place during their return to Cebu on Jan. 10, after a holiday visit in Mindanao, according to Karapatan's regional chapter. Prior to the incident,the two raised alarm over what they suspect to be surveillance and tailing since 2020. Although they were reunited with their families on Monday, Gabriela said the abductors should be held accountable for violating human rights. Details of the union organizers' release were not immediately clear. We are in solidarity with them and their families in their pursuit to hold their perpetrators accountable who are reported to be members of the PNP, Gabriela Secretary-General Clarice Palce said in a statement on Monday. Dapat nang may mapanagot sa karahasang ginagawa ng mga pulis at militar laban sa mga aktibista. Ilang aktibista na ba ang pinaslang at dinukot nang walang nakakamit na hustisya? Palce added. [Translation: Someone should be held accountable on these harassments done by police and military officers against activists. How many activists have been killed and abducted without achieving any justice?] CNN Philippines is seeking comment from the PNP. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 17) The Philippine government will proceed with the procurement of bivalent vaccines against COVID-19 despite reports linking a specific brand to a type of adult stroke. Department of Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said such reports should be taken with a grain of salt, adding that even monovalent vaccines come with certain risks but those that ended up with adverse reactions are less than 1% of the total vaccinated population. "Dito sa study na lumabas, yung totality does not really conclude na kapag ikaw ay binigyan ng bivalent (vaccine), talagang magkakaroon ka ng stroke," explained Vergeire. "Ang sinabi lang the risk would be there and if we go back to previous vaccines, iyong monovalent, marami din naman ganitong reaksyon na naire-report." [Translation: In the study that came out, it does not really conclude that you will have a stroke if you are given the bivalent. It only says the risk would be there and if we go back to previous vaccines the monovalent a lot of these reactions are reported.] The US CDC is looking into a possible safety concern in which people aged 65 and older were more likely to suffer from an ischemic stroke weeks after receiving Pfizer's updated COVID-19 shot. But Vergeire said this should not stop the country from getting its hands on vaccines that will increase Filipinos' protection against severe disease. "Of course, it is considered. We will monitor properly itong mga babakuhanan kung sakaling dumating na itong bivalent sa atin. Pero hindi ito dapat maging balakid para matanggap ng ating mga kababayan ang kinakailangan nilang bakuna para ma-prevent ang severe and critical complications of COVID-19," Vergeire said. [Translation: Of course, it is considered. We will monitor properly those who will be vaccinated once these bivalent vaccines arrive. But these should not be a hindrance for the public to get the necessary vaccines to prevent the severe and critical complications of COVID-19.] Meanwhile, the DOH said COVID-19 shots are now available in 3,697 community healthcare centers. "Noong nag-umpisa tayo mag-ramp up sa booster shots, marami na sa local governments natin ay nag-desisyon na kung saan they integrated their COVID-19 vaccination with their primary care facilities," Vergeire said. [Translation: When we started to ramp up booster shots, many local government units decided to integrate their COVID-19 vaccination with their primary care facilities.] Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 17) Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian has expressed optimism that talks between the Philippines and China on joint oil and gas exploration in the West Philippine Sea will resume even after the Supreme Court recently declared a 2005 tripartite maritime seismic undertaking in the area as unconstitutional. Huang reiterated the commitment made by both Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to discuss joint oil and gas exploration during the state visit of Marcos early this month. Our top leaders have agreed to resume the discussions and negotiations on the joint oil exploration and we believe that the two countries will engage each other and discuss the details and we hope to make some improvements in the future, he told reporters on the sidelines of the Chinese Embassys New Year clebration on Monday. The Chinese envoy added that both Manila and Beijing should work together to remove obstacles in areas of cooperation to sustain the momentum of Philippine-China ties. The diplomat, however, said that appealing the Supreme Court decision on the joint maritime deal in the West Philippine Sea is an internal affair of the Philippine government. We do believe that it is in the fundamental interest of the Philippines and the Filipino people to develop oil and gas jointly, he said. RELATED: Roque to SolGen: Appeal SC decision on joint exploration deal Voting 12-2-1, the Supreme Court en banc ruled last week that the 2005 Joint Maritime Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) between the Philippines, China and Vietnam was unconstitutional because it allowed wholly-owned foreign companies to explore the Philippines natural resources without observing safeguards provided under the Constitution. Former Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, an international law expert, said the SC decision does not bode well for Philippine-China and Philippine-Vietnam relations. Under the UNCLOS the area covered by the JMSU is subject to sovereign rights," he said. "In other words, the 60-40 rule by the constitution should not have been applied in an area covered by EEZ." I am hoping the Office of the Solicitor General will file a comprehensive and a convincing motion for reconsideration for at stake is not only the peaceful resolution of the West Philippine Sea but also the right of the Filipino people to benefit from the natural resources found in Recto Bank, Roque concluded. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 17) The number of journalists killed around the world spiked by nearly 50% in 2022, marking a dramatic reversal of the positive trend seen in recent years, the United Nations agency UNESCO reported. UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay on Monday said 86 journalists and media workers were slain globally last year, or around one case in every four days. This is up from the average of 58 per year from 2019 to 2021, when the figures had dropped from the 99 deaths in 2018. These numbers are a reminder of the growing fissures in rule of law systems worldwide, and highlight states failure to fulfill their obligations to protect journalists and prevent and prosecute crimes against them, Azoulay said in a statement. The agency noted all regions were affected, but the deadliest for journalists was Latin America and the Caribbean, where 44 killings or over half of the total were recorded in 2022. Sixteen killings were registered in Asia and the Pacific, while there were 11 in Eastern Europe. For individual countries, UNESCO said the top three deadliest were Mexico with 19, Ukraine with 10, and Haiti with 9. Its data also showed four media killings were recorded in the Philippines last year: Jaynard Angeles, Federico Ding Gempesaw, Renato Blanco, and Percival Percy Lapid Mabasa, whose murder case has been particularly high-profile due to alleged involvement of the countrys suspended prisons chief. In November 2022, the New York City-based Committee to Protect Journalists released a report stating that the Philippines retained its ranking as the seventh worst country when it comes to prosecuting killers of journalists. According to UNESCO, around half of the victims across the globe were off duty when they were targeted. It added that the rate of impunity for journalist killings remains high at 86%, "creating a chilling effect for the work of journalists and risking freedom of expression worldwide." This proves that combating impunity remains a pressing commitment on which international cooperation must be further mobilized, Azoulay said. The director-general listed a variety of reasons behind the killings, including reprisals for reporting on organized crime, armed conflict or the rise of extremism, and covering sensitive subjects such as corruption, environmental crimes, abuse of power, and protests. On top of these, she said media workers continue to be threatened with multiple forms of violence, such as enforced disappearance, kidnapping and arbitrary detention, legal harassment, and digital violence, particularly against women journalists. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 16) A lawmaker on Tuesday said he believes criminals have conspired with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Bureau of Customs (BoC) that led to the onion crisis that is affecting both farmers and consumers. Sabi ko nga matitigil lang yan kung yung nagbabantay at binabantayan ay magka-iba, AGAP Party-list Rep. Nicanor Briones told CNN Philippines The Source. Ang nanghuhuli ng smuggling ay taga-Custom at taga-DA, alam naman natin na ang smuggling mangyayari lang naman kung may kasabwat na taga-Custom at taga-DA. [Translation: I said this will only be stopped if the people being monitored and the people monitoring are different. Those who go after smugglers are from the BoC and DA, we know that smuggling will only happen if there is collusion with those from the BoC and DA.] While the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act was passed in 2016, the lawmaker pointed out that implementation is not effective since no one has gotten imprisoned so far. To address this, Briones is pushing for the creation of an anti-agricultural smuggling task force under the Office of the President. Most of its members should be from sectors affected by the smuggling problem, he said. This can be funded through the proposed Livestock, Poultry, and Dairy Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, which is like the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund that sources its budget from tariff collected from rice importers. Ang makukuhang pondo ay 12. 5 billion a year, so kung makapag-set aside tayo kahit 5% or 10% coming from that funds na kinolekta sa tariff, so may pondo rin yung task force hindi bababa 500 (million) to 1 billion a year, Briones noted, adding that this will allow its members to monitor ports for possible entry of smuggled agricultural goods. [Translation: The fund to be collected is 12.5 billion a year, so if we will be able to set aside even 5% or 10% from those funds collected from tariffs, the task force will have a fund of not less than 500 million to 1 billion a year.] He also said the task force will be allowed to catch those involved and to conduct an investigation, as well as deputize the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation to go after violators. CNN Philippines has asked DA and BoC to comment, but they have yet to reply. Meanwhile, the rising prices of onions pushed the government to approve the importation of over 21,000 metric tons of onions. However, Bureau of Plant Industry officer-in-charge Gerald Panganiban told a hearing on Monday that less than 5,000 MT are expected to come in since the application to import thus far only covers 25% of the approved allotment. Briones said prices will surely go down especially now that harvest season for onion is about to peak, possibly reaching 130- 150 a kilo. The DAs latest price monitoring showed that the average cost of a kilo of onion in Metro Manila markets is between 320 450. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 17) The Marcos administration projects the countrys 2022 economic growth to exceed the earlier goal of 6.5% to 7.5%, according to Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno. The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said Diokno made the statement on Monday during a luncheon hosted for the Philippine delegation in Davos, Switzerland coinciding with the World Economic Forum. Meanwhile, the Philippine economy is forecast to expand by around 6.5% this year amid an expected global slowdown, according to the finance chief. And thats still one of the highest if not the highest growth projection in the Asia-Pacific Region, he said. In its statement, the PCO said Diokno cited the Philippines bustling manufacturing sector, record-low unemployment, and stable and resilient banking system as buffers against external headwinds. He added that the government plans to further stimulate the economy by opening sectors to foreign equity, improving ease of doing business, and strengthening public-private partnership to support the administrations infrastructure program. During the gathering, Diokno also mentioned that the Marcos administration is pushing for a Philippine sovereign wealth fund, which would be called the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF), to support the governments development plan for 2023 to 2028. The measure seeking the creation of the MIF swiftly hurdled the House of Representatives last month amid concerns on capital sources and timing. The Senate, on the other hand, has yet to deliberate on the proposal. Tacloban City (CNN Philippines, January 17) The province of Northern Samar was placed under a state of calamity after floods and landslides displaced over 230,000 residents and damaged farms and infrastructure, officials said. Members of the provincial board made the declaration on Monday, Jan. 16, during a session headed by Vice-Governor Clarence Dato. Governor Edwin Ongchuan earlier requested the board to declare a state of calamity, as recommended by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. The national disaster response agency listed two persons dead in the province as a result of the calamity. According to the provincial disaster office, 238,322 individuals or 55,789 families were affected in the towns of Catubig, Las Navas, Catarman, Laoang, Mondragon, and Lope de Vega Damage to infrastructure was estimated at 260 million, based on a report from the provincial engineering office. An additional 160 million worth of damage on nationally-funded infrastructure was reported by the Northern Samar 1st Engineering District. Agriculture suffered 104.6 million in losses, most of which were devastated newly planted rice fields, according to the Provincial Agriculture Office's report. The provincial government distributed relief assistance in the form of food packs and distilled water to affected towns. The Department of Social Welfare and Development also provided additional family food packs as requested by local government units. Following the declaration of a state of calamity, Ongchuan ordered the provincial Trade department to monitor prices of products and establish price control. Death toll rises Meanwhile, in its latest report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said 29 people have died due to the shear line and northeast monsoon. Twelve others were injured, while 4 remain missing. The report said these weather conditions affected 1,956 barangays in 14 regions. The NDRRMC said a total of 347,382 families (1,398,103 individuals) were affected. So far, damage to infrastructure has reached P171.5 million, while damage to agriculture is pegged at over P399 million. CNN Philippines' Pia Garcia contributed to this story. Your article is being updated or not found. Please refresh after a moment Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 17) Travelers are not allowed to bring in vegetables to the Philippines without securing appropriate clearance permits from authorities, the Bureau of Customs (BoC) said. Travelers may not bring in vegetables (regardless of quantity) into the Philippines without the required Plant Quarantine Clearance (for personal use) or Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearance (for commercial use) from the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), the BoC said in a social media post on Monday. According to the BPI, the following require clearance before they are allowed entry to the country: 1. Living plants; 2. Nursery stocks, including vegetative parts thereof used as propagating materials; 3. Seeds and nuts for planting; 4. Fresh fruits, vegetables, and other plant products, which have been declared as prohibited/restricted imports under Special Quarantine Orders by virtue of their being known hosts of certain plant pests, or because they originate from restricted areas; 5. Pure cultures of fungi, bacteria, virus, nematodes and other phytopathogenic materials; 6. Mushroom cultures including spawn; 7. Algae cultures, rhizobial cultures as legume inoculants; 8. Soil and plant materials for isolation of organism; 9. Other plants cultures; 10. Certain species of animals such as insects, birds, monkeys, reptiles capable of causing injury to agricultural crops or are liable to become agricultural crop pests; 11. Biocontrol agents and genetically modified organisms/materials; The BoC said any person or company intending to bring in plants or plant products from another country should file an application for the necessary permits with the BPIs National Plant Quarantine Services Division prior to importation. This is to safeguard and prevent the spread of plant pests in the Philippines, the BoC noted. To apply for a Plant Quarantine Clearance or Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearance, follow this process: According to Presidential Decree No. 1433 or the Plant Quarantine Decree of 1978, anyone caught bringing in undeclared agricultural goods that may threaten the local industry will face penalties. "Any person, company or corporation who violates the provisions of this Decree, or forges, counterfeits, alters, defaces and destroys any document issued by virtue of this Decree shall be fined not more than Twenty Thousand Pesos (20,000.00) or by imprisonment from prison correctional to prison mayor, or both, at the discretion of the Court," the decree said. Earlier, at least 10 flight attendants of Philippine Airlines tried to bring in about 40 kilos of agricultural products, including onions. While the matter is already being investigated, Senators JV Ejercito, Raffy Tulfo, and Grace Poe condemned the BoCs humiliation of the PAL personnel, while big-time smugglers and cartels supposedly remain untouched. Colorado Politics is published both in print and online. Our website features subscriber-only news stories daily, designed for public policy arena professionals. Member subscribers also receive the weekly print edition of our award-winning newspaper, containing outstanding features and news stories, in their mailboxes every Saturday. You must be logged in to participate in the Show Me the Errors contest. (Posted Jan. 17, 2023) By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor The percentage of adults in Madison County who have coronary heart disease outpaces the percentage across Ohio and the United States. The same can be said of Madison County adults who have hypertension (high blood pressure), who are obese, and who have been diagnosed with diabetes. Statistics like these have local health, wellness, and education agencies working together to find ways to promote healthy behaviors to combat chronic disease. One goal is to improve nutrition. Information from the United States Department of Agriculture reveals that nearly 12 percent of Madison County residents dont have access to enough food or good quality food to meet their basic needs. Income, proximity to food resources, and transportation are contributing factors. A new Local Food Council is in the early stages of working toward the goal of improved nutrition for Madison County residents. The group held a community meeting in November to gather input to guide their efforts. We did some brainstorming and analysis and talked about what we thought the important issues are around local food, said Amanda Douridas, Madison County OSU Extension educator for agriculture and natural resources. We are working on our mission and vision statements, said Elizabeth Devine, director of community health and accreditation for Madison County Public Health. Generally speaking, the food councils purpose is to increase access to healthy food options, address food insecurity, help people find resources for food, promote economic development to support farmers and other food producers in the county, and provide education about healthy eating habits. The overall goal is to create healthier outcomes and reduce chronic disease in the county, Devine added. The food councils next meeting is set for 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Jan. 23 in the Della Selsor Building at the Madison County Fairgrounds, 205 Elm St., London. The meeting is open to anyone who is interested and passionate about helping with this process and achieving whatever goals we find to be on the table, Douridas said. We welcome anyone who is concerned about local food access and healthy lifestyles within the county, including farmers, local producers, and retailers interested in providing more food access. The council plans to meet monthly. For more information, contact: Elizabeth Devine at the health department, (740) 852-3065; Amanda Douridas or Deetra Huntington, SNAP-Ed program assistant, at OSU Extension, (740) 852-0975. China, Europe cooperation fuels EV market Xinhua) 09:17, January 17, 2023 People experience a BYD Han electric car during a media preview of the 100th Brussels Motor Show in Brussels, Belgium, Jan. 13, 2023. A fleet of luxury electric vehicles (EV) from Chinese manufacturers were showcased for the first time this week at the 100th Brussels Motor Show, which opened its doors to industry professionals and media on Friday. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong) China's breakthrough in Europe's EV market has won praise from many and criticism from some, with the latter arguing that it presents a threat to Europe's established automotive giants. However, many exhibitors asked by Xinhua at the Brussels Motor Show disagreed with this assertion. BRUSSELS, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- As the auto industry worldwide transitions towards electromobility and the number of Chinese-made "new energy vehicles" sold globally is on a steady increase, more and more carmakers and dealers across Europe consider the competition from Chinese manufacturers an opportunity rather than a threat. After a two-year hiatus, the Brussels Motor Show made a spectacular return on Jan. 14. The 100th edition of this prestigious trade event welcomes visitors until Jan. 22. On display are the cutting-edge electric vehicles and e-mobility technologies of the world's major carmakers. The 55-odd exhibitors include Chinese brands, such as BYD, SERES, BAIC or MG. They display fully electric vehicles as well as hybrid, gasoline and CNG (compressed natural gas) cars. China's leading electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD brought three models to the show: the ATTO 3, the HAN and the TANG, but the company's representatives told Xinhua that other models are also scheduled to be brought to Europe soon. BYD is already present in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium, and this year it will also launch in Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and the United Kingdom. Since 2015, China's EV products have dominated the global market. In 2022, the Asian country exported almost 680,000 "new energy vehicles," a 120 percent increase year-on-year. China's breakthrough in Europe's EV market has won praise from many and criticism from some, with the latter arguing that it presents a threat to Europe's established automotive giants. However, many exhibitors asked by Xinhua at the Brussels Motor Show disagreed with this assertion. People experience a BYD Tang electric car during a media preview of the 100th Brussels Motor Show in Brussels, Belgium, Jan. 13, 2023. A fleet of luxury electric vehicles (EV) from Chinese manufacturers were showcased for the first time this week at the 100th Brussels Motor Show, which opened its doors to industry professionals and media on Friday. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong) "We are in favor of a free market, we welcome competition, be it from China or the United States," Jeroen Lissens, head of corporate communications at BMW Group Belux, said. Without competition, the automobile industry would not be as innovative as it is today, he added. German high-end carmaker BMW displays its lineup of "new energy cars," including the fully-electric iX3 manufactured at the company's plant in Shenyang, northeastern China. "China is our biggest market. We are the only foreign carmaker in China having a joint venture with a share of 75 percent. We manufacture cars there," Lissens said. Volkswagen and the brands it owns also display their vision of the future of e-mobility. The German auto giant's show was organized by D'Ieteren, the Brussels-based automobile distribution company. Jean-Marc Ponteville, D'Ieteren's communications director, told Xinhua that the automobile market in Europe is highly competitive, which clearly benefits customers. "Competition is good, it moves the market forward," he said. It obliges carmakers to continue to invest in technology and innovation, he said. "The vehicle industry is by default multinational. Each car is assembled from parts made in different countries, so no car is made in a single country only," Ponteville said. The world's automotive industry is highly internationalized, whether in Europe, the United States, Japan or China. Chinese carmakers employ foreign designers, engineers and technologies, and their supply chains are also multinational. SERES, an EV maker based in southwest China's Chongqing, officially launched its three-model SERES 5 e-SUVs (sports utility vehicles) at the Brussels Motor Show. John Zhang, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of SERES Global, said he appreciated the global cooperation during the five years of development and testing of the new SUVs. People experience a Seres 5 electric car during a media preview of the 100th Brussels Motor Show in Brussels, Belgium, Jan. 13, 2023. A fleet of luxury electric vehicles (EV) from Chinese manufacturers were showcased for the first time this week at the 100th Brussels Motor Show, which opened its doors to industry professionals and media on Friday. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong) "It doesn't necessarily mean that there is a conflict when the cars come to Europe. SERES is a Chinese brand, but we use a lot of foreign technologies. Our cars are equipped with Bosch cameras, Bosch chips and Pirelli tires, all of which are European products," Zhang told Xinhua. "Today, when we released the new cars, we invited business representatives from the supply chain to attend, including Bosch, industrial robot maker FANUC, tire supplier Pirelli, and many others. Our suppliers welcome us very much. So, this is a win-win situation," he said. "Our secret is the Blade Battery, a fantastic technology," Mike Belinfante, senior public relations at BYD Europe, said. "We offer a platform to other companies in the U.S. or Japan who want to use our technology." "We all want to cooperate. Those who go it alone are bound to lose out. It's our common interest to share our technologies and our experiences," Belinfante said. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) As companies settle into the reality that hybrid and remote work will dominate tech and other 'knowledge worker' industries for the foreseeable future, the next challenge is to create corporate cultures that drive results. In Q4 2022, 79% of US employees worked in a remote or hybrid environment, according to market data firm Statista. Only 21% were fully onsite, compared with 60% fully onsite in 2019. Statista The "Computer & IT" industry was the top career category for fully remote jobs in 2022, with remote listings growing 24% year over year, according to job search site FlexJobs. Remote work is reshaping industries, allowing for greater employee work-life balance and flexibility while also enabling companies to consider a geographically borderless pool of talent. At the same time, companies are struggling with how to keep employees engaged as a team in a corporate vision and culture. With the US unemployment rate dropping to 3.5% last month (just 1.8% in the tech sector), organizations are struggling to recruit top talent even as many companies lay off workers hired in haste during the COVID-19 pandemic. So it's also key to ensure that the recruiting, interviewing, and onboarding process for new employees is conducive to long-term retention. Jessica Kriegel Jessica Kriegel, chief scientist of workplace culture at Culture Partners Jessica Kriegel, PhD, the chief scientist of workplace culture at business consultancy Culture Partners, spoke with Computerworld about what business leaders need to do to create a workplace culture even one that's based on a remote or hybrid model thats not only profitable but engages employees, keeping them productive, creative, and happy. The following are excerpts from that interview: What are some best practices organizations can use to ensure they not only find the right talent, but also create the best possible interview and onboarding experience? "I think the most [successful] companies understand this is like dating. People interview with multiple companies, and companies interview multiple candidates. So, both parties need to be excited about it, but many managers come from a place of entitlement or privilege where they believe everyone wants the job and theyve got it to dole out. "So, first its about changing the mentality of the hiring manager so that they dont think of it as a competition. Its much more of a sales opportunity to recruit someone to your company. You are selling the culture of the organization. "What you dont want is to fall into the trap of being insincere or inauthentic about your brand or culture, because then what happens... is ultimately the employee learns it's not what they were promised, and they end up leaving shortly after being hired. That attrition can be very disruptive to business practices. "If we want people to be more innovative, they need to have the belief that leadership encourages risk-taking and embraces failure in an effort to be more innovative." "The other thing is finding ways to have the interview be much more about understanding [a prospect's] abilities to apply their skills to what the job will entail, rather than just being a personality check. Most interviews are treated like, 'Do I like this person?' Thats dangerous because thats looking for culture fit. And culture fit is extremely dangerous to organizations. "Most hiring managers think, 'Do I like this person, or would I want to get a beer with them?' In that case, you end up hiring people who look like you... and talk like you. Thats unconscious bias. Youre going to prevent the organization from having diversity of thought and demographics. "Whats more powerful is purpose fit understanding what the individuals purpose is, and if they dont know what that is, helping them understand what it is. In other words, what motivates them and what meaning do they want to have in their vocation Then ensure theres alignment with the organizations purposes. Because if there is, that employee is going to work 10 times harder and be 10 times more passionate." How do you create workplace culture in a time of hybrid and remote work? "Most people think about culture in terms of perks. They think about ping-pong tables and Hawaiian-shirt Fridays, which theoretically are supposed to make people happier. Leaders who are trying to make their employees feel better are failing to leverage culture to drive results, because they dont understand culture. Culture is not about feelings. Culture is about the feelings we share that shape our beliefs. Our beliefs are what drive our actions, and our actions is what gets us results. "So, to get different results in an organization, you need to ask yourself, 'What actions do we need our employees to take?' Then ask, 'What beliefs would they need to hold?' And then we can be intentional about creating experiences that will lead to those beliefs. "For example, if we want people to be more innovative, they need to have the belief that leadership encourages risk-taking and embraces failure in an effort to be more innovative. So, the experience leaders need to create for that belief is not chastising and punishing people who fail fast. Recognizing and telling stories about people who were innovative how they tried, tried, and tried. And how they failed, failed, and failed until they succeeded. "Really, you should be selling all your office space and donating it to developers to make homes for the homeless or something, and be intentional about getting together every once in a while and not a certain number of days a week." "A ping-pong table isnt going to make anyone more productive. A Hawaiian shirt day isnt going to make anyone more innovative. And having a happy hour on Thursday isnt going to create organizational collaboration. Thats just going to make people temporarily happy." What are some tips? When should companies require knowledge workers to be in-office and for what reasons? "I think the office needs to be thought of differently no longer a space to work but now a space to gather with intentionality. So, going back to the definition of culture, which is experiences shaping beliefs that drive action, which get results. Bringing people together in person is an experience that should be created in order to shape a belief. "Don't try to get people into the office just to have them there because you think it will magically produce more creativity or productivity. The belief shaped in that experience is that you want to make sure Im sitting at my desk: 'They dont trust Im doing my work. They dont care about my health or happiness,' because all the studies show when we work from home were more productive, happier, and healthier. "So thats actually going to have the opposite effect on the employees beliefs to get the actions out of them than if you just be intentional about being in the office. That looks like: 'Lets get together once a year in the office or some hotel retreat.' "Really, you should be selling all your office space and donating it to developers to make homes for the homeless or something, and be intentional about getting together every once in a while and not a certain number of days a week." A lot of companies are dropping college degree requirements for new hires, even for technology or knowledge worker positions. Instead, theyre hunting for people who have a passion for technology and a willingness to learn. Is that a strategy thats working out? "Removing degree requirements is the best thing thats happened to the workforce in a long time in terms of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Degree requirements are arbitrary. They often seem like a necessary prerequisite for a job, but in reality they have nothing to do with a persons ability to actually do the job. Most jobs in corporate America dont benefit from an employee having a degree. "So, these organizations that remove degree requirements remove the privilege white people have in the workforce, because the percent of whites who have degrees is higher than the percentage of Blacks and Hispanics who have degrees. So, its creating more opportunity and access for the people who have been disadvantaged in the area of education." The 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed by Congress and signed by President Biden in late December 2022 was filled with a host of military-related cybersecurity provisions. One little-noticed provision in the bill called for a study of cybersecurity and national security threats posed by foreign-manufactured cranes at United States ports. Under this provision, the Maritime Administrator, working with Homeland Security, the Pentagon, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), is required to conduct a study to assess whether foreign manufactured cranes at United States ports pose cybersecurity or national security threats. It must be completed by late December 2023 and submitted to the Senate Commerce and Armed Services committees and House Transportation and Armed Services committees. Crane security study origins unclear Little information is available on why this study appeared in the NDAA or why a study of port crane security was deemed critical enough to include in the annual must-pass legislation. However, the study could be a concession to Representative Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), who introduced a bill last year, H.R.6487, the Port Crane Security and Inspection Act of 2022, that died in committee. Gimenez's bill limited the operation at US ports of foreign cranes made by US adversaries. It required CISA to inspect foreign cranes before they are placed into operation for potential security vulnerabilities and assess the threat posed by security vulnerabilities on existing or newly constructed foreign cranes. Gimenez's bill also called for CISA to report to Congress about critical and high-risk security vulnerabilities posed by foreign cranes at US ports. Gimenez's office did not respond to requests for comments on his bill or the NDAA-mandated study. FBI boarded Chinese ship in a mysterious incident Concerns about cybersecurity at the nation's increasingly digitized ports have been rising for years. As far back as 2013, a Brookings study concluded that the cybersecurity awareness and culture level in US port facilities was low and that basic cybersecurity hygiene measures were missing in most ports. Of the ports studied by the Brookings researchers, only one had conducted a cybersecurity vulnerability assessment, and none had developed a cyber incident response plan. In 2015, cybersecurity firm CyberKeel, now owned by Improsec, warned that 37% of maritime companies with Windows web servers weren't adequately installing security patches from Microsoft. Earlier in 2015, US Coast Guard officials reported that interference with GPS signals disrupted operations for seven hours at a significant, unidentified east coast port, affecting four cranes. In a barely noticed incident on September 15, 2021, FBI counterintelligence agents conducted a search of the Chinese merchant ship Zhen Hua 24 that delivered four "Neo-Panamax" port container cranes to Baltimore harbor. The agents were said by informed sources to have uncovered intelligence-gathering equipment on the ship during the search, but no details are available about what specific equipment they discovered. Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Company Limited, or ZPMC, manufactured the four cranes. ZPMC is the most prominent crane maker, boasting an 80% global market share. ZPMC's US offices did not answer questions about the NDAA study or the FBI incident. Likewise, the FBI declined CSO's request for an interview regarding the incident. Cybersecurity concerns center on crane communications Given the digitized nature of modern cranes, the NDAA study could have its origins in fears that the costly (typically starting at $15 million) and all-important port machines could come equipped with destructive malware or be vulnerable to malicious cyber incidents. But experts say it is more likely that the concern stems from the communications technology that controls the cranes' operations. "Without the intent of the client or the asset owner, some of these systems could be communicating outbound to possibly even the internet knowingly or unknowingly," Marco Ayala, global director, ICS cybersecurity and sector lead, 1898 & Co., tells CSO. "If there is a possibility of 'E.T. phone home' or some type of beacon or communication link that could give a command, a control capability, to a foreign adversary, whether that is for financial gain or just to create a logistics nightmare," that could create incredible bottlenecks at US ports, potentially causing substantial economic damage. Cameras on cranes could be surveillance tools Steve Gyurindak, CTO of network and operational technology at Armis, tells CSO that Chinese cranes, including the ZPMC cranes, might be under scrutiny because they come equipped with Chinese-made cameras that have "basically been branded surveillance tools" by the US government. Gyurindak was referring to a new rule issued in July 2020 by the Federal Acquisition Regulation Council that federal agencies can't "enter into a contract (or extend a contract) with an entity that uses any equipment, system, or services that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system. Among the equipment banned under the new rule are video surveillance and telecommunications equipment produced by Hytera Communications Corporation, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company, Dahua Technology Company, or any subsidiary or affiliate of these companies. "I would think if anything on the Chinese ship, the FBI was looking at the cameras," Gyurindak says. "The Chinese have invested a lot of money in using video for intelligence." Supply chain disruption fears could be the impetus Patrick Miller, president and CEO of Ampere Industrial Security, thinks it isn't "out of the realm of possibility" that China could be using port cranes for surveillance. They could be "trying to gather as much manifest information on what is coming in and out of America as possible," he tells CSO. "That would fit very well into their standard mode of operations and their motives." But, "I honestly think one of the bigger drivers behind [port crane cybersecurity fears] is we rely so much on trade through ports, and people in America freak out when there's a supply chain issue," Miller says. "If there were an attack on the ports in any way, shape, or form, that would be yet another reason for a supply chain problem." Port operational technology should be part of cybersecurity discussions Cranes are emblematic of the uneasy mix of internet and operational technologies (OT) characteristic of most ports. "For us, all this part of the port infrastructure is something that should be considered when conducting a risk assessment and identifying proper mitigation controls," Athanasios (Thanos) Drougkas, cybersecurity expert at European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), tells CSO. "For us, it's the starting point and where we see cranes in this whole process Drougkas is encouraged by the NDAA-mandated study. "I'm very happy to see that operational technology is becoming more and more a part of cybersecurity discussions," he says. "We're happy to see that national authorities all over are actually picking up on this." A herd of seven elephants including a male has been a worry to the local villagers and to the foresters in the last two years. (Representational Image: Twitter) Vijayawada: To curb the menace of elephants from the wild eating away crops and destroying the properties of villagers, the forest authorities have come up with an action plan. They propose to erect fences and set up barricades around the 300-hectare reserve forest area at a cost of Rs 40 crore in Parvathipuram-Manyam district. A herd of seven elephants including a male has been a worry to the local villagers and to the foresters in the last two years. They are eating away standing crops like wheat, vegetables, bananas etc, damaging the paddy fields and destroying the personal properties of local villagers. The problem is recurring every time the herd of elephants starts moving to the fringe villages of the reserve forest area for feed. The forest authorities deal with them carefully by not tranquillizing or trans-locating them as there are two elephant calves aged a year in the herd. The forest authorities intend to dig a trench measuring three metres in depth and a width of around 300 hectares of reserve forest area to serve as fencing. They also plan to set up poles similar to railway sleepers to serve as an enclosure, so that the elephants will be confined within the enclosure, with no chance for them to stray into the neighbouring villages, where human habitations and crops exist. They also plan to ensure proper food and water are available to the herd in the enclosure. The authorities have estimated the quantum of compensation for the affected farmers or villagers to the extent of `30 lakh for the last two years. The Parvathipuram-Manyam district forest officer GAP Prasuna said, We have submitted the proposals to the higher-ups for the fencing and barricading of around 300 hectares area at a cost of Rs 40 crore and also for compensation to the affected farmers and others. Once we get the requisite clearance and sanction of funds, we will start working on these to help avoid this problem on a permanent basis. Prime Minister Narendra Modi being greeted by party leaders as he arrives for the BJP National Executive meeting, at NDMC Convention Centre in New Delhi, Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. BJP National President JP Nadda is also seen. (PTI) NEW DELHI: Emphasising the political importance of the nine state Assembly polls to be held this year in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, BJP president J.P. Nadda on Monday told BJP leaders and cadre to ensure the partys victory in all states. The two-day-long BJP national executive meeting began in the national capital on Monday. The meeting was also attended by the partys top brass, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The national executive is likely to extend the tenure of Nadda, which is ending on January 20. The national executive hailed Modi for his efforts in the global branding of India and also for strengthening the cultural and spiritual heritage of the country, citing the Kashi Vishwanath corridor, redevelopment in Kedarnath and Badrinath and the ongoing construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya among others. The meet also thanked Nadda for his untiring efforts during the recently held Assembly elections. Modi will be giving the valedictory speech on Tuesday where he is likely to share mantras with the party leaders and cadre for the upcoming electoral battles. The meeting, through a political resolution, also condemned the Opposition for running the negative campaign over several issues against the government and launching "personal attacks" on Modi, and asserted that Supreme Court verdicts, including Pegasus, Rafale and Central Vista cases, exposed it. Noting that 2023 is a very crucial year, Nadda asked the party leadership to be ready with full commitment to win all the poll-going states. That "Garib Kalyan" will be the BJPs main poll plank for the coming electoral battles was evident as Garib Kalyan, Hamara Sankalp banner was donning the main entrance of the venue, which also had cutouts of Rafale, Statue of Unity, Vande Bharat train, Subhash Chandra Boses statue under the canopy at India Gate, were erected at the venue. "National president exhorted all the national executive members to be ready with full commitment to ensure that BJP wins all the nine Assembly elections scheduled for 2023 as a prelude to 2024 Lok Sabha elections, we have not to lose any state," said senior BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad while quoting Nadda. To a question whether the first day of the meeting had any discussion on Naddas tenure, the senior BJP leader replied in negative. The meeting also assessed the partys performance during the recent Assembly polls in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. While the party hailed the "historic and extraordinary" Gujarat mandate, it agreed to "aage theek karne ki jaroorat hai (needs to be corrected)" its efforts in Himachal Pradesh where the margin between the winning Congress and the BJP was less than one per cent. Nadda also noted the efforts of the BJP cadre in BRS-ruled Telangana and sounded confident that the party will form government in the state ruled by BRS chief K. Chanrashekhar Rao. As part of activities to further strengthen the organisation, Nadda informed the gathering that the party has crossed the earlier target to identify and strengthen "kamzor booths" as suggested by the PM. Nadda said the party has reached out at 1.30 lakh booths. The BJP will mark the 200th anniversary of Dayanand Saraswati on February 12 to reach out to "address the concern of last mile marginalised person." Citing the projects of "cultural pride", like Kashi Vishwanath corridor, redevelopment of Kedarnath and Badrinath and the construction of Ram Mandir, Nadda said under Modis leadership, efforts are on to promote the countrys heritage. Noting how India surpassed the UK to become the fifth largest economy and how India is the second biggest manufacturer of mobile phones and Made in India efforts undertaken by the Modi government, Nadda also cited how the country saw a member of the tribal community being nominated at the highest constitutional post. The meeting also saw a political resolution moved by Union minister Kiren Rijiju, which accused the Opposition of running a negative campaign and using abusive language against the government, especially the Prime Minister. The resolution asserted that Supreme Court verdicts exposed the Oppositions campaign against Modi and the BJP. UP deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and Karnataka minister Govind Karjol seconded the resolution. Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who briefed the media about the resolution, cited a number of issues over which the Opposition had built a campaign against the government, including Rafale, Pegasus, Central Vista project, demonetisation and EWS quota, and said the Supreme Court verdicts in the governments favour on them exposed it. "Unfounded allegations were levelled against PM Modi but the crushing legal response exposed the Opposition," she said, citing political resolution. Sitharaman said PM Modi is seen as "an incorruptible leader who is working for the countrys interest and whose leadership has found respect globally. Indias image under his leadership has also been enhanced." The minister said the PMs assertion that this is not an era of war during his telephonic talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin echoed in the G20 declaration at Bali and his push for United Nations reform has been recognised. The political resolution lauded the BJPs historic verdict in the Gujarat assembly polls and a number of bypolls to assert that it will have an impact on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. "The Gujarat mandate will have an impact on coming assembly polls and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls," said Ms Sitharaman while citing data on the BJPs performance. The meeting also noted the "permanent bridge" that PM Modi has made between him and the common man through his monthly radio show Mann Ki Baat." The resolution also noted the "seva" of the PM towards the Sikh community while citing the dedication of December 26 as Veer Bal Diwas to mark the martyrdom of Sikh guru Gobind Singhs sons. Around 350 national executive members, including several union ministers and senior state leaders attended the meeting. Chief ministers of BJP-ruled states, and state unit chiefs among others are attending the meeting. The BJP leadership was briefed about the organisational activities in poll going states of Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Karnataka by leaders of respective state units. In Oregons Umpqua National Forest, nearly 60 miles south of Eugene, a mountain has had a controversial name since the 1900s. Swastika Mountain stands at an elevation of 4,180 feet and people have recently pushed to rename it. Dec. 6, 2022, the Oregon Geographic Names Board voted for an alternative name, Mount Halo, to be submitted to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. Kerry Tymchuk, the OGNB Executive Secretary, said the final vote to submit the new name passed 19 members to three. The mountains name was brought into question by Joyce McClain, who saw the name while reading about two hikers who got lost near the mountain. McClain went to The Oregon Historical Society and filled out the paperwork to request a name change. It just flew under the radar, Tymchuk said. Ive lived in Oregon all my life and never knew there was a Swastika Mountain. He said that since the mountain is difficult to get to and is in the middle of a national forest, not many people knew about it because no one could see it. Tymchuk said the OGNB voting process consists of having a discussion after being presented everything and hearing from the public about the new and old names. During the discussion, the board also heard from David G. Lewis, an assistant professor of Native Studies at Oregon State University. Lewis is the person who submitted the proposal of the new name of Mount Halo. The name comes from Chief Halito of the Yoncalla Kalapuya Tribe, who lived in the area. Lewis sent his proposal in July and included a history of Chief Halitos life for context. Chief Halo stayed in his native land all his life, despite attempts to exterminate tribes in the area, the proposal said. He was a prominent figure in the community of Yoncalla until he died in 1894. People estimate he was at least 70 when he died. We are trying to raise up the original tribes of this land and put some place names back on the land that recalls them, Lewis said. Swastika Mountain has had its name long before the symbol has been associated with fascism and hate. The name comes from an extinct post office that neighbored the mountain and was founded in 1909, named Swastika. There has been a belief that there was a cattle farm near the mountain where the farmer branded the cattle with the swastika symbol for religious reasons, since the swastika is used in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. However, according to Lewis, the ranch was around 200 miles away from the mountain. Currently, the closest town to the mountain is Oakridge, according to Lewis. This is a citizen process. It is one person who saw this and got the ball rolling, Tymchuk said. He said anyone is able to submit a request on the Oregon Geographic Names website. Aside from the name Mount Halo, the only other proposed name was Umpqua Mountain. According to Lewis, that name was withdrawn in favor of Mount Halo. It is a great name and Umpqua is a tribal name, Lewis said. There are a lot of other Umpqua named things in the area. Lewis said he has also gotten some pushback on the new name from people who are in favor of keeping the name Swastika Mountain. The Swastika has been a part of religions before the Nazis changed the public view on the symbol. Lewis said he has also gotten some calls from people who dont see anything wrong with the symbol. Tymchuk said that during the voting process on the new name, they heard from someone representing the Hindu-American association to understand the symbol beyond its negative connotation. Mat McDermott, the senior director of communications for the Hindu American Foundation, said he doesnt mind the name change, especially since it is a tribute to local natives. But he hopes this can be used to educate people on what the original symbol of the swastika means in religion. We were never going to object to [Mount Halo] at all, McDermott said. But we wanted to make sure its being changed not out of ignorance about the Hindu/Buddhist use of the swastika being mistaken for the Nazis use. The swastika symbol is used as a symbol of good luck in religions dating back 7,000 years and even today can be seen in peoples homes on walls or doors as a religious symbol, according to McDermott. The Hindu American Foundation released a statement about the name change and background about the swastika symbol, with the purpose of bringing knowledge to the original meaning. McDermott also did not know this mountain existed until it made news and understands why the public is pushing to change it. If you dont know the history of all this, youre naturally going to go Swastika, Nazis, Oh my god, we got to do something, McDermott said. The new name of Mount Halo will not be officially recognized until the U.S. Board on Geographic Names approves of the change. Google Maps and Google Earth will both still have Swastika Mountain as the location name until then. The U.S. Board of National Names will likely meet sometime in March to make a final decision on the name change. Shanghai Composite Index, Chinese Equities, SSEC - Technical Outlook: Chinese equities have run into stiff resistance. Chance of a pause/minor retreat in the Shanghai Composite Index. What are the key levels to watch? Recommended by Manish Jaradi Improve your trading with IG Client Sentiment Data Get My Guide SHANGHAI COMPOSITE INDEX TECHNICAL OUTLOOK - BULLISH Chinese equities have run into stiff resistance suggesting that the nascent rally could be about to pause. The Shanghai Composite Index has hit a converged resistance area: the December high of 3226, around the 200-day moving average and the 89-week moving average. Despite the 13% gains since October, the 14-week Relative Strength Index has failed to rise above 60 a rise above this threshold is often a sign of strong upward momentum. Moreover, the index turned lower in the previous rally in July from near the shorter moving average and similar RSI levels (see Weekly chart). Shanghai Composite Index Weekly Chart Chart Created Using TradingView The index needs to clear both the moving averages decisively for the medium-term downward pressure to fade. The hold above crucial support on the 200-month moving average last year is an encouraging sign for bulls. However, the pause in the slide around a cushion is not enough the index needs to clear significant barriers on the upside for any rebound to last. Shanghai Composite Index Monthly Chart Chart Created Using TradingView Any break above the 3225-3300 could initially open the way toward the July high of 3425. Any break above 3425 would be a bullish signal, triggering a major double bottom (the April 2022 and the October 2022 lows), pointing to a potential rise toward 4000 in subsequent months. On the downside, the nascent rebound is likely to remain intact while the index holds above immediate support at the December low of 3032. Any break there would confirm that the short-term upward pressure had reversed. Chinese equities were largely unmoved after data released this morning beat expectations, but economic growth slowed significantly last year amid strict COVID curbs and a slowdown in the property market. Chinas reopening of its borders earlier this month has raised hopes of a revival in the economy this year. However, the abrupt end of its COVID curbs and the potential risk of spikes in infections mean that the growth trajectory could be bumpy. Recommended by Manish Jaradi Traits of Successful Traders Get My Guide --- Written by Manish Jaradi, Strategist for DailyFX.com Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay addresses the executive meeting in Delhi on Tuesday. (Photo: DC) Hyderabad: Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who was praised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the two-day national executive meeting in New Delhi, said that the party would form the next government in Telangana with inspiration drawn from Modi. In a brief chat with reporters after the meeting, Sanjay said that the Prime Minister took note of the Praja Sangrama Yatra and suggested that other state units of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) should look to hold similar programmes. The Prime Minister complimented BJP workers in Telangana, as well as the people, for supporting the Praja Sangrama Yatra. He said the next 400 days are crucial and called on the party to work for BJP's success in the coming elections. On Monday, Bandi Sanjay was called by Modi to address the executive meeting about his yatra. Even as he started speaking in Hindi, the Prime Minister suggested that he speak in Telugu. He praised Sanjay after his speech and told the meeting that the BJP should live up to the faith people are placing in the party in Telangana. Later, tweeting about his experience, Sanjay said: truly humbled by warmth and graciousness towards me throughout the meeting. He said that under J.P. Naddas leadership and Modi and Amit Shahs guidance, a double engine government will form in Telangana. Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy told reporters after the meeting that while Modi called on party workers to strengthen the party, he also told them to reach out to people and encourage public participation in ensuring rapid progress of the country. Reddy said the party meeting took several crucial decisions, and also decided that it will head into elections in nine states this year, and the Parliamentary elections next year under J.P. Naddas leadership. The Prime Minister stressed Amrit Kaal, the period left before India turns 100 in 2047, and made it clear that it did not matter who the Prime Minister will be in the years to come, but what matters is everyone joins in the efforts to make India the best country, Kishan Reddy said. On the emergence of the BRS, Kishan Reddy said everyone in the country has a right to launch a political party, but those who trample on the needs and wishes of the people will be taught a fitting lesson by the people. The people of Telangana have no faith in the Kalvakuntla family. This is the family that looted the state and now is seeking to do the same across the country, he said. Fair to say, I think, that Jeremy Clarkson is not everyone's cup of tea. He's rude, obnoxious and bigoted. He's a dinosaur, a relic. He annoys everyone all of the time, and thoroughly delights in doing so. Or at least he used to. This week saw a very different Clarkson, cowed and contrite, begging the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for forgiveness in a desperate bid to save his career. And while many will delight in his discomfort, I can't bring myself to join them. Don't get me wrong: what he wrote about Meghan was completely unacceptable. Saying he was 'dreaming of the day when she [Meghan] is made to parade naked through the streets of every town in Britain while the crowds chant 'Shame!' and throw lumps of excrement at her', was undoubtedly a bridge too far. Fair to say, I think, that Jeremy Clarkson is not everyone's cup of tea This week saw a very different Clarkson, cowed and contrite, begging the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for forgiveness in a desperate bid to save his career He was right to say sorry, as he did, soon after the article's publication last month, and The Sun was absolutely right to take it down. There's a fine line between strong meat and week-old offal, and that just stank. But having apologised once, he should have left it at that. Poll Do YOU think Jeremy Clarkson should be sacked from Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Vote here... Yes No Not Sure Do YOU think Jeremy Clarkson should be sacked from Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Vote here... Yes 3725 votes No 30326 votes Not Sure 350 votes Now share your opinion Instead, he decided to grovel, writing on Instagram on Monday: 'On Christmas morning, I emailed Harry and Meghan in California to apologise to them, too. I said . . . that the language I'd used in my column was disgraceful and that I was profoundly sorry.' He added: 'I really am sorry. All the way from the balls of my feet to the follicles on my head. This is me putting my hands up. It's a mea culpa with bells on.' You might have thought that would elicit some sort of sympathetic response from their graciousnesses in Montecito. After all, that is some pretty unequivocal bowing and scraping. But far from it. Instead, they issued a snooty statement, doubling down on Clarkson and making it clear that sorry is just not good enough. Having chastised him for mistakenly addressing his apology to 'solely Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex', they went on to add: 'What remains to be addressed is his long-standing pattern of writing articles that spread hate rhetoric, dangerous conspiracy theories and misogyny . . . it's clear this is not an isolated incident shared in haste but rather a series of articles shared in hate.' Hang on a second. Hasn't Harry himself made mistakes in the past (Nazi uniforms, racist language and so forth)? Surely he of all people should understand that one if not more error of judgment does not define a man . . . or a career. He was right to say sorry, as he did, soon after the article's publication last month, and The Sun was absolutely right to take it down. There's a fine line between strong meat and week-old offal, and that just stank But then that's not what this is really about, is it? It's not about someone who has made a bad mistake apologising to those offended and everyone moving on in the hope of doing better. It's about cancel culture and a seemingly insatiable need for revenge. Amazon, which shows the wildly popular Clarkson's Farm and his Grand Tour series is said to be cutting ties with him. ITV has hinted he might be dropped from Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Let's face it, Harry and Meghan won't be happy until Clarkson is living in a cardboard box under a bridge, being spat on by passers-by. He could crawl through Montecito on his knees begging for forgiveness and still it wouldn't be enough. They give the impression that nothing short of his complete defenestration will satisfy their hunger to see him thoroughly humiliated. Which, in the context of the original insult, is somewhat ironic. They don't want an apology; they want more. Just as the apology demanded by Harry from his family for their treatment of Meghan wouldn't satisfy them. Harry talks about saving the royals 'from themselves'. But that's nonsense. He is engaged in a much more ambitious endeavour: he wants to burn down the House of Windsor and build it back in his own image. Likewise the British Press, the only thing that Harry perhaps has it in for more than his own family. Again, he won't be satisfied until the only person allowed to voice an opinion about him or his wife is fawning biographer Omid Scobie. That's why, as wrong as Clarkson was, as annoying as he is, it would be a disaster if the Sussexes succeed in cancelling him. Because a world in which irreverence towards a group of self-appointed moral arbiters is punished with the modern equivalent of the guillotine is not a world in which most people wish to live. For most of us, Five Guys is a takeaway. For Carol Vorderman, who's said she has five 'special friends', it's just another month in her busy love life. Good on her. If she can still get all those men pursuing her, why not? Rishi Sunak showed courage in blocking Scotland's Gender self-ID law, which had the potential to challenge women's rights to single-sex spaces such as changing rooms and loos. Yet the Government plans to ban all forms of conversion therapy, sparking fears it will be illegal to question a person's sexuality or gender identity. This could make it difficult for a parent to question their child's desire to alter gender a process that can lead to irreversible changes. I wouldn't want anyone to suffer the pain of being denied their sexuality or identity; but given the numbers of young people who regret transitioning, is this course of action wise? NO LACE PLEASE, MARGOT Margot Robbie one of the most beautiful actresses of her generation looked stunning in a vintage Versace gown at the Sydney premiere of her new movie, Babylon, on Monday. What I can't understand, though, is why she added that blood-red lace trim to it? The original dress, from SS'95, looked much better without it. Or am I missing some deeply meaningful subliminal message? Margot Robbie one of the most beautiful actresses of her generation looked stunning in a vintage Versace gown at the Sydney premiere of her new movie, Babylon, on Monday Bottom of the class I'm sorry, but I think it's disgusting that teachers are going on strike. Clearly they feel no duty towards a generation of children who have already had their chance of a decent education torpedoed by lockdown. Teaching is meant to be a vocation. No one goes into it to get rich, and teachers already have a generous pension, holidays most can only dream of and last year got a pay rise of more than five per cent, with the Government committing to raising starting salaries to 30,000 by 2024. The same, I'm afraid, goes for the university lecturers, who have an even cushier existence, only they get to strike at the expense of students saddling themselves with thousands of pounds of debt for the privilege. Disgraceful. For Italians, the Gina Lollobrigida (may she rest in peace) vs Sophia Loren thing was a bit like The Beatles vs the Rolling Stones. You were either one or the other. And, as fabulous as La Lollo was, I must confess I've always adored Loren for the simple fact that she once said: 'Everything you see, I owe to spaghetti.' Very definitely a woman after my own heart. For Italians, the Gina Lollobrigida (may she rest in peace) vs Sophia Loren thing was a bit like The Beatles vs the Rolling Stones. You were either one or the other It is bad enough that Scott Mills has replaced Steve Wright on Radio 2; now Ken Bruce the heart and soul of the station is leaving. He's the latest in a huge roster of stars from Jane Garvey and Eddie Mair to Andrew Marr and Jenni Murray to abandon the BBC. What do they all have in common? They're all over 50 and actually know how to do their jobs. I wonder how Prince Harry feels about the fact that the Iranian regime has used his claim that he killed 25 insurgents in Afghanistan to justify the alleged torture and execution of Alireza Akbari, a UK national. Or is he too busy counting the money from sales of his memoir to care? You've heard about cultural appropriation; the latest thing, my daughter informs me, is blonde appropriation. This is people who dye their hair blonde. Apparently, it's a micro-aggression. I don't understand anything any more. Madonna's tacky truth or dare Madonna has announced a new world tour her 40th anniversary by releasing quite the most bizarre video you will ever see. Featuring a motley selection of musicians and celebrities, including comic Amy Schumer and actor Jack Black, it takes the form of a game of truth or dare, in which Madonna asks each of her guests to perform the kind of pointlessly obscene act that only a 16-year-old boy would dream up. One has to dip his undercarriage in his drink before downing it; another has to simulate oral sex using a bottle. And no, I am not making this up. Madonna has announced a new world tour her 40th anniversary by releasing quite the most bizarre video you will ever see I'm sure the idea is to give the impression that, even at 64, the Grandmother of Pop is as edgy as she ever was; but I'm afraid it just comes across as . . . well, a bit creepy and embarrassing. Not to mention rather boring. I think I'll give the tour a miss. Shabnam Chaudhri had never considered a future with the force until an officer turned up at her retail job after she'd caught another shoplifter. This policeman had told her that she had what it took to join the Met. From that moment, it was decided for Shabnam - she was going to be a detective. 'I'd always enjoyed the thrill of catching thieves and fraudsters in the act,' Shabnam tells Metro.co.uk. 'Then aged 18, I knew I wanted to make a difference and really help people, so, I decided to pursue a career in the Met.' Shabnam Chaudhri, from London, had never considered a future with the force until an officer turned up at her retail job after she'd caught another shoplifter Unfortunately, it wasn't an easy path for the aspiring officer, and she had to jump some hurdles before she finally qualified in 1989, age 25. 'My father disapproved entirely he wanted me to marry and uphold a respectful reputation. Thankfully, my mother approved. 'But I was also repeatedly told by the Met that I was "too young" or "too skinny". Determined, I applied four times before I became an officer.' Shabnam immediately began reporting into a station in Bethnal Green. She became the force's most senior female Muslim detective - something she talks about in BBC1's new series Big Little Crimes 'Pounding the beat back then required wearing a regulation skirt forbidden by my father. It meant I had to lie to both him and my mum. 'I wore trousers when I left the house and, upon arrival, Id change into the required mid-length black skirt to start my shift. To my relief, the dress code soon changed'. Despite the setbacks, Shabnam took to the role like a duck to water, rising through the ranks, before becoming the force's most senior female Muslim detective - something she talks about in BBC1's new series Big Little Crimes. 'Over the years, I worked on hundreds of cases and my parents were unaware of the danger I was often in.' Despite the setbacks, Shabnam took to the role like a duck to water, rising through the ranks (pictured left and right) Unfortunately, it wasn't an easy path for the aspiring officer, and she had to jump some hurdles before she finally qualified in 1989, age 25 But the case that really stands for Shabnam, is the one where she helped a woman who had been kidnapped, held against her will, and forced into stripping and posing for photographs. The woman was initially reluctant to share the traumatic incident, but now having worked as an officer for 20 years, Shabnam helped the woman secure justice. 'If I hadnt been equipped with my own experience and able to gain her trust, she may never have revealed the extent of the crimes. 'If not, who knows if the man would have struck again.' It's work like this that has seen Shabnam receive public recognition, with her winning a leadership award by the British Association for Women in Policing in 2012 for her work tackling hate crimes, forced marriages and for promoting diversity within the Metropolitan Police. She won a leadership award by the British Association for Women in Policing in 2012 for her work tackling hate crimes, forced marriages and for promoting diversity within the Metropolitan Police She said her parents never knew the level of danger she was in while working in the police force 'And I received two similar awards in the years that followed', Shabnam adds. 'My mum and dad both sadly died long before I reached my full potential but I know they would be proud of me. 'My mothers pride was clear when she made me parade in my police uniform in front of the Asian women in our next street! 'And my father admitted that I had achieved his dream of being a cop'. Visit Metro.co.uk to read the full version of this article Sometimes when changing a sentence from one language to another meanings can get lost in translation - as these comical images show. Travellers from around the world shared the most hilarious signs that have been translated completely wrong and Bored Panda collated them into a funny gallery. The examples include one hotel fire extinguisher in China which was labelled in English as a 'hand grenade', while another airport in India displayed a sign which warned travellers that 'eating the carpet' was strictly against the rules. Here FEMAIL takes a look at the worst translated signs from around the world... Yikes! Travellers from around the world shared the most hilarious signs that have been translated completely wrong and Bored Panda collated them into a funny gallery including one hotel fire extinguisher in China which was labelled in English as a 'hand grenade' Yummy carpet! While another airport in India displayed a sign which warned travellers that 'eating the carpet' was strictly against the rules Wrong turn! Another person shared a sign spotted in China which was translated as 'racist park' on a motorway I'll wait! Another sign in Singapore translated to 'execution in progress' and we can only hope it was a mistranslation Is that a threat? This sign in Russia was presumably supposed to translate to 'No Exit' however instead it read 'There is no escape' It's what the app said? This barber tried to translate their sign into English however they 'could not connect to the translator service' Looks like I'll have the fries! Every item on this menu, in Asia, was translated into 'French Fries' in English Cute! Apparently this 3D printer is 'afraid of wet' almost like an adorable house cat would be Honest! This coffee machine has seemingly announced that it is in fact 'a disorder' They planted flowers outside a healthcare center in the city of LA Volunteers from the charity teamed up with a mission in Los Angeles The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Archewell Foundation carried out a project While the royal family in the UK has been left reeling by Prince Harry's explosive claims in his memoir, the Archewell Foundation has been quietly carrying out charity work across the pond. The charity marked the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr by teaming up with The Mission Continues Los Angeles Service Platoon for a day of service to plant flowers at a healthcare center. The post on the Archewell website comes after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle released a statement rejecting TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson's grovelling apology for a column in The Sun newspaper which was slammed for 'misogyny' and became the most complained about article to the press regulator IPSO in history. The scathing statement from the couple did not say they accepted Clarkson's apology, rather referred to a 'long-standing pattern of writing articles that spread hate rhetoric'. The Archewell Foundation teamed up with The Mission Continues Los Angeles Service Platoon this weekend to plant flowerbeds at the Watts Healthcare Medical Center in LA Earlier this month, Prince Harry branded Clarkson's column 'horrific, hurtful and cruel' in an interview with ITV's Tom Bradby to promote his memoir Spare. In the article, the 62-year-old presenter said he dreamed of the Duchess of Sussex being paraded through British towns and publicly shamed. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (pictured in Devember at the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Gala in New York) issued a joint statement yesterday rejecting an apology from Jeremy Clarkson after he wrote a 'misogynistic' column about Meghan The Sun later apologised and said it regretted the publication of the column which last week surpassed more than 25,000 Ipso complaints. After Clarkson yesterday confirmed he had emailed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on Christmas Day to apologise personally, a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan claimed the presenter had written 'solely to Harry'. The statement read: 'While a new public apology has been issued today by Mr. Clarkson, what remains to be addressed is his long standing pattern of writing articles that spread hate rhetoric, dangerous conspiracy theories, and misogyny. 'Unless each of his other pieces were also written 'in a hurry', as he states, it is clear that this is not an isolated incident shared in haste, but rather a series of articles shared in hate.' While it is unclear if Harry and Meghan were present at the service day at the medical center, a photo showed a huge number of volunteers camped out under a gazebo on the day. Many wore covid facemasks and some held a poster with an artwork of the racial justice campaigner's face. The Archewell Foundation website wrote: 'The group worked to beautify Watts Health Center with new outdoor seating, flowers and landscaping.' The clinic was founded as a grassroots organisation in 1967 following the Watts Riots two years earlier, and now serves as a fully-functioning healthcare centre. It is the first post on the Archewell website since January 10, when the charity posted a statement in support of Prince Harry on the day his memoir was released. The statement read: 'A huge congratulations to Prince Harry on the release of his memoir, Spare. 'As your team, we are proud to stand beside you, and celebrate you as the world finally hears your story in your words. Thank you for your courage, honesty, humor, and light. Youve inspired us all. 'With admiration, Your staff and team at Archewell and The Private Office of The Duke & Duchess of Sussex.' The couple tied the knot in December after a whirlwind romance In April 2022, Gemma travelled 3,500 miles to meet Leonel in his Virginia prison A woman has revealed how she has married a convicted rapist serving a 20 year sentence in a jail 3,500 miles away. Gemma Vasquez, 31, from Glasgow, was introduced to her partner Leonel through his mother - who is her Spanish teacher. Despite living thousands of miles apart, Gemma decided to reach out to her future husband, 31, last year. Leonel, from Washington, was jailed in 2011 but is hoping to be released early in the next four years for good behaviour. Gemma Vasquez met her husband Leonel through his mother, who is her Spanish teacher. Pictured: the newlywed shows off her engagement ring last year Gemma said: 'Love can blossom no matter who you are. He just completes me.' After initially exchanging messages, Gemma flew out to the Virginia prison where Leonel is living in April 2022. She stayed in the US for over a month and was permitted to see Leonel for just three hours every week. She explained: 'I still get the butterflies every time he calls or his name pops up on a message. I'm always so super excited. Gemma and Leonel got engaged just three months after their first meeting. Pictured at their wedding on 29 December in the Virginia prison Leonel was jailed for 20 years in 2011 but is hoping to be released in the next four years for good behaviour 'We just connected straight away we have the same sense of humour. We both love 90s music, and have the same favourite films. 'It doesn't matter what we talk about. You never expect your life to take a turn like this. I just thought I'd meet a guy here in Scotland.' Meanwhile, Leonel added: 'I longed for someone to truly love me for who I am. But I thought, "Why would anyone want me?" 'I will never forget the day Gemma messaged me. I had to reread her message about ten times. Gemma with Leonel's mother, who she has employed as her Spanish teacher since 2020. The mother and daughter-in-law met through Facebook 'It was just so perfect. We had all these things in common - just the vibe and energy behind her words made me feel happy. 'Our first kiss made my heart skip a beat. I knew I had found my future wife.' Three months after their first meeting, Leonel proposed over the phone in July and had an engagement ring sent to her in the post. Although the couple had planned to get married in the New Year, Leonel decided to surprise Gemma during her most recent visit last month. The groom arranged for the couple's ceremony to take place on 29 December 2022 in the prison's visiting room, next to a Christmas tree. Gemma and Leonel are planning on starting their life in a Spanish-speaking country once he is released The couple were married by a celebrant and had no witnesses present. Although two guards oversaw proceedings, Gemma says she was allowed to kiss, hug and hold hands with her new husband. The bride and groom say both their families support the marriage and the couple are planning on starting a new life in a Spanish-speaking country when Leonel is released. Gemma added: 'We're looking to the future...I really didn't know how it would work out being so far away and him not free, but we just fell in love.' Meanwhile, Leonel said: 'Ever since she said 'yes' it has been a fairytale. I am hopelessly devoted to the love of my life and not a day goes by that I don't feel blessed to have her.' Viewers of Junior Bake Off have been left emotional after the children discussed the things they would prioritise if they were prime minister. After the young bakers were asked to make a showstopper cake of causes they cared about in episode one of the new series, many viewers were left thinking the children would 'do a better job' in the hotseat than many of our current MPs. As the junior bakers raised issues such as ending homelessness and acceptance for neurodiversity on the Channel 4 show, viewers praised the children for their humility - and baking skills. One person wrote on Twitter: 'I'm voting for a few of these kids to be MPs.' In the first episode of the new series hosted by Harry Hill and judged by Ravneet Gill and Liam Charles, the young bakers put their skills to the test baking cakes. For the final showstopper challenge, they were asked to create a layered cake representing the policies they would implement if they were leading the country. Viewers were emotional after one baker, Oliver, presented the judges with his 'Safe Place to Sleep' cake which was a nod to his policy to end homelessness Oliver (pictured) was praised by the judges for his 'beautiful' cake which was made from almont sponge and raspberry buttercream The inventive bakers tackled issues including pet ownership and renewable energy in their bakes, leaving viewers in awe at their policies. One baker, Oliver, created a 'safe place to sleep' cake in a nod to his concern over the homelessness crisis, the base of which was an almond sponge. The judges were dazzled by the cake, which Ravneet said was 'beautiful'. She added: 'The sponge is really light, the way you've contrasted it with the sharp raspberry inside... is brilliant.' Liam, meanwhile, fist-bumped Oliver after tasting his cake. The young baker went on to win the Star Baker accolade. Viewers also praised Ezekiel's cake celebrating neurodiversity as he called for more acceptance within schools Viewers of the Channel 4 show praised the children for their bakes, adding they would 'make better prime ministers' than anyone running the country at the moment Another baker, Ezekiel, presented the judges with a cake that celebrated neurodiversity as he said he wanted schools to be more inclusive of conditions including ADHD. As viewers marvelled over the cakes, they joked that the children would be better leaders of the country than those in power at the moment. One person wrote: 'I think every one of the kids on Junior Bake Off would be a better prime minster than anyone in politics right now.' Another said: 'Snuggled up watching Junior Bake off, the kid's making a bed cake to help end homelessness', adding the heart emoji. 'Junior Bake Off Gives hope,' one person added. 'Kids had to represent their choice law change in cake. Love Zeke's idea for inclusion for neuro-diverse people.' As the viewers said the children were future leaders in the making, one person joked: 'I wonder who *was* prime minister when this was filmed.' The joke was an apparent reference to Liz Truss's 44 days in Number 10 before she was succeeded by Rishi Sunak. Other showstopping cakes included one which represented baker Sofia's policy that children should be able to have any pet they want. Another represented a need for renewable energy with a solar panel inspired cake. As the new series returned, viewers hailed the show as even better than the adult version of Bake Off. Mike Tindall donned his wife Zara's fascinator in a playful moment captured in behind-the-scenes snaps from their Australia trip. The former rugby union player, who is married to Zara, Princess Anne's daughter, was pictured wearing his partner's light green hat while posing on the Gold Coast, Queensland. The 43-year-old looked dapper in his fastened grey chequered blazer, lilac-coloured shirt and purple tie. The picture, which was captioned 'Just for all the fascinator fans out there @magicmillions @magicmillionspolo', has garnered hundreds of comments almost 50,000 likes. Mike Tindall was pictured on Instagram (above) donning his wife's fascinator after sharing behind-the-scenes snaps from their Australia trip One commentator wrote: '[I] was waiting for a fascinator picture!!' A second added: 'You rock! Do a calendar with Zara's hats for charity!' While a third wrote 'Its been too long since we had Tindall in a fascinator!' And a fourth put: 'Just wanted to let you know that Id be pretty disappointed if this series ever stopped, please keep it going.' It follows a series of posts Mike uploaded during the late Queen's platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022 of him playfully trying on Zara's fascinators. The picture, which was captioned 'Just for all the fascinator fans out there @magicmillions @magicmillionspolo', has garnered hundreds of comments almost 50,000 likes The former rugby union player, who is married to Zara, Princess Anne's daughter, was pictured wearing his partner's light green hat while posing on the Gold Coast, Queensland The 43-year-old posted a number of snaps of his celebrations marking Her Majesty's 70 years on the throne. He shared a snapshot of his wife alongside her cousin Princess Eugenie on his social media, playfully writing: 'When you combine your favourite Starbursts!! Two world class ladies!! #starburst #platinumjubilee.' He also posted two similar photos as he posed in his wife's fascinator. And following Trooping the Colour , Mike shared a photo in Zara's red headpiece which perfectly matched his tie. He wrote: 'Personal fave of mine! I definitely need to wear more hats.' The former rugby ace shared a number of snaps posing in his wife's fascinator today (left), as well as a snap of the couple posing ahead of the service today (right) Mike's posts today come after he posed in his wife's red fascinator ahead of Trooping the Colour yesterday (left). He also shared a snap of the couple posing together (right) Over the weekend, Mike announced that he has filmed a new YouTube series called 'Mike Drop' in collaboration with the Magic Millions horse-racing event in Australia. As well as interviewing the events' creators Gerry Harvey and Katie Page, the I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here star has included his wife Zara in the series. Sharing a sneak peek from their interview, which will be released in full next Tuesday, Mike is captured on camera lovingly gazing at his partner before greeting her as 'my love'. Mike Tindall, 44, has filmed a new YouTube series in collaboration with the Australian racehorsing event Magic Millions. He is seen lovingly calling his wife 'my love' Shooting Mike a winning smile, Zara then repeats the sweet nickname right back to him. As well as referring to each other by their initials 'H' and 'M', Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have often been heard calling one another 'my love' in public. At the beginning of the video, Mike poked fun at the Royal Family's fanfare by including a trumpet herald wearing regal uniform on an Australian beach - just days after Prince Harry filmed a similar skit mocking the royal's pomp and fancy during his appearance on the The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Zara Tindall, 41, lovingly repeats the nickname right back to him in a clip from their new interview together Mike poked fun at the Royal Family's fanfare by including a trumpet herald wearing regal uniform on an Australian beach Before kicking off their chat, Mike then playfully straightens out his interview notes and says: 'Welcome to my world!' She is an accomplished equestrian and Olympian and despite being a granddaughter of the monarch and cousin of a future king, Zara has kept a relatively low public profile and often spends her weekends at sporting events. She and Mike have no official duties but are regulars at royal family events, such as church services and important milestones such as the Jubilee. Two Ukrainian refugees whose plans to start a business were halted by the Russian invasion have finally achieved their dream after fleeing to the UK. Anna Shturmak, 28, and Nastya Berest, 25, moved to Kyiv last January to open a candle shop - but were forced to leave for their own safety, after war broke out in February. The pair of best friends made their way to England and moved in with a host family in Didsbury, Manchester, last May, after meeting them through a Facebook group. Now, they have finally successfully set up VIRA - which creates gorgeous candles shaped by a variety of molds - admitting they initially 'didn't understand or know anything' about how to start and run a company in the UK. Anna Shturmak (left), 28, and Nastya Berest (right), 25, moved to Kyiv last January to open a candle shop - but were forced to leave for their own safety, after war broke out in February 'And English isn't out first language,' Anna said. 'It was difficult, to be honest, for the first five months.' But the trials and tribulations didn't stop the duo, who launched their business in November and have had numerous orders since. 'In the beginning we found it so difficult because it's a new country and there's different rules about money,' Anna added. However, she and Nastya met with an accountant - who is also Ukrainian but had been living in the UK for 20 years - which helped the candlemakers through everything. Now, they have finally successfully set up VIRA - which creates gorgeous candles shaped by a variety of molds - admitting they initially 'didn't understand or know anything' about how to start and run a company in the UK The pair of best friends (both pictured) made their way to England and moved in with a host family in Didsbury, Manchester, last May 'She taught us about being self-employed and taught us about taxes,' Anna continued. 'We've also been able to ask our family for help with everything.' The business partners make all of the candles themselves, from scratch. They buy the wax from a British supplier and melt it, before it's poured into molds and set into one of their many designs, including a shell, wave and a cube. Since launching just more than two months ago, Anna has said that the pair have had 'a lot of orders' which has been 'so exciting' for them. The business partners make all of the candles themselves, from scratch. Pictured: Anna, left, and Nastya, right However, she and Nastya admit that they want to go back to Ukraine eventually. 'It's so difficult to talk about the future because we want to go back home of course but we decided to settle here for now,' Anna said. In the meantime, they have plans to expand the business by bringing out two new collections in the upcoming months - including items for Valentine's Day - and would like to venture into making soap too. Liz Neitherdt, 40, welcomed the business owners into her home that she shares with husband Matt 40, and their three children Grace, ten, Joseph, seven and Patrick, four. The pair have plans to expand the business by bringing out two new collections in the upcoming months - including items for Valentine's Day She said that when the women moved over, they had a 'very basic understanding' of English, and couldn't even understand Liz's Scouse accent. 'We also used a translation app quite a lot, and we just lived off that,' the host revealed. Liz matched with the pair on a Facebook group for people who wanted to give Ukranian refugees a home, and is 'so proud' of their business. 'Their life is already on hold in some ways because they are not at home and they've had to come here, but they aren't letting that in the way,' she continued. 'They are just pushing on with their ambitions and their dreams, as it would be really easy not to in this situation, but they've gone ahead with it anyway.' After the Duke and Duchess of Sussex launched scathing attacks on the Royal Family in their Netflix documentary series and Harry's memoir Spare, the Palace has refused to respond to any of the couple's claims. The Royal Family's motto has long been 'never complain, never explain' and, with members of the family resuming their royal engagements, they seem to be following this tradition. However, there appear to be subtle hints that the royals might be quietly hitting back at the Sussexes following Prince Harry's claims that they did not welcome his wife Meghan into the Firm. From outfits on public outings to blink-and-you'll-miss-them quips, FEMAIL investigates the signs that the royals might be responding to Harry and Meghan in their own way... Matching outfits The Prince and Princess of Wales arrived at Kate's Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey in matching burgundy outfits following the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's second instalment of their Netflix series On the day the second instalment of Harry and Meghan's Netflix series dropped on the streaming platform, the Royal Family made an appearance at Westminster Abbey for the Princess of Wales's carol service. Episodes four, five and six of the docuseries saw Harry claim his brother William had 'screamed and shouted' at him during crisis talks at Sandringham before he and Meghan decided to step down as senior royals. Mike and Zara Tindall (pictured) also wore bright burgundy as they arrived at Westminster Abbey for the carol service He alleged his father, King Charles and grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth, had been silent while William shouted following Harry's suggestion he and Meghan could be 'half in, half out' of the Royal Family. All eyes were on the royals during their first public appearance after the Sussexes revealed details from these private conversations. As they arrived at Westminster Abbey for Kate's carols, the Prince and Princess of Wales stepped out in matching burgundy and black outfits, in what could have been determined as a show of solidarity. Kate looked elegant in a burgundy coat while William wore a tie in the same shade. And as more royals arrived at the Abbey, Pippa Middleton and Zara Tindall appeared to have received the memo - as they also wore burgundy coats. Ex-rugby ace Mike Tindall wore a tie to match. Meghan claimed in the Netflix documentary that she wore 'a lot of muted tones' and shied away from wearing bright colours during her time as a serving royal, so the colourful show of solidarity could be a subtle swipe against this statement. MORE matching outfits in Merseyside The Prince and Princess of Wales attended the Royal Liverpool University Hospital last week in another set of matching outfits The Prince and Princess of Wales matched their outfits again as they visited the Royal Liverpool University Hospital in Merseyside. Arriving at the new hospital last week, they both wore navy blue and dark green colours. A video of the Prince and Princess meeting an administrator called Nikki showed the couple laughing as she pointed to them and said: 'Matching.' William said: 'I know' in response, before smiling at Kate. On arrival, the couple beamed as they waved at royal fans who had gathered to catch a glimpse of the royals, appearing unfazed by Harry's claims. Kate has 'already moved on' Sources told the Mirror that the Princess of Wales (pictured in Merseyside) had 'already moved on' from Prince Harry's memoir claims In Prince Harry's memoir Spare, which was officially released in the UK this week, the Princess of Wales was under attack as he claimed she and Prince William 'stereotyped' Meghan as a 'biracial American actress' when she was first introduced to the family. The Duke of Sussex also alleged Kate, 41, had sent Meghan, also 41, some curt text messages a few days before Harry and Meghan married in 2018, regarding Princess Charlotte's ill-fitting bridesmaid dress. Harry said Kate claimed all the bridesmaids dresses needed to be remade just a few days before the wedding day, after Charlotte 'cried' over her frock which was 'too big'. The Duke also claimed his brother and sister-in-law did not invite him for dinner at their home when they were all living on the Kensington Palace estate. But despite this, a source this weekend said the Princess of Wales has 'already moved on' from the furore surrounding Harry's book. Minimising the accusations in the book, an unnamed source close to Kate told The Mirror she had been left 'baffled' by what Harry had written but that she was ultimately unbothered and focusing on her charity work. The source said she was not taking 'too much notice' of Harry's claims in the book as she prepares to launch a new early years programme focusing on children between the ages of three to five. Zara and Mike's 'my love' quips Zara flashed a cheeky smile as she appeared on the Mike Drop podcast and greeted her husband Mike Tindall with 'hello, my love' While many members of the Royal Family have been the subject of attacks by Prince Harry in Spare and his Netflix documentary, his cousin Zara Tindall, 41, has barely had a mention. She and her husband, ex-rugby ace Mike Tindall, 44, have been 10,000 miles away in Australia over the last week while the royals in the UK have been in crisis over the memoir's release. As part of their work with Magic Millions, an equestrian charity, the couple teased a podcast this week hosted by Tindall, called Mike Drop. Each week, he will interview a guest about horse racing, a passion Mike shares with his wife, with his first guest being his wife Zara. The trailer for the podcast, which was released last week, teased a cheeky exchange between the couple as Zara sits down to be his first guest. The couple greet each other saying 'Hello, my love' - a phrase often used by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. As well as referring to each other by their initials 'H' and 'M', Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have often been heard calling one another 'my love' in public and in the documentary. Of course, the couple may always have greeted each other in this way. But perhaps the cheeky quip was a subtle parody of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Kate and William's Merseyside round-up As the Prince and Princess of Wales appeared in Merseyside for their first official engagement of 2023, they were inundated by hundreds of fans who queued up to meet them. Clips from the day showed the royal couple greeting staff at the hospital, which opened in October. Their appearance at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital on Thursday was their first since the release of Harry's explosive memoir Spare, in which he levelled several accusations at his brother and sister-in-law. Despite the Duke of Sussex's claims as he told his side of the story, the Prince and Princess of Wales seemed to be as popular as ever as crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of them in Merseyside. At the end of the visit, they posted a series of photos on their Instagram account from the outing - and the last one could have been considered a dig at Prince Harry. The final photo showed a crowd of people gathered at the hospital to take photos of the Prince and Princess of Wales, which suggests they were popular guests on the day. The choice of photo could be construed as a signal to the Sussexes that they are still in demand as royals despite all of the Duke's claims about them and that his accusations have not affected their public image. First time William has been seen since Harry demanded an apology from Royals The charity will be celebrating its 25th anniversary next month Prince William spent the morning at Together as One headquarters in Berkshire The Prince of Wales has boasted that his wife Kate is a 'very good' cook and he can make a 'mean steak' as he took part in a cooking class for young carers today. Prince William, 40, whose family rift with Harry and Meghan is wider than ever following his brothers score-settling memoir, spent the morning touring the Together as One headquarters in Slough ahead of its 25th anniversary next month. The organisation was founded in the late 1990s in response to several incidents of gang violence between young people from Asian backgrounds in the Berkshire town. Originally named Aik Saath, meaning Together As One in Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu, the charity has evolved to work with all young people, regardless of their faith or background. The father-of-three appeared in good spirits as he greeted staff and volunteers at the centre before then getting stuck into making some chicken teriyaki and noodles for lunch. Prince William pictured cooking with young carers at the Together as One centre in Slough today During the tour of the centre, Prince William learned about how the charity has spearheaded projects with an emphasis on mental health and tackling bullying, knife crime and racism. He then took part in charity's Global Grub cooking programme, which teaches young carers how to cook nutritious meals amid the cost of living crisis. As he walked into the kitchen, the Prince exclaimed: 'Oh it smells good in here!' After being informed by chef Kevin Muhammad that they were prepping a chicken teriyaki dish, the father laughed: 'What time is it? 10, 11 in the morning? It's making my stomach rumble.' He added: 'I do a bit of cooking, not much though. Catherines very good though.' Prince William beamed with joy as he served out the chicken teriyaki he had made with young carers who rely on the charity Prince William pictured serving up some noodles under the guidance of chef Kevin Muhammad at Together as One's kitchen Prince William happily chatted with Daisha Nagawagi 12, and Inaaya Shahab, 13, during their cooking lesson The prince told the chef: 'I do a mean steak. My sauces come out quite dry or lumpy - I've got to work on those!' William took off his jacket and put on an apron to help with the dish the group were making and poured a bowl of pre-cooked noodles into the wok of simmering poultry. He helped young carers Inaaya Shahab, 13, and Daisha Nakawagi, 12, prepare the noodles before tasting the fruits of their labour. He said it was amazing, said Daisha, who told him she wanted to be a chef. The Global Grub programme received 5k grant from the NHS Innovation Fund, which allowed the charity to convert a space in a local shopping centre into a kitchen. The Prince of Wales shakes hands with Ramae Bogle 13, during his visit to Together as One in Slough today The Prince of Wales takes part in a cooking lesson with Daisha Nagawagi 12, Inaaya Shahab 13 and and Chef Kevin Muhammad The Prince of Wales speaks with support worker Faizaan Hamid during his visit to Together as One Prince William visited the centre ahead of his 25th anniversary next month. The Prince of Wales pictured speaking with staff and volunteers in Slough Prince William then met a group of young volunteers who have led a broad range of projects in their community, including providing clothes and meals for people experiencing homelessness, campaigning against violence against women and girls, and training their peers in schools to resolve their conflicts without resorting to violence. William is not thought to have discussed his own family dispute, which this month saw Harry accuse his brother of physically assaulting him in a row over Meghans difficult behaviour. Kensington Palace has retained a dignified silence over the claims. Among those the Prince met was Faizaan Hamid, 24, a young carer support worker who has recently joined the staff after five years of volunteering with the organisation. He told William how he was diagnosed as bipolar at the age of 15 and got left behind at school but has found a real purpose working for Together As One. Prince William pictured greeting staff and volunteers at the Together as One centre in Slough this morning We try to make your differences not divide you but unite you, he said, adding that the organisation strove to celebrate the different religious and cultural origins of young people in the area. We are trying to get different people to come together. The Prince had been due to visit the charity in September but the visit had to be postponed because of Queen Elizabeths death. Today's engagement was the first time William had been seen in public since Prince Harry's latest attack on the Royal Family. Over the weekend, the Duke of Sussex has further demanded an apology from his family to his wife Meghan, as he told them: 'You know what you did' and urged them to 'come clean'. In an interview with the Telegraph he said he wanted to help reform the monarchy so that his niece and nephews, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis would not be affected by the concept of the 'spare' in the same way he has been. Today's engagement is the first time Prince William has been seen in public since Prince Harry demanded the Royal Family apologise to him and Meghan in an interview last week After expressing concern that one of the Prince and Princess of Wales's children may end up also feeling like the 'spare', he claimed Prince William had 'made it very clear that the children are not [Harry's] responsibility'. Despite several bombshell claims in his memoir, Harry has also revealed the first draft of the autobiography was twice the length of the final draft, but that he ended up leaving details out for fear that his family would not forgive him. Talking about his family, he said: 'I wish you'd actually sit down with me, properly, and instead of saying I'm delusional and paranoid, actually sit down and have a proper conversation about this, because what I'd really like is some accountability. And an apology to my wife. 'Because you know what you did, and I now know why you did it. And you've been caught out, so just come clean, and then we could all move on.' Last week, Prince Harry sent shockwaves through the Royal Family when his memoir Spare hit stores. In the book, Prince Harry alleged Prince William and Kate Middleton convinced him to wear a controversial Nazi uniform to a fancy dress party. Elsewhere in the book, Prince Harry claimed his brother physically attacked him in his Nottingham Cottage home after branding Meghan Markle 'rude' and 'difficult'. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. (Twitter) Abu Dhabi: In an interview with an Arabic news channel, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan "learnt its lessons" from the wars it fought with India. Admitting the difficult financial and security position that Pakistan finds itself in, Mr Sharif said the wars caused "distress, poverty and unemployment" to its population. During the conversation, the Pakistani PM also batted for "honest" talks with India. Later, in an apparent attempt at damage control, Islamabad said that talks with India can take place only after New Delhi reverses the scrapping of Article 370. The Pakistan Prime Minister was quoted by media reports as telling the Al Arabiya channel, "My message to the Indian leadership and PM (Narendra) Modi is that allow us to sit down at the desk and have critical and honest talks to resolve our burning points like Kashmir. Its as much up to us to stay peacefully and make progress as it is to quarrel with one another and waste time and assets." But as soon as its Prime Minister stirred the hornets nest, Islamabad appeared to swing into damage-control mode by claiming that Mr Sharif had made it clear that talks with India can take place only after New Delhi reversed the scrapping of Article 370 and that the Kashmir issue should be solved as per the UN resolutions that go back by more than seven decades. There was no immediate official reaction from New Delhi, which is watching closely. He was further quoted as saying, "We now have (fought) three wars with India and they have solely introduced extra distress, poverty and unemployment to the individuals. We now have learnt our lesson and we wish to stay in peace, but for that, we should be capable of resolving our real issues." Pointing out that both nations are nuclear powers, he said, "God forbid, if warfare breaks out, who will stay to tell what had happened." He also claimed that human rights violations were taking place in Kashmir.) Mr Sharif had also recently commented that he feels "embarrassed" since other nations feel that financial aid is what Pakistan will constantly ask for. The statement comes at a time when Pakistan finds itself in a major financial crisis and is depending heavily on China, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, apart from global financial institutions like the IMF, to bail it out. To make matters worse, its relations with the once-friendly ruling Taliban regime in Afghanistan have soured considerably leading to border skirmishes. Also, the terror group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, the Pakistan-based Taliban, has mounted fresh attacks on Pakistani security forces. Baloch militant groups are also attacking Chinese nationals in Pakistan, which has angered Beijing over Islamabads inability to protect them. Interestingly, till 1964, Pakistan was seen as an economic success and an "Asian tiger," but the 1965 and 1971 wars spelt economic and military doom for it. Islamabad has never been able to fully recover from those two twin blows. Relations between India and Pakistan had soured over the past few years due to the Pathankot, Uri and Pulwama terror attacks, leading to cross-border surgical ground strikes and later an air strike by India in February 2019. Later, in August 2019, India scrapped Article 370, which conferred a special status on Jammu and Kashmir and split the Indian state into two Union territories -- J&K and Ladakh. A furious Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties with India and snapped trade ties as well. However, matters began looking up due to some back-door diplomacy when the armed forces of both nations decided on a ceasefire in 2021. But hopes of improvement in political ties were dashed when the then Imran Khan-led government in Islamabad took a hard line and refused to improve ties with India till Article 370 was restored. The Shehbaz Sharif government that took office last year in Pakistan is also publicly sticking to the same stand. It is in this context that Mr Sharifs comments are startling. Mr Sharifs government is under pressure from a resurgent Mr Khan to announce snap polls. A proposal video has gone viral after a man got down on one knee before the couple did a bungee jump - and pretended to drop the ring 40 metres below them. Marc Watson, 44, of Burghead, Scotland, chose to propose to the love of his life Gayle Robertson, 36, during a bungee jump at Highland Fling Bungee in Killiecrankie, Scotland. Aside from the unusual setting, Marc made the occasion memorable for his bride-to-be by pretending to drop the ring into the water 40 metres below. Fiancee Gayle has now seen the funny side despite the shock, describing the scene as 'typical Marc' and online users have branded Marc as 'Mr Butter Fingers'. Marc Watson, 44, of Burghead, Scotland, pretended to drop the ring when he proposed to his fiancee, Gayle Robertson, 36, before a bungee jump He said: 'I got down on one knee and all the emotions instantly came out of Gayle - she was so surprised which quickly turned to shock when I dropped the ring 40 metres below us. 'I was down on one knee pretending to be shocked with her but really I knew it was a fake ring I'd used and this was purely to prank her because she knows I'm a bit cheeky like that. 'However, with the sheer shock of it all, alongside the fact she was petrified of the bungee jump, I think it was all a bit too much for Gayle and I was quickly trying to calm her down. 'This was not how I planned it. I wanted her to be really excited and surprised, not shocked and upset, so I quickly grabbed the real ring from staff to rectify things. The couple have known each other for almost all their lives and grew up in the same village (pictured together) 'Eventually she calmed down, I did the proposal properly and then we did our bungee jump. On the way back down we already had a date in our minds for the wedding. 'The staff were all in on it as well and once I'd actually proposed properly everyone was cheering - even the staff below who were with the fake ring. 'Neither of us are a big fan of high thrill activities like this but we really wanted to do something like this together so that's why we booked to bungee jump. 'A few months prior to this I made Gayle a scroll for Christmas with predictions for the year on it and one of the things on there was getting engaged during the next year. Viewers of the viral video of the proposal have dubbed Marc 'Mr Butter Fingers' as he dropped the fake ring Gayle was visibly shocked when she saw the engagement ring fall into the water 40 metres below them 'At the time I'd proposed we'd only been together just less than a year so I think that also added to the shock factor of it all as well - but it just felt right. 'Me and Gayle have known each other pretty much all our lives, we grew up in the same village and when I returned after 20 years away, we grew so close. 'From there we realised we'd always kind of liked each other so we got together and I can say wholeheartedly that I knew she was for me from the moment I laid eyes on her.' Once Gayle had got over the shock, she realised quickly that this was typical Marc behaviour because he is clumsy and loves to play pranks. He added: 'She knows what I'm like and she knows I have a devil inside me but me and Gayle are like best friends so we're always joking around. After recovering from the shock, Gayle is now able to laugh at the joke saying it was 'typical Marc' (Pictured wearing ring) The couple already had a date in mind for the wedding on the way down from the jump and are getting married in September this year 'All our friends and family aren't shocked in the slightest as this is what they expect from me. They've all watched the video over and over. 'There could be a surprise up my sleeve for the wedding but I'm keeping my cards close to my chest!' Gayle said: 'It was definitely some proposal. I was unaware of what was happening and I was looking around up on the platform thinking how I was going to get out of doing the jump. 'I saw one of the staff members pointing a camera at me and thought: "What's he doing?" Then I noticed Marc getting down on one knee, I was shocked, especially that he chose to do it there. He's always very different! 'I saw him drop it and was like "oh no" but he and the staff were still smiling and I was like "What is going on? Is this a joke?" 'I was a bit confused as to what was happening, the music was quite loud and I'm half deaf in one ear so it was difficult to understand what was happening. 'Then he pulled out the proper ring...I should have known what he was up to as he was acting weird on the way down the road - and after all this we jumped! 'Typical Marc but I am really looking forward to getting married later on this year in September!' She finished off her ensemble with black pointed pumps and a sleek handbag European monarch, 50, wrapped up warm in camel coat for her engagement Queen Letizia of Spain looked effortlessly chic as she wrapped up warm in a camel coat in Madrid today. The European monarch, 50, was pictured arriving for a meeting at the Spanish Federation for Rare Diseases in the country's capital city. The mother-of-two opted for an elegant long-line piece of outerwear, which she wore over a pair of black-and-white checked trousers. She then paired this with a tan knit, pointed pumps and a sleek black leather handbag. Queen Letizia was effortlessly elegant in a camel coat, checked trousers, tan knit and pointed pumps for her engagement at the Spanish Federation for Rare Diseases in Madrid today Keeping her makeup natural and radiant, Letizia styled her shoulder-length hair straight for her engagement today. She then finished off her ensemble with some pretty gold earrings. The Queen of Spain works closely with the Spanish Federation for Rare Diseases - and attended their 25th anniversary celebration last year. Over the weekend, the Queen of Spain flew to Athens with husband King Felipe to attend King Constantine II of Greece's funeral. The European royal, 50, completed her outfit with a tan rubbed knit and minimal black accessories Queen Letizia of Spain cut a cool figure in a camel coat this morning, which she paired with black-and-white checked trousers King Felipe and Queen Letizia greeted King Constantine II's mourning family before heading inside the church for the funeral yesterday Queen Letizia and King Felipe of Spain were joined by his parents Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia to pay their respects Left: Crown Prince Pavlos greeted Queen Letizia of Spain with a kiss on the hand ahead of the funeral. Right: The mourning son also gave the European royal a quick peck on the cheek The royal couple greeted King Constantine's grieving son Crown Prince Pavlos on the steps of Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral. For the sombre occasion, Letizia styled her hair in a chic updo and opted for minimal jewellery to offset her tailored black coat dress. The royal, whose father Jesus Jose Ortiz Alvarez and stepmother Ana Togores are both journalists, met her husband King Felipe when she was asked to interview him in her job as a reporter. Letizia's media career was a lengthy one and began with a stint at Asturian daily paper, La Nueva Espana. Next came a role at ABC, a popular national newspaper that enjoys the third largest circulation in Spain, before spells at EFE and Mexican publication Siglo 21, which is based in Guadelajara. Back in Spain a year later, she worked for the Spanish version of Bloomberg, a news channel and agency specialising in economics, before moving to CNN+. By the time she met her husband-to-be, Letizia was working for popular TV channel 24 Horas, where she anchored the popular Telediario 2 evening news bulletin. Facebook users have poked fun at a dad who advised parents to snub viral drinks brand Prime for a B&M-branded alternative. Prime bottles fronted by viral social media boxers KSI and Logan Paul can cost as much as 20 in the UK, with eBay at one point listing one for 50,000. Demand has shot through the roof in recent weeks, after Aldi announced it would be stocking Prime for 1.99 - before quickly selling out. The father on social media said people should shun the product for B&M's Paddy the Baddy energy drinks. A father on social media said people should shun Prime drinks for B&M's Paddy the Baddy (above) energy drinks instead - but fellow parents said he was missing the point, and that it was more about bragging rights than flavour On a bargain Facebook group he wrote: 'Just been to B&M and they are doing their own version of the Prime drink....basically the same drink in a very similar bottle. 'My daughter just tried the orange one and really liked it. May be helpful to those parents who have been unable to get hold of real Prime.' Parents quickly ridiculed him, telling him they should be staying away from the drinks. One person wrote: 'People don't buy Prime because they like it, they buy it because of what it is and who is behind it. Prime bottles (above) fronted by viral social media boxers KSI and Logan Paul can cost as much as 20 in the UK, with eBay at one point listing one for 50,000 A second added: 'Another version won't pacify the kids.' A third wrote: 'It's the bragging rights' that kids want more than the drink.' A fourth wrote: 'Prime's success is mainly due to how hard it is to find.' While a fifth put: 'Kids brag about owning it, makes other kids want it and because it's designed to be in short supply to create hype it will always be in demand.' The heavily teased father eventually turned the comments off before adding: 'To all those commenting about why kids want it...I obviously already know this but Paddy's version is almost identical and what's to say this might not help some parents. I was just trying to be helpful.' The news comes after there was a stampede in Aldi stores across the UK in December as parents were seen fighting with children to buy a 1.99 energy drink made by two YouTube influencers. The Prime bottles fronted by viral social media boxers KSI and Logan Paul can cost as much as 20 online, with eBay at one point listing one for 50,000. When Aldi announced it would be flogging them for as little as 1.99 it was inevitable demand would go through the roof. Scenes of pandemonium exploded in some stores today, with children captured on video climbing over the aisles in one shop to try and get them. In some stores the drink sold out within three minutes, according to Prime Tracker UK, who traces supplies. One mother told MailOnline her son had a bottle stolen out of his hand by an elderly pensioner while another father said: 'People who were in the queue first were pushed and shoved out the way when the doors opened. Hype: Some youngsters were seen climbing over the aisles as they battled to try and get the viral drink Prime Thousands of customers were left disappointed after Aldi stores across the country sold out. Pictured: Aldi in Stapleford, Nottinghamshire 'People losing their minds my kids were pushed by grown adults over a drink.' Lengthy queues were seen forming from 6am with footage inside the shops showing adults tussling with children to try and get their hands on them. Commenting on one of the videos, KSI denied they were making too few drinks in order to increase hype. The viral hydration drink created by two popular YouTube stars, KSI and Logan Paul, was originally on sale at Aldi for 1.99 in the UK - sparking a scramble at the tills He tweeted: 'Were not even trying to do that. Were making loads of Prime daily, the demand is literally too high man.' When it was launched the drink was shipped in from the US to be sold. But now it is also reportedly made with the help of Refresco in the UK, which also produces Old Jamaica and Calypso. The drink is fronted by the two YouTubers but according to bottles in the UK the company here is actually owned by US firm Congo Brands. That firm is run by US businessmen Trey Steiger and Max Clemons. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands looked effortlessly chic in a camel cape coat as she received guests at the Royal Palace. The Dutch queen, 51, teamed her elegant gold blouse with a stunning diamond bracelet and matching earrings, as she joined her husband King Willem-Alexander at the palace in Amsterdam. Underneath her coat she donned textured midi skirt in a variety of colourful patterns and brought the whole thing together with suede olive heels. The mother-of-three kept her blonde tresses loose, in a side parting and tucked behind her ears, and her make up naturally bronzed with a smokey eye and nude lip. Queen Maxima of The Netherlands joined her husband, King Willem-Alexander at the Royal Palace today King Willem, 55, wore a single breasted navy suit with a blue and white patterned tie as he joined his wife to welcome several hundred guests from political and public administration and from various sectors of Dutch society on Tuesday. The Dutch royals welcomed their guests to the Royal Palace for their New Year's Reception. They beamed as they arrived at the palace in Amsterdam ahead of their guests. This was a quick turn around, as the couple attended the funeral of former King Constantine II of Greece the day before in Athens. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands looked visibly emotional as they arrived at the service arm-in-arm on Monday. Queen Maxima looked effortlessly chic in a camel cape coat over a matching satin blouse with billowing sleeves Underneath her coat, Maxima donned textured midi skirt in a variety of colourful patterns and brought the whole thing together with suede olive heels Maxima dressed head-to-toe in ebony, in a slick belted black coat, sheer tights and knee high heeled boots. She kept her blonde hair styled in loose waves and pinned delicately under a lace veil, that cascaded down past her shoulders. The Dutch royals joined European royals - such as Queen Letizia of Spain, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, plus Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence - at the Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral for the public service. King Constantine passed away from a stroke on January 10 in the Greek capital at the age of 82 - more than 50 years after he was exiled in a military coup . Yesterday's public funeral was followed by a 29km procession to Tatoi Palace, where a separate private ceremony was held, before Constantine will be laid to rest with other members of the Greek royal family. The mother-of-three kept her blonde tresses loose, in a side parting and tucked behind her ears, and her make up naturally bronzed with a smokey eye and nude lip A gender fluid artist has revealed how he escaped homelessness by joining a lawless community populated by murderers, criminals and rapists in an eye-opening episode of New Lives in the Wild. DNA, 49, moved to a community named Slab City in the Sonoran Desert near San Diego, four years ago, after years of living on the street, which is illegal in California and got him in trouble with the law several times. In Slab City, where his sister Tomara recommended he moved to, he's found a space to call his own where he can relax - but he remains angry at the justice system that cost him 'to lose everything', over 'a few seconds of bad judgment' that got him sent to jail in the 1990s. Speaking to Ben Fogle in tonight's show, which airs at 9pm, DNA told Ben that he likes to mimic women and to wear dresses and makeup, and feels more respected in the community of outsiders he calls home than in the outside world. DNA, 49, moved to a community named Slab City in the Sonoran Desert near San Diego, four years ago, after years of living on the street, which is illegal in California and got him in trouble with the law several times Ben first met DNA while filming a documentary on Slab City that aired in April last year. He was struck by the artist's unusual lifestyle and his resourcefulness, as well as his way of approaching gender fluidity. DNA lives in a home made of tents, bags and other items he's collected over the years on the outskirts of Slab City. Since 1961, Slab City has been renounced by the government of California and has become a refuge for drifters, many struggling with addiction or hiding from the law over various crimes, dubbing itself 'the last free place in America.' Ben Fogle hears how DNA made a place for himself in the community in spite of the murderers and criminals who also live in the desert Slab City does not have running water, a rubbish collection plan or a sewer system, and its inhabitants have used abandoned cars and upcycled rubbish to create their camps and the few businesses you can find there. What is Slab City? Slab City, a former military base turned alternative community in Southern California, has served as a safe space to thousands of transients, squatters, migrants and retirees since the 1940s. Just north of the US-Mexico border in Imperial County, the 640-acre public land attracts anywhere from 100 to more than 4,000 people, depending on the season. The majority of residents, known as snowbirds, only come for the winter months before they head back up north where the weather is cooler the remainder of the year. Slab City is a place on the fringe, both geographically and philosophically. Of the hundred or so permanent residents, most have been forced to live there through poverty and survive on social security. There is no electricity or running water on the land. From the outside, it appears to be nothing more than a rag tag collection of RVs, ramshackle buildings and scruffy tents. But Slab City has developed into a complex community with cafes and restaurants, a nightclub, a library and even a golf course. It takes its name from the giant concrete slabs it is built on that were all that was left of the World War II training camp where a group of servicemen decided to stay put after it was decommissioned at the end of the war. Advertisement DNA, whose birth name is not revealed on the show, grew up in San Diego, never quite fitting in with the modern world. He held down several jobs, including window cleaner and construction worker, but he always struggled with authority. In the 1990s, he was jailed for taking his mother's car without permission, which sent him into a vicious circle of homelessness and lawlessness. After years of being in and out of jail, losing his home and belongings several times, DNA moved to Slab City after his sister suggested it might be a good place for him, where he could live without having to worry about the police. While his makeshift home is constantly threatened by sand storms, and even though temperatures can rise up to 50 degrees in the summer, DNA said he loves his lives in the community. 'You just basically find a place you like, ask people around, if nobody cares, you just start cleaning the place around and making it yours,' he told Ben. 'There's nobody telling you no, you're good to go,' he added. Before moving to the community, DNA would spend his time between the streets and jail. 'My sister found this place for me when I was down in San Diego,' he told Ben. He claimed he was 'harassed' by the police for being homeless, adding: 'Once you're in the street, it's hard to get up. 'She said it was a place you could go and the government wouldn't harass me here,' he recounted. At first, DNA didn't want to hear about Slab City, but his sister insisted, and he eventually relented, taking his few belongings with him 'I came with a back pack, a bunch of clothes, a sleeping bag and some sort of mattress and pillows or something. I don't really remember, but it wasn't much,' he said. 'I camped out there one night and then I went "yeah, I could get used to this". 'Cause the people were all nice, they were open, it just worked out, clicked, I got to know people so I told my sister "yeah, I'll stay",' he added. In spite of the fact the community is populated by criminals and murderers, DNA said he's never feared for himself here. The presenter said he believes the community is DNA's 'last chance' and has helped him rehabilitate after years spent in and out of jail 'I've never been afraid here. Actually, when I first got here, maybe, a little bit afraid somebody was going to steal my stuff,' he admitted. 'A mindset of a new person coming into town might be "what could potentially be here"? 'Cause they hear all kinds of rumours and some of the are true, very much so,' he added. 'I haven't been really messed up with that much at all, it seems like a lot of people respect me, and I'm very appreciate of that, but I don't know how I got that way,' he said, adding: 'it makes you feel wanted, makes you feel loved. One aspect of DNA's life in Slab City is his taste for female clothing and makeup. Before moving to the community, DNA would spend his time between the streets and jail. He's been able to relax within the community The artist starts his day by doing a full face of makeup and carefully selected the clothes he wants to wear, changing outfits several times a day. 'Nobody ever taught me, I had this one girlfriend that taught me how to do my eyebrows but I don't think I listened to her,' he told Ben while applying foundation. 'People often gift me makeup, nobody taught me wigs either, I like it but, I don't know how to handle it or keep it in good shape,' he said of a blonde wig he put on in front of Ben while filming. Speaking of the feminine clothes he likes to wear, DNA said: 'I tried it when I was quite young and then I didn't do it for some time and then I came out. 'It was dark in the closet, I couldn't see what I was wearing. DNA admitted he is still angry at the 'messed up' system that saw him losing everything and ending up on the street 'So I came out of the closet and I was wearing girls' clothes.' While Ben remarked the phrase 'coming out' made it sound like DNA could be gay, the artist said he wasn't. 'I'm not attracted to men, I like the female, I like them quite much, but I do like to mimic them,' he said. He added that to him, Slab City is a place where 'you can be anything you want to be.' Ben said in an aside to the camera that he felt the community was 'the last chance for DNA,' but added 'it's very tenuous, no one owns the land, no taxes are paid, boundaries change. Rules change here if indeed there are rules. At first, DNA didn't want to hear about Slab City, but his sister insisted, and he eventually relented, taking his few belongings with him 'He has found this amazing opportunity but it seems to be there is still great vulnerability to living here,' the presenter added. While he is considered a pillar of the Slab City community and is known to help residents around, his life before the community was punctuated by journeys to jail. He told Ben he's been arrested over 30 times in his life and still resents the system for putting him on the streets. 'How can they judge someone in a courtroom if they don't know you?' he asked Ben. 'They sentence them over time that was just a few seconds of bad judgement or maybe even not bad judgement, maybe just an accusation that attaches itself to you because of your record,' he added. 'When you lose, for a couple of months, when you lose everything like that, you don't have any income. The artist has been living in the desert for four years, and said he feels accepted by the community 'So you're renting on your house, you're renting your storage unit, your apartment, whatever, you lose all that,' he said. 'And you got to start with the clothes on your back most of the time. Unless you got somebody out there, family, holding on to your stuff for you and paying our bills, you lose it all. 'I've been put to the streets dozens of time, every time I got arrested. I started over every time. 'And they would hold you there just long enough to break you too,' he said. 'And then they let you go. I didn't catch all the charges they gave me, but I'd sit there and have to write it out, and I'd lose everything so I would get penalised anyway,' he told Ben. 'It's a messed up system,' he added. The artist also revealed how he would feel judged by the wider society for being homeless, even through 'subconscious judgment.' 'Think about how often you've seen a beggar on the streets and thought, "What's that guy crawling out of? Look at him, I see him here every day",' he told Ben. 'I understand both sides of the picture but I've also become aware... I have compassion for that guy now, because I've been there, I haven't fully got out of there in certain ways,' he added. 'I don't want to be on that other side with all the other people going "look at that guy." I would never want to be there again. Because you don't know what that person's been through,' he added, tearing up. Ben said he felt Slab City had been a space of 'rehabilitation' for DNA, even though the presenter could still see the artist's anger's bulling through the surface. While the show was filming, DNA went on a visit from his sister Tomara, who suggested to him to move to Slab City four years ago, and whom he hadn't seen in three years. 'He's always been the more emotional, sensitive one,' she told Ben, with DNA admitting: 'People read me wrong a lot of times.' Tomara told Ben that her brother was 'very, very angry,' when he first came out of jail. 'He had to let it out, I guess I was a safe person to talk to, understandably so, they're not helpful in rehabilitating people,' she said of the authorities. 'In my opinion, I've really changed what I feel about the prison system, I definitely think it needs to be reformed,' she added. During a conversation Ben and Tomara had without DNA present, she told the presenter she thinks her brother is happy in Slab City. 'It's nice to think about and see him finally happy, and not struggling for daily survival,' she said. 'When he was homeless that was the thing. Every day was about finding food, and you didn't have time, or barely, to look for a job, or anything else besides just survive,' she added. 'And so now he has a set up, a place to sleep every night, he doesn't have to worry about cops. 'I think you can relax and really sleep when you're in your own place,' she added. She also told Ben that DNA had struggled with his mental health to the point of feeling suicidal in the past. 'For a long while he really was not happy with being alive, really struggled with it,' she said. 'I tried to talk him out of it so many ways or tried to get help for him, I was really worried about him,' But she told Ben she has realised: 'There is nothing I can do besides showing him that I love him and I do care and other family members, that's what we've been focusing on,' she said. She added that the family are able to keep in touch with DNA through phone, and that he's able to reach out to all his family when he wants to. 'In a crazy way, I brag abut my crazy brother,' she said, immediately adding: 'I shouldn't have said that, I don't mean it that way. 'He is an interesting person, he is a very smart person and has a lot to give.' Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild airs tonight at 9pm on Channel 5. Think you've sailed away with a bargain deal? Then you might want to check the small print when it comes to cruise vacations, with a wave of extra charges that can quickly add up. FEMAIL investigated two voyages on offer with two of the world's biggest cruise lines and found that the actual price of the trip is much more than advertised. Cruise prices in the US never factor in government taxes and port charges, then other things to think about include Wi-Fi access, drinks packages, specialty restaurants away from the buffet stations and onshore excursions. Sail on down to see how a cheap cruise can quickly become one to sink your vacation balance sheet. Cruise vacations can come with a wave of extra charges that can quickly add up Taking you for a ride? How a $978 two-person cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line can end up costing a staggering $4,552 On Norwegian Cruise Line's Breakaway ship, there is a February 2023 trip priced at $489 per person. The seven-day voyage circles from and to New Orleans, Louisiana, with stops at Belize, Honduras and Mexico along the way. The REAL cost of cruising: Inside hidden fees on a Norwegian Cruise Line trip The basic cost for a seven-day return trip from New Orleans, Louisiana, in February 2023 with stops at Belize, Honduras and Mexico for two people: $978 HIDDEN EXTRAS Government taxes and port charges for two: $376.74 $376.74 Wi-Fi package for two devices: $314.93 $314.93 Basic open bar drinks package for two: $1,831.20 $1,831.20 Two nights dining in a specialty restaurant for two: $400 $400 A spa massage for two: $360 $360 Two onshore excursions per person: $480 BASIC COST: $978 REAL TOTAL: $4,552.50 Advertisement This price is based on two people sharing a basic inside cabin with no windows. However, the advertised price does not include government taxes and port charges which come to $188.37. That means the basic cost of the cruise comes to $1,354.74 for two people once these charges have been applied. But once you are on the 3,959-passenger ship, the hidden costs quickly add up. If you want to stay connected while you are away, the Wi-Fi package for two devices costs $44.99 per day. This amounts to $314.93 for the duration of the cruise. Then, if you plan on drinking alcohol the open bar drinks package is put forward as an option. The basic package - covering drinks worth up to $15 - comes in at $109 per person per day which totals $1,526 for the whole trip for two people. A 20 per cent charge gratuity and beverage service charge is then added to all food and beverage packages, bringing the total to $1,831.20. While the basic cost of the cruise includes all meals in certain areas, if you fancy eating in one of the specialty restaurants expect to be paying at least $100 per head with tip included. At Norwegian Breakaway's Ocean Blue restaurant, which is described as a 'refined and elegant' eatery, appetizers start from $15 for some crispy shrimp, while the filet mignon is priced at $43 and the lobster comes in at $49. While over at Le Bistro, which features 'elegant interiors, crisp white linens and attentive servers', the menu suggests kicking off with a glass of Veuve Clicquot Brut which comes in at $29. Moving to the next courses, the appetizers start from $16 for a serving of escargot, the meat-based mains start from $29 for a Coq Au Vin and the fish dishes start from $39 for a Mediterranean sea bass. If you fancy a spot of pampering while you're on the high seas, all of the Norwegian Cruise ships feature a 'Mandara Spa'. The Ocean Blue restaurant on Norwegian Cruise Line's Breakaway ship, where a filet mignon is priced at $43 and the lobster comes in at $49 A shot of the basic cabin configuration on Norwegian Cruise Line's Breakaway ship Massages start from around $180 for 50-minutes with gratuity included. On the excursion side of things, the prices range from $29 for a paddleboard rental and top out at $899 to hire a luxury private villa on Norwegian Cruise Line's private island Harvest Cay in Belize. However, activities average out at around $120 per person with gratuity included and it's recommended that passengers do at least two excursions per cruise. This means couples should expect to spend at least $480 is they want to enjoy their time once docked. Once all of these additional costs have been factored into a trip with Norwegian Cruise Line promoted at $978 per couple, the actual amount comes out at something more like $4,552.50 - more than four times the baseline price. Sea-ing red! Taking a $718 two-person Carnival cruise could land you with a bill of $3,300 The REAL cost of cruising: Inside hidden fees on a Carnival trip The basic cost for a seven-day eastern Caribbean cruise from Miami, Florida, in September 2024 for two people: $718 HIDDEN EXTRAS Government taxes and port charges for two: $305.74 $305.74 Upfront gratuities for two: $203pp $203pp Basic Wi-Fi package for two devices: $178.50 $178.50 Basic open bar drinks package: $990.37 $990.37 Two nights dining in a specialty restaurant for two: $300 $300 A spa massage for two: $250 $250 Two onshore excursions per person: $400 BASIC COST: $718 REAL TOTAL: $3,345.61 Advertisement Applying the same methodology to a Carnival cruise, a similar picture emerges when it comes to budgeting. A seven-day eastern Caribbean cruise from Miami, Florida, in September 2024 is marketed at $359 per person with stops at Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Turks & Caicos. The basic cabin at least features a port hole. However, once government taxes and port charges have been applied ($152.87 per person) along with an optional $203 in upfront gratuities it comes out at $1,023.74 for two or $511.87 per person. The Carnival booking site highlights that meals in specialty restaurants onboard Magic are not included, along with alcoholic beverages and the internet. For those looking to add on a drinks package, Carnival's 'Cheers!' open bar offering costs $59.95 per day, coming out at $839.30 per couple on a week-long voyage. With the ship's recommended 18 per cent gratuity added on top, this totals $990.37. On the Wi-Fi front Carnival's basic package, which only supports social media apps, is priced at $12.75 per person per day. For couples on a seven-day trip this comes to an extra $178.50. For days at sea, Carnival's Magic has a 'Cloud 9 spa' for some rest and rejuvenation. A 50-minute long Swedish massage is priced at around $125 with gratuities included. So for a couple, it's best to budget up to $250 if the sound of a spa day appeals. A seven-day eastern Caribbean cruise from Miami, Florida, in September 2024 with Carnival is marketed at $359 per person For cruise-goers who are really looking to push the boat out there's a chef's table experience with Carnival costing up to $99 When it comes to dining, there's a variety of restaurant options included in the basic cruise price but the more appealing spots serving up prime steaks and seafood will cost extra. At the Steakhouse all of the entrees are priced at $23, with a broiled lobster tail and New York striploin steak among the selection. For cruise-goers who are really looking to push the boat out there's a chef's table experience costing up to $99, with this comprising a multicourse dinner hosted by the master executive chef, complete with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. As with all of the cruise companies, onshore excursions are not included with Carnival. On the eastern Caribbean cruise the options range from snorkeling with stingrays to a catamaran sailing trip, with the prices for activities averaging around $100 per person. For couples wanting to do two excursions over the course of a week, they should put $400 aside. So what started out as a $718 trip with Carnival for two people, actually comes out at just over $3,300 once all of the additional costs have been factored in. Again, more than four times the original estimate for a sailing vacation. The Italian actress passed away at the age of 95 yesterday Gina Lollobrigida's former toyboy husband has promised he will be 'front row' at her funeral - despite their marriage being annulled by the Vatican. Javier Rigau, from Spain, first become romantically with the late Italian actress - who passed away at the age of 95 yesterday - in 2006. Speaking to Spanish newspaper ABC, the Catalan businessman claimed Gina asked to see him before her death - despite the fact they were locked in legal battles over the past decade. He said: 'It's all very sad. Gina had me contacted through her son and last Friday we were able to say goodbye to each properly with her son and grandson. Gina Lollobrigida and ex-husband Javier Rigau Rifols pictured at the 56th Red Cross Ball in 2006. The couple - who had a 34 year age gap - announced their engagement that year 'From that day I've been staying at a hotel a few feet away from the clinic. 'I'll stay with her son and grandson to organise the funeral where I will be in the front row.' In 2006, the late Italian actress announced she was engaged to boyfriend Javier Rigau, who was 34 years her junior. But two months later, the screen icon called off the nuptials. In November 2010, Gina alleged Javier staged a wedding in an attempt to get his hands on her fortune. Gina and Javier's marriage was annulled by the Vatican in 2019, nine years after the actress claims her ex staged a fake wedding in a bid to steal her fortune Six years later, she claimed in an Italian fraud and forgery trial that they had never consummated their relationship. She also claimed he tricked her into signing a power of attorney document following years of dating which Rigau says started when they met at a party in Monte Carlo in 1984 when he was 23 and Lollobrigida was 57. The actress - who starred alongside the likes of Humphrey Bogart and Frank Sinatra in her heyday and was often described as 'the most beautiful woman in the world - said: 'Even when we went travelling we slept in separate rooms and we never had intimate relations.' In response, Javier shot back that the first thing Gina had taught him to say in Italian was: 'Let's be together. Let's f***.' He told Spanish website Vanitatis at the time: 'It's caused me great pain seeing Gina saying the things she has against our marriage. 'I've seen a person who doesn't resemble physically or mentally the one I had at my side for years [...] Gina pictured at the height of her fame in the 1950s. The actress passed away at the age of 95 yesterday Sophia Loren has paid tribute to her bitter rival, Italian actress and artist Gina Lollobrigida , a siren of the silver screen, who has died at the age of 95 (pictured, Gina Lollobrigida (right) alongside Sophia Loren (left) and Yvonne de Carlo in Germany in 1954) 'If I say how old she was when she went to bed with me, I wouldnt show her in a good light.' In 2019, the Vatican officially annulled the couple's marriage. However, ABC published documentation last year claiming to show Rigau and Lollobrigida remained legally married. She launched legal action in Italy against the Spaniard after a court in Barcelona closed its probe into allegations Rigau attempted to swindle his former partner through the proxy marriage at a civil ceremony in the Catalan capital. He insisted in a February 2013 UK newspaper interview: Gina and I married for love and despite everything I still love her very much. Speaking after the Vatican annulment of the marriage, Javier said: The Pope has seen fit to make a Solomonic decision. Thus, hearing only one of the parties and in view of her advanced age, he has granted her the waiver to annul the marriage, but recognizing its full validity from the beginning. He has consistently claimed the actress denied knowledge of their wedding after coming under the influence of manager Andrea Piazzolla who her family has accused of defrauding Gina. Gina had been hospitalised for some time at the Rome clinic where she died after undergoing an operation in September for a broken femur. Once known as the Mona Lisa of the 20th century thanks to her beauty, Miss Lollobrigida was a legend of 1950s and 60s cinema, who later moved away from the film world to take up photography and sculpture. She even made a foray into politics last year, standing in the Italian general election just after her 95th birthday, though she failed to gain election to parliament. Miss Lollobrigida was one of the leading stars of Italian post-war cinema at the height of her fame in the 1950s and 1960s This followed her unsuccessful bid to stand in the European Parliament in 1999, representing Romano Prodi's centrist Democratici party. Known as 'La Lollo', at the height of her fame in the 1950s and 1960s Miss Lollobrigida was an international sex symbol and one of the leading stars of Italian post-war cinema - rivalled only by Sophia Loren, with whom she had an ongoing feud. Leading the tributes to Gina, according to Variety, Loren said in a statement she 'is deeply shaken and saddened' by the news of Lollobrigida's death. There was still some apparent ill-feeling as recently as 2017, with Miss Lollobrigida telling an Italian newspaper that she 'was not looking for any rivalry against anyone', while describing herself as the 'number one'. The pair had reportedly shared a war of words, with Miss Loren, now 88, describing herself as the 'bustier' of the two, and Miss Lollobrigida retorting that her rival could 'play a peasant, but never a lady'. But Miss Lollobrigida dismissed the feud as a PR invention kept alive for decades by Miss Loren's team. Paying tribute to Miss Lollobrigida, Italian culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano said: 'Farewell to a diva of the silver screen, protagonist of more than half a century of Italian cinema history. Her charm will remain eternal.' A popular specialty ingredient store has opened up on Sydney's North Shore Foodies are raving about a new store in Sydney that only sells specialty ingredients which are difficult to find anywhere else. Gone are the days of checking 10 different supermarkets to find the final ingredient you need for a recipe, the Essential Ingredient stocks a range of had to get premium items. The products, imported and local, include everything from Tasmanian bush honey to rare Mexican chillies, and a range of 93 herbs and spices. The brand has delighted locals by returning its flagship store to Crows Nest on Sydney's North Shore; it hasn't been open since 2010. Foodies are raving about a new Sydney store that only sells specialty ingredients which are difficult to find anywhere else The products, imported and local, include everything from Tasmanian bush honey to rare Mexican chillies, and a range of 93 herbs and spices The Essential Ingredient has been sourcing specialty ingredients for Australians since it first opened in 1986, and it now has six popular branches. Some bestselling products include rose harissa, urfa chilli flakes, dried black limes, squid ink, dried rose petals and black truffle salsa. The store stocks well-loved local delicacies such as specialty chocolate from Zokoko, Ferguson's lobster infused olive oil and preserved Australian fruits. It also sells hard to find international products like Italian pasta I Due Pastori, French preserved snails, French Breton biscuits and Thai shrimp paste. The store stocks well-loved local delicacies and hard to find international products like Italian pasta I Due Pastori, French preserved snails, French Breton biscuits and Thai shrimp paste Fans of the store praise it for being 'surprisingly cheap', prices range from $3 to $430. The Essential Ingredient also has a range of gift hampers, cookware, tableware and recipe books on offer, and provide free recipes on their site. They often host intimate events at the flagship store, including recipe book launches with chefs and cooking demonstrations. The Essential Ingredient's top 10 best selling specialty items: 1. Urfa chilli flakes 2. Rose harissa 3. Aleppo pepper flakes 4. Dried rose petals 5. Dried barberries 6. Green chilli peppers in vinegar 7. Dark muscovado sugar 8. Snails in brine 9. Squid ink 10. Dried black limes (Source: The Essential Ingredient) Advertisement 'We wanted a special, comfortable, non-intimidating space to inspire,' Peter Walmsley, the company's director, told Broadsheet. 'We hope walking through and speaking with our incredible staff makes you excited about the idea of cooking something you've never cooked before.' 'We're keen for the kitchen to be a hub of activity beyond formal events, whether it's cooking our weekly recipes for our Instagram and email newsletters, or testing out a new product.' The Essential Ingredient often host intimate events at the flagship store, including recipe book launches with chefs and cooking demonstrations Fans of the store have been raving about it since the early 2000s when it was first in Crows Nest. 'It has a great variety of specialised kitchen utensils and is surprisingly cheap for a small shop. Got my pasta maker from there!' one man said. 'A very well stocked shop with an amazing selection of products. Friendly, helpful staff,' another wrote. 'Absolutely helpful and knowledgeable! Had a great experience and the staff went above and beyond to help me,' another said. Shoppers can now buy white strawberries - which are covered in red seeds - from Marks & Spencer. The fun new berries - a uniquely reversed take on their rosy counterparts - promise to be just as sweet - with 'an aroma of pineapple and notes of vanilla'. White Pearl Strawberries, a first on the UK high street, were developed in Japan, after seeds from the Asian nation's white berries were crossed with a traditional variant of the fruit. Social media users met the news with mixed reactions, with some gunning to sample the delicacy, while others branded them 'anaemic'. Shoppers can from today buy white strawberries - which are covered in red seeds - from Marks & Spencer 'Whatttttttttttt? I must try immediately,' one excited foodie wrote on the retailer's Instagram - where they announced the news - with the post racking almost 13,000 likes in under an hour. 'Omg what the flip these look incredible,' another gushed. Elsewhere a third berry enthusiast penned: 'I need these.' But not everyone was a fan, as sceptics branded the fruit 'gross'. The fun new berries - a uniquely reversed take on their rosy counterparts - promise to be just as sweet - with 'an aroma of pineapple and notes of vanilla' 'The look freaks me out for some reason!!' One user confessed. Another simply asked: 'What are those!?' Some commenters also had concerns about the breeding process to create the strawberry, while others had questions about the price. 'At M&S we love to be first to market and introduce products that no one else can, our customers get really excited when we introduce new flavour produce or hybrids,' M&S Strawberry Buyer Tom Pedley said. 'We're known for our Candyfloss Grapes, while the Limelon was all over the news so that's why we had to bring the White Pearl Strawberry to M&S.' Social media users met the news with mixed reactions, with some gunning to sample the delicacy while others branded them 'anaemic' He praised not only its 'really unique flavour' but 'incredible' appearance. 'Plus, it's great for kids,' Tom added. 'Who doesn't want to try a reverse strawberry!' M&S advises that the strawberries are best eaten at room temperature for 'maximum deliciousness', and are understood to go for 3.50 per box. While there are a few different varieties of the white strawberry, one type - the 'jewel strawberry' from Japan - has been renowned for its luxurious reputation, costing as much as $10 per berry, according to Allrecipes.com. The outlet says these are sweeter than normal strawberries, and taste similar to candy. It comes as the supermarket chain has announced plans to open 20 new shops, with five opening in former Debenhams department stores across the UK in a move that will create 3,400 jobs. Details of the store openings show that five of the group's relocated new full-line outlets will be based in former Debenhams sites as part of its pledge to regenerate vacant store outlets. But not everyone was a fan, as some sceptics branded the fruit 'gross' in comments on social media These will be found in Leeds White Rose, Liverpool ONE, Birmingham's Bullring, Lakeside Thurrock and the Trafford Centre. Eight full-line stores will open in well-known shopping centres, as well as in retail parks and high streets across key cities over the next financial year. M&S will also open 12 new food halls, including in Stockport, Barnsley and Largs in North Ayrshire, Scotland. The new openings, planned for 2023-24, will bring investment in new stores to 480million, M&S said. The new store pipeline for 2023/24 includes eight full-line stores in city locations including a new 97k sq ft store in Leeds White Rose and a 70k sq ft store in Liverpool One, both due to open in Summer 2023. Some preferred them saying Aldi staff scan groceries too fast Australian shoppers have complained about yet another 'annoying' feature of self-serve checkouts - this time at the new Aldi registers. Taking to Reddit, customers have been venting about how loud the self-serve tills are and asking why they don't have a volume control feature. The grievance was pointed out in a discussion about the newly-installed registers in which an Aldi worker revealed why checkout staff scan patron's groceries so quickly. Aldi customers have been complaining about how loud the retailer's new self-serve checkouts are and asking why they don't have a volume control feature 'I love self checkouts, but the Aldi ones are LOUD, and I don't need to immediately be told to bag every. f***. item,' one user vented. 'If they don't offer a volume control, I'm going back to real-human checkouts.' ''Please place the item in the bagging area', 'Omg I'm trying!',' another wrote. 'Really? They don't offer volume control? I didn't get to try them because they were already closed,' a third replied. Another agreed Aldi's registers were very noisy and said they had a gripe with how they detect if shoppers are using their own bags but their feedback wasn't all negative. 'I love self checkouts, but the Aldi ones are LOUD, and I don't need to immediately be told to bag every. f***. item,' one shopper vented 'They have an annoying sequencing difference whereby you have to press the 'I have my own bags' BEFORE you put your bag in the bagging area. If you place them before pressing the button, it gets really offended,' they explained. 'One thing that's nice is when you press 'pay now', you just pay. No information about discounts on the docket, no questions about mode of payment, no invitations to donate to charity. Just press 'pay now' and pay.' Unconcerned with the self-serve checkouts' volume, other shoppers said they preferred the registers as they like to pack their groceries at their own pace. Some preferred to scan their groceries at their own pace on the new tills as they say Aldi workers go too quickly - but one former employee had an answer They said many Aldi workers can groceries at the checkout far too quickly for them to bag their items before the transaction finishes so were thankful for the self-serve aisles. Poll Where do you prefer to scan and pay for groceries? Self-serve checkouts I don't mind either Staffed registers Where do you prefer to scan and pay for groceries? Self-serve checkouts 197 votes I don't mind either 198 votes Staffed registers 596 votes Now share your opinion 'At least now I can pack my groceries without it being thrown at my face! No offense to Aldi staff, but you guys are just too quick!' one customer wrote. In response, one former worker revealed the computers track how many items they are scanning per minute and gave their advice for getting through the register fuss-free. 'We were measured on items per minute when on registers - which is shown at the end of your shift when closing out your individual till. Promise you, they're not doing it for fun,' they explained. 'Don't pack your bags at the register. Toss it all into the trolley/basket when scanned at take your time at the packing bench just next to the registers. Or buy those bags that hook into the trolley basket so you can kind of pack quickly,' they added. Aldi employees review and adjust their scan speed based on how quickly or slowly each customer packs their shopping. If a customer would like a checkout worker to slow down, they are encouraged to request they do so. Data is based on the genetic analysis of Covid tests submitted across England UK health authorities predict one of two variants will become the dominant virus Covid variant Orthrus now accounts for one fifth of Covid cases in England, figures show. Surveillance data shows how the strain, scientifically called CH.1.1, has snowballed since it was first detected in November. Health chiefs have warned that it or another Omicron sub-lineage nicknamed the 'Kraken' could soon become dominant. The latter, or XBB1.5, has sparked fears it could trigger a Covid resurgence, putting even more pressure on the NHS at a time when it is being battered by its worst ever winter. Maps, taken from the Sanger Institute, which tracks Covid variants in England using data from genomic testing, show Omicron spin-off Orthrus has spread up and down the nation as of January 7, the latest available data. It now accounts of 23.3 per cent of all Covid test analysed up from 1 per cent on November 12 when it was first spotted in Blaby in the south west of Leicestershire How dangerous is XBB.1.5? Is it already the dominant Covid strain? And do the jabs still work? Everything you need to know about 'the Kraken' as new variant starts sweeping the UK A highly contagious Covid strain has emerged and is already behind one in 25 cases in the UK, data suggests Advertisement Data from the Sanger Institute, one of the UK's largest surveillance sites tasked with analysing strains circulating in the UK, shows Orthrus, nicknamed after a mythical two-headed dog, accounted for 23.3 per cent of all Covid tests analysed in England on January 7, the latest data available. Fascinating maps show it now accounts for 100 per cent of genomic tests of the virus in some boroughs. These include Northumberland, Bradford, Wakefield, Blackburn with Darwen, North West Leicestershire, Breckland, Central Bedfordshire, Oxford, Reading, Woking, Enfield, Havering, Sevenoaks, Crawley, and Adur. It shows how far the new variant has come since when it was first spotted in Blaby in the south west of Leicestershire on November 12. But the Sanger data is only based on hundreds of samples, meaning it does not reflect the true picture. The majority of Covid-positive samples are not sequenced by the lab, which was analysing thousands every day during the height of the pandemic. Kraken, nicknamed after a mythical sea monster, currently accounts for 3.6 per cent of cases in England, according to the same data. However, it was only spotted in mid-December. While Orthrus is behind more infections, experts have said Kraken appears to be growing faster and is thought to be more transmissible and immune evasive than other strains in circulation. UK Health Security Agency data suggested that Kraken has a 39 per cent growth rate advantage over BQ.1, the current dominant variant. This chart, taken from the Sanger Institute, shows the growth of both Orthrus (salmon colour) and Kraken (purple) since November 12. However, Omicron strain BQ.1 (yellow) is still the dominant variant. Other Covid variants on the chart include other BA.5 sub-lineages (maroon), BA.2 (light blue) and BA.4 (thin orange line) The latest ONS Covid infection survey shows that 4 per cent of England's population was infected on any given day last week a drop from 4.5 per cent last week. In Scotland, levels increased by 3 per cent in Scotland to 219,600, meaning one in 25 people (4.1 per cent of the population) were infected in the week to December 31. Around 157,000 people in Wales (one in 18, 5.7 per cent) were thought to be carrying the virus in the seven days to January 3, down 9.4 per cent in a week. In Northern Ireland, 129,100 people were infected (one in 14, 7 per cent) an increase of 9.3 per cent. However, the ONS said the weekly trend is uncertain COVID: The number of people infected with Covid taking up hospital beds in England fell 11 per cent from 9,414 in the week to January 4 to 8,404 in the seven days to January 11. NHS data shows the figure peaked at 9,533 on December 29 and has since fallen 19 per cent to 7,743 Is YOUR area a scarlet fever hotspot? Cases of illness caused by Strep A bug soared to highest level since the 1950s last year, data shows - as map reveals worst-hit regions MailOnline analysis today shows the North West was the worst-hit region, recording close to 3,000 cases in December. It was followed by the East Midlands (2,890), South East (2,701) and London (2,405). The North East the least affected area recorded 769 over the same period Advertisement Meanwhile, the advantage rate for Orthrus was 22 per cent. However, the UKHSA cautioned Kraken's current low prevalence in the UK makes any estimate of its growth 'highly uncertain'. Neither Covid variant has been escalated to being declared a 'variant of concern' by the UKHSA. This suggests there are no signs they cause more severe disease than other, similarly mild Omicron strains, nor are sufficiently genetically divergent as to cause Covid vaccines to be less effective. However, scientists have found both host concerning genetic quirks. Orthrus has a mutation called P681R which was also on the Delta variant and is thought to make it better attack cells and cause more severe illness. Scientists have also spotted it has R346T, which is thought to help the strain fight-off antibodies that were generated in response to vaccination or previous infection. And Kraken has one called F486P, which helps it to bypass Covid-fighting antibodies. Another mutation S486P is thought to improve its ability to bind to human cells. Concerns over the two new strains, combined with the unfolding NHS crisis and a 'flu-nami', has triggered calls for the return of pandemic-era restrictions like masks and working-from-home in a bid to ease pressure on the ailing health service. But the latest data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) suggests Covid cases have actually fallen in England. According to the data, 2.2million people, or one in 25 people, were infected with the virus in the week to January 3. ONS analysts estimated that the total was 11 per cent lower than the week before. However, as many as one in 14 people were still infected in the worst-affected parts of the UK. And some have suggested it could be the calm before another wave of infections. Data for England showed cases fell in all regions apart from the North East, where 4.1 per cent of people were infected up from 3.8 per cent one week earlier. Infections were highest in the East Midlands, South West and South East, where 4.5 per cent were thought to be carrying the virus. Cases were lowest in London and the North West, where 3.5 per cent were infected, according to ONS estimates. But the ONS, which swabs thousands of people across the UK to estimate how prevalent the virus is, noted that these estimates are based on a lower than usual number of swabs due to the festive period. Warnings about the new variants also came as the number of people infected with Covid taking up hospital beds in England is falling. The figure dropped 11 per cent from 9,414 in the week to January 4 to 8,404 in the seven days to January 11. NHS data shows Covid patients peaked at 9,533 on December 29 and has since fallen 19 per cent to 7,743. Just one in three so-called Covid patients are primarily admitted to hospital because of the virus. The remaining two-thirds were taken into NHS care for another ailment, such as a broken leg, but happened to test positive. If the downwards trend continues, it means the wave will have peaked below 10,000, which is well below the figures seen in previous waves. The number topped 14,000 during summer 2022 and reached 17,000 last winter. When Ian Graham tripped and fell, hitting his head on the kitchen floor in early 2019, he couldnt have imagined the far-reaching consequences it would have on his health. The former social services support worker, 65, from Liverpool, was in hospital for three weeks after his accident. But the traumatic brain injury he had suffered also triggered a long-term condition that has had a devastating impact. Ian, who is married with two grown-up children, had been otherwise healthy until then. Yet following his fall, he struggled to remember words and suffered from fatigue and apathy. He also developed a shuffling gait. His wife, Anne, 66, says his character changed, too: He had no empathy at all and he didnt seem to care about me or how I was feeling, she recalls. I must have cried every day for the first year. It wasnt until Ian saw a hormone specialist in 2021 that the cause became apparent he had very low levels of growth hormone, vital for many functions in the body including mood, metabolism and bone density. Ian, who is married with two grown-up children, had been otherwise healthy until then. Yet following his fall, he struggled to remember words and suffered from fatigue and apathy. He also developed a shuffling gait While some children are born with growth hormone deficiency (GHD), in adults its mainly triggered by a head injury which damages the pituitary gland, a tiny bean-shaped gland behind the nose. It regulates the production of most of the bodys essential hormones, including growth hormone. The pituitary gland can also be damaged by surgery, a tumour or problems with blood supply to the gland (which can be caused by blood-thinning medication), according to The Pituitary Foundation, a support organisation for patients. In adults, GHD can lead to a wide range of symptoms including loss of strength and stamina, excessive tiredness, anxiety, depression and reduced bone density. It can also increase levels of LDL, or bad cholesterol, and other harmful blood fats, as well as directly damaging heart muscle and disrupting glucose metabolism (how carbohydrates are turned into energy by the muscle cells), leading to increased fat around the waist. This link with cardiovascular health was significant for Ian, as at the end of 2021 he developed several pulmonary embolisms blood clots in his lungs (considered cardiovascular events) that he believes could have been prevented. I should have been tested for high cholesterol after I was diagnosed with very low growth hormone levels and put on medication, he says. Im now on blood thinners for life. It can also increase levels of LDL, or bad cholesterol, and other harmful blood fats, as well as directly damaging heart muscle and disrupting glucose metabolism (how carbohydrates are turned into energy by the muscle cells), leading to increased fat around the waist For years the role of GHD has been overlooked as a significant risk factor for developing heart disease indeed it was only in July last year that the British Heart Foundation (BHF) recognised GHD as a cause of high cholesterol. There are officially around 6,000 people with adult-onset GHD in England and Wales, according to the Society for Endocrinology, although campaigners claim the real figure is much higher, but most cases go undiagnosed. The impact of undiagnosed GHD can be so devastating it can lead to chronic depression and even suicidal thoughts, says Ashley Grossman, a professor of neuroendocrinology at Barts and the London School of Medicine. Despite its impact, adult-onset GHD wasnt recognised as a serious or clinically relevant condition until 2005, according to the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. As Professor Grossman explains: Until the late 1980s/early 1990s, we used to think about growth hormone as something exclusively related to growth. Endocrinologists have known about GHD and heart disease for years, but cardiologists havent really thought about it until now. Doctors and campaigners have welcomed the news that GHD has now been acknowledged as a cause of high cholesterol by the British Heart Foundation. As Professor Grossman explains, this will increase the numbers diagnosed with heart disease caused by GHD. Antonio Belli, a professor of trauma neurosurgery at Birmingham University and an expert in GHD, concurs: Too many cases of heart disease linked to GHD go undiagnosed. This new recognition from the BHF could certainly improve diagnosis rates. It will make a huge difference to adults who suspect there is an underlying, unrecognised cause of their cardiovascular disease, adds Joanna Lane. Two years ago she set up the Christopher Lane Trust charity to raise awareness of hormonal disorders, including GHD, after her son took his life in 2008 at the age of 31 when he became severely depressed about being impotent. She believes this was linked to damage to his pituitary gland (which also regulates testosterone production) after he suffered a fall, aged seven, that left him in a coma for two weeks. The BHF move will, she says, mean that people who find theyre deficient in this critical hormone may get treatment that saves them from suicide or premature death from other causes. Joanna has fought to raise awareness of the harm that can come from pituitary gland damage, and with other campaigners has been lobbying the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for more than a decade to recommend that traumatic brain injury patients are warned that their hormones may be affected. Finally she has had some success, and from March, new NICE guidance will set out that when discharged from hospital, these patients must be told to see their GP if they have symptoms of hormone deficiency. This kind of advice might have helped musician John (who wishes to remain anonymous). After suffering a head injury in his 20s, John, now 51, experienced poor mental health, chronic fatigue and inexplicably high cholesterol all his adult life. I was also often confused and unmotivated, he recalls. I had no muscular strength or sexual function, which was devastating. I seemed to develop some new symptom every week. Yet none of the doctors John saw following his head injury ever checked his hormone levels. When he was 39, he suffered a heart attack and had a stent implanted to open a blocked artery. But it was another eight years before he was finally diagnosed and treated for GHD. A test score of below three equals GHD deficiency Johns was 1.85. I cried when I got the result, he says. It was an emotional moment because I had felt so bad before the test that I had already decided to take my life if I failed it. Life just wasnt worth living the way I was then. Symptoms of GHD can be improved by injecting a synthetic form of growth hormone, a treatment thats becoming more widely available on the NHS. This could potentially reduce the number of patients who go on to develop heart disease. John, whose growth hormone replacement therapy began in November 2020, says that before treatment started, I had to do the washing up in two halves because I was so tired now I do it all in one go. My clarity of thought has returned, and I am less anxious and irritable. Im grateful, but GHD has stolen more than two decades of my life that I will never get back. There needs to be better awareness of GHD particularly its links to heart problems. Ian, meanwhile, was about to start the hormone treatment when he suffered the pulmonary embolisms at the end of 2021. But now that hes having the daily injections, his symptoms have improved. I definitely feel better and my wife and friends say I am very much improved, he says. I was socially isolated and apathetic, and I stopped doing all the usual things people do but I am feeling more confident now in what I say, although I still have some fatigue. His wife, Anne, adds: Since Ian began injecting growth hormone, he is much more like his old self. I also noticed the other day that he doesnt shuffle any more and his arm swings as he walks, just like it used to. I think the growth hormone replacement therapy has made a big difference. n christopherlanetrust.org.uk As months wore on her parents repeatedly asked for blood tests but were told no A girl was diagnosed with leukaemia after bungling NHS medics wrongly told her parents she was fine. Ilona Zahorszki begged 10 different medics to test her daughter Theano's blood to rule out anything sinister after she came down with sudden a range of illnesses. But each time she was told they were unnecessary and her daughter was having a 'perfectly normal' response to a plethora of maladies, ranging from bugs to allergic reactions, constipation, and even arthritis. Medics finally caved on New Year's Eve, after the 33-year-old threatened to take her daughter overseas for the test. Three-year-old Theano Zahorszki is now getting the medical care she needs after bungling medics missed multiple chances to diagnose her leukaemia Her mother Ilona said her previously active daughter experienced a massive personality change over the course of her four month ordeal that left her screaming and crying in pain despite medics insisting there was nothing wrong with her WHAT IS LEUKAEMIA? Leukaemia is a cancer that starts in blood-forming tissue, usually the bone marrow. It leads to the over-production of abnormal white blood cells, which fight off infections. But a higher number of white blood cells means there is 'less room' for other cells, including red blood cells - which transport oxygen around the body - and platelets - which cause blood to clot when the skin is cut. There are many different types of leukaemia, which are defined according to the immune cells they affect and how the disease progresses. For all types combined, 9,900 people in the UK were diagnosed with leukaemia in 2015, Cancer Research UK statistics reveal. And in the US, around 60,300 people were told they had the disease last year, according to the National Cancer Institute. Most cases have no obvious cause, with the cancer not being contagious or inherited. Leukaemia generally becomes more common with age - the exception being acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which peaks in children. Other risk factors include being male, exposed to certain chemicals or radiation, and some bone-marrow disorders. Symptoms are generally vague and get worse over time. These can include: Tiredness Frequent infections Sweats Bruising Heavy periods, nose bleeds or bleeding gums Palpitations Shortness of breath Acute leukaemia - which progresses rapidly and aggressively - is often curable via chemo, radiotherapy or a stem cell transplant. Chronic forms of the disease - which typically progress slowly - tend to incurable, however, these patients can often live with the disease. Source: Leukaemia Care Advertisement And a day later, on January 1, they are claimed to have diagnosed Theano with leukaemia, a type of blood cancer. Symptoms if leukaemia can include bone pain, fatigue and frequent infections. Now Mrs Zahorszki, from North Lanarkshire in Scotland, is urging other parents to follow their instincts and not allow their concerns to be dismissed by medics. Theano began showing signs of illness in August when she started nursery. Her parents originally thought she was coming down with the usual range of bugs children get when they start mixing with others their age. However, the rapid and frequent onset of Theano's illnesses led Hungarian-born Mrs Zahorszki and her husband Antonio, from Greece, to seek medical advice. Even though she had a new cold every two weeks up to October, GPs assured the couple this was normal for a youngster starting nursery. But they soon began to suspect something more serious was to blame. Over the course of the next few months, the couple took their daughter to their GP and A&E seeking help. But they said that each time their concerns were dismissed as Theano having mild childhood ailments like chest, urinary and ear infections. The couple said some medics even diagnosed their daughter's illness as being caused by conditions like constipation, an allergic reaction to antibiotics, a leg injury, and even arthritis. They claimed that each time they saw a medic they asked for blood tests to be done for Theano. However, they said each time they were told the tests weren't needed and Theano was having a 'perfectly normal' response to her illnesses. Mrs Zahorszki, who works as a carer, said: 'In November and December I knew Theano wasnt well but no one would listen to me.' Mrs Zahorszki added that over the course of seeking help, she noticed a distinct change in her previously fit and active daughter. 'Every time I went to see a doctor I asked for bloods to be taken. I knew there was something wrong because her whole personality had changed,' she said. 'She was wanting cuddles all the time and not running any more. Before she was ill she was a very active child. She had a lot of friends. She had also started having tantrums. 'I was asking for her to be sent to a paediatric clinic to check why she was ill all the time. 'But the GP told me she was normal. He said if there was no change he would consider referring her in January. 'Then she started getting new symptoms including a pain in her leg. We were told at the first to hospital it was soft tissue damage and then we were told it was a kind of infant arthritis. Medics say that Theano now has a good chance of survival now that she has started chemotherapy but her parents are warning others not to allow their instincts to be dismissed by medics. Here Theano is pictured before she became ill alongside her brother Alexander Funding boost of 2m will give hope to children with cancer by swelling research into experimental treatments 12 paediatric ECMCs across the UK are set to receive a 2.2million funding boost from the charity Cancer Research UK, the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the Little Princess Trust Advertisement 'We were sent home with Calpol and Nurofen but they never checked any bloods.' The family said by mid-November, little Theano could hardly walk and by December, she was too ill to go to nursery. Mrs Zahorszki added: 'She started getting belly pain. She became constipated and was complaining about the pain. She cried all day and her leg was still hurting.' That month her parents once again took Theano to University Hospital Wishaw, part of NHS Lanarkshire. But she said the doctor simply gave her laxatives and sent the family on their way. Mr Zahorszki, a delivery driver, once again asked for blood tests to be done but was told: 'She doesnt need blood tests, shes just constipated.' Theano's condition continued to deteriorate until December 31, with the young child continuously screaming and crying in pain. Taking her to hospital, the family waited five hours to be seen. It was at this point the couple decided if medics, once again, refused to do blood tests they would take Theano to one of their home countries to have the tests carried out there. But medics agreed to carry out the blood tests and then told the devastated family their daughter was 'very ill'. Further analysis of the results revealed Theano had leukaemia, with 81 per cent of the blood cells in her bone marrow affected. Mrs Zahorszki said medics told her the cancer had probably started back in August. 'The doctor told me her leukaemia had probably started three or four months ago - when all the colds and infections had started,' she said. 'But the last eight weeks she went so downhill and nobody did anything.' Doctors have said Theano has a 'very good chance' of survival, but Mrs Zahorszki added: 'One doctor told me she would only have had a month or two if I hadnt come in when I did.' She said she wanted to speak about her experience to warn other parents. 'I just want to say to other mums that when they feel something is wrong they have to keep telling their doctor,' she said. Dr David Watson, University Hospital Wishaw chief of nursing, said: 'Due to patient confidentiality, we cannot discuss individual cases. 'We regret any instance where someone feels we have failed to provide the highest standard of care. 'We would encourage anyone to contact our patient affairs team if they wish to raise any concerns to allow them to be fully investigated.' There are multiple types of leukaemia, which have different prognosis, and it is not clear what form of the disease Theano has. Across all types there are nearly 10,000 cases of leukaemia diagnosed in the UK each year, with almost 5,000 fatalities. In the US about 60,000 cases of leukaemia are diagnosed per year, with 24,000 fatalities. Only about 40 per cent of people diagnosed with a type of leukaemia survive 10-years after their diagnosis, but individual survival rates vary by sub-type of cancer. Pfizer has announced it will offer its full portfolio of 500 drugs on a not-for-profit basis to dozens of low-income countries but critics labeled the move a 'PR spin' from a company 'obsessed with making obscene profits'. The pharma giant today announced it would allow access to 500 patented and generic medicines and vaccines to 45 countries, mostly in the Middle East and Africa. This includes the company's flagship Covid vaccnie, chemotherapies, oral cancer treatments, a range of antibiotics, and any future medicines and shots Pfizer launches. It comes after Pfizer faced huge public backlash over plans to quadruple the price of its Covid shot this year, despite raking in record profits during the pandemic. Pfizer's profits have soared over the pandemic thanks to both its Covid vaccine and antiviral drug Pfizer's 'Accord for a Healthier World' gives access to its medicines and vaccines to 45 lower-income countries around the world A health worker administers a vaccine to a child at Bundung Maternal and Child Health Hospital in Bundung, Gambia on August 30, 2022. Gambia is one of the 45 lower-income countries which will benefit from expanded access to Pfizer's off-patent medicines and vaccines Pfizer chairman and CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement today: 'Our hope is to empower country governments and co-create solutions with them and other multi-sector partners to break down many of the system-level barriers to better health.' But the People's Vaccine, a coalition of over 100 organizations working to 'end vaccine apartheid', questioned the genuineness of the gesture, which comes just weeks after Democrats accused Pfizer of corporate greed for jacking up the price of its Covid shot. Mohga Kamal-Yanni, policy co-lead for the Peoples Vaccine Alliance, said: 'This is PR spin that pairs a large number of products with little serious commitment. It isnt an act of benevolence. 'Many off-patent medicines are already produced by generic companies in the Global South, which raises the question - is Pfizer targeting generic competition?' Ms Kamal-Yanni argued the company's secrecy around the true costs of its research, development and production means the non-profit promise 'cannot be verified'. She added: 'The world should not forget that generic competition drove down the price of HIV medicines, enabling millions to access treatment. But Pfizer's "accord" does not allow generic companies to manufacture patented medicines.' Since 2000, access to HIV drugs grew dramatically to reach more than five million people in developing countries, thanks to the production of generic versions of widely patented medicines allowing for the drug prices to drop. The People's Vaccine said that there are still swathes of the world that will not have access, such as Latin America: 'Where a sick person resides should not determine whether they live or die. And the decision of who has access to medicines certainly shouldnt be made by a company obsessed with making obscene profits. Pfizer has no right to play God.' Pfizer's profits have soared over the pandemic thanks to both its Covid vaccine and antiviral drug Paxlovid, which have enjoyed huge Government contracts. The New York-based company is estimated to have made $100 billion in revenue last year, up on $81.2 billion in 2021. Pfizer was making around $40billion per year in revenue before the pandemic, for comparison. Despite the obscene profits, Pfizer announced plans in October to raise the price of its shot to $130. The new price will kick in once the government uses up the doses it bought to prepare for the winter and the vaccine goes on the open market in spring. Lawmakers accused Pfizer of 'unseemly profiteering' and warned it could make the vaccine unaffordable for the uninsured and pushing up premiums for those who are. 'No cash please. Our company is committed to becoming net zero by 2030.' That was a sign on the counter of a cafe from which I was about to buy a coffee. But there was no information provided on why card payments were deemed greener than cash. Diners were just simply expected to swallow it. Cashing out: The push towards card payments accelerated during the pandemic, when we were told contactless was safer and more sanitary - which is complete hokum The cafe is located inside a leisure centre in Chelmsford, Essex. Incidentally, I'd wanted the change to use the swimming pool lockers which require 1 coins no card payments accepted. But cafe staff couldn't help or give me any explanation for their policy other than the words on the sign. Neither could the catering firm (Churchill, based in Suffolk, which had put the sign out) nor industry experts when we put the fairly simple question to them: Which is greener card or cash? Churchill swiftly removed the sign after I got in touch. I'm fed up with these 'card-only' signs popping up left, right and centre in restaurants and retailers. Choice is paramount; we should be able to pay for items how we like, depending on which method suits us best. I'm all for innovation, but it shouldn't come at the expense of convenience. For a large chunk of society, cash is still king and firms should respect that. The push towards card payments accelerated during the pandemic, when we were told contactless was safer and more sanitary which, by the way, is complete hokum. And while card payments can keep queues shorter, often the technology fails or the machines can't connect to the network. Businesses say there are fewer bank branches to deposit money into these days and banks tell us that fewer people are using cash. But if we accept that narrative, cash will soon disappear. That means more power handed over to big financial firms. To beat technology meltdowns, I withdraw 100 in cash every payday. When I was a student working as a barman, we used to get paid cash in little brown envelopes after our shift. It was quite a thrill and, if you were sensible, a useful budgeting tool. The only way to replicate that, I find, is to withdraw a chunk of physical money from a hole in the wall when my salary arrives. I use it as my float money for pints at the pub, magazines, coffees and other purchases I want to keep tabs on. Although I also spend on my card, it just feels like numbers on a screen. So you don't feel the impact until you check your bank statements. Data from Nationwide Building Society shows cash usage was up in 2022 for the first time in 13 years. Link, which has data for 90 per cent of all cash withdrawals, says 4 billion extra was withdrawn last year compared with 2021 despite the number of ATMs falling by 1,294. So let's keep up the fight to save cash. Physical money has been a cornerstone of our society for hundreds of years. If it's allowed to go the way of the dodo and dinosaur we will all be poorer for it. Rory Kinnear stars in the Bank of Dave film which has been released on Netflix this week Hollywood Dave Last week, I was lucky enough to attend a private screening at Netflix HQ in London of the film Bank Of Dave, with Burnley businessman Dave Fishwick, who I know well. It stars Rory Kinnear as Dave and charts his attempts to open a new High Street bank, only to find plenty of barriers in his way. The film, out now, sees his tale given plenty of Hollywood gloss. But, fundamentally, as his story did in the first place, it made me wonder why there aren't more local community banks making local lending decisions. Many of the small building societies that used to do just that disappeared years ago, in most cases swallowed by bigger rivals. But I'd be interested in saving at a local bank with my cash going directly to help local businesses, even if it meant slightly less interest than I'd get elsewhere. Hats off to Dave for trying to shake-up the British banking system not a simple task with huge sums and red tape involved. Who knows, maybe the film will inspire another Dave to rattle the cages of the banking big boys. >> As the Bank of Dave film starring Rory Kinnear is released on Netflix, read the best business advice our star columnist has dished out to readers l.boyce@dailymail.co.uk Britains dreams of being a global leader in greener energy are rapidly evaporating. Successive Tory governments, in spite of all the rhetorical enthusiasm, have so far failed miserably to embrace technology for a more nuclear future. And plans to challenge Germany, China and others by building mega factories to produce battery cells for electric cars have been abruptly halted with Blyth-based Britishvolt going into administration. UK nuclear engineer Newcleo tells the Mail it has decided to give up on government support for its proposed project after endless delays in selecting a suitable site amid the revolving door on Downing Street. Shortfalls: Britain is in desperate need of new nuclear power plants as the existing ageing fleet comes off line Instead, chief executive Stefano Buono plans to build the companys prototype nuclear station in France. There is a friendly attitude towards to nuclear generation in Paris where President Macron has taken Electricite de France (EDF) back into public ownership. In spite of former prime minister Boris Johnsons enthusiastic public backing for new nuclear, just reiterated in the Commons, very little has happened. Before leaving office, former Rolls-Royce chief executive Warren East was critical of the failure of successive Tory governments to get behind the companys proposals for a fleet of small modular reactors (SMRs), based on proven turbine technology. Some 200million of support for the research and development phase has been promised but how much funding has been provided is uncertain. In any case, such a level of support for a potential multi-billion project, with huge export possibilities, is hardly representative of the kind of initiative shown by the UK in the past when it became the first country in the world to pioneer a commercial atomic power station at Calder Hall in Cumbria in 1956. Newcleo and Rolls-Royce are not the first potential nuclear investors to feel let down by the UK authorities. Japans Hitachi believed it had the backing for a new build at Wylfa Newydd on Anglesey but abandoned the project in September 2020 when the Government withdrew backing. The move caused frustration in Tokyo and at Hitachi, which has a record of inward investment in the UK. There is a possibility that Hitachi, in conjunction with US industrial giant GEC, could launch its own new generation of SMRs beating Rolls-Royce to the post. At present, the only new nuclear plant being built is the super reactor at Hinkley Point in Somerset by EDF with backing from China. EDF is also the cornerstone investor and developer at the proposed 20billion Sizewell C plant in Suffolk although a final sign-off by the Government is awaited. Britain is in desperate need of new nuclear power plants as the existing ageing fleet comes off line. As the country plots a greener future based on wind, solar and potentially tidal power (still unproven), it needs a reliable base load to keep the lights on when the wind doesnt blow. The collapse of the Britishvolt project and a nuclear stalemate demonstrates how hard it is going to be to achieve Britains goal of creating a carbon-neutral future. Leaky roof Anyone reading the press release of the latest results from Matthew Mouldings online health and beauty pioneer THG might be cajoled into thinking 2022 trading has been an unalloyed success. It highlights record sales of 2.25billion and suggests that expected earnings are in line with market expectations. Maybe. But the reality is rather different. The company disclosed that it now projects earnings for the year to be 80million which is way below the 100million to 130million it forecast a few months ago. If this was in line with market expectations, it is hard to fathom why the companys shares plummeted by 21.4 per cent to 53.84p, one-third of its peak price of 184p over the last 12 months. How great it would be if THG were to become a Manchester-based Amazon. A little more credibility in what it has to say might help. Sweet spot Johnnie Walker spirits champion Diageo is developing a taste for rum after its success with Captain Morgan. Instead of looking to the Caribbean, it is going all the way to the Philippines, paying a cool 342million to snap up cane-based luxury brand Don Papa. From single malts in Texas to gin distillers in California, the world has become newly knighted Ivan Menezes oyster. The majority of Britishvolt's 300 staff have been made immediately redundant as the troubled electric car battery maker fell into administration today. The company, which had planned to build Britain's biggest electric car battery plant in Northumberland, had been on the brink for months. Administrators at EY said Britishvolt collapsed 'due to insufficient equity investment' for both its ongoing research, and the development of its 3.8billion 'gigafactory' in the North East and its scale-up hub in the Midlands. EY said in a statement it is exploring options for a sale of the business and its assets, and that affected employees were being offered 'appropriate support and advice'. Collapsed: Britishvolt failed to secure investments needed for its ongoing research and the development of its 'gigafactory' in the North East and its headquarters in the Midlands Dan Hurd, joint administrator and partner at EY-Parthenon, said: 'Britishvolt provided a significant opportunity to create jobs and employment, as well as support the development of technology and infrastructure needed to help with the UKs energy transition. 'It is disappointing that the Company has been unable to fulfil its ambitions and secure the equity funding needed to continue. 'Our priorities as Joint Administrators are now to protect the interests of the Companys creditors, explore options for a sale of the business and assets, and to support the impacted employees.' Just a week ago, Britishvolt said it was in talks with a consortium of investors about potentially selling a majority stake. The sale would have provided Britishvolt with enough funding to survive until it received firm orders from car makers for its batteries, but it failed to materialise. The company managed to postpone its collapse into administration last year after raising several million pounds in emergency funding from mining giant Glencore, one of its main backers, and temporarily cutting wages for its staff. Ben Nelmes, chief executive of green motoring consulting New AutoMotive, said Government delays to plans to introduce a zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandate were partly to blame. In April, Minsters said they wanted more than half of all new cars sold in Britain to be fully electric by 2028. They proposed the imposition of a binding onus on manufacturers to sell an increasing proportion of zero-emission vehicles each year in the run up to the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles at the end of the decade, but details are yet to be published. Government delays to plans to introduce a zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandate are partly to blame for Britishvolt's collapse, according to experts Britishvolt's 3.8bn gigafactory was expected to employ up to 3,000 by the time it was fully operational 'The news that Britishvolt is filing for administration is deeply disappointing, and a blow to the UK's transition to cleaner, cheaper transport,' Nelmes said. 'Delays to the government's ZEV mandate have created additional uncertainty around rates of EV uptake and future demand for EV batteries. 'The UK urgently needs a green industrial strategy to prevent the trickle of bad news about the UK car industry turning into a torrent in a few years' time.' Britishvolt's 3.8billion gigafactory was supposed to employ up to 3,000 by the time it was fully operational. But the group struggled amid delays and the resignation of its co-founder and then boss Orral Nadjari in August. It was left scrambling for emergency funding to stop itself going bust. Matters were made even worse after ministers scrapped plans to inject 100million into the company when it discovered the cash would be used to keep it afloat rather than constructing the Blyth factory. Colin Walker, transport lead at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said the UK risked to be stuck on the starting line unless the Government stepped up its game. 'In its net zero strategy, the Government said it wanted the UKs automotive sector to stay at the cutting edge and capture the jobs of the future,' he said. 'As the world makes the transition to electric vehicles, building a domestic battery manufacturing sector is crucial if this ambition is to be realised. 'If not, the UK will be cease to be a major car manufacturer business opportunities worth billions will be lost, as will tens of thousands of highly-skilled jobs. 'Experts have been clear that the Government needs to recognise that we are in a global race to build the clean technologies of the future; without action to bolster sectors like electric vehicles, the UK risks being stuck on the starting line.' The boss of Royal Mail has been blasted by MPs over his running of the crisis-hit company as losses head towards 750million. In a bruising appearance before the Commons business committee, Simon Thompson was quizzed about strikes as well as his 140,000 bonus and plans to stop delivering letters on a Saturday. Committee chairman Darren Jones said his answers raised grave concerns over the running of the business. Grilling: Royal Mail boss Simon Thompson (pictured) was quizzed over strikes as well as his 140,000 bonus and plans to ditch Saturday letter deliveries Thompson, chief executive of Royal Mail parent International Distributions Services, was even reminded that misleading Parliament would not be appreciated and warned he could be called in again. The hearing came after a torrid few months for Royal Mail as strikes crippled the company over the crucial Christmas period and a Russian cyber-attack knocked out its overseas delivery operations. Thompson warned that the companys losses of over 1million per day were unsustainable and Royal Mail faced an urgent situation about its future. The 1million figure related to losses of 90million in the first quarter. But analysts now believe losses for the full year to the end of March will hit 745million equivalent to more than 2million a day. Meanwhile, Thompson said Royal Mail was looking to create a viable change to its Universal Service Obligation (USO), a legal requirement for the group to deliver letters six days a week and parcels five days a week. He highlighted an Ofcom user needs review conducted in 2020 that concluded a five-day service would meet the needs of 97 per cent of people. The push to change to USO forms part of his strategy to overhaul Royal Mail. But the plans have angered the Communication Workers Union (CWU). Earlier at the committee hearing, CWU general secretary Dave Ward accused Royal Mail of waging war on its workforce. Diageo has snapped up Filipino rum maker Don Papa in a deal worth up to 388million as its hunt for upmarket brands continues. The Guinness, Ciroc and Smirnoff drinks maker will pay 230million up front for the super premium brand, with the rest of the price based on its performance. Don Papa was launched in 2012 by former Remy Cointreau executive Stephen Carroll and is available in 30 countries, including the UK where a 70cl bottle costs 32. Drinks deal: Diageo will pay 230m up front for super premium Filipino rum maker Don Papa, with the rest of the 388m price based on its performance Diageo said upmarket rum is among the fastest-growing areas in the drinks business, with Don Papa outperforming rivals. Don Papa is the latest business to be snapped up by the drinks giant, which has embarked on a wave of take-overs. In 2017 it bought actor George Clooneys tequila brand Casamigos in a deal valuing it at up to 820million. Last year it bought California-based flavoured tequila firm 21 Seeds and Texas craft distiller Balcones. Boss Ivan Menezes has said Diageo is on the hunt for more takeovers and is focused on top shelf brands. Britains nuclear power ambitions suffered another setback as a UK company chose France to build its prototype reactor. Newcleo blamed political upheaval in Westminster for its decision. The mini-nuclear power station company said it waited in vain for ministers to give the green light over where to site the project leaving it no option but to take the work over the Channel. Hopes for the mini-nuclear sector were raised by Boris Johnsons plans for a government-backed body called Great British Nuclear to support the development of new sites. The move will cost hundreds of potential UK jobs and casts further doubt on the countrys nuclear future. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Newcleo chief executive Stefano Buono told the Mail: Changing government three times has not helped. We were expecting a decision before, but I understand that when the government changes, its very difficult to take decisions. Britain is scrambling to replace its fleet of six large nuclear plants, five of which are due for closure by 2028 and one, Sizewell B, in 2035. Hopes for the mini-nuclear sector were raised by Boris Johnsons plans for a government-backed body called Great British Nuclear (GBN) to support the development of new sites. Speaking in the Commons yesterday, the former prime minister urged the Government to exploit this countrys technological lead and build a fleet of small modular nuclear reactors as part of our Great British Nuclear programme. Business Secretary Grant Shapps said GBN would be up and running shortly and said small modular reactors would play an important part in boosting nuclear power supplies. The Government wants 25 per cent of power to come from nuclear by 2050. Last year it supplied 15.5 per cent. Privately-owned Newcleo, which is about to launch a 900million funding round, is one of a number of companies planning to build mini-nuclear power stations around the UK. The plants will be much smaller than traditional nuclear reactors, but the idea is that by being quicker and cheaper to assemble they will provide a significant boost to energy supply as the UK tries to wean itself off fossil fuels. Ministers have backed the idea, but have been criticised over a lack of clarity needed to enable companies to invest. Buono said: It has been a setback, a little bit, to our strategy. We wanted to make a prototype in the UK and we have decided to do it in France. Buonos frustration with the Government follow comments to the Mail from Warren East, the outgoing chief executive of Rolls-Royce, which also has plans for its own chain of mini-nuclear stations. East said the Government needed to get on with it and put in place a funding framework for the industry. The Italian added: I founded a company in the UK because I felt that the UK was the best country to develop new reactors. We made a bet on the UK and so far I am very happy.' Microsoft is slashing thousands of jobs in the latest staff cull to hit the tech sector. The US giant is expected to announce plans to cut around 5 per cent of its global workforce, which would equate to around 11,000 staff, although the final figure could end up being even higher. It was unclear where exactly Microsoft would wield the axe, with the group employing around 6,000 staff in the UK. Job cuts: Microsoft plans to cut around 5% of its global workforce, which would equate to around 11,000 staff, although the final figure could end up being even higher Shares in the firm were up 0.5 per cent on Wall Street after the prospective cuts were reported by Sky News. Microsoft is the latest tech titan to draw up plans for job losses. A slew of firms have already announced plans for redundancies as the economy has turned sour. Earlier this month, Amazon said it would aim to slash 18,000 jobs, equivalent to around 6 per cent of its workforce, while Facebook owner Meta intends to cut around 11,000 roles. Meanwhile, social media website Twitter has also moved to eliminate thousands of staff following its takeover by Tesla tycoon Elon Musk. Many of the tech giants hired thousands of people during the pandemic boom, but the recent slowdown has forced many of them to reassess their plans as consumer spending comes under pressure and borrowing costs rise. Microsoft publishes its second-quarter earnings next week, with some analysts warning it could disappoint investors. Microsoft warned in October that its cloud computing business was slowing down as many corporate clients re-evaluated their spending plans. Today Money Mail is sending out an urgent message to readers: do NOT renew your home or car cover unless you have seen your new premium drop in price (lucky you) or increase by less than 10 per cent. If your renewal price rise is greater than 10 per cent, contact the insurer and demand a discount. Some will offer one, although its pot luck. If the answer to your challenge is a big fat no, please shop around. Price hikes: Insurance premium increases are being foisted on tens of thousands of customers in excess of 20% - and in some cases as high as 70% Invariably not always you will find a cheaper deal elsewhere, often without compromising the quality of your cover. Its the way the insurance market works. Loyalty does not pay. Not in the past, not now. Although new rules from the regulator are designed to protect existing policyholders from insurers intent on pushing up premiums disproportionately, Money Mail does not believe the regulations are effective. Introduced by the City regulator at the start of last year, they require insurers to charge policyholders the same price as they would offer new customers buying identical cover. But many long-standing policyholders do not have the tools to test whether their premium is fair. The result is that premium increases are being foisted on tens of thousands of customers in excess of 20 per cent and in some cases as high as 70 per cent and many are meekly accepting them. Most are elderly, some vulnerable. The price hikes are not explained in the renewal notices customers receive, although they could be once new consumer duty rules kick in this summer. Nor are they a result of recent claims. In some instances, customers who challenge the increase get a discount. Which begs the question: why isnt the discount offered straightaway? In most cases, policyholders can get cheaper cover by shopping around. In other words, loyalty is still being punished by insurers. Firms cant prove their prices are fair Some insurers are guilty of such poor record-keeping that they cannot prove they are offering the same prices to existing customers and new ones. Thats the damning conclusion of a report by the City regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). A year ago, the FCA introduced rules stating that insurers must offer a long-standing policyholder the same price as someone buying identical cover as a new customer. But its research last month, seen by Money Mail, says some firms have not appointed senior enough staff to judge whether their businesses are complying. The FCA told Money Mail it had intervened and secured redress for a number of insurance customers. But it insisted most firms were complying with our pricing rules. Money Mail has discovered that early last month, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) quietly published a review into how insurers applied its new rules and whether customers were still being discriminated against on the basis of the number of years they had held their policy. Strangely, the results were not released to the Press as is usual. The report pointed to poor record-keeping by insurers, with some companies unable to prove they are not price differentiating between new and renewing customers. It also said some companies had yet to appoint someone senior enough to judge whether their businesses were complying. The FCA can hold this person as well as the insurer to account if it deems the company guilty of breaking the rules. Yesterday, the regulator also confirmed to Money Mail that in the past year, a small number of companies had accidentally price discriminated against loyal customers. In all cases, offending insurers had put matters right. Yet, for all the talk that loyal customers are no longer being disadvantaged (see box), its not what Money Mail is seeing. From where were standing, it is difficult to get our heads around the increases being demanded by some insurers at renewal. For example, Lynne Poore, an 84 year-old widow from Upminster in Essex, found out earlier this month that the home insurance she has with Liverpool Victoria on her two-bedroom bungalow would be increasing from 259 to 421, a 63 per cent price hike. For the record, she has made no claims and shes had the cover for many years. When she rang LV to contest the premium, she was told the price was non-negotiable. I asked them to explain the increase, she says. It offered none. Thankfully, Lynne, who lost her dear husband Ken in December 2021, was advised by friend Jean to speak to rival Axa. She did, and it immediately offered her cover at 80 less than she had paid last year. She was delighted. But shes still angry with LV. If Aviva could offer such a competitive price for comparable cover, she says, why couldnt LV? Richard Woodward, from Wilnecote in Staffordshire is equally scathing. Richard and his wife Jacqueline had three cars insured under a multi-car policy with Admiral a runaround Fiat 500, a Peugeot 5008 and his pride of joy, a Jaguar XK. Last year, the cars were insured at a combined annual cost of 607. This year, Admiral wanted nearly 836, a 38 per cent increase. Shop around: Policyholders hit with large hikes can usually find cheaper cover elsewhere. In other words, loyalty still does not pay and is still being punished Richard, who spent his early career as an engine driver in the fire service and is a member of IAM RoadSmart, cant understand the price increase. Were another year older, another year more experienced, no claims and no convictions, he says, but were being punished. After ringing Admiral and getting a small discount that reduced his premium to just below 800, Richard decided to shop around. By insuring the three cars with separate companies, he has cut the combined premium to 643, a 6 per cent increase on last year. Admiral has lost my business, says Richard. What is the commercial sense of that? Yet its the vulnerable, the elderly, who he feels most for. Many accept the renewal price they are offered and pay up. Unforgivable, he says. Yesterday, Admiral, ESure and LV were among those at pains to tell Money Mail that they are abiding by the rules. But they refused to reveal the average increase policyholders are paying for 2023. The FCA said: Most firms are complying with our pricing rules, but we know they still need to make improvements to ensure the market is fair for all. Where we have found evidence of firms treating their customers poorly, we have intervened and secured redress, such as through compensation. A start. But theres further to go. So shop around. A inquest heard that Mr Nash should have been seen in person and treated He was rushed to hospital in Leeds and later died after calling NHS 111 five times A law student who died from a brain abscess after four remote consultations with doctors and nurses should have had an urgent face-to-face appointment after his final contact, a GP expert has told a coroner. Musician David Nash, 26, had four phone consultations with a Leeds GP practice over a 19-day period in October and November 2020, an inquest in Wakefield, West Yorkshire heard on Monday. The court heard that Mr Nash's condition deteriorated dramatically after the final consultation on November 2, and he was taken to hospital by ambulance after a series of NHS 111 calls, but died two days later. It was later found that he had developed mastoiditis in his ear which caused an abscess on his brain, leading to his death. David Nash, 26, was rushed to hospital where he died following four remote consultations A inquest heard that medical professionals should have set up a face-to-face consultation with Mr Nash when they heard about his symptoms, which would likely have brought him to hospital sooner On Monday, assistant coroner Abigail Combes read a statement from GP expert Alastair Bint, who said a nurse should have organised an urgent in-patient appointment after a phone consultation on November 2 2020. Dr Bint said he did not criticise the remote nature of Mr Nash's first three consultations on October 14, 23 and 28. But the expert concluded that Mr Nash's consultation with advanced nurse practitioner Lynne White on November 2 should have been cause for a face-to-face appointment which would likely have led to a hospital admission. Dr Bint said Mr Nash's presentation of fever, neck stiffness and night-time headaches were 'red flags' and the nurse's diagnosis of a flu-like virus was 'not safe'. He said: 'This was a patient that needed to be seen in person.' Dr Bint said it required 'an urgent face-to-face assessment that morning'. He added: 'This was a patient demonstrating some significant red flags and needed to be seen. 'Had he been seen in-person, it seems likely to me he would've been admitted to hospital.' In his report, the doctor said he was asked to comment on whether the final outcome would have been different if Mr Nash had been seen face-to-face. He noted that the patient would have been in hospital 10 hours earlier but it was for a neurosurgical expert to comment on whether the outcome would have been different. Dr Bint's report stressed that the NHS was dealing with an unprecedented situation at the time, during the Covid pandemic, and that NHS England advice was for GP patients to be seen remotely in most cases. Mr Nash died on November 4 2020, despite efforts to save him by neurosurgeons at Leeds General Infirmary (pictured) The inquest heard that Mr Nash's first phone consultation with the Burley Park Medical Practice was on October 14, when he told GP Jenny Carrick he had been troubled by lumps on his neck. Dr Carrick arranged for him to have a blood test booked in for November 2. WHAT IS MASTOIDITIS? Mastoiditis is a serious bacterial infection that affects the mastoid bone behind the ear. Most people with mastoiditis recover quickly and have no complications as long as the condition is diagnosed and treated quickly. Its symptoms include redness, tenderness and pain behind the ear, swelling behind the ear that causes it to stick out and discharge from the ear. Sufferers may also have a high temperature, a headache and hearing loss. They are advised to see a GP as soon as possible if they have symptoms or an ear infection that does not get better with treatment. Mastoiditis should be diagnosed and treated quickly with antibiotics. Surgery may be required in severe cases to drain the middle ear or remove part of the mastoid bone. If the mastoid bone is severely infected and is not removed, it can cause hearing loss and life-threatening health complications such as a blood clot, meningitis and a brain abscess. Source: NHS Advertisement His second consultation was with advanced nurse practitioner Amy Linstrum, when he described a painful and hot right ear. Ms Linstrum prescribed antibiotic ear drops. The third consultation was on October 28, with locum GP Manjoor Shahid. Mr Nash told the doctor he had blood in his urine and he was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection. In her evidence, read to the court, nurse Lynne White said she accepted that when she told Mr Nash on November 2 'you're sounding like you're feeling a bit sorry for yourself, are you feeling a bit rotten', it appeared now as if she was being dismissive. But she insisted she was simply reflecting that the patient seemed unwell. Mr Nash's parents, Andrew and Anne Nash, from Nantwich, Cheshire, have campaigned to find out whether the mastoiditis would have been identified and easily treated with antibiotics if their son had undergone a face-to-face examination earlier. They have described how Mr Nash had five 'shambolic' calls on November 2 with the NHS 111 system before being taken to St James's Hospital in Leeds by ambulance, in a confused state, where he fell when he was left alone, causing an injury to his head. Mr Nash died on November 4 2020, despite efforts to save him by neurosurgeons at Leeds General Infirmary. He had just started the second year of a law degree at Leeds University when he died after a number of years as a drummer on Leeds's music scene, touring Europe with his band Weirds and recording an album. His mother read a pen-portrait of her son to the court on Monday. She said she was 'eternally grateful for an amazing 26 years of love and hilarity'. Mrs Nash said: 'Your huge smile, your compassion and your ability to enjoy every moment could never be replicated.' Australians have been told to brace for wild weather this week as one state swelters through an intense heatwave while another is plagued by heavy rain and floods. Up to one metre of rain is predicted to fall on Queensland's north and the Whitsundays by midweek as heavy showers and flooding continues. The Bureau of Meteorology's Dean Narramore warned the wet conditions would escalate this week with flash flooding and road closures in affected areas likely. Areas like Mackay, Bowen, Ayr, St Lawrence, Porserpine, Airlie Beach are in the firing line of the heavy falls as severe weather warnings are issued. Cairns could receive up to 80mm on Thursday, Townsville up to 100mm and in Mackay, about 13 hours from Brisbane, up to 200mm could fall on Tuesday alone. 'If you live in these areas, that means rainfall today and tonight and into tomorrow is likely to lead to flash and riverine flooding,' Mr Narramore said. Parts of central Queensland will be pounded by up to a metre of rain by midweek before the system moves off the coast on Wednesday (pictured, floods in Brisbane last March) Pictured is a Weatherzone weather map of the expected precipitation this week - as forecasters warn Queenslanders rain this week could cause flash flooding 'It could cause inundations of homes, properties and businesses and lead to multiple road closures.' Mr Narramore said by Wednesday the system will have moved off the coast, providing residents with some relief from the heavy falls. However it's a different story for those who reside in the country's south and west, with temperatures in Perth and Adelaide set to skyrocket this week. Residents are set to swelter under intense temperatures, as Melbourne, currently hosting the Australian Open this week, hits 36C on Tuesday. However it's a different story for those who reside in the country's south and west, with temperatures in Perth and Adelaide set to skyrocket this week Residents in Australia's south and west are set swelter under intense temperatures, as Melbourne, currently hosting the Australian Open this week, hit 36C on Tuesday Adelaide is forecast to top 38C on Tuesday while Sydney is set to record 30C for the first time this summer and almost a year on Wednesday. 'The mercury is likely to reach into the mid-to-high 30s in Adelaide and Melbourne on Tuesday and could also hit the low 30s in Hobart, Canberra and Sydney on Tuesday or Wednesday,' Weatherzone's Ben Domensino said. 'This week could feature Sydney's first day over 30C since February 2021, which would end the city's second longest stretch without a 30C day in records dating back to 1859.' As temperatures reach boiling point midweek, the mercury will level out in most Australian cities - with the exception of Perth. Residents on the west coast been told to expect a very dry week, with temperatures topping 29C on Wednesday and up to 38C on the weekend. Canberra will also record some very warm days, with a storm possible midweek. Adelaide is forecast to top 38C on Tuesday while Sydney (pictured is Manly Beach in the city's north) is set to record 30C for the first time this summer on Wednesday In the country's Top End, possible rain and storms have been forecast with up to 25mm set to fall towards the week's end. Despite flood warnings in the north of Queensland, Brisbane appears to be immune to the downpours and will remain dry all week. Further south in Melbourne, residents experienced a sweltering start to the week with temperatures due to level out. Storms have been forecast for the city on Wednesday, which will remain cloudy with temperatures barely topping 23C, with a low of 20C. Despite flood warnings further north of the Sunshine State, Brisbane appears to be immune to the downpours and will remain dry all week Canberra and Sydney may also receive the brunt of storms on Wednesday night. Western Australia and the Northern Territory will also have to batten down under with heavy rain and storms forecast for the next few days. 'Rain and thunderstorms will continue over northern parts of Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia during the first half of this week as a broad low pressure trough lingers over northern Australia,' Mr Domensino said. 'This rain and storm activity will become more widespread over Western Australia in the middle of the week as tropical moisture feeds into a deepening trough near the nation's west coast.' A senior member of Peter Dutton's Opposition front bench has launched an extraordinary attack on the hugely popular TikTok app and the Labor Government. Sarah Henderson, the Shadow Minister for Communications, said TikTok is an 'unacceptable risk to Australian children' - which the company denies. 'It is deeply concerning that a social media platform pitched to 13 year old children contains so much inappropriate content,' Ms Henderson said. 'Australian parents have every right to expect that their children will be safe online. A senior Liberal front bencher has slammed the TikTok (pictured) app and the Labor Government 'So why is the Albanese Government failing to act on the urgent need for tougher online privacy protections for children?' A spokesperson for TikTok told Daily Mail Australia that 'Keeping the TikTok community safe especially our younger users is our number one priority. 'We know there is no finish line when it comes to safety and our global teams work around the clock to prevent, identify and remove content that violates our community guidelines.' The app, which was developed and is based in China, has come under increasing pressure over some content and how it operates in recent months. Three weeks ago, the US banned TikTok from federal government devices over growing security concerns. Opponents of the platform have expressed concern that the Communist Chinese government could access user data stored in the country. There is also a push to ban TikTok outright in the US, with legislation introduced by senator Marco Rubio in December to 'ban Beijing-controlled TikTok for good'. In August 2020, then president Donald Trump issued an executive order banning US companies from doing business with TikToks parent company ByteDance. The concern in America was echoed by Ms Henderson, who said TikTok may appear innocent and fun but it's an online platform which presents unacceptable dangers. 'TikTok's data collection practices are frightening. Every bit of information from the model of the phone to contact lists and email addresses can be obtained,' she claimed. Concerns about TikTok content TikTok has taken the social media world by storm since its global launch in 2017, allowing users to share short bursts of content that range from innocent dance routines to perilous challenges. In December 2022, doctors warned against the latest bogus TikTok health hack that involves taping your mouth shut before bed to lose weight. But Dr Raj Dasgupta, a sleep specialist at the University of Southern California, said mouth taping could lead to obstructed breathing and suffocation. Earlier in 2022 TikTok was criticised for allowing videos promoting the dangerous online craze encouraging users to choke themselves until they reached the point of losing consciousness. In some cases this had led to deaths. The platform also came under fire for exposing teenagers to 'rape culture' and videos on how to hotwire new cars. These all come despite the tech giant having extensive community guidelines spelled out on its website, including rules on dangerous acts and challenges, hateful behavior and against promoting suicide or harm. In August 2022 a TikTok spokesman told DailyMail.com: 'TikTok does not condone this behavior which violates our policies and will be removed if found on our platform.' Advertisement It is estimated that TikTok has 2.5 million Australian users, with around 30 per cent of them under 15. Ms Henderson said that 'TikTok has the capacity to track a user's content preferences, shared messages and location. 'Its privacy policy allows keystrokes entered on a device to be captured, meaning any content created can be accessed.' She added TikTok users are 'highly vulnerable to attack by hackers' as the company collects 'so much personal information'. A TikTok spokesperson said operating in Australia is 'a privilege' it takes seriously and that it aims to 'exceed the data security standards applied to companies that operate here'. 'In line with standard industry practice, we collect some information if users choose to provide it to help the app function and operate securely, and to improve the user's experience. 'We do not track the precise location of users, nor do we capture keystrokes. 'It is fundamentally untrue to say that TikTok is "highly vulnerable to attack by hackers",' they said. Sarah Henderson (pictured), the Shadow Minister for Communications, said TikTok is an 'unacceptable risk to Australian children' Ms Henderson also accused Labor of failing to take action on TikTok. 'So far, we have seen and heard nothing from the Albanese Government on this critical issue,' she said. 'It is time that Communications Minister Michelle Rowland made the online safety of children the highest priority.' Ms Henderson has invited parents, teachers, children and young adults to tell her about any problems they have had with TikTok by emailing her at senator.henderson@aph.gov.au. She has called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Labor Government to support the Coalition's Online Privacy Bill. The bill includes making social media companies consider the best interests of the child when handling the personal information of children, such as obtaining parental consent before apps are downloaded. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ms Henderson seeking further comment and also contacted Ms Rowland. The body of a man missing since Hurricane Ian has been found on a sunken sailboat in Fort Myers - three days after a missing woman's remains were also found. The Lee County Sheriff's Office said Sunday that the remains were identified as James 'Denny' Hurst, 72, who was last known to be aboard the Good Girl as the category 4 storm hit the region in late September leaving at least 145 people dead. The boat was recovered Friday afternoon in the Matanzas Pass area of Fort Myers Beach, Sheriff Carmine Marceno said. Hurst had told his family he planned to ride out the storm on the boat, officials said. The Lee County Sheriff's Office said Sunday that the remains were identified as James 'Denny' Hurst, 72, (pictured) who was last known to be aboard the Good Girl as the category 4 storm hit the region in late September leaving at least 145 people dead Hurst (pictured in a social media post) had told his family he planned to ride out the storm on the boat, officials said The Good Girl is seen covered in seaweed after being hauled from below the surface at Fort Myers The boat was recovered Friday afternoon in the Matanzas Pass area of Fort Myers Beach, Sheriff Carmine Marceno said Hurst's daughter Shannon Vaughan watched live on a video call on NBC 2 as her father's boat was hauled from the water. 'Is that part of it coming up right there?' She asked during the broadcast. 'Oh Jesus. I can kind of see it. It's just, oh my God. It's just covered in slime and stuff,' she added. Later Vaughan said: 'It's finally done. You know? It's just finally done. We're glad that you're finally found and you're home. I love you. I miss you. We all do.' Earlier Friday, the sheriff announced that a crew clearing debris in the mangroves found the remains of 82-year-old Ilonka Knes. She had been reported missing in early October. Officials identified Knes through dental records, the sheriff said. The body of her husband, 81-year-old Robert Knes, was found shortly after the storm struck. A team of divers is seen around the wrecked sailboat Hurst and Knes were the two remaining people who had been reported as missing in Lee County after the hurricane, Marceno said. He added that he hopes their families will now have some closure. Crew members from Sea Hag Marina in Fort Myers who have been helping with the clean up operation after the hurricane helped to find Hurst, saying the sailboat was noticed in 18ft of water 'with just enough visibility to see a piece of the boat.' 'Our guys were able to assist the dive team in lifting the boat out of the water and onto land,' the marina said on Facebook. 'Had the water not of been clear today, we are not sure how much longer it would have been for the boat to be seen. Ilonka Knes, 82, lived on Fort Myers with her husband Robert, 81, who was found dead shortly after the storm struck Her body was found 'deep within the mangroves' by a waste removal company. The photo above shows the continued devastation of Fort Myers since Ian Ilonka was found 0.1 miles away from where she lived. Her husband was found in the same proximity back in October 'The definition of divine timing is the belief that everything in your life happens at exactly the right moment and we truly believe that today was one of those days for everyone involved.' Before the discovery, the Florida Medical Examiners Commission on Tuesday reported 145 confirmed deaths in the state from Hurricane Ian. This would add to that total. There were also five people killed in North Carolina, one in Virginia and three in Cuba, authorities have said. Twitter employees hoping to sue the firm for firing them without notice have been told they cannot bring a class action. In a court ruling on Friday, the social media company, which is also facing allegations of sex and disability discrimination, won its bid to force five ex-workers to pursue their claims individually. US District Judge James Donato cited agreements the employees had signed with the company, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, in his reasoning for the judgment. Twitter owner Elon Musk wins bid to force five ex-employees to pursue their claims individually rather than as class action Twitter was plunged into hot water in early November after it laid off around 3,700 employees as part of a cost-cutting measure. Hundreds more subsequently resigned. In December the firm was also accused by dozens of former employees of several legal violations stemming from Musk's $44 billion takeover of the company. These included targeting women for layoffs and failing to pay promised severance packages. Shannon Liss-Riordan, who represents the plaintiffs, said on Monday that she had already filed 300 demands for arbitration on behalf of former Twitter employees. She added she was likely to file hundreds more. Musk, 51, purchased Twitter in October 2022 for $44 billion and installed himself as CEO immediately Twitter is also facing at least three complaints filed with a U.S. labor board claiming workers were fired for criticizing the company, attempting to organize a strike, and other conduct protected by federal labor law. The company did not respond to a request for comment. Last year, San Francisco judge Donato ruled that Twitter must notify the thousands of workers who were laid off after its acquisition by Musk following a proposed class action accusing the company of failing to give adequate notice before terminating them. Twitter is headquartered in San Francisco, California He said that before asking workers to sign severance agreements waiving their ability to sue the company, Twitter must give them 'a succinct and plainly worded notice'. Last week it was revealed Elon Musk had broken the world record for amassing the largest losses to his personal fortune in history. The entrepreneur wiped out $165 billion off his wealth between November 2021 and December 2022, according to the Guinness World Records. The share value in Musk's electric car firm Tesla crashed by around 65 per cent after he bought Twitter last year, a move that spooked investors. Flights are expected to begin in the coming weeks Short-haul flights will have tickets as low as $50 Bonza airlines will fly 17 routes, 13 from base on Sunshine Coast Australia's new low-cost airline has been given the green light to fly to 17 destinations across the country, with tickets set to go on sale within days. Bonza Airlines received its Air Operator Certificate from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority on Thursday, and will service regional airports across NSW, Queensland and Victoria, including 13 from its base on the Sunshine Coast. Within Queensland, Bonza passengers will be able to fly from the airline's hub to Cairns, Townsville, the Whitsunday coast, Mackay, Rockhampton, Gladstone, Bundaberg and Toowoomba Wellcamp. Australia's new low-budget airline Bonza (pictured, Boeing 737-8 Bonza aircraft) will be flying to 17 destinations across NSW, Queensland and Victoria Interstate Bonza travellers can fly from the Sunshine Coast to Albury, Avalon, Coffs Harbour, Melbourne, Mildura, Newcastle, Port Macquarie and Tamworth. Travellers catching a flight from Melbourne can fly directly to 10 destinations including Mildura, Bundaberg, Sunshine Coast and Port Macquarie. The carrier plans to sell tickets as low as $50 for hour-long short-haul flights, with longer flights costing customers anywhere between $75 to $100. Travellers looking to snag a cheap airfare can purchase flights through the Fly Bonza app or a travel agent. Bonza CEO Tim Jordan said the airline is focused on 'average Australians' such as 'tradies, teachers, kids and carers'. 'The excitement for what we are about to deliver is palpable and the timing couldn't be better,' Mr Jordan said. 'Demand for domestic travel is high and Aussies deserve for travel to be a basic right for many, not a luxury for the few. The budget airline will fly a total of 17 routes including 13 from its base on the Sunshine Coast (pictured) Mr Jordan added the approval was 'historic' for the nation's aviation sector as it marked the first new major airline for Australia since the introduction of Tiger Airways in 2007. Tiger closed down due to the travel bans during the height of the Covid lockdowns. Bonza's flight network is expected to expand to some 27 routes - domestic, interstate and international - as the carrier's fleet and workforce grows. Backed by US venture capital firm 777 Partners, 93 per cent of the budget carrier's destinations are not served by any other airline. Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King said the airline was a 'welcome milestone' for the nation's aviation industry. Ms King described Bonza's planned routes as 'underserviced' and said the low-cost fares will help with surging demand in flights after the Covid-19 pandemic. The launch of the low budget airline has been described as a 'welcome milestone' for 'underserviced' routes (pictured, Bonza CEO Tim Jordan with airline staff) 'The entry of a new operator will boost competition in the Australian aviation sector, offering more choice to the travelling public, and putting downward pressure on fares,' Ms King said. 'I commend the staff at CASA and Bonza who have worked hard over many months to progress this certification and to ensure that Bonza meets the high safety standards required of all airlines operating in Australia.' Bonza's fleet of planes include three Boeing 737 Max-8s, affectionately named Shazza, Bazza and Sheila. Production of the model was recently halted after hardware and software issues resulted in two crashes and 300 deaths. However, the aircraft has since been reapproved for flying in 135 countries and is currently being used to fly in and out of Australia by various international airlines. Queensland plans to make it easier for people to change the sex on their birth certificates. Currently, if people in the state want to change the gender on their birth certificates, they would have to undergo reassignment surgery. However, the new plans from the state Labor government, which are expected to pass comfortably, will drop the surgery requirement. They would also allow new parents to not list any gender on the documents of their newborn baby. Queensland plans to allow new parents to not have to list any gender on the documents of their newborn baby Annastacia Palaszczuk's government is the latest Australian state to make gender optional on birth certificates, after Tasmania became the first in 2019. Queensland's new law means that NSW is the only state still requiring people to undergo reassignment surgery before changing birth certificates. One of the main motivations for the law change is the cost of reassignment surgery, which is not covered by Medicare and could cost about $80,000. If the new plans are passed, several other changes will also come into force. Children older than 16 will soon be able to legally self-identify as a different sex without parental consent, needing just a supporting statement from an adult who has known them for at least a year. Meanwhile, children aged 12 to 15 will require their parents' permission to change their birth certificate. However, they can still apply to the courts if their parents do not support them. Queensland will also not require a medical statement from a doctor or psychologist - something that is needed in Western Australia and is already adopted in South Australia, the ACT and Northern Territory. Despite being supportive of the plan, the Queensland Law Society has warned the changes to gender could lead to problems in the court. Law Society president Kara Thompson said: 'We seek further clarification on how verification of identity processes are to be managed in the absence of a sex descriptor appearing on a person's birth certificate, where current procedures refer to 'gender'. 'Without further consideration of the distinction between the two concepts (sex and gender), especially as applied across the current Queensland statute book, there may be unintended consequences that flow from the implementation of the bill in its current form.' Annastacia Palaszczuk's government is the latest Australian state to make gender optional on birth certificates, after Tasmania became the first in 2019 Sally Goldner, spokeswoman for LGBTIQ lobby group Just Equal, said reforms would reduce invasion of privacy and stress. 'The reform makes life fairer and easier for trans and gender- diverse people and reduces invasion of privacy and stress due not having to constantly 'tell your story' to total strangers,' she told the Australian. However, critics says self-identification would affect the right to privacy in female-only spaces such as toilets, change rooms and prisons. The Australian Christian Lobby says the bill is: 'out-of-step with community expectations for parental rights and the safety of women'. 'This situation does not pass the 'pub test' and is viewed by many in the community as controversial and dangerous,' the lobby's Queensland political director, Rob Norman, wrote in a submission. 'Queenslanders have every right to question the granting of access for biological males to female-only spaces. This is neither transphobic nor irrational.' Queensland Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman slammed groups who 'will try to cloak their transphobia in the guise of women's safety'. 'I want to be clear: there is no evidence, domestically or internationally, to support these outrageous claims,' she said. 'I note the Australian Psychological Society has warned against casting undue suspicion on an individual's motives for stating a particular sex.' A local in Alice Springs has penned a heartbreaking letter begging authorities to 'fix all this criminality' as a youth-led crime crisis sees local jails hit breaking point. In a letter to the outback town's paper, Alex Morelli wrote that he believes the time has come for locals to fight for their safety after crime rates exploded. 'When will someone do something to fix all this criminality?' he pleaded. 'Last night, I called the police, because a woman was screaming, shouting and throwing rocks in the Eastside. A resident in Australia's most dangerous town, Alice Springs, has penned a heartbreaking letter begging that authorities 'fix all this criminality' Leader of the Northern Territory opposition, Lia Finocchiaro (pictured) said in a speech last month that Alice Springs businesses are closing with staff to afraid to go to work because of crime in the town 'Tonight, while I was driving along the main road (McDonald Street) a bunch of kids threw rocks at my car.' He told Daily Mail Australia the intention of people throwing rocks was 'not like fun'. 'The way they do it, it intends to injure someone.' Mr Morelli said Australians from other cities have no idea how dangerous Alice Springs feels. 'I lived in Brisbane, then on the Sunshine Coast, and then moved to Alice Springs. I always found Australia such a safe country, but here I am not feeling safe at all. 'When I tell people in other parts of Australia what's happening here they don't believe me.' Youths are seen terrorizing the streets of Alice Springs as locals call for help to tackle the crime wave As of January 2023 the outback town's only prison is stretched beyond capacity and police are forced to house convicted criminals in police stations. Alice Springs is the only Australian town in the 20 most crime-affected locations on earth, coming 17th according to surveys collected by Numbeo. The other towns to make the top 100 were Rockhampton at 36th, Cairns at 69th, Darwin at 79th and Townsville at 96th. In 2022 government statistics showed Alice Springs has triple the national average for recorded assaults, 2556 per 100,000 people, compared to 790 for the whole of Australia. Alice Spring's rates of assault represented a 36 per cent jump on the previous year. According to several different measures Alice Springs has some of the worst crime rates in Australia. Alice Springs is the only Australian town in the 20 most crime-affected locations on earth, coming 17th according to surveys collected by Numbeo Domestic violence assaults went up 45 per cent, alcohol-related assaults up 46 per cent, property damage was up 54 per cent, car thefts 37 per cent and house break-ins up 24 per cent. Leader of the Northern Territory opposition, Lia Finocchiaro said in a speech last month that Alice Springs businesses are closing with staff too afraid to go to work. 'Behind the eye-watering crime statistics are families living in fear and business owners are being pushed to the brink.' 'They are 'at breaking point because the financial, physical and emotional costs are just too much to bear.' As of January 2023 the outback town's only prison is stretched beyond capacity and police are forced to house convicted criminals in police stations. The Alice Springs Correctional Centre, which has reached its capacity of 650 inmates, is being expanded to add another 80 beds by the end of 2023. 'It is now evident that with the annual trend, more and more prisoners are being held within the watch house,' the jail's general manager Bill Carroll wrote in an email to staff. Last month the ABC reported a youth crime crisis was engulfing Alice Springs. Some of the shocking behaviour included youths driving 'head first' at police patrols in order to coax them into high-speed pursuits, the ABC reported. Some of the young offenders were treating police interaction as a good social media content by livestreaming pursuits for their social media accounts. In late 2020, NT Police Assistant Commissioner Martin Dole, compared the cat-and-mouse antics of Alice Spring teens to a the classic violent game Grand Theft Auto. 'Its one-upmanship type behaviour, its very much a dangerous game,' he said. 'It needs to be stopped, and it needs to be stamped out.' Mr Morelli believes it's time for Alice Springs locals to hit the streets to make a point publicly about the safety issues they face. 'It's time to protest and demonstrate against this current situation!' Mr Morelli said. 'Lots of people are leaving for that reason, and the town is become even more unliveable.' A Mongols bikie has been convicted of displaying a club tattoo on his forehead despite vehemently arguing that a make-up malfunction was to blame and not him. Brendan Luke Sacca, 40, was at a bar in Northbridge, Perth, with a fellow club member in May last year when gang crime officers arrested and charged him for displaying the 'Mongols Nation' tattoo located on his forehead. At his trial in Perth Magistrates Court on Monday, Sacca said he had covered the tattoo with make-up but it must have worn away and he was unaware the bikie gang insignia was visible. Senior Constable Lorne Buchan from the gang crime squad testified he was called to the venue around 10.40pm and when he arrived the tattoo could be seen 'clearly' on the front of his head. In body-worn footage played to the court, the officer is seen questioning Sacca as to the Mongols tattoo to which he responds, 'I did have make-up on, it must've come off.' Mongols bikie Brendan Luke Sacca (pictured) has been convicted of displaying a club tattoo on his forehead during a night out despite vehemently arguing that a makeup malfunction was to blame and not him In court Sen Cnst Buchan testified he could not see any make-up on Sacca's forehead, reported The West Australian. Sacca was prosecuted under WA's tough new anti-bikie laws, which came into force in December, 2021 to prevent unlawful consorting between offenders, prohibit display of insignia of identified organisations in public, and gave police powers to disperse gang members who gather together in public places. Sacca's lawyer Nick Scerri attempted to prove the bikie member was unaware the Mongols ink was visible. Testifying in court, Sacca stated he was under the impression the insignia laws meant his tattoos 'should be covered to the best of your ability' in public and therefore his partner at the time purchased a foundation for him to use to cover it up. He said she would help him apply it, until they split. Since then another female friend had helped him apply it. However, on the night he was escorted from the Perth bar, Sacca stated he applied it himself. Sacca was at a bar in Northbridge, Perth, with a fellow club member in May last year when gang crime officers arrested and charged him for displaying his 'Mongols Nation' tattoo on his head. In Perth Magistrates court on Monday, he was convicted and fined $500 Sacca's friend, Natalie Gage, testified she often helped him apply his make-up, stating she had done it 'over 10 times' and even went as far as to say she had given him tips and lessons on how to apply it. She stated he took the process 'seriously' and the reason she didn't help him on the night in question was that she had Mother's Day plans. Ms Gage also mentioned her friend was known to 'sweat a lot' and therefore the make-up can come off. Magistrate Richard Huston ultimately agreed with police prosecutors who argued Sacca did not apply any make-up that night. Sacca was found guilty and was fined $500. An angry resident has blasted a newly engaged couple for leaving her local beach covered with 'disgraceful' plastic rose petals, sharp stakes and rubbish after a romantic proposal. The woman took to social media to complain about the amount of rubbish left on the south end of Balmoral Beach in Sydney's affluent Lower North Shore. She asked members of community page Mosman Living if they had spotted the pair or captured a photo of the special moment on Sunday afternoon. 'Did anyone catch the contact details or take a photo of the engagement that happened on the south end of Balmoral yesterday afternoon?' she wrote. 'They left behind all of their trash, hundreds of plastic rose petals, sharp stakes sticking out of the sand and zip ties everywhere, just metres from our beautiful ocean. What a way to celebrate love hey?' The woman took to social media to complain about the amount of rubbish left on the south end of Balmoral Beach in Sydney's affluent Lower North Shore over the weekend The fired-up resident posted several photos of the rubbish used in the proposal, as well as empty bottles and food wrappers other people had left behind. She posted a video showing how dozens of white plastic rose petals had been left in the sand just metres from the water's edge. 'So someone got proposed too yesterday, at Balmoral Beach,' she wrote. 'And look at the rubbish they left behind, this is absolutely disgraceful.' The woman finished her rant with an important message for beachgoers. 'Nature is not just your background, it is a living being that needs care. We are LUCKY to experience life in a place that is so beautiful, but it only stays that way if you don't make it worse with your presence,' she wrote. The woman said residents were lucky to live in a place that is so beautiful but urged people to respect nature and dispose of their rubbish thoughtfully (pictured is Balmoral Beach) The woman said the newly engaged couple left behind 'hundreds of plastic rose petals' and that there were 'sharp stakes sticking out of the sand and zip ties everywhere' 'If you are going to enjoy it, take some responsibility and don't trash it. It's really not that hard.' The resident posted photos of the rubbish, as well as several pictures of rubbish from other locations to the Facebook page Mosman Environment Group. 'Feeling very overwhelmed with the amount of trash that's being left behind at Balmoral over the weekend,' she wrote. 'It's really great that we have a team of cleaners who go through and help every morning but there's still so much that's left behind and especially broken glass.' The woman posted a photo of an empty ice cream contained left behind a bench in Mosman The woman posted several photos to a local community page alongside a fiery rant directed at people who failed to properly dispose of their rubbish The woman's concerns were quickly validated by hundreds of other residents who expressed their disgust in the comments. 'So tacky - what a way to begin married life - in a dumpster fire of trash and disrespect. Good luck to them - they're going to need it,' one woman wrote. 'I wonder who they thought was going to clean up after them. Fortunately most people are more responsible and respectful,' another wrote. 'Often when someone complains on this page I find myself rolling my eyes but this... This is disgusting and I hope they receive a fine. Plastic rose petals shouldn't be produced in the first place. What a waste,' a third commented. The resident posted photos of the engagement rubbish, as well as several pictures of trash from other locations (pictured), to the Facebook page Mosman Environment Group A man said he had witnessed similar scenes at nearby Middle Head - a lookout spot in Sydney Harbour National Park popular with tourists. 'There was a large group taking wedding photos. They were there a while and were eating McDonald's. When they were done they just got up and left all their half-eaten food and rubbish behind,' he said. 'They threatened violence when I dumped the rubbish at their feet in the car park. I find it astounding that a group of people would seek out a beautiful location for this type of thing but fail to understand the consequences of their actions.' A 14-year-old Texas girl has been charged with murder after shooting dead an 11-year-old boy with a stray bullet during a fight with another girl. Cops were called to the Cedar Crest area of Dallas at around 2pm on Sunday to reports of a shooting at Southern Oaks Apartments. They learnt two girls were fighting in the parking lot and one of them, a 14-year-old, 'retrieved a handgun and fired toward the direction of the female she was fighting,' said Sergeant Warren Mitchell of Dallas Police Department. She missed, and instead shot D'evan McFall. He was taken to hospital, but died of his injuries. D'evan McFall, aged 11, was shot and killed by a 14-year-old girl on Sunday at a Dallas housing complex amid an argument between two girls Dallas police said the incident was 'a beef between two juveniles that led to a deadly outcome' Sergeant Warren Mitchell of Dallas Police Department (pictured) said it was a 'horrible incident' The 14-year-old ran away to a neighboring housing complex, but was seen running away and was arrested, ABC News reported, and has been charged. She is currently being held at the Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center. Police did not say whether the lived in the housing complex, and where she got the gun. 'This is a horrible incident,' said Mitchell. He said homicide detectives have obtained the murder weapon, and were speaking with witnesses. He said they did not suspect gang activity, but it was 'a beef between two juveniles that led to a deadly outcome'. Dallas police are pictured combing the scene of Sunday's shooting Police in Dallas were called to the apartment complex in the Cedar Crest district, south of downtown, on Sunday afternoon The death comes a week after a six-year-old boy in Newport News, Virginia took a gun from his home, brought it to school and shot his teacher. Abigail Zwerner, 25, was shot in the chest by the child. Her injuries were initially described as life-threatening, but she is now in a stable condition. A former intelligence official who signed onto the infamous letter claiming Hunter Biden's laptop had the markings of Russian disinformation now says a 'significant portion' of the documents found 'had to be real.' Still, Douglas Wise, a former Defense Intelligence Agency deputy director, told The Australian he did not regret signing on to the October 2020 letter of 51 former intelligence officials doubting the authenticity of the laptop. Wise explained: 'All of us figured that a significant portion of that content had to be real to make any Russian disinformation credible.' He also said he was 'not surprised' when the laptop, which Hunter had left at a Delaware repair shop before the owner turned it over to the FBI and Donald Trump's then-lawyer Rudy Giuliani, was authenticated. DailyMail.com authenticated the laptop in 2021, mainstream outlets like CBS, the Washington Post and the New York Times followed suit in 2022. Douglas Wise, a former Defense Intelligence Agency deputy director, told The Australian he did not regret signing on to the October 2020 letter of 51 former intelligence officials doubting the authenticity of the laptop. The first son's laptop contained lewd photos documenting his drug-fueled benders, details of his shady international business dealings and emails where Hunter appeared to be selling access to his then-vice president father. Above is Joe Biden, Beau Biden - Hunter's son - and Hunter on July 4, 2022 Wise downplayed the influence of the letter, which the White House at the time touted and used as cover to play up the possibility the laptop could be the work of the Russians. 'The letter said it had the earmarks of Russian deceit and we should consider that as a possibility; it did not say Hunter Biden was a good guy, it didn't say what he did was right and it wasn't exculpatory, it was just a cautionary letter.' He went on: 'I don't regret signing it because the context is important.' 'Remember Giuliani had just been in Ukraine trying to dig up evidence on the Bidens and he met with a known Russian intelligence official,' he said, apparently referring to pro-Moscow Ukrainian politician Andriy Derkach. The letter came five days after the New York Post first reported on the laptop's contents, which contained lewd photos documenting Hunter's drug-fueled benders, details of his shady international business dealings and emails where Hunter appeared to be selling access to his then-vice president father. Wise added that the laptop's 'chain of custody' could have left it open to being compromised. 'Russians or even ill-intended conservative elements could have planted stuff in there,' he said. The letter, also signed by former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, former Director of National intelligence James Clapper, and former CIA Director John Brennan, said there are 'factors that make us suspicious of Russian involvement.' 'The arrival on the US political scene of emails purportedly belonging to Vice President Biden's son Hunter, much of it related to his time serving on the Board of the Ukrainian gas company Burisma, has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation,' the two-page letter read. One of the photos found on Hunter Biden's laptop Images such as above were found on the laptop after Hunter left it at a Delaware computer repair shop Hunter Biden's search history reveals an obsession with porn including incest fantasies, '18yrs old', 'lonely widow' porn, 'MILF crack cocaine porn', as well as instructions on how to hack a lover's cell phone and repeated google searches of himself Hunter Biden is photographed with a gun after lying on a gun application about doing drugs 'We want to emphasize that we do not know if the emails are genuine or not and that we do not have evidence of Russian involvement,' it continued. The letter also makes reference to 'our view that the Russians are involved in the Hunter Biden email issue' and concludes, 'it is high 8me that Russia stops interfering in our democracy.' The laptop bombshell was originally restricted on platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Details of their decision to restrict news that could damage Biden just ahead of the election have trickled out through Elon Musk's release of the Twitter Files. Wise's comments come as House Republicans put the Biden family in their crosshairs. The House Oversight Committee last week launched an investigation into the Biden family's business dealings, and how much Joe was involved in Hunter's work. Republicans also established the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of Federal Government, which is expected to probe reports the FBI slow-walked the investigation into the the revelations of the laptop and pressured Twitter to censor the story. Anthony Albanese's government is set to welcome 300,000 migrants to Australia this year - raising fears of increased pressure on housing, hospitals and schools. Treasurer Jim Chalmers admitted the forecast of 235,000 migrants made in October's budget is likely to be dwarfed as high labour shortages entice foreign workers to the country. The government has also been working to cut down the huge visa backlog - making the country even more appealing to migrants. It has announced an increase in the number of places available for skilled migrants, the number of places in the Skilled Stream rising from 79,600 to 142,400. It will prioritise processing for skilled visa applications through 2023 and also introduced post-study work rights and unlimited work hours for international students. Dr Chalmers said on Monday: 'It is a reasonable assumption the number that's printed in the budget for [2022-23] may be higher than 235,000. 'We've got serious skills shortages and labour shortages in our economy that are acting as a handbrake.' Angela Knox, Associate Professor of Work and Organisation at Sydney University, told Daily Mail Australia that the influx of migrants could cause serious short term problems. The government has also been working to cut down the huge visa backlog - making the country even more appealing to migrants Poll Do you support more skilled migration to ease worker shortages? Yes No Do you support more skilled migration to ease worker shortages? Yes 230 votes No 981 votes Now share your opinion 'In the short term, it would put additional pressure on housing and schools and hospitals, which are already struggling,' she explained. She also suggested that the total number of migrants could exceed 300,000 - but warned the government would need to be mindful of the local labour market. 'The government are conscious of the tension between the domestic labour market and the introduction of any migrant workers and the consequences that that might have. 'The government is also relatedly very conscious that it is not using temporary migrant workers as a substitute for skill development and training needs in the local labour market. 'So they will monitor what's happening very closely and make adjustments on that basis.' Dr Knox also warned that the government would need to ensure the current visa backlog is tackled. 'It will be really important to ensure that there are sufficient staff and workflows in place to enable efficient visas, issuing visas. We don't want that backlog to be further exacerbated. 'So there will be a response that's required in order to ensure that is an efficient process.' However, she also said that increased numbers of migrants could eventually end up tackling the problem. A total of 365,900 temporary visa holders left the country between 2019 and 2021 after then-prime minister Scott Morrison told them to leave 'Those problems are already occurring, and we need to take action in order to resolve them,' she said. 'And one way in which we can do that in a very immediate sense is by bringing in temporary migrants, so it is a way in which we can address the existing problems that we have.' Immigration expert and former Immigration Department deputy secretary Abul Rizvi said the 300,000 migrants this financial year would be driven by a spike in visa applications for international students in 2022, and a large excess of visitors . 'The excess of visitor arrivals, minus the number departing, is the biggest difference we've ever had,' Mr Rizvi told the AFR. A total of 365,900 temporary visa holders left the country between 2019 and 2021 after then-prime minister Scott Morrison told them to leave. Some 220,000 temporary visa holders have come into the country since the start of 2022 with applications to be processed. There is a backlog of 872,000 visa applications yet to be approved by the government and another 2.22 million that have been made since June 1. Donald Trump's posts on his social media network show 'desperation' and indicate he knows he will be charged with mishandling classified information, a former federal prosecutor has claimed. Glenn Kirschner analyzed Trump's recent Truth Social posts on Sunday, for viewers of his YouTube channel. In the posts Trump attacked the investigator probing his handling of classified information and calls him a 'Trump hating thug', likens the FBI to the Gestapo and accuses the Justice Department of harassment. Kirschner, who has 30 years of trial experience and served as an army prosecutor before joining the DC US Attorney's Office, said he was not a psychologist - but was 'pretty good at spotting signs of desperation and consciousness of guilt when I see them'. Trump's handling of classified information is currently being investigated by special counsel Jack Smith - and Kirschner said he believes Trump expects to face charges. 'He sounds desperate, he sounds scared, he sounds like he knows indictments are coming and there's nothing he can do to stop them,' he said. Glenn Kirschner, a former federal prosecutor in DC and with the U.S. Army, on Sunday analyzed Donald Trump's posts on Truth Social Kirschner pointed to a post on Truth Social on Saturday, in which Trump wrote: 'How come the Biden 'Prosecutor' is a nice guy, very friendly with Democrats and RINOS alike, close to Christopher Wray, & pretty much liked & known by everybody, while my 'Prosecutor' is a Radical Left Trump HATING Lunatic, whose wife & family get a perfect '10' for spewing Trump HATE, & whose 'friends' are the most evil, angry, & disgusting Marxists & Communists in & around Government? 'They are GRILLING innocent people in Grand Juries for hours, all to 'get Trump.' These are Sick Thugs!' He added: 'What Biden did was wrong, but he was given a reasonable and stable Special Counsel who is sane, inclined not to make waves, friendly with RINOS, and is not known as a flame-throwing lunatic or a Biden hater. 'What I did was RIGHT, Secured documents in a secured place, lock on the doors, guards and Secret Service all around, security cameras working. 'Mar-a-Lago is essentially an armed fort, and was built that way in the 1920's, with High Walls & structure to serve as the Southern W.H.. 'I was President of the U.S. and covered and protected by the Presidential Records Act, which is not criminal and allows and encourages you to talk to the NARA, which we were, very nicely, until the FBI, who it is now learned has been after me for years without pause or question, RAIDED Mar-a-Lago, a stupid and probably Illegal thing to do. As President, I have the right to declassify documents, Biden did not. Special 'Prosecutor' Jack Smith, however, is a Trump Hating political Thug.. 'THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON AGAINST ME FOR YEARS. THE FBI & THE DEPARTMENT OF INJUSTICE ARE CROOKED, CORRUPT, & BROKEN (just look at the Lunatic Radical Left Prosecutor they gave me, but not Hopeless Joe, Twitter Files & the RIGGED 2020 Presidential Election, the Russia, Russia, Russia HOAX, & all the rest!). OUR COUNTRY IS IN SERIOUS TROUBLE, NO BORDERS, NO VOTER I.D., NO ENERGY INDEPENDENCE. THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS NOT BEEN SMART & TOUGH, BUT MAYBE THEY WILL BE NOW. GOOD LUCK AMERICA!!!' In another post, he added: 'The Boxes Hoax Case against me should be dropped immediately. I have done nothing wrong!' Trump, seen at Mar-a-Lago before Christmas, is expecting to be indicted, Kirschner claimed Jack Smith has been appointed as a special counsel to investigate Trump's handling of classified documents The rant continued to Monday, with Trump likening the FBI to the Gestapo. 'The FBI (Fake Bureau of Investigation) & the Department of Injustice, together with the Trump Hating Thug, Jack Smith, are interviewing, harassing, and subpoenaing people that work for me relative to the BOXES HOAX, & the 'Peacefully & Patriotically' speech I made at the January 6th protest of the Rigged and Stollen Presidential Election, where so many have been treated horribly and Unconstitutionally. This is a Gestapo type operation! Are they doing this to the Biden people? I don't think so!' Kirschner said his words showed desperation, noting while he may feel the capital letters make the post 'extra persuasive', it showed fear. 'In fact, it really just signals desperation,' Kirschner said. Kirschner noted Trump's own social media network, Truth Social, has a far smaller reach than Twitter, which he was banned from after the January 6 riot. Twitter's new owner Elon Musk has invited Trump back, but the former president insists he is standing by his own home-made alternative, even though his posts are only seen by thousands of followers, rather than hundreds of millions. 'In a very real sense, Donald Trump is both figuratively and literally screaming into the void,' said Kirschner. 'I suggest that what we can glean from these unhinged desperate posts of Donald Trump is that he knows indictments are coming, and he knows he is powerless to stop them.' Trump's team dismissed Kirschner's analysis. 'Glenn is a notorious trafficker of wild conspiracy theories and dubious legal analysis,' a spokesman told Newsweek. They added: 'I would expect nothing more from a clout-chasing MSNBC contributor.' A woman has been hailed a hero for rescuing a floundering Aussie native animal from a backyard swimming pool. In a video uploaded to TikTok, Shan Croc, 38, is seen scrambling around her pool after spotting an echidna trying to figure out how to escape. The prickly monotreme somehow managed to navigate the pool fence and fall into the water at Ms Croc's property in Muckadilla, in regional Queensland. Shan Croc, 38, has been hailed a hero for rescuing a floundering Aussie native animal from a backyard swimming pool with a pool scooper Ms Croc is then seen rushing to help, picking up a pool net and scooping the Aussie icon out of the pool. While rescuing the prickly creature Ms Croc is heard reassuring the echidna saying, 'I'm coming to save you' and 'It's okay, it's okay'. Despite many praising her actions, others thought she was more concerned with the social media content than saving the echidna. 'I'm going to save you! Grabs a phone and does a lap of the pool,' one person commented. 'I'm going to save you, but only once I have grabbed my phone for Tik Tok content,' a second wrote. The prickly monotreme navigated the pool fence and fell into the water at Shan Croc's property in Muckadilla, in regional Queensland before needing help to be lifted to safety Ms Croc named the echidna 'Ian' and said, 'I am starting to wonder if I wrecked his New Years resolution' However, many users thanked her for saving the echidna and also chipped in saying echidnas are such strong swimmers so there was 'no rush'. Others commented that people in areas where echidnas live should install wildlife ladders as a way for the natives to rescue themselves from pools. Ms Croc has since filmed the echidna she named 'Ian' again on her property saying, 'he might of been heading back for more laps'. 'I am starting to wonder if I wrecked his New Years resolution,' Ms Croc jovially commented. Echidnas are known to be strong swimmers, with some scientists believing they are evolved from noted water lovers, platypuses. Do you know more? Email tips@dailymail.com In March 2021, the home she shared with ex-husband was raided Pictured: Dayna Isaac and her now ex-husband, Mikkel Isaac A loving mother-of-two had only recently split with her husband, who is behind bars on remand for alleged drug supply, before she was allegedly murdered by her new boyfriend. Dayna Isaac, 28, was found dead inside her Colless Street unit in Penrith, western Sydney, at about 4.15pm on Monday by her new boyfriend Paul Sultana's mother. Police had been called to the 28-year-old's home at 2.30pm to a 'disturbance' before finding her car burned out in bushland 13km away, near Castlereagh. Sultana, 32, was charged with her murder on Tuesday afternoon. He will face Penrith Local Court on Wednesday morning. Ms Isaac's alleged murder comes less than two years after she separated from her now ex-husband Mikkel Isaac. The married couple were living in Bathurst, 200km west of Sydney, when they were arrested in March 2021. He has since vowed to 'look after our girls until we meet again'. Police had raided their home during a drug bust and slapped both with a string of drug-related charges. Ms Isaac's charges were eventually downgraded to taking part in supplying a prohibited drug and supplying a commercial quantity of cannabis. Mikkel Isaac vowed to look after their two daughters following the tragic death of his ex-wife (pictured together) She was granted bail in Bathurst Local Court however her bail came at a devastating cost to her relationship - with the judge freeing her from jail on the condition she not contact her husband, or the four others who were arrested in the raids. Less than two years later, Ms Isaac was allegedly murdered by her new boyfriend inside her Penrith apartment. Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting Ms Isaac's ex-husband was involved in her death. Her ex-husband was charged with 33 offences following the raid and is still in police custody. While some of his charges were withdrawn, Mr Isaac remains accused of supplying a commercial quantity of cannabis, supplying a pistol without a dealer, acquiring a prohibited firearm, and driving a vehicle with a suspended license. He was denied bail on December 9 and will appear in Penrith District Court on February 3. Ms Isaac's boyfriend, Paul Sultana, 32, (pictured) has been charged with the mother-of-two's murder Dayna Isaac was walked down the aisle by her dad Garry English (pictured together) on her wedding day in 2017 The former couple got married in 2017 and have two young daughters together, who were not with their mother when she died. He has since posted an emotional message on Facebook, explaining that the pair had maintained a good relationship. 'Love you forever and always. I promise Ill look after our girls until we meet again my angel,' Mr Isaac wrote. Mr Isaac, who refurbishes used cars, also has two primary school-aged sons. On March 8 2021, two days before the Isaacs' home was raided, the couple were jokingly trying to 'sell' each other in local buy and sell groups on Facebook. In the post, Mr Isaac uploaded a photo of he and his wife and wrote, 'Due to running out of money to build cars have to sell something worth money as I don't want to sell any of my cars so I thought I'll list my wife up'. 'Open to offers of interest price is 50k no lower as she has low k's (kilometres) always up to date with all service does cook clean really well.' The former couple got married in 2017 and have two young daughters together. Dayna Isaac is pictured on her wedding day Two days before their home was raided, the couple were jokingly trying to 'sell' each other in local buy and sell groups on Facebook (pictured) Close friends laughed in the comments, joking his wife was worth significantly more than $50,000. Ms Isaac wrote the comment, 'I think you need to edit the ad "after seeing this post no longer puts out", before she published her own 'for sale' ad in another local group. 'Husband - free to good home,' she wrote, above a photo of them together. 'Doesn't cook doesn't clean, never changes toilet roll. Steers ok but box is slipping. Honestly doesn't even have to go to a good home, would consider paying you to take him off my hands. 'Only good thing about him is he's a good dad but doesn't come with the kids. Serious offers only.' Ms Isaac was prohibited from contacting her husband, and their six co-accused, following their arrest in March 2021. Earlier on Monday afternoon, police had received reports of a disturbance at the home between 2.30pm and 3pm on Monday. Mikkel Isaac shared a series of photos from their wedding six years ago, including one of him pulling off the bride's garter Police are seen at the unit block after Ms Isaac's body was found on Monday afternoon Dayna Isaac (pictured) was hit with drug supply charges almost two years before she tragically died in her unit A neighbour had phoned police to report a 'disturbance' from Ms Isaac's home but when officers turned up at the unit, nobody answered the door and they left. Officers found Ms Isaac's car burned out in bushland at 3.45pm, 13km away from her home near Castlereagh, in the city's north-west. Half-an-hour later, Ms Isaac's body was discovered by Mr Sultana's mother, who had gone to check on her, police say. She then drove to Penrith Police Station and reported her horror find to officers. Mr Sultana was arrested at about 3.25am on Tuesday and was charged with her murder. He will face Penrith Local Court on Wednesday. NSW Police Acting Superintendent Carlene Mahoney said he and Ms Isaac had been friends for a long time and only started dating in recent months. Specialist forensic police are examining the home and what remains of the vehicle Mikkel Isaac (left) paid tribute to his ex-wife Dayna (right) on Tuesday night and shared several photos from their wedding day in 2017 'Police were informed that there was a disturbance at the premises and they did attend and they later identified that the deceased was at the premises,' Superintendent Mahoney said. A friend of the mother-of-two said she was the 'most beautiful, kind-hearted and selfless' person she had ever met. 'She lit up the room and was the life of the party,' the woman, who requested anonymity, told Daily Mail Australia. 'She was an amazing doting mother to two beautiful girls who absolutely adored her, and I am so so proud to call her not just my friend, but my sister.' Another friend wrote to Facebook: 'RIP gorgeous girl, I'll miss you'. Pictured is the apartment block where Ms Isaac was found dead Those living in the area have been rattled by the news about the death of their neighbour. One local resident said she saw police cars lined up the street when she arrived home on Monday afternoon. 'I just heard the news, I was shocked,' she said. 'This area is pretty quiet, you don't hear about much happening around here. It tends to be more in Cranebrook.' Another woman who lives in the same building as Ms Isaac said she woke up this morning to the property taped off and police officers scouring the site. 'It was quite scary, I was at work yesterday and found out over Facebook a woman had died in my street,' she said. 'When I came home late last night there was only one police officer there, but when I came out of the building this morning they were everywhere.' Police are urging anyone who may have information that could assist detectives to come forward and contact Penrith Police station or Crime Stoppers. Jeremy Renner's condition is far more severe than had been previously reported following his snowplow accident, friends of the actor say. Renner was helping a stranded family member whose car broke down close to his mansion near Lake Tahoe, Nevada, when a 14,330-pound snowplow ran over him. At the time, Renner's representatives said he had suffered blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries and was in a critical but stable condition after surgery. However, friends now say that Renner's injuries are much worse than feared and that he 'nearly bled out' and 'almost died' while waiting for help to arrive. Jeremy Renner's condition is 'much worse than anyone knows' after being injured by a snowplow The Avengers star posted a photo of a snow covered mansion on Monday, writing: 'Missing my happy place...' 'It's much worse than anyone knows. Jeremy is very aware of the fact that he almost died out there,' a source told RadarOnline. 'The right side of Jeremy's chest was crushed, and his upper torso had collapsed. He also had a bad head wound that was bleeding and a leg injury.' The actor is reportedly aware of the extent of his injuries and has a long road to recovery ahead of him, with friends saying it could take up to two years before he is back in fighting shape. 'Jeremy was in a lot of pain, and was having difficulty breathing,' a source told RadarOnline. 'He knew he was in bad shape and that he might not make it out of this. The Hurt Locker actor has been hospitalized since New Year's Day when he was airlifted to a medical facility after being 'completely crushed' by the snowplow. He is seen driving a plow in an old video posted on Instagram Renner was trying to help a family member whose vehicle was trapped in the snow on New Year's Day when he was run over by his snowplow Renner shared hospital footage of what appeared to be him getting wheeled in for either a CT scan or an MRI on Friday. Captioning the video, Renner wrote: 'I wish you all a very special night' 'Word is the damage to Jeremy's chest was so substantial it had to be reconstructed in surgery,' the source continued. 'So far, he's had two surgeries and he will likely require more in the weeks ahead on his leg. Doctors tend to space out operations to allow time for the body's natural healing process to kick in, and that's the case here.' Renner's family members have been by his side including his mother Cearley and sister Kym, since the accident. They are helping to keep him entertained while the actor heals. 'Jeremy's doing OK. He's pretty doped up and he's got tubes to help him breathe, but he's a fighter, and he's determined to get through this.' On Monday Renner shared a photo of snowy setting in Lake Tahoe on social media. A social media post about season two of Mayor of Kingstown gave friends and fans another opportunity to share their good wishes The 52-year-old Mayor Of Kingstown actor said he was missing his 'happy place'. Last week his sister, Kym, told People that he is working hard to restore his health with therapy in a hospital. 'If anyone knows Jeremy, he is a fighter and doesn't mess around,' she said. 'He is crushing all the progress goals. We couldn't feel more positive about the road ahead.' The second season of the action star's gritty drama, Mayor Of Kingstown, debuted on Paramount+ Sunday night, and a post about in on social media gave his friends and fans an opportunity to send more good wishes his way. The beloved star underwent two surgeries to place metal pins around his legs, along with chest surgery, after being left in critical condition following the frightening incident The actor was airlifted to a medical facility after being 'completely crushed' by a seven-ton snow plow at his cabin in Lake Tahoe at around 10am on New Years Day while attempting to tow a vehicle stuck in the snow. He underwent surgery on January 2 and has remained in the intensive care unit ever since. The beloved star, who celebrated his 52nd birthday in the ICU on Saturday, underwent two surgeries to place metal pins around his legs, along with chest surgery, after being left in critical condition following the frightening incident. Since his hospitalization, Renner has continued to share his personal updates to fans and followers on social media, which began with a selfie he had taken while resting in the ICU. Renner was airlifted to a local hospital near his Lake Tahoe cabin shortly after the accident had occurred Renner is pictured at his home in 2017. He has told in the past of having to clear away the snow to gain access to the $3.25million property Notable bruises could be seen on his face, and the actor penned in the caption, 'Thank you all for your kind words. I'm too messed up now to type. But I send love to you all.' He later shared a clip of himself being pampered by his supportive sister and mother as he received a relaxing scalp massage. 'A 'not no great' ICU Day, turned to amazing spa day with my sis and mama. Thank you soooooo much,' he penned in the caption of a tweet. On Friday the Marvel star shared hospital footage of what appeared to be him getting wheeled in for either a CT scan or MRI on Friday. Captioning the video of him getting wheeled toward a large high-tech imaging machine, Renner wrote: 'I wish you all a very special night.' British Gas has triggered a price war on heat pumps, which are set to replace gas boilers for central heating. The move, coupled with a raft of government incentives, will bring down the starting cost to 2,999 in England and Wales. Normally, the cost of installing an air source heat pump would be 8,000, depending on the size of the property. Heat pumps draw warmth from the outside air and run on electricity, an increasing proportion of which comes from green sources such as wind and solar power. Energy minister Lord Callanan said: With offers like this, alongside government incentives such as slashing VAT on heat pump installation to zero, government and industry can work together in helping more homeowners to see these benefits in 2023 and beyond. Heat pumps draw warmth from the outside air and run on electricity, an increasing proportion of which comes from green sources such as wind and solar power The promised price war means the green heat pumps could cost around the same as the installation of a new gas boiler. The move is expected to speed the introduction of the home heat pumps which are seen as instrumental in cutting greenhouse gas emissions and reducing reliance on imports of foreign gas. The Government wants to rapidly increase the number of heat pumps being installed, as part of efforts to replace gas boilers to cut carbon emissions. The installation price is made possible via the governments Boiler Upgrade Scheme that was launched last year and offers a 5,000 grant towards the cost of installing air source heat pumps via an accredited engineer. British Gass lowest price offer would apply to the mechanical and electrical installation of an air source heat pump with a maximum capacity of 7 kW working in tandem with a standard water cylinder measured at up to 200ltr. Research commissioned by the company as part of its British Gas Net Zero Index study published late last year identified the need to encourage heat pump use as a more energy efficient alternative to natural gas boilers. Will an extra jumper really save you money? Turn down the thermostat and put more clothes on! We've all heard that advice, but does it actually save you money. This Is Money has worked out how much money the average person could save by putting on a jumper rather than reaching for the thermostat dial. > Can an extra jumper really help you save on energy bills? Andrew Middleton, managing director of British Gas Net Zero, said that heat pumps were expected to play an essential role to decarbonise the UK housing stock. Despite this potential, Mr Middleton said that the company recognised the importance of making heat pumps more affordable at a time where households were having to be cautious with spending. He said: Supporting our customers in lowering their emissions at home is at the forefront of our plans and we need to make sure it is affordable and accessible so that no one is left behind. We are committed to working with governments, regulators and legislators to ensure we have the right policies and frameworks in place to achieve this. Our engineers have installed over 8,000 electric car charging points, have installed over 2,300 heat pumps and are improving insulation and providing solar panels around the country each day. Foreign minister's trip focuses on Middle East peace, growth By Zhang Yunbi (China Daily) 09:20, January 17, 2023 Foreign Minister Qin Gang (second from left) meets for talks with Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Ahmed Aboul-Gheit (second from right) in Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday. WANG DONGZHEN/XINHUA Qin urges respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity China's Middle East policy, the Palestine issue and prospects for China-Arab cooperation were high on the agenda of Foreign Minister Qin Gang's trip to Egypt. When meeting with reporters, along with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, in Cairo on Sunday, Qin elaborated on China's Middle East policy. China believes that the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries in the region should be respected, and it encourages dialogue and consultation among them to seek solutions to major issues, he said. Beijing urges more support for the development of countries in the region and greater unity in the fight against terrorism, he added. Countries outside the region are urged to avoid intervening in regional countries' domestic affairs, seeking unilateralism or creating divides among cultures, he warned. Speaking on the Palestine issue, Qin said that the stalled Israel-Palestine peace talks and the failure to achieve a two-state solution are behind the frequent escalation of the situation. The international community should "increase its sense of urgency and prioritize the Palestine issue on the international agenda" to push for resumption of the peace talks and a fair and lasting solution to the Palestine issue based on the two-state solution, he said. "Major countries with great influence should shoulder their responsibility for this," he said. Beijing calls on the parties involved to exercise calm and restraint, and avoid further escalation of tension, and Israel in particular should stop any provocations and any unilateral moves that may worsen the situation, he added. Wu Bingbing, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at Peking University, said, "There are two basic elements behind China's positions on Middle East. First, is to resolve issues through a peaceful, diplomatic approach and the second is to focus on the role of development in security issues and boost security through growth." Dong Manyuan, a senior fellow on Middle East studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said China has offered a series of proposals and fresh ideas on issues in the Middle East, and has sent special envoys on mediating missions in the region. "All these efforts constitute tangible actions responding to the prevailing questions among Arab states about peace," he added. Egypt was the final destination of Qin's five-stop new year visit to the African continent, which started on Jan 9. As the capital of an Arab state and an African country, Cairo is also home to the headquarters of the League of Arab States. Further advancing China-Arab cooperation in various fields was high on the agenda when Qin met on Sunday with Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, secretary-general of the League of Arab States. The secretary-general expressed appreciation for China's longstanding dedication to international justice and its support for Arab countries' growth and the group's unity. Over a month ago, China and Arab states held their first leaders' summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where a landmark outline was issued of a comprehensive cooperation plan encompassing 182 cooperative measures in 18 fields such as politics, the economy, trade and investment. At the summit, President Xi Jinping also proposed eight major joint actions for China-Arab pragmatic cooperation, covering eight areas including development, security, along with 56 detailed cooperative measures. Speaking to reporters, Qin said China will build effective working mechanisms with the Arab states to implement these cooperative measures. When talking about the consensus reached between Beijing and Cairo during his visit to Egypt, Qin said the two sides agreed to further their mutual support on issues involving their core interests and major concerns, and expand cultural exchanges. The two countries will work closer on pushing for the political settlement of regional hot spot issues and jointly promote the common interests of developing countries, he added. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun) Labor's attorney-general has been exposed as knowing nothing about his government's flagship Indigenous Voice to Parliament policy after being forced to answer a basic question by reading a colleague's tweet on live television. Appearing on ABC TV's 7.30 show on Monday night, Mark Dreyfus was asked about the Indigenous Voice to Parliament by chief political correspondent Laura Tingle - and looked down at what must have been his phone 21 times in just one minute as he answered her questions. What he was doing was reading almost word for word from a series of tweets posted by his colleague, Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney, on Sunday night. And at no point did Mr Dreyfus indicate that he was reading from notes or credit Ms Burney for the content he was using. And at no point did Mark Dreyfus indicate that he was reading from notes or credit his colleague Linda Burney (pictured) 'It appears the art of copying has made its way to Canberra,' 2GB breakfast host Ben Fordham said in exposing the attorney general on Tuesday morning. 'When he was asked about the lack of detail (about the Indigenous Voice to Parliament), Mark Dreyfus kept looking down at the desk ... 'In the space of 60 seconds, he looked down at his notes 21 times,' Fordham said. 'Mark Dreyfus, the highest law officer in the land, was reading, virtually word for word, from a tweet that was written by someone else. 'He was ripping off someone else's homework.' Fordham told his listeners that Ms Burney published tweets about the Voice on Sunday night and laid out her thoughts as dot points. 'In one tweet, she had three points. Point 1 - Linda Burney wrote "The Voice will provide independent advice to Parliament and Government."' Fordham then played a clip of Mr Dreyfus saying the same thing, word for word. The second dot point from Ms Burney said 'The Voice will be chosen by First Nations people based on the wishes of local communities.' Mr Dreyfus said the almost identical 'It's going to be chosen by First Nations people based on the wishes of local communities.' Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has been accused of 'plagiarism' for reciting tweets (pictured) by Linda Burney without crediting her work Poll Do you understand the Indigenous Voice to Parliament? Yes No Do you understand the Indigenous Voice to Parliament? Yes 84 votes No 1698 votes Now share your opinion Ms Burney's third dot point said 'The Voice will be representative of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.' Mr Dreyfus said on ABC that 'It's going to be representative of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.' Fordham was not impressed: 'Mark, you're not even trying. It's all copied directly from a social media post from your colleague Linda Burney. 'The Attorney-General can't answer basic questions without the cheat sheet.' In a second tweet, Ms Burney added another three, numbered dot points. Mark Dreyfus (pictured) was asked about the Indigenous Voice to Parliament and then looked down 21 times in 60 seconds to read from notes They were: 4) The Voice will be empowering, community-led, inclusive, respectful, culturally informed and gender balanced. It will also include youth. 5) The Voice will be accountable and transparent. 6) The Voice will work alongside existing organisations and traditional structures. On 7.30, Mr Dreyfus again recited those lines almost word for word and made the points in the exact same order, and also did so with words from a third tweet sent by Ms Burney. Linda Burney's tweets (pictured) about the Voice on Sunday night were used by her colleague Mark Dreyfus on Monday night 'If this was a university assignment he'd be accused of plagiarism and given an F,' said Fordham. 'Mark Dreyfus, you have been busted for blatant copying.' Fordham added that 7.30 host Laura Tingle should have called Mr Dreyfus out on the copying. Mr Dreyfus's office told Daily Mail Australia the information he used on 7.30 had been made public four months ago. A statement issued by the Referendum Working Group on September 9 said 'it is best practice to listen to First Nations people on matters that affect their lives, and the importance of continuing to work with First Nations peoples, as well as the broader community, in the lead up to referendum'. A passenger waiting for a helicopter sightseeing ride was hit and gashed by a 2ft safety sign sent flying by its rotors. As the aircraft landed, its downblast dislodged the sign from a post near a waiting group of four at West Usk lighthouse in Newport, South Wales. The unnamed passenger was taken to hospital with a cut leg needing stitches after the incident last September. Air accident investigators said the pre-flight safety briefing sign was not properly secured and was a hazard itself. A passenger waiting for a helicopter sightseeing ride was hit and gashed by a 2ft safety sign sent flying by its rotors near a waiting group of four at West Usk lighthouse in Newport It was used for safety briefings before passengers were escorted to board the helicopter. The large sign warned people to beware of the rotors and always to keep their safety belt fastened as part of the safety briefing before the jaunt. But it was 'unsecure' as the ground crew were in a hurry after cows had escaped from a neighbouring field onto the landing site and had to be removed. The health and safety warning had been left set up overnight with windy conditions at the coastal site roped off for four passengers on the six-mile sightseeing trip with the 27-year-old pilot. The report by the Air Accident Investigation Branch said: 'The following day, the pilot carried out eight uneventful flights but wind speeds were increasing. 'The sign was only secured by two cable ties when four were needed in each corner 'As the pilot landed for the ninth flight of the day, the cable ties broke and the sign flew away, hitting the passenger.' The sightseeing trip was advertised as being safe for passengers aged 6 to 99 to enjoy the 'soaring views of the Welsh countryside.' It boasted that it included 'safety briefings and public liability insurance.' Doctors have condemned Keir Starmers ill thought-out and incredibly unsafe plans for the NHS in an open letter. Two frontline representative groups yesterday expressed serious concerns about patient safety and care under a Labour government. Doctors Association UK (Dauk) and GP Survival wrote to the Labour leader after he outlined health reforms, including that patients would refer themselves to a specialist without seeing a GP. This led to warnings that waiting lists will rocket and patients bleed to death while working out which tests they need. The proposal follows a suggestion by Wes Streeting, Labours health spokesman, that the NHS could take over GP surgeries and employ family doctors directly. Doctors have condemned Keir Starmers ill thought-out and incredibly unsafe plans for the NHS in an open letter Doctors Association UK (Dauk) and GP Survival wrote to the Labour leader after he outlined health reforms, including that patients would refer themselves to a specialist without seeing a GP Dr Lizzie Toberty, of Dauk, warned: It was unbelievable that Keir Starmer floated ideas which could be unsafe such as self-referral for testing for internal bleeding. It appears the NHS will be no better off under them than the current Government. Sir Keir claimed that self-referrals would cut down on bureaucratic nonsense. Dr Ellen Welch, also of Dauk, said: If youve got internal bleeding, you dont guess which tests you need or which specialists you should self-refer to you may bleed to death while deciding. Sir Keir yesterday said he had wanted to say patients could self-refer for tests if they had blood in their poo, rather than internal bleeding, but was trying to be a little bit delicate with his language on TV. Jim Molan appeared upbeat and chatty in an interview just three weeks before he died from prostate cancer, with doctors warning Australians to be on the lookout for symptoms including changes to your urination. The retired major general and Liberal Senator had been speaking about Australia and Chinese diplomacy during an interview with Sky News in December. Molan seemed animated as he spoke coherently and lucidly from his home while conversing in a video call with host James Morrow. Less than one month later, he died at the age of 72 on Monday with his family revealing his health had rapidly declined following Christmas celebrations. Jim Molan appeared the picture of health during a live TV interview three weeks before he died after a two-year battle with prostate cancer Dr Dundee said current treatment like chemotherapy and testosterone suppression helped keep symptoms at bay but came with their own side effects Dr Philip Dundee explained to Daily Mail Australia that treatment for prostate cancer treatment is so advanced that it was common for people to appear like they were still living a normal life. 'In men who have prostate cancer because it wasn't picked up early enough, or when they're in the advanced stages of disease, there is an effective treatment, but it can't be cured,' he said. Molan was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer in 2021. Dr Dundee said most patients died when their prostate cancer had metastasised and spread to other parts of the body, indicating the depth of Molan's struggle. 'It can spread around the body to the lymph node system, bones and organs,' he said. 'It can be painful. If the disease spreads to the bones, it can cause fractures. Even the presence of the disease in the bones can be painful. 'It can involve the spine and move to the spinal cord.' Dr Dundee explained current treatments like chemotherapy and testosterone suppression helped keep symptoms at bay but came with their own side effects. 'This can include loss of muscle strength and bulk, a tendency to put on weight, energy levels deteriorating or suffering from hot flashes,' he said. Prostate cancer is often hard to diagnose, with early stages of the disease unlikely to cause symptoms. 'Advanced prostate cancer symptoms can include: frequent urination, pain while urinating, blood in the urine or semen, a weak stream, pain in the back or pelvis and weak legs or feet,' he explained. Less than one month after the interview, Mr Molan died at the age of 72 on Monday with his family revealing his health had rapidly declined following Christmas celebrations WHAT IS PROSTATE CANCER? Prostate cancer develops when abnormal cells in the prostate gland grow in an uncontrolled way, forming a malignant tumour. It is estimated that more than 24,200 males in Australia were diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2022. The average age at diagnosis is 69 years old. Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia, and it is estimated that one in six males will be diagnosed by the time they are 85. Prostate cancer symptoms Early prostate cancer usually does not cause symptoms. Advanced prostate cancer symptoms can include: frequent urination, pain while urinating, blood in the urine or semen, a weak stream, pain in the back or pelvis and weak legs or feet. More widespread disease often spreads to the bones and causes pain or unexplained weight loss and fatigue. Screening for prostate cancer There are no tests available with sufficient accuracy to screen populations of men for early signs of prostate cancer. However, early detection and treatment can significantly improve prostate cancer survival. The test most commonly used to aid early detection of prostate cancer is the prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test. This is not a diagnostic test as it can only indicate changes in the prostate. If you are concerned about prostate cancer you should talk to your doctor and make an informed choice about whether to have one of the tests designed to find early signs of prostate cancer, in view of the potential risks and benefits. Advertisement Dr Michael Mosley explained how the prostate was affected by cancerous growth. 'The prostate is a gland, about the size of a walnut, which surrounds the urethra the tube which you pee through,' he said. 'Unfortunately it grows from our 50s onwards and men often experience symptoms caused by the prostate compressing the urethra, such as waking up frequently during the night and finding it hard to start urinating.' Some 24,200 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2022 with the average age of diagnosis at 69. 'Although these can also be symptoms of prostate cancer, they are normally the result of an enlarged prostate,' Men are more likely to develop the cancer in their 50s, though more are being discovered while they're still in their 40s. 'One of the scary things about prostate cancer is there are rarely any symptoms until the tumour has got quite large or has spread,' Dr Mosley said. 'And once that happens, you might experience back pain, problems getting or keeping an erection, blood in the urine or unexplained weight loss.' Molan remained defiant following his diagnosis and was optimistic about his future battle with the illness. 'I am receiving the best possible care from my clinicians and have the love, support and prayers of my family,' he said. 'I have never been afraid to fight the battles that need fighting, and this is no exception.' Molan (pictured in 2019 was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer in 2021 He took a leave of absence to begin chemotherapy before returning to parliament and becoming re-elected for a six-year term in the 2022 election. Public updates on his health were pushed to the sidelines before his family broke the news on Tuesday he had lost his battle. 'He was many things - a soldier, a pilot, an author, a volunteer firefighter, and a senator. Most of all, he was an adored husband, father, grandfather, and brother,' his family said in a statement. 'Our loss is immeasurable, but we are comforted in our memories of a full life courageously lived, devoted to family and in service of the country he loved. 'We thank you for your thoughts and prayers, and for respecting our privacy at this difficult time.' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute in an emotional post on Twitter. 'Jim Molan lived his life in service of our country. He was a man of principle and a politician of conviction. My condolences to his loved ones, colleagues and friends,' he wrote. Dr Philip Dundee told Daily Mail Australia prostate cancer treatment was so advanced it was common for people to appear like they were still living a normal life Public updates on Molan's health were pushed to the sidelines before his family broke the news on Tuesday he had lost his battle Former prime minister Scott Morrison said he left 'an amazing legacy'. 'He was a very big man, Jim - big in stature... he had big ideas, he had big passions,' he said. 'Jim's service in Iraq at the senior level... was like few Australian servicemen and women had ever experienced, such was the regard that was held of Jim's military capabilities.' Another colleague and former minister Keith Pitt said it was a 'great loss' for Senator Molan's family, parliament and Australia. 'A bloke that would always take your call,' Mr Pitt tweeted. Defence Minister Richard Marles paid tribute to his exemplary military service. 'We're obviously on opposite sides of the fence but we both shared an interest in national security ... he was an honourable and gracious man and having served in the Senate for five years, he's been a fierce advocate for our nation,' he told Nine Radio. Former RSL president and army veteran James Brown said Senator Molan was a 'great patriot'. 'A deep thinker, an unstoppable force, and a good friend - we will miss him.' His replacement in the Senate is likely to be held up by the NSW state election in March, as it requires the selection of a nominee by the Liberal party and the endorsement of a joint sitting of the state parliament. The NYC mayor is yet to allocate blame the president for the spiraling crisis The remarks were in stark contrast to his 2017 Twitter post: 'We've always welcomed migrants in New York City. Nothing about that is going to change' His comments come soon after he appealed to the White House for $2B in aid Adams said the situation on the southern border is a disaster after weekend trip NYC Mayor Eric Adams branded the border crisis a 'disaster' during his trip to El Paso at the weekend - after saying 40,200 immigrants had arrived in the city since last spring and that a further influx could cost the Big Apple $2billion. 'Why isn't this considered a disaster? This is a crisis,' Adams told The New York Post at the end of his border visit. 'No one is coordinating this national effort,' he said from Texas on Sunday night, before revealing he would travel to Washington DC this week to attend the US Conference of Mayors and devise a 'real strategy' to deal with the problem. Adams also attacked the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to which he had already made a request for $1billion. 'FEMA needs to step up. That's their job,' he said. His remarks were in stark contrast to the Mayor's previous claim on Twitter that New York City would always welcome migrants. Eric Adams toured migrant shelters and visited the southern border in El Paso trip before labelling the situation a 'disaster' Despite expressing frustration, Adams (pictured during his trip to El Paso this weekend) has not directly criticized Joe Biden or addressed New York City's sanctuary city policy Adams estimated last week that nearly 500 migrants were arriving in the city each day - a rate that could no longer be sustained. Despite expressing such frustration Adams has not directly criticized Biden and would not said if he will arrange a meeting with the president to get the increased funding he asked for over the line. On Monday he was blasted for failing to explicitly blame Biden, a fellow Democrat, for the problem. Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican Representative for parts of Brooklyn and Staten Island attacked him for referring to the crisis merely as a national problem and not naming the president. 'The mayor is right in the sense that he's saying this is a national crisis but he needs to say that is a national crisis created by Joe Biden,' Malliotakis told Fox News. 'Joe Biden put in place the policies via executive order that created this mess. This was not happening under President Trump. It was not happening under President Obama, and it has reached a record high,' she said. People wait for children returning from school to the Row hotel in Manhattan, which is being used to house migrants Another issue Adams has not addressed is New York City's sanctuary city policy, part of which involved a lack of cooperation with federal authorities to curtail illegal immigration. 'You saw yesterday how people were saying they want to go to New York City because they hear that New York City is housing the migrants, and theyre providing for their needs,' Malliotakis said. While giving a speech in Texas Adams suggested the overwhelming intake of migrants into his city was having detrimental affects on its citizens. 'Our cities are being undermined. We don't deserve this. Migrants don't deserve this and the people who live in the cities don't deserve this. There is no more room in New York,' he said. Nicole Malliotakis (pictured last November), a Republican Representative for parts of Brooklyn and Staten Island, attacked Adams for failing to blame the crisis on Biden In 2017 Adams tweeted: 'We've always welcomed migrants in New York City. Nothing about that is going to change' At points he has suggested the city's tight budget means the migrant crisis will force it to slash basic services. Adams, who officially declared a state of emergency in October over the flood of migrants into the city, has voiced a shifting and inconsistent attitude towards migrants arriving into his city. In a tweet from 2017, he said: 'We've always welcomed migrants in New York City. Nothing about that is going to change.' The city has historically provided shelter, food, clothing to migrants and argued in the past they should be allowed to assimilate faster and with greater ease. But last week the mayor said New York had reached its 'breaking point' as 400 asylum seekers arrive every day. In addition to requests for federal aid and making appeals to the White House he submitted an emergency mutual aid request to the state and Gov. Kathy Hochul, asking for immediate help to house the incoming migrants. 'We are at our breaking point,' Adams said. 'Based off our projections, we anticipate being unable to continue sheltering arriving asylum seekers on our own. 'Our initial request is for shelter to accommodate 500 asylum seekers, but, as New York City continues to see numbers balloon, this estimate will increase as well.' The plea came a week after Colorado joined the list of states busing migrants to New York City to alleviate the burden for those near the southern border. The man shared a bizarre clip of him clashing with police Her father slammed man claiming to be her boyfriend Angie Fuller, 30, was last seen running into bush in NT The father of a woman who disappeared in the outback has slammed a man for sharing videos claiming to be her boyfriend. Angie Fuller from Alice Springs, was last seen on Tanami Road, 15km west of the Stuart Highway intersection in the Northern Territory on January 9. NT Police believe the 30-year-old mother-of-two is still alive, and that she was with her boyfriend before she ran into bushland and vanished. In the days after Ms Fuller's disappearance a video filmed by a man describing himself as a 'sovereign citizen' surfaced showing him in a heated discussion with police. Angie Fuller (pictured) was with her boyfriend and was last seen running into bushland along Tanami Road, north of Alice Springs, before she disappeared on January 9 'My car was randomly searched without my permission, without me standing there,' the man said in the video. 'The only reason I searched your car is we've got a missing person and you're in the area that we're conducting a search,' the officer responded. 'I'm just trying to figure out why you're here.' The man replied: 'I have every right to be part of the search. "Why am I here?" You know why I'm here. The missing person is my girlfriend.' Ms Fuller's father, Tony Fuller, said he was 'sickened' by the videos circulating on social media of his daughter's supposed boyfriend, ABC News reported. Mr Fuller said he has never met the man and does not believe he is in a relationship with his daughter. The concerned father said he was 'absolutely devastated' by his daughter's disappearance and worried for her welfare. 'I just want her to come home,' Mr Fuller said. 'But as the days pass and the hours fold, I'm more concerned about if she is out there that the time frame is closing in on her.' The boyfriend of missing woman Angie Fuller was seen clashing with police as they searched his car. Ms Fuller's father, Tony Fuller, said he has never met the man and does not believe he is the boyfriend of his missing daughter Mr Fuller explained his daughter was turning her life around after moving to Alice Springs and started a job at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation service. He said his daughter was really enjoying her new job and was 'eager and keen' to get back to it. Mr Fuller said CCTV footage provided by McDonald's was the only evidence his daughter was in Alice Springs after she left Darwin on January 8. Police believe Ms Fuller is alive despite extensive searches across the desert, including the use of helicopters and drones finding no trace of her. Police remain hopeful that they will find Ms Fuller alive, despite the search for the mother-of-two entering its second week Northern Territory Police Acting Superintendent Rob Engels on Sunday told reporters detectives have not lost hope. 'We believe Ms Fuller is alive. There are certainly water sources in the area that she can access,' Mr Rob Engles said. 'Our experts to date tell us it is survivable at this time.' Ms Fuller's boyfriend is assisting police with inquiries, Superintendent Engels said, confirming he was the last to see her. 'We believe she and her boyfriend had run off into the bush where she was last seen, and we are hoping she has gone to ground in there and is accessing water and giving us an opportunity that we will find her,' he said. A police search and rescue operation including 20 police officers, helicopters and a drone, resumed on Tuesday as the search for Ms Fuller entered its second week. Police have so far searched an area stretching 240sqkm. The search resumed on Tuesday with 20 police officers, helicopters and a drone Police have so far searched an area stretching 240sqkm. Investigators said they were conducting 'extensive inquiries' to locate Ms Fuller but did not give any details on whether the disappearance will be treated as suspicious. NT Police described Ms Fuller as being of Asian appearance, around 165cm tall, with long black hair that has purple streaks throughout. Anyone who was travelling along the Tanami Road, between 10pm on January 9 and 9am the following day are urged to contact police. Those with information on Ms Fuller's whereabouts are urged to contact police on 131 444 or via Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. One was a child with non-life-threatening injuries Four others have been taken to hospital A woman has died and four others have been rushed to hospital after a three-car crash in Melbourne. The three cars collided at the intersection between Queens and Beenak Rd in Seville, in the city's northeast, shortly before 8am on Tuesday morning. The female driver of one of the cars died at the scene and has not yet been formally identified. The male driver of another vehicle was airlifted to hospital with life-threatening injuries. A woman has died following a three-car collision in Seville, northeast Melbourne (pictured, the aftermath of the crash) Police are investigating the crash which happened shortly before 8am (pictured, emergency services at the scene) A man, woman and child were inside the third vehicle, a Toyota Hilux, which was towing an empty horse float. Both adults were rushed to hospital by road while the child was airlifted. They all suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Victoria Police said the Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives will investigate the circumstances of the crash. Anyone with relevant information or dashcam footage of the incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers. So far this year, 16 lives have been lost on Victorian roads. Drunk people taken home or to centres instead of jail cells Victoria is set to decriminalise public drunkenness as part of legal reforms that will replace the criminal justice response with a health-based approach. Under the changes, which will come into effect from November, intoxicated people will be taken home or to centres aimed to help them sober up instead of police stations. Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes said the new approach would expand on a strategy to put a health focus at the centre of police responses. 'We want to invest more, we want to beef (services) up, we want to make sure people are not put in cells to sober up,' she said on Tuesday. 'Being drunk in public will no longer be an offence in its own right. We want people to get a health response when they are drunk in public.' Victoria's Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes said the new approach would expand on a strategy to put a health focus at the centre of police responses Victoria Police will no longer lock up people for public drunkenness But Victorian police union secretary Wayne Gatt said the reforms would be 'negligent and reckless' and need replacement powers for authorities. 'What police will have to do, in cases where no offence has been committed, will be to sit back, watch and wait for an offence to be committed,' he said. 'We think that's going to put the community at significant risk.' Ms Symes said the reforms weren't aimed at negatively affecting police despite confirming a decision not to give police any new powers once the offence is decriminalised in November. 'These laws are about decriminalising public intoxication, they are not about dilating any further police powers, they are not about ensuring being drunk is an excuse or a get out of jail for free card for other offences,' she said. 'Police will still have the options of stepping in when somebody is disturbing the peace, causing a scene or have concerns about violent behaviour or the like. We expect that that would be a continued response.' Victoria will stop arresting people for being drunk in public, instead taking them home or to centres to sober up It comes more than five years after Yorta Yorta woman Tanya Day died after sustaining a serious head injury in a police cell after being accused of being drunk in public. Tanya Day was taken off a train and arrested for being drunk in a public place in December 2017. An inquest into Ms Day's death revealed she was asleep on a V/Line train in regional Victoria before being arrested and taken to the Castlemaine police station. Ms Day hit her head at least five times inside the cell and died in hospital 17 days later. Her family said in a statement that the health-focused legal reforms could help save lives. 'Our mother would still be here with us today if Victoria Police had treated her condition seriously and cared for her with a public health response, but they chose to criminalise her at her most vulnerable time,' the Day family said. 'She was left to die alone on the floor of a police cell after the officers responsible for monitoring her failed to adequately care for her as required by the Victoria Police guidelines.' 'Public drunkenness laws are outdated and discriminatory.' Washington DC's new Korean War memorial is riddled with 1,000 spelling mistakes, has the names of 400 dead left off and includes troops who survived the conflict. Hal Barker, an expert on the war and founder of the Korean War Project, revealed he found the errors on the $22million monument that was unveiled in July. The original Korean War memorial, on the National Mall in the capital, was inaugurated in 1995, but the updated one was opened last year with the wall of remembrance. Barker said he was astonished at the scale of the mistakes. 'It makes my head hurt,' he told The Washington Post. 'The fact is we have a memorial that has a huge number of errors and no way of paying to fix it.' The Korean War Veterans' memorial in Washington DC was inaugurated in July - yet features hundreds of errors Ambrosio Guillen, who was killed in battle on July 25, 1953, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Valor - yet his name is misspelt on the monument Guillen's name was misspelt as 'Guilien', despite him being awarded the Medal of Valor The Korean War was fought from 1950 to 1953, pitching the United States, South Korea and their allies against North Korea and China, aided by the Soviet Union. Dwight Angell died aged 24 when his plane was shot down over China, but his name has been omitted from the memorial It began when North Korea invaded the South, aiming to unify Korea under the communist regime in Pyongyang, and the U.S. came to the aid of Seoul. The U.S. lost 34,000 service members during the war, and over two million Koreans were killed, civilians and combatants. The memorial in DC includes, in addition to the American names, 7,100 names of Koreans who were part of the Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army. Among those omitted from the memorial is Navy Ensign Dwight C. Angell, who was shot down aged 24 on January 18, 1953, off the coast of China. Megan Marx, the daughter of Angell's first wife Gerry, told the paper she plans to travel from her home in Colorado on Wednesday to mark the 70th anniversary of his death at the memorial - even though his name is not there. She was also present at the dedication, in July. Marx said her mother, who died in 1999, was haunted by Angell's loss. 'All of this stuff with Dwight was never far from the surface for her,' she said. 'She never stopped looking for him.' The memorial is situated on the National Mall in Washington DC Those whose names were misspelt include Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Ambrosio Guillen, 23. He was killed in battle on July 25, 1953. Guillen, born in Colorado, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for valor, but is spelt as Guilien - despite being a local hero in his Texas hometown of El Paso, with a school and veterans' center named after him. Another misspelt name is that of Army Pfc. William Red Horn, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. On the memorial, he is named as Horn W Red. He was 18 when he was killed December 9, 1951. A third misspelt name is that of Navy helicopter pilot Lt. j.g. John Kelvin Koelsch, who was shot down on July 3, 1951, while trying to rescue an injured comrade. He was captured and died three months later, on October 16. In 1955, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism; nevertheless, his name is incorrectly spelt as Koelsh. John Kelvin Koelsch, a helicopter pilot, was born in London to an American banker father. The family returned to the United States and settled in the village of Briarcliff Manor, Westchester County, New York. Koelsch enlisted as an aviation cadet in the United States Navy in September 1942, and died in captivity in 1951. His name is misspelt on the memorial Koelsch is wrongly inscribed as 'Koelsh' on the memorial Army Pfc. William Red Horn, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, is named as Horn W Red on the memorial William Red Horn, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, is named as Horn W Red on the memorial Relatives of those lost during the war are pictured laying flowers in tribute Other names are on the wall despite them surviving the war. They include Alfred P. Bradshaw, of the Marines, who died in Missouri in 2012, Barker said. The Pentagon said it was working to correct the names, and urged those with concerns to get in touch. Some of the mistakes are due to deaths being classed as part of the Cold War, given the conflicts overlapped. Army Maj. Charlie Dietz, a spokesman for the Pentagon, said efforts were being made to correct the memorial. 'The errors are a very unfortunate mistake and the [Department of Defense] is working in tandem with the Dept. of Interior to correct those mistakes,' he said. 'We are also aware that some names are on the Wall of Remembrance which were not included on the Department's final list of Korean War casualties. 'The respective Military Departments reviewed every name on the Korean War Casualty List for correctness against available official military records. 'Though not common, the official records themselves may have contained errors.' Dietz added: 'We encourage all family members or concerned citizens to notify the Department of any names that were omitted, misspelled, or included in error.' Heartbreaking pictures have emerged of a 16-year-old mom and her six-month-old son who were among six people shot dead at a home in central California in what police described as a 'horrific massacre'. The infant was found cradled in the arms of his mother, Alissa Parraz, in a ditch outside the home in the early hours of Monday. Both had been shot in the head as Parraz attempted to flee with her infant son. Authorities are searching for at least two suspects in what appeared to be a gang-related murders, sheriff's officials said. Deputies responded around 3:30am to reports of multiple shots being fired at the home in Goshen, just east of Visalia, the Tulare County Sheriff's Office said. 'Actually the report was that an active shooter was in the area because of the number of shots that were being fired,' Sheriff Mike Boudreaux told reporters. The infant was found cradled in the arms of her mother, Alissa Parraz, in a ditch outside the homes Police say the killings appear to be targeted. The baby and his mother were attempting to flee when they were each shot in the head Alissa Parraz, who was one of the six found shot dead had posted about her pregnancy online The baby boy and his 16-year-old mother had both been shot in the head in the brutal killings Deputies found two victims dead in the street and a third person fatally shot in the doorway of the residence, Boudreaux said. Three more victims were found inside the home, including a man who was still alive but later died at a hospital, he said. The sheriff said investigators are searching for at least two suspects but have not yet released the identities of any of the victims, nor have they released a description. Two people survived by hiding inside a trailer on the property. 'They could see two men sneaking onto the property but by the time they came on [the video feed], it was too late to do anything,' the Sheriff said. Tulare County Sheriff's officials say six people including a 16-year-old mother and her 6-month-old baby were killed in a shooting early on Monday at the home in central California Two people were found dead in the street and one was found in the doorway to the home They believe there is a gang connection to the killings. The sheriff's office conducted a narcotics-related search warrant at the residence last week, Boudreaux said. 'We also believe this was not a random act of violence. We believe this was a targeted family,' he said. 'Detectives believe there are at least two suspects. It appears this family was targeted and there are gang associations involved, as well as potential drug investigations. 'I think it's specifically connected to the cartel. The level of violence this was not your run-of-the-mill, low-end gang member,' Boudreaux expained. 'If [they] are specifically shooting everyone in the head, they know what they are doing ... [and] they are comfortable with what they are doing,' the sheriff said. 'I do have more information but I'm not at liberty to discuss at this point,' Boudreaux said. 'We have potential information, which will hopefully lead to potential suspects.' 'A week ago, TCSO Detectives conducted a narcotics search warrant at the victims' home,' a spokesman added. 'I think it's specifically connected to the cartel. The level of violence this was not your run-of-the-mill, low-end gang member,' Sheriff Mike Boudreaux told reporters Police continued to process the crime scene throughout the day on Monday Two of the victims, the young mother and her child, were shot in the head, the sheriff said. Samuel Pina said Monday that his teenage granddaughter, Alissa Parraz, and her baby, Nycholas Nolan Parraz, were among those killed. 'I can't wrap my head around what kind of monster would do this,' he said. Pina said Parraz and her baby were living with her father's side of the family in Goshen, and that her dad's uncle, her dad's cousin, and her grandmother and great-grandmother were also killed. At least one of the the elderly women were murdered in their sleep, according to ABC. Neighbors called 911 reporting an active shooter because they heard so many shots being fired DNA testing will be required to identify at least one of the men because of damage done to his face by the gun or guns used, the sheriff said. He said the family is in shock. 'It comes in big waves,' he added. Goshen is a semi-rural, mostly Latino community of about 5,000 residents 35 miles southeast of Fresno in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley. County Supervisor Eddie Valero, who represents the town, called the deaths 'everyone's worst nightmare.' 'These senseless acts of violence, especially with infants, children and young adults, have no place in our communities,' Valero said in a statement. Tulare County, a small agricultural region with a population of less than half a million, has historically played a significant role in the transnational drug trade, transporting drugs from Mexico to various markets in the United States. The county, which is bisected by the 99 Freeway and has a limited law enforcement presence, acres of open land, and a highly mobile population of farmworkers, has been a haven for drug traffickers since at least the 1970s. In recent years, the area has also become known for the production of methamphetamine and the cultivation of both legal and illegal marijuana. Notable and violent figures of Mexico's drug wars, such as former leader of the Zetas cartel, Jose Maria Guizar Valencia, have connections to Tulare County as he was born there. Anyone with information is asked to call the Tulare County Sheriff's Office at (559) 733-6218. This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices. A television journalist who is also the daughter of a well-known NSW regional city mayor has been charged with 'impersonating' a police officer. Georgie Dickerson, 25, works as a reporter with Nine News Darwin and is due to appear in a Northern Territory court on Thursday, the NT Independent first reported. Her father is Matthew Dickerson, the regional mayor of Dubbo, who is also a prominent local businessman in that region. Nine Darwin reporter Georgie Dickerson is accused of 'personating' a police officer but denies the charge It is understood she was given a notice to appear in court for 'personating' a police officer - a legal term referring to impersonating - by officers after an incident in Darwin on October 17, 2022. Court records seen by the newspaper show she is charged with one count of impersonating a police officer without a lawful reason. The national director of news and current affairs for the Nine Network, Darren Wick, issued a statement saying the network was standing behind Ms Dickerson and she has not been stood down. 'Nine News strongly supports our reporter. She denies any wrongdoing,' Mr Wick said. Both Ms Dickerson and her father have said they would not comment on the matter while it is before the court. 'I am confident that the correct outcome will be achieved,' Mr Dickerson told NewsLocal. Ms Dickerson previously worked for Prime 7 Tamworth, recently rebranded to 7 Regional Tamworth, before joining Nine in Darwin where she is a senior reporter. She was also a board member and president of the Association of Dunmore Lang Students, a residential college at Macquarie University where she gained a Bachelor of Media degree. The Nine Network has been contacted for comment. Petronella Wyatts claim that Camilla would have been quite happy not to have married Charles prompts nods of assent from veteran courtiers who remember the late Queens stance during the pre-marriage burnishing of Camillas image by royal spin doctor Mark Bolland. Marriage wasnt on the agenda as far as HM was concerned, says one. She was having none of it and, conscious that Charles would one day be King and Supreme Governor of the Church of England, wanted him to finish with her. However, she relented when the campaign to make her acceptable as his wife succeeded. And so the woman who never wanted to be queen will be anointed and crowned in May. Isnt life grand? Petronella Wyatts claim that Camilla would have been quite happy not to have married Charles prompts nods of assent from veteran courtiers who remember the late Queens stance during the pre-marriage burnishing of Camillas image by royal spin doctor Mark Bolland Harry's barb-packed memoir claims he complained to the late Queen about Charles not seeing him to discuss his problems. The monarch replied: I have only one thing to say about that your father always does what he wants to do. Might the allegation that his mother thought him selfish prompt Charles to wonder: Do recollections vary? Collecting his Golden Globe for The Banshees Of Inisherin, Colin Farrell, pictured, gave a shout-out to his co-star Jenny the Donkey. But no mention of Jennys double Nosey Rosey. She was a beautiful creature, says donkey handler Rita Moloney. She was well-socialised, loved people, loved being involved. A word in your shell like Colin if you get the Oscar give Nosey Rosey a thank you hee-haw. Broadcaster Ed Stourton, brutally sacked from BBC Radio 4s Today, says he thinks he could often do better than current presenters Nick Robinson, Justin Webb or Martha Kearney. I know not just think, but know that I would have done better, he tells Radio Times. Does his sacking still rankle? Well, as St Augustine says, Feeling resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. But I dont mind admitting that I still miss it. Get over it, Ed! apropos Ed, while writing his memoir Confession, the staunch Roman Catholic who was taught by the Benedictine monks at Ampleforth was contacted by the school and asked to desist from mentioning some of his teachers were child sex abusers. He refused. I told them its clear Im writing about abuse at the time and not anything today. I think it would be dishonest to write about a school that had a very big impact on you and not discuss it. Two years after his death from Covid, showman Gerry Cottle had a circus send- off at his beloved Wookey Hole at the weekend. His publicist Mark Borkowski recalled their promotional stunt for a Wembley season when Gerry claimed British clowns were no longer funny. He imported an American clown Denise Payne. When she arrived at Heathrow, she was met by a hotchpotch of British clowns brandishing Keep British circus British placards. Madonna was on the same flight, recalled Borkowski. But there was more press to meet Denise. Nancy and her host came to an impasse over a dog at the home The guest, Nancy, was kicked out on Christmas morning An Airbnb guest who complained about getting kicked out of her glamping tent experience in the middle of the night has revealed exactly what sparked their 3am war of words. Airbnb guest Nancy had hoped to relax in the $149 per night glamping tent in Grose Vale, near the Blue Mountains in Sydney, from December 24 to 26, when she left to celebrate with friends on Christmas Day. But as she returned to the tent early on Christmas Day, she spotted a large dog blocking the gate that would've let her drive right up to the tent's entrance. Nancy reached out to the host via Airbnb just before 2am, asking what she could do about the dog. While the messages between the two were initially amicable, things quickly went south when the host admonished Nancy for messaging her so late. The messages between the pair were posted to TikTok by Nancy in a series of videos with their furious conversation dividing commenters. An Airbnb host kicked their guest, Nancy, out at 3am on Christmas morning (pictured) after they were no longer welcome following a complaint in the middle of the night The first screenshots showed the initial conversation between Nancy and the host kicked off well, with both parties excited to have confirmed the booking. However, the friendly messages ended when Nancy messaged the host at 1:49am questioning if a German Shephard that was lying in front of her accommodation was a guard dog or friendly. After failing to get a reply for almost an hour, Nancy messaged again. 'Sorry it's so late... I'm stuck in the car and contemplating pushing the the gate open with the car but worried about the gate being left open,' she wrote. Nancy was also worried for her partner who was arriving the following day, telling the host her boyfriend was almost killed in a dog attack five years prior and was still traumatised by the event. The host responded soon after confirming the dog was fine and very friendly'. 'I don't have dangerous animals. Also, I don't appreciate being woken up at 3am with a complaint,' the host wrote. Nancy was hoping to stay in the $149 per night 'glamping tent' (pictured) in Grose Vale near the Blue Mountains that advertised 'horses to interact with and dogs on the property' Arriving back to the property just before 2am on Christmas morning, Nancy found a German Shephard blocking a gate (pictured) that was used to get to their accommodation The conversation between the pair quickly devolved into something less friendly with Nancy blasting the host for her 'shocking' response and claiming she had not been informed of dogs being on the property. 'Arriving back being stared down by what looks like a guard dog is extremely frightening and if your sleep takes precedence over that, then you should really reconsider hosting.' The Airbnb page includes a photo of a black and white border collie that lives on the property and the accommodation description repeatedly mentions dogs being on the property. It's unclear if these mentions were added before or after Nancy's review. After more back and forth messaging between the pair, the host asked Nancy to leave the Airbnb the next morning. 'I would prefer if you leave in the morning you make me extremely uncomfortable and I don't want you here on my property,' she wrote. Nancy confirmed she would leave, slept in her car that night and left the next morning. However, more issues were coming. After communications between Nancy and the host soured, they both involved Airbnb to mediate with compensation, with the homeshare company ruling in the host's favour and sending Nancy a $222.69 bill. Nancy claims that she was not informed on the possibility of dogs being at the property, however the Airbnb page has pictures of dogs and states there are dogs on property (pictured) The host requested $154 in compensation for damages to the gate she claimed Nancy pushed open with her car. That figure then ballooned to $222.69 once the host contacted Airbnb for mediation in the conflict, ruling in the hosts favour. 'Absolutely not. I didn't open the gate with my car. I am most definitely not paying her a cent,' Nancy wrote to the Airbnb resolutions team. The series of TikToks have been viewed more than a million times and have received more than a thousand comments, with many split on who was in the wrong. 'You did absolutely the right thing. We have two large dogs, I love dogs, but wouldnt enter a property when a dog looks like its guarding at night,' one commenter wrote in support. After being kicked out of the property, Nancy then received a $222.69 bill from Airbnb for damages to their gate that Nancy claims she did not commit 'I wouldnt love to be woken at 3am either but would it have been so difficult for her to end that message after "make sure you shut all the gates!",' another commenter wrote. Some users played devil's advocate, with one writing 'there are multiple reviews stating "friendly dogs on property" dating back to January 2021. dont agree with how snappy she was in her reply but still'. 'You need to work on your replies,' another commented on Nancy's handling on the situation. 'It was hardly a guard dog staring you down!' one user joked. Dayna Isaac, 28 was found dead inside a Colless St unit in Penrith, west Sydney, about 4.15pm on Monday When police knocked on a mother-of-two's door after neighbours reported hearing a blazing row, they got no answer and heard nothing inside. But just 90 minutes later, at 4.15pm on Monday, cops were back at the Colless St unit in Penrith, in Sydney's west, where they found the body of Dayna Issac, 28. Officers were accompanied by her new boyfriend Paul Sultana's mum, who had called them, with her 32-year-old son now in police custody. The timeline of events has been confirmed by NSW Police to Daily Mail Australia, with police first called to the unit between 2.30pm and 3pm on Monday. A neighbour had called police to report a 'disturbance' coming from Ms Isaac's home but when officers turned up at the unit, nobody answered the door and they left. Officers found Ms Isaac's car burned out in bushland at 3.45pm, 13km away from her home near Castlereagh, in the city's north-west. Half an hour later, Ms Isaac's body was discovered by Mr Sultana's mother, who had gone to check on her. She then drove to Penrith Police Station and reported her horror find to officers. Mr Sultana was arrested at about 3.25am on Tuesday, and was charged over her alleged murder about 5pm. He remains in police custody. 'Police were informed that there was a disturbance at the premises and they did attend and they later identified that the deceased was at the premises,' NSW Police Acting Superintendent Carlene Mahoney said on Tuesday. Investigators have set up crime scenes at the unit block and Mr Sultana's home. Ms Isaac's boyfriend Paul Sultana (pictured) is in police custody Ms Isaac's (pictured) friend said she was the 'most beautiful, kind hearted and selfless' person she has ever met Police are seen at the unit block after Ms Isaac's body was found on Monday afternoon TIMELINE OF WHEN DAYNA ISAAC'S BODY WAS FOUND Monday 2.30pm - 3pm: Police were called to Dayna Isaac's unit on Colless St in Penrith, in Sydney's west A neighbour had reported hearing a disturbance in her apartment Nobody answered the door when police showed up and the officers left 3.45pm: Officers find Ms Isaac's burnt out car 13km away from her home near Castlereagh 4.15pm: Ms Isaac is found dead inside her unit by her boyfriend Paul Sultana's mother His mother drives to the Penrith police station to raise the alarm Tuesday 3.25am: Mr Sultana is arrested He remains in police custody and is yet to be charged Advertisement Daily Mail Australia understands Ms Isaac was not fully clothed when she was found. Superintendent Mahoney said the couple had been friends for a long time but had only been dating for about two months. Police do not believe a weapon was involved, and say there was no history of domestic violence between Ms Isaac and Mr Sultana. Ms Isaac's two girls, aged one and three, were not home at the time. A friend of the mother-of-two said she was the 'most beautiful, kind-hearted and selfless' person she had ever met. 'She lit up the room and was the life of the party,' the woman, who requested anonymity, told Daily Mail Australia. 'She was an amazing doting mother to two beautiful girls who absolutely adored her, and I am so so proud to call her not just my friend, but my sister.' Police do not believe a weapon was involved, and say there was no history of domestic violence between Ms Isaac and Mr Sultana Police are seen at the apartment block in Penrith on Tuesday morning Police and forensic investigators are at the scene Another friend wrote to Facebook: 'RIP gorgeous girl, I'll miss you'. 'You were such a wonderful person. Every time I saw you. You would always have a smile on your face,' said another friend. Those living in the area have been rattled by the news about the death of their neighbour. One local resident said she saw police cars lined up the street when she arrived home on Monday afternoon. 'I just heard the news, I was shocked,' she said. 'This area is pretty quiet, you don't hear about much happening around here. It tends to be more in Cranebrook.' Pictured is the apartment block where Ms Isaac was found dead Another woman who lives in the same building as Ms Isaac said she woke up this morning to the property taped off and police officers scouring the site. 'It was quite scary, I was at work yesterday and found out over Facebook a woman had died in my street,' she said. 'When I came home late last night there was only one police officer there, but when I came out of the building this morning they were everywhere.' Police are urging anyone who may have information that could assist detectives to come forward and contact Penrith Police station or Crime Stoppers. Seated behind protective glass and guarded by two burly guards, former Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn still looks like a man in control of his own destination. Lynn, 56, fronted a preliminary hearing at the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, which at its conclusion next week could see him sent to trial at the Supreme Court of Victoria. For two days he has listened intently to the evidence being put before the court, taking notes and conversing with his barrister after being hit with folders of new information containing the transcripts of his recorded calls from prison. Lynn is accused of murdering Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73, within rugged bushland at the Wonnangatta Valley in the Victorian Alps in March, 2020. Former Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn as he appeared in Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Tuesday Greg Lynn is seen with his wife Melanie - who is a flight attendant - with the pair meeting through work Russell Hill (pictured with his missing drone) is believed to have filmed campers in and about the area where he was allegedly murdered Dressed smartly in a suit and perfectly woven tie, Lynn gazed upon those in the court knowing full well he is being studied by court sketch artists. Seated directly across from his glass cage, solicitor Chris McLennan gave him a confident wink. Lynn is being defended in court by Melbourne barrister Dermot Dann, KC, who has represented some of the most high-profile accused persons Melbourne has seen. His supportive flight attendant wife Melanie Lynn has been noticeably absent from the Melbourne courtroom, instead tuning into a videolink that appears on a television screen that can be seen by Lynn. Mrs Lynn keeps her camera switched off, leaving Lynn to gaze only upon his wife's name. He faces life in prison should he be convicted of the alleged murders. But Lynn isn't banking on spending his life behind bars. On Tuesday, his defence to the crime was finally aired in public - at least part of it. The court heard Lynn told detectives Mr Hill had come at him while the pilot was armed with a shotgun. The pair allegedly wrestled for control and the gun went off, hitting Ms Clay in the head, the court heard. It remains unclear how Mr Hill is alleged to have died. Lynn claims Carol Clay (pictured) was shot dead when her secret lover Russell Hill tried to grab his shotgun Timeline to tragedy in the case of Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73, who were found dead within rugged bushland at the Wonnangatta Valley in the Victorian Alps in March, 2020 'Murdered' campers revealed to be 'childhood sweethearts' Two campers allegedly murdered by Gregory Lynn in a remote national park were 'childhood sweethearts' who had kept their relationship secret for 15 years, a court has been told. In a summary of the case against Lynn provided to the Melbourne Magistrates' Court police said Mr Hill and Miss Clay had rekindled a relationship about 15 years earlier and would go on regular camping trips to 'spend time together'. The pair were childhood sweethearts who had drifted apart and had children with other partners, documents tendered to the court said. Mr Hill had been married to another woman for 51 years at the time of his death, and police facts tendered to the court revealed his wife believed he had gone camping alone. 'Those close to them believe that they kept their relationship a secret to spare Hill's family from distress,' the police statement of facts read. NCA Advertisement According to a prosecution summary, investigators allege Lynn got into an argument with the campers before killing them both. 'The circumstances of their deaths, and the accused's behaviour afterwards are consistent with the accused having intended to cause death or at least cause each of them really serious injury,' the prosecution summary read. The badly burnt remains of the elderly couple were found by Victoria Police Missing Persons Squad detectives on November 30, 2021 - just days after Lynn's arrest. On Monday, weed sprayer Robert Williams told the court he believed he had seen Mr Hill in the wilderness in the days before he was allegedly murdered. He described Mr Hill as a 'grumpy old bugger' who buzzed him with a drone. 'I was getting droned out,' he told police. Homicide Squad detectives had made a big issue over the fact Mr Hill had entered the wilderness with a DJI Mavic drone, which he had only just recently purchased. They had called on the public for help in finding it in the long months the elderly couple had remained missing. Mr Williams said he saw the drone hovering over other people's campsites, which he believed were being filmed by whoever was in control. Mr Williams waved as it filmed him and it circled above him several times. He watched it as it hovered over and around several campsites for 35 or 40 minutes, before he lost sight of it near Wonnangatta Cemetery. He didn't see who was operating it but thought it was intrusive. 'You're going down there to have a peaceful camp and somebody's flying a drone over top of you,' he told the court on Monday. Mr Williams believed he had seen Mr Hill drive past him on March 20 - the day detectives believe he took his last breath. The torched remains of Russell Hill and Carol Clay's campsite in the Victorian Alps The experienced bushman claimed a man aged in his 70s had driven past him at a blistering pace. 'He drove past quickly without stopping or even waving to me, which I thought was a bit odd,' he told police. 'I thought 'bloody grumpy old bugger' must be on a mission to get somewhere.' Sydney campers Damir Javor and Goran Miljkovic had seen the couple as they parked their vehicle at a camp site believed to be shared by Lynn. The pair had been coming into the area for years to get away from the big smoke. Mr Miljkovic told the court he often heard the night silence pierced by the distinct sound of gun fire. 'You can hear gunshots at night which I assume are poachers trying to kill stags for their antlers,' he told police. The preliminary hearing continues next week. A Colorado astrophysicist has claimed her field is steeped in white supremacy and sexism because 'hypermasculine' and 'violent' language is used to describe stars. Natalie Gosnell, an assistant professor at Colorado College, takes an unconventional approach to physics by comparing stars with humans to turn science into an art. In an interview with the college newspaper she claimed she has struggled to overcome a division between art and science that is rooted in 'systemic racism.' Her work aims 'to cross typical disciplinary boundaries to create art-science pieces that re-inscribe outer space as feminist space,' she said on her website. 'Both artists and scientists are just observing things about the world, interpreting those observations, and then sharing their interpretation,' Gosnell told Colorado College News. 'As an astrophysicist, I am a product of institutions steeped in systemic racism and white supremacy,' she said. Astrophysicist Natalie Gosnell says her field is steeped in sexism and white supremacy because 'hypermasculine' and 'violent' language is used to describe stars Gosnell takes an unconventional approach to physics by comparing the lifespans of stars with those of humans to turn science into an art Suggestions that academic fields like science and engineering are male-dominated are common and generally accepted but Gosnell goes further by arguing that the language used to describe scientific phenomena is sexist and racist. The way in which stars burn through their fuel and die is viewed through a 'hypermasculine' lens and the metaphors used are often 'very violent,' she claimed. An example she gave was that stars which take mass from other stars are labeled 'bad boys,' though this does not seem to be a widely used scientific term. She may have been referring to an article written by popular science journalist Nancy Atkinson in 2009, in which Atkinson wrote that 'blue stragglers [which] steal mass from companion stars by crashing into their neighbors' are 'stellar bad-boys.' Much of Gosnell's research is dedicated to understanding blue straggler binary star systems - which often involve one star burning out and merging with another. Gosnell, who studies binary star systems using telescopes and imaging, has said she tries to combine art and science because the two fields are more similar than people think. 'I think because science and art were so separate, and that's how it is [] systemic questions within science, the often chosen metaphors [to discuss science] are very violent and hypermasculine,' she said. 'The tenants of white supremacy emerging [in physics] of individualism and exceptionalism and perfectionism it's an either-or thinking and there's no subtlety, there's no gray area. All of this is manifested in the way we think about our research and what counts as good research, what counts as important research,' she said. Gosnell is an assistant physics professor at Colorado College, where she both conducts research on stars and teaches Gosnell has published dozens of papers as an astrophysicist in the last decade, including a number looking at blue straggler star systems (the first page of one is pictured) Gosnell was involved in a creative project, The Gift, which was an experimental piece of theater that anthropomorphized blue straggler star systems Gosnell has published dozens of papers as an astrophysicist in the last decade and was awarded the Cottrell Scholar Award in 2021 for a combination of her research and approaches to teaching. She received her masters and PhD in astronomy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was offered a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Texas at Austin. Her work on the exclusive and exclusionary world of physics has been published at the American Institute of Physics and the American Physical Society. More recently she was involved in a creative project, The Gift, which was an experimental piece of theater that anthropomorphized blue stragglers and made comparisons between the life spans and interactions of stars and humans. The artwork is experienced in a room and involves sound and video to narrate the death of a star. The installation opened at the New York Public Library on December 6 but will be moved to Colorado College at some point in 2023. A famous surfing swan is believed to have been mauled to death in a vicious dog attack. Australian journalist and podcaster Jacqueline Felgate shared a post from a local wildlife rescue volunteer on Tuesday following the attack on East Beach in Port Fairy, Victoria. 'The black swan that surfs the waves at East Beach was viciously attacked this morning by a dog out the front of the surf club,' the post said. 'It swam out into the waves and was dumped, then was lost sight of. 'It had an injured wing and has possibly drowned.' A wildlife volunteer said the famous Port Fairy surfing black swan (above) was mauled in a vicious day attack on Tuesday The surfing swan has become a beloved member of the Port Fairy community with many sharing their photos and videos of the bird gliding through the waves. However, East Beach is an off-leash dog area and is considered the 'safest' spot for pups to have a swim. Horrified commenters under the post said the beach needs to be made leash-only to prevent future wildlife attacks. 'This is absolutely devastating. I hope the dog owner was told off. Thats awful,' one person wrote. 'Another reason why dogs should be banned from east beach,' another said. 'This is horrible. I hope its okay. We always keep our girl on leash. The beach we frequent has signs everywhere that dogs have to be on leash but so many arent,' a third person wrote. A fourth said: 'The dog mustve been super aggressive as I saw a swan protecting her baby from a dog and she was fierce. The dog ran off. 'Where was the dogs owner?' It was discovered at an op shop in Capalaba in Redlands A carpet python has been found under several handbags Startled shoppers have discovered a snake slithering amongst handbags at a charity shop. The carpet python was found by a woman at a thrift shop in Capalaba, a suburb 20km south-east of Brisbane, last week. Thomas Robinson uploaded the clip to TikTok and revealed he was alerted by the presence of the python after seeing a woman scream and run out of the shop. 'Turns out a cute little carpet python had made its way into the store... most likely inside dropped off goods,' he wrote. Shoppers got a fright when they found a carpet python hiding in between handbags at an op shop in Capalaba, a suburb 20km south-east of Brisbane 'Appeared to be exceptionally friendly which had me immediately believing this is a pet.' 'Does anybody know of someone who has misplaced their beloved python recently?' the TikTok user asked. Mr Robinson, who has a wildlife licence and a background in handling snakes, is seen in the footage trying to part the handbags to get to the python. He uses a handbag strap to pull the python towards him before he grabs it with his hand. One woman asks if the snake is dangerous but other shoppers reassure her that carpet pythons are not venomous. Mr Robinson tells the shoppers standing nearby that the snake 'is not going to bite' and is likely a pet. The python pokes its head at the phone being used to film the encounter and then moves towards the Mr Robinson's head. Mr Robinson's mother is heard telling the other shoppers that her son is 'the snake man'. Experienced snake handler Thomas Robinson (pictured) is seen in footage holding the python as staff looked for something to place it in 'He's like the Steve Irwin of Capalaba,' another woman jokes. A staff member puts a box down as Mr Robinson tries placing the carpet python inside it. 'He's not going to want to go in. I want to keep it,' he says. 'I feel bad for the owner, they're probably just like, 'Where did Fluffy go?'' a woman says. After refusing to go into the box, the python is placed inside a large plastic bag. Mr Robinson, who has kept the carpet python at his residence after it was taken to a vet, is currently searching for its owner. His TikTok video has amassed more than 500,000 views. Ron DeSantis would defeat Joe Biden if the presidential election was held today, according to a new poll. The Florida governor is yet to declare his candidacy for the 2024 election, but following a triumphant performance in the midterms, he is widely believed to be preparing for a White House campaign. In further good news for DeSantis's team, a WPA Intelligence survey showed DeSantis winning the support of 45 percent of likely voters, while Biden won 42. His fellow Floridian, Donald Trump, has already declared his intention to run again for the presidency. But a poll last month showed DeSantis, 44, defeating Trump, 76, in a Republican primary. Ron DeSantis would defeat Joe Biden if the presidential election was held today, according to the poll Biden handily defeated Trump, however: were the election held today, 49 percent would chose the current president, and only 41 percent his predecessor. The only point of concern for DeSantis's team is recognition. While photos of Trump and Biden were correctly identified by almost all respondents, over a third - 36 percent - could not name DeSantis when shown his picture. Last month's poll, from Suffolk University, saw 56 percent of voters backing DeSantis in a Republican primary, versus 33 percent for Trump. The pollsters spoke to 1,000 people in December. If the election were held today, survey respondents said they would vote for Biden over Trump DeSantis is helped by both his youth and by being a fresh face on the national political scene. He is widely seen as embodying many of the right wing policies that made Trump so popular, but without the president's erratic and divisive behavior that alienated independent voters, as well as small-c conservatives. Both Biden and Trump are now being investigated by special counsels for their handling of classified material, and Trump, who had more than 300 documents stashed at Mar-a-Lago and held onto them for months, could face charges. DeSantis, by contrast, has won praise for his November campaign for re-election as governor, which saw him win over voters even in Democrat strongholds such as Miami. He is thought likely to announce his candidacy this spring. Trump, pictured with his wife Melania, announced his plans to run again in 2024 shortly after last November's mid-terms Biden, meanwhile, is said by aides to be very seriously considering a shot at a second term - despite him being, at 80, the oldest person to ever inhabit the White House. Trump is the second oldest person ever inaugurated as president. Trump announced his plans to run again in 2024 shortly after last November's mid-terms. He did so in anticipation of positive results for the MAGA candidates he backed in mid-term races. But most of them - including Arizona gubernatorial hopeful Kari Lake and US Senate candidates Dr Mehmet Oz and Herschel Walker - lost to their Democrat rivals. That has sparked speculation that Trump may be losing his touch among Republicans. Still, his continued hold over many other GOP members is seen as the key reason why no-one has dared announce their own campaign for the Republican nomination. Among those expected to fight for it are DeSantis, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and former Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley. His group was later seen performing the Hitler salute A child has been photographed attending a neo-Nazi meeting organised by a far-right group in Australia. European Australia Movement hosted an event at an undisclosed location in Melbourne's western suburbs on December 3. Photographs have since emerged showing a child standing in front of the masked group and next to a bare-chested man with a Swastika tattoo. The same child who was pictured in the group photograph was seen in court weeks later supporting European Australia movement founder Thomas Sewell. Sewell was convicted on Thursday for punching a Channel Nine security guard in the head in March 2021. He was ordered to 150 hours of community service and has stirred more controversy after his peers were caught performing a Nazi salute at the beach last weekend. A child has been photographed attending a neo-Nazi meeting organised by a far-right group Thomas Sewell was ordered to 150 hours of community service but appeared to be up to old habits when he performed a Hitler salute on a beach during the weekend Some 25 people posed at the Point Ormond lookout in Elwood while a couple held up the flag with the group's symbol emblazoned across it. The photograph was taken as hateful stickers were stuck to signs in Beaconsfield. One flyer put a call out for 'white Australians' claiming they were becoming a 'minority'. 'Our mission is simple. The preservation and advancement of white people in Australia,' it read. 'We are building a network of white Australians across every city, suburb and town who are against the systematic replacement and destruction of white Australians.' Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dr Dvir Abramovich slammed the hateful propaganda. 'The law should never be on the side of neo-Nazis,' he said. 'What was unthinkable five years ago is happening on our doorstep as the descendants of Hitler, unapologetic and emboldened neo-Nazis... are openly giving the Heil Hitler salute in public where kids play.' On Thursday, Sewell was sentenced to an 18-month community corrections order with 150 hours community service over the attack against the Channel Nine security guard. The photograph was taken as white supremacist photos were letter dropped and hateful stickers stuck to signs in Beaconsfield Hate stickers were stuck onto the Beaconsfield sign around the time members of a far right group performed the Hitler salute on the beach at Elwood A flyer was distributed calling on white Australians to band together in the false threat of becoming a minority Sewell, who represented himself in court, asserted the incident was not racially motivated, saying he would have acted the same way regardless of the guard's race or culture in circumstances where he believed his colleague was under attack. Magistrate Stephen Ballek previously found Sewell was 'itching for a fight' when he visited the Nine Network's building in Melbourne with cameraman Jacob Hersant and demanded to speak to someone from A Current Affair. Sewell claimed a segment on the program showed his group to be terrorists and said he was not contacted for comment. After staff declined to meet, Mr Hersant began filming Sewell inside the foyer, prompting the security guard to put his hand on the lens and tell the pair to stop filming. The duo agreed to go outside but the guard followed them when they started filming near the door. After they moved further away, the guard began making a dance-type motion to the camera, prompting Mr Hersant to taunt him, saying: 'Dance monkey, dance.' On Thursday, Sewell was sentenced to an 18-month community corrections order with 150 hours community service over the attack against the Channel Nine security guard (pictured, Sewell outside court in December 2022) The guard touched Mr Hersant's shoulder in an attempt to push him backwards before Sewell leapt in and began attacking him, punching him in the head at least six times. The guard fell back and hit his head on concrete. Mr Ballek described the attack as 'brutal in its force, speed and repetition'. The security guard did not see the punches coming, he said. 'Members of the public who witnessed this ugly event were understandably terrified by what they saw,' Mr Ballek said. 'The offending is sickening to watch on video. It would have been worse to observe live.' Russia says that the joint declaration of NATO and the EU has changes that will impact its relationship with the bloc. NATO-EU Approach Could Hinder Peace The Russian Foreign Ministry last Thursday reacted to the joint statement signed by the bloc and military alliance, which it said is for making US interests dominant instead, according to Republic World. A statement from the Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that despite their OSCE obligations, the military bloc sees opposition to Moscow instead, per Anadolu Agency. Adding the arms sent to Kyiv from the west and other extras is only involving the bloc more and pushing expansion into former Russian territories. Moscow called the approach taken by the bloc confrontational and policies that are self-centered; that is causing division and separating the world. It will only prevent attempts to settle peacefully and make international security weaker against terrorism. Russia Calls NATO-EU Joint Declaration a US Stratagem The moves of Washington are clear, said the foreign ministry; the objective is to involve the European Union in a geopolitical contest. Also, Europe will be a vassal of the US by allowing itself less freedom to do what it wants. Washington wants all allies to be in on the drive against Moscow. Last January 10, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, signed the deal on the third Joint Declaration on NATO-European Union cooperation. This agreement would cement the two bodies in more geopolitical and other relevant issues not tacked before.More coop on technologies, space, external interference, and fake news. Read Also: Vladimir Putin Warns EU, US Stoltenberg stressed the joint partnership underlines a better European defense of security that will be compatible with the military alliance. Moscow's invasion of Kyiv is the focus of efforts. NATO-EU Joint Declaration Aimed at Moscow, Beijing Stoltenberg said in a press meeting right after the signing lauded what it means for the bloc and the western military alliance and called it important in the Brussels headquarters, reports ECNS. European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen echoed what the NATO chief said and further stressed the agreement enhances their cooperation. Von der Leyen said that European security is unstable due to the Ukrainian conflict that rages with the US proxy. Furthermore, there will be more sanctions on Moscow's ally Belarus and even on such countries backing Moscow. This would be Saudi, India, China, and the AU, which has not accepted sanctions on the Kremlin. The NATO chief added that the partnership supporting Zelensky would be more in 2023. Sources say that the declaration is not the first about the part the military bloc plays in Euro-Atlantic security. It follows two prior ones that were done in 2016 and 2018. More pressing is the bids of Norway and Sweden to be part of the military bloc that will defend 96% of the bloc's citizens. Russia calls NATO and the EU to sign a joint declaration as another push on its border, pushing the bloc into the fray. Related Article: European Union-NATO Sign Collaboration Deal @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The man, Paul Shoro, refused to take off the fluorescent shirt, since stating that he would 'rather go to jail or die' than remove it A man ordered to remove his 'Jesus Saves' T-shirt or leave a shopping mall has said he would rather 'go to jail or die' than take it off. During a lengthy and rambling hour long video posted to YouTube on Monday, Paul Shoro, was still wearing the same fluorescent shirt a security guard at the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota told him to either take off or leave the premises. Shoro, who hails from Ethiopia, defended his actions, explaining his presence in the U.S. as a request from God. He claimed he was at the mall to hand out gospel tracks - sheets of paper on which portions of scripture are written. Shoro, who hails from Ethiopia, defended his actions explaining his presence in the U.S. as being a request from God who 'asked him to go to Minnesota' In the video, a security guard at the nation's largest shopping mall could be heard telling the Shoro: 'If you want to shop here you need to take off that shirt'. 'When I was asked to take it off I said I would rather go to jail or die than take off my shirt,' Shoro stated Another clip shows the same guard saying: 'Jesus is associated with religion and it is offending people. People have been offended.' During a YouTube interview since, Shoro said: 'He told me what to do. Go into the street and preach the Gospel. I ordered t-shirts. Everything I have is Jesus, man. Hallelujah! 'The Lord delivered me from the darkness. He anointed me and finally by the time I was in Washington D.C. he said 'Hey son, I need you to go to Minnesota.'' 'I started going to Mall of America and met tens of thousands of people but they stopped me preaching the gospel.' Shoro says he was asked by a security guard to remove his shirt but he refused. 'When I was asked to take it off I said I would rather go to jail or die than take off my shirt,' he stated. Viral video shows a man wearing a 'Jesus Saves' T-Shirt being ordered to take off the clothing or leave by security guards at Mall of America on Jan 7th 'Some people think we judge them but we don't. We go out to preach and help these people. I was so nice to them. I know my purpose. I didn't go there to fight.' Shoro said other shoppers were supportive of him, telling the security guard he had freedom of speech and was allowed to wear the shirt under the law. The video which was recorded on January 7 has prompted outrage online with one group organizing a protest at the Mall where they intend to wear their own 'Jesus Saves' shirts. A spokesman for Mall of America told DailyMail.com Shoro was ultimately allowed to remain in the mall still wearing his shirt following the incident. In the original clip, the preacher can be seen in his bright yellow T-shirt branding the religious slogan. The back of the shirt reads 'Jesus is the only way' while the popular 'coexist' - symbol - which advocates different religions living alongside each other peacefully - is crossed out. The videos have now been shared across TikTok and Twitter, while one was livestreamed to Facebook on January 7. One week prior, he had also been issued with a 24-hour trespass for 'soliciting guests'. During the tense exchange, three security guards surround the man. In a clip that has gone viral on social media, the man insists he was shopping peacefully in the shirt but officers accused him of 'religious soliciting' He can be heard saying: 'I didn't say anything though. I didn't speak. I didn't say anything. I just went to Macy's.' The guard replies: 'Again, I'm giving you a couple options. You can take the shirt off and you can go to Macy's and you can do your shopping. 'Or you can leave the mall, OK? Those are your only options right now,.' The officer later claimed he was engaging in 'religious soliciting,' which the mall forbids. Shoro kept insisting throughout the video that he was not attempting to preach but was simply wearing the shirt while shopping. Mall policies prohibit 'inappropriate attire,' including apparel that 'has obscene language, obscene gestures or racial/religious/ethnic slurs that are likely to create a disturbance.' The Mall also forbids 'picketing, demonstrating, soliciting, protesting or petitioning.' Shoro had been asked on a different day to leave the mall because he was preaching. This time, however, he appears to have just walking around the mall. Social media users have reacted with fury to the video which sees the guard claim 'Jesus is associated with religion and it is offending people' A guard is heard saying: 'Yes, you're walking wearing that shirt in the form of soliciting and we've had guests come up and say they're offended by your shirt.' The posts have attracted mass outrage online. A Twitter user called John Mason captioned the video: 'I automatically assumed this was overseas, but it's right here in America.' Another user Wyatt Sullivan replied: 'If I ever go to the Mall of America again, I'm wearing the biggest Jesus shirt I can find.' Meanwhile Pastor Chase Thompson wrote: 'He should sue them into oblivion. The clip has prompted a protest by a group on Facebook who will wear 'Jesus Saves' T-shirts to the Mall on Saturday Feb 4 The planned protest was shared on a Facebook group belonging to the Bloomington Patriots 'This wouldn't have happened anywhere in the U.S. until very recently, and it certainly wouldn't have happened if he'd had a pride shirt on and even 50 people complained.' A group called Bloomington Patriots plans to hold a demonstration at the mall on February 4 and is asking attendees to wear 'Jesus shirts.' A spokesman for the Mall said: 'The guest referenced in the video was approached by Mall of America security on January 7, 2023. One week prior, he was issued a 24-hour trespass for soliciting guests. After a brief interaction, the guest was not required to change his shirt and was allowed to remain at the Mall.' Victoria Police say allegations an officer sprayed a photojournalist with capsicum spray during an anti-lockdown protest are unfounded. Luis Ascui, who was photographing the September 2021 protest in Melbourne, identified himself as a media representative before he was sprayed in the face. Victoria Police confirmed on Tuesday the professional standards command had investigated the allegation against the officer and they were deemed to be unfounded. Claims an officer sprayed news photographer Luis Ascui (pictured, dressed in white and brown) with capsicum spray at a 2021 anti-lockdown protest have been labeled 'unfounded' 'There will be no further action taken,' a police spokesperson told AAP. The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission had oversight of the internal investigations into alleged police misconduct during the 2021 anti-lockdown protests. A spokesperson told AAP the commission had not formally concluded its findings into those Victoria Police investigations. Victoria Police last year reached a private settlement with Mr Ascui over the incident, reportedly worth thousands of dollars. Victoria Police cleared the officer of wrongdoing after investigations into police conduct at the September, 2021 rally where 235 demonstrators were arrested (pictured, an image from the rally on September 18, 2021) More than 500 people rallied against Victoria's COVID-19 lockdown in the September, 2021 protest. There were 235 demonstrators arrested in the violent scuffle, including on charges of assault, riotous behaviour and weapons offences. Ten police were injured and at least three officers were hospitalised. A couple is fighting to keep a pig they won at a South Florida Fair auction alive after being told the sow would have to be butchered or the $4,700 deal was off the table. Meg Weinberger said she received the ultimatum from fair organizers Saturday after attending the West Palm Beach fair with her husband Eric and quickly falling in love with the female pig. An animal lover, Weinberger said she had attended the fair with the hope of bringing back a live pig to live on her and husband's animal sanctuary, free to roam with other critters - ranging from horses to geese. While noble, the intent of saving the animal's life violates a Florida law that bars the sale of live animals at a 'terminal market' - a phrase that refers to a seller of farm products. The auction that Weinberger and her husband won fits that criteria, spurring organizers to tell the pair they had to bring the pig - appropriately named Bella B. Swine - back as meat, or not at all. Scroll down for video: A couple is fighting to keep a pig they won at a South Florida Fair auction alive, after being told that the sow would have to be butchered or the $4,700 deal was off the table. Pictured is the pig in question, Bella B. Swine, who is set to be slaughtered in the coming weeks Meg Weinberger said she received the ultimatum from fair organizers Saturday after attending the West Palm Beach fair with her husband Eric and quickly falling in love with the female pig The disagreement saw the transaction fall apart, and Bella left at a local slaughter house. Weinberger is now slamming fair organizers for reneging on their deal, and says that there were no signs displayed at the auction nor on a bidding agreement they signed that outlined the market's policy. She detailed to CBS12 News how the controversy came to be, while lamenting at Bella's seemingly inevitable fate, despite winning a nearly $5,000 bid for what she assumed was the pig alive. 'I told them we wanted to bring her home to our sanctuary,' Weinberger told the outlet Monday. 'They said, 'Absolutely not.' The disagreement saw the transaction fall apart, and Bella left at a local slaughter house. Meg said she her husband beat out other buyers after putting up $4,700 for Bella, but was told that bringing the animal back would violate animal enterprise protection laws Meg said she her husband beat out other buyers after putting up $4,700 for Bella, but was told that bringing the animal back would violate animal enterprise protection laws. In other words, Bella had to be butchered or the deal was off. 'They wouldn't take our credit card,' a visibly angered Weinberger told the station in a video interview. 'They told us it was a state law that she had to be slaughtered.' Weinberger said the revelation had dashed her and her husband's hopes of bringing back a live pig to replace one they had just lost. Weinberger said the revelation had dashed her and her husband's hopes of bringing back a live pig to replace one they had just lost 'We lost a pig Wilbur recently,' the animal rescuer, who houses dozens of animals at her and husband's sprawling West Palm Beach property, explained. 'So I went in and I started bidding. We ended up winning the bid for $4,700.' However, according to the President and CEO of the fair, no sum would be enough to save Bella, whose fate was apparently sealed when she was put up for sale, due to Florida laws surrounding animal sales. Speaking to CBS12, Vicki Chouris asserted that despite not disclaiming the law on a bidding form the Weinbergers signed, the rules have been clear from the start. She explained that the animals being sold at the auction were raised by local kids across 18 counties, who raise the livestock animals as part of a lesson on how to become proper farmers and ranchers Megan and her husband, however, maintain that since there no signs displayed at the auction that disclaimed the law - and since they have a home ready for Bella at their West palm Beach animal sanctuary (pictured) - the pig's life should not be forfeit She added that the animals sold off are 'necessary in maintaining the food chain.' 'We are a venue for young people in our community to be able to learn how to become ranchers and farmers. 'The process is they raise the animals for food consumption,' Chouris continued of why the deal fell through. 'That is the reason why.' She added: 'To change the rules midstream, just because someone wants to take an animal home, is not ethical. These children are being taught how to follow rules.' When asked if there was a notice that the bid was for a terminal animal when the couple signed an agreement,' Chouris conceded, 'Unfortunately it was not there.' Despite the Weinbergers' continued efforts, Bella's fate is likely sealed - with Chouris revealing Monday that the pig is already at a local slaughter house, and that 'her meat will be given to a charitable organization' to be decided by the fair Florida law meaning Bella B. Swine must die: According to Farm Service Agency, states such as Florida require that animals purchased from a terminal market to be slaughtered must be killed by a licensed professional. It is unlawful to have an animal slaughtered anywhere other than in an approved slaughterhouse or by a licensed slaughterer. Florida by far has the strictest penalty for those who violate such laws, with each violation subject to a maximum $10,000 per day civil fine and as well as a criminal misdemeanor. Animals being sold at a terminal market are already predesignated for slaughter. Advertisement 'We've never had that brought to our attention that it wasn't there and it was not there,' she attempted to explain. 'It will be in the future, obviously. We are all learning from this experience.' Megan and her husband, however, maintain that since there no signs displayed at the auction that outlined this - and since they have a home ready for Bella at their sanctuary, among horses, dogs, and even donkeys - the pig's life should not be forfeit. After hours of debate between the parties Saturday, where organizers attempted to charge the Weinbergers anyway, it was decided the couple would not be charged the $4,700, and that the pig has since been sent to local slaughter house. Despite the Weinbergers' continued efforts, Bella's fate is likely sealed - with Chouris explaining Monday that 'her meat will be given to a charitable organization' to be decided by the fair. The child who raised Bella from a piglet, meanwhile, will still receive money for her work, the fair said. According to Farm Service Agency, states such as Florida require that animals purchased from a terminal market to be slaughtered must be killed by a licensed professional. It is unlawful to have an animal slaughtered anywhere other than in an approved slaughterhouse or by a licensed slaughterer. A man is still in hospital after police followed a blood trail up a flight of stairs to discover him with serious head injuries. Just before noon on Wednesday, December 14, police attended a block of units in the Adelaide suburb of South Plympton after receiving reports of blood located in the stairwell of the complex. Officers followed the blood trail and found a 63-year-old man with a serious head injury. He was rushed to the Royal Adelaide Hospital in a critical condition. A 63-year-old man was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital after police found him with 'serious head injuries' last month Detectives have made inquiries and viewed CCTV footage of the area but are yet to determine the cause of his injuries. SA Police is appealing to members of the public who might have seen or heard anything suspicious around the area on that Wednesday to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Dayna Isaac, 28 was found dead inside a Colless St unit in Penrith in western Sydney, about 4.15pm on Monday The mother who found the body of her son's girlfriend in a western Sydney unit has unleashed on a Daily Mail Australia reporter, chasing her down the street while screaming 'f*** off!'. Paul Sultana, 32, was arrested in dramatic scenes early on Tuesday after his mum Janet Tsiliris discovered his new partner dead and partially unclothed inside her Penrith home. Heavily armed tactical operators spent more than an hour negotiating with Sultana before taking him into custody in the early hours of Tuesday morning. He was charged with murdering Dayna Isaac, 28, later that afternoon and refused bail to appear in Penrith Local Court on Wednesday. It comes as Ms Issac's shattered ex-husband and the father of her children paid an emotional tribute vowing to 'look after our girls.' Ms Isaac, a mother-of-two, had a long-term friendship with Sultana before their relationship turned romantic late last year. Investigators will allege Ms Isaac was viciously assaulted and died from head injuries. Media gathered outside the Cranebrook home on Tuesday where Sultana was taken into custody hours earlier. By the afternoon, forensic teams, who spent the morning scouring Ms Isaac's apartment, began work on Sultana's nearby home, where he lives with relatives. Paul Sultana's mum Janet Tsiliris lashed out at reporters outside a Cranebrook home where her son was taken into custody hours earlier Mikkel Isaac (left) paid tribute to his ex-wife Dayna (right) on Tuesday night and shared several photos from their wedding day in 2017 Shortly after the investigators left, Ms Tsiliris and her father Basil pulled up outside the home in a red car. But as she was approached by a Daily Mail Australia reporter, Ms Tsiliris charged across the rubbish-covered lawn and started swearing. 'You f***ing vultures!' Ms Tsiliris screamed. 'F*** off! Get the f*** out of here!' As the reporter turned to walk away, Ms Tsiliris followed her down the street. She then returned to the house where she could be heard yelling to her father: 'Go chase them dad!' After Sultana allegedly killed Ms Isaac at her Penrith unit, police allege he dumped her car in bushland in the nearby suburb of Castlereagh. Officers then tracked Sultana to his Cranebrook home and called for back up before moving in to arrest him. Police shut down the street when the heavily armed tactical operations unit arrived. Dayna Isaac was walked down the aisle by her dad Garry English (pictured together) on her wedding day in 2017 Mikkel Isaac shared a series of photos from their wedding six years ago, including one of him pulling off the bride's garter Specially trained officers negotiated with Sultana for more than an hour before taking him into custody. Meanwhile, Ms Issac's ex-husband broke his silence on Tuesday night with a heartfelt tribute to the mother of his two daughters. 'Love you forever and always. I promise I'll look after our girls until we meet again my angel,' Mikkel Isaac wrote. He also posted a series of photos of the pair in happier times, including several of them kissing and dancing on their wedding day in 2017. Ms Isaac's shattered father Garry English also paid tribute to his 'princess'. 'I'm not in a good place. I'm in complete shock,' he told The Daily Telegraph. Ms Isaac's best friend has set up an online fundraiser to help support the grieving family, which has already raised $4,000 within hours. 'Our beautiful Dayna was taken way too soon,' she wrote. 'Dayna was a friend to everyone. She leaves behind 2 beautiful children who will miss her dearly. As you can understand this is a difficult time for her friends and family. 'We are asking for donations to help give Dayna the send off she truly deserves and to help her family with the costs of raising her children.' 'You f***ing vultures! 'F*** off! Get the f*** out of here!' 'Janet Tsiliris screamed at reporters Dayna Isaac's boyfriend Paul Sultana (pictured right) has been charged with murder Earlier on Tuesday, police revealed officers attended Ms Issac's home on Monday after neighbours reported hearing a blazing row, When police knocked on a mother-of-two's door they got no answer and heard nothing inside. But just 90 minutes later, at 4.15pm on Monday, police were back at the Colless St unit in Penrith, in Sydney's west, where they found Ms Isaac's body. Officers were accompanied by her new boyfriend Paul Sultana's mum, who had called them, with her 32-year-old son now in police custody. The timeline of events has been confirmed by NSW Police to Daily Mail Australia, with police first called to the unit between 2.30pm and 3pm on Monday. A neighbour had called police to report a 'disturbance' coming from Ms Isaac's home but when officers turned up at the unit, nobody answered the door and they left. Paul Sultana's mum Janet Tsiliris (pictured) discovered her son's new partner Dayna Issac, 28, dead and partially unclothed inside her Penrith home on Monday Officers found Ms Isaac's car burned out in bushland at 3.45pm, 13km away from her home near Castlereagh. I was out the back and just heard an explosion. We looked across the street and didnt think anything of it,' an unnamed local told Daily Mail Australia. 'Then we saw a white car drive in there later but we didnt realise it was police car. 'That area is called the drop zone. They do military drills and some people ride there motorbikes in there sometimes even though they arent meant to. 'We didnt see smoke or fire or anything about 4.30pm. Half an hour later, Ms Isaac's body was discovered by Sultana's mother, who had gone to check on her. She then drove to Penrith Police Station and reported her horror find to officers. Sultana was arrested at about 3.25am on Tuesday, and was charged over her alleged murder 14 hours later. Tactical operations officers spent the early hours of Tuesday morning negotiating with Paul Sultana before taking him into custody Mikkel Isaac vowed to look after their two daughters following the tragic death of his ex-wife Ms Isaac's (pictured) friend said she was the 'most beautiful, kind hearted and selfless' person she has ever met TIMELINE OF WHEN DAYNA ISAAC'S BODY WAS FOUND Monday 2.30pm - 3pm: Police were called to Dayna Isaac's unit on Colless St in Penrith, in Sydney's west A neighbour had reported hearing a disturbance in her apartment Nobody answered the door when police showed up and the officers left 3.45pm: Officers find Ms Isaac's burnt out car 13km away from her home near Castlereagh 4.15pm: Ms Isaac is found dead inside her unit by her boyfriend Paul Sultana's mother His mother drives to the Penrith police station to raise the alarm Tuesday 3.25am: Sultana is arrested and is taken into police custody. Tuesday afternoon: Sultana was charged with murder and refused bail to appear in Penrith Local Court on Wednesday Advertisement 'Police were informed that there was a disturbance at the premises and they did attend and they later identified that the deceased was at the premises,' NSW Police Acting Superintendent Carlene Mahoney said on Tuesday. Investigators have set up crime scenes at the unit block and Sultana's home. Daily Mail Australia understands Ms Isaac was not fully clothed when she was found. Superintendent Mahoney said the couple had been friends for a long time but had only been dating for about two months. Police do not believe a weapon was involved, and say there was no history of domestic violence between Ms Isaac and Sultana. Ms Isaac's two girls, aged one and three, were not home at the time. A friend of the mother-of-two said she was the 'most beautiful, kind-hearted and selfless' person she had ever met. 'She lit up the room and was the life of the party,' the woman, who requested anonymity, told Daily Mail Australia. 'She was an amazing doting mother to two beautiful girls who absolutely adored her, and I am so so proud to call her not just my friend, but my sister.' Police do not believe a weapon was involved, and say there was no history of domestic violence between Ms Isaac and Sultana Police are seen at the apartment block in Penrith on Tuesday morning Another friend wrote to Facebook: 'RIP gorgeous girl, I'll miss you'. 'You were such a wonderful person. Every time I saw you. You would always have a smile on your face,' said another friend. Police urge anyone who may have information to contact Penrith Police or Crime Stoppers. Police are searching for a young boy aged 12 who has not been seen since he left his home in freezing temperatures last night carrying a torch. Richard Phorrington was last sighted at his house in Shoreham, West Sussex at 7.30pm on Monday night. Richard was dressed in a long black jacket with a hood when he disappeared but was not wearing any shoes. Around 50 members of emergency crew and volunteers, including the coastguard, were seen mounting the search last night. Richard Phorrington, 12, suddenly vanished from his Shoreham home last night at 7.30pm Around 50 members of emergency crew and volunteers, including the coastguard joined hunt Helpers were seen checking the harbour at the seaside town to try and find Richard but without success. A spokesman for Sussex Police said: 'We are concerned for the welfare of missing Richard Phorrington, 12, from Shoreham. 'He was last seen leaving his home address at 7.30pm on Monday but has not been seen since. Helpers were seen checking the harbour at the seaside town to try and find Richard last night A spokesman for Sussex Police said the force was concerned about Richard's welfare last night 'Richard is described as being slim, around 53 tall and was wearing a long black jacket with a hood, dark jeans, black socks and wasnt wearing any shoes. 'It is likely Richard is carrying a torch.' Anyone with information of Richards whereabouts is asked to call 999 quoting serial number 1159 of 16/01. China's population shrank last year for the first time in more than six decades, official data shows, as the world's most populous country faces a looming demographic crisis. The nation of 1.4 billion has seen birth rates plunge to record lows as its workforce ages, in a rapid decline that analysts warn could stymie economic growth and pile pressure on strained public coffers. The mainland Chinese population stood at around 1,411,750,000 at the end of 2022, Beijing's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported, a decrease of 850,000 from the end of the previous year. The number of births was 9.56 million, the NBS said, while the number of deaths stood at 10.41 million. The news comes after a UN report predicted last week that India's population is set to overtake China's on April 14 to become the world's biggest, while projections warned that the country could see its population half by 2100. Pictured: Graphs show China's population forecast. These figures include residents in Hong Kong, Macau and foreign residents, which are not included in the latest report from Beijing 's National Bureau of Statistics. The figures show a population decline of 0.02, while UN projections are marked as dotted lines suggesting the decline will continue into the century China's population shrank last year for the first time in more than six decades, official data showed Tuesday, as the world's most populous country faces a looming demographic crisis. Pictured: A UN projections graph showing China's population forecast A UN report (data on India pictured) predicted last week that India's population is set to overtake China's on April 14 to become the world's biggest The latest NBS tally includes only the population of mainland China, excluding Hong Kong and Macao as well as foreign residents. Men outnumbered women by 722.06 million to 689.69 million, a result of the strict one-child policy that only officially ended in 2016 and a traditional preference for male offspring to carry on the family name. The current birth rate in China is 1.2, well below the rate to maintain a sustainable population. India has a higher rate and a more youthful population. As a result, the Chinese population could decline each year by 1.1 percent on average, according to a study by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences updated last year. China could have only 587 million inhabitants in 2100, less than half of today, according to the most pessimistic projections of that team of demographers. The last time China's population declined was in the early 1960s, as the country battled the worst famine in its modern history, a result of the disastrous Mao Zedong agricultural policy known as the Great Leap Forward - a disastrous drive for collective farming and industrialization that killed tens of millions of people. China ended its strict one-child policy - imposed in the 1980s owing to fears of overpopulation - in 2016 and began allowing couples to have three children in 2021. But that has failed to reverse the demographic decline for a country that has long relied on its vast workforce as a driver of economic growth. 'The population will likely trend down from here in coming years,' Zhiwei Zhang of Pinpoint Asset Management said. 'China cannot rely on the demographic dividend as a structural driver for economic growth,' he added. 'Economic growth will have to depend more on productivity growth, which is driven by government policies.' The UN report claims it will take approximately 15 years until 2037 for the world's population to reach nine billion. Half of this next billion is expected to come from just eight countries, with five of them in Africa; the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Tanzania By 2050, India's population will be 300million more than China's, the UN estimates China's statistics bureau said the working-age population between 16 and 59 years old totalled 875.56 million, accounting for 62.0% of the national population, while those aged 65 and older totalled 209.78 million, accounting for 14.9% of the total. The statistics also showed increasing urbanization in a country that traditionally had been largely rural. Over 2022, the permanent urban population increased by 6.46 million to reach 920.71 million, or 65.22%, while the rural population fell by 7.31 million. It wasn't immediately clear if the population figures have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak that was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan before spreading around the world. China has been accused by some specialists of under-reporting deaths from the virus by blaming them on underlying conditions, but no estimates of the actual number have been published. China's population has begun to decline 9-10 years earlier than Chinese officials predicted and the United Nation projected, said Yi Fuxian, a demographer and expert on Chinese population trends at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. That means that China's 'real demographic crisis is beyond imagination and that all of China's past economic, social, defense, and foreign policies were based on faulty demographic data,' Yi told The Associated Press. The nation of 1.4 billion has seen birth rates plunge to record lows as its workforce ages. Pictured: Travellers crowd at the gates and wait for trains at the Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station during the peak travel rush for the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday on January 15 China ended its strict one-child policy - imposed in the 1980s owing to fears of overpopulation - in 2016 and began allowing couples to have three children in 2021. But that has failed to reverse the demographic decline. Pictured: Women wearing face masks walk with their children on a street as they head to the Forbidden City in Beijing, January 17 News of the population decline quickly trended on China's heavily censored internet, with some expressing fears for the country's future. 'Without children, the state and the nation have no future,' one comment on the Twitter-like Weibo service read. 'Having children is also a social responsibility,' another comment from a well-known 'patriotic' influencer read. But others pointed to the soaring cost of living and the difficulties of raising children in modern China. 'I love my mother, I will not be a mother,' said one. 'No one reflects on why we do not want to have (children) and do not want to get married,' another said. Many local authorities have already launched measures to encourage couples to have children. The southern megacity of Shenzhen, for example, now offers a birth bonus and pays allowances until the child is three years old. A couple who has their first baby automatically receives 3,000 yuan ($444), an amount that rises to 10,000 yuan for their third. In the country's east, the city of Jinan has since January 1 paid a monthly stipend of 600 yuan for couples that have a second child. Chinese people are 'getting used to the small family because of the decades-long one-child policy', Xiujian Peng, a researcher at Australia's University of Victoria, said. 'The Chinese government has to find effective policies to encourage birth, otherwise, fertility will slip even lower,' she added. And analysts argue much more needs to be done. 'A comprehensive policy package that covers childbirth, parenting, and education is needed to reduce the cost of childraising,' researcher Peng told AFP. 'Women's job insecurity after giving birth should be addressed particularly.' Independent demographer He Yafu also pointed to 'the decline in the number of women of childbearing age, which fell by five million per year between 2016 and 2021' - a consequence of the ageing of the population. 'A declining and ageing population will be a real concern for China,' Peng said. 'It will have a profound impact on China's economy from the present through to 2100.' A man pulls a child past a Lunar New Year decoration on display at the Qianmen pedestrian shopping street, a popular tourist spot in Beijing, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023 The UN estimated last year that the world's population reached 8 billion on Nov. 15 and that India will replace China as the world's most populous nation in 2023. India's last census was scheduled for 2022 but was postponed amid the pandemic. In a report released on World Population Day, the U.N. also said global population growth fell below 1% in 2020 for the first time since 1950. Also Tuesday, the bureau released data showing China's economic growth fell to its second-lowest level in at least four decades last year under pressure from anti-virus controls and a real estate slump. The world's No. 2 economy grew by 3% in 2022, less than half of the previous year's 8.1%, the data showed. That was the second-lowest annual rate since at least the 1970s, after the drop to 2.4% in 2020 at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Activity is slowly reviving after restrictions that kept millions of people at home and sparked protests were lifted. The case against ex-pilot Gregory Lynn, accused of the murder of missing campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay in Victoria's high country, has finally been laid out. Mr Lynn, 56, was arrested in November 2021, more than 20 months after Mr Hill, 74, and Ms Clay, 73, vanished from their remote campsite in the Wonnangatta Valley. In a summary of the police case provided to the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, police outlined their allegations against the former Jetstar pilot. Police allege the March 19, 2020 camping trip ended in tragedy, with Ms Clay shot in the head and Mr Hill fatally stabbed, after a fight over a drone. It's alleged Mr Lynn returned to the area in May and November 2020 where he is accused of trying to 'destroy' the couples' remains by setting them on fire. Mr Lynn has denied murdering the pair, and lawyer Dermot Dann KC said the allegations against his client are 'heavily in dispute'. Mr Hill and Ms Clay, childhood sweethearts who had rekindled their relationship 15 years prior, had allegedly travelled to the remote 'Bucks Camp' on March 19, 2020, to spend some quality time together. The case against ex-pilot Gregory Lynn, accused of the murder of missing campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay in Victoria's high country, has finally been laid out When the pair arrived, police believe it is 'likely' they engaged in some way with Mr Lynn, who had allegedly set up camp there the day before. About 6pm on March 19, Mr Hill made contact via high-frequency radio with an amateur radio group, who reported him sounding 'normal', a police summary of facts reads. It's alleged in the document that sometime after this conversation a confrontation between Mr Lynn and Mr Hill broke out and they were killed. In a separate statement provided to the court by forensic expert Mark Gellatly, he claims police informed him they believed Mr Lynn was annoyed by Mr Hill's drone and confronted the pair about it before returning to his campsite. He said crime scene investigators believe Mr Hill then allegedly grabbed a shotgun from Mr Lynn's vehicle, before a physical fight broke out between the two men and the gun discharged. It's alleged Ms Clay, who was standing near Mr Hill's car, was fatally struck in the head, with an ensuing fight between the two men, ending when Mr Lynn fatally stabbed Mr Hill. The burnt remains of the campsite were discovered on March 27 by a camper, just one day after Mr Hill's wife reported him missing. 'We walked up to the site and I could see things didn't look right and decided we should call the police,' camper Colin Boyd said in a statement provided to police. Police will allege Mr Lynn then returned to the area in May and November 2020 where he is accused of trying to 'destroy' the couples' remains by setting them on fire. Court Sketch of Gregory Lynn appearing at the Melbourne Magistrates court Gregory Lynn's car was allegedly resprayed after the deaths Police will allege Mr Lynn set fire to the couple's camp in an effort to conceal what happened, and had loaded the bodies into his trailer and dumped them in bushland. 'The accused made immediate and overt efforts to contaminate the crime scene and conceal the offences, including destroying evidence and setting fire to the scene,' the police summary tendered to the court reads. 'The accused is also likely to have discarded the drone, car keys for the Landcruiser and Hill and Clay's mobile phones. 'To date, none of these items have been recovered.' The statement further alleges the circumstances of the couple's deaths and Mr Lynn's behaviour afterwards suggest he 'intended to cause death or at least cause each of them really serious injury'. According to the summary of facts, Mr Lynn returned home in the afternoon on March 22. Greg Lynn's employment with Jetstar was terminated after the allegations came to light. Picture: Supplied Russell Hill and Carol Clay's burnout campsite photographed by a camper near Dry River track at Billabong in the Wonnangatta Valley Mr Lynn was first interviewed by police in July 2020, after his Nissan Patrol was captured by automatic number plate recognition cameras leaving the area around the time Mr Hill and Ms Clay disappeared. Missing persons squad Detective Senior Constable Abbey Justin told the court that at that time he was considered a witness. She quizzed Mr Lynn in the kitchen of his Caroline Springs home about his movements through the park and his vehicle's colour, with the interview secretly recorded. Police alleged he repainted his vehicle and sold the trailer to 'conceal his involvement'. Mr Hill and Ms Clay's remains were discovered in November 2021 By December 2020, Mr Lynn was allegedly under surveillance with GPS trackers, listening devices and telephone intercepts. At various points over the coming months, he allegedly referred to the deaths of Ms Hill and Mr Clay while talking to himself. He was arrested on November 22, 2021, while camping at a secluded site near Arbuckle - about 20km south of where Mr Hill and Ms Clay were allegedly murdered. Their remains were allegedly discovered at the base of a fallen tree later the same month. Crime scene investigators returned to the Wonnangatta campsite in March 2022 where they allegedly located a piece of human skull, linked by DNA to Ms Clay, and a piece of lead near where the couple's tent had been set up. Forensic testing to determine whether the lead was related to firearms and ammunition seized from Mr Lynn's home is ongoing. Mr Lynn has faced the Melbourne Magistrates' Court this week for a committal hearing in which Magistrate Brett Sonnet will decide if there is sufficient evidence against him to be tried in the Supreme Court. The former pilot has denied killing Mr Hill and Ms Clay and his response to the charges has never been aired in public. Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley today admitted it was 'not defensible' that PC David Carrick remained in work when he was accused of rape - even after a fellow diplomatic protection officer abused and murdered Sarah Everard. Sir Mark today drew parallels between the cases and said that the inquiry by Dame Elish Angiolini into whether any red flags were missed in Wayne Couzens' policing career should now be expanded to look into Carrick. Sir Mark's admission came hours before David Carrick, 48, was sacked by the Metropolitan Police at a misconduct hearing held in his absence in west London. The rapist had reportedly earned 60,000 from his taxpayer-funded salary during 15 months in custody. Carrick, now revealed as one of Britain's worst rapists, abused that elite position to coerce terrified victims in a depraved campaign of sexual abuse, bragging that he was 'untouchable'. Carrick has now admitted 49 charges against a dozen women, including 24 counts of rape, stretching from 2003 to 2020. On several occasions he waved his warrant card to gain their trust and even used his used his gun and handcuffs in attacks. Sir Mark said today that it is 'not defensible' that Carrick's record had not been checked in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving cop. The force is now reviewing around 1,000 members of staff and officers who have previously been accused of domestic abuse or sexual violence. Sir Mark today predicted that mistakes will have been made in those cases and that 'hundreds' of bad apples would be forced to leave the Met. He also admitted he could not promise that a woman visiting a police station to report a sexual offence would not be met by a police officer whose past behaviour is now under review. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the sustained employment of Pc David Carrick was a "spectacular failure" in his force. He said it is "not defensible" that Carrick's record had not been checked in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard, before he became Commissioner. Dame Cressida Dick refused to resign over the Couzens scandal and vowed to do all she could to protect women and girls from harm. But it has emerged that Carrick was not suspended from work despite being accused of rape Sarah Everard's murder inspired at least two women to come forward to accuse Carrick of rape Timeline: How the Couzens and Carrick cases overlap - March 3 2021: Wayne Couzens abducts, rapes and murders Sarah Everard - March 15 2021: Dame Cressida Dick vows to root out bad apples and protect women. She said: 'What happened to Sarah appalls me [and] makes me more determined, not less, to lead my organisation' - July 9 2021: Couzens admits his crimes. Dame Cressida Dick, the Met's chief, said the entire force was 'sickened, angered and devastated' by Couzens' 'truly dreadful crimes'. 'Everyone in policing feels betrayed', she said. - July 2021: The woman reports being raped by Carrick. He is arrested by Hertfordshire Police over the allegation but no further action is taken after she withdraws the complaint. The Met's Directorate of Professional Standards is made aware and Carrick is placed on restricted duties. It is determined he has no case to answer in relation to any misconduct and in September the restriction is lifted, although he never returns to full duties. September 30, 2021: Couzens was sentenced to life imprisonment with a tariff of a whole life order - October 1 2021: A 50-year-old woman reports she was raped by Carrick in September 2020. He is arrested, charged and suspended by the Met. - October 4: Carrick is remanded in custody after appearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court charged with rape. - October 2021-October 2022: The publicity prompts another 12 women to come forward and make allegations against Carrick. - December 16 2022: Carrick pleads guilty to 43 offences at the Old Bailey. His pay is stopped by the Met. - January 16 2023: Carrick admits a further six charges at Southwark Crown Court. Advertisement Sarah was abducted by Couzens on March 3 2021 after he used has warrant card to stop her claiming he was enforcing lockdown laws before driving her to Kent to abuse and strangle her to death. In the new chilling case that shames the Met, it emerged that Carrick also showed at least two victims his warrant card, telling them on dates: 'I'm a police officer, you're safe with me'. Carrick was arrested by Hertfordshire Police in July 2021 after a woman reported being raped by him after walking into a police station just 24 hours after Couzens had pleaded guilty. The Met was made aware of the claim their officer was an abuser - not for the first time - but Carrick was not suspended and placed on restricted duties instead. Then Commissioner Cressida Dick was at the Old Bailey to meet her family to apologise after Couzens pleaded guilty, declaring: 'All of us in the Met are sickened, angered and devastated by this man's truly dreadful crimes. Everyone in policing feels betrayed'. Another woman who accused Carrick of rape later told detectives she had seen the details of Sarah Everard in the press and said it was right to report her case knowing Carrick to be a police officer. In late September 2021, when Couzens was jailed for life with no parole, Dame Cressida said that an additional 650 officers will be placed across the capital in the wake of Sarah Everard's murder to keep women and girls safe. On October 1, a 50-year-old woman reported she was raped by Carrick in September 2020. He is arrested, charged and suspended by the Met. On October 4: Carrick is remanded in custody after appearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court charged with rape. Sir Mark Rowley today said the sustained employment of Pc David Carrick was a 'spectacular failure' in his force. Asked to explain, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'This is about weak decision-making in professional standards, not joining the dots between related incidents, and poor policies, and that all comes together to mean he was a police officer for 20 years and for a large part of this he was a predatory rapist.' Sir Mark agreed it was a 'spectacular failure' by his force. He said: 'You can't say anything else - it absolutely is. 'I have been crystal clear from coming into post ... that one of the top planks of my responsibilities is to rebuild our integrity, and part of that is to take on those who corrupt our integrity - people like David Carrick and, frankly, many others. 'We have been too weak on this, systematically, for some time.' Former victims' commissioner Vera Baird said the case of serial rapist Pc David Carrick 'absolutely takes one's breath away'. She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'The Metropolitan Police seem incapable of not employing - and furthermore retaining - some quite evil people. 'He appears to have been reassessed since the murder of Sarah Everard, since the Charing Cross misogyny scandal came out. 'Where exactly is the change in culture that we have all been told would occur after that catastrophic death now a couple of years ago?' She added that it was not the Met that exposed Carrick but one of the victims who 'had the courage' to go to another police force. Sir Mark Rowley yesterday issued a grovelling apology on Monday as the true extent of the 48-year-old's horrific crimes became public knowledge for the first time, admitting that the force 'let women and girls down'. And it was revealed that the force, which missed multiple signs about his true nature for years while he worked as a parliamentary and diplomatic protection officer, is now looking into abuse claims against more than 1,000 members of staff. Carrick, pictured here in his police uniform, demeaned his victims, telling one woman 'you're my slave' According to one woman who claims she was in a one-off relationship with the sadistic officer for five years, the rapist had bragged that his position meant he couldn't be prosecuted. A review into how Wayne Couzens was able to serve in the Met and the red flags missed should now take in David Carrick, Sir Mark Rowley said Speaking to the Sun the woman, who only gives her first name as Rachel, said Carrick seemed to know about an assault she had reported to the police, suggesting he had used the force's database to look up her personal information. She added that he had claimed to take items, including jewellery, from the Met's evidence lockers to use them at home. She told the paper: 'I once asked him if he was not worried about getting caught because of his job. His exact words to me were 'it's because of my job that I'm not worried'. 'He said he was so far at the top that he was untouchable.' The woman said that while she was not assaulted by Carrick when she was with him, he treated her in a degrading and demeaning way. She said he told her to 'behave like a prostitute' and had asked her to pretend to be asleep in the bedroom. She added that he had used police-issue handcuffs on her and brought what looked to be a real gun home with him, along with his police baton. Rachel said his behaviour was controlling, saying: 'Knowing now what he has done and how he treated all of those women, how on earth was he allowed to be a police officer?' It was revealed on Monday that Carrick abused his elite position to to coerce terrified victims in a depraved campaign of sexual abuse. Carrick has admitted charges against a dozen women, including dozens of counts of rape, stretching from 2003 to 2020. The Met said it was now reviewing 1,633 cases involving 1,071 of its officers and staff who have faced complaints of domestic abuse or sexual offending over the past decade. It comes as one female former chief constable warned that vetting in the police is 'non-existent'. Sue Fish, the former head of Nottinghamshire Police, said the system is 'utterly unfit for purpose' and that it 'fails to recognise predatory men within policing ranks or aspiring to-be members of the police service'. She told the Telegraph: 'I am rarely speechless, but this is worse than horrific. I think the scary question is: how many others are there?' She added that the disciplinary process within forces sees things 'in isolation' and does not see patterns of behaviour that could raise red flags. When Carrick was first arrested for rape in July 2021, he was placed on restricted duties rather than being suspended. And bosses failed to carry out basic checks into his background that would have revealed a pattern of abusive behaviour. Carrick was vetted just twice during his two decades in the force, in 2001 and 2017, despite rules stating officers in his position should be reviewed every ten years. He was known among colleagues as 'Bastard Dave' and had a reputation for being 'mean and cruel'. But over two decades, no colleagues expressed concerns. Carrick, pictured here at the beach, abused and tortured women at his Hertfordshire home Carrrick, pictured here in an artists impression in court, boasted to women that he was a police officer His mother Jean last night said a serious complaint was first made about her son when he was just a teenager. Carrick yesterday entered guilty pleas to six counts of rape and sexual assault against one woman, having admitted 43 offences against 11 women at the Old Bailey last month. Some of the pleas cover multiple offences, meaning he has confessed to more than 80 serious sex crimes. The cases relating to other Met officers that are being reviewed include those that resulted in no action or no criminal allegations. Sir Mark, who replaced Dame Cressida Dick in September following her resignation amid a string of scandals, said he would write to Home Secretary Suella Braverman and London Mayor Sadiq Khan in March with the review's findings. The force has been rocked by the murder of Sarah Everard, by a damning report revealing a toxic culture at Charing Cross police station and by a pair of officers who photographed the bodies of two murdered sisters. The Met will check potentially dangerous officers against police and national intelligence databases, Sir Mark said. He added in a statement: 'This man abused women in the most disgusting manner. It is sickening. 'We've let women and girls down and indeed we've let Londoners down. The women who suffered and survived this violence have been unimaginably brave. 'And I do understand also that this will lead to some women across London questioning whether they can trust the Met to keep them safe. We have failed. And I'm sorry. He should not have been a police officer.' Women's groups last night said the Met was 'an institution in crisis'. Andrea Simon, of the End Violence Against Women coalition, said: 'It is abundantly clear that an officer whose behaviour gave him the nickname 'Dave the Bastard' among colleagues should not have been in the force in the first place.' Sir Mark has repeatedly said it is 'crazy' that he is unable to sack officers when they break the law. Carrick was first charged with raping a 50-year-old woman in October 2021. This charge was later dropped, but its coverage in the media gave 12 other women the courage to report abuse at his hands. The officer's abhorrent crimes included rape, dragging his victims into the shower by their hair before sexually assaulting them, keeping them locked in a small cupboard and carrying out sickening sexual acts against their will. An ex-girlfriend said Carrick would handcuff her wrist to her ankle with his police-issue cuffs, then claim he had left the key at the station in London. Carrick, from Stevenage in Hertfordshire, joined the Met in August 2001, having served for two years in the Army. The previous year, he was accused of burglary and malicious communications involving an ex-girlfriend but he was not arrested. He passed vetting checks the following year and began working as a response officer in Merton, south-west London. While still on probation in 2002, Carrick was accused of harassment and assault of a former partner. Again, he was not arrested, and the matter was never referred to the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards. Carrick was involved in domestic incidents in 2004, 2009 and 2019, a harassment allegation in 2014, and an altercation at a nightclub in 2017 but no further action was taken. Then, in July 2021, Carrick was arrested over a rape complaint. He was not suspended, however, and the victim dropped the complaint. When Carrick was later charged over a separate woman, the first victim was recontacted and Carrick admitted raping her and carrying out a sickening sexual act. He will be sentenced early next month and faces a long prison sentence. Speaking today Sir Mark said the force had let 'women and girls down', admitting his officers had 'failed' to investigate allegations made against Carrick as they should have. In a statement he said: 'This man abused women in the most disgusting manner. It is sickening. We've let women and girls down and indeed we've let Londoners down. 'The women who suffered and survived this violence have been unimaginably brave and courageous in coming forward. 'And I do understand also that this will lead to some women across London questioning whether they can trust the Met to keep them safe. 'We have failed. And I'm sorry. He should not have been a police officer.' The Met commissioner, who started in the role several months ago, added: 'We haven't applied the same sense of ruthlessness to guarding our own integrity that we routinely apply to confronting criminals. 'We failed in two respects. 'We failed as investigators where we should have been more intrusive and joined the dots on this repeated misogyny over a couple of decades. 'And as leaders, our mindset should have been more determined to root out such a misogynist. 'These failures are horrific examples of the systemic failures that concern me and were highlighted by Baroness Casey in her recent review. I do know an apology doesn't go far enough, but I do think it's important to acknowledge our failings and for me to say I'm sorry. 'I apologise to all of David Carrick's victims. And I also want to say sorry to all of the women across London who feel we've let them down. 'I have promised action. From my first day four months ago, I said that the Met will become ruthless at rooting out those who corrupt our integrity. That's because our integrity is our foundation. 'We haven't guarded this as ferociously as we must and we will do. In the four months to date, we've launched a new anti-corruption and abuse command, putting 30 per cent more officers into fighting corruption. And we've done public appeals. 'We've raised 250 fresh lines of inquiry, and we're doing more proactive work against problematic officers than ever before. I've also brought in new leadership to lead this work, to reform our integrity. 'At the end of March, I plan to write to the Home Secretary and the Mayor in an open public letter. And by then, we will also have finished reviewing all of our people, having checked their details against all the police, national intelligence data in the police national database. 'We'll have begun a full review of our national vetting process, we'll have completed Operation Onyx, which is our review of the officers and staff whom we have concerning domestic or sexual incident reports against. 'And we'll also have tested new legal routes to dismiss those who fail vetting. 'We will reform at speed. I promise that to Londoners.' David Carrick, pictured here in his police uniform, pleaded guilty today to 71 sex attacks on 12 women over the course of nearly 20 years Carrick, pictured, admitted to 48 counts of rape when he appeared at court on Monday, January 16 At court earlier today it was revealed Carrick, whose nickname on the force was 'Ba***ard Dave', abused and tortured 12 victims, boasting to them 'I'm a police officer, you can trust me'. He locked women in a cupboard under the stairs of his Hertfordshire home for hours on end, controlled what they ate and isolated them from their families. The vile police officer allegedly whipped his victims with belts, dragged them by their hair and demeaned them by saying 'you're my slave, you're my whore'. The rapist had joined the force in 2001 despite allegations of malicious communications and burglary against an ex-partner just a year before. While on his probationary period he was accused of assault and harassment against a former partner, but this was not passed onto the Directorate of Professional Standards. Following this he used his position as a police officer to abuse women, finding some of his victims on dating websites and meeting them in bars where he would gain their trust. He would appear to be a 'fun-loving, charming and charismatic' man, prosecutors said, but this was hiding a dark secret. In reality, he was 'very manipulative' and 'self-confident almost to the point of being cocky'. When he was arrested at his Stevenage home in October 2021 accused of raping a woman he met on Tinder, he said: 'Not again.' When she arrived at a nearby pub on September 4, 2020, Carrick had ordered a bottle of wine and the woman said she felt 'pressured' to drink as he had paid for it. He told her he was a Met Police firearms officer nicknamed 'Ba***ard Dave', showed her his warrant card and boasted of meeting famous people, including Mr Johnson, in the course of his work. She told police that Carrick called her 'disgusting' and referred to himself as a 'dominant bastard' while raping her the following morning after she woke up naked in the bath with sick in her hair. While looking into the allegations against him, investigators found a pattern of behaviour where Carrick abused his position as a police officer. Carrick, who had a pet snake, exerted control by paying for dinner and drinks, so women would feel indebted to him before isolating them from their friends and family members. He would tell some of his victims they were not allowed to eat, calling them 'fat and lazy', while others were ordered to stay in bed all day so they could have sex all night. Women were locked in an understairs cupboard in Carrick's home, said by police to be smaller than a dog crate, for hours without food, or made to clean the house naked. Carrick urinated over some of his victims and made derogatory comments towards the women, referring to them as his 'slave' or a 'whore'. Senior Crown Prosecutor Shilpa Shah told a media briefing: 'The patterns of behaviour that were similar would be things such as the derogatory comments, calling them things like his slave, and making rude remarks all the time. 'This was also on the phone evidence he would message them calling them horrid names, saying things such as you're my slave, you're a whore. In the actual offending behaviour there were striking similarities 'For example, that he would urinate in their mouth. That is something that you wouldn't make up. He would also force them to give him oral sex to the point that they would be gagging. 'For a couple of the victims he would say they weren't allowed to eat today, saying you could eat this much of an apple today. He would call them fat and lazy, and say that's why you're not allowed to eat.' Explaining how Carrick allegedly financially abused his victims, Ms Shah said he would make them feeling indebted to him. She said: 'He would be the one to pay for them and would not allow them pay. It would be something along the lines of, you're not using your own money, you use my money, so they would feel indebted to him.' A drunk easyJet passenger who grabbed an air hostess by the throat after she told him off for clambering over two people on a flight to Malta for his 50th birthday has been jailed for six months. Colin Smith, 51, downed three-quarters of a bottle of duty-free whisky before the flight from Manchester on March 28 last year. A court heard the crane operator then drunkenly attacked flight attendant Carley Griffith after she told him to sit down again as he tried to use the toilet while the seatbelt signs were on. Miss Griffith broke free of his grip and pushed him back, causing the sunseeker to fall over. After being restrained, Smith was led off the aircraft by police with his mortified long-term partner Hayley Whitehand telling staff: 'I told him he shouldn't drink whisky.' Colin Smith downed three quarters of a bottle of whisky to help with his 'fear of flying' - before then attacking an easyJet stewardess. He is pictured outside Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester Smith, pictured with his partner Hayley Whitehand, had been travelling to Malta to mark his 50th birthday. He has now been jailed for six months He was later arrested a week later in the UK, admitting that he had strangled the stewardess and telling police that he was 'nine out of 10' drunk after drinking most of a bottle of Famous Grouse whisky. Smith has now been jailed for six months after admitting being drunk on an aircraft and assault by beating. Judge Tina Landale told Smith: 'This incident happened on board a flight full of holidaymakers, which only adds to the severity of your actions. 'Your drunkenness was extreme, you were intoxicated to such an extent that you were described as being in a trance-like state. Passengers thought you had a medical condition. 'This attack occurred at the stage that causes the most danger for staff and passengers alike. This is an extremely serious case, the scene must have caused tremendous fear for all those passengers and staff members in the vicinity. 'Your actions were persistent and sustained and entirely unacceptable behaviour to take against someone that is just trying to carry out their duty. 'The extraordinary facts of your offence mean that a deterrent sentence is required. There is a special duty for all of those who travel on an aircraft to act carefully and safely.' EasyJet flight attendant Carley Griffith had warned Smith to sit down before she was assaulted by him 'without warning' (stock image) In police interview, Smith admitted he was about a 'nine-out-of-10' on the scale of drunkenness. He is pictured smoking outside Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester In a statement Miss Griffiths said: 'I was upset and anxious after what happened on the flight and initially I was not wanting to return to work as I was scared of further assaults in the future.' In mitigation, defence counsel Collette Renton said her client had a fear of flying which contributed to his heavy drinking and his memory and recollection of the incident was 'fragmented'. 'The defendant is in an exceptional circumstance as he has three caring responsibilities,' she added. 'He cares for his stepmother, who is 73 years old and has later-stage Alzheimer's needs and who recently lost her husband. The defendant must also care for his partner, Ms Whitehead, who experiences mental health issues. 'On top of this, he also cares for his step-daughter, who has a range of complex care needs. 'This incident took place en route to one of the couple's very few respite trips and one of the first that they were due to have since the Covid pandemic. The holiday was a long pre-arranged break in caring responsibilities for one week to celebrate the defendant's 50th birthday. 'It is perhaps fortunate this incident occurred towards the end of the flight when he could be removed from the aircraft soon afterwards. But he does apologise for the impact he has caused.' To travel back into the past and reverse time is possible in a spinning universe, but all that needs to be done is to make the cosmos spin to do just that. Is a Spinning Universe Capable of Time Travel? One notion that the famous mathematician Kurt Godel, a friend and neighbor of Albert Einstein at Princeton, was when he got engaged with Einstein's Theory of general relativity, which describes the concept of gravitational force in reality, states Science Alert. Time is one of the implications of this theory as it relates to the concept of space-time in universal fabric. Such a concept links the existence of matter and energy that will be altered due to the bending and warp of the space-time continuum; it will then do the same to matter and energy as universal constants. Godel looked into how relativity can permit a way to reverse time and go back into the past at any point. The theory of Einstein is the ultimate explanation for the uncanny behavior of space-time and all its quirks, according to Universe Today. This explanation provides that traveling back into the past is taboo. Because of it then, relativity immediately stops any assumption. Travel to the Past Possible Einstein's contemporary discovery that general relativity can allow traveling back in the past. All that is needed is to rotate the cosmos to do just that. Godel devised a very simple model, an artificial model universe, to show how it can be done. To make everything spin will need one thing. This secret element is a negative cosmological constant that can stop the centrifugal force of the universal spin from making the cosmos stop at a standstill. Read Also: Emmanuel Macron Facts It was discovered that following a specific direction in a rotating cosmos could lead to one's past as a result. But the distance is incredibly unfathomable due to traveling uncountable lightyears to do just that, but it might be done. Traveling at immense distances and speeds can finally be at pace with how the universe is spinning. What is happening is not a universal spin but space and time catching up with each other, per IOP Science. At some point, the time loop will return to when everything started. This point is a jump-off for classical time travel too. It works by setting off at the point of the beginning of the journey, which does not allow anyone or anything to breach the universal limit of light speed. Next, when everything stops spinning where the loop ends in the past. Returning to the past can create more than a one-time paradox that can violate what happens due to messing with the past, changing the future. If the cosmos does not spin, it limits the dangers of turning the clock back. Godel only suggested a rotating universe to show relativity is missing something. It still needs to be solved why General Relativity can handle reverse time travel, which is impossible. A spinning universe could allow time travel into the past, but there's more to suggest this idea that has yet to be proven. Related Article: Is Time Travel Possible Via a Black Hole? @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. This is the moment an angry beanie hat-wearing reveller is knocked out after being smacked across the face with a pool cue. Footage shows the man lunging across the table and wildly swinging at people before a punter turns his cue into a weapon and delivers a brutal full-force blow to his face. He crashes to the ground motionless as a group of revellers then piles in with cues and glasses. It is unclear what triggered the chaos. Police have said no arrests have been made yet. One reveller told MailOnline: 'It was threatening to kick off all night. There was a load of them by the pool table. Then a big row broke out and the lad with the hat was going at them all Smash: The moment the man is smacked with a pool cue in the face that causes him to collapse to the floor, unconscious 'He grabbed a ball from the table and threw it at one of the group sitting down at the table then went for another lad across the table. 'I don't think he saw someone standing next to him because he was caught completely off guard. This lad just took a swipe at his head and knocked him clean out. 'Then it just kept going off. There were a few digs thrown and I think he copped another blow to the head as he was on the floor. People were walking out fearing they'd get hit. Then the lads just legged it. But it's all on CCTV.' One male in the black coat (top right) is pictured arguing with another man in the white at the pool table Footage captured on CCTV at the pub shows the beanie-hat wearing punter throwing a pool ball before lunging at another man and trying to punch him The man in the black t-shirt is then seen swinging a pool cue at the male in the hat, hitting him the face and knocking him out The chaos continues and men are seen bundling in, with one appearing to hurl a drink at the male in the beanie hat as he is sprawled on the floor by the bar A spokesperson for Northumrbia Police said: 'On the evening of December 30 2022, we were alerted to an altercation taking place within a pub on Prince Edward Road, South Shields. 'Officer attended the premises but those involved had already left and no reports outlining any injuries were made to police. CCTV of the incident is being reviewed by officers and enquiries are ongoing.' It is not the first time that CCTV at the South Shields pub has captured brutal gang violence. Kicks and punches continue to fly among the men in the Derby pub, in South Shields Another man is pictured collapsed on the floor after the fight, with those involved fleeing the boozer moments later before police arrived In May 2016, in what was then called the Prince pub, Ronnie Howard was murdered in a savage attack. The 31-year-old father of two died of a bleed to the brain after being punched twice in the head. Michael Wilson was convicted of his murder and jailed for life after a trial at Newcastle Crown Court. After the case, Mr Howard's family said in statement: 'Ronnie was a much-loved personality, fun loving, gentle, kind hearted and generally the life and soul, much loved son, brother, cousin, uncle and his greatest achievement - father.' He sparked eruptions of laughter as he read out story, which features cartoons Jimmy Kimmel mercilessly mocked Prince Harry and his revelation that he rubbed his mother's favorite Elizabeth Arden lip cream on his frostbitten penis Jimmy Kimmel last night mercilessly mocked Prince Harry's revelation that he rubbed his mother's favorite Elizabeth Arden lip cream on his penis to cure frostbite in his tell-all memoir that has sent shockwaves through the Royal family. In a scathing rendition the talk show host ridiculed Harry by producing a book titled 'The Prince and the Penis' in which the Duke of Sussex calls out for the late Princess Diana to help with his frostbitten penis. Kimmel sparked eruptions of laughter as he read out the story, which features cartoon drawings of Harry and his frostbitten penis, where the late Princess Diana produced Elizabeth lip cream for Harry to put on his frostbitten penis. In the book, Harry's character, questioning whether it was acceptable to put his mother's lip cream on his penis, said: 'But mummy have you heard about Sir Sigmund Freud?' Prince Harrys book is so popular, they made a version for kids! #ThePrinceAndThePenis pic.twitter.com/mV0Sfy4REL Jimmy Kimmel Live (@JimmyKimmelLive) January 17, 2023 In a scathing rendition, the talk show host ridiculed Harry by producing a book titled 'The Prince and the Penis' in which the Duke of Sussex calls out for the late Princess Diana to help with his frostbitten penis Jimmy Kimmel mercilessly mocked Prince Harry's revelation that he rubbed his mother's favorite Elizabeth Arden lip cream on his penis to cure frostbite in his tell-all memoir that has sent ripples through the Royal family Kimmel sparked eruptions of laughter as he read out the story, which features cartoon drawings of Harry and his frostbitten penis, where the late Princess Diana produced Elizabeth lip cream for Harry to put on his frostbitten penis Full quotes from Jimmy Kimmel's 'The Prince and Penis' book 'At the chilly north pole, a silly young codger took a walk in the snow, and froze his wee todger. The skin was discolored, all purple and white. When Harry peered down, 'twas a terrible fright. 'Oh mummy, oh mummy! He cried with a scream, and from then on up high, she appeared with some cream. 'My poor little prince, put this cream on your willy. It will lessen the ache and make it less chilly.' 'But mummy, did you not put this on your lips?' 'Oh yes, my dear boy, and also my nips, but do not delay or your k*** be destroyed.' 'But mummy have you heard about Sir Sigmund Freud?' 'Mummy knelt down and gave him a squirt, into the trousers, where his Winkle still hurt. 'And lo and behold, like the calm from a storm, his frozen cold snotskick was suddenly warm. 'He laughed and he smiled, and he said to his mummy, you rescued the snake that lives under my tummy! 'Then he tucked it back in and back to her cloud. His mother went soaring - and said this aloud: Should ever you have icy chills on your hard-on, just give it a rub with Elizabeth Arden!' Advertisement The audience burst into raucous laughter at the scathing line as the talk show host continued to ridicule the Prince in a two-minute monologue. Prince Harry wrote in his tell-all memoir Spare that he applied Elizabeth Arden cream used by his late mother to his frostbitten penis in 2011 after returning from a trip to the North Pole. In the passage, Harry recalls that Princess Diana used to apply the cream to her lips, and wrote that the smell of the product made him feel like his mother 'was right there in the room' before he applied the cream to his penis - as horrified readers called it a 'Freudian nightmare'. Since the publication of his book, Harry has appeared on a series of talk shows, including Stephen Colbert's The Late Show in the US. He was slammed for making the royal family a laughing stock - and he was mocked himself for detailing private conversations in his book. During the interviews, Harry has shared intimate details of his life, including losing his virginity, his use of drugs and killing 25 Taliban fighters, as well as private conversations with his family and the deepening rift over Megxit. Even the usually supportive liberal US media is tiring of Prince Harry's complaints. The Left-wing, anti-British New York Times, called his remarks 'repetitive and tiresome' and suggested the 'tide seems to be turning' in US attitudes towards the Sussexes. And Harry was ridiculed again by Kimmel last night, with the talk show host producing a 'children's book' called 'The Prince and the penis'. 'The story of Prince Harold and his frozen yoghurt slinger is so popular they are now releasing a version for kids,' Kimmel said, as he held up the book, which features a cartoon drawing of Harry and his penis, which is wearing a hat and scarf, in the North Pole. 'Not sure if you know about this but it's a twist on the Princess and the Pea. It's called the Prince and the Penis,' Kimmel continued. 'If the kids are still up, this would be a good time to gather them round the TV because I have the honor of sharing a first read of the new book.' Kimmel then began reading the book, saying: 'At the chilly north pole, a silly young codger took a walk in the snow, and froze his wee todger. The skin was discolored, all purple and white. When Harry peered down, 'twas a terrible fright. 'Oh mummy, oh mummy! He cried with a scream, and from then on up high, she appeared with some cream.' Kimmel, raising the book so the audience could see, showed a cartoon drawing of Princess Diana appearing from clouds above Harry and his penis. In the book, Diana says: 'My poor little prince, put this cream on your willy. It will lessen the ache and make it less chilly.' In the book, Harry's character, questioning whether it was acceptable to put his mother's lip cream on his penis, said: 'But mummy have you heard about Sir Sigmund Freud?' In the book, Harry's character, questioning whether it was acceptable to put his mother's lip cream on his penis, said: 'But mummy have you heard about Sir Sigmund Freud? Harry's character responds: 'But mummy, did you not put this on your lips?' In the book, his late mother told him: 'Oh yes, my dear boy, and also my nips, but do not delay or your knob be destroyed.' Kimmel, reading out Harry's line, said: 'But mummy have you heard about Sir Sigmund Freud?' Kimmel continued with the book, reading out loud: 'Mummy knelt down and gave him a squirt, into the trousers, where his Winkle still hurt. 'And lo and behold, like the calm from a storm, his frozen cold snotskick was suddenly warm. 'He laughed and he smiled, and he said to his mummy, you rescued the snake that lives under my tummy! 'Then he tucked it back in and back to her cloud. His mother went soaring - and said this aloud: Should ever you have icy chills on your hard-on, just give it a rub with Elizabeth Arden!' Kimmel, closing the book, said: 'And everyone lived happily ever after' as the audience cheered and erupted into a chorus of laughter. Harry has been ridiculed during his transatlantic PR blitz to promote his book Spare. The Prince appeared on Stephen Colbert's The Late Show last week (pictured) where the talk show host made jokes about Harry and William's sibling rivalry, and compared his life to that of Harry Potter's Prince Harry wrote in his tell-all memoir Spare that he applied Elizabeth Arden cream used by his late mother to his frostbitten penis in 2011 after returning from a trip to the North Pole The Prince appeared on Stephen Colbert's The Late Show last week where the talk show host made jokes about Harry and William's sibling rivalry, and compared his life to that of Harry Potter's. Colbert, who rarely holds back when it comes mocking those in his crosshairs, has form when it comes to laying into Britain's Royal Family. In one segment, he branded them a 'group of inbred, gin-soaked jumped-up medieval gangsters'. Fans of the Royals questioned why Harry chose anti-Royalist Colbert for a sit down chat, when the Prince has insisted he sees value in the institution and wishes to hold on to his title. But from the beginning of the show, which aired on 11 January, it was clear that the interview would 'spare' nobody in the monarchy, with the opening seconds of the showing featuring a mocking skit that ridiculed royal tradition. The show opened with a clip showing Colbert standing alongside two trumpeters wearing replicas of the uniforms traditionally worn by the State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry. As Harry strolled down a red carpet they began their fanfare, with the duke putting on a mock display of humility and telling the TV host such pomp 'wasn't necessary'. Then Harry leaned on Colbert's Hollywood pulling power, with actor Tom Hanks joining the prince as the host proclaimed that the trumpets had in fact been intended not for the duke, but for the 66-year-old star all along. Prince Harry kicked off the latest in a long line of TV interviews by ridiculing royal tradition and mocking the monarchy - with the help of Hollywood A-lister Tom Hanks The 38-year-old Duke of Sussex poked fun at royal pomp and circumstance during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night The Prince's interview with Colbert started with a skit featuring Harry and Hanks, 66, being greeted by royal fanfare as they entered the CBS studios Colbert then performed his traditional opening monologue ahead of his lengthy chat with Harry began, but not before the host poured each of them a glass of tequila. Harry's book also contains anecdotes that also appear to poke fun at his own family including hanging a trinket likeness of the Queen on a Christmas tree. Spare reveals that Meghan gave Harry an ornament of the Queen that she had bought from a local store in California. Harry writes in his book that it was 'Granny's face to a T' and hung it straight on the large Christmas tree in their California home. Toddler Archie was running around and knocked the tree's stand, which caused the ornament to fall off and smash into pieces. Harry admitted he sought help from a medium who said she could prove she was talking to his late mother from beyond the grave because Diana was 'giggling' at Archie breaking the ornament. And in the couple's Netflix documentary, released last month, a giggling Meghan appeared to mock her own efforts at following royal protocol as she recounted the 'surreal' moment she first met the Queen - performing a deeply exaggerated curtsey in front of awkward-looking husband, Prince Harry. In it, the Duchess of Sussex compared the first encounter with Her Majesty to a lowbrow themed dinner at America's 'Medieval Times'. Her husband, who served in the Army with the Queen being his commander in chief, looked uncomfortable throughout. A Japanese death-row killer has choked to death on prison food, just four days after she was hospitalised for exactly the same reason. Miyuki Ueta, who was convicted for double murder and robbery over the deaths of two men in 2009, lost consciousness at the Hiroshima Detention Centre on Saturday evening. The 49-year-old started choking at around 4.20pm and staff desperately tried to remove the food from her throat before she was rushed to hospital. Japanese prisoners tend to eat healthy dishes consisting of whole grain barley mixed with rice, low-fat vegetable dishes, miso soup and grilled fish. Miyuki Ueta (pictured) has died after choking on her prison meal while on death row for the murder of two men The convict, who was on medication, was confirmed dead at 6.55pm. Four days earlier, the former bar worker was also taken to hospital after choking on her food, The Japan Times reported. In 2009, Ueta drugged truck driver Kazumi Yabe, 47, in the sea and then killed Hideki Maruyama, 57, six months later by drugging him with sleeping pills and drowning him in a river. The killer maintained her innocence throughout despite owing money to both victims. The verdicts were mainly based on circumstantial evidence, that Ueta was the last person to see both men before their disappearances, and the fact she had bought sleeping pills just before their sudden deaths. The convicted killer lost consciousness at the Hiroshima Detention Centre (pictured) on Saturday evening She was sentenced to death in 2012, and an appeal was overruled by the Supreme Court in 2017. Judges said the defendant carried out 'cruel crimes based on firm intentions to kill'. The son of murder victim Hideki Maruyama said he was 'surprised' by her sudden death. He told NHK: 'It's been 14 years since my father died, and I'm surprised that a death row inmate died in this way. Since then, I think it's been taking too long without being executed. 'Every day I put my hands on my father at the Buddhist altar in my house, and tonight I'd like to put my hands together and report today.' There are currently 105 inmates on death row in Japan. Ana Walshe, the Massachusetts real estate manager and mom-of-three who disappeared on New Year's Day, had finalized the sale of her apartment in Revere, MA, only days before going missing, friends have said. Ms Walshe's Revere friends and tenants, Mike and Mandi Silva, told Fox News Digital the decision to sell her apartment where they lived was sprung on them and that Ms Walshe became uncharacteristically 'pushy' towards them over time. The couple, who had rented from the Walshes for four years, said Ms Walshe kept promising 'a big surprise' in the new year and had sought to sell her apartment and a car for cash at the end of December 2022, before her disappearance. Their claim follows the arrest of Ana's husband Brian Walshe, 47, who was charged with misleading a police investigation and Googled 'How to dispose of a 115lb woman's body' before his wife' vanished. Mom-of-three Ana Walshe disappeared on New Year's Day and was reported missing on 4 Jan Walshe was arrested and taken into custody on 8 January on charges of misleading authorities TIMELINE OF ANA WALSHE'S DISAPPEARANCE November, 2016: Brian Walshe is arrested in connection with an $80,000 art fraud of Andy Warhol paintings. He is ordered by a court to remain under house arrest until sentencing. Walshe has yet to be sentenced for the fraud. January 1, 2023: Ana Walshe is last seen by family friend Gem Mutlu around 1:30am after a New Year's party at the MA house. Ana reportedly books a rideshare car to take her to Logan International Airport at 4am, but it is unclear if she ever gets into a vehicle or takes a flight. Ana was scheduled to fly to Washington D.C. on 3 January but allegedly said she needed to fly sooner due to an emergency. Her husband claims he went to Whole Foods and CVS on New Year's Day, but there is no surveillance or receipts to prove he went. January 2: Walshe tells authorities that he only left the family home in Cohasset to take his son for ice cream. He is caught on surveillance footage buying $450 worth of cleaning supplies in Home Depot. Ana's phone pings in the area of the house on 1 and 2 January. January 4: Ana's employer reports her missing. Police initially deem the disappearance is not suspicious, with no evidence of foul play. January 5: Police say Walshe is cooperating with the investigation into his missing wife. Cohasset Police Chief William Quigley acknowledges they have 'more questions than answers' at this stage. January 8: Walshe is seen leaving the property on Sunday in a red Volkswagen. His three children are taken away in a separate vehicle. Officers execute a search warrant at their home and found blood in the basement, along with a broken knife. The officers load a Volvo SUV onto the back of a truck while others search the grounds of their home. Police arrest Walshe on suspicion of misleading an investigation but do not charge him with anything else. January 9: Investigators find trash bags with blood, a hatchet and a hacksaw at the Peabody trash transfer station on the other side of Boston. It is revealed during the investigation that Walshe had Googled 'how to dispose of a 115-pound woman's body'. Brian Walshe is transported to his arraignment at Quincy District Court. He is held on $500,000 cash bail. Walshe pleads not guilty to misleading the investigation but has yet to be charged with anything else in connection to his wifes disappearance. January 11: In a Daily Mail exclusive, Ana Walshe's mother says she 'can't believe' her son-in-law could be responsible for the disappearance of her daughter after he saved her life in 2021. January 12: Police reveal Ana Walshe called the cops on her husband in 2014 saying 'he's going to kill me'. The case was closed as Ana refused to cooperate with police. January 16: Fox News reports Ms Walshe was making plans to sell her property assets and reinvest elsewhere just before her disappearance as her behavior became more erratic towards friends. Sources say this was to buy another property. Friends previously claimed Ms Walshe looked to sell her apartment and a car for cash in December. Advertisement A source told Fox News Digital: 'Proceeds from the sale of the Revere condo were going directly into the purchase of another investment property, and not to Ana herself.' Ana Walshe was last seen by family friend, Gem Mutlu, on New Year's Eve at a party at their Cohasset home. Friends said there was 'no indication of anything' suspicious in the hours before she vanished. Mutlu said: 'There was a lot of looking forward to the New Year. There was no indication of anything other than celebrating the New Year, problems on hold.' Ms Walshe's mysterious disappearance was subsequently treated as unsuspicious by police, without evidence of foul play. But revelations over the last week have drawn international attention to the story. Hours before her disappearance, Ana Walshe is understood to have written an 'eerie note' on a champagne box, wishing her husband 'courage, love and perseverance' in the new year. The scrawled note read: 'Wow! 2022What a year! And yet, we are still here and together! 'Let's make 2023 the best one yet! We are the authors of our lives courage, love, perseverance, compassion, and joy. Love, Ana.' The other side of the champagne box read: 'Gem Ana Brian 2023!', referring to Gem Mutlu who was in the Walshe's home on New Year's Eve. Brian Walshe first reported that his wife had taken an Uber or Lyft taxi journey to the airport to fly to Washington DC on 1 January for work. Ms Walshe reportedly planned to travel on 3 January, but said she needed to fly earlier due to an emergency. The police investigation was unable to confirm that Ms Walshe had ever taken a taxi to the airport. Her husband also told investigating authorities he had been shopping for his mother on New Year's Day, but CVS surveillance was unable to support the alibi. Mr Walshe did not tell police he had spent about $450 in cash buying gloves, tape and cleaning supplies from a Home Depot in MA, either. Mr Walshe was spotted in the store wearing a black surgical mask and blue surgical gloves. The trip was reportedly made during the time he was supposed to pick up his children from school, although the school was not open on 2 January. Ana Walshe was only reported missing - by her employer - on 4 January. Police then found a hacksaw, hatchets, parts of a rug, used cleaning supplies and bloody trash bags in dumpsters at the Peabody transfer station on the other side of Boston. Officials later announced that they had discovered blood in the basement of the Walshe family home in Cohasset, along with a damaged and bloody knife. Brian Walshe was arrested on charges of misleading an investigation. The affidavit stated that 'the intentional, willful and direct responses to questions about his whereabouts on the days of Sunday 1 January, 2023, and Monday 2 January, 2023, were a clear attempt to mislead and delay investigators. 'The fact that he was asked a specific question, and he gave an untruthful answer that led investigators out of the area caused a clear delay in the search for the missing person, Ana Walshe.' The judge set bail at $500,000 cash and the next hearing scheduled for 9 February 2023. Mr Walshe pleaded not guilty to the charges on Monday 9 January. Ana Walshe's mother then said she 'can't believe' her son-in-law could be responsible for her daughter's disappearance. She said Ana, 39, visited her in Belgrade in November and December last year and she never said a bad word about her husband. Missing mother-of-three Ana Walshe, 39, is pictured with her husband Brian Walshe, 47 The pool behind house. Ana Walshe promised a 'big surprise' in New Year and 'sold off assets' including a car and apartment in days before she vanished Brian Walshe's 'response to friends' - a prepared statement addressing his missing wife's disappearance and thanking loved ones for their concern is seen folded on his dining table Police reportedly searched the dumpster near Mr Walsh's mother's home after seeing Brian Walshe dispose of items there. Walshe has been arrested for misleading authorities The selling of owned assets to buy others, reported by Ms Walshe's tenants, is not suspicious in and of itself. DailyMail.com revealed that Ms Walshe, a real estate executive for Tishman Speyer, was also the manager of a luxury Washington DC building where two fake Homeland Security agents lived. While the tenants said Ana had become uncharacteristically 'pushy' as she tried to sell her Revere, MA, condo, others said that Ana had not shown significant behavioral changes in the lead up to her disappearance. The note that Ana Walshe wrote to her husband on a champagne box, hours before vanishing Police have asked the public to send any information or tips to tips@cohassetpolice.com. An attorney for Blair's family said they will conduct their own investigation The death of an Orange County deputy public defender at a Mexican beach resort last weekend was an 'unfortunate accident,' authorities in Baja California said on Monday. Elliot Blair, 33, from Orange, was discovered early Saturday below a third-floor balcony at Las Rocas Resort and Spa in Rosarito Beach. Blair and his wife, Kimberly Williams, who is also a deputy public defender, were at the resort for their one-year wedding anniversary. After the autopsy, officials at Baja California's Attorney General's Office said Blair's death appeared to be the 'result of an unfortunate accident from a fall by the now deceased from a third-story floor'. Elliot Blair (pictured), 33, from Orange, was discovered early Saturday below a third-floor balcony at Las Rocas Resort and Spa in Rosarito Beach Blair and his wife, Kimberly Williams, who is also a deputy public defender, were at the resort for their one-year wedding anniversary Pictured: Las Rocas Resort and Spa in Rosarito Beach David Scarsone, an attorney for Blair's family, said they continue to have doubts that he just fell off the balcony and will conduct their own investigation. 'There are many unanswered questions,' Scarsone said. '[The family] is pushing back on that conclusion [by Mexican authorities].' Family and colleagues said on a GoFundMe page for Blair that he was 'tragically killed' and died due to a 'brutal crime'. In a brief statement, Mexican authorities said they are investigating his death and are in contact with American authorities through the US Justice Department and the FBI, which in turn is informing Blair's family. Orange County Public Defender Martin Schwarz told The O.C. Register: 'We have been in communication with the family and are doing what we can to support them in this difficult time, including working with local and federal officials to help provide them with answers.' Pictured: Elliot Blair and his wife, Kimberly Williams. Family and colleagues said on a GoFundMe page that Blair was 'tragically killed' and died due to a 'brutal crime' Pictured: Las Rocas Resort and Spa in Rosarito Beach. After an autopsy, officials at Baja California's Attorney General's Office said Blair's death appeared to be the 'result of an unfortunate accident from a fall by the now deceased from a third-story floor' Pictured: Blair's wedding. In a brief statement, Mexican authorities said they are investigating his death and are in contact with American authorities through the US Justice Department and the FBI, which in turn is informing Blair's family At around 1.15am on January 14 authorities were notified that Blair fell from the balcony of Hotel Las Rocas in the town of Rosarito, just south of Tijuana and off the Tijuana-Ensenada highway. Local news site Patrulla 646 Codigo Rojo reported that hotel staff notified authorities of the accident. After police arrived, paramedics showed up and declared him dead, it said. The preliminary report indicates that Blair showed signs of having been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the fall, the news site added. Staff from the state attorney general's office dealt with the removal of the body and were conducting an investigation. A Facebook page dedicated to sharing news from the Rosarito area, Rosarito en la Noticia, shared an account of what happened and noted that information was being withheld by local authorities and cited reporting in The O.C. Register. At around 1.15am on January 14 authorities were notified that Blair fell from the balcony of Hotel Las Rocas (pictured) in the town of Rosarito, just south of Tijuana and off the Tijuana-Ensenada highway 'Elliot was known for a smile on his face and a clever mind. There are not enough words to express the level of love he had for Kim. Kim was his life,' said the GoFundMe page set up in Blair's memory The GoFundMe page said of Blair and his wife: 'They just started building a life together in their first year of marriage. Elliot was killed on their one-year wedding anniversary. Kim's heart is shattered' The GoFundMe page that was set up in Blair's memory has generated more than $101,000 in donations. Funds raised will go towards helping Williams transport Blair's body from Mexico to the USA and deal with all the red tape, the organizer said. Blair was 'a compassionate lawyer who dedicated his life to serving indigent clients,' a post on the GofundMe page said. 'Elliot was known as a patient and caring advocate. He was the best of us and was loved by countless members of our office and the Orange County legal community. We are heartbroken.' The post said that Blair would now be with his father, Tom, who died two years ago. 'Elliot and Tom were thick as thieves,' it said. 'They spent countless hours together in the garage working on cars, dirt bikes, and dune buggies.' The post added: 'Elliot was known for a smile on his face and a clever mind. There are not enough words to express the level of love he had for Kim. Kim was his life. 'They just started building a life together in their first year of marriage. Elliot was killed on their one-year wedding anniversary. Kim's heart is shattered.' Towns and cities in England and Wales are more ethnically diverse and less segregated than ever before, according to a study published today. Researchers analysing census ethnicity data over the last 20 years found more small local areas are home to a large number of ethnic groups living side by side. London had the most 'rainbow' neighbourhoods - meaning a diverse area - followed by Birmingham, Leicester, Slough, Watford, Luton and Manchester. Meanwhile, the number of areas with 'very high levels of diversity' rose from 342 (1 per cent) in 2001 to 2,201 in 2021 (6 per cent). This was partly down to the white British population falling by 1.1million over the last 20 years compared to an increase of 8.7million in other ethnicities. Slide me One data point used by researchers was the Reciprocal Diversity Index (RDI), which looks at how diverse an area is on a scale from zero to 100. This compares the diversity of neighbourhoods in England and Wales in 2001 and 2021 Nigel Farage was among those to use the recently published 2021 census to claim London, Birmingham and Manchester are now 'minority white cities'. Look at the 2021 census data for your local area HERE Advertisement According to this new research, he was wrong about London as a whole, but correct for Birmingham, where 48.6 per cent of residents said they were white. However, the study authors said the 'majority-minority' argument is 'too blunt' since non-white people are not one group but come from different ethnic backgrounds, and that such areas should be known as 'ethnically diverse'. Study author Dr Gemma Catney, from Queen's University Belfast, told MailOnline: 'The problem with the Farage majority-minority claim is it homogenises multiple groups into one in a way that doesn't have meaning for anybody. 'During Covid, for example, the Government recommended we stop using the term Bame because it lumps people from lots of different ethnicities together. 'When it comes to the census, comparing the number of white people to all other minority groups would suggest segregation when we're actually looking at diversity, with more people than ever living next to someone from a different ethnicity. 'The census doesn't have attitudinal data from there. But rather than division and difference this suggests increased mixing, decreased segregation. This has happened at a relatively slow and steady pace for most neighbourhoods.' This graph shows the most diverse areas at the top left - led by Newham in London This table breaks down each area by the different ethnic groups that live there Luton, Birmingham and Leicester were also high on the list of England and Wales' most diverse areas Dr Catney suggested people were gradually becoming more tolerant of each other. The study, published in the Royal Geographical Society's Geographical Journal, broke down the census data into 36,000 areas of around 1,600 people before looking at how many different ethnicities were represented there. It found local diversity more than doubled between 2001 and 2021, with dramatic increases in some places. There was a ninefold increase in diversity in Barking and Dagenham and a near tenfold increase in Boston, Lincolnshire - albeit from a low base. In Newham, 6 per cent of the population is of Bangladeshi heritage, followed by white British (15 per cent), other white (15 per cent), black African (12 per cent) and Indian (11 per cent). People from other ethnic groups made up the remaining third of Newhams population. In Slough (the sixth most diverse district), the top four ethnic groups were white British (24 per cent), Pakistani (22 per cent), Indian (19 per cent) and other white (11 per cent). And in Manchester the largest ethnic groups were white British (49 per cent), Pakistani (12 per cent), black African (9 per cent) and other white (6 per cent). The last census was carried out on March 21, 2021 and filled out by more than 24million households across England and Wales. The London Borough of Newham was named as the most diverse neighbourhood in England and Wales Downing Street today slapped down a Cabinet minister for suggesting 16-year-olds are old enough to change genders. Education Secretary Gillian Keegan strayed off message during a round of interviews by backing reducing the age limit from 18. That is one of the moves in legislation passed by Holyrood - which is being blocked by Westminster because it would clash with existing UK laws. After pointing out that she personally had been working and paying tax at 16, Ms Keegan then frantically tried to quell the row in an appearance later by saying she did not have a 'strong opinion'. And No10 made clear there is no change to the government's position. 'We consulted on this issue and went with 18 as the right age she made clear herself that she was speaking about her own personal standpoint,' the PM's spokesman said. Nicola Sturgeon has complained of a 'full-frontal attack' by Westminster after ministers stepped in to stop the law passed by Holyrood causing chaos. Scottish Secretary Alister Jack will make a statement to MPs later explaining the unprecedented use of Section 35 powers - with experts saying the Scottish administration overstepped the mark. Education Secretary Gillian Keegan risked a clash with Rishi Sunak by suggesting during a round of interviews that she backed reducing the age limit from 18 Scottish Secretary Alister Jack and Rishi Sunak near Inverness last week Sturgeon threatens challenge over block on Scottish gender rules Nicola Sturgeon has been accused of 'political posturing' as she threatens legal action over the government blocking looser gender rules in Scotland. The SNP leader complained about a 'full-frontal attack' by Westminster after ministers stepped in to stop the law passed by Holyrood causing chaos across the UK. Scottish Secretary Alister Jack will make a statement to MPs later explaining the unprecedented intervention - with experts saying the Scottish administration overstepped the mark. Ms Sturgeon tweeted last night vowing to 'defend the legislation & stand up for Scotland's Parliament', suggesting she will apply for a judicial review. 'If this Westminster veto succeeds, it will be first of many,' she said. However, critics swiped that she was seeking a 'constitutional fight' to gain political ground. In a round of interviews this morning, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan insisted it was not possible to have 'competing' legislation on gender and equality. Advertisement Appearing on Sky News, Ms Keegan was asked if she would be content for children in schools at 16 to say whether they want to change their gender. She said: 'We have to be very sensitive to children. We are actually going to publish some guidance and consult because it is a very tricky area to get right. 'It has to be age-appropriate, but children have to be supported as well.' Pressed on her personal view, the minister was asked if 16 was too young. 'No I don't actually. I was working at 16, I was paying tax at 16, I was making decisions for myself at 16,' she replied. 'But it's not really about what I think, it's how we make sure we get that right balance of supporting children, but also making sure that what they're getting taught in schools is age-appropriate.' Ms Keegan appeared to row back on the remarks later, denying she is at odds with Mr Sunak over the issue. 'What I said is we will be publishing guidance and having quite a long consultation because it's a very tricky subject and we want to make sure that we support children in the right way at the right time and teach them in an age appropriate way,' she said. 'I said 'Look, you know, at 16, I was working, I was paying tax', but all 16-year-olds are different. 'Obviously, everybody has a different view. It's really, really important that we take into account parents' views, teachers' views, children's views, and other stakeholders' views as well because it is quite tricky. 'But what I said was, you know, for me, myself, I felt able to take decisions for myself at 16. But of course I was I'd grown up quite quickly and I was actually working full-time at 16. 'So, no, I have not got a difference of opinion. Actually, I don't have a strong opinion. 'My strong opinion is that we need to treat this very carefully, very sensitively, supporting children all the way along.' Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had warned the UK Government against blocking the gender identity legislation Metropolitan Police officers may have blundered over the death of a missing woman who drowned after she drove her car into an icy lake a year after she was allegedly raped by a work colleague, an inquest heard today. Hannah Warren, 28, freed herself from her Mini Cooper and swam to nearby rocks, but fell back into the freezing water near a Tata Steel site in Port Talbot, the hearing was told. Her body was found around 330ft from where the Mini convertible hit the lake on February 4, 2016 - a day after she was first reported missing from her home around 200 miles away in Streatham, south-west London. Ms Warren's family say Scotland Yard should have acted sooner after she was reported as acting 'irrationally.' A previous hearing was told the family lodged an official complaint with police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), regarding the force's handling of the case. Hannah Warren, 28, drowned after her car fell into an icy lake in Port Talbot Her body was found around 330 feet from where the Mini convertible hit the lake on February 4, 2016 At the inquest yesterday, mother Jane Barnes said her daughter died almost a year to the day she was allegedly attacked by a work colleague. The inquest heard the Metropolitan Police launched an investigation after Ms Warren was reported as missing and her car was later spotted by an automatic number plate recognition camera in south Wales. Home Office pathologist Dr Ryk James said Ms Warren died as a result of drowning. Coroner Edward Ramsay said the jury would have to decide whether the Metropolitan Police could have done more to protect her. He said it was 'central to the case' for the jury to consider whether or not more could have been done by the Metropolitan Police service in response to the concerns raised about her welfare. Ms Warren, who worked at an office refurbishment company, vanished in her car at around 6am on February 3, 2016, and later texted her boss to tell him that she planned to resign from her job. A Home Office pathologist said he believed that Ms Warren died as a result of drowning She drove 200 miles to Port Talbot before crashing into the water from a quayside road that had no safety barriers, The Sun reports. Her face and body were covered in bruises and grazes including on her neck, Dr James said. The expert suggested this may have been caused by the car's seatbelt. The pathologist also said there were 'low' levels of cocaine and cannabis in her system, while the hearing was told that she was in a 'distorted' state of mind at the time of her death. Ms Warren's mother said she had been raped by a work colleague in February 2015, almost exactly a year to the day before she died. She said: 'Hannah was raped by a colleague at work but I didn't know about it until after she had died. She had told her younger brother James and it was James who told me. She had been having counselling but I didn't know until I saw some notes on her iPad which were synced with her mobile phone which talked about the rape. I found one box of anti-depressants dated 2014 and only one tablet had been taken out. 'She never spoke to me about it but in 2015 Hannah's personality did change. 'Every time I would make arrangements to meet her there would always be an excuse. There always seemed to be a reason that we couldn't meet up.' The Swansea hearing, expected to last 10 days, continues. This is the moment a prolific 'would-be' burglar was caught on doorbell cameras attempting to break into more than a dozen homes in a one-night spree. Kennie Owen, 44, targeted at least 15 different homes, trying to walk in through unlocked front doors along the streets of Werrington in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire on July 12. But he was caught red-handed by the doorbell cameras attached to the homes of his would-be victims. Yesterday Owen was sentenced at Huntingdon Law Court to three years and two months in prison after admitting to the 15 burglary attempts. Kennie Owen was caught on camera trying door handles of homes in Werrington, Cambridgeshire The offender was identified as Owen, who was arrested in Bretton on July 16 Cambridgeshire Police called for more doorbell footage to be brought forward after receiving a handful of identical reports after the spree took place. Video released by police shows him brazenly walking up to four different front doors and trying the handle in an attempt to break in. In one video he tries the handle with his jumper to avoid leaving fingerprints. He was eventually identified and arrested in Bretton, Peterborough, on July 16. Owen appeared at Huntingdon Law Court yesterday where he was sentenced to three years and two months in prison after previously admitting 15 charges of attempted burglary Video released by police shows him brazenly walking up to four different front doors and trying the handle in an attempt to break in Detective Constable Matt Reed, who investigated the crime, said: 'Owen tried his luck that night, hoping to come across a door that was unlocked where he would then carry out a burglary. 'This is a really good example of simple measures that can be put in place to prevent your home from being burgled, but also in helping us catch any offenders. 'Video doorbells can sometimes act as a deterrent, but also clearly capture anyone committing crime, as was the case this night.' But it passed by a majority of 60, meaning a second reading will take place Unions criticised the plans, with Labour and opposition MPs trying to block it MPs voted in favour of the Government's strike bill in the House of Commons Britain's battered economy lost almost half a million working days to strike action in November - the worst monthly total for more than a decade, official figures revealed today. As militant unions across a range of industries prepare for massive walkouts in February and beyond, the ONS said industrial action by rail and other workers cost 467,000 working days. It came as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak accused Labour of helping unions 'grind Britain to a halt' by opposing a new law to limit strike action. The bill cleared its first legislative hurdle in the Commons last night as MPs voted for the Government's bill to set minimum service levels for frontline workers holding industrial action. Labour voted against it and Rishi Sunak, in an email to party members late last night, said: 'Union bosses want to grind Britain to a halt. And Labour want to let them.' As militant unions across a range of industries prepare for massive walkouts in February and beyond, the ONS said industrial action by rail and other workers cost 467,000 working days. Business Secretary Grant Shapps, pictured here on January 10, introduced a second reading of the bill into the House of Commons tonight Members of the RMT union were among those protesting against the bill outside Downing Street tonight Thousands of teachers in England and Wales will go on strike in February and March in row over pay despite warnings vulnerable children will be put at risk Advertisement Ministers had introduced the bill in the wake of strikes by rail workers, nurses, ambulance staff and civil servants in recent weeks, that has seen the country grind to a halt. The bill, which had been harshly criticised by unions, gives ministers the power to draw up minimum service laws, that could see workers fired if they refuse to work during a strike. After a fiery debate in the House of Commons about the proposals, MPs voted to accept the first reading of the bill by a margin of 60, with 309 voting in favour compared to 249 against. It means the proposals in the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill can move forward to a second reading as part of what is set to be a tricky roadmap into becoming law. Unions, Labour and other opposition MPs, as well as peers in the House of Lords have all vowed to fight the plans put in place by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Labour has accused the Government of 'threatening nurses with the sack' with their plans, which have been introduced amid a bitter pay dispute between ministers and unions. Introducing the bill to parliament earlier in the night, Business Secretary Grant Shapps said the public had 'had enough of the constant, most unwelcome, frankly, dangerous disruption to their lives'. He added there are 'millions of people who rely on essential transport to get to work or to family commitments who every day have the extra stress of worrying about making alternative arrangements, sometimes costly arrangements, because of these forever strikers'. Mr Shapps went on: 'There comes a time when we can't let this continue and that is why we need minimum safety and service levels - to keep livelihoods and lives safe, and it's frankly irresponsible, even surprising, for the opposition opposite to suggest otherwise.' He presented the bill for its second reading in front of MPs this evening with a warning that it would be 'irresponsible' for opposition parties to oppose the Government's efforts to 'keep livelihoods and lives safe' during strikes. The Business Secretary warned that continuing to rely on voluntary arrangements between unions and NHS trusts during strikes by health workers was not sustainable. 'We can't continue to rely on voluntary arrangements to ensure the safety of people we represent,' Mr Shapps told the Commons. 'After all, strokes and heart attacks don't respect the boundaries of, for example, trust borders, and I'm intrigued to know what the members opposite would actually say to their constituents, perhaps to grieving constituents who've lost loved ones because of some sort of postcode lottery.' Recent strikes by rail workers, nurses and ambulance staff (pictured) sparked the Government to introduce the bill Angela Raynor, deputy leader of the Labour Party, hit out at the Government's plans and the 'tone' of his remarks Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner hit out at the 'tone' of Mr Shapps's remarks in the Commons this evening and demanded he 'reflect' on his comments. Confirming her party would vote against the bill's second reading, she told MPs: 'I cannot recall a measure that is at once so irrational and so insulting. 'Not only is it a vindictive assault on the basic freedoms of British working people, but this legislation is as empty of detail as it is full of holes. 'So, we will oppose the sacking of nurses' bill and not just nurses, but also many of the key workers who we clapped and who kept our services going in the face of the pandemic. 'We will vote against it tonight and the next Labour government will repeal it.' The Liberal Democrats and SNP are also set to vote against the bill's second reading tonight. Meanwhile, to coincide with this evening's debate in the Commons, trade union leaders who spearheaded recent strikes staged a demonstration outside Downing Street against the 'hostile' legislation. Members of the PCS union, which has recently held a Border Force strike, and the RMT union, which has staged regular strikes on the railways for months, both attended the Westminster rally. The Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill is part of Mr Sunak's response to the ongoing 'winter of discontent'. Nurses, ambulance drivers, rail workers, and border officials - as well as many other workers - have all brought widespread disruption to Britain with walkouts in recent months. Union members gather outside Downing Street tonight to voice their opposition to the Government's bill The bill seeks to give the Government the power to set minimum service levels for NHS, fire, education, transport, nuclear decommissioning and border security services. It does not set out what minimum service levels should be, or what they should be based on, but gives ministers the power to impose minimums through secondary legislation. The PCS union encouraged its members to join tonight's demonstration outside Downing Street with flags, banners and placards. The union's general secretary Mark Serwotka said: 'This bill puts power in the hands of the wrong people. 'It gives all the power to ministers and employers instead of our members who are being denied their democratic right to strike. 'It paves the way for workers who have voted for strike action being sacked if they refuse to turn up for work on a strike day. 'We shall oppose this hostile legislation to protect our members' rights.' Protesters chanted 'f*** the Tories' and 'the people united will never be divided' and others banged drums as they gathered in Westminster. Speaking at the protest, Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union, said she was 'keeping warm' by thinking about how National Education Union (NEU) teachers had earlier voted to strike. 'It's absolutely freezing but you know what's keeping me warm? The NEU just smashed their ballot,' she told the crowd. 'Picket lines, democracy, we are the champions of them and we are not going to accept any extra conditions on our ability to do that.' Clare Keenan, from the PCS, described the Bill as an 'attack on my human rights and those of my fellow workers'. She said: 'You can't make people go to work five days a week and having to use food banks and removing their ability to protest. 'It's just a hurdle that they're putting in the way to stop workers from taking industrial action.' Retired George Hallam, who attended to show solidarity with workers, likened the Bill to anti-strike action taken under Margaret Thatcher's government. He said: 'I think the Government is chancing its arm because the last time it tried something like this was the 1970s... It's worse than a sin, it's a mistake, because they're likely to get a bloody nose like they did back then.' The Russian Air Force found a use for its subsonic Su-25s in the offensive of the western front that it was engaged in. Russia has been engaged in an air war with Ukraine and has been getting the upper hand, ending in UAF losses. Su-25s Mission on the Western Front The Su-25 Grach ground attack aircraft is old by the Russian aerospace forces and has a strategic use; it will be part of a unit in the Western Military District, reports Bulgarian Military. Planes assigned to the unit will be mostly these air support planes tasked with backing the assault of Moscow's ground offensive in Ukraine. On January 13, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation decided to add more firepower to the Western strategic direction. Su-25 close air support will be used to demolish enemy structures in the battle zone, per Military Today. The Russian MoD made it clear that it plays a pivotal role. Russia Amps Up Offensive When the war started in Ukraine on February 24, 2022; wherein about 192 units of ground attack units were already included in the Russian Aerospace Forces [VKS]. The VKS has three variants and modifications: the basic, two-seater version UB and the BM, which is a target towing. One of these variants of the Grach also developed for carrier use is the UTG, but it has yet to come to pass as the only Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov is not ready for duty, per Naval News. No information is available on how many of these carrier-based variants exist. Read Also: Russia Develops Satellite Destroyers Threatening the ISS More Widespread Use of the Su-25 The reasons for establishing the strategic attack aviation of the Russian Federation are essential for Moscow. One comment Russian test pilot Igor Malikov told Russian media that the move is appropriate. It shows the Kremlin supports the ground units engaged in combat. He stated that the planes should be all over, but no new kind of close support aircraft to replace it is not in progress, but it is very useful. Used to cover infantry in combat and sending it to the west is correct to support infantry maneuvers. The VKS used the ground attack plane in 2022 to support the special operation in Ukraine. But the plane has not gotten a good track record in the Ukrainian conflict; Moscow and Kyiv had lost similar planes on the battlefield. It flies at lower altitudes for close air support (CAS), but man-portable ground-to-air missiles can shoot it down, the US supplied to Kyiv by the west. Such a vulnerability is a big question mark as to how sound it would be for the RuAF to consider such a move. That can lead to more planes of the type getting knocked out from the sky. Russian MoD does not reveal how many of them will be used in the Western Military District, cites Global Security. The RuAF used its Su-25s to support the western front, emphasizing close air support of infantry and armor. Related Article: North Korean Su-25 Attack Jets Seen in Training @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A U-turn last month saw a plea deal thrown out and a murder trial has begun A British pensioner accused of killing his terminally ill wife has revealed how prison authorities refused him permission to go to church on the anniversary of his wife's death. David Hunter, 75, has been in jail on remand for more than a year after being arrested and accused of murdering his wife Janice, 74, who was suffering from blood cancer, at their retirement home on the island. Last month lawyers representing him said they had been led to believe that a plea bargain was agreed and that he would plead guilty to manslaughter on agreed facts paving the way for a possible release on compassionate grounds. But instead the judge at a district court in Paphos, a holiday resort in western Cyprus popular with Britons, decided to press ahead with his case as a murder trial. British pensioner David Hunter, 75, has revealed how prison authorities refused him permission to go to church on the anniversary of his wife's death (pictured today) David Hunter has been in jail on remand for more than a year after being arrested and accused of murdering his wife Janice, 74, who was suffering from blood cancer (pictured today) The pair from Northumberland retired to Paphos 20 years ago and were married for 46 years The details of how Mrs Hunter died have not been made public. Today as he sat in court he revealed how he had asked officials at Nicosia prison if he could attend church last month to commemorate his wife's death on December 18, 2021. He said: 'I put it all in writing but I never heard back from them, so I didn't get a chance. 'I had really wanted to go and made the request through the proper channels but didn't get a reply. So if I didn't get a reply, it meant they refused me permission.' Speaking of the stop-start process of the trial he said: 'It's all really stressful, you build yourself up the night before and you get up at 5.30am on the day for a 90-minute drive from the prison to the court and after a few minutes it's adjourned. 'The back and forth just drains you and it leaves you deflated but I will take each day as it comes and I've put my faith in my legal team and my family.' The pair from Northumberland retired to Paphos 20 years ago and Mrs Hunter had been suffering with blood cancer, a condition her sister had died from. They were married for 46 years and Janice was on heavy medication for a type of terminal blood cancer when she died. Last month judges dramatically turned the case to a murder trial - after Hunter was expected to plead guilty to manslaughter Mr Hunter said he just wished the trial could be over so he could begin to grieve his wife (the couple are pictured on their wedding day) Last month David's daughter Lesley, who lives in Norwich and is pictured here with her parents, spoke of the frustration at the stop start trial and told MailOnline: 'I'm just shocked and stunned. We are devastated and just don't know how this has happened' British pensioner David Hunter is escorted into a custody van at Paphos Assize Court in December Mr Hunter, a former British miner, said in September after a court appearance that Janice had been diagnosed with cancer in 2016 and after watching her sister die of the disease, she 'knew what was coming'. He said: 'She wasn't just my wife, she was my best friend. It's like a black hole. 'Janice's sister had died from leukemia and she saw what was coming.' Mr Hunter has told police a pact existed between him and his wife and that after she had died he had tried to take his own life but he had been found after relatives alerted police. Paramedic Kleovoulos Kleovoulu told the court that when he arrived he noticed packets of tablets in the house and that they had 'all been taken.' When asked by the prosecutor Andreas Hadjikyrou what David's mental state was he said that it 'wasn't' his job to 'diagnosis someone's psychological condition'. David added how his spirits had been kept up by a fellow British cellmate, who he identified as a 28 year old from Southampton. He said: 'I'd rather not say what he is in for but he's kept my spirits up. He helps me and I help him, through laughter really. He's the one who has really kept me going.' When asked by MailOnline how he had spent Christmas he replied: 'It was just like any other day, so it made no difference to me.' He added: 'I'm treated fairly and with respect and everyone's been good to me so I can't complain. I just want it to be over so I can get on and grieve, I want to stay in Cyprus. My wife died here and I want to stay here.' Last month David's daughter Lesley, who lives in Norwich, spoke of the frustration at the stop start trial and told MailOnline: 'I'm just shocked and stunned. We are devastated and just don't know how this has happened.' The family have set up a funding page to help pay for defence costs and have raised just over 28,000. If found guilty he faces life in prison Today as he sat in court Mr Hunter revealed how he had asked officials at Nicosia prison (file image) if he could attend church last month to commemorate his wife's death on December 18, 2021 She added: 'Our side has always acted in good faith and we genuinely believed we had reached an understanding, so to have the rug so suddenly pulled seems unnecessarily cruel. 'There is a broken family here so this process needs to be about more than legal point scoring. If they are truly interested in justice, perhaps they would like to take my thoughts and feelings into account.' After the paramedic finished giving evidence there was tension as he revealed he could not call his next witness, Dr Nectarios Sidiropoulos as he was a busy GP and he was 'unavailable all week' judge Michalis Droussiotis ordered he appear immediately or he would 'issue an arrest warrant'. He added: 'There are many doctors in Paphos, he comes here now,' before halting the case so he could be contacted. When the court resumed a few minutes later the prosecutor confirmed Dr Sidiropoulos would be available on Wednesday and the trial was adjourned until then. Cyprus is an Orthodox Christian country where euthanasia is forbidden although MPs are considering debating a law to allow it in extreme cases. The family have set up a funding page to help pay for defence costs and have raised just over 28,000. If found guilty he faces life in prison. Help Bring David Home (crowdjustice.com) The Miss Universe Organization has denied allegations that the beauty pageant was rigged so that R'Bonney Gabriel of the United States could win the competition, slamming the claims as 'absurd'. Controversy has surrounded Gabriel's win on Saturday night, with Anne Jakrajutatip, the transgender Thai businesswoman who bought Miss Universe last year, accused of foul play. But the organizers said the allegations were 'false' and 'absurd', adding that the claims 'distract' from Gabriel becoming the first Filipino American to be crowned as Miss Universe. And Amy Emmerich, the CEO of Miss Universe, said the results of the competition were handled and verified by a top accounting firm after Gabriel, 28, beat runner up Miss Venezuela, Amanda Dudamel. The CEO of Miss Universe has denied allegations that the beauty pageant was rigged so that R'Bonney Gabriel of the United States could win the competition. Pictured: Gabriel beams as she is crowned Miss Universe in New Orleans on Saturday night Controversy has surrounded Gabriel's win on Saturday night, with Anne Jakrajutatip (pictured at the Miss Universe competition on January 14 in Miss Orleans), the transgender Thai businesswoman who bought Miss Universe, accused of foul play 'One of the top four accounting firms in the United States handled the results and verified the process,' Emmerich told TMZ. Jakrajutatip, the CEO and biggest shareholder of JKN Global Group Pcl (JKN), has been accused of rigging the Miss Universe competition so that Gabriel, who won Miss USA in October, could win. The billionaire Thai media mogul bought the rights to Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA for $20million last year. The pageant system was previously owned by former US president Donald Trump. Critics have pointed to how Jakrajutatip's JKN company owns both Miss Universe and Miss USA competitions, and suggested Gabriel, who became the first Filipino American to win Miss Universe, was pre-picked to win Sunday night's competition. But Emmerich told TMZ: 'The allegations regarding the rigging of Miss Universe are false. 'People saying that it's 'suspect' that JKN Global Group owns both Miss Universe and Miss USA aren't familiar with the history of the organizations.' Emmerich added that Gabriel, a fashion designer, model and sewing instructor from Texas, was a 'strong and dedicated contestant' who is the 'rightful Miss Universe'. The Miss Universe Organization also said in a statement: 'The false rigging allegations are absurd and distract from the incredible milestones our organization and the delegates experienced this weekend.' But Amy Emmerich, the CEO of Miss Universe, said the results of the competition were handled and verified by a top accounting firm after Gabriel, 28, (centre) beat runner up Miss Venezuela, Amanda Dudamel (left) Amy Emmerich (pictured on January 12 in New Orleans), the CEO of Miss Universe, said the results of the competition were handled and verified by a top accounting firm The controversy surrounding Gabriel's win at Miss Universe over the weekend comes just months after she became Miss USA on October 3. Contestants accused 'woke' Miss USA of giving Gabriel preferential treatment and preselecting her to win because she's Filipina - making her the first Filipina American to be crowned at the competition. Gabriel denied the allegations against her at the time, saying there was 'no unfair advantage' and she 'would never enter any pageant or any competition that I would know I would win.' Indeed, Emmerich told TMZ yesterday that an independent third-party law firm was hired to look into the allegations that the Miss USA pageant had been rigged in October. She said the law firm determined the allegations were unfounded. But fellow American contestants of Miss USA said at the time that Gabriel's win had been the result of 'favoritism.' The legitimacy of her win was also challenged by fellow contenders who said it was suspect that a beauty treatment company that offers a price to the winner featured Gabriel in an ad less than 24 hours after she won. Gabriel appeared in an ad for NIZUC spas less than 24 hours after she won the Miss USA pageant, which led other competitors to believe the contest had been rigged from the start. Miss Montana, Heather Lee O'Keefe claimed the ads proved the winner was chosen unfairly. '@MissUSA was crowned less than 24 hours ago, yet she already got her sponsored vacation to @NIZUCResort,' she wrote. The controversy surrounding Gabriel's win at Miss Universe over the weekend comes just months after she became Miss USA on October 3 (pictured) She added: 'Are you kidding me? I was giving y'all the benefit of the doubt, but this is just embarrassing at this point.' In her defense, Gabriel claimed that she was a brand ambassador for NIZUC's affiliate company MIA Beaute, which also sponsors the Miss Texas pageant and was opening a new spa at the NIZUC resort in Mexico. Doubters didn't necessarily buy the excuse, however, noting that the founder of MIA is one of the judges at the Miss USA competition. O'Keefe claimed that Gabriel's ambassadorship was a violation of the handbook and that no contestant should have been allowed to work with Miss USA national sponsors. Controversy continued to spiral for Gabriel when a picture of Crystle Stewart, one of the Miss USA organizers, doing Gabriel's hair backstage circulated. The picture served as greater fodder for the claim of favoritism. However, Gabriel said the photo was snapped the day after the crowning just before official Miss USA headshots. Ms Jakrajutatip bought Miss USA and Miss Universe in the days after the controversy first emerged. The businesswoman, who has a more than seven million follower count on Instagram, went from working at a gas station to becoming the billionaire owner of a media and content conglomerate. Her firm partnered with media giants like Walt Disney, CBS, and Sony, and also brought Korean, Chinese, and Indian productions to Thai TV. She also appeared on the Thai version of Shark Tank and Project Runway. On Saturday night, Gabriel was crowned as Miss Universe. She was draped in the winner's sash and crowned with a tiara onstage at the 71st Miss Universe Competition, held in New Orleans. In the Q&A at the last stage of the competition for the three finalists, Gabriel was asked how she would work to demonstrate Miss Universe is 'an empowering and progressive organization' if she were to win. 'I would use it to be a transformational leader,' she responded, citing her work using recycled materials in her fashion design and teaching sewing to survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence. 'It is so important to invest in others, invest in our community and use your unique talent to make a difference,' Gabriel continued. 'We all have something special, and when we plant those seeds to other people in our life, we transform them and we use that as a vehicle for change.' Miss USA R'Bonney Gabriel became the 9th Miss USA to win the global pageant in its 71-year history on Saturday night According to Miss Universe, Gabriel is a former high school volleyball player and graduate of the University of North Texas. A short bio posted on the organization's website said she is also CEO of her own sustainable clothing line. Nearly 90 contestants from around the world took part in the competition, organizers said, involving 'personal statements, in depth interviews and various categories including evening gown & swimwear.' Saturday night's pageant was held in New Orleans to honor the late Cheslie Kryst, who was crowned Miss USA at the same venue in 2019. The pageant paid tribute to Kryst, who jumped to her death in New York City last January, just several weeks after appearing as a correspondent for the 70th Miss Universe competition. Kryst's mother appeared on stage Saturday to announce that the National Alliance on Mental Illness established the Cheslie Kryst Memorial Fund for Mental Health in her honor. 'Cheslie dealt with high-functioning depression,' said her mom, April Simpkins, said on the competition stage. 'The Chelsie you saw didnt always match the way she felt inside. Just because someone tells you theyre fine, doesnt mean they are.' On at least two occasions on 4 August 2022 her conduct caused fear of violence Moore, 33, denied stalking involving fear of violence and possession of a knife An alleged stalker accused of threatening to stab a woman outside BBC broadcasting house will stand trial in June. Danielle Moore, 33, allegedly brandished a blade and screamed 'I'll f***ing chop you' at the complainant. Moore denied stalking involving fear of violence and possession of a knife when she appeared at Southwark Crown Court in September last year. The stalking charge alleges that on at least two occasions, at Portland Place on 4 August 2022, her course of conduct caused the complainant to fear 'that violence would be used against her' in that she 'attended the work place of the victim various times and called the victim on the phone being racially abusive'. An alleged stalker accused of threatening to stab a woman outside BBC broadcasting house (pictured) will stand trial in June Judge Christopher Hehir had remanded Moore in custody and originally set her trial for 10 January but it has now been put back to 27 June. Moore, of Bermondsey, southeast London, denies stalking and possession of a knife in a public place. Northern Illinois University (NIU) is set to host a number of sessions for faculty and instructors on topics such as decolonizing teaching and learning and understanding and rethinking resistance for equity in the classroom. The Faculty of Academy of Cultural Competence and Equity (FACCE) will focus on access, equity, and inclusion. Participants will be able to join either a monthly workshop series during the fall 2022 and spring 2023 semesters or a weeklong summer institute in summer 2023. NIU faculty experts will speak on how to make classrooms and teaching more inclusive. The Faculty of Academy of Cultural Competence and Equity at Northern Illinois University (pictured) will focus on access, equity, and inclusion, providing educators with the opportunity to explore topics such as culturally relevant leadership skills and anti-racism Pictured: Northern Illinois University President Lisa C. Freeman (centre) and colleagues The first session for the 2023 academic year will be held on January 27 and will explore forms of resistance that can arise in classrooms, such as white guilt, white fragility and white fatigue. Workshop titles include The Act of Decolonizing: Examining Classroom Spaces and Curricula Through a Lens of Justice, Anti-Racism: Tracing The Roots, Persistence, and Countering of a Racial Hierarchy, and Decolonizing Gender and Sexuality In Our Teaching and Learning Contexts. Another workshop concentrates on 'Working Through And With Our Implicit Biases'. The University said in a statement: 'Northern Illinois Universitys Faculty Academy for Cultural Competence and Equity is a natural outgrowth of our commitment to equity and inclusion. 'The academy, which is voluntary, provides interested faculty with the opportunity to develop cultural competencies and hone their teaching practices so that they can connect with students from all backgrounds. 'Doing so improves the learning experience for all NIU students and prepares them to succeed on campus and beyond.' The NIU webpage for the academy curriculum includes outlined learning objectives. Those who partake will gain a better understanding of the 'historical and societal context of issues related to social injustice, inequity, and oppression'. They will also 'undergo critical self-reflection of internalized messaging and biases' and 'apply anti-racism and decolonialization as frameworks for pedagogical practice and curriculum development'. The first session for the 2023 academic year will be held on January 27 and will explore forms of resistance that can arise in classrooms, such as white guilt, white fragility, and white fatigue NIU faculty experts will speak on how to make classrooms and teaching more inclusive The NIU webpage for the academy curriculum includes outlined learning objectives A Certificate of Completion for the monthly FACCE series is handed out to participants who attend seven of the Fall and Spring semester sessions, or successfully complete the 2023 Summer Academy. At least 236 colleges or universities have some type of compulsory student training of coursework on ideas related to critical race theory (CRT), according to a database with information from more than 500 institutions. Among those are 149 institutions that have some form of mandatory staff or faculty training, with 138 mandating school-wide curricular requirements. In December, the University of Oregon's student government made a proposal that would require anyone getting a bachelor's degree to take a course in Critical Race Theory. The school, which serves 18,604 undergrads and receives a $912.5billion endowment from the taxpayers, requires courses that teach inequality or global perspectives, but this would be the first requirement directly related to CRT. Isaiah Boyd, a political science major and the president of the Associated Students of the University of Oregon, laid out the plan at the university board of trustees meeting. Northern Illinois University has been contacted for comment. Two campers allegedly murdered by Gregory Lynn in a remote national park were 'childhood sweethearts' who had kept their relationship secret for 15 years, a court has been told. Carol Clay, 73, and Russell Hill, 74, had travelled to Wonnangatta Valley on March 19, 2020, for a short camping trip in the remote wilderness when they vanished sometime after 6pm the following day. Police allege Mr Lynn, a former Jetstar pilot, killed the pair following an altercation in the national park and dumped their bodies. Police allege Gregory Lynn (pictured in court), a former Jetstar pilot, killed the pair following an altercation in the national park and dumped their bodies The 56-year-old has pleaded not guilty and will contest the charges. In a summary of the case against Lynn provided to the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, police said Mr Hill and Miss Clay had rekindled a relationship about 15 years earlier and would go on regular camping trips to 'spend time together'. The pair were childhood sweethearts who had drifted apart and had children with other partners, documents tendered to the court said. Mr Hill had been married to another woman for 51 years at the time of his death, and police facts tendered to the court revealed his wife believed he had gone camping alone. 'Those close to them believe that they kept their relationship a secret to spare Hill's family from distress,' the police statement of facts read. On Tuesday, the court heard Ms Clay may have been shot in the head as Mr Hill and Mr Lynn fought over a shotgun. The 56-year-old Caroline Springs man has faced the Melbourne Magistrates' Court this week for a committal hearing, where magistrate Brett Sonnet will decide whether there is sufficient evidence for Mr Lynn to stand trial in the Supreme Court. Police allege Mr Hill and his lover Carol Clay (pictured) had rekindled a relationship about 15 years earlier and would go on regular camping trips to 'spend time together' Eight witnesses have given evidence before the committal hearing, which has been adjourned until January 23 to hear from three more (pictured, the camping scene) On Tuesday, forensic expert Mark Gellatly was called to give evidence about the forensic examination of evidence recovered during the investigation. Under questioning by defence lawyer Dermot Dann KC, he was asked by investigators to consider a 'scenario' in which Ms Clay was accidentally hit when Mr Hill grabbed Mr Lynn's shotgun. 'The two were wrestling over the gun, causing an accidental discharge,' Mr Dann said. 'Ms Clay was shot in the head.' Mr Gellatly told the court he was asked to investigate this possibility but ultimately said he could not confirm or exclude the scenario based on the limited evidence available. He told the court that DNA and biological material linked to Ms Clay were found on the canopy of Mr Hill's vehicle. Russell Hill (pictured) had been married to another woman for 51 years at the time of his death, and police facts tendered to the court revealed Mr Hill's wife believed he had gone camping alone 'It's possible they were connected (to the scenario),' he said. Crown prosecutor John Dickie complained about the scenario being raised by Mr Dann, saying it 'might not' reflect the case against Mr Lynn. Mr Dann said it was 'important' to understand the context in which forensic officers ran their investigation. Earlier, the court was told that Mr Lynn was secretly recorded by police just months after Mr Hill and Ms Clay vanished while camping in the Victorian Alps. Detectives from the missing persons squad visited the former Jetstar pilot's Caroline Springs home on July 14, 2020 - more than two years before he was charged over the alleged murder. In the photograph taken by the automatic number plate recognition system, Mr Lynn's vehicle was a dark 'bluish' colour but in the driveway of his home Detective Senior Constable Justin saw it was painted beige (Gregory Lynn's car) Giving evidence before Mr Lynn's committal hearing on Tuesday, Detective Senior Constable Abbey Justin said his blue Nissan Patrol had been photographed leaving the area a day after the campers were allegedly killed. The Melbourne Magistrates' Court heard police had tracked the phone movements of the missing pair to an area around Mount Hotham. Detective Senior Constable Justin said the phone was identified as being in the area of an automatic number plate recognition system camera around 9.45am on March 21, 2020 - the morning after they were allegedly killed. Twelve cars were recorded by the camera during the time period but only one wasn't allegedly picked up by other cameras entering the Wonnangatta National Park - Mr Lynn's. Mr Lynn (pictured) has pleaded not guilty to murdering campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay 'The 11 cars were taken out of the equation because they activated cameras one and two,' she said. 'According to the information from Telstra, the deceased's phone was in the area at that time,' she said. In July, she quizzed Mr Lynn in the kitchen of his home about his movements through the park and the colour of his vehicle. 'At that point he was a witness,' she said. 'We were there to find out the movements of his car and confirm who was driving.' The court heard Mr Lynn's wife Melanie could be heard working from home in the background of the recording. In the photograph taken by the automatic number plate recognition system, Mr Lynn's vehicle was a dark 'bluish' colour but in the driveway of his home Detective Senior Constable Justin saw it was painted beige. Police have yet to reveal why they believe the former Jetstar pilot killed the pair, laying out a circumstantial case against Mr Lynn (pictured, Russell Hill and Carol Clay's burned campsite photographed by a camper near Dry River track at Billabong in the Wonnangatta Valley) 'I was under the belief that it was the same vehicle,' she said, telling the court she snapped a photo of the vehicle when leaving. The interview was allegedly recorded by a 'micro-recorder' and, under questioning from Mr Dann, she admitted she hadn't 'cautioned' Mr Lynn. 'I would never give a witness a caution,' she said. Mr Lynn, who has denied killing the pair, could be seen taking notes as he watched crown prosecutor John Dickie call witnesses to give evidence. Remains, later confirmed to be the missing campers, were found buried in bushland near Dargo about 40km from the original campsite (pictured, Ms Clay) Police have yet to reveal why they believe the former Jetstar pilot killed the pair, laying out a circumstantial case against Mr Lynn. Eight witnesses have given evidence before the committal hearing, which has been adjourned until January 23 to hear from three more. Over the course of Monday's hearing, prosecutors sought to establish a timeline of the disappearance and alleged murder of the two campers. Witnesses told the court they were seen arriving on the afternoon of March 19 after driving from Melbourne for a camping trip. Witnesses told the court the couple were seen arriving on the afternoon of March 19 after driving from Melbourne for a camping trip (pictured, Mr Hill) They had been long-time friends and Mr Hill was known to be a well-prepared and enthusiastic camper, with the last confirmed contact received over high-frequency radio on March 20. Remains, later confirmed to be the missing campers, were found buried in bushland near Dargo about 40km from the original campsite. Mr Lynn was charged with two counts of murder in November 2021 and has spent more than a year on remand. The hearing before magistrate Brett Sonnet continues, but will not hear further evidence until Monday. Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych quit on Tuesday after outcry over his suggestion the Russian missile that killed at least 44 people in the city of Dnipro had been shot down by Ukraine. Arestovych announced his resignation on Facebook after publicly apologising and rowing back on his comments in a post on the Telegram messaging app. The Ukrainian Air Force says the apartment building was hit by a Russian Kh-22 missile, which Kyiv does not have the equipment to shoot down. 'I offer my sincere apologies to the victims and their relatives, the residents of Dnipro and everyone who was deeply hurt by my prematurely erroneous version of the reason for the Russian missile striking a residential building,' Arestovych wrote. Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych (left) quit on Tuesday, posting a photo of his resignation letter along with a statement on social media (right). Arestovych rowed back on his comments after he suggested the Russian missile that killed at least 44 people in the city of Dnipro had been shot down by Ukraine 'I offer my sincere apologies to the victims and their relatives, the residents of Dnipro and everyone who was deeply hurt by my prematurely erroneous version of the reason for the Russian missile striking a residential building,' Arestovych wrote in this post on Facebook Meanwhile, the death toll from the missile strike on the building in the east Ukrainian city of Dnipro rose to 44, Dnipro mayor Borys Filatov said on Tuesday. 'I am here. Already 44 dead,' Filatov wrote on Facebook, making clear he was visiting the scene of Saturday's attack. Regional authorities said earlier on Tuesday that a child's body was among the latest retrieved from the rubble. Filatov did not say how many people were still unaccounted for. Emergency services said on Tuesday that it chances were 'minimal' that any more people would be found alive in the rubble of the wrecked building. Rescue workers have cleared about 90% of the rubble during a 63-hour search since Saturday's strike, according to Valentyn Reznichenko, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region. There are 79 wounded people, he said, with 28 of them hospitalized and 10 in serious condition. Hours after the missile strike, Arestovych, who appears regularly on YouTube to provide updates on the war, initially said it appeared that the Russian missile had fallen on the building after being shot down by Ukrainian air defences. 'It was shot down, it fell on an entryway. It exploded as it fell,' he said. The comment, which deviated from the official Ukrainian account, caused widespread anger in Ukraine. It was also noticed by Russian authorities who appeared to allude to him when they blamed Kyiv for the strike. Mayor Filatov demanded that Ukrainian intelligence responded directly to denounce Arestovych's claim, while Ukrainian parliament deputy Oleksiy Goncharenko presented a collection of signatures demanding his resignation. Taking to Facebook to announce his resignation and apologise, but also hit out at those he claimed were working to 'spin this topic', Arestovych criticised the 'level of hate' directed towards him after his comments. The death toll from the missile strike on the building in the east Ukrainian city of Dnipro rose to 44, Dnipro mayor Borys Filatov said on Tuesday. Pictured: Rescuers work on a residential building destroyed after a missile strike, in Dnipro on January 16, 2023 Emergency crews have cleared about 90% of the rubble during a 63-hour search since Saturday's strike, according to Valentyn Reznichenko, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region. There are 79 wounded people, he said, with 28 of them hospitalised and 10 serious Arestovych was an advisory to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (pictured last week), who has denounced the missile strike as a war crime 'No matter for what reason and how the audience heard it, I will still be strict to the information that I convey,' he wrote of the social media platform. 'I sincerely apologise to the victims and their relatives, the residents of the Dnieper and everyone who was deeply wounded by my premature error version of the reason the Russian missile hit a residential building. 'The level of hate towards me is incomparable with the consequences of an error on the air. This brought neither reputational nor legal consequences for Ukraine.' He claimed those spinning the topic 'have very specific goals.' 'Moscow expands it to weaken Ukrainian information influence (including Russians),' he wrote. 'Ukrainian opposition attacks power in this way, earning political points during the war, thinking about future elections. 'Working to divide Ukrainians at crucial moments of history is the Kremlin's most successful strategy, which it has successfully used for the last 400 years, or maybe more. The work of our opposition to divide Ukrainians and search for traitors for political dividends is a game that the Kremlin skillfully used and still uses,' he added. He said Russia was making 'a conscious bet on the hatred of Ukrainians against Ukrainians, a bet on division, on political games in a warring country before months of heaviest fighting is the path to losing the war.' The latest deadly Russian strike on a civilian target in the almost 11-month war international triggered outrage. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky- who called the strike a 'war crime' - vowed to bring those responsible to justice, saying it's 'a fundamental task' for Ukraine and its Western allies. 'This strike at Dnipro, as well as other similar strikes, falls, in particular, under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court,' he said in a Monday video address. 'And we will use all available opportunities - both national and international - to ensure that all Russian murderers, everyone who gives and executes orders on missile terror against our people, face legal sentences. And to ensure that they serve their punishment,' he said. Pictured: People watch as rescue workers search through the rubble for survivors of a Russian strike on a high-rise residential building in Dnipro Flowers are placed at a memorial as emergency workers continue to search the remains of a residential building that was struck by a Russian missile Saturday on January 16, in Dnipro EU presidency holder Sweden condemned the attack 'in the strongest terms', with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson telling reporters that 'intentional attacks against civilians are war crimes'. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the strike, with his spokesperson calling it 'another example of a suspected violation of the laws of war'. Britain's Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday that the weekend barrage of long-range missiles, the first of its kind in two weeks, targeted Ukraine's power grid. But the ministry identified the missile that slammed into the Dnipro apartment building as an anti-ship missile that 'is notoriously inaccurate when used against ground targets as its radar guidance system is poor at differentiating targets in urban areas.' Similar missiles were used in other incidents that caused high civilian casualties, it said, including a strike on a shopping mall in Ukraine's central city of Kremenchuk last June. Such incidents have helped stiffen international support for Ukraine as it battles to fend off the Kremlin's invasion. The winter has brought a slowdown in fighting, but military analysts say a new push by both sides is likely once the weather improves. The Kremlin claimed its forces were not responsible and pointed to an unsubstantiated theory circulating on social media that Ukrainian air defence systems had caused the damage. 'The Russian armed forces do not strike residential buildings or social infrastructure. They strike military targets,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Russia has repeatedly denied targeting and hitting civilian homes and infrastructure, often blaming Kyiv - despite ever-mounting evidence to suggest otherwise. To withstand Russian attacks, Ukraine has been pressing Western backers to supply it with advanced tanks, in particular the German-designed Leopard. Britain this weekend pledged 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, which would make it the first Western country to supply the heavy tanks Kyiv has been calling for. Pictured: A challenger 2 Main Battle Tank pictured during a Land Combat demonstration in October 2018 (file photo) Berlin has been heavily criticised over its stuttering response to the war in Ukraine. After months of criticism - and a series of gaffes - German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht resigned on Monday. Her resignation comes days before the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, which coordinates arms supplies to Kyiv, is due to meet in Germany. Britain this weekend pledged 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, which would make it the first Western country to supply the heavy tanks Kyiv has been calling for. Putin on Monday slammed Kyiv's 'destructive' policies that 'bet on the intensification of hostilities with the support of Western sponsors who are ramping up the supplies of weapons.' Peskov told reporters that 'these tanks are burning and will burn.' An Australian who smuggled drugs hidden in his anus into Indonesia has narrowly avoided the death penalty with a judge ruling he was an addict rather than a drug trafficker. Jeffrey Welton, 52, will now spend eight months in a rehabilitation centre trying to kick his drug habit. Welton, a surfing and diving instructor from Western Australia, was arrested at Bali's international airport in September 6 after he was found smuggling 8g of heroin and 0.34 grams of methamphetamine on a flight from Vietnam. Under Indonesia's harsh drug importation laws these small amounts could have landed him in jail for life or facing a firing squad. Australian Jeff Welton has escaped the death penalty after being caught smuggling drugs into Indonesia But in the this case the lenient judge on Tuesday ruled he will instead be sent to the Anargya Sober House where he will receive professional help. At the time of his arrest Welton's lawyer said he had been addicted to heroin for 15 years. Welton's family had hired former police officer John McLeod, who specialises in helping Australians in criminal trouble overseas. He expressed joy and relief at the outcome. 'He was facing the death penalty,' Mr McLeod told the Sydney Morning Herald. 'He's feeling relieved. He understands that he's got a long way to go in his rehab and he'll always be an addict. A court has ruled that Welton, 52, is an addict, which means he will be rehabilitated rather than punished 'The rehab we've sought for him has been extremely successful. He's been tested regularly and he's clear of [illegal] substances for the first time in 15 years.' In September Denpasar head prosecutor Rudy Hartono said hat the quantity of heroin smuggled by Welton indicated 'it was more than just for personal use'. However, Mr McLeod said the defence had been able to convince the prosecution Welton, who holds both Australian and British passports, was an addict. Welton has been living in Bali for about a decade but had travelled regularly to Vietnam. While in Australia he lives in Perth. Welton, who holds both Australian and British passports, will spend eight months in Bali's Anargya Sober House to undergo rehabilitation In 2015 Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were executed in Indonesia as the convicted ringleaders of the so-called Bali Nine drug smugglers. The nine Australians were arrested trying to smuggle 8.3kg of heroin to Australia on a flight out of Bali's airport in 2005. Of the remaining seven only one, Renae Lawrence, has been released from jail while another Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen died in prison of cancer. The Iranian regime has used Prince Harry's confession that he killed 25 Taliban in Afghanistan to take aim at Britain amid the escalating row over the execution of Alireza Akbari. In a string of tweets criticising Britain's outrage over the killing of the British-Iranian dual national who was accused of spying, Iran claimed the country was 'in no position to preach'. The official Twitter account of the Iran Foreign Ministry accused the Duke of Sussex of showing no remorse over the killings of 'innocent' lives and accused Britain of allowing this 'war crime'. It said: 'The British regime, whose royal family member, sees the killing of 25 innocent people as removal of chess pieces and has no regrets over the issue, and those who turn a blind eye to this war crime, are in no position to preach others on human rights.' The post was referring to a controversial passage about the death count from Harry's new memoir Spare which is already the subject of a mounting backlash. Prince Harry used Spare to confess that he killed 25 Taliban in Afghanistan. The Duke is pictured on patrol during his deployment in 2012 (above) The official Twitter account (pictured) of the Iran Foreign Ministry accused the Duke of Sussex of showing no remorse over the killings of 'innocent' lives and accused Britain of allowing this 'war crime'. 'The British regime, whose royal family member, sees the killing of 25 innocent people as removal of chess pieces and has no regrets over the issue, and those who turn a blind eye to this war crime, are in no position to preach others on human rights,' it said His comments, which have also sparked security fears, have already provided the Taliban and extremist Anjem Choudary with ammunition to spout propaganda against British troops. The former soldier used his book to detail how he had gunned down 25 militants, feeling neither satisfaction nor shame about his actions while serving in Afghanistan some 10 years ago. He added that to in order deal with the incidents he dehumanised his victims by seeing them as 'chess pieces' and not people. The passage was seized on by the Iranian regime as tensions between Tehran and London escalate in the wake of Akbari's execution. Akbari, 61, had moved to the UK with an investment visa and had become a naturalised citizen here but was lured back to Iran by the security services three years ago. But the ex-deputy Iranian defence minister was arrested in 2019 and convicted of spying for the UK a charge which he denied. His death last week has caused outrage in Britain with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak calling it a 'callous and cowardly act, carried out by a barbaric regime'. Ministers have imposed a travel ban and asset freeze on the Iranian prosecutor general, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri. The Iranian regime has used Prince Harry's confession that he killed 25 Taliban in Afghanistan to take aim at Britain amid the escalating row over the execution of Alireza Akbari (above) Harry's comments, which have also sparked security fears, have already provided the Taliban and extremist Anjem Choudary with ammunition to spout propaganda against British troops Nine men are publicly flogged up to 39 times each by the Taliban in front of a packed football stadium Advertisement Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has also temporarily withdrawn Britain's ambassador to Iran, Simon Shercliff. The UK is now considering designating Iran's Revolutionary Guards, the most powerful wing of its military, as a terrorist organisation in a sign of its hardening stance towards the Islamic republic. In the string of Tweets, the Iran Foreign Ministry branded Britain's 'uproar and the support of some European self-proclaimed defenders of human rights' as a 'sign of their evasion and violation of law'. It added: 'Britain's encroachment on the national security of the Islamic republic of Iran has been met with a decisive response from the Iranian intelligence &Judiciary.' Tensions between the West and Iran are already running high over Tehran's crackdown on nationwide protests for women's right - as well as its support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine with drones. Iran has arrested at least 14,000 people in the wave of protests sparked by the September 16 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who had been arrested for allegedly breaching the strict dress code for women. Journalists, filmmakers, lawyers and activists have been arrested, and several executions have been reported as well as the deaths of hundreds of protesters in the clashes between Iran's security forces. Meanwhile, the regime has been arming Russia with Iranian-made suicide drones which have been causing havoc in Ukraine. Moscow has used them against civilian infrastructure, such as power stations, and on civilian buildings. Tensions between the West and Iran are already running high over Tehran's crackdown on nationwide protests for women's right. Pictured: Protesters are seen in Tehran in September The Iranian regime has been arming Russia with Iranian-made suicide drones (pictured) which have been causing havoc in Ukraine. Moscow has used them against civilian infrastructure, such as power stations, and on civilian buildings Harry spent a decade in the British Army before taking up full-time royal duties in 2015. During that time, he did two tours of Afghanistan. The prince was first deployed to Helmand province as a forward air controller in 2007, but his first tour of duty was cut short. He returned in 2012, by which time he was responsible for firing a 45million Apache helicopter's 30mm cannon and Hellfire missiles. Spare is the first time he has specified the number of insurgents he personally killed during his time in Afghanistan. The Prince said that he flew on six missions that resulted in the 'taking of human lives' in his autobiography. Harry, who was known as 'Captain Wales' in the military, wrote that he did not think of those killed 'as people' but instead 'chess pieces' he had taken off the board. 'You can't kill people if you see them as people', he wrote. Instead, he said he saw them as 'chess pieces removed from the board'... as 'bad guys eliminated'. Tehran is not the only brutal regime in the Middle East to have criticised Harry for his confession, after the Taliban themselves slammed the Prince earlier this month. Speaking to MailOnline, the militants branded him a 'big mouth loser' after his revelation, and stressed that while their fighters were the ultimate victors of the conflict in Afghanistan, Harry had 'fled to his grandmother's palace' and is now struggling to maintain a place in the Royal Family. Taliban spokesman Abul Qahar Balkhi, pictured, said Harry's comments are 'a microcosm of the trauma experienced by Afghans' Taliban commander Molavi Agha Gol, 32, said that he thought Harry was attention seeking with his book and boasted that the 'chess pieces' had taken over the board following the 2021 withdrawal of international troops. Speaking from a checkpoint outside the town of Islam Qala on the border with Iran, he said: 'I do not even believe what he said about the Mujahidin. He is a loser and scared to go to a combat zone. We made history by kicking him and his army out of our homeland and he should be very angry about that.' He added: 'Do not believe whatever losers tell you. I see news about him a lot on my Facebook feed and really think he's gone mad and needs a doctor immediately. 'Even if he believes [that he killed 25 Taliban], our martyred Mujahidin are in heaven but his invading friends are burning in Hell and I really hope I was in Helmand when he was there, to make him understand what real chess pieces are. 'If he's a real man and not a f***ing loser, come to Afghanistan again.' An official in the Taliban's ministry for the propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice, said in a statement: 'Pieces of chess are now in power and he's struggling to maintain his place within his own family.' Abul Qahar Balkhi, spokesman for the Taliban ministry of foreign affairs, said Prince Harry's comments were 'a microcosm of the trauma experienced by Afghans at the hands of occupation forces'. Molavi Keramudin, a Taliban commander in the central city of Ghor, called for an investigation into the prince, saying: 'It's him claiming that he martyred the Taliban, but it may be civilians too. If England has a system and regulations, they should investigate and see whom he killed. In the summer of 2021, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan with a lighting offensive that swept across the country in a matter of weeks 'He is a so-called prince and should not freely walk after killing civilians. It is not acceptable. He has problems and is just climbing over whatever he can to stop himself and his country falling into sh*t.' Molavi Nabi Jan, a Taliban official in the western Afghan city of Herat, said: 'He's a dirty idiot and a drunk jackal. He has destroyed all bridges behind him and is now just trying to avoid drowning in history. 'Using the Taliban and his family is his last tool to make people talk about him. I know him very well. God left him on his own to give him a very big punishment at the end.' An official in the southern Helmand province told MailOnline: 'He's evil. He's made lots of Afghan women widows and lots of children orphans and he's proud of that.' Another Taliban official, Anas Haqqani, tweeted: 'Mr. Harry! The ones you killed were not chess pieces, they were humans. They had families who were waiting for their return. Among the killers of Afghans, not many have your decency to reveal their conscience and confess to their war crimes. 'The truth is what you've said. Our innocent people were chess pieces to your soldiers, military and political leaders. Still, you were defeated in that 'game' of white & black 'squares'. 'I don't expect that the ICC [International Criminal Court] will summon you or the human rights activists will condemn you, because they are deaf and blind for you. But hopefully these atrocities will be remembered in the history of humanity.' In the summer of 2021, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan with a lightning offensive that swept across the country in a matter of weeks, overthrowing the Western-backed government that was installed by the US, UK and their allies. Leaders of the government fled the country as Western coalition forces pulled out, culminating in the collapse of the Afghan military and the Taliban capturing Kabul on August 15, 2021. Despite promising a more progressive regime than when they were last in power in 2001, the Taliban have eroded the rights of women and minority groups in the country, most recently banning women from attending university - a move that drew fierce condemnation from the international community. A Michigan mother and her two sons, three and nine, died from hypothermia after sleeping in a Detroit-area park, autopsies have determined. Mother Monica Cannady, 35, was going through a mental health crisis when she took her children to take refuge and sleep on the ground in an overgrown park near Crystal Lake in Pontiac, MI, Oakland County Sheriff said. Ms Cannady is survived by her ten-year-old daughter, Lilly, who who woke to find her whole family dead next to her, was recovered by local police after she knocked on neighboring doors early Sunday morning and said her family was dead in a field. Lilly is currently in a stable condition in hospital with 'hypothermia-type symptoms', authorities say. Bouchard held a press conference on Monday 16 January to call for more funding for mental health programs in the area. Michigan mom-of-three Monica Cannady, 35, was described as a 'loving, caring mother' Three-year-old Malik Milton and nine-year-old Kyle Milton sadly perished in the cold County Sheriff Bouchard said family members told investigators Ms Cannady had starting acting 'paranoid' in the last three weeks. Bouchard added that the family tried to get Ms Cannady help after noticing a change in her behavior. Ms Cannady reportedly refused and fled with the children. Family members told also authorities that the mother of three had told her children to hide if people approached them. Sources said that the children's father was murdered two years ago. Ms Cannady is understood to have sought refuge outside from people she believed were following her, including the police. Bouchard said the police had received calls about a woman and children who were underdressed in the area, but they had not been able to find them. Investigators say the family may have been out in the cold for at least three days. On Saturday, Ms Cannady and the children were reportedly seen knocking on doors, telling people they were hungry. Daughter Lilly, 10, woke up to find her mother and siblings had died from hypothermia in the night. Mother Monica sought refuge with her children in a park near Crystal Lake in Pontiac, MI Sheriff Bouchard this incident is just the latest example of the need for more funding to address mental health. He and city leaders are encouraging community to help individuals suffering from a mental illness. 'We're seeing death everyday as a result of the mental health crisis and it sure would be nice if Washington and Lansing tuned in on that,' Bouchard said. Grandmother to the children, Theresa Milton, told WXYZ that she did not know Ms Cannady had a history of mental health problems. She said the children were well looked after. Monica's family are crowdfunding online to support Lilly, 10, who current remains in hospital The Cannady Family said in a statement on a GoFundMe page set up to pay for funeral expenses and to help Lilly that mother Monica 'was a loving, caring mother to her children, always a hard worker making sure her children were well taken care of.' They added that Monica did not have insurance for herself or her children, and that donations to support Lilly would be appreciated. If you are in need of mental health support in Oakland County, you can contact Common Ground 24/7. The Oakland Community Health Network also provides resources. Contact the Crisis Line at 844-446-4225. Lifeline offers a national service for those experiencing a mental-health related crisis, or those looking to help a loved one through a crisis, on 988. 988 is confidential, free and available 24/7 for call, text and chat. A Northumbria Police constable who abandoned his duty to have sex with a member of the public in the back of his van while parked in a supermarket car park has been sacked. PC Ian Dawson was bored during his shift and contacted a woman asking if she would like to meet up. When she agreed, he drove to her home, picked her up and then went to the nearby supermarket for sex, dropping her off again afterwards, a misconduct hearing has heard. The incident happened in September 2020, when Covid guidance was still in place and the Government was still advising the public not to mix unnecessarily with others. Dawson has now been fired and banned from all police forces for life after bosses heard about his on-duty escapade. At an accelerated misconduct hearing in Newcastle, Northumbria Police's Chief Constable Winton Keenen heard the officer should have been protecting the public (stock image) He also admitted having a sexual relationship with a colleague that he failed to declare. At the hearing in Newcastle, Northumbria Police's Chief Constable Winton Keenen heard the officer should have been protecting the public. The hearing was told: 'In the course of the officer's shift he agreed to meet a member of the public, Ms A, for sexual purposes. He was on duty in a police uniform, in a marked police van, when he collected Ms A from her house in the police vehicle and drove her to a supermarket car park. 'They arrived in the car park at 00.06 on 8th September 2020. He engaged in sexual activity with Ms A in the back of the police vehicle and then drove her back to her home address.' In October 2021, Dawson also lied to his bosses about a sexual relationship with a member of police staff, Ms B. When asked about the relationship by supervising officers, he twice denied being involved with her when he knew it to be a lie. In sacking Dawson, Chief Constable Keenen acknowledged the sexual behaviour of police officers is under scrutiny. He said: 'There is an understandable expectation of the public that police officers will act at all times in ways that do not discredit the public service to which they dedicate their working lives. 'With that comes the expectation that they will not engage in sexual activity whilst on duty. 'This has always been the case but now, perhaps more than ever, there is a recognisable increase in the expectations of the public regarding the behaviours of police officers, and particularly so regarding behaviours involving sexual activity.' The officer said he had been suffering from poor mental health at the time but provided no medical evidence to back up his claim. Dawson was sacked without notice for gross misconduct and placed on the Royal College of Policing's barred list. Matteo Messina Denaro, the most wanted Italian mafia leader, was apprehended by military police on Monday while being treated for cancer. The fugitive had been on the loose since 1993. Messina Denaro, known by the monikers "Diabolik" and "'U Siccu" (The Skinny One), had been handed a life sentence in absentia for his part in the murders of anti-mafia prosecutors Paolo Borsellino and Giovanni Falcone in 1992, crimes that shook the country and triggered a clampdown on the Cosa Nostra. Two carabinieri police officers in uniform took Matteo Messina Denaro, 60, out of Palermo's "La Maddalena" hospital and brought into a waiting black minivan. He was sporting a brown wool hat, spectacles, and a fur-lined jacket, as reported by AP News. Locals applauded and shook hands with balaclava-clad cops as the minivan left the hospital in the suburban area. Read Also: Joe Biden Documents Scandal Update He was also found guilty of the abduction, torture, and murder of the 11-year-old son of a mafioso, who later testified as a state witness, as well as the fatal bombings that occurred in Milan, Florence, and Rome in 1993. Messina Denaro reportedly bragged that his victims could "fill a cemetery," per the BBC. A Great Victory for Italy The formidable Cosa Nostra organized crime syndicate's mafia leader also handled racketeering, illicit garbage disposal, money laundering, and drug trafficking. According to rumors, he was Tot Riina's protege. Tot Riina was the boss of the Italian mafia Corleone family and was apprehended in 1993 after 23 years at large. Matteo Messina Denaro underwent a cancer procedure last year and a string of appointments behind a fictitious identity, according to judicial authorities. The arrest was lauded by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, as "a great victory" for the nation, according to Reuters. Related Article: Iran: Dual Citizen Sentenced To Death @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A banker nicknamed Christine Lagarde by male colleagues has lost a 4.6million discrimination claim - with a tribunal saying her treatment was just part of 'the irritation of office life'. Elisabeth Maugars, who earned a 295,000 salary as a managing director at Deutsche Bank, claimed she was made redundant because of a culture of sexism and ageism at her bank. She said the decision to let her go was perverse, irrational and heinous and there was a boys club at work that discriminated against her as an older woman who refused to dye her hair, an employment tribunal heard. Ms Maugars, 59, told how colleagues called her Christine Lagarde - who is the President of the European Central Bank - because both women are French and have grey hair. Ms Maugars told how co-workers called her Christine Lagarde (pictured) because both women have grey hair After her dismissal, she tried to sue the bank for 4.6million in damages. But her claims of unfair dismissal, age discrimination and sex discrimination all failed after a panel ruled she was treated fairly. Being called Christine Lagarde was part of the irritation of day to day office life which occasionally occurs, the judge said. The East London tribunal heard that Ms Maugars had worked in banking for 35 years and was very successful. In 2015, at the age of 52, she joined Deutsche Bank as managing director of non-recourse lending, based in London. Elisabeth Maugars, had been a managing director at Deutsche Bank on a 295,000 salary Five years later she was genuinely shocked when - during the pandemic - she was placed at risk of redundancy and dismissed in October 2020. In laying out the reasoning for her selection for redundancy, the bank pointed out that her US counterpart brought in 29million in business in the previous year while she brought in 6million. The tribunal heard that in a tactless move the bank asked her to give up a months salary to help with the banks cost-cutting, just a few weeks before telling her she may lose her job. Ms Maugars argued to the tribunal there must be something more to her redundancy as it was so perverse and irrational, even heinous. She said there was a clique of men younger than her at the bank and claimed that the use of the word guys as the opening greeting in emails was proof she was being excluded. As part of the culture of discrimination against older women she pointed to her nickname of Christine Lagarde, which the employment tribunal described as rather silly and probably annoying. Ms Maugars also accused the member of staff who made decisions on her redundancy as having limited interaction with her compared to with male colleagues. She said he discussed her performance and business behind her back and he was more comfortable with the guys, the tribunal heard. However, the tribunal pointed out she loved the business and there was no indication that the allegations of discrimination had damaged her extremely positive attitude towards her work previously. When looking into redeployment opportunities for her at the companys US branch, bosses said: 'We need to recruit bankers with existing books who can start moving clients over right away. 'So its hard to take one of those precious spots for someone who isnt currently a banker who is also moving from London. She has very good skills but I just dont think we can get this done.' Dismissing Ms Maugers claims against Deutsche Bank entity DB Group Services (UK) Limited, employment judge Bernice Elgot said: 'None of those involved with her redundancy, for example, called her by the nickname Christine Lagarde. '[This] is a rather silly and probably annoying comparison with the current President of the European Central Bank based solely, it would seem, on the fact that both [Ms Maugars] and Madame Lagarde are women, are French and have grey hair. 'We make no finding that this comparison was offensive or indicates a "culture" of discrimination against older women. It is part of the irritation of day to day office life which occasionally occurs. '[Ms Maugars] pursued no formal complaint or grievance about it. 'In summary, the reason why [Ms Maugars] was placed at risk and, following consultation and then a comprehensive search to re-deploy her, was ultimately dismissed was because she was redundant. 'The bank had need of less employees to do the work, however important, complex and demanding and no matter how integral to its GL business, which she did and she was fairly and reasonably selected for redundancy. 'This has been a crushing blow for her but it was not sex or age discrimination.' BBC Radio 2 yet to announce the host and details of the new mid-morning show Broadcaster, 71, will present a show from 10am to 1pm on the Bauer radio station Mr Bruce told millions of listeners news this morning and urged them to follow He will start his new job at Greatest Hits Radio in April after 45 years at the BBC Ken Bruce is the latest veteran to leave the BBC - jumping ship after 45 years for commercial rival Greatest Hits Radio, declaring: 'I've done everything it is possible to do at Radio 2'. The Scottish broadcaster, 71, said 'the time is right' for him to move on from the weekday mid-morning show he's presented since 1986 - with just a two year gap between 1990 and 1992 - having first walked into the corporation in 1977. He informed his 9million listeners this morning that he would quit in March - but he is not retiring, heading into commercial radio and taking his much-loved PopMaster quiz with him. And in an advert for his new mid-morning show, he urged people to follow him as fans vowed to never listen to Radio 2 again when he leaves complaining that older presenters are being swapped for younger, less talented broadcasters, like Scott Mills. Ken said: 'Nothing stays the same forever. I've done everything it is possible to do at Radio 2. I've always felt I've got something more to prove. I hope that when people hear the news they will say: 'Sorry to hear you're going Ken, but maybe I'll follow you to wherever it is you're going'.' Mr Bruce is the latest veteran to leave the station, but he insists it is his decision. Last summer Paul O'Grady exited Radio 2 after Steve Wright, 68, Graham Norton, 59, and Simon Mayo, 64, all left and were replaced with a younger line up. Vanessa Feltz, 60, and Craig Charles, 58, have also moved on. Experts say Greatest Hits Radio boss Ben Cooper, who joined Bauer last year from the BBC where he ran Radio 1, is adding Mr Bruce to his roster of Simon Mayo and Jackie Brambles as they try to steal listeners from the increasingly younger-focused BBC Radio 2. Ken Bruce said he has done all he could at the BBCV and wants a fresh challenge for the end of his career Listeners have vowed never to return to Radio 2 when Ken is gone Radio 2 fans have accused the BBC of ageism as a string of older DJs step back, including Pauk O'Grady, Steve Wright, Graham Norton and Simon Mayo, replaced by ex-Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills, RuPaul's Michelle Visage, Waterloo Road's Angela Griffin, and DJ Spoony Ken's listeners have claimed they could hear he was 'less enthusiastic about playing some of those newer records' that his bosses insisted on as they try to bring in younger listeners. Members of the Ken Bruce Preservation Society of superfans on Facebook are also suggesting that he's been unhappy with the Radio2 playlist for some time. One upset listener declared that the news was so shocking that 'there should be one week of national mourning', adding of the BBC: 'Ken Bruce not doing PopMaster is like the ravens leaving the Tower'. Another said it was a further sign of the 'mass exodus' at the BBC, calling the Glaswegian: 'A truly great broadcaster who made it sound so easy & utterly effortless. Second only to Wogan'. One critic said: 'With Ken Bruce leaving and Steve Wright gone they might as well shut Radio 2 down' The 71-year-old, who is leaving in March, joined the corporation in 1977 as a BBC Radio Scotland presenter and his first regular slot on Radio 2 was the Saturday Late Show in 1984. The following year he fronted the Radio 2 Breakfast Show, taking over from Sir Terry Wogan. Radio 2 will announce the host and details of the new mid-morning show at a later date. The broadcaster, 71, will present a show from 10am to 1pm on the Bauer radio station, alongside presenters including Simon Mayo at Drivetime and Jackie Brambles in the early evening. Ken said: 'Nothing stays the same forever and I have decided the time is right for me to move on from Radio 2 when I reach the end of my current contract in March. It's been a tremendously happy time for me: I've made many friends and worked with many wonderful colleagues. However I feel that after 45 years of full-time broadcasting on BBC Radio it's time for a change. 'I would stress that this is entirely my decision but some new opportunities have come up and I would like to continue my career in a slightly different way in the next few years, the details of which will be revealed shortly. 'I will always be very proud of my association with the BBC and Radio 2 in particular and I'd like to thank everyone who has helped to make the mid-morning show a success'. This move follows a number of high-profile departures and reshuffling at BBC Radio of recent, including Scott Mills leaving BBC Radio 1 after 24 years at the network to join Radio 2 for a new weekday show. The radio DJ took over the 2-4pm slot from presenter Steve Wright, who stepped down from his afternoon show at the end of September after 23 years. Wright continues to present his Radio 2 Sunday Love Songs programme as well as specials on the station. Paul O'Grady also quit his Radio 2 Sunday afternoon show, which he presented for around 14 years, because he was not happy with a schedule shake-up which saw him share the slot with comic Rob Beckett. Shortly after the Radio 2 confirmed his exit - Bauer Media said Ken was off to Greatest Hits Radio, where other hosts include 'The Professor of Pop' Paul Gambaccini, who has been so critical of the BBC. Ken Bruce said 'What better way to celebrate my forty-five years in radio than with a new adventure and a brand-new show on Greatest Hits Radio. 'I say brand-new but there will still be PopMaster, me and my musings and all the great records you know and love from the 70s, 80s and 90s. I'm looking forward to getting started and to you joining me for my very first show. See you in April' Bruce has also presented Radio 2's coverage of Eurovision since 1988, and has been a regular presenter of Sunday Night is Music Night. Ken in the studio in 1984. He joined the BBC in 1977 Ken Bruce (pictured with his good friend Rod Stewart) is leaving the BBC after 45 years, quitting Radio 2 for Greatest Hits Radio Ken with stars Sir Cliff Richard and Beyonce Ken Bruce has insisted: 'I would stress that this is entirely my decision but some new opportunities have come up and I would like to continue my career in a slightly different way' His Radio 2 show is famous for a number of segments including PopMaster, a quiz to test music knowledge which has run for 25 years, Tracks of My Years, where a famous person chooses their favourite records and more recently, The Piano Room, featuring live music from a range of great artists. Lorna Clarke, director of BBC Music, added: 'Ken is an extraordinary broadcaster with an exceptional career over many decades. 'He has been part of every significant occasion marked by BBC Radio 2 and we, his faithful audience and the Radio 2 all-star line-up, will miss his warm humour and wit. Congratulations on a brilliant career.' Australia is beefing up its military assistance to Ukraine by sending crack troops to train raw recruits being thrown into the fight against Russian invaders. The major contingent of 70 Australian Defence Force personnel will leave Darwin on Wednesday and travel to the UK where they will be part of a multi-nation training program. The Albanese government says it will outline more detail about the mission in the coming days. But it is understood the bulk of those taking part in Operation Kudu are from the 5 RAR 1st Brigade, which is a motorised infantry formation. Battalion Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Chris Gilmore Australians would aim to get about 20,000 Ukrainians as 'combat ready' as possible as rumours swirl in intelligence circles that Vladimir Putin is planning a major offensive after winter. Australia is beefing up its military assistance to Ukraine by sending crack troops to train raw recruits being thrown into the fight against Russian invaders (Australian army stock image) 'They're training the recruits in infantry tactics in an urban, wooded and basic infantry tactics to best prepare them for potential future conflict,' he told the ABC . The Australians will be farewelled at a ceremony in Darwin on Wednesday, which will be attended by Minister for Defence Personnel Matt Keogh. Mr Keogh stressed that the Australian troops will play no direct part in the conflict but will 'support the brave people of Ukraine and their armed forces'. The training program also involves personnel from the UK as well as contributions from New Zealand, Canada, Sweden and Finland. On Monday the British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace thanked Australia for participating in the mission while addressing the UK parliament. The training contingent builds on the $655m in support already offered to Ukraine, of which $475m is military assistance to help the beleaguered nation fend off Russia's bloody invasion. Rescuers are seen at an apartment building in Dnipro, Ukraine, on January 14, 2023, after it was hit with a Russian missile Medics of Ukrainian Army evacuate a wounded soldier on a road not far of Soledar, Donetsk region on January 14, 2023 Perhaps the most visible part of that assistance has been the provision of 90 light armoured Bushmaster personnel carriers. Australia has also sent other heavily armoured vehicles, anti-armour weapons, mine clearing equipment and drones to the Ukraine. It comes as speculation grows that Russia is planning a major offensive when the European snow starts to melt. Russia is already embarking on a major conscription drive and analysts believe President Putin will attempt to bludgeon his way further into Ukraine by sheer force of numbers in spring. The invading force intensified its missile bombardment of Ukraine's cities in recent days as fierce fighting continues around the salt mining town of Soledar. A nine-storey apartment block in the central Ukrainian city Dnipro was turned into a mountain of brick and mortar by Russian missile strikes. Australian soldiers conduct mission training before heading to the UK to help train Ukrainian soldiers Australian PM Anthony Albanese (left) has already provided $655m to Ukraine to help fight off Vladimir Putin's (right) forces A captured and burnt out Bushmaster was put on display in Moscow during August with Australia sending 90 of the armoured vehicles to help Ukrainian forces Rescuers desperately combed the rubble for survivors with at least 44 people confirmed dead so far. Regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko said seven children were among the casualties. The death toll is likely to rise even furthere as there are dozens of people still feared trapped under the debris. 'They (Russians) are just inhuman. At least one stairwell is gone. Under the rubble there are people who were at home for the holiday,' Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the president's office, said. Over the weekend Moscow also launched a fresh wave of missile attacks on Kyiv as a series of explosions rocked the Ukrainian capital for the first time since New Year's Day. Putin was last seen in person on Friday 13 when he attended a funeral in Ufa Speculation that Vladimir Putin, 70, is suffering from cancer and other ailments Russian president Vladimir Putin has become 'withdrawn, silent and deeply preoccupied' as he undergoes new medical treatment, it was claimed today. The claims were made by Putin-watching channel Telegram channel General SVR, which alleges inside knowledge from his circle and links to his bodyguards. There has been speculation in Russia that 70-year-old Putin is suffering from cancer, early stage Parkinson's disease and other ailments including a schizoaffective disorder. 'Putin is undergoing a course of treatment with drugs which, in addition to their therapeutic effect, cause weakness, dizziness, [and] lack of appetite, which does not affect his psycho-emotional state in the best way,' reported General SVR. Russian president Vladimir Putin has become 'withdrawn, silent and deeply preoccupied' as he undergoes new medical treatment, it was claimed today. Pictured meeting Bashkortostan Radiy Khabirov on January 13, 2023 Putin was last seen in person - rather than on video conference - at a funeral in Ufa on Friday It added he has become 'silent' and 'receives almost no-one' in person while appearing 'deeply preoccupied in recent days'. 'He is about to gamble, if not by going for broke, then by raising the stakes to a critical level,' stated the channel which has repeatedly claimed Putin suffers from multiple medical conditions and is terminally ill. Putin was last seen in person - rather than on video conference - at a funeral in Ufa on Friday. The presenter continued his analysis of the Russian president's health: 'In the event of the failure of the forthcoming Russian offensive on the front and the loss of control over even a part of the previously occupied territories, it will be impossible to convince the elites of the possibility of a 'victorious' exit from the military adventure. 'In that case there will be no more victorious offensives by Russian troops. There would be a guaranteed defeat, with all the consequences for Putin personally. 'The use of nuclear weapons on the territory of Ukraine, in such a case, is possible.' Yet this would result in 'a general catastrophe for Putin and for all the elites without exception', nullifying his regime and making the chances of him holding onto power 'simply ghostly'. The channel warned the 'general mobilisation and martial law' are both plans 'that, if implemented, will undoubtedly result in hundreds of thousands of new victims and a disaster not only for Russia, but for the entire world'. 'The war exists in the mind of one terminally ill person with a disturbed psyche, who is trying to take as many people as possible with him to the mythical 'paradise'. 'This is worth understanding for all those who take part or are about to take part in hostilities on the side of Putin's regime and follow the order to use nuclear weapons.' Meanwhile, Putin-watcher Valery Solovey said the appointment of Valery Gerasimov as overall commander of the war was a last-ditch bid by the president to 'turn the tide'. Frequently his video-conferences are suspected to be prerecorded, allowing him absences, such as with Novosibirsk regional governor Andrey Travnikov on January 16 Putin-watcher Valery Solovey said the appointment of Valery Gerasimov as overall commander of the war was a last-ditch bid by the president to 'turn the tide' (pictured on December 21 in Moscow) Rescue team work among the rubble of a damaged residential building hit by shelling in Dnipro, southeastern Ukraine, 14 January 2023 The appointment comes amid Putin's deteriorating health. '[Putin] is afraid of any infection, even one that is easily treated,' he said. 'He has a very weakened immune system. He is weakened by the aggressive [cancer] treatment, the drugs that he is forced to take. 'The dynamics are negative, and his entourage knows this. This is no longer particularly hidden.' Solovey is a former professor at Moscow's prestigious Institute of International Relations [MGIMO], a training school for spies and diplomats, who has long claimed inside knowledge about Putin's health. Putin was last seen in person on Friday, at a funeral in Ufa. Frequently his video-conferences are suspected to be prerecorded, allowing him absences, such as with Novosibirsk regional governor Andrey Travnikov. Today the dictator appeared with leading government financial specialists, boasting that some defence plants are working nonstop due to the war. General SVR claimed that the Ufa trip on Friday involved a 'body double' and not the real Putin. Yet the channel was alone in claiming this was a specially trained lookalike. 'Soon, the understudy will appear more and more often as president,' said the channel. 'The President's health tends to worsen.' In Ufa, the 'president' was seen paying his respects at the open coffin of iron-fisted Murtaza Rakhimov, ex-leader of oil-rich Russian republic Bashkortostan, who died aged 88. He also met the region's current head, Radiy Habirov. A woman who was awarded 19,000 by an employment tribunal after her sexist boss branded her a 'fatty' and a 'prostitute' may never receive a penny after his firm was put into liquidation and he 'returned to his native Pakistan'. Aishah Zaman, 35, was handed the five-figure payout in October after she was barraged with derogatory comments and sexual advances from boss Shahzad Younas, 45, at textiles firm Knightsbridge Furnishing in East Kilbride, Scotland. Younas, who is married, called the Glasgow woman 'motee' - Punjabi for 'fatty' - and said he wanted 'slim smart girls' in his office. He also told Aishah to stop DJ'ing at night as it was the 'work of prostitutes' and offered to buy her a Mercedes-Benz car, telling her: 'I fancy you.' An employment judge ruled in October that Younas and his firm were jointly responsible for the sexual harassment and the 18,984 pay-out. But Knightsbridge was liquidated at the start of January and Younas is believed to be living in his native Pakistan leaving sheriff officers with limited power to enforce a payout. Aishah Zaman, 35, took Shahzad Younas, 45, to a tribunal after almost two years of derogatory comments and sexual advances at textiles firm Knightsbridge Furnishing Ltd in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire Mr Younas (left), seen with former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan (right) also told Ms Zaman she should stop DJing at night as it was the 'work of prostitutes' The tribunal heard Mr Younas sent messages to Ms Zaman that read: 'Don't break my heart' and: 'I fancy you', offering to buy her a Mercedes Teacher with Pakistani ethnicity who sued school over claims bosses failed to stop pupils racially abusing her by using term 'wagwan' and putting on exaggerated Indian accents loses race discrimination tribunal Rizwana Mallet-Ali tried to sue her former school, Bertha Park High School in Perth, Scotland, over claims she was racially abused by pupils Advertisement The disgraced businessman, who also lists himself as the boss of Knightsbridge Furnishing in Hungary and Juglo in Poland on his LinkedIn, is understood not to have responded to legal enquiries made on Aishah's behalf. Aishah's legal battle has cost her over 10,000 and she doesn't expect to see a penny of the compensation she is owed. She told the Record: 'It feels like a game he's playing, just dragging it out. I feel like I've been played. 'I'm working day and night and throwing everything I earn at this. I want to see it through but I can't afford it. 'He's running his businesses from Pakistan and Budapest. He can run that from anywhere. 'But I know he's sitting back laughing at me. Basically, I've lost and he's won.' The Record revealed last year how Younas sent Aishah a series of sexist texts, including one bearing a sexually explicit image of female genitalia and telling her 'don't break my heart'. On a trip to the UK to visit his company, he even suggested that she clean his flat and unpack his suitcase, including his underwear, as that was 'woman's work'. Aishah left in April 2020 after Younas called her an 'idiot' and a 'pain in the a***' during an argument at South Lanarkshire premises. He grabbed her by the arm with both hands and yelled: 'I am going to f*** you' - which she took to mean he was threatening to ruin her life. He told her to leave and not return and he later sold the firm. Employment judge Russell Bradley said of the businessman's behaviour: 'Messages suggesting the desire for a relationship relate to her sex, were unwanted and were humiliating.' Younas, who shares pics of himself alongside ex-Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan on social media, later alleged Aishah had embezzled 17,718 from the company, offering to withdraw the claim if she dropped the case. Mr Bradley labelled it 'false' with 'no factual basis', adding: 'In our view the clear inference is that the false allegations were made because of the protected act [reporting sexist behaviour].' Aishah added: 'People just have this mentality that I must have done something wrong for him to act the way he did but the judgement was clear. Aishah Zaman, 35, who was branded a 'fatty' and a 'prostitute' by her sexist ex-boss who said he wanted 'slim, smart girls' in his office has been awarded 19,000 in damages Ms Zaman, from Glasgow, said Mr Younas was a 'bully' and 'saw his employees as slaves' Mr Younas later alleged that Ms Zaman had embezzled 17,718 from the company, offering to withdraw the claim if she dropped the case 'The system doesn't feel strong enough for this. The tribunal can issue a judgement but they can't enforce it. 'He can sit in any other country and run his companies and he'll carry on the way he is.' Sameer Khan, the last director of Knightsbridge Furnishing, told the Record in October that the company had ceased trading in May 2022. He added: 'We are sorry as we are out of business so we are not able to pay any claims.' Younas, who previously denied being aware of the legal proceedings despite filing papers contesting Aishah's case, did not respond to a request for comment. Liquidators for Knightsbridge Furnishing declined to comment, citing the early stages of the administration process. A shopkeeper who stole more than 6,000 of savings from an elderly customer with Alzheimer's by taking 'terrible advantage' of her during the pandemic has been jailed. Ponnampalam Jeyapalan was supposed to be helping the isolated victim, who is in her 90s, but instead obtained her bank details and made a number of cash withdrawals for himself. Durham Crown Court heard that the offending carried on for around ten months during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic when the elderly victim was 'isolated' and 'suffering from real issues with her memory'. Jeyapalan was eventually caught in April 2021 and checks revealed he had taken a total of 6,513 while running the Woodham Village Store in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. Ponnampalam Jeyapalan, who ran a local corner shop, stole more than 6,000 from an elderly woman Jeyapalan ran the Woodham Village Store in Newton Aycliffe, Country Durham where the elderly victim went up to three times a day He initially gave the explanation that the complainant had permitted him to use her bank account. He denied a charge of fraud at his first crown court appearance, in early November, when a trial was fixed to take place this week. But the 48 year-old defendant, of Geneva Drive, Darlington, changed his plea to guilty at a hearing in early December. Prosecutor, Martin Towers, said the victim was not said to be a wealthy woman and the amount taken represented a proportion of her savings. He told the court: 'There was an abuse of trust in this case that took place for most of a year. 'It would seem there must have been an inference he deliberately targeted her due to her obvious vulnerability.' The victim's niece told the court through an impact statement that her aunt was 'absolutely horrified' when she was informed of the fraud. The niece described it as 'a gross betrayal of trust' and said her elderly relative no longer felt safe in the community. Since the crime was uncovered, she said her aunt has had a subsequent further decline with the effects of Alzheimer's taking hold. Judge Jo Kidd said the victim of this fraud had lived an independent life, was careful with her money, and as a result of her hard work, had savings. The judge told Jeyapalan, who has no previous convictions: 'You took advantage of her vulnerability at a period of time in her life between August 2020 and April 2021. 'That coincided with the pandemic. It's difficult to imagine how hard that was for her, being isolated during that period. 'It will have, no doubt, resulted in her having less contact with friends and family. 'She was obviously suffering from real issues with her memory. That will have been obvious to you. She visited your store up to three times a day. 'You took terrible advantage of her vulnerabilities over a significant period of time. 'Shops of your sort are at the heart of the community, a lifeline for people like her, particularly at a time like the pandemic. 'You were able to put yourself out there as a respectable business person. 'You stole her financial information in order to use her bank account to pay your debts. 'You were able to do that due to her ill health, and, despite the obvious and continuing deterioration in her condition, you continued to steal from her.' Brian Russell, mitigating, said that although 6,000-plus was taken, his client did not completely clear out her savings. Mr Russell said: 'The reason for the offending, which I don't suggest is any form of excuse, is because this man came to this country attempting to earn an honest living, by working hard, setting up a business. 'But that had not worked, as he found himself under the burden of snowballing debt, and that's the reason he made the very foolish decision to defraud this lady.' He added: 'It's not an attempt to try to buy his freedom, but I'm clearly instructed that the money to compensate the victim is available. 'I appreciate there may be some scepticism about that, but despite his debt, he's managed to set this money aside, available to be paid within the next 28 days.' However, Judge Kidd described that as a 'cynical offer', and that she couldn't understand why he only offered the refund on the day of sentencing. Imposing a sentence of one year and eight months, the judge said: 'You were at the heart of the community in the provision of services and you persistently preyed on the most vulnerable member of that community.' She also ordered that the full 6,513 should be repaid within the next 28 days. A woman has gone on trial accused of conspiring to murder her ex-husband after she allegedly gave three men information of his whereabouts before he was 'tortured to death' in his own home. Coleen Campbell, 38, denies plotting the killing of her former spouse Thomas Campbell, who was found dead at a property on Riverside in Mossley, Greater Manchester, on July 3 last year. Bolton Crown Court heard Mr Campbell, 38, died after suffering 'terrible pain' during a two-hour ordeal. Three men lay in wait at Mr Campbell's home and tortured him, inflicting fatal injuries, a jury heard. Stephen Cleworth, 38, and Reece Steven, 29, also deny murder. While prosecutors do not allege Ms Campbell was present at the scene of the killing, she is accused of providing the alleged murderers with information about her ex-husband's whereabouts. Coleen Campbell denies conspiring to murder her former spouse Thomas Campbell It was previously reported that Mr Campbell led a jetset lifestyle with 100,000 dirty cash from a cocaine racket. Prosecutors said that the Campbells had been together for eight years but divorced in 2019, and Mr Campbell was in a new relationship with a former girlfriend of the attack's alleged 'mastermind', John Belfield. The jury heard that three men, alleged to be Mr Belfield, Mr Steven and a third unknown man, 'pounced on' Mr Campbell when he arrived home at about 11pm on July 2 last year. Nicholas de la Pour KC, prosecuting, said: 'Three men bundled him into his house. He was then subjected to two hours of torture.' Prosecutors allege Mr Belfield, Ms Campbell and two other men were part of a plot to rob Mr Campbell at his home. Mr Belfield, 28, who is not before the court and is believed to have fled the UK, had read a Manchester Evening News article about Mr Campbell and his ex-wife's 'wealthy lifestyle'. The jury heard that Mr Belfield and others allegedly carried out 'hostile reconnaissance' and visited Mr Campbell's home three times before his death. There was also an alleged 'aborted' attack on June 30, after Mr Campbell had returned and left to walk his dog rather than entering his house. Campbell is on trial after her ex-husband was 'tortured to death' at his home The alleged plot was a week in the making, prosecutors claimed, after Mr Belfield had contacted Ms Campbell on Instagram. The pair had previously been 'apparent strangers', the court heard. During the 'brutal' attack Mr Campbell suffered 61 injuries, including multiple cuts to his face, the court heard. He had also been strangled 'at least once'. Mr de la Pour said: 'He had been scalded by a very hot liquid. The liquid had been poured on his leg and inner thigh area. His scrotum may have been scalded. His buttocks were also scalded.' Mr Campbell was restrained using duct tape during the ordeal, the jury heard. Mr de la Pour added: 'The three men were well prepared, having brought with them the means to restrain and the means to inflict terrible pain. 'Many injuries and indignities were inflicted upon Thomas Campbell during this time.' While prosecutors do not allege Ms Campbell was present at the scene of the killing, she is accused of providing the alleged murderers with information about her ex-husband's whereabouts His house was 'ransacked' while the torture continued, jurors heard. Mr Campbell was left naked in his hallway as the attackers fled. Mr de la Pour said: 'He was, to all intents and purposes, tortured to death..' Mr Campbell was discovered by neighbours the following morning. A tracker was allegedly placed on Mr Campbell's car by Mr Cleworth days before his death, when he had driven to his daughter's school to pick her up. Mr de la Pour said: 'The prosecution's case is that Coleen Campbell gave information about her ex-husband to John Belfield, knowing and intending that the information would be used to help in the attack on Mr Campbell..' Prosecutors allege Mr Belfield's motivation for the attack was to rob 'items of value', which Mr Belfield believed Mr Campbell had in his home. Mr de la Pour added: 'Exactly what John Belfield and his team were hoping to find and whether he found it is not known.' Prosecutors allege that Mr Belfield was also motivated by 'hostility' to Mr Campbell because he was in a relationship with his ex-girlfriend. They claim Mr Belfield regarded the woman 'as his property', and in one 'ominous' message he told her: 'You will never have a boyfriend, you will have to move country, give it a week and you will see why and happens when you take the p***.' A fourth man in the dock is Karl Murphy, 50, who is accused of driving the alleged murderers to the scene. Prosecutors do not claim that Ms Campbell or Mr Cleworth were at the scene of the attack. Mr Cleworth was said to have been the planned driver before Mr Murphy was brought in at the 'last minute' because Mr Cleworth was allegedly on a 'bender' at a swingers' club and was uncontactable. They claim that both were involved in assisting or encouraging the alleged plot to cause 'really serious bodily harm or death to Thomas Campbell'. When she was arrested, Ms Campbell said she had 'no reason' to want her ex-husband dead. Ms Campbell, of Clayton, east Manchester; Mr Cleworth, of Heywood; and Mr Steven, of Middleton, have pleaded not guilty to murder and conspiracy to rob. Mr Murphy, of Denton, denies participating in the activities of an organised crime group. A Green MSP has claimed Scotland 'should be exploring' opportunities for children as young as eight to decide whether to legally change their gender. Maggie Chapman, who represents North East Scotland in the Scottish Parliament, staunchly defended controversial gender identity reforms passed by Holyrood. This seeks to lower the minimum age that Scots can legally change their gender from 18 to 16. Ms Chapman said a Holyrood committee had heard from 'a wide range' of people who 'knew well before they were 16 that they were trans'. And she suggested the Scottish Parliament could go further by considering 'options' for people of a younger age to make a legal change. The Zimbabwe-born politician also claimed it was a 'gross over-simplification' for school textbooks to 'talk about sex being binary'. She suggested people do not know what biological sex they are without having their 'chromosomal make-up' tested. Maggie Chapman, who represents North East Scotland in the Scottish Parliament, staunchly defended controversial gender identity reforms passed by Holyrood During an interview on LBC Radio, the Green MSP was asked whether she would support an eight-year-old being able to legally change their gender Ms Chapman voted in favour of the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill and also sat on a committee that considered the legislation before it was passed by MSPs last year. The fate of the legislation is now unclear, with Rishi Sunak moving to block the bill becoming law amid concerns of UK-wide legislative chaos. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, whose SNP have a power-sharing deal with the Greens at Holyrood, has condemned the Prime Minister for a 'full-frontal attack' on the Scottish Parliament. Speaking before the PM's dramatic action, Ms Chapman defended Holyrood's gender identity reforms during an interview on LBC Radio. Asked about her past comments on the minimum legal age for changing gender, the Green MSP was asked whether she would support an eight-year-old being able to make a legal change. 'In the committee that scrutinised this legislation, we heard from a wide range of trans people who knew well before they were 16 that they were trans and I think we should be looking at processes where they can be recognised,' she replied. 'That does not mean to say Im saying we set an age at which its fine. I think there will need to be much wider discussions around protection.' Pressed on her view as to whether an eight-year-old should have the opportunituy to change their gender, Ms Chapman added: 'I think in principle we should be exploring that. Let us remember that, in Scotland, the age of legal capacity is currently 16. 'At 16 people can vote in Scottish Parliament and local elections, people can get married - those are big decisions too. I think 16 is absolutely where we should be at the moment.' But she also added: 'I think when we're talking about gender recognition reform, it was very, very clear if you go back and read the transcripts from trans people themselves they knew below the age of 16 that they were trans. 'And I think we should explore options - that doesn't mean to say it's a blanket opportunity - we should explore options for that.' Ms Chapman was also quizzed about her past claim that 'sex is not binary and immutable'. 'I think it's very, very clear when we talk about sex being binary in GCSE or O-level biology textbooks, that is a gross over-simplification of what is going on,' she said. Asked for an example of a human being having changed their biological sex, Ms Chapman added: 'When we look at how our bodies express hormonal relationships differently, hormonal levels differently, that binary definition we are told is right is far, far, far too simplistic. 'Very few of us know what our chromosomal make-up is.' Nicola Sturgeon has condemned the Prime Minister for a 'full-frontal attack' on the Scottish Parliament after Rishi Sunak vowed to block the gender identity legislation Pressed on whether there were no examples of human beings having changed their biological sex, the Green MSP continued: 'I'm not actually sure we can say that because we don't have the chromosomal make-up of every single human being. 'We don't know that. Do you know what your chromosomes are? I've never had mine tested, I don't know what mine are. 'I think only when they are displayed in different ways can we actually make those kinds of judgements.' In response to Ms Chapman's comments, Conservative MP Paul Bristow hit out at the Scottish Parliament's gender identity legislation that has sparked a constitutional dispute with Westminster. 'The bill would allow anyone over 16 simply to assert their gender and require everyone else to recognise it,' he posted on Twitter. 'Clearly this is ridiculous. But those pushing this dont want to stop there. 'If we dont resist this very damaging orthodoxy now, future generations will look back and think we had lost our minds.' A failed Republican candidate for New Mexico's state legislature was arrested for allegedly hiring four men to carry out shootings against Democrat officials. Solomon Pena, 39, who ran for a state House seat last November and claimed the elections were 'rigged', was arrested on Monday after a standoff with a SWAT team in Albuquerque. He was accused of hiring four gunmen to open fire at the homes of Adriann Barboa and Debbie O'Malley, two Bernalillo County commissioners, and State Sen. Linda Lopez and state Rep. Javier Martinez. The shootings occurred between December 4, 2022, and January 3, 2023, officials said. Martinez, the Speaker of the New Mexico House, said he was relieved that a suspect had been arrested in connection with the series of shootings. 'I am grateful a suspect is in custody and I trust our justice system will hold them accountable,' he said. Solomon Pena, who ran for a New Mexico House seat last November, was arrested on Monday after a standoff with a SWAT team in Albuquerque. He is accused of orchestrating shootings against four Democratic officials in the state The shootings targeted State Sen. Linda Lopez (left) and State Rep. Javier Martinez (right), the Speaker of the New Mexico House Also targeted in the shootings were Bernalillo County Commissioners Adriann Barboa (left) and Debbie O'Malley (right) Lopez is pictured standing by the bullet holes left in her garage door following the shooting on January 3, where three bullets also passed by her 10-year-old daughter's room The shootings began December 4, when eight rounds were fired at the home of Barboa. Days later, Martinez's home was targeted. On December 11 shooting, more than a dozen rounds were fired at O'Malley's house, police said. The final related shooting, targeting Lopez's home, unfolded in the midnight hour of January 3. Police said more than a dozen shots were fired and Lopez said three of the bullets passed through her 10-year-old daughter's bedroom. Following Pena's arrest on Monday, Albuquerque Police Deputy Commander Kyle Hartsock said at least four men were believed to have taken part in the shootings, with the politician serving as the 'mastermind.' The police officials noted that investigators believe Pena was the shooter in at least one of the attacks on the Democrat officials. Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina said the shootings appeared to be a politically motivated conspiracy. Pena ran unsuccessfully in November against incumbent state Rep. Miguel P. Garcia, the longtime Democrat representing House District 14 in the South Valley. Garcia won by 48 percentage points or roughly 3,600 votes. After the election, police said, Pena showed up uninvited at the elected officials' homes with what he claimed were documents proving he had won his race. There was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in New Mexico in 2020 or 2022. The shootings began shortly after those conversations. 'This type of radicalism is a threat to our nation and has made its way to our doorstep right here in Albuquerque, New Mexico,' Mayor Tim Keller said. 'But I know we are going to push back, and we will not allow this to cross the threshold.' Pena (above) ran for state representative last year, and had lost against incumbent state Rep. Miguel P. Garcia, who won by 48 percent Pena insisted that his loss in the midterms was 'rigged' as officials alleged it fueled his decision to hire four men against state Democrats Pictured: Pena's tweet following his defeat, where he says he never conceded his race and was 'researching' his next moves Albuquerque police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos told reporters echoed the mayor's condemnation as he described Pena as 'an election denier.' Gallegos added that Pena had previously met with three county commissioners and a state senator before the shootings, getting into a heated argument about the election results. Gallegos did not specify if any of the officials targeted in the shootings were at that meeting. According to the Albuquerque Journal, Pena's opponent, Garcia, had filed a lawsuit to keep the Republican from running for office due to a burglary conviction that had him serve nearly seven years in prison. Four men conspired with Pena, who is accused of paying them cash to carry out at least two of the drive-by shootings in stolen vehicles, while Pena 'pulled the trigger' during one of the crimes, Hartsock said. He noted that an AR handgun believed to be Pena's malfunctioned at the scene of one of the shootings. Detectives identified Pena as their key suspect using a combination of cellphone and vehicle records, witness interviews, and bullet casings collected at the lawmakers homes, police said. According to texts Pena allegedly sent the four gunmen, police say he provided them with the addresses he wanted to be attacked. It is still unclear if the four hired men even knew that they were firing at the home of politicians. A lawyer for Pena who could comment on the allegations wasn't listed Monday night in jail records. Albuquerque Police Deputy Commander Kyle Hartsock said investigators believed Pena was the gunman in at least one of the shootings Police are also investigation two shootings near other Democrat's homes that could be related to Pena's case In Albuquerque, law enforcement has struggled to address back-to-back years of record homicides and persistent gun violence. Investigators received a break in the case after technology that can detect the sound of gunfire led an officer to Lopez's neighborhood shortly after the shots were fired. The officer found bullet casings matching a handgun found later that morning in a Nissan Maxima registered to Pena. Around 1:30am, about an hour after the shooting at Lopez's home, police stopped the Nissan about 4 miles from the lawmaker's neighborhood. The driver, identified Monday night as Jose Trujillo, was arrested on an outstanding warrant, leading to the discovery of more than 800 fentanyl pills and two firearms in the car, police said. A criminal complaint outlining the exact charges against the former political candidate was expected to be released in the coming days. Although he was endorsed by New Mexico's Republican Party, GOP officials have since condemned Pena following his arrest and said if he's found guilty, 'he must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law' Additional arrests and charges also were expected, but police declined to elaborate, citing the ongoing investigation. Detectives also were investigating two additional shootings they initially believed could be related to the Pena case: one in the vicinity of New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrezs former campaign office and another at state Sen. Antonio Maestas office. Police on Monday said those shootings do not appear to be connected. The New Mexico Republican Party condemned Pena in a statement Monday night. 'If Pena is found guilty, he must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.' State House Republican Leader Ryan Lane added in a statement: 'New Mexico House Republicans condemn violence in any form and are grateful no one was injured. 'This is yet another example of a convicted felon unlawfully gaining access to firearms, which they are barred from owning or possessing, and using the weapon in a manner that causes public harm.' Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, also condemned the allegations against Pena. 'I commend the Albuquerque Police Department, State Police, and the District Attorney's Office for a successful partnership to apprehend the suspected perpetrator.' Grisham said. 'There is no place in our society or our democracy for violence against any elected official or their families, and I trust the justice system will hold those responsible for such attacks to full and fair account.' A group of criminals who made so much money from a 21 million Bitcoin scam they handed out 5,000 gift cards on the street have been jailed. Stephen William Boys, 59, and Kelly Caton, 45, have been found guilty of fraud, converting and transferring criminal property. Jordan Kane Robinson, 25, and James Austin-Beddoes, 28, were also found guilty. Preston Crown Court heard how the group worked with ringleader James Parker, who died in 2021 before he could be prosecuted for masterminding the conspiracy. Parker ran the operation from his home in Blackpool, Lancashire from October 2017 to January 2018, helping the group to make 'more money than they could spend.' Police recovered 22 million worth of crypto currency along with luxury watches, houses, cars and designer goods Kelly Caton, of Blackpool, Lancashire was convicted of fraud, converting and acquiring criminal property and jailed for four-and-a-half years He exploited a loophole to withdraw dishonestly-obtained crypto assets worth around 15 million from his trading account on an Australian-based cryptocurrency exchange. Caton dishonestly withdrew 2.7 million and Robinson withdrew 1.7 million from their accounts. The scam made so much money that 5,000 gift cards were handed out to people in the street and cars were bought for people Parker met in the pub, Preston Crown Court heard. During the trial Boys told the court how he took 1 million cash in a suitcase to buy a villa from Russians he met in the back office of an estate agent and paid 60,000 to pay off corrupt officials so he could carry on laundering money. During the investigation police recovered 445 Bitcoin, then worth 22 million, along with luxury watches, houses, cars and designer goods, including a 600 wine cooler, plus more than 1 million in bank accounts. Parker's financial adviser Stephen Boys worked with a UK national who lived in the United Arab Emirates to convert the cryptocurrency into cash. The money was then laundered through various foreign-based online accounts. Stephen Boys, of Accrington, Lancashire was found guilty of converting and transferring criminal property and jailed for six years. Stephen Boys told the court how he took 1 million cash in a suitcase to buy a villa from Russians he met in the back office of an estate agent Police said the scale of the scam led the group to 'literally having more money than they could spend' Jordan Robinson, of Fleetwood, Lancashire was found guilty of fraud, converting and acquiring criminal property and was jailed for four-and-a-half years Kelly Caton, of Blackpool, Lancashire was convicted of fraud, converting and acquiring criminal property and jailed for four-and-a-half years. Jordan Robinson, of Fleetwood, Lancashire was found guilty of fraud, converting and acquiring criminal property and was also jailed for four-and-a-half years. James Austin-Beddoes, of St Annes, Lancashire was found guilty of fraud and acquiring criminal property. He pleaded guilty to converting criminal property and was jailed for 18 months, suspended for a year. Jonathan Kelleher of the CPS said: 'These offenders used the internet from the comfort of their own homes to obtain tens of millions of pounds worth of Bitcoin which did not belong to them. 'Cyber-enabled crime presents an increasing threat to international economic stability, as well as to honest individual investors in cryptocurrency. 'The CPS advised our police partners throughout this international investigation. 'Painstaking analysis of vast amounts of digital material and collaborative liaison with the Australian and Finnish authorities enabled us to mount a successful prosecution against these criminals.' DS David Wainwright of Lancashire Police said: 'This was a large and complex case in which these offenders have now been brought to justice. 'I would like to thank everyone who worked as a team, together with our partner agencies, to achieve this successful outcome.' Det Sgt David Wainwright, of Lancashire Police's Fraud Unit, said: 'The scale of the fraud in this case is absolutely staggering and led to the suspects literally having more money than they could spend. 'I would like to pay tribute to all the agencies who worked closely together to bring these people to justice.' Italy's most-wanted mafia boss, Matteo Messina Denaro, has been arrested after three decades on the run during an encounter with law enforcement personnel in Sicily. The notorious mafia leader, who is known to be the head of the Cosa Nostra Mafia, was previously tried and sentenced to life in jail in absentia in 2022 over several murders. During the latest encounter, more than 100 members of the armed forces were involved. Italy's Most Notorious Mafia Boss Italian media reported that the mafia leader was taken into custody by police officers shortly before 9:00 a.m. GMT. He was later taken to an undisclosed location by the Carabinieri and was reported to have been visiting the clinic under a fake name for a course of chemotherapy. In video footage that was shared by Italian media, there seemed to be people standing in the street and applauding the law enforcement personnel as they led Messina Denaro away. He has been convicted of many crimes, including the 1992 killing of anti-Mafia prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino and the deadly 1993 bomb attacks that targeted Spain, Florence, and Rome, as per BBC. The mafia leader also once boasted that he was able to "fill a cemetery" with the bodies of his victims. Messina Denaro is also believed to have overseen racketeering, illegal waste dumping, money laundering, and drug trafficking for the powerful Cosa Nostra organized crime syndicate. He was previously thought of as the protege of Toto Riina, who was the head of the Corleone clan and arrested in 1993 after living for 23 years on the run from law enforcement. Several clans have nicknamed Messina Denaro "Diabolik," which is the name of an uncatchable thief in a comic book series. The mafia boss is thought to be Cosa Nostra's "secret keeper" as many informers and prosecutors believe that he holds all the information and the names of those who were involved in several of the most high-profile crimes conducted by the mafia. Read Also: Russia-Ukraine War Death Toll Update Who is Matteo Messina Denaro? The 60-year-old mafia boss is the last of Italy's three long-time fugitive mafia leaders to be arrested. Reports noted that Messina Denaro initially tried to escape law enforcement personnel during their encounter but surrendered without resistance later on after he realized that the facility was completely surrounded, according to Business Insider. Prosecutors also accused the mafia boss of helping to plan the kidnapping of a 12-year-old boy, identified as Giuseppe Di Matteo, in 1993. They added that the young child was taken captive for two years before he was strangled and dissolved in acid after his father cooperated with the police. The 60-year-old has also been linked to dozens of other mafia-related murders, becoming a fugitive in 1993 and making Forbes' list as one of the ten most-wanted criminals in the world in 2010. In a statement, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that Messina Denaro's arrest was a "great victory for the state that shows it never gives up in the face of the Mafia." The head of the Carabinieri's special operations squad, Gen. Pasquale Angelosanto, said that the mafia boss was arrested at a private clinic in Palermo, Sicily's capital, said NBC News. Related Article: Italy's Most Notorious Mafia Boss: Who Was He? @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Athena Brownfield was allegedly beaten to death on Christmas by one of her caregivers and buried near a home where they used to live, newly-released court documents revealed on Tuesday. The week-long search for the four-year-old Oklahoma girl became a 'recovery operation' to find her remains after both her caregivers were arrested last week. Ivon Adams, 36, and his estranged wife Alysia Adams, 31, had been caring for Athena and her sister Adina, 5, for two years at their home at 225 West Nebraska Avenue in Cyril, Oklahoma. Now, documents have revealed the alleged fate of the little girl. Alysia, who is related to the girls, reportedly told Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation that on Christmas around midnight, Ivon beat Athena to death at their Cyril home. Ivon Adams, 36, (left) allegedly beat Athena to death and buried her body, according to his estranged wife Alysia Adams, 31, (right) who told investigators it happened on Christmas The Oklahoma Bureau of Investigations continues to search for the remains of Athena Brownfield, 4, who was reported missing on January 10, but was allegedly killed on Christmas She said that Ivon then held the four-year-old up by her arms. The child was not moving and her eyes were barely open, according to the document. After this, he is said to have laid her on the ground and punched her at least three more times in the chest. He is then alleged to have driven to Rush Springs at around 1am on December 26, where he buried her body near a fence line on their old property. Her remains have not yet been found. When Ivon returned home, he allegedly told Alysia that he'd placed a large broken branch over the grave. Phone records reportedly showed Ivon leaving the home and traveling to Rush Springs around 4.15am. The alarm was raised on January 10 after a postal carrier found Athena's older sister Adina wandering alone outside near the home in Cyril. When investigators interviewed Alysia on January 12, she confessed she knew what happened to Athena. Ivon was arrested on Thursday in Arizona and will be extradited back to Oklahoma where he faces a murder charge. Alysia was arrested the same day and faces two counts of child neglect. The court documents also revealed that Ivon and Alysia never took the girls to the doctor for checkups and never enroll them in school. When Athena's sister Adina was interviewed by authorities last week, she told them she had been home by herself and was 'tired of being alone.' Oklahoma Highway Patrol were seen searching for Athena in a body of water near her home The child vanished from this house in Cyril, Oklahoma, a small city 70 miles southwest of Oklahoma City, on January 10 In a statement this week, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said: 'Special Agents... along with our partners at the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP), have been searching areas of Caddo County for the toddler's remains.' The agency asked the the public not to help in the search, saying that they could end up trespassing or contaminating potential evidence. The sisters' biological parents - who have not been named - have been interviewed by authorities and are cooperating with the investigation, the OSBI said. Athena's sister has been taken into protective custody. Volunteers and multiple law enforcement agencies have been involved in the search, which included a helicopter, boats, all-terrain vehicles, a specially trained ground team, and a review of surveillance video from around Cyril. Athena is shown with her older sister Adina, who was found last Tuesday wandering around outside the home the girls had been living at in Cyril, Oklahoma While authorities have said Ivon and Alysia are married, the pair appear to have split. They have four biological children of their own Athena's grandmother Penny Brownfield said the family is trying to remain hopeful The city of Cyril has also suspended trash service as investigators search for clues. The bureau said agents were following up on tips coming from Oklahoma and other states. While authorities have revealed that the pair are married, it appears they have since split, with Alysia seen spending a romantic weekend away with her boyfriend just days after Athena went missing. The postal worker who found Athena's sister said she checked the home and no one appeared to be there. Adina is said to have told the worker that she was hungry, and that she couldn't find Athena - who is described as being 'very shy'. Over the weekend of January 7 and 8, Alysia, who had guardianship of the sisters, was seen enjoying a trip to the movies and a meal over an hour away in Oklahoma City with her new boyfriend, Blayden Davis. Over the weekend of Jan 7 and 8, Alysia - who had guardianship of the sisters with her estranged husband Ivon - enjoyed a trip to the movies and a meal over an hour away in Oklahoma City with her new boyfriend, Blayden Davis Alysia calls herself a 'beauty influencer'. She regularly uploads videos to TikTok but the kids are never shown Alysia regularly shares videos of herself rapping on TikTok, singing along to the N-word and making joke clips about her life as a busy mother. She has four children of her own who regularly feature on her Instagram account, but Athena and Adina were never shown. It remains unclear how the girls ended up in her care. The children's paternal grandmother, Penny Brownfield, is in Cyril, and joined the search for her missing grandchild. A cousin of Martin Luther King Jr.'s wife Coretta Scott King said the late civil rights leader was assassinated by the US government. During an appearance with Fox News' Tucker Carlson on Monday night - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Seneca Scott presented the claim as he discussed the controversial new monument to MLK that was recently unveiled in Boston. Scott said: 'I would like to acknowledge it is Martin Luther King Day and nothing should detract from his radical vision, Tucker. And he was assassinated by the US government.' 'He was assassinated right when he was escalating from talking about racial bigotry to class and the war in Vietnam,' he said. Civil rights leader Andrew Young (L) and others standing on balcony of Lorraine motel pointing in direction of assailant after assassination of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who is lying at their feet Carlson agreed that MLK had been killed just as his focus had shifted to 'populist economics,' adding that he did not know who killed him, but saying it was 'very obvious' that James Earl Ray did not act alone. He pondered aloud why there is no significant interest in the facts surrounding King's assassination, which include two foreign passports being in Ray's possession following the killing. Primarily, Scott had been on the show to discuss the new, controversial bronze statue in Boston called 'The Embrace,' was described by Carlson as 'ugly at best, pornographic as worst.' Its creation cost a whopping $10.5million, some of which was public funding. Seneca Scott agreed with Carlson's description, calling the statue a 'monstrosity and insult to the family.' Tucker Carlson (left) and Seneca Scott (right) discuss the controversial newly unveiled MLK statue that was recently unveiled in Boston (right) 'The Embrace' in Boston. The statue was recently unveiled as a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. and is meant to celebrate an image of MLK and his wife Coretta Scott King Seneca Scott, a relative of MLK, claimed Monday that the civil rights icon was assassinated by the US government Carlson had previously claimed that a source told him the CIA had been involved in the killing of President John F. Kennedy President John F. Kennedy and the first lady smile at the crowds lining their motorcade route in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. Minutes later the president was assassinated Recently, Carlson concluded that the CIA was 'involved' in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Carlson made the claim to his viewers following the release of thousands of previously unseen files related to the JFK assassination, though he noted that thousands are still being withheld. The popular commentator said he had spoken to 'someone who has access to these still hidden CIA documents,' and had asked that individual 'Did the CIA have a hand in the murder of John F. Kennedy, an American President?' Carlson said his source responded, 'The answer is yes. I believe they were involved. It's a whole different country from what we thought it was. It's all fake.' Several weeks ago, the National Archives on Thursday released 13,173 unredacted documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, offering historians and conspiracy hunters a fresh trove of details. However, hundreds more documents remain under wraps. 'What little information remains redacted in CIA records in the Collection consists of intelligence sources and methods - some from as late as the 1990s, provided initially to give the JFK Review Board overall context on the CIA - the release of which would currently do identifiable harm to intelligence operations,' said a CIA spokesman. Hundreds of lives were saved at JFK airport, as two planes narrowly avoided colliding with each other on the runway, thanks to a new sophisticated radar system which is only available at a few airports across the country. The near collision between an American Airlines Boeing 777 and a Delta Boeing 737 came just a week after American's union complained of new pre-flight protocols which had caused delays as pilots sorted through the procedures. The departing Delta plane came to a safe stop on the John F. Kennedy International Airport runway as the American Airlines jet crossed in front of it at around 8.45pm Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. The collision was avoided thanks to a sophisticated radar system used on the ground - the Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X. The system collects data from censors to warn the tower of potential collisions. Last week, the Allied Pilots Association, which represents 15,000 American Airlines pilots, raised concerns about new cockpit protocols enforced by the airline without adequate training. These procedures may become part of the FAA and TSA investigation into the incident. The new checks have been in force since Tuesday, January 11. The procedures deal with cockpit communications during critical events such as low visibility landings, according to the union. 'The operational changes that management is attempting to implement without fulsome training alters how pilots communicate, coordinate, and execute flight safety duties at some of the most high-threat times of flight,' Allied Pilots Association (APA) said in a post last Monday. The changes were imposed over a bulletin, according to the union. 'This attempt to train by bulletin, while ignoring serious safety concerns and well-established best practices, runs the risk of dramatically eroding margins of safety,' it added. American said, in an emailed statement to Reuters: 'These changes represent industry best practice and ensure improved crew coordination and consistency across fleet types so that our pilots can easily transition across different aircraft if they choose. 'These updates have been underway since 2021 and have been a coordinated effort with APA's Training Committee,' the airline added, saying that the approach to familiarizing pilots has been approved by the US Federal Aviation Administration. The Delta flight was preparing for takeoff when it was forced to slam on the brakes, stopping just 1,000 feet from a possible fatal collision. An American Airlines plane was seen crossing the path of a Delta flight as it was about to take off. Air traffic control exclaimed 's***!' as they noticed the potential collision It seems the unnamed American Airlines pilot had crossed into the wrong lane, popping up right in front of the accelerating Delta plane. But throughout it all, the Delta pilot seemed calm and collected, even telling Air Traffic Control he'd have to return to the gate and 'make some phone calls.' FTA recordings detail the moments immediately before and after the potential crash. They begin with the American Airlines pilot saying the flight was ready to taxi onto a runway, to which an air traffic controller says they should take runway 4 left and 'hold short of Kilo.' The female pilot repeats the message moments before another air traffic controller informs her to proceed down the route and 'cross runway 31 left at Kilo.' She responds that she is 'crossing 31 left at Kilo' but starts to approach the wrong lane, heading straight rather than turning left. Just a moment later, air traffic control informs the Delta flight heading to the Dominican Republic that it is 'cleared for takeoff.' The pilot affirms the message saying: 'Cleared for takeoff, runway 4 left, Delta 1943.' But as it proceeded down the runway at 115mph, an air traffic controller noticed that the Delta flight was about to T-bone the American Airlines flight. 'S***, ah! F***' a controller could be heard saying. The Delta flight eventually took off to Santa Domingo Airport in the Dominican Republic the next morning, while the American Airlines flight arrived on time at London Heathrow on Saturday morning (file images) At that point another air traffic controller comes on the radio urging 'America 106 Heavy, America 106 Heavy, Heavy hold position... American 106 Heavy hold position.' A third air traffic controller, meanwhile, tells the Delta pilot: 'Delta 1943 cancel takeoff clearance! Delta 1943 cancel takeoff clearance.' The pilot replies that he is 'rejecting,' as an air traffic controller asks what his intentions are. 'Yeah, we're gonna have to go somewhere, run a couple of checklists and probably make some phone calls for Delta 1943,' the pilot says calmly. An air traffic controller says the plane can 'taxi right on Bravo and hold short of Hotel Bravo' which the pilot once again repeats. But another air traffic controller then asks: 'Delta 1943 did you make the switch?' 'Yes sir, we did,' the pilot responds. 'OK, I'm guessing you're [going to] wanna move, right?' Last week, the Allied Pilots Association, which represents 15,000 American Airlines pilots, raised concerns about a new cockpit protocols enforced by the airline 'Uh, well, uh we gotta make a couple phone calls here and my guess is that we're gonna go back to a gate,' the pilot says, apparently shrugging off the near crash. The air traffic controller agrees with his assessment, saying: 'OK I, figured that as well.' He then turned his attention back to the rogue American Airlines flight, saying there was 'possible pilot deviation' and 'I have a number for you, advise read to copy.' The female pilot replies that she is ready to copy down the phone number, while an apparent co-pilot asks: 'The last clearance we were given, we were cleared to cross, is that correct?' The air traffic controller responds: 'I guess we'll listen to the tapes, but you were... uh... supposed to depart 4L. You're currently holding short of runway 31L.' Brian Healy, a passenger on the Delta flight, said at first he thought the abrupt stop was a mechanical issue. 'There was this abrupt jerk of the plane, and everyone was sort of thrust forward from the waist,' he recalled. 'There was an audible reaction when the brakes happened, like a gasp. And then there was a total silence for a couple of seconds.' Healy went on to say that the Delta pilot made the right call in not sharing with the passengers exactly what had transpired. 'The pilot made the call to only share information on a need-to-know basis, and that was absolutely the right call, because it wouldve been pandemonium,' he said. John Cox, a retired pilot and professor of aviation safety at the University of Southern California, said he thought the controller 'made a good call to reject the takeoff.' He said the rejected takeoff safety maneuver, which is when pilots stop the aircraft and discontinue the takeoff, is one they are 'very, very familiar with.' 'Pilots practice rejected takeoff almost every time they get to the simulator,' he said. The plane returned to the gate, where the 145 passengers deplaned and were provided overnight accommodation, a Delta spokesperson said. The flight to Santa Domingo Airport in the Dominican Republic took off Saturday morning. 'Delta will work with and assist aviation authorities on a full review of flight 1943 on January 13 regarding a successful aborted takeoff procedure at New York-JFK. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and delay of their travels,' a Delta spokesperson said in a statement. A 12-year-old girl was found dead inside her Argentina home after practicing the viral TikTok 'blackout challenge' that was being lived streamed to her school friends. Milagros Soto was found dead in her bedroom by her father after he arrived from work on Friday, her aunt Laura Luque told TV station TeleNueve. Luque said her niece received a link to the TikTok dare, which is also known as the 'choking challenge' or 'pass-out challenge,' via a WhatsApp message from one of her classmates at School No. 223 Lieutenant General Pablo Riccieri in Capitan Bermudez, Santa Fe. Soto had attempted twice to remove a rope from her neck and failed on a third try and later tragically died as her friends watched. The distraught aunt believes 'someone encouraged' Soto to go through with the sickening challenge and revealed that her niece had been ridiculed by classmates at her school. Milagros Soto was found dead Friday at her home in Santa Fe, Argentina, after participating in the viral TikTok 'blackout challenge.' The 12-year-old had a rope around her neck and held her breath and failed to remove it on two attempts as the dare was live streamed to her school friends. The tried a third time to remove the rope and failed before dying An autopsy showed that Milagros Soto's death was caused by 'mechanical asphyxia by hanging' and that 'there are no signs of abuse or third party intervention' 'We have a lot of doubts about everything that happened. She was a very smart girl. She suffered a lot of bullying,' Luque told TV station El Trece.'She told us that nobody liked her at school because they said she looked pretty, because she was blonde and had light blue eyes.' 'She was a happy person. unbelievable. An excellent niece, granddaughter, daughter,' Luque said. 'A very studious girl because we have nothing else to say because everyone here knew her as the girl who smiled with those big eyes.' A copy of the autopsy obtained by newspaper Clarin indicated that Soto's death was caused by 'mechanical asphyxia by hanging' and that 'there are no signs of abuse or third party intervention.' In a statement, officials at School No. 223 Lieutenant General Pablo Riccieri remembered Soto as 'a great student, classmate, sweet, good and kind.' Laura Luque (pictured) said her brother-in-law found his 12-year-old daughter, Milagros Soto, dead inside her bedroom Friday after the had Milagros Soto (pictured) was reportedly bullied by her classmates, according to her aunt, because of her blonde hair and light blue eyes 12-year-old Milagros Soto died Friday inside her northeastern Argentina home after taking part in the viral TikTok 'blackout challenge' in which a person has to hold their breath until they pass out and then share show they felt when they are conscious Authorities recovered Soto's cellphone and are investigating if any of the students at the school were involved in the deadly challenge. 'We are in a society where if you don't do this you're not part of the group, if you don't do what we tell you, you're (worthless),' Luque said, as quoted by Clarin. 'This is ongoing, it's being investigated, and I'm not going to stop until I know what happened to Milli. All I know is that she wouldn't have been able to take her own life.' The viral 'blackout challenge' consists of a person recording themselves holding their breath for an a long as they can before they pass out and then explain what they felt in a separate video. According to People, the challenge dates back to 2008 and made an appearance again on TikTok in 2021. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has attributed at least 80 deaths to social media users who accept the dare. Bloomberg Businessweek found in November 2020 that at least 15 children under the age of 12 had died from the challenge over the last 18 months. An additional five deaths were reported for children between the age of 13 and 14 during the same period. Advertisement Hidden in plain site, Ukrainian soldiers lie camouflaged in the snow. This series of three photographs taken deep in the undergrowth will test your powers of observation, and whether you would be quick enough to see a hidden killer in the winter battlegrounds of Ukraine - before they saw you first. The puzzles were posted by the National Guard of Ukraine on Tuesday. 'Task for attention. Find the #sniper!' the organisation wrote, challenging its followers to pin-point the well-hidden marksmen. At least one sniper is hidden amongst the forest shrubbery in each photograph, but there could be more. Snipers on the battleground use grass, trees and bushes for cover in order to blend in. They are also known for wearing ghillie suits - a type of camouflage clothing that is designed to resemble the background environment, such as foliage, snow or sand. The National Guard offered no clues to help. In this case, the Ukrainian sharpshooters have used their snowy surroundings to blend it, making them difficult to spot even in these close-up images - and practically impossible to see across long distances. Can you find the snipers in these three photographs? The series of three photographs taken deep in the undergrowth will test your powers of observation, and whether you would be quick enough to see a hidden killer in the winter battlegrounds of Ukraine - before they saw you first The puzzles were posted by National Guard of Ukraine on Tuesday. 'Task for attention. Find the #sniper!' the organisation wrote, challenging its followers to pin-point the well-hidden marksmen Snipers on the battleground use grass, trees and bushes for cover in order to blend in. They are also known for wearing ghillie suits - a type of camouflage clothing that is designed to resemble the background environment, such as foliage, snow or sand There have been several reports of Ukrainian snipers carrying out extraordinary feats since Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of their country on February 24. In November, Ukrainian special forces released extraordinary footage that claims to show an elite marksman hitting two Russian troops with just a single shot. Including the astonishing shot from distance, the sniper was able to take out five of Putin's troops within just five minutes, they said at the time. The shots are thought to have been taken at a distance of nearly 4,000ft - and were reported just days after a another Ukrainian marksman claimed to have executed the second-longest combat kill in history. The sharpshooter claimed to have hit a target at a distance of 2,710m around 1.7miles - also in November. MailOnline found four snipers across the three images. Did you find more? Scroll down for our guesses... One sniper was found in this photograph, hidden in the foreground lying prone on the woodland floor facing away from the camera. The marksman appears to be wearing a ghillie suit and is partially covered in snow to blend into his surroundings Another sniper was spotted in this photograph, facing to the left and propped on snow-covered logs on the woodland floor The toddler only escaped unharmed because bullets were not in the chamber Neighbors of Indiana dad caught footage on their doorbell cam and called police Shane Osborne, 45, arrested for child neglect but could face further charges The father of toddler seen waving a handgun in hall of apartment, pointing at himself and pulling the trigger is charged with felony child neglect - as it's revealed cops asked the kid Where did you put the Pew-Pew?' Dad Shane Osborne, 45, could face even more charges because he is a felon, officers told the New York Post. Heart-stopping footage released over the weekend showed the diaper-clad tot wandering around his apartment complex in Indiana carrying the loaded pistol, at one point even turning it onto himself and pulling the trigger. Fortunately, the child was not injured as the bullets were not chambered to the gun. Now police have revealed that they had to ask the child 'where you put the Pew-Pew?' as they arrived on the scnee. The video appeared on On Patrol: Live on Saturday and sparked an investigation by Beech Grove Police - a force located just outside Indianapolis which frequently appears on the show aired by REELZ. Shane Osborne, 45, has been charged with child neglect but could face further charges, officer said Neighbors witnessed the boy - who appears to be two or three years old - carrying the gun and shouting 'pow pow pow!' on their doorbell cam. They called the police, and authorities quickly arrived to search the apartment where he lived with Osborne. Initially the dad told officers: 'I don't have a gun, I have never bought a gun into this house, if there is it's my cousin's.' But a 9mm Smith and Wesson pistol was found in the back of a desk drawer. Osborne told police his cousin was staying with him at the time his little boy was caught on camera with the weapon. Heart-stopping footage broadcast on Reelz show 'On Patrol: Live' shows the moment a toddler waved around his dad's handgun, at one point turning it on himself In the clip the tot can be seen pulling the trigger on several occasions but was left unharmed because the bullets were not in the chamber Neighbors called the police after they spotted the boy carrying the pistol while shouting 'pow, pow, pow' In the clip, the young boy can be seen wearing a diaper and aimlessly wandering around the stairwell outside his closed apartment door and carrying the loaded pistol. As he walked about, he could be seen pointing the gun at doors and in the air, and rapidly pulling the trigger as he went. The footage later shows the father taken from the apartment in handcuffs. 'Its almost incomprehensible what youre watching,' Beech Grove Deputy Police Chief Robert Mercuri said, according to WTHR. 'I saw it the next day and even though I knew the outcome, as Im watching the video, I was still scared. 'You find yourself catching your breath. I dont know how you cant watch that video, parent or non-parent and not be shocked and disturbed.' The neighbor who called police said the small child 'just kept going pow, pow, pow, pow, according to the local news station. Nicole Summers said: 'He was standing in the middle of the hallway and he was just kind of holding it behind his back and I thoughtlike thats a real gun. I sell guns for a living, so I know what a gun looks like.' Two of the neighbors who saw the boy with the handgun in their hallway. They called the police The woman whose security camera captured the boy with the gun in the building hallway The child lives full time with his mother and is back with her following the incident. She said it was scary seeing her son with a gun, but insisted Osborne is a good father. Beech Grove Mayor Dennis Buckley said he appreciated how quickly cops worked to secure the kid and the gun. He said: 'As with all of you, Im mortified at what took place and Im so thankful that no one was hurt, especially the young child.' Paperchase is set to call in administrators as the beleaguered high street chain races to find a rescue buyer just months after its latest change of ownership. Shoppers appeared to unsurprised by the news and asked 'who can afford to shop at Paperchase?', while some questioned how long a paper shop can last in a digital world. The stationery outfit, which usually relies on festive trading to boost its sales, has joined the growing list of retail casualties following changing consumer habits on the high street and the long-term impact of lockdown measures. Paperchase has been experiencing losses for several years, which grew from 6.3million to 10million in the year to February 2019, with turnover falling 5 per cent to 125million. The potential sale of the business comes only four months after the retailer was bought by retail veteran Steve Curtis, who has previously backed Jigsaw and Tie Rack. Paperchase also previously fell into administration two years ago, with the closure of 37 stores. Paperchase is set to call in administrators as the beleaguered high street chain races to find a rescue buyer just months after its latest change of ownership Shoppers online did not appear to be shocked about Paperchase calling administrators Paperchase, which employs hundreds of people and trades from around 100 locations across the UK, had previously boasted of plans to expand the business. The firm once employed close to 1,300 people and had more than 125 sites across the country - with concessions at Selfridges, Next and House of Fraser - before slumping into insolvency during the pandemic. It remains unclear at this time how many shops and jobs could be at risk following their latest administration process. Despite being auctioned by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the stationary chain is continuing to seek a solvent rescue deal, with pre-pack administration now appearing to be increasingly likely, sources said. Begbies Traynor, the professional services firm, has been lined up to handle any potential insolvency, Sky News reports. A spokesman for Paperchase said: 'We confirm that we have retained BTG and PwC to advise Paperchase on strategic options, including the sale of the business as a going concern to new owners. 'Talks are continuing with a number of interested parties. 'All Paperchase stores and the website will continue to trade as normal during this period. 'We can't comment further on this process until discussions with interested parties have been concluded.' The stationery outfit, which usually relies on festive trading to boost its sales, has joined the growing list of retail casualties following changing consumer habits on the high street and the long term impact of lockdown measures Steve Curtis, an experienced retail investor whose past ventures include high street names such as Tie Rack and Jigsaw, took over the embattled chain in August. Prior to that, it was bought from American bookseller Borders in 2010 in a 20m management buyout backed by private equity firm Primary Capital. It was put on the market in 2015 but failed to receive any suitable offers. Paperchase's success dates back to 1968 after it was purchased by art students Eddie Pond and Judith Cash - the latter choosing to purchase the store after rising up to manager and stumping up enough cash to convince the prior owners to sell. Their store continued to go from strength to strength until they decided to sell in the 1980s. Today, Paperchase is an international chain of stores spanning three continents. Ken Bruce quitting Radio 2 will leave the BBC with a dearth of broadcasters who appeal to all age groups and replacing him with a younger star could alienate licence-fee payers further, experts told MailOnline today. The corporation has long been accused of sidelining older 'baby-boomer' DJs and pursuing 'Gen Z' and younger listeners with under-50 presenters playing fewer classic hits and more modern pop. Mr Bruce is the latest veteran to leave the station, but he insists it is his decision. Last summer Paul O'Grady exited Radio 2 after Steve Wright, 68, Graham Norton, 59, and Simon Mayo, 64, all left and were replaced with a younger line up. Vanessa Feltz, 60, and Craig Charles, 58, have also moved on, with Ms Feltz saying her exit was because she was a woman over the age of 60. They have been replaced with ex-Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills, RuPaul's Michelle Visage, Waterloo Road's Angela Griffin, and DJ Spoony as well as Rylan Clark, who is tipped for Ken Bruce's job. Culture expert Nick Ede told MailOnline: 'It's a shame that the BBC are going for younger presenters on the BBC as people like Ken Bruce have the distinct and unique ability to appeal to listeners of all ages. Radio 2 fans have accused the BBC of ageism as a string of older DJs step back, including Paul O'Grady, Steve Wright, Ken Bruceand Simon Mayo, replaced by ex-Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills, RuPaul's Michelle Visage, Rylan and DJ Spoony 'This was his decision, however, and it's a tricky area as you don't want to alienate your existing listeners but you also want to keep your channel fresh and exciting too. 'The BBC must listen to its users however and with the every changing new roster of presenters its still having to work out who its appealing too and who will fill the massive shoes he will leave behind'. Brand guru Mark Borkowski said that the BBC has to freshen up its Radio 2 line up for the next generation - but risks upsetting devotees. He said: 'The BBC have to take the pain to renew and find new blood. Its in danger of being sucked into a niche at a time they have to express values to those who still pay a licence fee. Dont forget Wogan was axed'. In the past three years, BBC Radio has also lost big-hitters such as Graham Norton, who quit the station just before Christmas in 2020 but whose talk show is broadcast on BBC One, and Simon Mayo. Radio 2 has been trying to woo younger listeners with fresh talent including ex-Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills, RuPaul's Drag Race UK judge Michelle Visage, Waterloo Road actress Angela Griffin, and DJ Spoony, while also reducing the bill it pays some of its big-hitters. It comes amid a wider 'brain drain' after journalists Dan Walker, Jon Sopel, Emily Maitlis and Andrew Marr all ditched the corporation for high-paid jobs at rival broadcasters including LBC and Channel 5, where they are not bound by the BBC's strict impartiality rules. A BBC spokesperson rubbished the allegations of ageism last year, telling MailOnline: 'Radio 2 remains committed to its multi-generational appeal that serves a 35+ audience, a target which hasn't changed in decades, and we're thrilled over 14.5 million listeners are tuning in each week to our brilliant range of programmes, hosted by some of the UK's best loved presenters. 'As listeners know, we continue to play a wide variety of the best music from the past seven decades, including from the 60s and 70s.' Paul O'Grady and Steve Wright both quit their Radio 2 shows last year It comes after Radio 2 fans deplored the BBC's decision to replace popular DJ Steve Wright with Radio 1's Scott Mills as the corporation seeks to 'try something different'. As he exited Wogan House in July last year, donning a purple shirt, red striped tie and suit jacket, Wright told reporters it was 'nice of you to come over', adding: 'That's the way it goes... You know, sometimes people want you, sometimes they don't. 'Sometimes they want to make changes, give you another offer, and that's okay, I understand that, I really understand that.' In June 2022, Tony Blackburn attacked the BBC for its 'strange' decision to move his Radio 2 show. The 79-year-old DJ appeared to blame the decision on ageism, saying in a post on social media 'there's a lot of it about'. Blackburn learned that from mid-July his Golden Hour show would be moved from 7pm on Fridays to the same time on Sunday. Blackburn criticised the 'wacky' decision on Twitter, and fans of the show flocked to support the former Radio 1 DJ. One commented that the BBC was 'making a lot of mistakes' by changing up the scheduling. An insider said there were 'a lot of unhappy DJs at the moment as a result'. At the same time as BBC bosses try to remain popular with younger audiences, the corporation has also been beset by a host of big name departures over the past 18 months. In an unforeseen exit, veteran broadcaster Andrew Marr last winter revealed that he was leaving the BBC after 21 years, including 16 years fronting his own Sunday morning political programme, to join LBC and Classic FM. He said he was 'keen to get my own voice back' and would now focus on presenting political and cultural radio shows and writing for newspapers. Marr was swiftly followed by Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel, who also joined LBC. The veteran journalists caused disarray at Broadcasting House after deciding to join Leicester Square-based Global, which is also home to Nick Ferrari, Eddie Mair, Shelagh Fogarty and James O'Brien. Maitlis, who hosted Newsnight and became a household name after her astonishing interview with Prince Andrew about his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, has had a series of impartiality complaints against her because of her tweets and on-air comments about the pandemic, the Tory Government and Boris Johnson's former chief aide Dominic Cummings. And in April 2022, BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker revealed he was leaving his 295,000-a-year role after six years to be lead anchor at Channel 5's revamped news team. A presidential legacy takes a lifetime to build, yet can be reduced to reputational rubble in the blink of an eye. Almost every American president knows the indelible damage of bombshell scandals as their administration is dragged down by an even larger and more devastating controversy, forever marred in history. Even if the president wasn't directly involved in the lack of judgement or bad behavior, as President Harry S. Truman famously said, 'The Buck Stops Here.' Starting with President Joe Biden who is now mired in an embarrassing faux pas, for Democrats and the White House alike, after being forced to admit that even more documents with classified marking were found in his private library and garage at his Wilmington, Delaware home, in addition to the Penn Biden Center, a think tank in Washington, DC, where he kept a private office. It's not Biden's first presidential scandal he was heavily criticized for the botched 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal that saw 13 U.S. service members killed in a suicide bombing at Kabul airport but it is the first time a special counsel has been appointed to investigate. Will the classified documents crisis shut the door on Biden's re-election prospects? Rutgers University Presidential historian David Greenberg told DailyMail.com it's 'too early to tell'. President Joe Biden is currently under fire for the alleged unwitting possession of classified documents from his time in the Obama administration 'It appears that Biden is confident that they were packed up inadvertently and that he has nothing to hide. If that's the case, I imagine he will not see this issue as a liability in 2024 and that he is probably going to run for reelection,' the professor said. Does a presidential scandal ever go away? We look at examples since the Clinton years to see how things turned out. Bill Clinton Whitewater: the Clintons' real estate controversy The Whitewater scandal stems from a failed real estate venture between the Clintons and associates with whom they formed Whitewater Development Corporation while Bill was an Arkansas state official. The Clintons came under fire for the handling of documents relating to the case and were accused of pressuring an Arkansas executive into helping fund the new business venture of Jim McDougal, one of their Whitewater associates. In 1994, Clinton asked his Attorney General Janet Reno to appoint a special counsel to look into whether his Whitewater transactions were lawful. Hillary Clinton was forced to testify about the matter to a grand jury in 1996. The former First Couple were never charged or implicated in any wrongdoing, but their business partners, Jim McDougal and his wife Susan, were convicted of fraud charges. Clinton pardoned Susan hours before the end of his second term. Vince Foster's suicide and decades of conspiracy theories The 1993 suicide of Deputy White House Counsel Vince Foster has inspired dozens of conspiracy theories about the Clintons, fueling their critics for decades. Foster, 48, was found dead in a Virginia park on July 20, 1993, of what an autopsy determined was a gunshot wound. The first Clinton administration scandal was the controversy around a failed real estate venture known as 'Whitewater' Within hours of Foster's suicide, chief White House counsel Bernard Nussbaum is known to have removed files from Foster's office some regarding Whitewater and they wound up in possession of the Clintons' family attorney. Five government investigations, including one by House Republicans, concluded he died of suicide. But Clinton critics continued to seize on Foster's untimely death. Conservative Christian leader Jerry Falwell put money into a controversial film that claimed the Clintons staged Foster's death. Conspiracy theories continue to plague the Clintons' legacy, despite overwhelming evidence debunking them. Paula Jones and Monica Lewinsky The most well-known scandals of the Clinton presidency revolve around the former president's alleged sexual exploits. Paula Jones accused him of sexually harassing her when he was governor of Arkansas. She stands by her claim today, but Clinton denies ever having sexual relations with her. Though the case failed, it gave way to the Monica Lewinsky scandal, which revealed that Clinton had an affair with his young intern. During the Jones lawsuit Clinton denied having sexual relations with Lewinsky. That resulted in Clinton's impeachment for 'high crimes and misdemeanors' by the House of Representatives. Recent media about the scandal including a series titled Impeachment: American Crime Story are proof of how long-lasting its legacy is. Among the most famous presidential scandals of all time, then-President Bill Clinton was impeached for lying about his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky (both pictured) George W Bush Halliburton's ties to Dick Cheney and controversial government contracts Energy company Halliburton came under intense scrutiny as business flourished under George W Bush. Bush's Vice President Dick Cheney had been the firm's CEO before he joined Bush's Republican ticket. He got a severance package worth $36 million. Halliburton was accused of getting preferential treatment from the Pentagon as it scored lucrative contracts to support the U.S. involvement in the Middle East. In one instance, uncovered by the BBC in 2008, Halliburton won a $7 billion contract just before the Iraq war after being the sole bidder. The Halliburton scandal tarnished Cheney's legacy more than it did that of Bush, who was often portrayed as naive and incompetent compared with the vice president's scheming persona. Torture at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay One of Bush's worst scandals involved the torture of prisoners, specifically at detention facilities Abu Ghraib in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay on Cuba's coast. In 2003, President Bush started to come under fire over reports describing rampant violence against and sexual abuse of prisoners by U.S. service members. This is a file image obtained by The Associated Press which shows an unidentified detainee standing on a box with a bag on his head and wires attached to him in late 2003 at the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad, Iraq. The Bush administration received international criticism for its treatment of prisoners there and on Guantanamo Bay Harsh methods had been authorized by Bush officials under the sanitized label of 'enhanced interrogation methods.' It resulted in a global humanitarian outcry as photos emerged of bodies piled up and people being bound and blinded while held in uncomfortable positions. Bush and Cheney were accused of being 'war criminals', a stain that continues to follow them. The 'Mission Accomplished' speech and the banner that haunted Bush President Bush's May 2003 speech was meant to signal the end of serious combat operations in Iraq, but it was a devastating miscalculation long before the war was declared over in December 2011. While it did not result in any law enforcement probes, the photograph of ex-President George W. Bush that appeared to tout 'mission accomplished' in Iraq proved an embarrassing moment for the Republican leader Contrary to popular belief, Bush never uttered the words 'mission accomplished' indeed, he went out of his way to remark on the 'difficult work' left in Iraq but he delivered the remarks while a banner with that very phrase hung over his head. The photo has inspired derision and internet memes that are still shared today overshadowing his intended message. Bush admitted in 2009 that having that banner during his speech was a 'mistake.' The Hurricane Katrina flyover photo Another self-confessed 'mistake' by Bush was a photograph of the Republican commander-in-chief looking out a plane's window at the horrific damage left by Hurricane Katrina days after it hit New Orleans. Bush conceded in a 2010 interview with NBC that it made him look 'uncaring'. Though he reasoned that he did not want to disrupt emergency aid with the security required for a presidential visit, the image was widely viewed as illustrative of his administration's poor overall response to the hurricane. In this handout photo provided by the White House, U.S. President George W. Bush looks out over devastation from Hurricane Katrina as he heads back to Washington D.C. August 31, 2005 aboard Air Force One. Bush was accused of looking distant and uncaring for viewing the destruction from the sky Bush officials were accused of being unprepared for the storm and being slow to get aid to the predominantly black city after the disaster. Criticism was heaped on local and state authorities too, but rapper Kanye West summarized the long-lasting cultural impact in 2003 with his accusation: 'George Bush doesn't care about black people.' Barack Obama Accusations of security failings in Benghazi attack The 2012 Benghazi attack spurred several investigations by House Republicans of Barack Obama over accusations that Democratic officials spurned requests for more security at the U.S. diplomatic complex in the Libyan city. It also followed failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton throughout her political career, resurfacing as a political cudgel during her 2016 race against Donald Trump. The American ambassador to Syria was killed along with a U.S. foreign services officer and two CIA contractors in a coordinated attack against the country's diplomatic outpost by an Islamic militant group. Four lower-level State Department employees were accused of denying requests for added security to the compound, but those at the top Obama, Clinton and Susan Rice were cleared. Opinions on whether it still left a lasting stain on their legacies largely fall along partisan lines. The deadly diplomatic crisis was memorialized in the action movie 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. A photo made available on September 12, 2012, shows an armed man holding his rifle as he stands next to buildings set on fire at the US consulate, in Benghazi, Libya, the day before. Obama officials faced hours of interrogation from Congressional Republicans over the coordinated attack on American diplomatic officials A US flag is seen amid rubbles at the US consulate, one day after armed men stormed the place Fast and Furious: a botched attempt to catch cartels 'Fast and Furious' was the codename for an ATF operation that saw 2,000 guns get into the hands of suspected or known criminals, in the hopes that tracking the firearms would help U.S. officials follow the movements of dangerous and powerful Mexican drug cartels. But the Phoenix-based program, at least publicly, resulted in more grim headlines than busted gangs. Two guns traced back to the program were found near the scene of the brutal slaying of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in 2010 on the Mexico-Arizona border. An investigation by House and Senate Republicans in 2011 found more than 100 guns from the operation were linked to crime scenes in Mexico. Obama was accused of lying when he claimed in 2012 that the program began under George W. Bush - it is believed to have started under Obama in October 2009. He also claimed executive privilege in an attempt to block Congress from accessing records linked to Fast and Furious. That was denied by a federal judge. It resulted in Obama's attorney general, Eric Holder, being held in contempt of Congress - though no charges were ultimately filed. Republican fury over IRS targeting of conservative groups In 2013, President Obama's IRS was accused of unfairly targeting conservative groups for enhanced auditing, immediately spurring Republican outrage and allegations of political weaponization. While it was found that left-wing groups were also affected, the Republican-led Congress focused much of its attention on audits that hit organizations related to the Tea Party. A House Oversight Committee report at the time declared that liberal groups were subjected to audits, though at a far lower rate than their right-wing counterparts. The Arizona-based ATF gunwalking program known as 'Fast and Furious' resulted in ex-President Obama's attorney general Eric Holder (pictured behind the podium) to be held in contempt of Congress - though charges were never filed An internal probe by the Treasury Department's Inspector General found that groups with 'progressive' in the name were subject to the same audits. Obama suffered no personal consequences, but his IRS commissioner was subjected to an impeachment resolution that never went anywhere. The Democratic leader has since been associated with perceived IRS weaponization against right-wing groups. Edward Snowden and Wikileaks Obama is still very highly regarded in his party, but elements of the far left continue to criticize his administration's treatment of government whistleblowers. The Wikileaks scandal and the treatment of former NSA official Edward Snowden have become synonymous with debates over a free press and revelations about the extent of government surveillance. Snowden leaked highly classified information about the U.S. government's surveillance capabilities, which he defended as being for the public good. He sought refuge in Moscow after being charged with the Espionage Act violations by Obama's Justice Department in 2013, and has remained there since. Obama's Justice Department has also been criticized for its treatment of whistleblower Chelsea Manning, who was charged and convicted under the Espionage Act after giving Wikileaks over a quarter of a million documents that were either classified or at least at a sensitive security level. Obama commuted Manning's sentence after seven years served, just before he left office in January 2017. Donald Trump Robert Mueller's Russia probe Special Counsel Robert Mueller was tasked by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to investigate whether Donald Trump's 2016 campaign colluded with Russia to beat Democrat Hillary Clinton. The probe found no proof of Trump working with Moscow, but multiple members of his circle were criminally charged. Trump has never been able to shake the perception that he's under Vladimir Putin's thumb. Raunchier claims made during the course of the Mueller probe such as those involving Russian prostitutes and urinating on hotel beds in the end proved not credible, but have also nevertheless stuck around in the cultural zeitgeist. Asking Zelensky for a 'favor' in Ukraine call The 2019 phone call between former President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that kicked off Trump's first impeachment undoubtedly left a lasting mark on his legacy. Trump asked Zelensky for a 'favor' in return for much needed military aid, which until that point had been slow-walked by the administration to the alarm of national security officials who later spoke out against it. The ex-president has since continued to defend the exchange as 'perfect.' And while it too could have potentially faded into the memory of history, the July 2019 call took on dark new significance last year when Russia launched a brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Rape accusation by E Jean Carroll A decades-old rape accusation by longtime columnist E Jean Carroll resurfaced in June 2019, about halfway through Trump's term. Carroll released an excerpt of her memoir in New York Magazine in which she claimed Trump sexually assaulted her in a Manhattan department store in the mid-1990s. Ex-President Donald Trump's phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky led to his first impeachment by the Democrat-led House of Representatives She sued him for defamation after he denied her claims by stating 'she's not my type' and accused her of lying to sell her book. Trump's lawyers sought to shield him using a federal law that protects government employees from defamation suits for statements made in the scope of their duty. It's too early to say whether the accusation how this will affect Trump's legacy because the court case is ongoing. Trump asking Georgia's Brad Raffensperger to 'find' votes Another phone call Trump touted as 'perfect' is under federal investigation. Weeks after he lost to Joe Biden in 2020, Trump phoned Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger the state's highest ranking election official and asked him to 'find' the exact margin of votes he needed to flip his loss. Trump narrowly lost the Peach State to Biden after historic Democratic turnout in early voting and widespread rejection from moderate voters. His efforts to overturn the 2020 election have been subjected to federal and Congressional investigation, and recently became part of Special Counsel Jack Smith's probe. The call, which was publicly released to the media by Raffensperger, punctuated the end of a tumultuous four years for Trump, filled with reports of backroom dealings and accusations of mafia-like pressure tactics. Chicago is once again the most bed bug-infested city in the United States, followed by New York and Philadelphia. The Windy City has claimed the top spot on Orkin's Top 50 Bed Bug Cities List for the third year in a row. Los Angeles made a massive leap this year, moving up seven spots into the top five cities with the worst bed big problems. The other city in the top five is Cleveland. Orkin released the list ahead of 'National Shop for Travel Day' on January 10 as Americans begin to book hotels and plan their vacations for the upcoming year. The Windy City has claimed the top spot on Orkin's Top 50 Bed Bug Cities List for the third year in a row, followed by New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles which moved up seven spots A map shows the top 10 cities where bed bug problems are the worse, according to Orkin The list released by Orkin is based on treatment data from where the most bed bug treatments were performed between December 1, 2021 November 30, 2022. Both residential and commercial treatments were included in the rankings. Bed bugs are not known to spread disease, but be an annoyance because their presence may cause itching and loss of sleep, according to the CDC. Sometimes the itching can lead to excessive scratching that can sometimes increase the chance of a secondary skin infection. Reactions to a bite can vary by person and can range from an absence of any physical signs of the bite, to a small bite mark, to a serious allergic reaction. Orkin released the list of cities with the worst pest problem along with information about bed bugs and prevention tips to help travelers know how to identify and thoroughly check for bed bugs at hotel rooms while taking care not to bring the pests into their own homes. New York City landed on the number two spot on the list, moving up one spot from last year Bed bugs are not known to spread disease, but be an annoyance because their presence may cause itching and loss of sleep The top 10 most bed bug-infested US cities 1. Chicago 2. New York 3. Philadelphia 4. Cleveland-Akron, Ohio 5. Los Angeles 6. Detroit 7. Indianapolis 8. Baltimore 9. Washington, D.C. 10. Columbus, Ohio Source: Orkin Advertisement 'Bed bugs are extremely resilient, making them difficult to control. As people begin to ramp up their travel plans this year, it's important they know how to protect themselves through pest identification and proper control,' Ben Hottel, Orkin entomologist said. 'Contrary to popular belief, bed bugs are visible to the naked eye, but are excellent at hiding. Involving a trained professional at the sight of a bed bug introduction is recommended.' Bed bugs are 3/16 inch long, red to dark brown in color and are mostly nocturnal insects that come out of hiding to take blood meals from sleeping humans, according to Orkin. The bugs are hematophagous, meaning blood is their only food source. However, they can survive for several months while waiting for their next blood meal and emerge when their food source appears. Experts say the pests can travel from place to place with ease, clinging to items such as luggage, purses and other personal belongings. Bed bugs are also known for rapid population growth and can produce one to five eggs a day and may lay 200 to 500 eggs in their lifetime. Experts say travelers should be aware of bed bug infestations in hotels, but also of the pests hitchhiking on luggage and on public transportation. 'While it's important to be aware of bed bug infestations within hotels, practicing precautions in other aspects of travel are also important,' Hottel said. 'Taxis, buses and airplanes are also common bed bug hiding places, allowing these pests an opportunity to hitch a ride with unsuspecting travelers.' Philadelphia rounded out the top three having moved down one spot from last year When traveling, use the acronym S.L.E.E.P. to inspect for bed bugs Survey the hotel room for signs of an infestation. Be on the lookout for tiny, ink-colored stains on mattress seams, in soft furniture and behind headboards. Lift and look in bed bug hiding spots: the mattress, box spring and other furniture, as well as behind baseboards, pictures and even torn wallpaper. Elevate luggage away from the bed and wall. The safest places are in the bathroom or on counters. Examine your luggage carefully while repacking and once you return home from a trip. Always store luggage away from the bed. Place all dryer-safe clothing from your luggage in the dryer for at least 30-45 minutes at the highest setting after you return home. Source: Orkin Advertisement He continued: 'Examining clothing and luggage regularly while traveling can help to catch a bed bug infestation in the early stages.' Orkin released proactive tips recommended for homeowners and travelers to prevent bed bugs, which include inspecting your home for signs of bed bugs regularly, checking the places where bed bugs hide during the day. This includes mattress tags and seams, and behind baseboards, headboards, electrical outlets and picture frames. Experts say that decreasing clutter around the home will make it easier to spot bed bugs and that all secondhand furniture should be examined before bringing it inside the home. Several United States lawmakers quietly attended the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Annual Meeting 2023 on Monday to meet with various influential business leaders in Davos, Switzerland. The American officials who took part in the event include Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Chris Coons of Delaware, and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. There were also a few members of the House of Representatives who went to the event. Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp was among those who attended the meeting. World Economic Forum The four aforementioned American lawmakers are among the U.S.-based officials who are set to participate in panel sessions during this year's conference. These types of private events held on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum often serve as meet-and-greets between CEOs, billionaires, and government officials. Particularly, Coons and Manchin separately addressed the audience of corporate leaders at the lunch, one attendee said, who opted to remain anonymous because they were speaking about a private gathering, as per CNBC. Coons spoke at the event and discussed U.S. aid being supplied to Ukraine following Russia's invasion. Manchin, on the other hand, holding his position as chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, called for American energy independence amid Russia's monopoly-style control of the global market. The private lunch was held at the Hotel Schatzalp which is primarily accessible by riding on a funicular, or tram, up the property. A person who attended the event said that it happened at the establishment's Belle Epoque restaurant, where participants were served salmon and a beef dish. The business leaders who participated in the event came from a wide variety of backgrounds and include Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Antonio Neri, the executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, Klaus Schwab, and leaders of a variety of non-governmental organizations. Read Also: Russia-Ukraine War Death Toll Update Addressing Global Issues The forum was first established by Schwab, a German economist, in 1971 and was originally known as the European Management Forum prior to its name change in 1987. The theme for this year's discussions is "Cooperation in a Fragmented World," according to Aljazeera. Among leaders of the G7 nations, only German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attended the event. A spokesperson for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday that the leader would not be able to make the event because there was an ongoing energy crisis in the country. Schwab's objective in founding the World Economic Forum was to create a place for policymakers and top corporate executives to address major global issues and learn best practices for leadership and management. While delegates attend panels and speeches inside the Congress Center, much of the action happens outside, where bilateral meetings between heads of state and corporate chieftains occur that take up most of their time. The event was also attended by the presidents of Poland, Spain, South Korea, and the Philippines, who were among the 51 heads of state who came. There were also 56 finance ministers, 19 central bank governors, 35 foreign ministers, and 30 trade ministers who were present at the event, said Rappler. Related Article: Italy's Most-Wanted Mafi Boss: Who Is Matteo Messina Denaro? @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A string of passengers travelling from Los Angeles to Heathrow were found with around 750lbs of cannabis worth 5.5 million, triggering a criminal investigation. Nine US nationals have been arrested and charged in the past week after being stopped at the Central London airport in the space of less than seven days. The National Crime Agency said each suspect was found with between 66lbs and 110lbs (30kg and 50kg) of cannabis in bags that had been checked in. The first passenger was stopped on Tuesday January 10, then another on Friday 13, two more the following day, four on the Sunday and one on Monday. A string of passengers travelling from Los Angeles to Heathrow were found with around 750lbs of cannabis worth 5.5 million, triggering a criminal investigation. Above: Some of the seized drugs They have all been charged with attempting to import class B drugs. NCA senior investigating officer Darren Barr said: 'We are working to understand how these seizures are connected. 'However, to get this many off the same route in such a short period of time is clearly very unusual. 'Drugs couriers face stiff sentences so I'd urge anyone considering getting involved in such ventures to think very carefully about the consequences.' Nine US nationals have been arrested and charged in the past week after being stopped at the Central London airport in the space of less than seven days The first passenger was stopped on Tuesday January 10, then another on Friday 13, two more the following day, four on the Sunday and one on Monday (file photo) Steve Dann, Border Force Chief Operating Officer, said: 'Drugs fuel violence and chaos on the streets and inflict suffering in communities across the UK. 'Thanks to the work by Border Force, these dangerous drugs were stopped from reaching Britain's streets and causing significant harm to our neighbourhoods.' It comes after a male sex worker was caught attempting to smuggle 101 packages of cocaine into the UK via Heathrow. Luan Irving Dos Santos Monteiro, 31, originally from Macapa in Brazil, was detained by Border Force officers at Heathrow Airport on Christmas Eve in 2020. He claimed he had been working as a drug mule to pay off his debts during the coronavirus pandemic A middle-class extremist has been jailed for encouraging another man to make a bomb by sharing a video in which he used his Amazon Alexa speaker to read out a recipe for explosives. Elliot Brown, 25, held views described by a judge as 'utterly vile' when he posted a video to a far-right chat group showing how to make the pyrotechnic explosive thermite. Naomi Parsons, prosecuting said Brown was 'in his own words, a man from a middle-class background and well educated.' He had been to a private school in Llanelli, South Wales and won a scholarship to an international school in Norway before studying politics and economics at Bath University. Middle-class Elliot Brown (pictured), 25, held views described by a judge as 'utterly vile' Brown was jailed for three years for dissemination of terrorist material today in court He dropped out of university during the pandemic and was working for a logistics company when he sent the video to a neo-Nazi chat group on Telegram on March 22 2020. Police raided the home of Dean Morrice in Paulton, near Bristol on August 20 2020 and found enough aluminium powder, iron oxide, and magnesium ribbon in the kitchen to make 680g of thermite. There was also enough carbon, potassium nitrate and sulphur, to make 1.3kg of gunpowder. Morrice, who also had two 3-D printers and a digital recipe for making firearms, was later jailed for 18 years, after the court heard the 34-year-old father of four from Poulton, near Bath, was 'clearly leading a double life.' Brown dropped out of university during the pandemic and was working for a logistics company Police found vile material in chat room Police discovered that Brown had posted the video into a Telegram chat group called 'Dart Heads' which was said to be obsessed with 'white genocide' and the 14-word neo-Nazi slogan: 'We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.' Brown had shared a copy of the audio book of Hitler's Mein Kampf and posted on June 5 2020, a couple of weeks after the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis: 'It's happening, the race war is here.' A user called Mercian Heart, responded: 'Our desires to go out and confront these servants of the Jews comes from our instinct to preserve our tribe and by extension the society around us. 'Find men in your area, study 4th gen warfare. train, organize, gather supplies, build yourselves. The time for action will be upon us soon enough. Gods be praised!' A 10-second video found on Brown's phone showed him at a barbecue with some music in the back ground saying: 'All I wanted to do is grill, but these Jews they leave me no choice but to kill.' Also on his phone, police found a 30-minute clip of a livestream of a shooting at a synagogue in Halle, Germany on 9 October 2019 made by Stephan Balliet and a 48-second video, which started as a video game, but switched to clips from the livestream shooting at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand by Brenton Tarrant. An image on Brown's phone showed a screenshot labelled: 'Hail the saints! Never forget what they sacrificed for us' with images of Anders Breivik - responsible for the mass murder of children in Norway in 2011, Dylan Roof - who shot black people in a church in the US - and Brenton Tarrant. Advertisement On one of his mobile phones, police found a 30-second video containing audio instructions on how to make thermite which had been recorded by Brown, at his home, using his Amazon Alexa, and shared on Telegram, three days before Morrice bought the chemicals. Thermite was described as a mixture which burns at several thousand degrees Celsius to produce molten metal. Brown was arrested in February 2021 and, in court, admitted to having 'nationalist' political views and to being 'anti-Semitic, racist and a homophobe.' A former air cadet, he said he was interested in militaria and survivalism and was a fan of Ray Mears and Bear Grylls. Brown said he had joined the Conservative Party and UKIP before he became 'a bit fed up with politics in the UK.' The video was made as a 'joke' to impress the 14 others in the group because he had been watching an internet meme in which people asked Alexa to do unusual things, he said. However, he told Bristol Crown Court he was now 'ashamed, embarrassed and angry with myself' for subscribing to those views and had become a Christian. Ms Parsons told the jury: 'Why not get Alexa to recite something else funny? The prosecution say that explosives were of interest to Mr Brown, and indeed to the others to whom he shared the video.' Brown 'intended or, at the very least, was reckless,' that someone in the 'Dart Heads' Telegram group would be encouraged to commit a terrorist act. 'In Mr Brown's case, the proof is in the pudding. It must be an unfortunate coincidence that one of the recipients turned out to be the real deal, who purchased, within three days of the post, all the ingredients for thermite,' Ms Parsons said. Jailing him for three years and three months, for possession and dissemination of terrorist material, Judge Anthony Leonard KC, told him: 'You were old enough and intelligent enough to know exactly what you were getting involved in. 'You spoke about attacking racial and ethnic minorities and, as a group, you aspired to create a fascist state. The exchanges in which you took part were utterly vile.' He and his friends on the Darts Head chat group shared a neo-Nazi ideology, seeking to promote hatred and racial supremacy, the judge said. The effect of posting the video was 'only too apparent' because Morrice 'immediately set about obtaining the igniter and ingredients for thermite,' the judge added. Detective Superintendent Craig McWhinnie, head of Counter-Terrorism Police South West said: 'Elliot Brown was not just seeking to explore an interest in extremist related materials. 'The video he produced and thought appropriate to share with people harbouring similar abhorrent views will understandably shock people.' Greatest Hits Radio is becoming the retirement home for BBC legends as Ken Bruce becomes the latest DJ to leave Radio 2. The Scottish broadcaster, 71, said 'the time is right' for him to move on from the weekday mid-morning show he's presented since 1986. Mr Bruce is the latest veteran to leave the station - insisting it is his decision - and has urged his fans to follow him to his new home. He will be joining BBC alums Simon Mayo, Jackie Brambles, Mark Goodier and Paul Gambaccini at the station. Experts say Greatest Hits Radio boss Ben Cooper is adding Mr Bruce to his roster for an estimated 500,000 as they try to steal listeners from the increasingly younger-focused Radio 2. Greatest Hits Radio is becoming the retirement home for BBC legends as Ken Bruce (pictured) becomes the latest DJ to leave Radio 2 Experts say Greatest Hits Radio bosses added Mr Bruce to the roster of Simon Mayo, 64, (left) and Jackie Brambles, 55, (right) as they try to steal listeners from the increasingly younger-focused Radio 2 The broadcaster, 71, will present a show from 10am to 1pm on the Bauer radio station, alongside presenters including Mr Mayo, 64, at Drivetime and Ms Brambles, 55, in the early evening. Mr Bruce, informing his 9million listeners this morning that he would be quitting, said: 'Nothing stays the same forever and I have decided the time is right for me to move on from Radio 2 when I reach the end of my current contract in March. 'It's been a tremendously happy time for me: I've made many friends and worked with many wonderful colleagues. However I feel that after 45 years of full-time broadcasting on BBC Radio it's time for a change. 'I would stress that this is entirely my decision but some new opportunities have come up and I would like to continue my career in a slightly different way in the next few years, the details of which will be revealed shortly. 'I will always be very proud of my association with the BBC and Radio 2 in particular and I'd like to thank everyone who has helped to make the mid-morning show a success'. A radio insider estimates that Bauer Media offered Mr Bruce around 500,000 annually to host the show on Greatest Hits Radio. Mr Bruce will be joining BBC alums Mark Goodier (left) and Paul Gambaccini (right) at Greatest Hits Radio A radio insider estimates that Bauer Media offered Mr Bruce around 500,000 annually to host the show on Greatest Hits Radio. Pictured: Ken running through his Radio 2 show with a producer Mr Bruce will present a show from 10am to 1pm on the Bauer radio station 'Bauer, are trying to build Greatest Hits Radio into much more of a rival to Radio 2,' the insider told MailOnline. 'They will undoubtedly get an excellent return on their investment in Ken through sponsorship of the daily PopMaster competition which advertisers will love to be associated with because of its popularity. 'Radio 2 is definitely pitching itself towards a younger audience now, having just brought in Scott Mills and phasing out classic songs from the sixties and seventies during daytime programming. 'It'll be interesting to see who replaces Ken. My guess is Rylan, who's become a favourite on Saturdays and is has wide appeal thanks to his TV profile.' Radio 2 is provide more details about the new mid-morning show at a later date. The insider added: 'It seems the BBC is abandoning older music listeners. Commercial stations like Boom Radio and Serenade Radio are taking care of the tastes of the 50+ audience leaving Radio 2 to appeal to 35 to 50 year olds. What kind of music does Greatest Hits Radio play? Greatest Hits Radio plays the biggest songs of the 70s, 80s and 90s in 'celebration of the most iconic music of all time and the good times they represent.' The station plays the greatest hits from the biggest names of the 'golden era of music' including Blondie, Queen, George Michael, Madonna, Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie, Elton John, Whitney Houston and more. The station is broadcast on various FM frequencies across the UK, as well as on the Greatest Hit Radio website and its free mobile app. It also airs on Freeview channel 716 and Sky channel 0151. Ken Bruce is pictured in the Radio 2 Piano Room last month Ken Bruce (pictured with his good friend Rod Stewart) is leaving the BBC after 45 years, quitting Radio 2 for Greatest Hits Radio Ken with stars Sir Cliff Richard (left) and Beyonce (right) Who are the DJs on Greatest Hits Radio? Devastated Ken Bruce fans vow to never listen to BBC Radio 2 again: Click here to read more Ken Bruce has insisted: 'I would stress that this is entirely my decision but some new opportunities have come up and I would like to continue my career in a slightly different way' Advertisement Mr Bruce will be joining the likes of presenters Simon Mayo, Jackie Brambles, Mark Goodier, Jenny Powell, Paul Gambaccini, Pat Sharp, Martin Kemp, Alex Lester, Andy Crane, Des Paul, Rossie, Kate Thornton and Richard Allinson in April. Radio 2 alum Mr Mayo hosts Drivetime every weekday at 4pm and The Album Show on Sundays from 1pm. Ms Brambles, also formerly of Radio 2, hosts The Evening Show every Monday to Thursday from 7pm - 10pm. Similarly, Mr Goodier now hosts the Top 10 at 10, My Greatest Hit and Their Greatest Hit - weekdays 10am-1pm. And Mr Gambaccini hosts the America's Greatest Hits programme every Saturday between 5pm-7pm during which he plays the Greatest Hits that made it big in the US. When will Ken Bruce host his first show? Mr Bruce is leaving Radio 2 in March and is set to begin hosting his new Greatest Hits Radio show on April 3. He will present a show from 10am to 1pm on the Bauer radio station, alongside former BBC stars Mr Mayo and Ms Brambles. 'What better way to celebrate my forty-five years in radio than with a new adventure and a brand-new show on Greatest Hits Radio,' Mr Bruce said today of his new show. 'I say brand-new but there will still be PopMaster, me and my musings and all the great records you know and love from the 70s, 80s and 90s. I'm looking forward to getting started and to you joining me for my very first show. See you in April.' His Radio 2 show is famous for a number of segments including his PopMaster quiz to test music knowledge, which has run for 25 years. It also housed the Tracks of My Years segment, where a famous person chooses their favourite records and more recently, The Piano Room, featuring live music from a range of great artists. It is unclear if either of those segments will appear in his new show. Radio 2 fans have accused the BBC of ageism as a string of older DJs step back, including Pauk O'Grady, Steve Wright, Graham Norton and Simon Mayo, replaced by ex-Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills, RuPaul's Michelle Visage, Waterloo Road's Angela Griffin, and DJ Spoony How many veterans have left Radio 2? Mr Bruce is the latest veteran to leave Radio 2. The move follows a number of high-profile departures and reshuffling at BBC Radio of recent, including Scott Mills leaving BBC Radio 1 after 24 years at the network to join Radio 2 for a new weekday show. The radio DJ took over the 2-4pm slot from presenter Steve Wright, who stepped down from his afternoon show at the end of September after 23 years. Mr Wright, 68, continues to present his Radio 2 Sunday Love Songs programme as well as specials on the station. Mr O'Grady also quit his Radio 2 Sunday afternoon show, which he presented for around 14 years, because he was not happy with a schedule shake-up which saw him share the slot with comic Rob Beckett. Graham Norton, 59, Mr Wirght and Mr O'Grady, 67, were replaced with a younger line up. Vanessa Feltz, 60, and Craig Charles, 58, have also moved on. Lorna Clarke, director of BBC Music, said today of Mr Bruc's departure: 'Ken is an extraordinary broadcaster with an exceptional career over many decades. 'He has been part of every significant occasion marked by BBC Radio 2 and we, his faithful audience and the Radio 2 all-star line-up, will miss his warm humour and wit. Congratulations on a brilliant career.' Miyares said the goal of the consultant was to ensure 'equal outcomes no matter what,' which adversely affected high-achieving Asian American students In Fairfax, which houses one of the best-scoring high schools in the nation, officials hired an equity consultant at $450,000 So far, three school districts have been caught in the allegations, including Fairfax, Loudon, and Prince William County Public Schools The AG has opened an investigation into the issue following allegations that Asian American students were targeted to ensure 'equal outcomes' Virginia AG Jason Miyares says at least 13 high schools failed to let students know they won merit awards, causing them to miss out on scholarships At least 13 Virginia high schools are under investigation after failing to deliver merit awards prior to college admissions, with the state attorney general alleging that the move specifically targeted Asian American students. Following the case against 11 Fairfax and Loudoun County high schools, officials from Prince William County Public Schools revealed two of their schools did not tell 16 students they had earned a National Merit award. Attorney General Jason Miyares condemned the schools' actions as the state launched an investigation over alleged Anti-Asian bigotry. Miyares told Fox Business on Tuesday that in Fairfax, the district paid an equity consultant $450,000 to ensure 'equal outcomes no matter what, even if it means treating some students purposefully unequally.' He added: 'You hear the word equity all the time. Equity without excellence is actually emptiness. It doesn't really help the student at all. It actually divides us.' Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares says at least 13 high schools failed to let students know they won merit awards. The AG has opened an investigation into the issue following allegations that Asian American students were targeted to ensure 'equal outcomes' Among those embroiled in the scandal are superintendents (L-R) Daniel Smith, of Loudon County, Michelle Reid, of Fairfax County, and LaTanya McDade, of Prince William County Families are furious that they were not informed of their children winning awards, with many protesting the schools' decision to keep it quiet Which Virginia schools are accused of failing to inform 'commended pupils' of their awards? Fairfax County: 1. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology 2. Westfield High School 3. Langley High School 4. Annandale High school 5. Edison High School 6. Lewis High School 7. West Potomac High School Loudoun County: 8. Freedom High School 9. Loudoun County High School 10. Potomac Falls High School 11. Unnamed High School in Loudoun County Prince William County: 12. Battlefield High School 13. Colgan High School Advertisement The National Merit awards are only given to 50,000 of 1.5million high schoolers who score well on the PSATS and can help students compete for scholarships, honors accolades, and college admissions. The state's investigation is looking into the administration's decisions to withhold the National Merit Scholarship honors from students and if it violates the Virginia Human Rights Act. Miyares said that one mom in the Fairfax School district lamented that her daughter had done everything right since the first grade to excel academically. 'She studied so hard, and now she's realizing she may not go to the school of her dreams because of who she is, a Korean American,' Miyares said. 'That goes against everything we believe in this country.' Miyares cited especially troubling figures at Fairfax's Thomas Jefferson High School. The school is America's best-performing public school with the district officials insisting their decision to change their admissions standard was part of a new strategy meant to provide 'equal outcomes for every student, without exceptions.' The Attorney General said that just one year after the change, the high school saw 'close to a 20-point drop in Asian American enrollment.' Miyares noted that what was happening in Virginia is reflective of the alleged discrimination Asian American applicants were seeing across the country, as the Supreme Court weighs on the future of affirmative action at colleges. 'It seems as though the only state- sanctioned form of bigotry in America is anti-Asian bigotry, and we want to make sure that's not happening in Virginia,' he said. Prince William County district officials said the Battlefield High School (above) was among the 13 schools in the state that failed to report merit awards Along with the Charles Colgan High School, about 16 students were affected in the county Prince William County's Battlefield High School and Colgan High School became the latest schools embroiled in the controversy. A district spokesperson said in a statement: 'This year, due to an accidental administrative oversight, two out of 13 PWCS high schools made recent notifications to approximately 16 students. 'PWCS believes strongly that all student achievement should be recognized.' Along with the two new schools, investigators are looking into seven Fairfax schools and four Loudon schools. Parents of pupils in Fairfax hit out after the revelations, claiming that the students were deliberately left in the dark, so other students 'feelings were not hurt.' Fairfax County schools involved include Annandale, West Potomac, John R. Lewis, Edison, Thomas Jefferson for Science and Technology, Westfield, and Langley High Schools. The seven schools account for 25 percent of the high schools in Fairfax County, and Youngkin appeared angered by the school's decision to act in such a manner. Governor Youngkin criticized the Fairfax County Schools Superintendent for using taxpayer money to hire equity consultants and believes the issue is a systematic problem in the schools. He said: 'They have a maniacal focus on equal outcomes for all students at all costs. And at the heart of the American dream, is excelling, is advancing, is stretching and recognizing that we have students that have different capabilities. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has expressed his concern about the impact of seven Fairfax County schools decision to withhold national merits from students which often aid scholarships and college admissions 'Some students have the ability to perform at one level, others need more help, and we have to allow students to run as fast as they can to dream the biggest dreams they can possibly dream and then go get them. 'It impacts students' ability to apply to college for scholarships, and in this idea of a golden ticket, as it is called, was withheld from them and it seems to have been withheld from them for the purpose of not wanting to make people feel bad who didn't achieve it. 'And all of a sudden, we see it spreading around to the rest of Fairfax County.' He blamed Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid for hiring a $450,00 liberal consultant to teach the schools how to have 'equal outcomes for all students.' She has met with parents at Thomas Jefferson, Westfield, and Langley high school to address their concerns and says she is committed to being transparent with the results of their ongoing review. During a meeting last week she said: 'In each case, it's my understanding principals sign certificates and pass those to staff who distribute them.' The impact on students and their families can be significant, as some scholarships and grants can be worth over $90,000. Last month, parents called for the axing of principal Ann Bonitatibus and Director of Student Services Brandon Kosatka - alleging they are responsible. Last month, parents called for the axing of principal Ann Bonitatibus (left) alleging they are responsible. Langley High School Principal Kimberly Greer (right) is one of the educators also in charge of faculty embroiled in the scandal The decision by brass at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax, Virginia, was reportedly part of a new school strategy meant to provide 'equal outcomes for every student, without exceptions' Over in Loudoun County, Superintendent Daniel Smith said 14 of the high schools promptly notified commended students in the fall, but Freedom, Loudoun County, and Potomac Falls high schools didn't along with another unidentified faculty. Smith said: 'It's important to note that there are two types of recognition students receive, Semi-finalist/Finalist and Commended Scholars. 'I can confirm all LCPS National Merit Scholar Semi-finalists were notified, and appropriate procedures were implemented to assist in their scholarship applications this year.' He added that the county's Office of Student Mental Health will create an operating procedure to inform students of the award. Principal Michelle Luttrell, who leads Loudoun County High School, is one of the top educators to become involved in the scandal Smith, who got the job last year and previously worked in Fairfax and Page Counties, said that the process varies 'significantly from school to school'. A National Merit Scholarship Corporation spokesman said that any students who aren't notified of the recognition by their schools could call the NMSC to check their status. Loudoun County High School, which is run by Principal Michelle Luttrell, was reportedly never notified by the NMSC of the students who were Commended Scholars. It is not the first time officials with the Fairfax County Public School network - which encompasses 198 schools and centers - have come under fire for guidance touted as 'progressive'. In 2021, the school and its board found themselves in federal court after it changed its admission requirements to limit the number of Asian American students enrolled to improve the chance of admission of other students regardless of academic ability. Once again, billed as a means to boost equity, the guidance immediately sparked controversy for scrapping merit-based admissions - and was subsequently found to be against federal law. Last February, a federal judge ruled Fairfax County school officials guilty of racial discrimination however, plans to overturn the woke rules have been put on hold thanks to a successful legal challenge by their supporters, with a court set to consider an appeal last this year. Thousands could receive a new set of cold weather payments after temperatures fell below -9C in some areas of the UK today. The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice while the UK Health Security Agency has announced a level three cold alert in response to 'severe winter weather.' The up to 25 payment has already been triggered in parts of the North West, South West and East Midlands, the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed. Britons can use the DWP's postcode checker to see if weather in their area has made them eligible for the payment. If the system indicates payment is due, householders should ensure they meet the eligibility requirements in order to collect owed funds. Thousands could receive a new set of cold weather payments after temperatures fell below -9C in some areas of the UK today. Pictured: Snow blankets the village of Hope today near Chester on the England North Wales border The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice while the UK Health Security Agency has announced a level three cold alert in response to 'severe winter weather'. Pictured: Snow on the ground at the Carland Cross A30/A39 junction today in Truro, Cornwall Why is it so COLD in the UK today?: Click here to read more A large area of precipitation headed over Northern Ireland and the Irish Sea towards North Wales on Monday evening. Showers simultaneously moved across the South West which resulted in the icy conditions appearing overnight Advertisement The cold weather payment scheme runs until the end of March and is eligible to householders on specific benefits. The scheme allows Britons to receive an up to 25 payment if the average temperature in their area is recorded as 0C or below over seven consecutive days. The scheme was launched as an energy costs support amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis that has caused financial hardship for many. The cost of energy has doubled on average in just a year, even after the energy price cap was frozen at 2,500 a year for a typical household, leaving many worried they will not be able to heat their homes as it gets colder this winter. What is the cold weather payment? The cold weather payment is a energy costs support scheme available to those on some benefits or mortgage interests support schemes. Those who are eligible will get a payment if the average temperature in the local area is recorded as or forecast to be below 0C for a week running. The payment is worth 25 for each consecutive seven-day period of sub-zero weather between November 1 and March 31. Cold weather payments are separate to Winter Fuel Payments. The scheme is not available in Scotland but you might get an annual 50 Winter Heating Payment instead regardless of weather conditions in your area. How can I check if I'm eligible for winter support? Cold weather payments are only paid if there are seven days of continuous sub-zero temperatures in your area. If you enter the first part of your postcode on this government tool, it will say if there have been any qualifying periods of cold temperatures in your area - and therefore could be due a payment. The government say you may be eligible for cold weather payments (following a spell of cold weather) if you receive one of the following benefits: Pension Credit Income Support Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Universal Credit Support for Mortgage Interest Most people on Pension Credit will receive the support. The cold weather payment is a energy costs support scheme available to those on some benefits or mortgage interests support schemes (file photo) Yellow warnings have been issued for snow and ice across southern England, Northern Ireland and parts of the northwest and north Wales, The Met Office has also issued an Amber weather warning for snow across northern parts of Scotland, beginning at 3pm Blizzards spark chaos as roads turn to ice rinks with more than 100 crashes in a matter of hours: Click here to read more A double decker bus has been flipped over onto its side on the A39 in Somerset after reportedly colliding with a motorcycle Advertisement If you receive Income Support or Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance you will usually get cold weather payments if you have any of the following: A disability or pensioner premium A child who is disabled Child Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element A child under 5 living with you If you receive ESA you will will usually get the payments if you are in a work-related activity group or support group. If you are not in either group, you might also get Cold Weather Payments if you have any of the following: A severe or enhanced disability premium A pensioner premium A child who is disabled Child Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element A child under 5 living with you If you get Universal Credit and are not employed or self-employed you will receive the cold weather payment if one of the following also apply: You have a health condition or disability and have limited capability for work (with or without work-related activity) You have a child under 5 living with you You will also be eligible if you have a disabled child amount in your claim, regardless of whether you are employed or not. People will usually get cold weather payments if you are also paid Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) and have any of the following: A severe or enhanced disability premium A pensioner premium A child who is disabled Child Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element A child under 5 living with you Britons can use the DWP's postcode checker to see if weather in their area has made them eligible for the payment. Pictured: Snowy scene today at Lower Ninnis St Day, Redruth, Cornwall looking west towards St Aubyn The up to 25 payment has already been triggered in parts of the North West, South West and East Midlands, the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed. Pictured: Snow on the beach at Holywell Bay in Cornwall today Do I automatically qualify if I'm on universal credit? If you are on Universal Credit (or any other legacy benefits) you will not need to apply for the cold weather payment and it will be automatically paid if you are eligible. If you are on get Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance you will become eligible if you have had a baby or a child under five-years-old comes to live with you. You should therefore tell Jobcentre Plus of this change as soon as possible otherwise you will not automatically get cold weather payments as they will be unaware you become eligible. When would I receive my cold weather payment? You should get a payment within 14 working days after after each period of very cold weather in your area, the government say. The money is paid into the same bank or building society account as your benefits payments. If you do not receive the cold weather payment and think you should have you should tell the Pension Service or Jobcentre Plus. If you are on Universal Credit you should sign in to your account and add a note to your journal. If you do not have an online account, the DWP say you should instead ring the Universal Credit helpline on: 0800 328 5644. Her husband Brian has been arrested and charged with misleading an investigation into her disappearance Walshe disappeared from her Cohasset home on New Year's after being last seen at a party. She was reported missing by her job on January 4 Her job and life in DC became a source of tension between them, which led to a 'very tense Christmas,' according to a friend Her Instagram was also mainly her life in Washington DC and her children and rarely featured her husband, Brian Walshe The latest was just two weeks before her disappearance, but it reappeared days later when she wished her two-year-old son a happy birthday Ana Walshe, 39, appeared several times on her Instagram without her ring, and over the last year, the mom-of-three was seen on her feed three times without it Ana Walshe's Washington DC job was a point of tension with her husband as the missing Massachusetts mom was seen without her wedding ring weeks before disappearing. Walshe, 39, who disappeared from her Cohasset home on New Year's, appeared in several of her latest Instagram photos without her wedding ring as it was reported the couple had a 'very tense Christmas.' Two weeks before her disappearance, the mom-of-three posed with Paul Wharton, a British gin entrepreneur, at his book signing in Washington DC. The two were locked in a tight embrace as they smile at the camera. Her ring reappeared days later when she posted a birthday tribute to her two-year-old on December 17. She was also seen without her ring in a few posts that were four to seven months before her disappearance. Walshe had visited her mother in Belgrade, Serbia, in November and her mother said she did not mention anything bad toward her husband at the time. In addition to her ring's disappearance, the couple's living arrangements had led to tensions right before the holidays as the couple had been living apart due to their jobs, a friend told The Boston Globe. Ana Walshe, 39, (right) appeared several times on her Instagram without her ring. Over the last year, the mom-of-three was seen on her feed three times without it. The most recent time she was pictured without it was two weeks before her January 1 disappearance She was also seen without her ring four (left) and seven months (right) before disappearing. Walshe had visited her mother in Belgrade, Serbia, in November and her mother said she did not mention anything bad toward her husband at the time Their relationship became tumultuous from nearly the beginning. Prior to their marriage, Walshe called DC police in August 2014 to report that Brian had threatened 'to kill' her and a friend on a phone call. The case was later dropped when she declined to participate in the investigation. In the next year, the couple got married and eventually had three sons together and settled in Cohasset. However, as they grew their family, Walshe was growing her career and they ran into legal trouble. Brian pleaded guilty in 2021 to fraud after selling two fake Andy Warhol paintings for $80,000. Right before he was set to be sentenced, prosecutors accused him of failing to disclose some of Walshe's assets, including a Maserati and some real estate, according to The Boston Globe. Although Ana Walshe was never charged in the case, her eBay account was used to list the painting and one of the victims accused her of using her position in the hospitality industry as a way to gain the trust of the buyers. In addition, Walshe's social media page rarely showed photos of her husband, but rather of her children and life in Washington. 'When [we] see Ana, its usually just Ana,' Carrie Westbrook, a longtime friend, told the Boston Globe. In addition, another friend told The Boston Globe he never suspected any turmoil in the couple's relationship. The mom-of-three (pictured with her kids) lived was oftentimes in DC due to her career. Walshe was growing her hospitality career in DC, which was reportedly a source of tension between the couple around the holidays Her husband Brian, 47, (pictured) has been arrested and charged with misleading the investigation into his wife's disappearance. He did not report his wife missing, her job did when she failed to show up at work on January 4 'Up until recently, I never had any doubt that she was completely, completely in love with the man,' her friend Bojan Bacevic, 40, of Belgrade, Serbia, told the outlet. The two had known each other since elementary school and he said he didn't notice much of a change in her in recent months. 'It seemed like she was at a place where she achieved what she wanted family-wise [and] work-wise. And she kind of wanted to live life a little bit more freely.' Additional friends also said there was 'no indication of anything' suspicious in the hours before Ana vanished, however, some did admit she had tried to sell her apartment and car for cash in December and was looking to sell other assets just before her disappearance. ANA WALSHE'S DISAPPEARANCE JANUARY 1: Ana is seen leaving a New Year's Eve party at 1.30am She fails to turn up to work in Washington DC, and there is no proof of her making it to the airport for her flight. JANUARY 4: Tishman Speyer's head of security in DC calls police to report her missing. The caller told the operator he'd informed her husband JANUARY 6: Fire reported at the house Ana shared with her husband JANUARY 8: Brian Walshe arrested for misleading investigation JANUARY 9: Police reveal they found blood in the basement of the couple's home JANUARY 10: Police reveal they found trash bags filled with bloody items, a hatchet and a hacksaw in a trash center near the home Advertisement Walshe's Revere friends and tenants, Mike and Mandi Silva, told Fox News Digital the decision to sell her apartment where they lived was sprung on them and that she became uncharacteristically 'pushy' towards them over time. However, a source said the 'proceeds from the sale of the Revere condo were going directly into the purchase of another investment property, and not to Ana herself.' Another friend, Abdulla Almutairi, had texted with Walshe on New Year's Eve around midnight and then did not hear from her for a few days. He said he didn't think anything out of the ordinary until he was informed a missing person's report had been filed. Brian Walshe was arrested on charges of misleading an investigation. The affidavit stated that 'the intentional, willful and direct responses to questions about his whereabouts on the days of Sunday, January 1, 2023, and Monday, January 2, 2023, were a clear attempt to mislead and delay investigators. 'The fact that he was asked a specific question, and he gave an untruthful answer that led investigators out of the area caused a clear delay in the search for the missing person, Ana Walshe.' The judge set bail at $500,000 cash and the next hearing is scheduled for February 9, 2023. Walshe pleaded not guilty to the charges on Monday, January 9. Walshe's mysterious disappearance was subsequently treated as unsuspicious by police, without evidence of foul play. But revelations over the last week have drawn international attention to the story. Hours before her disappearance, Ana Walshe is understood to have written an 'eerie note' on a champagne box, wishing her husband 'courage, love and perseverance' in the new year. The scrawled note, first transcribed by the New York Post, read: 'Wow! 2022What a year! And yet, we are still here and together! 'Let's make 2023 the best one yet! We are the authors of our livescourage, love, perseverance, compassion, and joy. Love, Ana.' Brian told investigators he had been shopping for his mother on New Year's Day, but CVS surveillance was unable to support the alibi. Walshe did not tell police he had spent about $450 in cash buying gloves, tape and cleaning supplies from a Home Depot in Massachusetts The other side of the champagne box read: 'Gem Ana Brian 2023!', referring to family friend Gem Mutlu who was in the Walshe's home on New Year's Eve, hours before the disappearance. Brian Walshe first reported that his wife had taken an Uber or Lyft taxi journey to the airport to fly to Washington DC on January 1 for work. Walshe reportedly planned to travel on January 3 but said she needed to fly earlier due to an emergency. The police investigation was unable to confirm that Walshe had ever taken a taxi to the airport. Husband Brian Walshe also told investigators he had been shopping for his mother on New Year's Day, but CVS surveillance was unable to support the alibi. Police reportedly searched the dumpster near Walsh's mother's home after seeing Brian Walshe dispose of items there. Walsh has been arrested for misleading authorities Walshe did not tell police he had spent about $450 in cash buying gloves, tape and cleaning supplies from a Home Depot in Massachusetts either. Walshe was sighted wearing a black surgical mask and blue surgical gloves. The trip was reportedly made during the time he was supposed to pick up his children from school, although the school was not open on January 2. Ana Walshe was only reported missing - by her employer - on January 4. Police then found a hacksaw, hatchets, parts of a rug, used cleaning supplies, and bloody trash bags in dumpsters at the Peabody transfer station on the other side of Boston. Officials later announced that they had discovered blood in the basement of the Walshe family home in Cohasset, along with a damaged and bloody knife. 'They couldn't keep him alive for two weeks, two weeks,' Blodgett said on a recent furlough from jail. 'That was my pride and joy. I'm lost. I'm completely lost' Blodgett, who was caught with 4,000 fentanyl pills, accuses them of negligence Blodgett was in jail when child welfare officials told him Jakob was brain dead An Arizona single father who was jailed on a drug charge has accused the Department of Child Safety of failing to protect his nine-year-old son who died in their care after suffering complications from diabetes. Richard Blodgett was jailed in December after police discovered 4,000 fentanyl pills in his possession. His son Jakob, who was found by police staying at a nearby motel, was placed in a foster home by child welfare officials. But just days after Blodgett was taken into custody, he was informed that his son - who requires close blood sugar monitoring for Type 1 diabetes - was brain dead. 'They couldn't keep him alive for two weeks, two weeks,' the father said on a recent furlough from jail. 'That's absolutely insane. That was my pride and joy. I'm lost. I'm completely lost. My family is completely lost.' Richard Blodgett with his son Jakob. Blodgett was arrested in December, and Jakob was placed in a foster home under the Arizona Department of Child Safety where he developed complications from diabetes and died This 2022 photo provided by Richard Blodgett shows his son, Jakob. Blodgett said he suspects the Department of Child Safety failed in its duty to protect his son, either by not monitoring his blood sugar levels or not ensuring that Jakob had enough insulin to prevent a serious, life-threatening complication known as ketoacidosis Blodgett said he suspects the Department of Child Safety failed in its duty to protect his son, either by not monitoring his blood sugar levels or by not ensuring that Jakob had enough insulin to prevent a serious, life-threatening complication known as ketoacidosis. A medical examiner listed Jakob's death in late December as natural with complications from diabetes, a condition he was diagnosed with as a toddler. Specifically, Type 1 diabetes, which means his body was unable to produce enough insulin to survive. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is investigating Jakob's death. The office declined a request for an interview with Sheriff Paul Penzone, citing the ongoing investigation. The Department of Child Safety also declined to comment specifically on the case, citing confidentiality laws. But spokesperson Darren DaRonco said, in general, that foster parents are required to receive training from a medical provider before taking in a child with any medical condition. What is Type 1 diabetes? Type 1 diabetes affects 1.45 million Americans and is potentially life-threatening. For reasons not fully understood, the immune system turns on healthy body tissue, destroying cells in the pancreas gland that produce insulin the hormone that enables sugar to pass from the blood into the body's cells to be used for energy. Without insulin, sugar builds up in the blood, causing widespread damage to organs. Although most sufferers develop the disease in childhood, it can first appear in adulthood usually before the age of 30. Patients have to monitor their blood sugar levels and inject themselves with insulin medication every time they eat. Advertisement DaRonco did not respond to further inquiries, including whether Jakob's insulin pump was removed and if the boy's regular doctor was consulted about his care - questions raised by Richard and his mother, Cheryl Doenges. They said Jakob could not manage the insulin on his own. In the fiscal year that ended last June, about 26 children died while in the agency's custody, including from overdoses, medical conditions, natural and still undetermined causes. In the previous fiscal year, that number was 14. The figures amount to a fatality rate of about 97 per 100,000 children during that period, the most recent for which data is available. That rate is higher than overall deaths of children in Arizona. Nationally, about 55 children died per 100,000 children in the general population of all causes in 2020 - similar to Arizona's number. Karin Kline, director of child welfare initiatives at the Family Involvement Center in Phoenix, said the death of a child is a concern, especially if it happens under the custody of the state. 'Rest assured, somebody is going to look into it if there's an inkling that the death was a result of negligence or abuse,' she said. Jakob and his father had been living at a motel when Blodgett was arrested in December. Blodgett, who already had a drug case pending and has spent time in prison, said was operating a backhoe much of the day and pulled over at a gas station to take a nap. The report from the Show Low Police Department corroborated as much, but officers wrote that they suspected Blodgett nodded off as a result of drug use. This 2022 photo provided by Richard Blodgett shows Blodgett and his son, Jakob Authorities ultimately found more than 4,000 fentanyl pills in Blodgett's possession, according to the report. Blodgett was booked into jail in Holbrook and charged with one count of drug possession, Navajo County Superior Court documents show. Blodgett told the AP he had been using fentanyl for pain management after he dropped 300 pounds with weight loss surgery. 'I wasn't getting high. I wasn't abusing them. I was using them to be able to work and provide for my son,' Blodgett said. 'Unfortunately, they are illegal. I can't get around that. But they were stronger than my meds, and they were working.' Jakob was alone in the motel room when an officer picked him up and alerted the Department of Child Safety, according to the police report. Blodgett said someone at the motel always checked on his son, whom he called as police confronted him. He told Jakob he got into trouble, and the boy asked if his father was going to be OK, Blodgett said. The two often traveled together in vast expanses of Arizona - taking selfies, stopping at gas stations to get snacks and playing with Nerf guns. 'The last time I got to see my son, he was already dead,' Blodgett said. Doenges couldn't make the trip to see Jakob at the hospital from Washington state where she lives because of bad weather. But she asked a friend in Arizona to sit with Jakob, pray with him and play music for him so he wasn't alone - even if he didn't know she was there. Furloughed from jail, Blodgett arranged for a ride to Phoenix, more than three hours away, to see his son unresponsive in a hospital bed. Hospital staff had placed a teddy bear next to the boy and a heart-shaped pendant - Blodgett kept one half and the other half will be cremated with Jakob, Doenges said. Blodgett took pictures, hugged and kissed his son and talked to him. The hospital had a memorial for Jakob on December 26 - the day some of his organs were harvested and later donated with Blodgett's blessing, along with a moment of silence. Before the year ended, Blodgett was back in jail. Doenges said her son will have to find a way to piece his life back together. 'My suggestion to him is to live a really good life in memory of Jakob and do something positive,' she said. 'He probably didn't even hear me, he's so full of grief.' Here is the terrifying moment a bikini-barista working the drive-thru is nearly abducted by a truck driving tattooed-man armed with zip ties early Monday morning in Washington. Video surveillance shows the man pulling up to the window in a truck around 5am at the Beankini Espresso Auburn, a drive-thru coffee shop located in a suburb near Seattle. The suspect is seen grabbing the woman's arm with one hand while holding a looped zip tie device in the other - before he attempts to drag the victim out of the window. The woman fights back and eventually sets herself free before the man quickly speeds off with some dollar bills falling to the ground. Police say the man tried to 'abduct a barista during the early morning hours' and is still on the loose. Beakini Espresso is a business that caters to coffee and espresso lovers The victim, who asked not to be identified, told DailyMail.com through Facebook that she has worked as a barista at Beankini Espresso for nine years and said that Monday's incident was a 'random act' that had never happened before. She said the company, which is female-owned, puts employee safety first and the shop is equipped with a silent panic button, metal doors and surveillance cameras. She described the work atmosphere as nurturing and professional and says her boss is 'like a mother to us all' who 'treats us with the best and upmost respect.' The employees are also provided with mace and tasers. 'Our owner allows us to shut the window on any customer and handle every situation in the way we feel comfortable. We are allowed to refuse service to anyone for any reason,' she said. Beankini Espresso located in Auburn, Washington is a female-owned business that serves coffee and espresso through a drive-thru window. Pictured: a former employee of Beankini Espresso, not the victim An employee poses for the now-deactivated Facebook page for Beankini Espresso A 'now hiring' listing for Beankini Espresso was listed on their now-deactivated Facebook page On Monday morning when the incident occurred, she said the man ordered a drink and paid for it before requesting change for a $5 bill. She said when she went back to give him the five one dollar bills, he grabbed her. She said she, nor her longtime co-workers, had never seen the suspect before. 'I trust the police will find this predator and hopefully won't do it again to any children or young women,' she said. 'He was going to do this to someone it just happened to be me... It could have been so much worse.' The terrifying moment the attempted abduction is about to take place The barista is scene handing the suspect cash back before he rips out zip ties and attempts to drag her through the drive-thru window Moments later that predator drives off after the women fights off her attacker. Police are now looking for the male suspect and asking anyone with information to contact them The male suspect has a large tattoo on his left forearm that reads: 'Chevrolet.' The suspect remains at large, according to KOMO News . When DailyMail.com contacted the Auburn Police Department they were unavailable for comment. Auburn police are now asking the public anyone with information to contact the Auburn PD Tip Line at 253-288-7403. He said the brutality of the killings indicated experience with violent crime Former FBI agent Jonathan Gilliam said Kohberger may have killed before Trial attorney Mercedes Colwin said a Kabar knife sheath at the scene of the brutal murders may have been left intentionally by suspect Bryan Kohberger The University of Idaho murder suspect may have left a knife sheath at the scene to serve as a 'calling card,' according to experts, who also said the 'brutality' of the crime suggested he may have killed before. Trial attorney Mercedes Colwin told The Dr. Phil Show that the Kabar knife sheath found at the crime scene may have been intentionally left there by suspect Bryan Kohberger, noting that the practice of leaving a personal mark after a murder was not uncommon with killers. Colwin, who appeared on the show alongside DailyMail.com senior reporter Caitlyn Becker to break down the case, added it would not be out of character for a killer, 'especially if you think you're smarter than everybody else,' which she said Kohberger does. Kohberger, 28, was linked to the crime via DNA found on the a knife sheath at the scene Jonathan Gilliam, a former FBI special agent added that the 'viciousness' of the 'butchering' made him think it was 'most likely' Kohberger had committed violent crimes before the Idaho slayings. 'I think he's killed before most likely,' he said. 'Not four people, but I think he's probably stalked and potentially killed females before.' Colwin said because the killer was so careful about covering their tracks, it was out of character they would have accidentally left behind the sheath to the murder weapon. She said that incongruity made her think the sheath was left intentionally. 'He had gloves, at least that's what's presumed, that he had gloves. He tried to cover himself, did something to dispose of the clothing,' she said. 'If he in fact is the killer, then of course, this is something that could have just been a calling card and left it there.' 'We've seen this with other killers, it's their calling card, 'I got this.' 'I don't think this investigation is going to continue, indefinitely. I think Jonathan's right, we're going to presumably find the knife,' she added. This was the knife sheath left at the crime scene Trial attorney Mercedes Colwin said the Kabar knife sheath found at the crime scene may have been intentionally left there by the killer Gilliam said he thought it was likely the knife used to murder Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin will likely be found and could bolster the case against Kohberger. 'I think they'll find that knife. I think the knife could potentially be found, because I think like the car, and these things,' he said. 'I think these are part of his operational tools. It's no different than a go-bag for me.' Colwin agreed the knife would eventually be found. 'I don't think this investigation is going to continue, indefinitely. I think Jonathan's right, we're going to presumably find the knife,' she added. One prominent criminologist has suggested suspected University of Idaho murderer Bryan Kohberger did not leave behind critical evidence at the scene on accident Kohberger is charged with the murder of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Maddie Mogen, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20, and Xana Kernodle, 20 This is the Moscow, Idaho home where the four students were found murdered Forensics specialist Joseph Scott Morgan joined the panel and agreed with Gilliam that the killer may have killed previously. He said the killer may not have committed mass-murder before, but that single slayings were not improbable. 'If he's the guy, you think this was his first murder?' Dr. Phil asked. 'Murder? Possibly. Bad act? No,' Morgan replied. Kohberger attended Pleasant Valley Intermediate School in Brodheadsville, Pennsylvania, where he developed a crush on fellow student Kenely and began pursuing her romantically. They are both pictured in their school yearbook photos Kim Kenely, 27, contacted FBI agents after learning about former sixth-grade classmate Bryan Kohberger's arrest FBI agents have interviewed Kohberger's middle school crush in hopes of piecing together the psyche of the man they believe is responsible for the gruesome murders. Kim Kenely, 27, contacted the bureau shortly after learning her former classmate had been arrested for allegedly knifing the four housemates to death just 15 minutes from where he was studying in November. The two were sixth-grade students at Pleasant Valley Intermediate School in Brodheadsville, Pennsylvania, when Kohberger, 28, developed a crush and began romantically pursuing the girl who would go on to be a high school cheerleader. 'She told the FBI whatever she could tell them,' Kenely's mother Sandra confirmed to DailyMail.com. 'It was so long ago. I couldn't imagine what she had to tell the FBI. I guess it was for the character purpose.' Kohberger seemed to turn his life around in high school where he took up boxing and lost weight In a yearbook photo, Kohberger's caption said he aspired to be an Army Ranger. Previously overweight and bullied, he lost about 100 pounds and transformed into a 'totally different person' Kohberger, then a chubby, awkward misfit, would become relentless in his pursuit, repeatedly leaving love letters in her locker and telling her he liked her, according to the mom. 'He would always say, "Oh Kim, I think you're very pretty." Just like weird comments. And she'd say, "Oh my God, leave me alone." 'She did not give him the time of day,' the mom noted. 'When kids are little, they're mean. They don't say, "Oh my god, thank you, but no." Kenely would eventually tell Kohberger to buzz off, breaking his heart. At the time she lived in Sciota, in rural eastern Pennsylvania, 90 miles north of Philadelphia and a 30-minute drive from Kohberger's home in Albrightsville. She has since left the area and lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she works as an occupational therapist at an assisted living facility. Officials have often teased appearances by Putin, only to cancel last minute He said it would be part of events for anniversary of Leningrad siege breaking Vladimir Putin is set to make an 'important statement' about his invasion, according to a Moscow-appointed official in a Russian-occupied region of Ukraine. Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Administration Council of the Zaporizhzhia region, announced the Russian president would be delivering the speech on Wednesday. The address will be part of events marking the 80th anniversary of when Russians broke the siege of Leningrad by the forces of Nazi Germany, when Soviet forces managed to open a narrow land corridor to the city on 18 January 1943. As chairman of the We Are Together with Russia, Rogov advocates for the occupied regions of Ukraine to be fully absorbed into the Russian federation. Vladimir Putin is set to make an 'important statement' about his invasion, according to a Moscow-appointed official in a Russian-occupied region of Ukraine He made the announcement on his Telegram channel, and it was later reported by Russian media. However, no official statement from the Kremlin has yet been made. Public appearances by Putin have often been teased by Russian officials, before being cancelled at the last minute. The practice makes Putin's movements difficult to track, and could be a tactic for that exact purpose. It was claimed today the Russian despot has become 'withdrawn, silent and deeply preoccupied' as he undergoes new medical treatment. The 80th anniversary celebrated will mark when Soviet forces managed to open a narrow land corridor to Leningrad - now called St. Petersburg - during the Second World War on 18 January 1943. Nazi forces besieged the city from September 8, 1941 to January 27, 1944. But it was January 18, 1943 that marked a turning point in the Soviet efforts to break the seige. It is seen as a key moment in Moscow's victory over the Nazis in eastern Europe in the Second World War. To this day, Russia often shamelessly invokes its battle against the Nazis as a means to justify its war in Ukraine. Putin and his Kremlin allies have often claimed they are working to 'deniazify' Ukraine, despite its claims of Kyiv being led by a Nazi government being baseless. The Russian leader had been expected in the north-western city this week, with reports suggesting he was planning to appear at the Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad for a flower laying ceremony. A Ukrainian service member looks out from a BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, on a frontline near the town of Soledar in Donetsk region, January 14, 2023 It was unclear on Tuesday what the topic of Putin's touted speech would be about, but it's announcement comes after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the war in Ukraine was entering 'a decisive phase.' Russia has made small gains in the eastern Donbas region, largely taking control of Soledar - a small salt mining town near the more significant target of Bakhmut. Kyiv says it is still fighting there: 'Our units are located in Soledar and are constantly hitting the enemy with fire,' Serhiy Cherevaty, a Ukrainian military spokesman, said. The claimed victory gave Putin a rare win in the war after a string of embarrassing defeats since his forces were pushed back from the Kyiv region in the early months of the war - although Soledar is a far cry from Putin's ultimate goal of full control. Ukraine came a step closer on Tuesday to winning the fleet of modern battle tanks it hopes could turn the course of the war against Russia, after the West's big holdout Germany said this would be the first item on its new defence minister's agenda. In an interview with German media on Sunday, Stoltenberg meanwhile said Ukraine can expect more deliveries of heavy weapons from Western countries soon. 'We are in a decisive phase of the war,' Stoltenberg said. 'Therefore, it is important that we provide Ukraine with the weapons it needs to win.' Nearly 11 months after Russia invaded, Kyiv says a fleet of Western battle tanks would give its troops the mobile firepower to drive Russian troops out in decisive battles that will be fought into 2023. German-made Leopard battle tanks, workhorse of armies across Europe, are widely seen as the only plausible option available in sufficient numbers. But they cannot be delivered without authorisation from Berlin, which has so far demurred. Elsewhere, In the central city of Dnipro, authorities called an end to the search for survivors in the ruins of an apartment building destroyed during Russian missile attacks on Saturday. Forty-four people were confirmed killed and 20 still unaccounted for in the attack, the deadliest for civilians of a three-month Russian missile bombardment campaign. Seventy-nine people were wounded and 39 rescued from the rubble. Ukrainian soldiers equip trenches on a field not far from Soledar, January 14, 2023 In an appearance on Tuesday at a meeting with top officials including the finance minister and central bank chief, Putin admitted the Russian economy was likely to have shrunk by 2.5% in 2022, but that it was performing better than most experts had predicted, in part thanks to a strong harvest. He said Russia now had a better grasp of the economic challenges ahead than when Western sanctions were first stepped up in response to its military campaign. 'The actual dynamics turned out to be better than many expert forecasts,' Putin said in televised remarks. 'Some experts in our country, not to mention foreign ones, predicted a decline [in gross domestic product] of 10% and 15% or even 20%. For the year as a whole, it is expected to fall by 2.5%.' The conflict in Ukraine and ensuing barrage of Western sanctions have upended some sectors of Russia's economy, cutting its biggest banks off from the SWIFT financial network, curbing its access to technology and restricting its ability to export oil and gas. While the government and central bank have acknowledged difficulties, Moscow says its economy is resilient and that sanctions have boomeranged against the West by driving up inflation and energy prices. 'Thank God we had good results in agriculture,' he said. 'It's vital to allow this sector to profit.' Russia posted a record current account surplus last year, the central bank said, as a crash in imports combined with robust earnings on oil and gas imports brought a net $227 billion of cash into the country. Experts say Russia's economy is not out of the woods yet, with sanctions escalating and restrictions on Western technology exports set to take a long-term toll. The case of Tyre Nichols, the man who was hospitalized and later died following a traffic stop in Memphis, Tennessee, sparked protests and a probe into the incident. The family of the victim is demanding police authorities release the official body camera footage and security video of the encounter. Nichols was taken to the hospital in critical condition after Memphis law enforcement personnel stopped him for reckless driving on Jan. 7, 2023, as revealed by a statement from the police department. Memphis Traffic Stop Death Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump is the one who is representing the family of Nichols and is asking police to release video from the encounter. In a statement, he added that "all of the available information tells us that this was the tragic and preventable death of a young man." Crump argued that nobody should ever lose their life over a simple traffic stop, adding that the footage is the only way for them to determine the true narrative of why and how the incident played out, as per NBC News. On Monday, family members of Nichols demonstrated outside of the National Civil Rights Museum alongside protesters. They held up signs that featured photos of the victim and were accompanied by Nichol's stepfather, Rodney Wells, for their demonstrations over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. Police officers said that a "confrontation" between Nichols and law enforcement personnel occurred during the traffic stop. They said that the victim ran away, which prompted officers to make their pursuit. The police department said that while officers were attempting to take Nichols into custody, another confrontation between the parties occurred. They added that the suspect was ultimately apprehended during the encounter. Authorities said that the suspect then complained of shortness of breath and was the time when an ambulance was called to the scene. Read Also: Brooklyn Girl Burns to Death on Sister's 1st Birthday Protests Against Potential Brutality The Shelby County District Attorney's Office was contacted due to Nichols' conditions and TBI special agents were also requested to conduct a use-of-force investigation. In a statement, the Memphis Police Department said that the officers involved in the encounter would be routinely relieved of duty pending the outcome of the probe, according to ABC News. The TBI said that three days after Nichols was transferred to the hospital, on Jan. 10, 2023, he succumbed to his injuries. Five days after the Black man's death, the Memphis Police Department announced that it had immediately launched its own administrative investigation of the incident over potential policy violations. In a statement released on Sunday, Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis said that after reviewing of various information regarding the incident, he has found that it was necessary to take immediate and appropriate action. The internal investigation of the police department is expected to be completed later this week. In a Sunday statement, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland added that they took departmental violations very seriously. Wells noted that his stepson died due to a cardiac arrest and kidney failure that he got as a result of getting beaten up by police officers during the encounter. He added that when they got to the hospital, they were left devastated, said CBS News. Related Article: Indiana University Stabbing Suspect's Potential Motive @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Black attorneys have slammed San Francisco's reparations committee for its proposal to give every longtime black resident a $5million payout in the summer. Leo Terrell and former California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder called the proposal 'outrageous, unconstitutional and unlawful' and even racist in an interview on Fox News' Hannity Monday night - and vowed to fight it. They demanded to know who is going to fund the large payout estimated to cost the city at least $50billion noting that California was never a slave state. But the woke city is already preparing to move forward with the proposal, with the reparations committee saying it will submit the plan to Mayor London Breed, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the San Francisco Human Rights Commission in June. Black attorneys slammed San Francisco's proposal to provide every black resident with $5million as racist in an interview on Hannity Monday night Under the proposal announced Monday, anyone who has identified as black on public records for at least 10 years and is at least 18 years old qualifies for the $5million payout. They also must qualify for two of a number of requirements, including having been born in the city or migrated to it between 1940 and 1996 and then lived there for 13 years. But the $5million payout is just the beginning of the draft's proposals. It would also involve a lump sum payment to 'compensate the affected population for the decades of harms that they have experienced, and will redress the economic and opportunity losses that Black San Franciscans have endured, collectively, as the result of both intentional decisions and unintended harms perpetuated by City policy.' The proposal also says qualifying low-income households should have their income supplemented to match the city's median income - $97,000 in 2022 - for the next 250 years. And black residents who qualify for the program can get their debts forgiven, including their housing and student loans. A number of other proposals include investment in San Francisco's black community, financial education, legal protections of people's reparations, tax credits, and black-owned banks being brought in to manage people's money. The proposal says San Francisco must 'issue a formal apology for past harms, and commit to making substantial ongoing, systemic and programmatic investments in Black communities to address historical harms.' Terrell and Elder, though, say the plan is racist using taxpayer money to provide black people with funds unavailable to residents of other races. As Elder described it: 'Reparations is the extraction of money from people who were never slave owners to people who were never slaves.' Terrell, a Fox News contributor, is vowing to fight against the proposed measure. 'It's not ever going to get implemented,' he told guest host Pete Hegseth. 'I'll be the first lawyer to fight against this.' He continued: 'This is outrageous. It's unlawful. It's unconstitutional. It's racist. But it's not surprising it came from California on the day of MLK's birthday. Leo Terrell, a Fox News contributor, vowed to fight the proposal he called 'outrageous, unconstitutional and unlawful' Both he and former California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder slammed the proposal as racist, saying Democrats are playing the 'race card' 'We're talking about a racist program to benefit individuals who happen to be black $5million,' Terrell said, noting, 'California was a free state. 'Who's going to pay for it?' he asked. 'Why should they get $5million? Because of skin color? It's insulting.' Elder, who ran for governor in 2021, also noted that California was never a slave state and San Francisco was never a slave city. 'Furthermore, slavery was a Democratic institution. Why don't Democrats pay?' he asked, rhetorically. 'Jim Crow was a Democratic institution. Why don't Democrats pay?' He went on to claim that 'very few Republicans owned slaves,' and asked why Republicans should 'pay a dime. 'The whole thing is absolutely insulting.' Both attorneys accused the Democrats in charge in the woke city of 'playing the race card,' with Terrell saying: 'They need to keep blacks on the government payroll because, without the black population, there is no Democratic Party. 'They have a race card issue and they're never going to let that card go,' he said. 'This country has no systemic racism,' he claimed. 'That's something in 1955. In 2023, we have no institutional racism. 'But you can't tell that to a Democrat.' The proposal was compiled by the San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee, chaired by Eric McDonnell A red-line map cited in the proposal. The map was created for banks to rate the safety of loans given to residents of certain areas of the city. The purported riskiest - the red zones - were black neighborhoods Advocates of the proposal say it is necessary to right the wrongs of previous generations, that are still affecting black communities today. In a draft report issued last month, the San Francisco Reparations Advisory Committee said the proposal will 'address the public policies explicitly created to subjugate black people in San Francisco by upholding and expanding the intent and legacy of chattel slavery. 'While neither San Francisco nor California adopted the institution of chattel slavery, the tenets of segregation, white supremacy and systemic repression and exclusion of black people were codified through legal and extralegal actions, social codes and judicial enforcement.' The proposal also cites a number of city initiatives from decades past that studies show were racially motivated and had debilitating effects on the black population. Some were as simple as early legal restrictions against where black people could live in the city and the kinds of jobs they could hold. Others were as far-reaching as city-wide zoning measures which left black communities marginalized effectively in ghettos, or else entirely razed to the ground and left vacant for years. The proposal will be submitted to Mayor London Breed and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the San Francisco Human Rights Commission in June People speak at a reparations task force meeting in San Francisco in April 2022 The proposal will be submitted to San Francisco leadership in June. 'There are so many efforts that result in incredible reports that just end up gathering dust on a shelf,' San Francisco Board of Supervisors president Aaron Peskin told the SF Chronicle. 'We cannot let this be one of them,' he added. The proposal was compiled by the San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee [AARAC], which was commissioned by the Board of Supervisors. It was first presented to leadership in December. 'Centuries of harm and destruction of black lives, black bodies and black communities should be met with centuries of repair,' AARAC chair Eric McDonnell told the SF Chronicle. 'If you look at San Francisco, it's very much a tale of two cities.' The city's proposals come in the wake of California's Reparations Task Force boss Kamilah Moore sharing her demands for payback. She said any black Californians descended from slaves were owed $1million each. Moore also said any black resident who'd suffered housing discrimination at the hands of California was owed $223,500. She asserted that redlining - refusing loans such as mortgages to poorer people - had kept many black Californians in poverty between 1933 and 1977. Despite the huge cost of complying with the proposals, Moore insists they'd actually benefit the Californian economy by stimulating consumer spending. BBC Radio 2 yet to announce the host and details of the new mid-morning show Broadcaster, 71, will present a show from 10am to 1pm on the Bauer radio station Mr Bruce told millions of listeners news this morning and urged them to follow He will start his new job at Greatest Hits Radio in April after 45 years at the BBC Rylan Clark has been tipped among the favourites to take over from Ken Bruce after the legendary DJ became the latest older star to leave BBC Radio 2. Bruce, 71, has jumped ship after 45 years for commercial rival Greatest Hits Radio, where radio insiders predicted he could be on 500,000 a year. Radio consultant Paul Chantler suggested Radio 2 could look for a younger name to replace him, and named former X Factor star Rylan Clark as a possible candidate. Clark, 34, praised Bruce in a Twitter post today, writing: 'A beautiful man who's always been so lovely to me at BBC Radio 2. 'Going to be so missed on air, but personally I'll miss having a beer in a foreign country discussing anything and everything whilst at Eurovision. Thanks for always being so lovely.' Ken Bruce announced today that he was leaving BBC Radio 2. Rylan Clark (right) has been tipped to replace him Today Clark praised Bruce in a Twitter post today, calling him 'a beautiful man who's always been so lovely to me at BBC Radio 2' Mr Chantler told MailOnline: 'Bauer, are trying to build Greatest Hits Radio into much more of a rival to Radio 2. They will undoubtedly get an excellent return on their investment in Ken through sponsorship of the daily PopMaster competition which advertisers will love to be associated with because of its popularity. 'Radio 2 is definitely pitching itself towards a younger audience now, having just brought in Scott Mills and phasing out classic songs from the sixties and seventies during daytime programming. 'It'll be interesting to see who replaces Ken. My guess is Rylan, who's become a favourite on Saturdays and is has wide appeal thanks to his TV profile. 'It seems the BBC is abandoning older music listeners. Commercial stations like Boom Radio and Serenade Radio are taking care of the tastes of the 50+ audience leaving Radio 2 to appeal to 35 to 50 year olds.' Mr Chantler added: 'By the way, I'm surprised the BBC didn't do more to protect the PopMaster competition from being 'stolen' by a commercial rival. PopMaster has a big potential value to Bauer. 'The BBC could have taken steps to prevent that legally even if Ken moved . Look what happened with TV's Top Gear which stayed with the BBC even though Jeremy, Richard and James as presenters moved to Amazon. It appears someone in the BBC has missed a trick here.' Bruce announced today that 'the time is right' for him to move on from the weekday mid-morning show he's presented since 1986 - with just a two year gap between 1990 and 1992 - having first walked into the corporation in 1977. He informed his 9million listeners this morning that he would quit in March - but he is not retiring, heading into commercial radio and taking his much-loved PopMaster quiz with him. And in an advert for his new mid-morning show, he urged people to follow him as fans vowed to never listen to Radio 2 again when he leaves complaining that older presenters are being swapped for younger, less talented broadcasters, like Scott Mills. Ken said: 'Nothing stays the same forever. I've done everything it is possible to do at Radio 2. I've always felt I've got something more to prove. I hope that when people hear the news they will say: 'Sorry to hear you're going Ken, but maybe I'll follow you to wherever it is you're going'.' Ken Bruce said he has done all he could at the BBCV and wants a fresh challenge for the end of his career Listeners have vowed never to return to Radio 2 when Ken is gone Radio 2 fans have accused the BBC of ageism as a string of older DJs step back, including Pauk O'Grady, Steve Wright, Graham Norton and Simon Mayo, replaced by ex-Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills, RuPaul's Michelle Visage, Waterloo Road's Angela Griffin, and DJ Spoony Mr Bruce is the latest veteran to leave the station, but he insists it is his decision. Last summer Paul O'Grady exited Radio 2 after Steve Wright, 68, Graham Norton, 59, and Simon Mayo, 64, all left and were replaced with a younger line up. Vanessa Feltz, 60, and Craig Charles, 58, have also moved on. Experts say Greatest Hits Radio boss Ben Cooper, who joined Bauer last year from the BBC where he ran Radio 1, is adding Mr Bruce to his roster of Simon Mayo and Jackie Brambles as they try to steal listeners from the increasingly younger-focused BBC Radio 2. Ken's listeners have claimed they could hear he was 'less enthusiastic about playing some of those newer records' that his bosses insisted on as they try to bring in younger listeners. Members of the Ken Bruce Preservation Society of superfans on Facebook are also suggesting that he's been unhappy with the Radio2 playlist for some time. One upset listener declared that the news was so shocking that 'there should be one week of national mourning', adding of the BBC: 'Ken Bruce not doing PopMaster is like the ravens leaving the Tower'. Another said it was a further sign of the 'mass exodus' at the BBC, calling the Glaswegian: 'A truly great broadcaster who made it sound so easy & utterly effortless. Second only to Wogan'. One critic said: 'With Ken Bruce leaving and Steve Wright gone they might as well shut Radio 2 down' The 71-year-old, who is leaving in March, joined the corporation in 1977 as a BBC Radio Scotland presenter and his first regular slot on Radio 2 was the Saturday Late Show in 1984. The following year he fronted the Radio 2 Breakfast Show, taking over from Sir Terry Wogan. Radio 2 will announce the host and details of the new mid-morning show at a later date. The broadcaster, 71, will present a show from 10am to 1pm on the Bauer radio station, alongside presenters including Simon Mayo at Drivetime and Jackie Brambles in the early evening. Ken said: 'Nothing stays the same forever and I have decided the time is right for me to move on from Radio 2 when I reach the end of my current contract in March. It's been a tremendously happy time for me: I've made many friends and worked with many wonderful colleagues. However I feel that after 45 years of full-time broadcasting on BBC Radio it's time for a change. 'I would stress that this is entirely my decision but some new opportunities have come up and I would like to continue my career in a slightly different way in the next few years, the details of which will be revealed shortly. 'I will always be very proud of my association with the BBC and Radio 2 in particular and I'd like to thank everyone who has helped to make the mid-morning show a success'. This move follows a number of high-profile departures and reshuffling at BBC Radio of recent, including Scott Mills leaving BBC Radio 1 after 24 years at the network to join Radio 2 for a new weekday show. The radio DJ took over the 2-4pm slot from presenter Steve Wright, who stepped down from his afternoon show at the end of September after 23 years. Wright continues to present his Radio 2 Sunday Love Songs programme as well as specials on the station. Paul O'Grady also quit his Radio 2 Sunday afternoon show, which he presented for around 14 years, because he was not happy with a schedule shake-up which saw him share the slot with comic Rob Beckett. Shortly after the Radio 2 confirmed his exit - Bauer Media said Ken was off to Greatest Hits Radio, where other hosts include 'The Professor of Pop' Paul Gambaccini, who has been so critical of the BBC. Ken Bruce said 'What better way to celebrate my forty-five years in radio than with a new adventure and a brand-new show on Greatest Hits Radio. 'I say brand-new but there will still be PopMaster, me and my musings and all the great records you know and love from the 70s, 80s and 90s. I'm looking forward to getting started and to you joining me for my very first show. See you in April' Bruce has also presented Radio 2's coverage of Eurovision since 1988, and has been a regular presenter of Sunday Night is Music Night. Ken in the studio in 1984. He joined the BBC in 1977 Ken Bruce (pictured with his good friend Rod Stewart) is leaving the BBC after 45 years, quitting Radio 2 for Greatest Hits Radio Ken with stars Sir Cliff Richard and Beyonce His Radio 2 show is famous for a number of segments including PopMaster, a quiz to test music knowledge which has run for 25 years, Tracks of My Years, where a famous person chooses their favourite records and more recently, The Piano Room, featuring live music from a range of great artists. Lorna Clarke, director of BBC Music, added: 'Ken is an extraordinary broadcaster with an exceptional career over many decades. 'He has been part of every significant occasion marked by BBC Radio 2 and we, his faithful audience and the Radio 2 all-star line-up, will miss his warm humour and wit. Congratulations on a brilliant career.' Blair had traveled to Mexico with his wife Kimberly Williams to celebrate their one-year wedding anniversary Authorities investigating the death of an American lawyer at a resort in Mexico have learned that a cut on the man's forehead could not have been the result of a fall from his balcony. Elliot Blair, 33, was found dead on the grounds of the Las Rocas Resort and Spa in Playas de Rosarito, Baja California, during the early hours of Saturday morning. The Orange County public defender was celebrating his first wedding anniversary with his Kimberly Williams, also a public defender in Orange County, when he fell to his death from the third-floor balcony after the couple had gone out for dinner. A local law enforcement official told ABC News on Monday that the injury that Blair sustained on his forehand 'would not have been caused by a fall.' Elliot Blair (right) died early Saturday morning at the Los Rocas Resort and Spa in Playas de Rosarito, Mexico. The 33-year-old California public defender traveled with his wife, Kimberly Williams (left), to celebrate their one-year anniversary. Mexican authorities have said that he fell from his fourth-floor balcony. However, a law enforcement official told ABC News that an injury found on his forehead 'would not have been caused by the fall' A worker at the Los Rocas Resort and Spa found California public defender Elliot Blair lying on the ground around 1:15 am Saturday The family told KABC-TV that they have 'reasons to believe, and evidence, that there was possible foul play,' but that they didn't want to intervene with the inquiry. The Baja California State Attorney General's Office said in a statement Monday that Blair's death was 'an unfortunate accident' which took place just one day before their anniversary. The prosecutor's office released a second statement indicting his death 'was the result of an unfortunate accident due to the fall of the deceased from a third floor.' A U.S Department of State spokesperson told the outlet that they were aware of Blair's death, but didn't comment any further as a courtesy to the grieving family. Blair and his wife both worked as public defenders in Orange County He and his wife Kim (both pictured) were married in California in January 2022 DailyMail.com reached out to Las Rocas Resort and Spa for comment. A employee at the hotel came across Blair's body on the ground and alerted police around 1:15am, local news portal Patrulla 646 Codigo Rojo reported. Cops arrived on the scene and found Blair lying face down and unresponsive. Paramedics arrived thereafter and declared him dead. The family has been working with U.S. government officials to gather information into his death, according to a GoFundMe account that has been set up to help repatriate Blair's body to California. 'We wish we could provide everyone with more information, but very limited information has been disclosed by authorities in Mexico. He was the victim of a brutal crime,' the crowdfunding account indicated. Tory grandee Iain Duncan Smith has fiercely rebuked Iran as 'maniacal, brutal, violent and dangerous' after the regime used Prince Harry to defend their execution of a British-Iranian dual national. Former Iranian deputy defence minister Alireza Akbari was accused of spying by Tehran and executed last week despite attempts by the British Foreign Office to free him. On Saturday morning, Rishi Sunak slammed the execution as a 'callous and cowardly act, carried out by a barbaric regime with no respect for the human rights of their own people'. In response today, Tehran escalated the row by using Prince Harry's confession that he killed 25 Taliban in Afghanistan, saying Britain was in 'no position to preach' about human rights. Fighting back in the war of words, Duncan Smith retorted: 'I think it was a personal mistake for Harry, and I think it should have been expunged from the book for good personal reasons. 'But also as a British citizen himself and as a member of the constitutional family, which is the constitutional head of the UK government, hopefully he will reflect on that and not do something similar again. It's not helpful.' But he added: 'Iran criticising us on human rights grounds would be a joke if it wasn't for the fact that they are maniacal, brutal, violent and dangerous.' The Prime Minister's official spokesman also waded in on the row, accusing Iran of a 'barbaric' and illegitimate execution of a joint British national. They said: 'We will not be drawn into conflating what are two separate issues. 'No one should be in any doubt that the execution of Alireza Akbari was a barbaric and politically motivated act with no legitimacy and comparisons between that and servicemen and women carrying out legitimate actions would be entirely false.' Prince Harry used Spare to confess that he killed 25 Taliban in Afghanistan. The Duke is pictured on patrol during his deployment in 2012 (above) Meanwhile ex-foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind told MailOnline that the comparison was 'absurd'. 'It shows the Iranians realise how badly they have behaved. The attempt to compare it with British troops, at the request of the Afghan government, fighting to protect Afghan democracy, is an absurd comparison by any standards,' he said. 'It's an attempt at cheap propaganda that won't convince even Iranians, never mind people in this country.' He added on Harry's revelations: 'The best people to comment on what he has said are his military colleagues and they have already expressed views.' Earlier today, the official Twitter account of the Iran Foreign Ministry accused the Duke of Sussex of showing no remorse over the killings of 'innocent' lives and accused Britain of allowing this 'war crime'. It said: 'The British regime, whose royal family member sees the killing of 25 innocent people as removal of chess pieces and has no regrets over the issue, and those who turn a blind eye to this war crime, are in no position to preach others on human rights.' The post was referring to a controversial passage about the death count from Harry's new memoir Spare which is already the subject of a mounting backlash. Tory grandee Iain Duncan Smith has fiercely rebuked Iran as a 'maniacal, brutal, violent and dangerous' regime The official Twitter account (pictured) of the Iran Foreign Ministry accused the Duke of Sussex of showing no remorse over the killings of 'innocent' lives and accused Britain of allowing this 'war crime'. 'The British regime, whose royal family member, sees the killing of 25 innocent people as removal of chess pieces and has no regrets over the issue, and those who turn a blind eye to this war crime, are in no position to preach others on human rights,' it said His comments, which have also sparked security fears, have already provided the Taliban and extremist Anjem Choudary with ammunition to spout propaganda against British troops. The former soldier used his book to detail how he had gunned down 25 militants, feeling neither satisfaction nor shame about his actions while serving in Afghanistan some 10 years ago. He added that to in order deal with the incidents he dehumanised his victims by seeing them as 'chess pieces' and not people. The passage was seized on by the Iranian regime as tensions between Tehran and London escalate in the wake of Akbari's execution. Akbari, 61, had moved to the UK with an investment visa and had become a naturalised citizen here but was lured back to Iran by the security services three years ago. But the ex-deputy Iranian defence minister was arrested in 2019 and convicted of spying for the UK a charge which he denied. His death last week has caused outrage in Britain with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak calling it a 'callous and cowardly act, carried out by a barbaric regime'. Ministers have imposed a travel ban and asset freeze on the Iranian prosecutor general, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri. The Iranian regime has used Prince Harry's confession that he killed 25 Taliban in Afghanistan to take aim at Britain amid the escalating row over the execution of Alireza Akbari (above) Harry's comments, which have also sparked security fears, have already provided the Taliban and extremist Anjem Choudary with ammunition to spout propaganda against British troops Nine men are publicly flogged up to 39 times each by the Taliban in front of a packed football stadium Advertisement Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has also temporarily withdrawn Britain's ambassador to Iran, Simon Shercliff. The UK is now considering designating Iran's Revolutionary Guards, the most powerful wing of its military, as a terrorist organisation in a sign of its hardening stance towards the Islamic republic. In the string of Tweets, the Iran Foreign Ministry branded Britain's 'uproar and the support of some European self-proclaimed defenders of human rights' as a 'sign of their evasion and violation of law'. It added: 'Britain's encroachment on the national security of the Islamic republic of Iran has been met with a decisive response from the Iranian intelligence &Judiciary.' Tensions between the West and Iran are already running high over Tehran's crackdown on nationwide protests for women's right - as well as its support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine with drones. Iran has arrested at least 14,000 people in the wave of protests sparked by the September 16 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who had been arrested for allegedly breaching the strict dress code for women. Journalists, filmmakers, lawyers and activists have been arrested, and several executions have been reported as well as the deaths of hundreds of protesters in the clashes between Iran's security forces. Meanwhile, the regime has been arming Russia with Iranian-made suicide drones which have been causing havoc in Ukraine. Moscow has used them against civilian infrastructure, such as power stations, and on civilian buildings. Tensions between the West and Iran are already running high over Tehran's crackdown on nationwide protests for women's right. Pictured: Protesters are seen in Tehran in September The Iranian regime has been arming Russia with Iranian-made suicide drones (pictured) which have been causing havoc in Ukraine. Moscow has used them against civilian infrastructure, such as power stations, and on civilian buildings Harry spent a decade in the British Army before taking up full-time royal duties in 2015. During that time, he did two tours of Afghanistan. The prince was first deployed to Helmand province as a forward air controller in 2007, but his first tour of duty was cut short. He returned in 2012, by which time he was responsible for firing a 45million Apache helicopter's 30mm cannon and Hellfire missiles. Spare is the first time he has specified the number of insurgents he personally killed during his time in Afghanistan. The Prince said that he flew on six missions that resulted in the 'taking of human lives' in his autobiography. Harry, who was known as 'Captain Wales' in the military, wrote that he did not think of those killed 'as people' but instead 'chess pieces' he had taken off the board. 'You can't kill people if you see them as people', he wrote. Instead, he said he saw them as 'chess pieces removed from the board'... as 'bad guys eliminated'. Tehran is not the only brutal regime in the Middle East to have criticised Harry for his confession, after the Taliban themselves slammed the Prince earlier this month. Speaking to MailOnline, the militants branded him a 'big mouth loser' after his revelation, and stressed that while their fighters were the ultimate victors of the conflict in Afghanistan, Harry had 'fled to his grandmother's palace' and is now struggling to maintain a place in the Royal Family. Taliban spokesman Abul Qahar Balkhi, pictured, said Harry's comments are 'a microcosm of the trauma experienced by Afghans' Taliban commander Molavi Agha Gol, 32, said that he thought Harry was attention seeking with his book and boasted that the 'chess pieces' had taken over the board following the 2021 withdrawal of international troops. Speaking from a checkpoint outside the town of Islam Qala on the border with Iran, he said: 'I do not even believe what he said about the Mujahidin. He is a loser and scared to go to a combat zone. We made history by kicking him and his army out of our homeland and he should be very angry about that.' He added: 'Do not believe whatever losers tell you. I see news about him a lot on my Facebook feed and really think he's gone mad and needs a doctor immediately. 'Even if he believes [that he killed 25 Taliban], our martyred Mujahidin are in heaven but his invading friends are burning in Hell and I really hope I was in Helmand when he was there, to make him understand what real chess pieces are. 'If he's a real man and not a f***ing loser, come to Afghanistan again.' An official in the Taliban's ministry for the propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice, said in a statement: 'Pieces of chess are now in power and he's struggling to maintain his place within his own family.' Abul Qahar Balkhi, spokesman for the Taliban ministry of foreign affairs, said Prince Harry's comments were 'a microcosm of the trauma experienced by Afghans at the hands of occupation forces'. Molavi Keramudin, a Taliban commander in the central city of Ghor, called for an investigation into the prince, saying: 'It's him claiming that he martyred the Taliban, but it may be civilians too. If England has a system and regulations, they should investigate and see whom he killed. In the summer of 2021, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan with a lighting offensive that swept across the country in a matter of weeks 'He is a so-called prince and should not freely walk after killing civilians. It is not acceptable. He has problems and is just climbing over whatever he can to stop himself and his country falling into sh*t.' Molavi Nabi Jan, a Taliban official in the western Afghan city of Herat, said: 'He's a dirty idiot and a drunk jackal. He has destroyed all bridges behind him and is now just trying to avoid drowning in history. 'Using the Taliban and his family is his last tool to make people talk about him. I know him very well. God left him on his own to give him a very big punishment at the end.' An official in the southern Helmand province told MailOnline: 'He's evil. He's made lots of Afghan women widows and lots of children orphans and he's proud of that.' Another Taliban official, Anas Haqqani, tweeted: 'Mr. Harry! The ones you killed were not chess pieces, they were humans. They had families who were waiting for their return. Among the killers of Afghans, not many have your decency to reveal their conscience and confess to their war crimes. 'The truth is what you've said. Our innocent people were chess pieces to your soldiers, military and political leaders. Still, you were defeated in that 'game' of white & black 'squares'. 'I don't expect that the ICC [International Criminal Court] will summon you or the human rights activists will condemn you, because they are deaf and blind for you. But hopefully these atrocities will be remembered in the history of humanity.' In the summer of 2021, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan with a lightning offensive that swept across the country in a matter of weeks, overthrowing the Western-backed government that was installed by the US, UK and their allies. Leaders of the government fled the country as Western coalition forces pulled out, culminating in the collapse of the Afghan military and the Taliban capturing Kabul on August 15, 2021. Despite promising a more progressive regime than when they were last in power in 2001, the Taliban have eroded the rights of women and minority groups in the country, most recently banning women from attending university - a move that drew fierce condemnation from the international community. Vladimir Putin's notorious 'Iron Doll' TV host has claimed train strikes in Britain are putting brothels out of business in a bizarre propaganda rant against the UK. In her latest outlandish swipe at Britain, Olga Skabeyeva - known for her vitriolic backing of the war in Ukraine - claimed the recent industrial action has deprived prostitutes of clients. 'So every English brothel has already lost between 30,000 and 70,000 since January 3,' she informed Russian viewers in her prime time show. State controlled TV in Moscow likes nothing better than disparaging stories about Britain. Pictured: Olga Skabeyeva. 'In Britain, rail strikes have resulted in, among other things, the first time that British prostitutes cannot receive their clients,' Skabeyeva said 'In Britain, rail strikes have resulted in, among other things, the first time that British prostitutes cannot receive their clients,' said propaganda show presenter Skabeyeva, 38. Skabeyeva said punters are 'simply are unable to get to the ladies of love'. 'Electric trains are not running,' she said. Sex workers were now 'the poor' as a result of the industrial action, she explained. Olga Skabeyeva said every English brothel has already lost between 30,000 and 70,000 since January 3 Skabeyeva said punters are 'simply are unable to get to the ladies of love' Sex workers were now 'the poor' as a result of the industrial action, Skabeyeva explained Pictured: Ukrainian official Anton Geraschenko Her report was seized on by Ukrainian official Anton Geraschenko, with a sharp riposte. 'According to Skabeyeva, ordinary customers are now unable to get to the brothels by train because of the railway workers' strike,' he posted. Putin's 'Iron Doll': How Russia wheels out 'monster' TV host to issue dire WW3 threats Olga Skabeyeva, dubbed Putin's 'Iron Doll', regularly spouts wild pro-Kremlin rants which have only intensified since Russian troops crossed into Ukraine on February 24 Advertisement 'Putin's faithful mouthpiece even calculated the amount of damage for each brothel.' Even before the war began Putin's 'Iron Doll' Olga Skabeyeva was regularly spouting wild pro-Kremlin rants which have only intensified since Russian troops crossed into Ukraine on February 24 last year. Along with her husband Yevgeny Popov, she has spread baseless conspiracy theories, overstated Moscow's war successes, parroted Kremlin lies about 'Nazis' in Ukraine, and issued dire warnings of World War Three and threats against the West. Born in 1984 under the Soviet Union, Skabeyeva went on to study journalism at the Faculty of Journalism at Saint Petersburg State University from which she graduated with honours in 2008. Her career began at a local newspaper, and she made a name for herself in 2012 and 2013 for her coverage of the Pussy Riot trials, the parallel anti-government rallies and subsequent criminal investigation into Russian opposition supporters. Skabeyeva's damning reports into the anti-government rallies got her noticed by TV critics, with one describing her as Russian state TV's 'special operation forces'. A blogger known only as 'Interviewer' christened her the 'Iron doll of Putin's TV'. The blogger described her as having 'metal in her eyes and iron in her voice' and said she 'exposes all the wretchedness of the March against scoundrels and the vile self-interest of its organizers'. Later, in 2018, Skabeyeva was involved in efforts to discredit the British investigation into the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal by Novichok nerve agent in the English city of Salisbury. Sergei Skripal was a former Russian military officer and double agent for the British intelligence agencies, and it is widely accepted that Russian agents were commanded to assassinate him on British soul. British authorities identifying two Russian suspects as being behind the poisoning which also resulted in the death of British woman Dawn Sturgess. Despite this, Skabeyeva's television programme maintained that the case was 'an elaborate British plot to smear Russia'. In one bizarre and homophobic report about gay marriage in the UK and France, Skabeyeva falsely told viewers that 40 percent of children in the country raised by same-sex parents 'have venereal diseases'. Her TV show 60 Minutes, which she has hosted with her husband Popov since 2016, has made other similarly outlandish claims. The programme has alleged that Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 - widely understood to have been shot down by a Buk surface-to-air missile launched from pro-Russian separatist-controlled territory in Ukraine - was actually destroyed by a Ukrainian jet. It has also claimed that genocide has been carried out in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region against Russian speakers - a lie that the Kremlin has more recently pushed in order to justify Putin's brutal and illegal invasion. Their 60 Minutes show has also called Ukraine's pro-Western government, which came to power in 2014 after a revolution, as being 'fascist'. It is unclear when exactly Skabeyeva met and married husband Popov, but they now rank among Russia's richest propagandists with a combined fortune of more than 300 million roubles ($4 million). Their fortune was unveiled in an investigation carried out the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) - founded by Russian jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny. According to Russian investigative outlet The Insider, she is said to earn 12.8 million roubles per year, while Popov earns 12.9 million. Their only reported source of income is from a state-owned Russian media company and its Russia1 subsidiary. Therefore, their vast wealth is otherwise unexplained. The couple reacted angrily to the report, denying that they were paid as much as was reported. James Cleverly has told Britain's allies 'this is the time' to bring the Ukraine war to an end as the Foreign Secretary urged other nations to 'intensify' their support for Kyiv. The Foreign Secretary predicted the supply of battle tanks to Ukraine would be 'decisive' as called on other countries to follow Britain's lead. At the weekend, it was confirmed the UK would send a squadron of 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine. This has piled pressure on Berlin to allow the export of German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Other nations with such tanks in their armoury - such as Poland - are currently unable to send them to Ukraine without Germany's approval. Speaking in Washington DC today, Mr Cleverly demanded that Western allies 'give the Ukrainians the tools they need to get the job done'. He noted how Russia was 'on the back foot' following recent military reverses in Ukraine and claimed Vladimir Putin was attempting to 'drag this conflict out'. James Cleverly predicted the supply of tanks to Ukraine would be 'decisive' as called on other countries to follow Britain's lead The Foreign Secretary demanded that Western allies 'give the Ukrainians the tools they need to get the job done' At the weekend, it was confirmed the UK would send Challenger 2 tanks (pictured above) to Ukraine Appearing at an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies thinktank, the Foreign Secretary was asked about the potential for a Russian offensive in Ukraine this spring. 'If you listen to what Putin says... he keeps making reference to Russia's military history, to the poetic narrative of Russia's military past,' he said. 'He talks about the stoicism of the Russians, he talks about their ability to endure privations for longer, they can endure hardship for longer. 'He's clearly making the case that he wants to drag this conflict out, he wants to make it a slow, attritional conflict, he wants to keep feeding young men and women into the meat grinder. 'His lack of respect for human life is shocking. But he's told us that's what he wants to do. 'And, if that's what he wants to do, we should want to do the opposite.' Mr Cleverly said Mr Putin was currently having to keep up his invasion of Ukraine with a dwindling supply of weaponry. 'Until recently, his attacks on civilian infrastructure have been done with cruise missiles,' he added. 'He's now using ballistic missiles to do the same thing - much, much, much more expensive. 'He's doing it clearly because he's running low on other munitions. 'So this is the time, if we want to bring this to a successful conclusion - and, of course, we should and we do - we should look to bring it to a conclusion quickly. 'The conclusion has to be a Ukrainian victory and that dictates, therefore, that we need to intensify our support at this point in time, while Russia has been on the back foot, to give the Ukrainians the tools they need to get the job done.' As part of his two-day trip to the US and Canada, Mr Cleverly is due to meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken later on Tuesday for talks over what more the UK, America and Canada can do to support Ukraine. And the Foreign Secretary made clear - following Britain's announcement of the supply of Challenger 2 tanks - that further military hardware would be at the top of his wishlist. 'We believe the provision of NATO-standard main battle tanks will be decisive in this and so we encourage others to do so,' the Foreign Secretary said. Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee is introducing a bill aimed at tackling 'white supremacy' by criminalizing certain forms of hate speech. The Texas Democrat's Leading Against White Supremacy Act of 2023 would allow someone who shares white supremacist online to be prosecuted for hate crimes even if they don't act on their threats. That has triggered an outpouring of anger from conservatives, who accused her of an attack on the First Amendment. 'In case you werent aware of what the Democrats were prioritizing in the 118th Congress, just take a look,' tweeted far-right Rep. Lauren Boebert, linking to an article that claimed it would criminalize criticism of non-white people. 'When they're not bankrupting our country, they're busy making a mockery of the First Amendment.' Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee has triggered controversy with her 'Leading Against White Supremacy Act of 2023' which extends criminalization of certain forms of hate speech Jackson Lee introduced her bill last week, at the start of the 118th Congress. With Republicans in control of the House, it has no chance of ever becoming law Jackson Lee quickly hit back, suggesting that it was time Boebert read some of the bills she tweeted about. 'Or, maybe even hire someone who could help you. This tweet is inflammatory and fact-less and you know it,' she wrote in a thread. 'For starters, it took me about 32 seconds of reading the article you cited to understand that none of you know what you are talking about. 'H.R. 61 simply deals with adding white supremacy to a list of reasons to be convicted of a hate crime.' Her bill states: 'A person engages in a white supremacy inspired hate crime when white supremacy ideology has motivated the planning, development, preparation, or perpetration of actions that constituted a crime or were undertaken in furtherance of activity that, if effectuated, would have constituted a crime.' Conservatives including hard-line Republican Lauren Boebert attacked the bill George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley said the bill would 'gut the First Amendment' And a conspiracy exists where a person published material advancing white supremacy and it was 'read, heard, or viewed by a person who engaged in the planning, development, preparation, or perpetration of a white supremacy inspired hate crime.' Such a move would 'gut the First Amendment, according to George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley 'Even in today's anti-free speech environment i Congress, a recent proposed by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D., Tx.) is a menacing standout... ' he tweeted. 'The bill is an almost impenetrable word salad of convoluted provisions. However, what is clear (perhaps the only clear thing) is that the "Leading Against White Supremacy Act of 2023" would gut the First Amendment and create effective thought crimes.' However, with Republicans now in control of the House, her bill has little chance of ever becoming law. The death of a 79-year-old great-grandmother killed in a house blast triggered by a 'decades-old' faulty copper gas pipe join was accidental, an inquest jury has concluded. Retired pub landlady Doreen Mace, originally from Erdington, Birmingham, was described by her relatives during the two-day inquest as a 'once-in-a-lifetime soul'. She died at a house owned by her partner, David Murphy, in Dulwich Road, Kingstanding, Birmingham, on June 26 last year, in a blast that caused what the coroner described as a 'Hollywood film-esque level of destruction'. At the start of the hearing, the inquest's 11-member jury was shown an image of a 'gas pipe separation under (the) floor of (the) living room', which was at the root of the explosion. Retired pub landlady Doreen Mace (pictured), originally from Erdington, Birmingham, was described by her relatives during the two-day inquest as a 'once-in-a-lifetime soul' She died at a house (above) owned by her partner, David Murphy, in Dulwich Road, Kingstanding, Birmingham , on June 26 last year It also emerged Mr Murphy had rung UK gas distribution network Cadent at 8.22pm that Sunday reporting he could smell 'what he thought was gas', his hob was no longer working and the meter was 'making a noise'. He was told by a call handler 'not to use any source of ignition and to ventilate the house' and that an engineer would arrive 'within the hour', the coroner said. Less than 15 minutes after the call ended the house exploded. Numerous 999 calls were made, the first at 8.38pm, by neighbours who described a 'huge bang' and said 129 Dulwich Road had been 'flattened' and was 'completely missing'. The blast was so violent that it sent roof tiles through the windows of a leisure centre 114ft (35m) away, and, while initially there was only a small fire, it grew so that searches for Ms Mace had to be called off for safety reasons. The body of Ms Mace, of Elmwood Road, Erdington, was later recovered under 3ft (1m) of rubble from the lounge at the front of the property. Her partner, Mr Murphy, though suffering 'relatively significant injuries', survived. He had earlier been rescued from the rubble of the kitchen, where he had been shielded by a fridge, by members of the public who carried him away using a mattress. It also emerged Mr Murphy (pictured) had rung UK gas distribution network Cadent at 8.22pm that Sunday reporting he could smell 'what he thought was gas' Numerous 999 calls were made, the first at 8.38pm, by neighbours who described a 'huge bang' and said 129 Dulwich Road had been 'flattened' and was 'completely missing' Mr Murphy was not called as a witness to give evidence at the inquest by the coroner who said it was 'not necessary'. James Bennett, Birmingham and Solihull area coroner, said: 'He indicated to police his recollection was poor, he was seriously injured, I don't think it would be appropriate to put him through the stress of recalling events in public.' The wreckage of the house and three other neighbouring properties found to be structurally unsound were later demolished. Opening the hearing, the coroner told the inquest 'many years ago - potentially decades', whoever installed the gas pipe had used a type of fitting which needed 'soldering', but had not done so. 'So, at that joint, it was never soldered or welded and, sadly, we reach a point where natural gas is escaping into the property. It eventually ignites, causing the explosion. 'It appears Doreen, sadly, was in the lounge at the point of the explosion.' The coroner also heard the floorboards in the bay area of the lounge were 'bowing' because some of the joists were 'rotting'. However, the jury later heard the boards were not directly above the joint. Jurors, who delivered their conclusions after deliberating for just under two hours on Tuesday, found Ms Mace's cause of death was from 'consequences of an explosion that caused a house to collapse'. The blast was so violent that it sent roof tiles through the windows of a leisure centre 114ft (35m) away, and, while initially there was only a small fire, it grew so that searches for Ms Mace had to be called off for safety reasons The body of Ms Mace, of Elmwood Road, Erdington, was later recovered under 3ft (1m) of rubble from the lounge at the front of the property Jurors delivered a brief record of what happened and a conclusion of accidental death. They said the circumstances were as a result of 'a gas explosion at 129 Dulwich Road on June 26 2022, at around 8.38pm, which caused a house to collapse onto the deceased, who was in the lounge area'. The ex-Birmingham City Council house was nearly 100 years old, with the home, privately owned in 1981, about to be sold. Police tried to trace a history of gas works at the house but were told 'no one holds records that far back'. Mr Bennett said the 'best estimate' was that the pipe 'had been there at least 50 years'. The inquest later heard from Steve Critchlow, specialist Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector, who said the pipework was probably post-Second World War dating to the 1950s or 1960s. He said the likelihood was the unsoldered joint had been 'leaking small amounts of gas' for many years, but there had been a total failure, for reasons he would only be guessing at, on June 26. Mrs O'Brien read out a pen portrait of her grandmother calling her 'a caring, energetic and fun-loving lady with such an infectious smile' who was 'devoted to her family'. 'At time of her passing, Nan was 79 years young, still with a determination, vigour for life, on par with a person half her age,' she said. She added her grandmother had been planning a holiday with her partner and said: 'She was and always will be our matriarch and a once-in-a-lifetime soul we are grateful to have known.' President Joe Biden smiled and laughed Tuesday as he ignored a barrage of questions about the classified documents scandal that has engulfed his administration while a shocking new report detailed a deal made by the Justice Department to keep the FBI away from the search. The grinning Biden stayed silent at the end of his meeting with Netherlands' Prime Minister Mark Rutte - while the media asked about the sensitive files found at his D.C. think tank and garage at his Wilmington home. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal revealed on Tuesday that the Justice Department considered having FBI agents monitor Biden's personal attorneys as they searched his Wilmington and Rehoboth homes but decided against it, deciding Biden's lawyers were cooperating with them. Biden's legal team, after the discovery of the first tranche of documents at his D.C. think tank, talked with the DoJ about having FBI agents present while Biden's lawyers conducted the additional searches. Ultimately the two sides cut a deal where only Biden's attorneys would do the search and immediately report any findings. They did find more documents - in the garage and 'personal library' of the president's Wilmington home. It's marked contrast to how the Justice Department worked with Donald Trump's legal team. After making repeated requests about classified documents reportedly in the former president's possession, the Justice Department ultimately obtained a federal warrant for FBI agents to raid Trump's Mar-a-Lago home. Trump and his supporters have roared about the situation, calling it a double standard. Biden's team argues they have been consistently cooperating in their case. President Biden smiled and laughed as he ignored a barrage of questions from reporters about the classified documents scandal that has engulfed the White House The grinning Biden stayed silent at the end of his meeting with Netherlands' Prime Minister Mark Rutte - while the media asked about the sensitive files found at his D.C. think tank and garage at his Wilmington home Timeline of Biden document discovery and initial investigation Nov. 2: 10 classified documents were found at the Penn Biden Center, a think tank in Washington, D.C., by President Joe Biden's lawyers. Nov. 3: The National Archives was notified of the discovery Nov. 4: The National Archives' Office of Inspector General contacted a prosecutor at the Department of Justice and told them that classified material had been discovered at the Penn Biden Center. The documents were secured at an Archives facility Nov. 8: 2022 midterm election Nov. 9: The FBI commenced an assessment to determine whether classified material had been mishandled Nov. 14: Attorney General Merrick Garland assigned the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, John Lausch, to determine if a special counsel was needed Dec. 20: The president's personal attorney informed Lausch that additional documents with classification markings were found in Biden's garage in Wilmington, Delaware. The FBI secured those documents Jan 5: Lausch advised Garland that a special counsel should be appointed Jan. 9: White House publicly announces classified documents from Biden's time as vice president found at the office of his D.C. think tank Jan 12: The president's personal attorney informed Lausch that an additional document was discovered at Biden's Wilmington home Jan. 12: White House publicly announces additional classified documents were found in Biden's Wilmington home Jan. 12: White House counsel Richard Richard Sauber travels to Biden's Wilmington home - finds five more classified documents Jan. 14: White House publicly discloses the documents Sauber found Advertisement The president, meanwhile, has evaded shouted questions on more than one occasion on the documents debacle since it was first reported last week. He last spoke on matter on Thursday, reading a prepared statement and defended having the classified material in the same garage as his Corvette, noting his classic car was kept locked up. The White House is also under intense scrutiny for waiting two months to publicly react to the discovery of the first batch of classified documents at the Penn Biden Center. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has also frequently dodged questions during combative and dismissive appearances in the briefing room while claiming Biden takes classified documents 'seriously'. To try and deflect from the controversy, the White House on Tuesday tried to attack Republicans and asked Kevin McCarthy to reveal all the backroom deals he made to become Speaker. The GOP has put pressure on Biden and the administration's response to their handling of classified material by promising Congressional investigations and demanding visitor logs from the Wilmington home - which the White House says doesn't exist. During the meeting with Rutte, the president didn't answer questions from reporters - including one on whether he would speak with special counsel Robert Hur. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Hur to investigate the matter. Law enforcement sources told the Journal that FBI agents may not have wanted to be part of the original search so they could ask for a search warrant at a later date if they found something in their investigation that required it. Hur is expected to begin his job as special counsel by the end of the month as he had to give notice at the private law firm he is working. The White House, meanwhile, ratcheted up its battle with the GOP, calling on McCarthy to reveal the deals he made to win over hard-line conservatives to become Speaker of the House. It took McCarthy 15 ballots to gain enough support from his own party to become Speaker. There have been reports on the deals he cut - including a pledge that would allow only one lawmaker to issue a Speaker recall - but has never outlined all the concessions he made. White House spokesman Andrew Bates slammed the GOP for deals made on abortion and other issues. He led the call in demanding more transparency from the Republicans. 'What other hidden bargains did Speaker McCarthy make behind closed doors with the most extreme, ultra MAGA members of the House Republican conference? The American people have a right to know now which is why we are calling on him to make every single one of them public immediately,' he said in a statement. McCarthy has said he made no formal agreements to win the votes he needed, but conservatives said they were promised certain concessions. Some Republicans have even said they aren't sure of all that McCarthy promised to the right-wing of the party. McCarthy is already in battle mode with the White House, demanding cuts to government spending instead of increasing the debt limit - a priority for conservatives. The White House has expected to wage battle with House Republicans now that they have the majority in that chamber. The GOP has already vowed to investigate the president, his family and his administration. They have also vowed to look into the classified documents found at Biden's now-shuttered think tank in Washington DC and his Wilmington home. Donald Trump and his supporters have roared about a double standard when it comes to the Justice Department's investigation of the documents in his possession versus those in Biden's House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, a Republican of Kentucky, sent a letter to Biden's Chief of Staff Ron Klain on Sunday demanding access to any visitor logs kept for the Delaware home. 'Without a list of individuals who have visited his residence, the American people will never know who had access to these highly sensitive documents,' he wrote. The White House has said there are no visitor logs as it is a private home. And, on Tuesday, Sams held a briefing call with reporters to slam Republicans' probes. 'Their outrage is all pure theater,' he said. He would not commit to the White House cooperating with the GOP requests for documents and other information. 'We're limited in what we can say during an ongoing DOJ inquiry,' he said, referring to the special counsel's inquiry. 'We'll make a determination about our response in due course, but of course, we're gonna call it out when we see rampant hypocrisy, that that shows a total lack of credibility when it comes to these requests,' he noted. Sams, who will be the point person to answer questions on any Biden scandals, also wouldn't say if Biden would answer questions from Hur. 'We're not going to get ahead of that process with the Special Counsel and speculate on what they may or may not want or ask for,' he said. The White House is also under intense scrutiny for waiting two months to publicly react to the discovery of the first batch of classified documents at the Penn Biden Center The White House has demanded Kevin McCarthy reveal the deal he made with hardline conservatives to become Speaker Timeline of events leading up to Attorney General Merrick Garland appointing Special Counsel Robert Hur to oversee investigation as to the potential mishandling of classified documents Biden's home in Wilmington, Delaware On Saturday, the White House revealed a fourth tranche of documents were found - again at Biden's Wilmington home. The White House has faced repeated questions over its lack of transparency about when the documents were discovered. They waited about two months - until well past the November midterm election - to announce documents found at Biden's DC think tank before voters went to the polls. The counsel's office then made two more announcements - regarding documents found at Biden's garage in his Wilmington home and then a third document found in a room at that house. On Saturday, the administration announced five more pages containing classified information were found at Biden's Wilmington home. White House Counsel Richard Sauber said that because he has security clearance, and Biden's personal lawyers don't, he had gone to the president's home to examine other papers there. Meanwhile, aspecial counsel is already reviewing Trump's possession of highly classified materials at his Mar-a-Lago residence. FBI agents searched the residence this summer under a grand jury subpoena after a months-long process seeking to obtain government material. The White House has consistently emphasized Biden's attorneys found the documents and promptly turned them over to the National Archives, arguing all proper procedures were followed. In Trump's case, the Archives realized documents from his administration were missing and requested their return. Trump eventually gave 15 boxes of materials to the agency, which discovered classified documents among them. When federal investigators suspected the former president was holding onto more documents, they got a judges permission to search Mar-a-Lago. That raid took place in August and turned up more documents. For his part, Biden previously said he and his staff would cooperate with the investigation. He expressed surprise to discover he had classified documents dating back to when he served as Barack Obama's vice president. 'People know I take classified documents,' classified materials seriously,' Biden said last week, reading from a prepared statement. 'I'm going to get a chance to speak on this soon, God willing,' he added, as reporters shouted questions. 'We're going to see all this unfold.' Dominic Raab has dramatically stepped in to block a killer who bludgeoned an innocent doctor to death from being moved from a high security jail to an open prison, MailOnline can reveal. The Justice Secretary acted to prevent Reginald Wilson, now 58, from being transferred to a lower risk prison despite the Parole Board recommending the move. Aged 26, Wilson carried out one of the most notorious murders in UK criminal history when he randomly targeted doctor David Birkett at his home in Middlesbrough in 1990. The esteemed dermatologist was discovered by his teenage daughter suffering from horrific head injuries after Wilson, who had tattoos across his forehead reading 'psychopath' and 'chaos' launched the planned attack. Reginald Wilson, 58, killed David Birkett in his Linthorpe home, Middlesbrough in 1990. He was sentenced to life in prison after his Durham Crown Court sentencing in 1991 The deranged murderer - who had one aim in life to commit the perfect murder - tricked his way into Dr Birkett's home in Linthorpe by pretending to be a motorcycle courier delivering a package. The much loved dad-of-three was beaten to the ground by Wilson with a hammer at his six bedroom home, dragged into his study and subjected to a second sadistic attack. A post mortem showed the 56-year-old consultant had been struck with manic ferocity at least 17 times. Wilson had a hearing before a three-person panel of the Parole Board on 14th November 2022. At the hearing, the panel took evidence from Wilson's community-based Probation Officer, the official responsible for supervising his case in prison, and a psychologist employed by the prison service. Wilson himself also gave evidence to the panel. The panel also read victim impact statements given by Dr Birkett's family. Wilson was told two weeks later that he had been recommended for a move to an open prison. It was his second parole hearing and he did not ask to be released, though a move to a lower security jail is often a step towards eventual freedom. The Parole Board said in a summary of the decision that Wilson's behaviour had improved hugely since 1999 and he had taken therapeutic and behaviour offending courses. It stated at the time: 'The panel was told that Mr Wilson had developed exceptional levels of personal responsibility, life skills, resilience and maturity. 'Mr Wilson himself did not seek release but asked the panel to recommend his transfer to an open prison so he could continue to work with professionals to develop release plans.' In the written summary it stated that Wilson would be allowed 'periods of temporary release' when in open conditions. A spokesperson for the Parole Board said at the time: 'We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board refused the release of Reginald Wilson following an oral hearing. The panel has recommended a move to open prison. Dr David Birkett was beaten to the ground by Wilson with a hammer at his six bedroom home, dragged into his study and subjected to a second sadistic attack. A post mortem showed the 56-year-old consultant had been struck with manic ferocity at least 17 times 'Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.' The Parole Board's recommendation has to go to the Secretary of State for approval and in the case of Wilson, Mr Raab decided that he would not sanction the jail transfer. Dr Birkett's family have been informed of the decision. The horrific circumstances of the crime and its aftermath were taken into consideration in making the decision. At the time of the killing, Wilson had fled and detectives believed he planned a killing spree. After murdering Dr Birkett, Wilson escaped taking a few personal items belonging to the doctor. Later in the day, an anonymous 999 call was made from a telephone in Union Street in central Middlesbrough. Wilson's bid for a transfer to an open prison went to the Justice Secretary, Dominic Raab (pictured) for approval but this has now been blocked Wilson gave Dr Birkett's address but a mix up meant the police did not check it. They only became aware of the killing when the doctor's daughter returned home. Brazen Wilson then taunted police with a series of sick letters and stated the killing had 'given him a buzz'. One read: 'He was a skin expert, eh? When I'd finished he didn't have much skin, not on his head anyway. That was a little test I set myself.' Another contained a verse of poetry taken from the book The Miko by Eric Van Lustbaden. Detective Sergeant Morton, investigating at the time said: 'He is a psychopath and a dangerous psychopath.' Police, who eventually caught the killer five months later thanks to a fingerprint left at the murder scene, believed that he planned a series of murders. Officers later found a cache of arms, including a sawn off shotgun and crossbows, at Wilson's home. Scientific examination of an apparently blank piece of paper revealed a plan to kill police officers. Sentenced to life in prison at Durham Crown Court in July 1991 for the murder of Dr Birkett (right), on his way to the cells Wilson (left), now 58, yelled: 'You may contain me but you will never control me' A notebook was also found, containing a list of police officers and their addresses. Sentenced to life in prison at Durham Crown Court in July 1991, on his way to the cells Wilson yelled: 'You may contain me but you will never control me.' The court had heard that fitness fanatic Wilson had an on-going battle with authority and was a loner who fantasised about killing. Three years later the Home Secretary told him life would mean life and he would never be released from jail, but this was later reduced to a 30-year minimum tariff in 2008. Wilson's lawyers, in applying to have his whole life tariff overturned, pointed to medical evidence that he was suffering from an 'untreatable psychopathic disorder' at the time of the killing. At the High Court hearing, the judge said Wilson, had 'preened himself with pleasure' as he gloated about what he had done. In 1996, he made an escape attempt from Frankland Prison in Durham and then tried to stab a prison officer in 1999. He was transferred to the prison's close supervision centre unit and held in the exceptional risk unit. Wilson will be eligible for another parole hearing in 2024. A Ministry of Justice Spokesperson said: 'Protecting the public is our number one priority which is why the Deputy Prime Minister has blocked Reginald Wilson's move to open conditions. 'We have introduced greater scrutiny of Parole Board recommendations on open prison moves and announced reforms to toughen the parole system further.' GOP Rep. George Santos of New York, who recently made headlines after confessing that he lied about his biography, is facing new challenges as Republicans are calling on him to resign and Former GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger's petition that seeks to get enough support for their agenda. On top of mounting pressure from his fellow Republicans, it has been revealed that Santos has deeper ties than previously known to a businessman who cultivated close relations with a one-time Trump confidant and is the cousin of a Russian oligarch who has been sanctioned. George Santos Pressured To Resign Evidence found in video footage and court documents showed that Andrew Intrater and his wife each gave the maximum of $5,800 to the New York Republican's main campaign committee. They also provided tens of thousands of dollars more since 2020 to committees that were linked to the lawmaker. Intrater's cousin was found to be Viktor Vekselberg, a Russian billionaire who was sanctioned by the United States government for his involvement in the Russian energy industry controversy. Furthermore, the relationship between Santos and Intrater goes further than just campaign contributions, as per the Washington Post. Evidence taken from a privately made statement from Santos in 2020 and a court filing in 2021 in a lawsuit brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission against Harbor City Capital, a Florida-based investment firm that Santos worked for more than a year, suggests that the New York lawmaker may have had a business relationship with Intrater. The SEC filing also showed that Intrater placed hundreds of thousands of dollars into the Republican's one-time employer, which has been accused of running a Ponzi scheme. Neither Santos nor Intrater has responded to requests for comment regarding the matter and attorneys who represented the former also did not reply. Santos' election victory helped the Republican Party achieve a narrow majority in the House of Representatives. He also apologized for what he called "resume embellishment" while pushing back against calls for his resignation. Read Also: Republicans Request Access To Biden's Visitors Log Adam Kinzinger's Petition However, Kinzinger, who was a member of the House Select Committee, started a petition to get Santos to resign from his post. He started the online petition on Thursday, which was the same day that Santos appeared on the podcast "War Room: Pandemic" with Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, according to Business Insider. In the podcast, Santos said that he would resign only if more than 142,000 people, which was the number that he received from votes that elected him during the midterm elections, demanded him to do so. The petition, which was on Kinzinger's Country First website, said that they were happy to deliver the requests to Santos' office. The former representative also promoted the petition in a Twitter post on Jan. 12, 2023. On Saturday, a rally was held in front of the office for Congressional District 3 and included some Democrats and some Republicans. The lawmakers were united in their efforts to express their criticism of Santos. In a statement, one protester, Jody Kass, said that they were only focused on removing Santos from his position and making sure that they get a special election, said CBS News. Related Article: George Santos Forged Resume Investigation @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The London Mayor's office is attempting to have him stripped of his pension Carrick was sacked from the force after a misconduct hearing this morning His pay was stopped in December last year after his first guilty pleas in court The 48-year-old received his salary despite being in custody for more than a year Met Police officer David Carrick was suspended with pay after being charged Sex monster police officer David Carrick was paid at least 60,000 by the Metropolitan Police while he was remanded in custody on rape accusations, it has emerged. The 48-year-old, who has admitted to more than 70 sex attacks on 12 women over the course of nearly 20 years, continued to receive his full salary for more than a year after he was first accused. The sadistic pervert had been suspended by the force from his role as a parliamentary and diplomatic protection officer, but national policing rules meant he was able to keep claiming his wages. His pay was finally stopped after he entered his first guilty plea to offences in December, last year, and he has since been sacked from the force with officials beginning the process of trying to strip him of his pension. David Carrick, pictured here in his police uniform, is reported to have received 60,000 in wages while in custody over rape allegations Carrick, pictured here in his mugshot, was sacked by the Metropolitan Police on Tuesday morning LBC reports that he received 60,000 in wages while suspended and MailOnline understands there is no mechanism to force him to repay that money. Under rules put in place by the Government, police officers who are the subject of misconduct hearings and are suspended, must receive their pay. The Metropolitan Police declined to comment on the reports. According to the Met a constable with six years service who progresses through one pay band each year can expect to earn around 50,000 a year. Carrick had been a PC in the Met for nearly 20 years and had served in the same unit as Wayne Couzens - the police officer who raped and murdered Sarah Everard in March 2021. He had been given the nickname 'Bastard Dave' by his colleagues, a reference to his brutal and mean nature he displayed while in uniform. Tonight the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said efforts will be made to strip Carrick of his police pension as his crimes were committed in connection with his job. However, he said that because of rules surrounding this process, he will still get to keep around 35 per cent of the total. Home Office guidance states pension forfeiture can only be applied for when an officer has a conviction 'committed in connection with their service as a member of a police force' and the offence has been certified by the Home Secretary as 'liable to lead to a serious loss of confidence in the publics service' or 'gravely injurious to the interests of the state'. Such applications are usually made after a police officer has committed a crime while on duty. A spokesman for the Mayor of London said: 'The Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (Mopac) will pursue pension forfeiture in this case as it is clear that PC Carrick committed offences in connection with his service as a member of a police force.' Sir Mark Rowley speaks to the press outside New Scotland Yard in September 2017 Carrick, pictured here in his police uniform, worked as a parliamentary and diplomatic protection officer The Met is expected to submit a report to Mopac setting out Carrick's conviction and service with the force following his sentencing next month before an application is made to Home Secretary Suella Braverman. However, previous court decisions have determined an officer's pension can only be forfeited by up to 65 per cent - the contributions that have been made by the police force and not their own contributions. Carrick, who faces years in prison for his vile crimes against women, was officially removed from the force after a police misconduct hearing on Tuesday morning. At the hearing Hywel Jenkins, counsel for Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, described his crimes as 'heinous, targeted and deliberate', iNews reports. Confirming the decision to sack him, Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe, who chaired the hearing, said his behaviour 'plainly discredits the police service and undermines public confidence in it'. She added: 'The public of Greater London expect police officers to uphold the law and protect women from violence. PC Carrick did the opposite.' The hearing was told Carrick was served misconduct papers on December 22, the same day he pleaded guilty to 20 counts of rape and nine counts of sexual assault. Speaking before the sacking, Met chief Sir Mark Rowley issued a grovelling apology to Carrick's victims. Sir Mark said it was 'not defensible' that the predator was allowed to remain a police officer when he was accused of rape, even after the murder of Sarah Everard by his colleague Couzens. Carrick, now revealed as one of Britain's worst rapists, abused his elite position to coerce terrified victims in a depraved campaign of sexual abuse, bragging that he was 'untouchable'. Carrick, pictured, faces years in prison after admitting to more than 70 sex offences against 12 women On several occasions he waved his warrant card to gain their trust and even used his used his gun and handcuffs in attacks. According to one woman who claims she was in a one-off relationship with the sadistic officer for five years, the rapist had bragged that his position meant he couldn't be prosecuted. Speaking to the Sun the woman, who only gives her first name as Rachel, said Carrick seemed to know about an assault she had reported to the police, suggesting he had used the force's database to look up her personal information. She added that he had claimed to take items, including jewellery, from the Met's evidence lockers to use them at home. She told the paper: 'I once asked him if he was not worried about getting caught because of his job. His exact words to me were 'it's because of my job that I'm not worried'. 'He said he was so far at the top that he was untouchable.' The force is now reviewing around 1,000 members of staff and officers who have previously been accused of domestic abuse or sexual violence. Sir Mark today predicted that mistakes will have been made in those cases and that 'hundreds' of bad apples would be forced to leave the Met. He also admitted he could not promise that a woman visiting a police station to report a sexual offence would not be met by a police officer whose past behaviour is now under review. Sir Mark Rowley today said the sustained employment of PC David Carrick was a 'spectacular failure' in his force. Carrick, pictured, was in custody for 15 months before he first pleaded guilty in December last year Asked to explain, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'This is about weak decision-making in professional standards, not joining the dots between related incidents, and poor policies, and that all comes together to mean he was a police officer for 20 years and for a large part of this he was a predatory rapist. 'I have been crystal clear from coming into post ... that one of the top planks of my responsibilities is to rebuild our integrity, and part of that is to take on those who corrupt our integrity - people like David Carrick and, frankly, many others. 'We have been too weak on this, systematically, for some time.' Speaking yesterday, one female former chief constable warned that vetting in the police is 'non-existent'. Sue Fish, the former head of Nottinghamshire Police, said the system is 'utterly unfit for purpose' and that it 'fails to recognise predatory men within policing ranks or aspiring to be members of the police service'. She told the Telegraph: 'I am rarely speechless, but this is worse than horrific. I think the scary question is: how many others are there?' She added that the disciplinary process within forces sees things 'in isolation' and does not see patterns of behaviour that could raise red flags. When Carrick was first arrested for rape in July 2021, he was placed on restricted duties rather than being suspended. And bosses failed to carry out basic checks into his background that would have revealed a pattern of abusive behaviour. Carrick was vetted just twice during his two decades in the force, in 2001 and 2017, despite rules stating officers in his position should be reviewed every ten years. Carrick yesterday entered guilty pleas to six counts of rape and sexual assault against one woman, having admitted 43 offences against 11 women at the Old Bailey last month. Some of the pleas cover multiple offences, meaning he has confessed to more than 80 serious sex crimes. Carrick, pictured here in an artists impression in court, boasted to women that he was a police officer Carrick was first charged with raping a 50-year-old woman in October 2021. This charge was later dropped, but its coverage in the media gave 12 other women the courage to report abuse at his hands. The officer's abhorrent crimes included rape, dragging his victims into the shower by their hair before sexually assaulting them, keeping them locked in a small cupboard and carrying out sickening sexual acts against their will. An ex-girlfriend said Carrick would handcuff her wrist to her ankle with his police-issue cuffs, then claim he had left the key at the station in London. Carrick, from Stevenage in Hertfordshire, joined the Met in August 2001, having served for two years in the Army. The previous year, he was accused of burglary and malicious communications involving an ex-girlfriend but he was not arrested. He passed vetting checks the following year and began working as a response officer in Merton, south-west London. While still on probation in 2002, Carrick was accused of harassment and assault of a former partner. Again, he was not arrested, and the matter was never referred to the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards. Carrick was involved in domestic incidents in 2004, 2009 and 2019, a harassment allegation in 2014, and an altercation at a nightclub in 2017 but no further action was taken. Then, in July 2021, Carrick was arrested over a rape complaint. He was not suspended, however, and the victim dropped the complaint. When Carrick was later charged over a separate woman, the first victim was recontacted and Carrick admitted raping her and carrying out a sickening sexual act. He will be sentenced early next month and faces a long prison sentence. Prince Harry's explosive memoir has become the fastest-selling non-fiction book since records began in 1998, publishers claim. The Duke of Sussex's autobiography has sold 750,000 copies across all formats - print, audio and e-book - in the UK since its publication on January 10. This makes it the biggest selling memoir ever for its first week of publication, according to publishers Transworld, the UK division of Penguin Random House. Official figures from Nielsen BookData showed the book, which was written by celebrity ghostwriter JR Moehringer, sold 467,183 print copies in its first week alone. It comes after a fierce publicity drive, in which Harry took part in several TV interviews to plug his book. Prince Harry's scathing memoir has become the fastest-selling non-fiction book since records began in 1998. Pictured: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and guest Prince Harry It has sold 750,000 copies across all formats - hardback, audio and e-book - in the UK since its publication on January 10 The memoir includes claims that the Prince of Wales physically attacked him and teased him about his panic attacks, and that the King put his own interests above Harry's and was jealous of the Duchess of Sussex and the Princess of Wales. The data released by Nielsen shows the book has broken the previous record of 210,506 set by the first Pinch Of Nom cookbook - written by Kay Allinson - in 2019. Fastest-selling books in the UK since January 1998 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (JK Rowling) - 2.63 million copies sold in first week Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince (JK Rowling) - 1.87 million Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (JK Rowling) - 1.68 million Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (JK Rowling, Jack Thorne, John Tiffany) - 848,000 The Lost Symbol (Dan Brown) - 551,000 Spare (Prince Harry) - 467,000 Grey (EL James) - 386,000 The Tales of Beedle the Bard (JK Rowling) - 368,000 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (JK Rowling) - 256,000 Inferno (Dan Brown) - 229,000 Source: Nielsen BookData Advertisement The Nielsen BookData does not include e-books or audiobooks and refers only to the sale of physical copies. Since records began in January 1998, JK Rowling has dominated the chart with four of her Harry Potter novels sitting at the top, while Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol claims the fifth spot ahead of Spare at number six. Rowling's Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows sold 2.63million copies in its first week in 2007, making it number one on the chart, which includes the first week of sales only. Despite the memoir being leaked in Spain ahead of the official publication date, Nielsen's data suggest sales were not negatively affected. In a US broadcast promoting the work, Harry branded the Duchess of Cornwall the 'villain' and 'dangerous', accusing her of rehabilitating her image at the expense of his. As the duke continued a run of high-profile promotional interviews, he said he 'would like nothing more' than for his children to have relationships with the Royal Family. His remarks about his son and daughter came despite the criticism he has levelled at his brother William, father Charles and stepmother Camilla. He also described his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, as his 'guardian angel' and said she is with him 'all the time'. It comes as a slim majority of Britons believe Prince Harry has done more damage to the Royal Family than Andrew. Most Britons think Harry has done more damage to the Royal Family than Harry but their opinions differ dramatically by age - according to a new survey The survey by Delta Poll found 42 per cent of respondents named the Duke of Sussex compared to 41 per cent for his uncle, the Duke of York. For over-65s the corresponding figures were 56 per cent to 32 per cent, and 57 per cent to 27 per cent for those aged 55 to 64. But younger generations took the opposite view, with half of people aged 35 to 54 saying Andrew had caused more damage compared to 35 per cent for Harry. For 18 to 24-year-olds the breakdown was 38 per cent to 22 per cent. The survey was based on a sample of just over 1,000 UK adults polled between January 12 and 16. Harry became the first royal to publicly criticise Andrew, 62, labelling the Jeffrey Epstein affair a shameful scandal. No one in the Firm had spoken about claims the Duke of York twice sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre, who claimed she was trafficked by Epstein. Harry, 38, has dominated the headlines in recent weeks after personally attacking his family in his autobiography, Spare, and a string of promotional interviews The Duke of York has been accused of sexually assaulting Virginia Giuffre, who claimed she was trafficked by Epstein. He has vigorously denied the claims Andrew settled her lawsuit last year, accepting no liability, and has always denied any wrongdoing. But Harry brings up the affair in his book Spare. When his wife Meghan asks if the Royal Family might cut their security after they left for America, he says there is no way, considering his uncle still gets protection. Harry told her there was an obligation and an implicit promise to protect them. Pushed by Meghan if it would ever be removed, he said: Never. Not in this climate of hate. And not after what happened to my mother. The Duke of Sussex adds: Also, not in the wake of my Uncle Andrew. 'Despite being embroiled in a shameful scandal, accused of sexually assaulting a young girl, no one had even suggested removing his security. 'People have had plenty of reasons to complain about us, sex crimes werent one of them. Today's poll follows a YouGov survey which found Harry's favourability has dropped to an all-time low, while Princess Anne is now the most popular royal Prince Andrew has always denied the accusation. Today's poll follows a YouGov survey which found Harry's favourability has dropped to an all-time low, while Princess Anne is now the most popular royal. The YouGov survey found almost seven in ten people (68 per cent) held a negative view of the Duke of Sussex, with less than a quarter seeing him in a positive light. Anne, who has not been embroiled in the furore over Harry's book Spare, was the most popular royal. Harry recorded his lowest ever favourability rating of -44, down from -38 the previous week, according to the polling organisation. He and his wife Meghan fared even worse among older Brits, who were more likely to hold a 'very negative' view of the couple than they were of scandal-hit Andrew. Boone was due to appear in court for a pretrial hearing Tuesday morning, but a judge in Florida rescheduled the hearing for January 30 But her story unraveled when investigators discovered video on her phone showing Torres thrashing around inside the suitcase and pleading to be released Sarah Boone was arrested in February 2020 after telling police she had zipped Jorge Torres Jr, 42, inside the bag during a game of hide-and-seek A woman accused of leaving her boyfriend to suffocate in a suitcase and taunting him while he pleaded to be released is set to appear in court charged with second degree murder. Sarah Boone was arrested in February 2020 after telling police she had passed out after zipping Jorge Torres Jr, 42, inside the bag during a booze-fueled game of hide-and-seek at their home in Winter Park, Florida. But her story unraveled when investigators discovered video on her phone showing Torres thrashing around inside the suitcase, desperately telling her: 'I can't f***ing breathe'. Boone, who was 42 at the time of the alleged crime, is now due to appear in court for a pretrial hearing on January 30 after a judge rescheduled the date Tuesday. Sarah Boone was arrested in February 2020 after telling police she had passed out after zipping Jorge Torres Jr, 42, inside the bag during a game of hide-and-seek at their home in Winter Park, Florida This screenshot from a cellphone video allegedly recorded by Sarah Boone shows the blue suitcase where Jorge Torres Jr suffocated to death after being zipped up inside In a two-minute video found on Boone's phone, she is allegedly heard telling Torres with a laugh: 'For everything you've done to me. F*** you. Stupid.' The boyfriend continues calling out the girlfriend's name, telling her: 'I can't f***ing breathe, seriously.' Boone replies: 'Yeah, that's what you do when you choke me.' After listening to Torres' pleas saying he cannot breathe, she says: 'That's on you. Oh, that's what I feel like when you cheat on me. You should probably shut the f*** up.' In a second video with a duration of 22 seconds, the suitcase is seen in a different position than in the first recording, this time facing upward. Torres calls out Boone's name before she stops recording. Boone later called 911, telling the operator 'my boyfriend is dead,' according to a recording first obtained by Orlando Sentinel. She continued: 'My boyfriend and I were playing last night, and I put him in a suitcase and we were playing...like kind of a hide-and-seek kind thing, so...I fell asleep and I woke up and he was dead in the suitcase. I don't know what happened.' Boone proceeded to tell the dispatcher that Torres had 'blood coming out of his mouth' and speculated that he may have suffered an aneurysm. She added that her boyfriend had a purple hue when she pulled him out of the suitcase and tried to administer CPR. 'He's stiff and he's purple,' she is heard telling the operator. Boone is escorted by a police officer following her arrest in February 2020. Police discovered videos on her phone allegedly showing the woman filming Torres pleading to be released from the suitcase During her initial interview with a detective, Boone said she and Torres were painting pictures, completing a puzzle and drinking Woodbridge Chardonnay when they decided to play hide-and-seek. Boone said she hid upstairs in the shower, but Torres never went up to look for her. When she came downstairs, she found Torres in the living room, and together they decided to have her zip up Torres in the blue suitcase, leaving two of his fingers sticking out of the zipper. Boone claimed she got into bed while Torres was still stuck in the suitcase, thinking he could get himself out 'Sarah and Jorge were both laughing that she zipped him into the suitcase,' the affidavit stated. At 12.30am, Boone said she decided to go upstairs while Torres was still stuck in the suitcase, thinking that he could get himself out. Boone got in bed and fell asleep half an hour later. She claimed neither she nor her boyfriend were drunk from the wine. She told the detective she assumed Torres was going to get out of the bag and join her in bed, the affidavit stated. Boone woke up the next morning and stayed in a bed for while. She said she assumed Torres was already downstairs 'on the laptop looking for employment.' She finally went downstairs at around 11am and could not find her boyfriend anywhere. 'Sarah freaked out and remembered the last time she saw Jorge was when she zipped him in the suitcase,' according to the arrest document. She then unzipped the luggage and found Torres unresponsive inside. Boone called her ex-husband, who arrived a few minutes later and instructed Boone to call 911. Deputies who responded to the residence in the 4700 block of Frantz Lane found Torres' lifeless body laying on the floor next to a blue suitcase. The victim had a cut on his lip, bruising around his eye, forehead and shoulder, and nail scratches on his back and neck, according to the document. Jorge Torres Jr, 42, a father-of-three, had a history of domestic violence involving Boone. In 2018, he was charged with battery stemming from an alcohol-fueled altercation inside their home During the investigation, Boone gave verbal and written consent to the detective to search her phone, leading to the discovery of the two videos. During a follow-up police interview, Boone denied getting into a fight with Torres and intentionally leaving him in the suitcase. She also said she did not remember recording the videos, which she conceded 'looked 'bad.'' Boone then reportedly contradicted her original statement to the police, blaming what happened on her and Torres' alcohol consumption. Records indicate that the couple had a history of domestic violence. In June 2018, Boone was arrested on a charge of battery by strangulation targeting her boyfriend, and Jorge was charged with battery stemming from an alcohol-fueled altercation inside their home. According to an affidavit, Torres told a deputy Boone wrapped her hands around his neck and attempted to strangle him as he was walking upstairs to get away from her after an argument, prompting him to kick her. A year later, Torres was arrested twice in a span of two months on charges of battery - dating violence. His obituary reveals that Torres was a father of three. His girlfriend has a son from a previous marriage. A farmer whose herd of cattle tragically killed a walker has claimed he had 'no alternative' but to keep them in a field with a footpath running through it. Michael Holmes, 57, was trampled to death by the cows while his wife Teresa Holmes was left in a wheelchair following the incident on September 29, 2020. The couple were on a lunchtime walk with their two dogs on leads when they crossed a field at Hollinghurst Farm in Netherton, West Yorkshire, during a Covid-19 lockdown. They walked up a steep hill along the footpath but were unaware that around 30 cows with calves were at the top of the slope. An inquest at Wakefield Civil and Family Justice Centre heard that three incidents occurred in the three months prior to Mr Holmes' death, in which walkers with dogs on leads were chased by cattle in the same field, including one that left a man with serious injuries. The inquest, held at Wakefield Civil and Family Justice Centre, heard the farmer whose herd of cattle killed Michael Holmes claimed he had 'no alternative' but to keep them in a field with a footpath The father-of-two (pictured) suffered 35 rib fractures and the sac of his heart was lacerated, and the heart itself, was bruised after they were trampled in Netherton, West Yorkshire, in September 2020 Farmer Martin Mitchell, who is facing a prohibition notice from the Health and Safety Executive, said he was 'totally unaware' of his cattle being aggressive towards walkers before the tragic incident. Dog walker sues farmer for 150,000 after his 'frenzied' cow left her with a broken arm and fractured ribs Lisa Wells, 53, was left with a broken arm and seven fractured ribs after being chased by cows foaming at the mouth in Capel Curig, Snowdonia Advertisement He said he had been visited by a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector after Netherton resident John Burgess suffered four broken ribs when he was knocked to the ground by the cows in June 2020, but was not told exactly what had happened. 'I'd been given information that he had been taken to A&E but I wasn't made aware of the extent of the injuries,' Mr Mitchell said. He said he did not know about incidents in July and August 2020 which were not reported before Mr Holmes's death. Mr Mitchell also told the inquest he had not received a letter sent by Wakefield Council in 2017 after a further incident of a walker being chased by cows in the field. The 69-year-old said after the incident involving Mr Burgess - three months before Mr Holmes's death - he had put signs next to the stiles leading into the field telling walkers to keep their dogs under control. The inquest heard the signs did not warn that cows with calves were in the field. Asked whether he had taken any other steps to manage the risk of cattle with calves coming into contact with dog walkers after Mr Burgess was injured, Mr Mitchell said: 'We have no alternatives, basically. 'The cows have to graze in them particular fields.' Michael Holmes, 57, was pronounced dead at the scene and his widow Teresa (pictured together) was airlifted to hospital after they crossed a field on a public right of way with the two whippets The inquest heard he could not remove any aggressive cows as he was unable to identify which ones were involved in the incident. Asked whether he could have moved them into a field without a public footpath, Mr Mitchell said he 'had nowhere else to put them' and needed all 33 acres across three fields to maintain the herd's grazing throughout summer. Jurors heard the HSE has since served Mr Mitchell a prohibition notice preventing him from grazing cattle in the field where Mr Holmes was killed. The inquest also heard evidence from Mr Mitchell's son Edward Mitchell, who called 999 after finding Mr and Mrs Holmes on the ground. He said he rushed to the field from the farmhouse after hearing the cows making a distressed noise, and performed CPR on Mr Holmes, who was not breathing, until an air ambulance arrived. The inquest continues. At least three people were injured in a fire and explosion at a Phillips 66 fuel storage facility in northern Texas on Tuesday. The incident occurred around 10.15am local time at a tank farm on Highway 136 north of Borger in the Texas panhandle, according to officials with Phillips 66 and the Hutchinson County Office of Emergency Management. Footage shared by local newspaper The Eagle Press showed a huge column of dark black smoke billowing from the site of the explosion. A correspondent for the outlet reported hearing the sound of two explosions at the tank site from Borger, which is about three miles south of the storage facility. An image from social media shows a huge column of flames and dark black smoke billowing following an explosion at a fuel storage facility in north Texas The Hutchinson County Sheriff's Office issued an emergency alert describing the fire as a 'major incident' and shutting down traffic on Highway 136 between Borger and Stinnett. 'The cause of the incident is under investigation,' a spokeswoman for Phillips 66 told DailyMail.com in a statement. 'Emergency personnel along with the Borger Fire Department were immediately notified and are working to control the fire,' the statement added. 'At this time, we can confirm three individuals suffered injuries and are receiving medical attention.' 'The safety of our people, the community, and the environment are of the utmost importance to our company, and these priorities will guide our efforts as we respond to the incident,' the company added. At least three people were injured in a fire and explosion at a fuel storage facility (seen above in a file photo) in northern Texas on Tuesday Borger is a city of about 12,500 located roughly 50 miles northeast of Amarillo. The incident occurred at a storage facility known as the Johnson Tank Farm, which is associated with the nearby Phillips 66 Borger Refinery, a complex that spans 6,000 acres and employs some 920 workers. The refinery primarily processes medium sour crude oil and natural gas liquids delivered through pipelines from West Texas, the Texas Panhandle and Canada, according to its website. Its throughput capability is up to 50,000 barrels per day of gasoline production. Prices for West Texas Intermediate crude were little changed following the incident, rising 0.13 percent at 1pm ET. Obama-era ethics chief Walter Shaub has torn into President Biden's 'neglect' in bringing home classified files and storing them in his garage at his Wilmington home and in his think tank office in DC. Shaub said the difference between the classified files found at Biden's residence and the raid on Mar-a-Lago is 'night and day,' though he called the current president's behavior 'appalling.' 'Trump knowingly resisted demands by the National Archives for classified records that he appears to have intentionally retained, and he obstructed the governments efforts to recover them, whereas Biden immediately self-reported and turned the records over to the government at once,' Shaub, who served as the White House ethics chief from 2013 to 2017, told DailyMail.com. 'Thats not to say Bidens retention of classified records was acceptable. The negligence exhibited in the mishandling of records, especially those stored in his garage, is appalling,' he added. Obama-era Ethics chief Walter Shaub tore into President Biden's 'inexcusable neglect' in bringing home classified files and storing them in his garage in Wilmington and in his think tank office Shaub also criticized the Biden team for not disclosing that documents had been found at Biden's home at the same time they confirmed documents were found at the Penn Biden Center office Shaub also criticized the Biden team for not disclosing that documents had been found at Biden's home at the same time they confirmed documents were found at the Penn Biden Center office. 'The White House was not at all forthcoming with the public about their discovery in more than one location,' he said. 'But, when comparing the two cases, theres no getting around the intentionality of Trumps conduct. So far, theres no evidence that Biden intentionally retained records or in any way resisted turning them over to the government.' Ten documents were originally discovered by Biden's lawyers at the think tank office on November 2 and handed over to the National Archives. On December 20 the president's personal attorney informed the Justice Department of the additional documents that had been found in the president's garage next to his Corvette. On January 11 an additional document was found in a room adjacent to the garage. On January 9 the White House confirmed media reports of the think tank office documents and on January 12 it admitted to the documents found in the garage, again only after new media reports. Also on January 12, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Trump-appointed prosecutor Robert Hur would serve as special counsel to oversee the investigation into the documents. Over the weekend, Republicans on Capitol Hill demanded to see the visitor logs from Biden's home to know who had come in close proximity to the documents. On Monday the White House Counsel's office said there were no such records to make public. Classified documents were found in Biden's garage, next to his Corvette 'Like every President in decades of modern history, his personal residence is personal,' the White House Counsel's Office said. 'But upon taking office, President Biden restored the norm and tradition of keeping White House visitors logs, including publishing them regularly, after the previous administration ended them.' Republicans also questioned whether anyone with 'foreign connections' had access to the documents, likely in reference to the president's son Hunter Biden. Hunter's foreign business dealings in China and Ukraine have been the subject of scrutiny for years, and he's also under investigation by the US attorney in Delaware for possible financial fraud. A student who went on a bizarre rampage attacking medical staff and a police officer has walked free from court - after a judge accepted that her drink had been spiked. Louise McSorley, who is studying quantity surveying at Liverpool John Moores University, punched a female paramedic who tried to help her after she jumped out of a first floor window, a court heard. After being taken to hospital, the teenager kicked out at female health worker 'like a kangaroo' then picked up a heavy metal drip stand and attacked the terrified woman with it. Police were called to restrain her, only for Miss McSorley to punch an officer repeatedly in the head. Louise McSorley, who is studying quantity surveying at Liverpool John Moores University, punched a female paramedic who tried to help her after she jumped out of a first floor window, a court heard After being taken to hospital, the teenager kicked out at female health worker 'like a kangaroo' then picked up a heavy metal drip stand and attacked the terrified woman with it She was charged with three counts of assaulting an emergency worker, but on the first day of her trial it emerged that she blamed her behaviour on her drink being spiked. Now 20, Miss McSorley told police she had little or no recollection of her actions. The undergraduate, from Belfast, had left a pint of beer unattended at a pub, prosecutor Michael Scholes told Liverpool Crown Court. 'When she returned she had a drink of it and her behaviour became increasingly bizarre,' he said. Her friends took her back to her flat after she began hallucinating. Once there, she video-called her mother and said she was going to jump out of the window - following through on her terrifying threat, despite her pleas. Saying that there was 'significant' evidence pointing to her being a victim of spiking, Mr Scholes offered no evidence. Judge Anil Murray said he was sorry for those injured but it was clear she had been spiked that night and therefore 'wasn't culpable for her actions'. It had left her paranoid and convinced someone was going to kill her, he added. Police were called to restrain her, only for Miss McSorley to punch an officer repeatedly in the head She was charged with three counts of assaulting an emergency worker, but on the first day of her trial it emerged that she blamed her behaviour on her drink being spiked Recording not guilty verdicts and discharging Miss McSorley from the dock, the judge advised her: 'You need to take more care in future and not leave your drinks unattended.' Her rampage took place on September 11, 2021, after she went drinking with friends in Liverpool city centre. Finding her lying on her back outside her flat, paramedic Chelsea El-Hadrami told her she needed to check her spine, an earlier hearing was told - only for Miss McSorley to became aggressive and punch her twice to the jaw. She was taken to Royal Liverpool Hospital where she lashed out at healthcare assistant Jean Bains 'like a kangaroo' before hitting her on the back and arm with a metal drip stand, causing bruising. Even when a police officer attempted to restrain the student, she began 'swinging her fists' and punched her twice in the face. She pleaded not guilty on the grounds of involuntary intoxication. At this week's hearing, Mr Scholes said there was 'a significant amount of material' confirming she was spiked. Both her court ordeal and the victims' injuries were ultimately down to the 'utter irresponsibility' of whoever had done it, he added. Almost 5,000 reports of spiking with a needle or drugs slipped into drinks were made to police last year - but traces of a controlled substance were only found in three per cent of cases. Miss McSorley is still continuing her degree and 'hopes to put the matter behind her and get on with her life'. Anthony Scaramucci has launched a scathing attack on disgraced crypto boss Sam Bankman-Fried, claiming his 'close friend' hurt him reputationally. In a candid panel discussion, the financier said the 'ninth circle of hell' is reserved for Bankman-Fried, who is facing eight fraud charges in relation to his business FTX. Scaramucci - who is most famous for serving as the White House Director of Communications for just 11 days under former president Donald Trump - added that it 'really sucks' to be so badly betrayed. And he also revealed how he was taken in by Bankman-Fried, 30, who he had believed to be like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Financier Anthony Scaramucci told a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos that he felt betrayed by former friend and disgraced FTX boss Sam Bankman-Fried Scaramucci, 59, told the World Economic Forum in Davos today: 'I had a close relationship with [Bankman-Fried], I considered him a friend. 'I felt close to him, I felt close to his family so I have to tell you that the betrayal and fraudit's bad on a lot of different levels. It certainly hurt me reputationally.' Bankman-Fried and Scaramucci, who met through a mutual friend, appear together at a crypto conference in the Bahamas He added: 'If anybody here has read Dante Alighieris Inferno, you know what the ninth circle of Hell is reserved for. 'Its for the betrayal of a friend who lives with the devilthe ninth circle of hell on the frozen lake. 'When you have a friend that betrays you like that it really sucks.' The pair were first introduced by a mutual friend after Scaramucci became increasingly interested in cryptocurrency following his brief stint in politics. Their first business dealing was in October 2021 and by September 2022, Bankman-Fried's FTX Ventures had bought a 30 percent stake in Scaramucci's SkyBridge Capital, worth around $45 million. The deal was done just two months before FTX filed for bankruptcy. At the time Scaramucci called his business partner a 'visionary'. SBF was seen being escorted out of court in New York by Harkins after being freed on $250million bail lastmonth But today he told the panel in Davos: 'There was a gentleman walking around - 24, 25 years old, he had a hoodie and a t-shirt on and his name was Mark Zuckerberg. 'People looked at him and said 'what the hell?' and he turned out and he went from zero to a trillion dollars. 'I thought Sam was the Mark Zuckerberg of crypto, I did not think he was the Bernie Madoff of crypto okay and I got it wrong.' While working with Bankman-Fried, Scaramucci said he also became close to his father, a tenured professor at Stanford Law School. And the entrepreneur also worked closely with the FTX boss' aunt Linda P Fried, an esteemed epidemiologist and dean at Columbia university. During the discussion he also told the panel that he now understood that the crypto firm had been a scam. He said: 'I'm comfortable calling it fraud now and I can explain to you why but I didn't want to call it fraud at that time.' Scaramucci added that his association with FTX had been 'magnified' due to his high-profile. Before the collapse of FTX, Bankman-Fried offered bailouts to several crypto firms. But on November 11, 2022, FTX and several of its subsidiaries filed for bankruptcy, days after a bank run on its FTT token. Bankman-Fried could face life in jail if he is found guilty of all eight fraud charges The following month, Bankman-Fried was arrested in the Bahamas and extradited to the United States. He is facing eight conspiracy counts including fraud, conspiracy, money laundering and campaign finance violations. He is accused of defrauding investors and diverting billions of dollars in FTX customer money to his hedge fund which he then used as a piggy bank to fund his lavish lifestyle, personal investments and political donations. If found guilty of all charges, he may be sentenced to life in jail. A court sketching shows Bankman-Fried at his bail hearing Last month he was pictured being escorted out of court in New York after being freed on $250 bail by lawyer Jimmy Harkins, a former private investigator who has worked for Ghislaine Maxwell. His bail has been called the largest pre-trial amount in US history and 25 times the $10million posted by Bernie Madoff, the late Ponzi schemer, An 11-year-old boy who was mauled by three pit bulls in his Georgia neighborhood said he was recovering from the attack that left 70 percent of his scalp missing. Justin Gilstrap, of Appling, has undergone several surgeries after the pack of hounds attacked him while he was biking home on Friday. In a short clip posted by local WRDW, the injured boy says: 'Hey, everybody. I love y'all. I just want you to know, I'm OK.' His mother, Ericka Gilstrap, says he is awake and able to talk in small intervals as he recovers from the vicious attack, with the family starting a GoFundMe that has raised more than $220,000 for his medical expenses. Justin Gilstrap, 11, of Appling, Georgia, has undergone several surgeries after a pack of pit bulls attacked him on Friday Despite losing 70 percent of his scalp, the boy was filmed telling his supporters: 'I love y'all. I just want you to know, I'm OK' The three pit bulls who attacked Gilstrap belonged to neighbor Burt Baker III (pictured) According to officials, Justin was riding his bike outside his house on Friday when his neighbor's three hounds broke free and chased him down. One of the dogs clamped down on his leg before the others joined in, pulling him off the road and into a nearby ditch. There, they proceeded to maul him, tearing chunks off his scalp, ears, chest, and legs. The pit bulls savaged Justin to within an inch of his life before running off. He was found by relatives minutes later lying helpless in the dirt, with Ericka telling the Augusta Chronicle that her mother was the one who witnessed the bloody scene. 'She said there was just blood everywhere,' Ericka said. 'She couldn't tell where she was bleeding from but apparently he was bleeding from everywhere because there's not an inch of his body that is not covered in a cut or bruise.' Justin was then rushed to the hospital and placed in a medically induced coma as doctors labored to save his life. He remained in a coma until Sunday morning when Ericka wrote that he had awakened. The dogs' owner, Burt Baker III, was charged with reckless conduct as he also admitted that his dogs liked to chase bicycles. Along with the dogs involved in Friday's attack, Baker surrendered four other dogs, pit bull terriers and mixes, to the authorities. Officials said at least two of the dogs were vaccinated for rabies. Baker had been the subject of several complaints in connection with his pets, and Columbia County officials are facing scrutiny over the handling of the case. 'The sad thing is we have reported these dogs several times before,' Erica wrote on the GoFundMe page. 'Columbia County did nothing! It's sad it took this for them to finally do something,' she declared. Along with the three dogs police said were involved in Friday's attack (pictured) Baker surrendered four other dogs he owned Justin's family said he was discovered in pool of his own blood after falling into a ditch Justin suffered lacerations all over his body, lost 70 percent of his scalp and half his ear On January 2, 2022, Baker was cited by the county after his dogs attacked a neighbor's Yorkie. The dogs were then found roaming the neighborhood freely a week later, triggering a final warning from the county. But in July, Baker had another complaint filed against him about the dogs were spotted roaming outside his home on Langston Drive. One of the dogs was taken into custody, however, Baker was allowed to pay a fee to get the hound back, as per state code. Columbia County Manager Scott Johnson defended the county and said they were just following the rules and could not just seize the dogs due to their prior history. 'We're not naive to the fact that there may be vicious dogs out there,' he told WRDW 'They just have to attack somebody before the county can do anything. 'I'm not saying Columbia County always does everything right. But in this instance, we follow the protocol,' he added. Doctors placed Justin in a medically induced coma as they fought to stop the bleeding. They eventually managed to close his wounds As her son begins the long path to recover, Ericka created the hashtag #JustinTough to spread awareness about his situation. She told the Chronicle that along with his medical expenses, her son will need counseling to deal with the trauma of the attack. 'I'm hoping he's not going to have PTSD,' Ericka said. 'They did warn me that he probably will need some therapy, just to get him back to where he was.' She noted that last week, Justin was suffering from intense pain and needed a morphine drip, and that he once pulled out his feeding tube out of confusion when he woke up one night. Sadiq Khan was accused kicking out more than 5,000 votes opposing his controversial expansion to Londons Ultra-low emission zone. The London Mayor approved the scheme in November, despite 59.4 per cent of respondents opposing it. It has now emerged 5,273 votes from motoring groups - equivalent to one in ten responses - were ignored by officials. If included, the level of opposition would have risen to 62.4 per cent - nearly two-thirds. Sadiq Khan was accused kicking out more than 5,000 votes opposing his controversial expansion to Londons Ultra-low emission zone When the idea was floated in May last year, Mr Khan pledged the Ulez expansion across Greater London would not proceed if there was overwhelming opposition. The 12.50 per vehicle scheme is costing motorists in the capital an additional 385,000 a day in charges, according to the RAC. Howard Cox, head of FairfuelUK, told the Daily Telegraph the exclusion of his organisations votes was not only contemptible but also possibly unlawful. [Khan] must be subject to an immediate independent public enquiry as to his immoral behaviour in the way he has implemented the Ulez expansion, he said. He deceitfully and consciously excluded 5,000 supporters of FairfuelUK and their legitimate responses to the Ulez consultation because they objected. Minister for London Paul Scully MP said the situation was very concerning and demanded the London Assembly investigate this further. When the idea was floated in May last year, Mr Khan pledged the Ulez expansion across Greater London would not proceed if there was overwhelming opposition Peter Fortune, deputy leader of the Greater London Authority Conservatives, said the revelation revealed Mr Khans contempt for the rules, his failure to follow due process and his disregard for the people. Nick Rogers, the Conservative assembly member for South West London, has lodged an official complaint with the GLA monitoring office for multiple serious breaches of the code of conduct and the principles of public life. Last week it emerged Sutton Liberal Democrats, who control the outer London borough, had vowed to block the installation of cameras needed to enforce Ulez. Four other boroughs said they were considering legal action over the lawfulness of the decision to proceed. A total of 47,502 responses were declared in the published result of the public consultation - 27,237 against, 18,733 for, and 532 dont knows. But emails between City Hall officials obtained under Freedom of Information rules showed thousands of votes were excluded on the basis they were copy and paste responses where the same blanket statement is sent to us by email or post. A spokesman for the Mayor said: The Mayor made the decision after considering Transport for Londons full report on the consultation responses and a number of modifications were made to the scheme, based on feedback received in the consultation. TfL takes its responsibility to run robust and legally compliant consultations extremely seriously and any suggestion that TfL or the Mayor has sought to influence the results of the Ulez consultation is simply untrue. China sees growth in valid invention patents in 2022 Xinhua) 09:28, January 17, 2023 BEIJING, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- China has witnessed an increase in both the quantity and quality of valid invention patents in the past year, the country's top intellectual property regulator said on Monday. In 2022, a total of 798,000 invention patents were authorized. By the end of 2022, the total number of valid invention patents in China had reached 4.21 million, of which 3.28 million were held by inventors from Chinese mainland, said Hu Wenhui, deputy head of the National Intellectual Property Administration, at a press conference. The official said that China is the first country in the world to hold more than 3 million valid invention patents. The latest World Intellectual Property Indicators report released by the World Intellectual Property Organization also shows that China ranks top in the world in terms of the number of valid invention patents, Hu added. According to the official, China saw more enterprises applying for patents over the past year, demonstrating the growing innovative dynamism of Chinese enterprises. By the end of 2022, 355,000 Chinese companies had valid invention patents, an increase of 57,000 over the previous year. The driving force in the growth of China's valid invention patents lies in various fields of digital technology, such as information technology management and computer technology. In 2022, the number of patents granted for inventions in the core industries of China's digital economy was 325,000, an increase of 17.9 percent year on year. Hu also said that more and more Chinese micro and small enterprises receive support through intellectual property pledge financing, an activity in which enterprises pledge their intangible assets, including trademarks, patents and copyrights, in order to obtain funds. In 2022, the value of financing from patent and trademark pledges nationwide exceeded 400 billion yuan (about 59.4 billion U.S. dollars) for the first time, maintaining a growth rate of over 40 percent for three consecutive years. "The intellectual property pledging helped the micro and small enterprises to cope with the impact of the epidemic and grow smoothly," Hu said. In addition, China also saw rapid growth in patents and trademarks granted to foreigners in 2022. The number of valid foreign invention patents in China reached 861,000 by the end of 2022, up 4.5 percent from the previous year, while the number of valid trademarks registered by foreign parties in China reached 2.03 million, up 5.9 percent year on year. "The figure shows that the protection of intellectual property rights has created a good business environment for foreign-invested enterprises in China," said Zhang Zhicheng, a senior official with the administration, at the press conference. Last year also saw strengthened efforts on intellectual property rights protection. China handled 58,000 administrative adjudication cases of patent infringement disputes in 2022. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) A new meta-study underscores the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic on pregnant women, who researchers have found are seven times more likely to die from the virus. The study drew data from 12 separate researchers from as many countries, including the United States. When put together, the studies included more than 13,000 pregnant women, roughly 2,000 of whom had a confirmed or probable case of the coronavirus. The Threat of COVID-19 on Pregnant Women The health outcomes that the team found for these women and their babies were compared to roughly 11,000 pregnancies where the mother had tested negative for COVID-19 or antibodies to it at the time of their deliveries. The researchers found that across the studies, roughly 3% of pregnant women who were infected with the coronavirus needed intensive care. They also found that 4% needed any kind of critical care. However, the numbers were significantly higher than the pregnant women who needed similar care outside of a COVID-19 infection, as per CNN. The pregnant women who were infected with the virus were found to be almost four times more likely to be admitted to an intensive care unit compared to individuals who tested negative. The numbers showed that the infected women were 15 times more likely to be ventilated and seven times more likely to die from the virus. Furthermore, the infected women were found to have higher risks for pre-eclampsia, blood clots, and problems caused by high blood pressure. Also, the study found that babies who were born from mothers who got infected with COVID-19 were at greater risk for preterm birth and low birth weights. While previous studies suggested that COVID-19 infection could increase the risk of stillbirth, the latest research did not find any correlation. However, the team's findings still paint a clear picture that highlights the risks of pregnancy being amplified by the coronavirus. Read Also: China's COVID-19 Death Toll Update Hesitancy Over Getting Vaccinated George Washington University professor Emily Smith was the head of the latest research that synthesized data from 12 separate studies. One of the limitations of the research was that it did not consider the impacts of the different coronavirus variants on pregnant women, according to The Hill. The team said that for the majority of the research, most of the infections were the result of one dominant variant across the globe. The researchers said that overall, the study says that a "global effort to improve access to safe preventives and therapeutics is an urgent priority." The importance of the study comes as despite the growing knowledge of the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, many women who are of childbearing age continue to be unvaccinated. In some instances, many women either hesitate or refuse to be vaccinated or boosted. Their reasoning is that they generally do not believe that the virus poses any significant threat or are unsure about the safety of the vaccine themselves during their pregnancy. Smith added that some doctors could even hesitate to give the vaccine to pregnant women despite it being recommended. These factors have led to a decreased rate of vaccinations worldwide. Related Article: Investigating COVID-19 Vaccine and Increased Stroke Risk @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Have your say: do you think an apology is enough? Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin added: 'What are the processes that are taking place at the White House? Is it a document free-for-all?' The View co-host Joy Behar prompted a lively discussion when she suggested Biden apologize for the classified documents found at his home and office - and just admit that he 'looked hypocritical.' The Democrat, 80, who declared she 'loves Joe Biden' on the show on Tuesday, criticized the president for not speaking sooner on the classified documents found at his office at the Penn-Biden Center think tank and his home in Wilmington, Delaware. 'It would have been helpful for Joe Biden when it first came out to say, "We have tape of Joe Biden saying that Trump did something stupid and shouldnt have done it and it was bad,"' she said on the show. 'Well, he should have said, "Look, I know I look hypocritical in that tape, I'm sorry about that, I didn't know about this. And now that I know it, I will do what I can to uncover this." 'He should be speaking to the American people, or else just act like a Republican and say, "It's a witch hunt. And let's fire [US Attorney] Merrick Garland."' Joy Behar, 80, (pictured on Tuesday) criticized the president for not speaking sooner on the classified documents and suggested he say: 'Look, I know I look hypocritical in that tape, I'm sorry' In September, Biden, 80, called former President Donald Trump, 76, 'irresponsible' for having hundreds of classified documents in his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida. 'How that could possibly happen, how one - anyone - could be that irresponsible?' Biden said in a 60 Minutes interview. 'And I thought what data was in there that may compromise sources and methods. By that, I mean, names of people helped or et cetera.' Since the revelation of more documents being found at Biden's Delaware home, House Republicans have demanded to see visitors' logs to know who could have had access to the classified information. However, the White House claimed there are no logs from the Wilmington estate, as it is the personal property of the president's. Sunny Hostin, 54, agreed with Behar and said the president should come forward and admit to being careless, and suggested the government 'looks into the processes that are in place' that have allowed both presidents to take home classified documents. However, Hostin believes Biden's mouth is sewn shut since the Special Counsel has been called by Garland. In addition, she criticized how the information has been given to the public, saying: 'At first it was 10 documents in one place, and then it were just a few more, and now there are four different occasions documents were found.' Behar, who has always strongly defended the Democratic Party, huffed back: 'Well how many documents did they find at Mar-a-Lago?' Republican co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin, 33, who used to be Director of Strategic Communications for the Trump Administration, agreed, saying the Democratic leader needs to 'come out and set expectations.' The former Defense Department employee also said she had 'regular access to classified information' and had to transport documents in a specific way so there wouldn't be any breach to the information. President Biden spoke about the classified documents the FBI found in former President Trumps home. When Mr. Biden saw the FBI image of the documents he says he thought to himself, How anyone could be that irresponsible? https://t.co/7SixTE3OMT pic.twitter.com/sgQraMMOl5 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) September 19, 2022 Joe Biden was found with more than a dozen classified documents inside his Wilmington, Delaware, home (pictured) and in his office at the Penn-Biden Center In September, Biden called former President Donald Trump, 76, 'irresponsible' after he was found with hundreds of classified documents in his Mar-a-Lago mansion. 'How that could possibly happen, how one - anyone - could be that irresponsible?' Biden said in an interview 'If I took something from my office, which was a SCIF [Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility], it was locked, no cell phones could be in there. I would transport it in a lead bag with a lock on it to go to the Secretary of Defense's Office one floor up, because State secrets are that serious.' Poll What do you think? Is it enough for Biden to say sorry and move on? Yes No What do you think? Is it enough for Biden to say sorry and move on? Yes 0 votes No 71 votes Now share your opinion Hostin, who used to work for the US Attorney's Office, said she had to carry grand jury transcriptions in a similar fashion. 'We would do the same thing. There was a locked bag, you'd take the transcript to your office, you would log it out, and then you would bring it back and logged it back in,' she said. 'What are the processes that are taking place at the White House?' she asked. 'Is it a document free-for-all?' Griffin double down that she believed it was a staffer issue, as she said on the show last week, that someone should have noticed the 'cover sheet that says Top Secret' when they were packing Biden's boxes to move out of the VP office. Alyssa Farah Griffin, 33, (right) and Sunny Hostin, 54, (left) both discussed their time at the Department of Defense and the US Attorney's Office, respectively, and the processes implemented to protect confidential information, including locking the documents in a bag. 'What are the processes that are taking place at the White House?' Hostin asked. 'Is it a document free-for-all?' Whoopi Goldberg, 67, the loudest Democrat on the panel, jumped in to remind the audience that 'we don't know if that didn't happen.' Sara Haines, 45, added: 'Whether it's intentional or negligence, the risk is the same.' The conservative went on to say that she doesn't want to know what is inside the documents. She said: 'I don't want them announcing what's in these. The whole point of not taking them out of the office was so we didn't know what was going on in there. It's secret for a reason.' Democrats have been attempting to downplay the discovery of the documents, oftentimes saying instances between Trump and Biden are very different - something the ladies of The View echoed on Tuesday. The argument that has been laid out by liberals is that Biden willingly came forward with the documents after finding them in the Penn-Biden Center on November 2, informing the National Archives the day after and the Justice Department the following day. In comparison, Trump had to be subpoenaed for the documents and his home was raided to retrieve the top-secret information. A 'small number of documents with classified markings' were found at the Penn Biden Center in November A total of six classified documents have been found in Biden's Delaware home (pictured) Liberals have pushed that the president has been more transparent throughout the whole situation compared to Trump - a viewpoint that has not been lost on The View, a largely liberal show. 'The false equality [sic] that's being put out there is that he's done something wrong, but don't we have to know what it is?' Goldberg questioned on Tuesday. Behar reiterated: 'I want to clear this. I know there's a difference between what he did and what Trump did. And a lot of people don't because of the way its covered.' Griffin, a conservative, even acknowledged there were differences between the two cases, but said: 'I don't want to downplay it, as it is very serious.' Despite the nonchalant attitude from The View about the documents continuing to be discovered in Biden's procession, Republicans are not brushing it under the rug. Even Griffin last week said she believed the discovery was a 'huge win for Trump.' 'Because if you're Merrick Garland, who is already extremely cautious and doesn't want to break the longstanding precedent of not indicting a president, it's very hard to make the case that Donald Trump should be indicted for this,' she said. 'Even though the facts are different, he can argue, "Well, now the vice president also took home classified documents." I think this kills the case.' Kentucky Representative James Comer, who is now the chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, said he also wants to see before the end of the month all documents and correspondence related to searches in the president's Wilmington home between the inauguration date of January 20, 2021, right up until January 2023. In a letter on Sunday to White House chief of staff Ron Klain, Comer criticized the searches by Biden representatives when the Justice Department began investigating and said Biden's 'mishandling of classified materials raises the issue of whether he has jeopardized our national security.' On CNN's 'State of the Union,' Comer referred to Biden's home as a 'crime scene' but acknowledged that it was not clear if laws had been broken. 'My concern is that the special counsel was called for, but yet hours after that we still had the president's personal attorneys, who have no security clearance, still rummaging around the president's residence, looking for things - I mean that would essentially be a crime scene, so to speak,' Comer said. Democrats are said to be worried the document scandal will ruin Biden's chances at reelection and morph in the Hillary Clinton email scandal. Close to 8,400 servicemen and women were fired for refusing to get vaccinated Lawmakers are exerting pressure on the Department of Defense to provide back pay to the more than 8,000 troops who were fired for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The department previously signaled that it is currently 'exploring' ways to reinstate compensation and other benefits to the US soldiers who were dismissed from serving because of the mandate. In December, President Joe Biden signed the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, which included a measure that repeals the military's vaccine mandate. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also recently signed a memo that will update records of soldiers who received reprimands for attempting to get themselves exempt from the vaccine mandate but were denied. Close to 8,400 members of the armed services were dismissed for failing to receive the vax Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is being petitioned to figure out a way to provide back pay to the military men and women who were dismissed for failing to get vaccinated Though a leaked DoD public affairs guidance document indicated that, while the military ended the vaccine mandate, the Pentagon does not have any plans to reinstate the thousands of service member who were fired. The document said: 'All Service members and Veterans may apply at any time to the appropriate Discharge Review Board or Board for Correction for Military/Naval Records if they believe that there is an error or injustice in their records.' It also acknowledged that 'some members of Congress have indicated they will look next year to support ways to reinstate or provide back pay for Service members who were dismissed for refusing to take the vaccine.' 'The Department will provide its views on legislation of this nature at the appropriate time and through the appropriate process,' it continued. One of said members of Congress is Michael Waltz, a Florida Republican, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee. He told Fox that if the Pentagon fails to establish some sort of backpay system for the troops who were dismissed as a result of the vaccine mandate, he will add language to the 2024 NDAA that provides it. 'If the Pentagon does not provide backpay and restore full benefits for those who were discharged and request to be reinstated, we in Congress must act by adding language in the next NDAA to do so. 'We have an obligation to these service members,' he said. Preventative Medicine Services NCOIC Sergeant First Class Demetrius Roberson administers a COVID-19 vaccine to a soldier on September 9, 2021 in Fort Knox, Kentucky Rep. Michael Waltz, a Florida Republican, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee said there is 'an obligation to these service members' to fight for back pay Sens. Cruz (left) and Lankford (right) are also pushing the administration and Pentagon to get back pay for the military members dismissed because of the mandate Senator Marsha Blackburn said Republicans on the Armed Services Committee have put forth legislation that would establish back pay and benefits for the 8,400 fired soldiers Kansas Senator Roger Marshall argued that back pay should have been included in the 2023 NDAA and said he would continue pushing the Biden administration on the issue. He said: 'This should have been done on the Senate Floor during the consideration of NDAA, but 54 of my colleagues opposed doing so. I can on DoD, Secretary Austin, and President Biden to move on providing back pay at once.' Fox reported that an aide said the senator is evaluating ways to respond to the Defense Department dragging its feet on the back pay process. On the Senate Armed Services Committee, Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn said she and Texas Senator Ted Cruz 'have legislation to ensure our brave men and women that were fired due to Biden's COVID vaccine mandate receive back pay and benefits.' Senator James Lankford also wrote a letter to Secretary Austin in December demanding that DoD provide back pay for terminated servicemen and women. 'We urge you to establish a quick and thorough process so all members who were discharged because they refused the COVID-19 vaccine can be reinstated with back pay and full benefits. Doing so would provide the clarity and stability American service members and their families deserve,' read Lankford's letter that was also signed by a handful of Republicans. In late 2022, Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi wrote a letter to the president asking for his position on the mandate (before its repeal) and asking for information about how the Pentagon was approaching the question of reinstating service members who were fired because of their refusal to take the vaccine. Former VP Pence said it was 'unconscionable that the Biden administration mandated the vaccine on members of the armed forces,' but a mere rollback is not enough In a recent interview with The Hill, former Vice President Mike Pence, who is widely speculated to be preparing to mount a run for high office in 2024, said he too believes a back pay system, at very least, is what military members dismissed over the vaccine mandate deserve. 'I think it was unconscionable that the Biden administration mandated the vaccine on members of the armed forces of the United States, and I celebrate Congresss recent decision to rescind that mandate, but that doesnt go far enough,' he said. He continued: 'I think now that Secretary Austin has implemented what Congress passed into law, lifting the vaccine mandate on members of our armed forces, now Im calling on the Biden administration and the Pentagon to reinstate every man and woman that was discharged from our armed forces because they refused to take the vaccine, and give them 100 percent back pay for the time after they were discharged.' The vast majority of military members did ultimately receive the vaccine, but the roughly 8,400 who were fired for refusing to do so may have lost anywhere between an estimated $10,000-$43,000 in pay since this summer, when the deadline to receive a vaccination passed. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Tuesday that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas 'could' be impeached over the border crisis, as members of his party set about on a course that moderates have sought to pump the breaks on. Republicans have put their new House majority's sights on the burgeoning migrant crisis, with a border security bill in the works and oversight hearings planned that will likely ensnare Mayorkas and other Biden border officials. McCarthy signaled to reporters at the Capitol that Mayorkas' political future would hinge on December's official border crossing numbers - which are expected to be grim. There were at least 250,000 encounters between migrants and border agents last month, according to Fox News. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has thus far resisted pressure from Republicans to step down from his role over the border crisis House Speaker Kevin McCarthy suggested Tuesday that Republicans could use their new majority in the chamber to impeach DHS chief If those numbers hold true, it would be the highest single-month total in the history of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) records. At least 65,000 people eluded border officials, it was reported. 'If those December numbers are even higher and breaking new records, should he stay at this job?' McCarthy said on Tuesday, according to CNN 'We can investigate, and then that investigation could lead to an impeachment inquiry.' The Republican leader vowed not to 'predetermine' Mayorkas' fate and repeated past assurances that he would not 'use impeachment for political purposes.' Though he added, 'But if the person is a derelict in their duties, and they - they're harming Americans and Americans are actually dying by the lack of their work, that could rise to that occasion.' GOP Rep. Nancy Mace seemed to concur, telling CNN that Mayorkas 'has to go.' Photos of migrants in El Paso show overcrowded shelters and undocumented people sleeping on the streets of the Texas border city Immigrant families return to Mexico after being expelled from the United States on January 9, 2023 to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico 'When you raise your hand and take an oath to protect our countrys border, and you intentionally and willfully neglect to do that job, you should lose it,' Mace said on Tuesday. McCarthy hadn't ruled out the idea of impeachment Mayorkas in prior comments on the matter, though McCarthy would usually precede such threats with calls for the Cabinet official to resign. McCarthy said on a later November trip to El Paso, Texas: 'If Secretary Mayorkas does not resign, House Republicans will investigate every order, every action and every failure, and will determine whether we can begin an impeachment inquiry, Hearings on the border are being planned in the Oversight, Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees. During an interview with ABC News' This Week earlier this month, Mayorkas brushed off Republican-led calls for his removal and insisted he would continue executing his role as President Biden's DHS Secretary. 'I've got a lot of work to do. I'm proud to do it, alongside 250,000 incredibly dedicated and talented individuals in the Department of Homeland Security and I'm going to continue to do my work,' Mayorkas said. Asked point-blank if he'd had any intention of resigning, Mayorkas definitively answered, 'I do not.' 'I've got a lot of work to do, and were going to do it,' he said. Just last week, House Republican Rep. Pat Fallon of Texas formally filed articles of impeachment against Mayorkas over the growing border crisis. 'Secretary Mayorkas's willful actions have eroded our immigration system, undermined border patrol morale, and jeopardized American national security. He has violated the law and it is time for him to go,' Fallon wrote on Twitter before filing the impeachment articles. He accused Mayorkas of failing to keep operational control of the border and 'engaged in a pattern of conduct that is incompatible with his duties.' The stepmother of notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer died on Friday at age 81. Shari Dahmer passed away at the nursing home in Seville, Ohio, where she had been living near the home she shared with her husband and Jeffrey Dahmer's father, Lionel. She is believed to have died from complications related to a downturn of health she had experienced in recent years, according to the US Sun. Shari was known for staying with her husband, now 86, even as the horrifying truth of his son's brutally violent cannibalistic crimes came to light. Shari Dahmer passed away at the nursing home in Seville, Ohio, where she had been living near the home she shared with her husband and Jeffrey Dahmer's father, Lionel Shari sits alongside Lionel Dahmer during Jeffrey Dahmer's trial Shari and Lionel married in 1978 after he divorced Jeffrey's mother. She never had children of her own but said she felt an immediate desire to mother Jeffery when she married Lionel. Shari said her impression of Jeffery was that he was a 'vulnerable' young man who was 'embarrassed and ashamed' his parents had divorced. She said he was 'very good at disguising his feelings.' 'She also did try to connect with Jeff as his stepmother,' a source told the Sun. 'She was a good stepmom.' Lionel and Shari Dahmer stand outside the prison where Jeffrey Dahmer was incarcerated Lionel an Shari Dahmer speak to each other during Jeffrey Dahmer's trial in 1992 Shari always stood by her husband as his life was turned upside down by the revelations that his son had murdered 17 people, and had even eaten and disemboweled some of his victims. 'Shari was a good woman and Lionel wouldn't be the man he is today without her,' the source said. 'She was there with him through everything that happened with Jeff, she was Lionel's rock through it all.' The couple appeared together in during a 2004 interview with Larry King on CNN. Lionel and she both remained close to Jeffrey while he was incarcerated, and even visited him regularly. The Seville, Ohio, home where Shari lived with her husband Lionel Dahmer Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991. The gruesome murders involved rape, necrophilia and cannibalism The source told the Sun Shari and Lionel hadn't been able to see much of each other in recent months after her health took a downturn. 'Lionel hasn't really been able to go see Shari much in recent times, I believe the last time he saw her was in October,' they said. 'There is not going to be a funeral, per Shari's will she didn't want a service or anything like that.' 'She just wanted to be cremated and left instructions in her will on what she wanted done with the ashes.' Jeffrey Dahmer sitting in a courtroom in 2991 after his arrest Shari was portrayed by Molly Ringwald in the 2022 Netflix show about Jeffrey Dahmer's life. The source Shari was not pleased the show had been made. 'When the series and documentary came out last year, Shari just wished they would leave it the hell alone, but she used stronger language than that.' Lionel was also not pleased with the documentary, saying he thought the shows sexualized his son instead of focusing on his mental health. Plans for a bonfire of EU laws are crucial to Britains economic recovery, Rishi Sunak said yesterday. Tory rebels will join forces with Labour today in an effort to water down legislation that could lead to the deletion of more than 4,000 Brussels regulations this year. But Downing Street yesterday said the Prime Minister was committed to the Retained EU law Bill, which started life under Boris Johnsons administration. The PM told the Cabinet that removing EU red tape was already creating economic opportunities in areas like gene-edited crops and financial services. Plans for a bonfire of EU laws are crucial to Britains economic recovery, Rishi Sunak said yesterday He said there was further scope for post-Brexit deregulation in areas like the creative, medical and farming sectors. Developing the best regulatory environment in the UK will be crucial to accelerating our economic recovery and driving growth, innovation, and competitiveness as part of plans to build a better future across the country, he said. No 10 insisted that none of this work was about watering down standards, such as our strong record on workers rights, maternity rights, or environmental protection. But environmental campaigners last night warned that the proposals could remove vital protections. And some Tory MPs are set to back an amendment today which would water down the proposal. The PM told the Cabinet that removing EU red tape was already creating economic opportunities in areas like gene-edited crops and financial services Thousands of EU laws were copied and pasted on to the UK statute book in order to save time when Britain left the EU. Ministers are committed to reviewing all of them by the end of this year and ditching the ones that are no longer needed. Experts believe more than 4,000 pieces of legislation could be affected. No 10 yesterday declined to put a total figure on the exercise and could not say how many laws would be axed. The PMs spokesman said there was an ongoing process to identify relevant legislation. Labour MP Stella Creasy will lead efforts today to water down the plan by putting Parliament, rather than ministers, in control of the process. Miss Creasy, chairman of the Labour Movement for Europe, said: Whether you voted leave or remain in 2016, now MPs need to vote to take back control to parliament, rather than surrendering it wholesale to ministers. The Government need to come clean on exactly which laws this bill covers so that MPs can make up their minds whether it is a good idea to give them wholesale control over these laws. Her amendment is backed by a number of senior Tories, including former Cabinet ministers David Davis, Caroline Nokes and Sir Robert Buckland. Wildlife and Countryside Link - a coalition of nature and environmental organisations - yesterday released figures which estimate that dropping or weakening EU laws in just four sectors could cost 82 billion over 30 years. But Business Secretary Grant Shapps said there was absolutely no truth whatsoever in claims that key employment and environmental protections would be ditched. Labours shadow business Justin Madders claimed that key measures such as holiday pay and maternity protections could be ditched. But Mr Shapps responded: Theres absolutely no truth whatsoever with this idea that employer rights or environmental rights or other rights will be scrapped and the sooner they stop peddling this stuff, the better. An alleged gang of far-Right French nationalists today went on trial for trying to assassinate President Emmanuel Macron. Details of the terrorist plot were outlined at the Paris Correctional Court on Tuesday, after 13 defendants appeared in the dock. They included is Jean-Pierre Bouyer, a 66-year-old father of five, who allegedly wanted to help kill Mr Macron as France marked Armistice Day in November 2018. As France was focused on 100 years since the end of World War I, Bouyer wanted an accomplice to try to talk to the President, and then stab him with a ceramic knife. According to further prosecution evidence, Bouyer had written on Facebook that Mr Macron was 'a little hysterical dictator,' and he called on fellow conspirators to 'eliminate those who want to harm you.' An alleged gang of far-Right French nationalists today went on trial for trying to assassinate President Emmanuel Macron Jean-Pierre Bouyer, a 66-year-old father of five, who allegedly wanted to help kill Mr Macron as France marked Armistice Day in November 2018 Bouyer had written on Facebook that Mr Macron was 'a little hysterical dictator,' and he called on fellow conspirators to 'eliminate those who want to harm you' Bouyer was part of a gang called the Barjols, which translates as 'The Crazies', which came under surveillance by French security services in 2018. Their known members - 11 men including Bouyer, and two women now face a charge of 'terrorist conspiracy'. All have been described as 'angry paramilitaries' with links to 'far-Right groups' in the eastern Moselle region of France. Bouyer was arrested with three accomplices on November 6, 2018, when a police spokesman said he was 'armed with knife to assassinate Emmanuel Macron on the occasion of the centenary Armistice'. A dagger was found in Bouyer's car, alongside a bible, while firearms and ammunition were in his home. Citing evidence from intercepted phone calls and online, prosecutors said the 13 also planned to kill migrants and attack mosques. The investigation started in 2018, when France's domestic intelligence service received a tip about the Barjols. During police questioning, Bouyer admitted he wanted to kill Macron, but said one of his co-accused would be the assassin. Police later arrested other members of the Barjols, including Denis Collinet (pictured), who is a proponent of the white supremacist 'great replacement' theory All standing trial have been described as 'angry paramilitaries' with links to 'far-Right groups' in the eastern Moselle region of France The idea was for the man to approach Macron, as if to chat to him, and then use a ceramic bladed knife to kill him. Bouyer later withdrew this confession saying it had 'just been talk,' according to the prosecution. Police later arrested other members of the Barjols, including Denis Collinet, who is a proponent of the white supremacist 'great replacement' theory that falsely claims that France's native white, Catholic population is being replaced by non-white immigrants. Barjols members also allegedly wanted to kidnap members of parliament and overthrow the government. Investigating magistrates said in a pre-trial statement that it was 'an established fact' that the group's plans 'were entirely aimed at seriously disrupting the public order by intimidation and terror'. But defence barrister Lucile Collot said the case against her clients were was based 'on the fiction that a violent act was going to happen.' Because none of the alleged plots were ever carried out, prosecutors downgraded some of the initial charges over the course of their four-year investigation. The trial is set to run until February 3. The husband of missing Massachusetts mother Ana Walshe has been charged with her murder, nearly three weeks after she vanished on New Year's Day. Brian Walshe is already in custody on charges of misleading police. For weeks, police have been piecing together a case against him that is believed to include evidence such as blood found in the couple's basement, and a bloody hatchet. Her body has not been found, despite searches of the family home, backyard and other areas of Cohasset, where she lived with her husband and three sons. Friends say the couple's marriage was strained as a result of Ana's grueling work schedule, which meant they spent much of their time living apart, with Ana in DC and Brian and the boys in Massachusetts. Ana was also photographed without her wedding ring in some of the final photos taken before she vanished on January 1. Scroll down for video Brian Walshe is already in custody on charges of misleading police. He is shown on January 9 Ana has been missing since New Year's Day Walshe will appear in court tomorrow on the fresh murder charge. The evidence used to obtain the murder warrant is likely to be presented then. ANA WALSHE'S DISAPPEARANCE JANUARY 1: Ana and Brian host a New Year's Eve dinner party. She is last seen at 1.30am. She fails to turn up to work in Washington DC, and there is no proof of her making it to the airport for her flight. JANUARY 4: Tishman Speyer's head of security in DC calls police to report her missing. The caller told the operator he'd informed her husband JANUARY 6: Fire reported at the house Ana shared with her husband JANUARY 8: Brian Walshe arrested for misleading investigation JANUARY 9: Police reveal they found blood in the basement of the couple's home JANUARY 10: Police reveal they found trash bags filled with bloody items, a hatchet and a hacksaw in a trash center near the home JANUARY 17: Brian Walshe is arrested for murder Advertisement In a statement on Tuesday, Norfolk District Attorney Michael W Morrissey said: 'The continued investigation has now allowed police to obtain an arrest warrant charging Brian Walshe with murder of his wife. 'Mr. Walshe will be transported to the court for the charge of murder.' Walshe is expected in court tomorrow morning. So far, he has denied misleading police in his wife's disappearance. Ana was last seen at 1.30am on the morning of January 1. She and her husband hosted friends for a New Year's Eve party that their guests say was filled with toasts and fun. Cem Mutlu, one of the friends who attended the party, said: 'Brian had cooked an elaborate meal for us. 'We hugged and celebrated and toasted and just what you do over New Year's. 'There was a lot of looking forward to the New Year.' The next day, he says Brian phoned him asking if he'd 'seen Ana' and that she was missing. She was due to travel to Washington DC on January 1 for work, but failed to show up for her flight or get in her rideshare to the airport. Ana was reported missing by Tishman Speyer, the real estate company she worked for, on January 4. A man who identified himself as the firm's head of security in Washington DC called police in Cohasset to request a welfare check for her. That man told police that he had informed Ana's husband, Brian, that she was missing. Ana (pictured with Paul Wharton on December 13) had stopped wearing her wedding ring in the weeks before she vanished The Cohasset home that Ana shared with her husband, Brian, and their three children Walshe was enjoying her work life in Washington DC and was excited about the year ahead It contradicted Brian's lawyer's claim in court that he had notified her work that she was missing. In the weeks before her disappearance, Ana had stopped wearing her wedding ring. Friends said there was 'tension' in the marriage because of her work schedule. Her friends are now appealing for care of her children. Walshe is no stranger to legal trouble. Walshe in his mugshot after being arrested for misleading police In 2018, he was convicted of fraud for stealing and attempting to sell two fake Andy Warhol paintings that he advertised as being genuine. Walshe looked up 'how to dispose of a 115-pound womans body' online around the time of his wife's disappearance, according to investigators, and was also caught on surveillance cameras near a trash dumpster next to his mother's house. The hacksaw and bloodied clothes were found at a trash transfer station. Police wanted to test a sample of the blood found in the bag to Ana's three sons. Brian and Ana met in 2008 while she was working at a hotel in the Berkshires. She was the ambitious daughter of Serbian couple who'd come to America in search of a better life. He was the son of a wealthy family, who he is now estranged from. In court filings, his family accused him of stealing millions from his elderly father after the man suffered a stroke. Family friends called him a 'sociopath' and said all he ever cared about was his father's money. The pair married in Serbia in 2015 and later welcomed three sons together. Ana started working for Tishman Speyer in February last year, accepting a role as the general manager of the company's Washington DC office. She had previously worked for The Mutlu Group, a real estate company near their home, that is run by the friend who spent New Year's Eve with the couple. Before that, her work experience was in hotels and housekeeping. Police have demolished makeshift trader stalls in the Cogolese capital Kinshasa ahead of a four-day visit by Pope Francis. Officer armed with with crowbars and a bulldozer set about clearing the streets near the city centre ahead of the pope's arrival on January 31. Officials say Kinshasa, a vast impoverished city of 17 million people, is getting a facelift not just to honour the pope but to make its streets and pavements more tidy and orderly even after he's gone home. But evicted small traders protest that their livelihoods are being destroyed in the process. 'The clean-up we are doing just now is not only because the Pope is coming,' George Ya Lala, Kinshasa city coordinator for the campaign said, adding the operation would continue even after the Pope went home. Congolese officials have begun tearing down makeshift huts along one of Kinshasa's main streets ahead of Pope Francis' four-day visit later this month Street vendors expressed outrage as their livelihoods were destroyed by officials Asked for comment on the evictions of traders, the Apostolic Nunciature, Vatican's diplomatic representation in Kinshasa, told Reuters in a text message that it was not aware of the clean-up operations and had no part in them. It said the Vatican had only requested that preparations for Francis's visit be done 'in the most sober way. We obviously want the reception sites to be able to accommodate the greatest number of faithful in a secure way and for roads to be secure.' Standing to one side with a swollen face after he fell while scuffling with police in an unsuccessful effort to save his wares, telephone accessories seller David Mbemba, 19, said he had lost around 100,500 Congolese francs ($50) worth of goods. Other sellers like Jean Mbuyu said they had lost everything because they had no prior warning of the clean-up. Ya Lala disputed this, saying traders had been warned several times to relocate before the police moved in, leaving a chaotic trail of wreckage as they smashed stall after stall, with crowds of traders, family and friends watching in dismay. The shacks were located along a route to be used by Pope Francis following his arrival in Congo on January 31 The Lumumba Boulevard in Kinshasa was home to thousands of 'pirate market shops' The street stalls sold food, clothing, hardware and basic household goods The livelihoods of many families in Congo depend on the so-called informal sector of the economy - street stalls, kiosks and hawkers selling a cornucopia of items including food and other basic household goods. 'I am a widow. I have to pay my rent, school fees of my children...I will now starve to death,' said Marth Kayunga, a vendor in the informal market on one of the side streets off Lumumba Boulevard targeted by the sanitary police brigade. 'We knew this operation was to clean up Lumumba Boulevard ahead of the Pope's visit that we are all waiting for,' said Jesus, a hardware shop owner who gave only his first name. 'We are surprised the police are coming into the smaller streets because they told us they were just going to remove debris from the main avenue. It's not fair,' he said, adding that his shop was also torn down. A spokesperson for the police said only that they were working under the directives of Kinshasa's regional governor and city authorities Gentiny Ngobila Mbaka, the Kinshasa Governor, pictured centre, arrived to see the clear out surrounded by a group of heavily armed bodyguards A spokesperson for the police said only that they were working under the directives of Kinshasa's regional governor and city authorities such as Ya Lala, who was with the police on the ground directing the operation. Lumumba Boulevard is the main thoroughfare leading to the airport, where a gala welcome will be staged for Pope Francis. Authorities had warned that development works would be carried out on sites where the Pope will be received. But Catholic Church priest Father Victor Ntambwe said authorities could have planned better and longer for the occasion. 'Did we have to wait for the Pope's visit to do something like this? I'm not sure that we needed to wait for the Pope's arrival to start clearing the avenues and chase away street sellers,' Ntambwe said. Some of the most brazen vehicles for smuggling guns on planes last year included jars of peanut butter and even a raw chicken A record 6,542 weapons were seized by TSA at security checkpoints in 2022 He was transporting across state lines to Nevada for the SHOT show in Las Vegas The weapon was later revealed to be demilitarized, but only once the owner was tracked down and showed officials the appropriate paperwork Security agents at a Texas airport were shocked to find an anti-tank rifle in a checked bag on Monday TSA agents in Texas found an undeclared anti-tank rifle stowed in checked luggage - but the owner has escaped charges after proving he demilitarized the piece. The 84MM Carl-Gustaf M4 recoilless rifle was deconstructed and packed in its hard-shell case when discovered during the baggage screening process in San Antonio on Monday. The owner, who has not been publicly identified, was tracked down by airport security, and explained to them that the weapon he was carting across state borders was in fact just an exhibit item for the SHOT show in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was able to provide company paperwork that showed the rifle was made unusable - or demilitarized - which was later also confirmed by a TSA explosives expert. The anti-tank rifle was discovered by TSA agents at San Antonio International Airport in Texas In a tweet posted by the agency's account, an image of the weapon, snug in its packing case, was shared, along with instructions on how to legally travel with firearms Still, TSA officers decided the potentially deadly weapon would not be allowed on the aircraft. A family member of the unidentified owner came to retrieve the rifle, and he was allowed to rebook his departing flight. The San Antonio Police Department told Dailymail.com that no charges are pending in the case at this time. Transportation Security Administration rules for transporting firearms Declare each firearm each time you present it for transport as checked baggage Firearms must be unloaded and locked in a hard-sided container and transported as checked baggage only Replica firearms, including firearm replicas that are toys, may be transported in checked baggage only When traveling, comply with the laws concerning possession of firearms as they vary by local, state and international governments Firearm parts, including magazines, clips, bolts and firing pins, are prohibited in carry-on baggage, but may be transported in checked baggage Advertisement 'We don't see that caliber of weapon very often, thank God,' TSA spokesperson Patricia Mancha told San Antonio TV station KENS 5. The TSA confiscated more firearms from airport passengers in 2022 than any other year since the agency's inception. Of these 6,542 weapons discovered at airport security checkpoints, 88 percent were loaded. Confiscations by the TSA in 2022 show a 10 percent rise from the previous year, when a still shocking 5,972 firearms were seized. San Antonio International was not one of the 10 airports announced by the TSA to have had the largest number of guns confiscated. However, three of the ten were located in Texas, including Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport; George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston; and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Another of the three were Floridian airports. In response to the rise in attempts to bring undeclared weapons aboard domestic and international flights, the TSA has introduced a range of new penalties. Passengers caught toting loaded weapons in airports will now face fines starting at $3000, with the maximum civil penalty raised from $13,910 to $14,950 for those with a history of the offence. TSA is also revoking Precheck eligibility for at least five years for anyone caught with a firearm. Passengers who wish to avoid these penalties can follow TSA's proper packing guidance for firearms in checked baggage, and are required to declare them to the airline at check-in as well as show a permit. Some attempts to smuggle undeclared weapons aboard planes reported this year border on the ridiculous. One Rhode Island man found himself in a sticky situation in late December after TSA agents caught him trying to stash a deconstructed handgun in two full jars of peanut butter. TSA agents at JFK's Terminal 8 found a loaded handgun stashed in two jars of creamy peanut butter in December Security agents uncovered the loaded .22 caliber gun after the checked bag it was hidden in triggered an alarm in JFK's Terminal 8. The offending traveler was tracked down and arrested shortly after. 'The gun parts were artfully concealed in two smooth creamy jars of peanut butter,' said John Essig, TSAs Federal Security Director for JFK Airport, 'but there was certainly nothing smooth about the way the man went about trying to smuggle his gun.' In another shockingly brazen attempt to bring a weapon aboard a plane, one passenger attempted to stow their handgun inside a raw chicken. Upon unwrapping the chicken, agents discovered a handgun wrapped in a plastic bag and stuffed inside of it In a tweet posted about the incident at Fort Lauderdale Airport in Florida, the agency described their officers making the 'raw find' in November. 'There's a personal fowl here,' the tweet read. 'We hate to break it to you but stuffing a firearm in your holiday bird for travel is just a baste of time.' Pictures showed the gun wrapped up in a plastic bag and shoved inside the chicken before being unwrapped by agents. According to the TSA website, passengers are permitted to travel with both fresh and cooked meat, which may explain why the passenger chose this method of smuggling. Biden also declared in a September interview the COVID-19 pandemic is 'over' Comes after nearly a year without the requirements for domestic flights Joe Biden's administration is fighting to reinstate a federal mask mandate for air travel even after the president declared in September that the COVID-19 pandemic is 'over', and it's been nearly a year since domestic airline passengers have been required to mask up on flights. The Justice Department argued the case before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals Tuesday on behalf of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The legal battle to require face-coverings on flights is not popular among travel industry groups for a myriad of reasons ranging from passengers who refused to mask-up to airlines who don't want any more controversy after a series of issues led to mass delays and cancellations during and following the holiday season. The Biden administration is fighting in court to reinstate the mask mandate for domestic air travel Passengers are still welcome, and sometimes even encouraged, to wear masks on flights - a fact that Republican lawmakers were quick to acknowledge. 'If you want to wear a mask on a plane, no one's stopping you,' tweeted Florida Representative Brian Mast on Tuesday. 'But we're not going back to mandates. Period.' Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennesse posted: 'Joe Biden has said that the pandemic is over. Yet his administration is still arguing in court to reinstate the mask mandate.' A federal judge in Florida struck down Biden's federal mask mandate on April 18, 2022. The ruling almost immediately led to all major U.S. airlines lifting their mask requirements for domestic flights. Passengers celebrated when the airline mask mandate was lifted in April 2022 following a ruling by a judge in Florida But the new court challenge could threaten to undo that nearly six months after Biden declared that the pandemic was over. 'The pandemic is over,' Biden said during a 60 Minutes interview in September. 'We still have a problem with COVID. We're still doing a lot of work on it.' While walking through the Detroit Auto Show for his pre-taped CBS interview, Biden said: 'If you notice, no one's wearing a mask, everybody seems to be in pretty good shape.' Despite this statement and others lauding an end to the COVID-19 pandemic, the president last week quietly extended the national emergency declaration through April. Biden said in a September interview with 60 Minutes that the COVID-19 pandemic is 'over' 'The Department continues to believe that the order requiring masking in the transportation corridor is a valid exercise of the authority Congress has given CDC to protect the public health,' the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement at the time of the April ruling. 'That is an important authority the Department will continue to work to preserve,' the statement added. Airlines and the Transportation Department have faced several months of criticism following a major meltdown over the holidays, specifically with Southwest Airlines, where thousands of flights were delayed or canceled over the course of several days. Shortly after, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had a systems glitch this month, which led to the grounding of all domestic flights nationwide for hours one morning that resulted in several days of chaos. The FAA has operated without a Senate-confirmed administrator since March 2022. According to the Tulare County Sheriff's Office, at least six people, including a mother and her 6-month-old infant, were killed in a "early morning massacre" in the California town of Goshen on Monday. Tulare County officers responded to a complaint of shots fired shortly after 3:30 a.m. local time on Monday, according to a press release from the sheriff's office, which added, "The reporting party believed an active shooter was in the vicinity due to the number of gunfire heard." Mom, 6-Month-Old Baby Shot in Head Sheriff Mike Boudreaux informed reporters at the site that responding deputies discovered a total of six casualties, including two on the street and one in the doorway of the residence where the gunshot happened. The mother, who was 17 years old, and the infant were both shot in the head, he claimed, and at least one male was hospitalized but subsequently pronounced dead, as per CNN. The incident does not appear to be a random act of violence, but may be connected to gang activities, according to the sheriff's office, which noted that it occurred a week after deputies conducted a drugs search warrant at the residence. Ashley Schwarm, a spokesman for the Tulare County Sheriff, said on Monday evening that while they cannot prove the gunmen were members of a cartel, the sheriff believes it seems to be a "execution in the cartel style." Sheriff's office stated previously that detectives are seeking for at least two individuals. Sheriff Mike Boudreaux stated that deputies discovered two fatally wounded victims in the street and a third fatally wounded victim in the front entryway of the apartment. He stated that three further victims were discovered inside the residence, Daily Mail reported. Investigators are investigating for at least two suspects, according to the sheriff, although neither the victims' identities nor their descriptions have been disclosed. Two individuals survived by sheltering behind a trailer located on the site. They suspect that the murders are linked to a gang. The young woman and her infant were both shot in the head, according to the sheriff. Monday, Samuel Pina revealed that his adolescent granddaughter Alissa Parraz and her infant son Nycholas Nolan Parraz were among those dead. Pina stated that Parraz and her child were living with her father's side of the family in Goshen, and that her grandfather, grandmother, and great-grandmother were all slaughtered. Read Also: Nepal Plane Crash Live Video California Drug-Related Murder Incident According to ABC, at least one of the elderly women was slain while they slept. The sheriff stated that DNA testing would be necessary to identify at least one of the suspects due to facial injuries caused by the weapon(s) used. Located 35 miles southeast of Fresno in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley, Goshen is a semi-rural, predominantly Latino village of around 5,000 people. Eddie Valero, who represents the municipality as county supervisor, described the killings as "everyone's greatest fear." "These senseless acts of violence, particularly against newborns, toddlers, and adolescents, have no place in our community," Valero said in a statement. Tulare County, a small agricultural region with a population of fewer than 500,000, is known for its role in the international drug traffic, delivering drugs from Mexico to various US markets. Since at least the 1970s, the county, which is bisected by the 99 Freeway and has a little police presence, acres of open terrain, and a highly mobile population of farmworkers, has been a refuge for drug traffickers. In recent years, the region has also acquired a reputation for the manufacturing of methamphetamine and the growth of both legal and illegal marijuana. Jose Maria Guizar Valencia, the former commander of the Zetas cartel, was born in Tulare County. He is one of the most notorious and ruthless drug war characters in Mexico. The Tulare County Sheriff's Office requests that anyone with information contact them at (559) 733-6218. Related Article: Woman Stabs Indiana University Student @YouTube @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Four people were killed and one injured after a small plane crashed in Lavaca County, Texas, on Tuesday morning amid fog. State Department of Public Safety officials said the plane hit the ground at around 10:50am, near the intersection of County Road 462 and Farm-to-Market Road 318, just two miles away from the Yoakum Municipal Airport. Lavaca County is located about 112 miles east of San Antonio. Only one person was reported injured and taken to a nearby hospital, Crossroads Today reports, as officials work to recover the bodies of the deceased. The crash comes as two planes averted a near-fatal 115mph crash at New York's John F. Kennedy airport that could've killed 418 people. Four people died and one was injured after their small plane crashed in Lavaca County, Texas on Tuesday at 10:50am The crash occurred in foggy weather just two miles away from the Yoakum Municipal Airport Fatal plane crash near Yoakum in a field off CR 462 Tuesday morning Posted by The Victoria Advocate on Tuesday, January 17, 2023 The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are both investigating the Texas crash. Lavaca County Sheriff Micah Harmon confirmed that there were fatalities as a result of the incident, and said the scene is still under investigation. The NTSB said that the plane that crashed was a Piper PA-46-350P aircraft, known as a Piper Malibu, a single-engine plane capable of carrying five passengers and a pilot. 'Five occupants were inside the plane,' DPS said in a statement. 'Four died and one is in stable condition being treated at Citizens Medical in Victoria, Texas.' Local residents told Crossroads that it was still foggy outside when the plane crashed. Officials noted that the road near the crash will remain closed as the investigation continues. Sgt. Ruben San Miguel, spokesman for Texas DPS, told the Victoria Advocate that authorities are working to remove the bodies of the deceased from the plane. He added that once the bodies are recovered, they will identified and the next-of-kin will be notified. The group was riding in a Piper PA-46-350P aircraft, known as a Piper Malibu, which can carry five passengers and a pilot. Pictured: A file photo of a Malibu flying The crash is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board It's the second small plane crash in Texas within one week, after DPS reported that two people were injured when their plane crashed in Conroe. On January 14, at around 2:45 p.m., officials said a Fixed Wing Single-engine plane hit power lines while attempting to land on Longmire Road near League Line. Officials said the pilot and a male passenger only suffered minor injuries, and no homes were damaged as a result of the crash. The boss of consumer goods giant Unilever has tried to justify its decision to carry on selling ice creams in Russia by saying that the profits would otherwise be used to fund Vladimir Putin's war. Alan Jope was responding to questions over why it keeps making money from Magnum and Cornetto products despite a pledge to stop selling all but essential food and hygiene products. It is an embarrassment for a company which boasts of its ethical credentials and has even been criticised for its 'truly bonkers' woke posturing. But Jope said of the ice cream sales: 'If we hand those assets over to the Russian state they will be used to support this war. Unilever's boss Alan Jope pledged to stop selling all but essential products in Putin's Russia. But the company continues to profit from Magnum and Cornetto product sales 'We are minimising that business not maximising that business.' A host of western firms announced that they were pulling out of Russia amid revulsion at its invasion of Ukraine last February. But campaigners have criticised a number of companies Unilever among them for still doing business there despite expressions of condemnation for the war. Campaigners have criticised Unilever for still doing business with Russia despite expressions of condemnation for the war But Jope said of the ice cream sales: 'If we hand those assets over to the Russian state they will be used to support this war' Unilever has said it has suspended all imports and exports of products into and out of Russia, will stop all media and advertising spend, and will not profit from its presence in the country. Jope's latest comments drew derision from the Moral Rating Agency, which tracks companies' continued involvement in Russia. A spokesman said: 'Unilever is moral chameleon. 'It keeps on coming up with different excuses for not leaving Russia. 'Its first excuse was that it was providing "essential food". Now it is saying if it quits Russia the assets will be used by government to support the war. 'The real reason is Unilever cares only about profits and keeping its market share.' The criticism comes shortly after the company faces brickbats from top investor Terry Smith and others over its claim that Lux soap could 'inspire women to rise above sexism'. Wearing a blue fleece and navy pants, the 67-year-old was moving freely and appeared to be in good health as he gave DailyMail.com a thumbs up On Tuesday he finally emerged from his comfy bolt-hole in Kissimmee, Florida to meet and greet expat supporters Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has been in self-imposed exile after rioters stormed his nation's Congress to protest his election loss on January 8 Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro was cheered by expat supporters Tuesday as he finally emerged from his comfy Florida bolt-hole a week after his hospitalization for mystery stomach pains. The so-called Trump of the Tropics has been in self-imposed exile in the Sunshine State as Brazilian authorities probe his alleged links to rioters who stormed his nation's Congress on January 8 to protest his election loss. He spent the early part of last week at an Orlando-area hospital being treated for an 'intestinal obstruction' but suggested on social media he would soon return to Brazil, where doctors are more familiar with injuries he suffered when he was stabbed on the campaign trail in 2018. On Tuesday former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro finally emerged from his comfy bolt-hole in Kissimmee, Florida to meet and greet expat supporters The handful of loyal supporters 'Bolsonaristas had spent the past week waiting patiently outside a $850,000 property to see with their own eyes that the controversial far right leader was okay Fans of the president flocked to Bolsonaro with their phones in hand to snap selfies with him Bolsonaro's whereabouts remained a mystery after that with security guards stationed at his rented vacation home in Kissimmee, a 15-minute drive from Walt Disney World, refusing to say whether he was inside but dismissing any suggestion that his life was in danger as 'fake news'. The handful of loyal supporters 'Bolsonaristas who had spent the past week waiting patiently outside the $850,000 property to see with their own eyes that the controversial far right leader was ok, roared their approval as he finally walked outside into the chilly morning air this morning to greet them. Wearing a blue fleece and navy pants, the 67-year-old Bolsonaro was moving freely and appeared to be in good health as he gave DailyMail.com a thumbs up and posed for our exclusive photographs. 'Thank you, but I don't speak any English,' he said politely, before switching to his native Portuguese to speak to his hardcore fans, who begged him to sign their flags, t-shirts and even sneakers. Wearing a blue fleece and navy pants, the 67-year-old was moving freely and appeared to be in good health as he smiled and waved at fans Excited supporters begged him to sign their flags, t-shirts and even sneakers Bolsonaro's whereabouts had remained a mystery after his hospitalization with security guards stationed at an $850,000 rented vacation home in Kissimmee Bolsonaro posted an image of himself lying on a hospital bed recovering from treatment in Florida last week Bolsonaro's HQ for the past month has been a 3,600-square foot vacation rental complete with a pool and hot tub owned by Jose Aldo, a retired Brazilian professional MMA fighter and UFC champion. His presence there is becoming a headache for US President Joe Biden with mounting calls for him to expel Bolsonaro after the defeated right winger skipped the inauguration of his leftist rival, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and flew to Florida on December 30. Despite being overseas when his supporters invaded the storied buildings to protest the supposed 'rigged' election, he has been named a 'person of interest' by Brazilian investigators, an accusation Bolsonaro vehemently denies. This weekend a key Bolsonaro ally, the former security secretary for Brasilia, Anderson Torres, was arrested by federal authorities when he flew back to Brazil from Florida, where he was supposedly on vacation. Torres was accused of conspiring to allow the attack by 'sabotaging' police efforts to protect Congress, according to The Guardian. The commander of the capital's military police was also among the 1,400 people taken into custody over the riot which caused millions of dollars of damage. Bolsonaro's stomach concerns stem from a protester stabbing him in the guts at a rally during his successful 2018 presidential campaign. He lost nearly 40 percent of his blood. He has undergone at least four surgeries since then and was previously admitted to hospital in Sao Paulo in January 2022 because of a blockage found in his intestines. According to reports, Bolsonaro was rushed to Advent Health Celebration last Monday although there was never any official confirmation from the hospital, in Celebration, outside Orlando. Bolsonaro was stabbed in the abdomen during his 2018 presidential campaign. He is pictured here on January 3, 2022, giving the thumbs-up from his hospital bed after being admitted for an abdominal problems, in Sao Paulo, Brazil He was taken to Advent Health Celebration hospital in Orlando, Florida, on Monday The 67-year-old was stabbed in the abdomen during his successful 2018 presidential campaign, losing nearly 40 percent of his blood (pictured moments after the attack) In an Instagram post later that day he wrote: 'I came [to the United States] to stay until the end of the month [January] but I intend to anticipate my return. 'Because in Brazil the doctors already know about my intestinal obstruction problem because of the stab wound. My doctors did not accompany me here.' Since flying into the US on a Brazilian navy plane, Bolsonaro has been filmed wandering around his neighborhood soaking up the adoration of expat Brazilian supporters. He was also filmed inside a Publix grocery store and caught on camera eating a KFC meal in a now-viral video. Some lawmakers have not been sympathetic to Bolsonaro with Democrats calling for the United States to force him back to his country. Progressive New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez urged Biden's government to 'stop granting refuge' to the authoritarian leader. 'Nearly 2 years to the day the US Capitol was attacked by fascists, we see fascist movements abroad attempt to do the same in Brazil,' Ocasio-Cortez wrote. Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro told CNN that Bolsonaro 'should be sent back to Brazil' and accused him of emulating Donald Trump's refusal to admit defeat in the Presidential election. 'I stand with the democratically elected leadership in Brazil,' Castro said. 'He basically used the Trump playbook to inspire domestic terrorists to try and take over the government.' Supporters of Brazilian former President Jair Bolsonaro invade the National Congress in Brasilia on January 8, 2023 Supporters of Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro demonstrate against President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as security forces operate, outside Brazil's National Congress in Brasilia, Brazil, January 8, 2023 Castro added that it 'looks a lot like January 6 in the United States.' 'Right now, Bolsonaro is in Florida, he's actually very close to Donald Trump - he should be extradited to Brazil. In fact, it was reported that he was under investigation for corruption and fled Brazil to the United States,' the Democrat went on. Bolsonaro supporters have been protesting Lula's electoral win since October 30, blocking roads, setting vehicles on fire and gathering outside military buildings, urging the armed forces to intervene. But in comments made after the riots, Bolsonaro insisted the invasion of government buildings 'crossed the line.' 'Peaceful demonstrations, in the form of the law, are part of democracy. However, depredations and invasions of public buildings as occurred today, as well as those practiced by the left in 2013 and 2017, escape the rule,' he wrote. 'Throughout my mandate, I have always been within the four lines of the Constitution, respecting and defending the laws, democracy, transparency and our sacred freedom. 'In addition, I repudiate the accusations, without evidence, attributed to me by the current head of the executive of Brazil.' A new three-part Netflix documentary series promises to delve deep into the scandals and murders that have plagued a once-prominent South Carolina legal scion and his family. The documentary series, entitled Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal, will examine the death of Mallory Beach on board a boat driven by a drunken Paul Murdaugh, as well as his and his mother's subsequent murders. It will also touch on the mysterious death of the Murdaugh's housekeeper as well as the death of Stephen Smith, who was found dead in the middle of a South Carolina road in 2015. And it will feature interviews with some of those closest to the multiple Murdaugh cases, some of whom are speaking for the first time. The show is expected to premiere on February 22, with a trailer for the much-anticipated true crime documentary released Tuesday. A new documentary series will delve into the scandals and murders plaguing the once popular Murdaugh family, under the head of Alex Murdaugh It touches on all of the scandals and murders that have plagued the Murdaugh family over the past few years. 'There are facts that don't add up and bodies tied to this family,' one man in the trailer says, before a young man describes how 'the Murdaughs would just make someone disappear.' The Murdaughs were once a very powerful political family in South Carolina, with one man noting in the trailer: 'For over a century, the Murdaughs were law and order here in the 14th Circuit.' The disgraced former attorney is facing a total of 98 criminal charges - four related to the double murders and others for a botched suicide for hire plot But after Mallory Beach, 19, was thrown from a boat driven by her friend, Paul Murdaugh, and killed in 2019, questions started surrounding the political dynasty. Paul, who was 19 at the time, had been drunk when he was operating the vehicle. His older brother, Buster, was accused of lending Paul his ID in order for him to buy alcohol for the joyride. Now, Mallory's best friend, Miley Altman, says she and her friends were trying to stop Paul from driving drunk. 'Everyone was like, "Paul don't drive," and Paul would snap back and be like "Well, this is my f****** boat,' Altman says in the trailer, as another friend notes Paul 'was out of his mind drunk.' They and others in the promo say legal scion Alex Murdaugh, the head of the dynasty, was 'more worried about a cover-up.' Paul, 22, and Maggie, 52, were murdered over one year later on June 7, 2021, leading to speculation it was related to the fatal boating accident. But when Alex later claimed he was shot in the head in a drive-by amid financial troubles, authorities turned their attention to him. He is now facing a total of 98 criminal charges four accusing him of orchestrating the double homicide of Paul and his wife, Maggie, and others for a botched suicide-for-hire plot. 'This is a fall from dynasty,' one man in the trailer says. 'It was a fall from grace.' The family's legal troubles began after Mallory Beach, 19, was thrown from a boat being driven by a drunk Paul Murdaugh, then 19, and died Her friends, Connor Cook and Miley Altman, describe in the Netflix show how Paul was 'out of his mind drunk' when he was navigating the boat Murdaugh's wife Maggie (right) and his younger son Paul (left) were found shot dead on the family's property in June 2021 Last month, it was revealed that Murdaugh told law enforcement his wife's and son's murders were tied to the 2019 boat crash. Prosecutors say in a court filing obtained by DailyMail.com that the legal scion tried to throw investigators off the scent by falsely linking the murders with the fatal boat crash for which Paul, drunk at the helm, was facing criminal charges, while his father and older brother Buster were facing a wrongful death lawsuit. But, according to the state, the murders of Maggie and Paul were not revenge killings. Instead, they now allege, the 'only person with a true motive to kill his wife and son' was Murdaugh himself. In the document filed in Colleton County Court prosecutors write that the 'clouds of Murdaugh's past misdeeds' were gathering into 'a perfect storm that was going to expose the real Alex Murdaugh', who is, they say, 'an allegedly crooked lawyer and drug user who borrowed and stole wherever he could to stay afloat and one step ahead of detection.' They claim that he was facing imminent 'legal, financial and personal ruin.' That storm, they state, was due to break on June 7, 2021 the very day that they allege Murdaugh gunned down his wife and son in a bid to, 'shift focus' away from himself and 'buy some additional time to try and prevent his financial crimes from being uncovered.' For the first time in his life, prosecutors contend, Murdaugh was facing 'accountability' and the exposure of years of misdeeds and a mountain of debt running into millions. They will argue that he killed his own wife and son for no other reason than to create a distraction. The state alleges that Murdaugh was confronted with an 'immediate certainty of exposure,' on June 7, 2021 Prosecutors say disgraced legal scion Alex Murdaugh (pictured in court in August) tried to throw investigators off by falsely linking the murders of his wife and son with a fatal boat crash for which his son Paul was facing criminal charges The Murdaughs were once a very prominent legal dynasty in South Carolina On that day personnel from the family firm of which Murdaugh was once a partner - Peters Murdaugh Parker Elztroth & Detrick (PMPED) now rebranded the Parker Law Group LLP confronted Murdaugh about financial irregularities, with an ultimatum for answers by the end of the day, answers that Murdaugh knew he could not provide. Similarly, the walls were closing in on him in the wrongful death lawsuit as he was facing down the reality of having to produce financial documents at a discovery hearing just two days later, on June 9. Murdaugh knew, prosecutors allege, that producing his financial records for either party would mean exposure and ruin. Because, unknown to anyone, Murdaugh had been on an 'incessant financial rollercoaster,' for decades. Things only got worse following the boat crash as suddenly Paul was facing criminal charges, and the family was facing 'significant civil liability.' His status and reputation in the community only made things worse. A member of the Murdaugh family had served as solicitor South Carolina's equivalent of a district attorney for the 14th judicial circuit for more than 100 years starting with Murdaugh's great grandfather. But while outwardly Murdaugh gave the 'illusion' of wealth from his successful legal practice, the filing states, 'a series of bad land deals exacerbated by the recession permanently changed his finances.' Murdaugh was, the State alleges, overwhelmed by debts that required such, 'a velocity of money' just to service them that he turned to crime and fraud, syphoning off $8.7million in client settlements and taking out loans he had neither the intention nor the means of repaying. The filing states: 'Since people are naturally expected to love their wives and sons instead of brutally gunning them down, why Murdaugh did what he is accused of doing will unquestionably weigh on any rational juror's mind when deciding whether the State has met it burden of proof.' Prosecutors say Murdaugh was facing financial troubles when he allegedly murdered his wife and son. He has pleaded not guilty Murdaugh himself put motive 'front and center' the motion claims, 'through his own actions.' According to the prosecution, 'Within just thirty seconds of beginning to speak to the first officer to arrive at the crime scene on June 7, 2021 [he] suggested to law enforcement that the killer's motive stemmed from the February 2019 boat wreck that resulted in the tragic death of Mallory Beach. 'In fact, Murdaugh expressed certainty and stated that he knew 'that's what it is' to the responding officer.' In doing so, they claim, he falsely tried to tie the horrific events of that June night to something that had occurred more than two years earlier while he turned himself into an object of sympathy and support rather than scrutiny. Prosecutors allege he tried to heighten his profile as victim when suspicion began to fall on him by claiming to have been shot in the head in September 4, 2021. 'Only this time the facts came to light a lot quicker,' they point out. Within days Murdaugh had admitted to staging the incident on Old Salkahatchie Road claiming it was an attempted 'suicide for hire' and that his motive had been to secure his $10million life insurance pay out for older son Buster, 26. Murdaugh's motive is so vital to their case that the prosecution has asked the court to allow them to introduce evidence of some of the financial crimes of which Murdaugh stands accused even though he has not yet faced trial on those charges. This evidence should be admitted, the State argues, 'so the jury can assess why a man might murder his wife and son.' According to the State: 'This case is unique in South Carolina history for many reasons. One of those is that exposing what happened to Maggie and Paul necessarily has its roots in a corruption that began years go and festered until June 7 was the result.' Murdaugh is currently being held in the Alvin S Glenn Detention Center in Columbia where he is awaiting trial on multiple charges. His trial for the murders of Maggie and Paul is due to begin in Colleton County Court on January 23, 2023. He faces life in prison if convicted. Beach was thrown from the boat when it crashed into Archers Creek Bridge, in Beaufort South Carolina. Her body was found five days later Pictured: Coolers full of beers were seen on the boat. Paul was captured on security cameras inside a Parker's Kitchen convenience store using Buster's ID to purchase alcohol underage. The store was also named in the lawsuit brought by Mallory's family and the survivors Meanwhile, the family of Mallory Beach have reached a tentative settlement with Alex's only surviving son, Buster, in a $50million lawsuit. The cost of the settlement has not been made public, but ABC News 4 reported that it had been told it is a 'significant' amount. Reports say the settlement will mean that Buster and his late mother Maggie Murdaugh - who was accused of knowing her son Paul was drunk when he went out boating that night - are no longer named on the lawsuit. This would leave just Paul and Buster's father Alex Murdaugh and Parker's Kitchen convenience store, where Paul purchased alcohol underage, as the defendants. However, the settlement is not yet final. A hearing will be held Thursday by State Judge Daniel Hall in Lexington County. Microsoft is set to axe thousands of jobs, following in the footsteps of tech giants Amazon and Meta which have also announced huge cutbacks in recent months. The software giant, founded by billionaire Bill Gates, is reportedly slashing 5 percent of its 220,000-strong international workforce. That means up to 11,000 employees will lose their jobs - though insiders speculate the actual figure could be even higher. On Tuesday, Microsoft's shares were trading at $240.16, down over 20 percent from last year. Big technology companies are being forced to reduce their workforces in response to signs of a global economic slump, after many recruited tens of thousands of additional employees during the pandemic. Microsoft, headquartered in Washington, is set to axe 11,000 as it becomes latest tech giant to respond to global economic slowdown Microsoft's share value plummets over the past year as analysts Guggenheim downgrades its stock rating Earlier this month Amazon revealed it was planning to cut 18,000 jobs - or 6 percent of its workforce - while Facebook-owner Meta laid off approximately 11,000 roles in November. Meanwhile software provider Salesforce is slashing 8,000 jobs and personal computer manufacturer HP has axed 6,000. And Twitter owner Elon Musk has come under fire for firing thousands of employees without warning after his $44 billion takeover of the social media giant last year. Microsoft is now poised to make its own announcement within a matter of days, reports Sky News. A separate report from Insider said the firm could cut staff recruitment by one-third with many teams initiating a hiring freeze. The company has a market value of $1.78 trillion and is due to report second-quarter earnings next week. Of its 221,000 full-time employees, 122,000 are based in the United States as of June 30, according to its filings. In July last year the company said it was axing a small number of roles but would replenish its headcount again later in the year. Microsoft chairman and chief executive Satya Nadella is expected to update investors on its financial performance on January 24. Any workforce cutbacks are expected to be confirmed before then. Microsoft chairman and chief executive, pictured, is set to update investors on its financial performance on Jan 24 but job losses are expected to be announced before that One analyst told Sky News it expected the actual number of job losses to be even higher than those predicted. In October Microsoft warned of a slowdown in its cloud computing business. Nadella said at the time: 'In a world facing increasing headwinds, digital technology is the ultimate tailwind. 'In this environment, we're focused on helping our customers do more with less while investing in secular growth areas and managing our cost structure in a disciplined way. It comes as Microsoft is fighting a regulatory battle to secure approval of its potential $68 billion takeover of Activision Blizzard, the marker of cult-video game Call of Duty. Last month it also acquired a $1.8 billion stake in the owner of the London Stock Exchange as part of a long-term cloud computing partnership. Microsoft's stock rating was downgraded by analysts at Guggenheim ahead of its earnings next week. The firm wrote: 'While most investors see Microsoft as a large stable business that can weather any storm, it does have vulnerabilities, some of which could be exacerbated by this macro[economic] slowdown.' A spokesman for Microsoft told DailyMail.com the firm 'did not comment on rumour'. The devastated father of a young mother-of-two who was killed inside her apartment has broken his silence after losing his 'princess'. Dayna Isaac, 28, was found dead in her unit on Colless St in Penrith, in Sydney's west, on Monday afternoon. Her long-time friend who she'd only recently started dating, Paul Sultana, 32, has been charged with her murder and will face court on Wednesday. Ms Isaac's father, Garry English, received a knock on the door from police telling him the inconceivable news his daughter had been killed. 'I'm not in a good place. I'm in complete shock,' Mr English told the Daily Telegraph. Mr English often shared snaps of him and Ms Isaac together to his Facebook account, describing her as his 'princess'. Garry English is seen with his daughter Dayna Isaac who was allegedly murdered by her boyfriend on Monday His Facebook cover photo is a picture of the pair smiling while on the way to Ms Isaac's wedding to her ex-husband Mikkel Isaac. Other images show Mr English cuddling and playing with Ms Isaac's two young daughters. Her ex-husband shared his heartache on Tuesday night, and posted a moving tribute to the mother of his two daughters. 'Love you forever and always. I promise I'll look after our girls until we meet again my angel,' he wrote. He also posted a series of photos of the pair in happier times, including several of them kissing and dancing on their wedding day in 2017. Dayna Isaac, 28, was found dead in her unit on Colless St in Penrith, in Sydney's west, on Monday afternoon Dayna Isaac's boyfriend Paul Sultana (pictured right) has been charged with murder Ms Isaac's best friend has since set up an online fundraiser to help support the grieving family. 'Our beautiful Dayna was taken way too soon,' she wrote. 'Dayna was a friend to everyone. She leaves behind two beautiful children who will miss her dearly. As you can understand this is a difficult time for her friends and family. 'We are asking for donations to help give Dayna the send off she truly deserves and to help her family with the costs of raising her children.' Ms Isaac's (pictured) body was found by her boyfriend's mother inside her apartment on Monday afternoon Ms Isaac's body was found by Sultana's mother at about 4.15pm on Monday. Police had been called to the 28-year-old's home at 2.30pm after reports of a 'disturbance', but nobody came to the door. Detectives found her car burned out in bushland 13km away, near Castlereagh, a short time later. Ms Isaac's two daughters were not with her at the time she was killed. Sultana was arrested at about 3.25am on Tuesday and was charged with her murder. He will face Penrith Local Court on Wednesday. A 16-year-old was arrested on camera after shooting a New York police officer in the Bronx - as the officer left hospital hours later to a round of applause from his colleagues. Two teenagers, who haven't been identified, were approached by two officers in an unmarked car on Prospect Avenue and East 183rd Street at around 3am on Tuesday. The boys instantly ran away from the officers until one of the teenagers turned back and fired six shots - striking officer Paul Lee in the arm, who was sitting in the passenger seat. Despite being shot, Lee and the other officer, who wasn't injured, ran to chase down the teenagers. He was eventually caught by other officers in the area. The second suspect remains on the loose. 'Let me be clear, we will stop at nothing to ensure that these subjects involved in this shooting and the people who drive violence in this city will be brought to justice,' Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at a press conference. A 16-year-old with an extensive criminal record was detained for shooting a police officer in the arm. His name has not been released Paul Lee, New York police officer, was shot in the arm by a teenager in the Bronx. Lee was shot at 3am on Tuesday while in an unmarked police car A video posted online shows the suspect being arrested and placed in a cop car. An officer can be heard in the background saying: 'I want to look at him in the face.' Police showed a .32 caliber gun that was recovered from the 16-year-old and the bullet holes that went through the unmarked patrol car. The teenager has an extensive criminal track record and was last arrested in April for possession of a weapon, the New York Post reported. In May, he 'threatened' to bomb a high school in the Bronx after an altercation with a faculty member. The suspect has also had run in with his own family with his mom having reported him for stealing her car and property destruction, according to the news outlet. He also had an active October warrant for sexual abuse. Police showed a .32 caliber gun that was recovered from the 16-year-old A shattered windshield show where the bullet flew through the car and hit the officer Detectives were seen examining cars on the streets that were hit by bullets Cones were seen scattered around the crime scene on Tuesday Officer Lee was released from the hospital hours later on Tuesday afternoon. The NYPD taped him exciting the hospital in a wheelchair and arm sling. Several officers lined up and clapped for him as he made his way to a NYPD van. Mayor Eric Adams said Lee was proud to do his job and intervene where he was needed. 'I spoke with Officer Lee and his family and hes proud to have done his job on the frontline to deal with the violence that we have witnessed, particularly in the borough of the Bronx,' Adams said. Adams admitted at the press conference that there are too many guns in the hands of youth and used the shooting to promote gun control. 'Too many young people have too many guns in their hands,' Adams said. 'And out jobs is to create a pathway to stop that and to ensure that we remove these guns from our streets ' Mayor Eric Adams admitted at the press conference that there are too many guns in the hands of youth and used the shooting to promote gun control NY crime stats show that overall crime is up in the city by 3.42 percent in comparison to the same time last year So far in 2023, there have about 16 shooting incidents and 17 shooting victims as of January 8, according to NYPD crime statistics. About 463 felony assaults have also been reported along with 917 grand larceny incidents. At the start of the year, NYPD released its annual round-up of crime over the past year - and it has revealed that crime is up in virtually every category, despite recent assertions from the city's mayor. The statistics paint a bleak picture of the city's efforts to address crime that's rocketed since the pandemic. Adams, who himself is a former NYPD police captain, unveiled his 'Blueprint to End Gun Violence' early last year, along with a 'Subway Safety Plan' - both of which have so far proved largely ineffective, according to the new statistics. The data shows that rapes, robberies, and assaults are all up from last year, since hitting highs not seen in decades in both 2020 and 2021. U.S. climate envoy John Kerry told a group of attendees Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland that they were part of a 'select group of human beings' brought together by an 'extra-terrestrial' force to save the plan. The climate czar opened by thanking Brge Brende, president of the World Economic Forum in Geneva for getting him the 'best room I ever had here in 35 years.' Kerry then launched into a diatribe warning attendees that 'time is running out' to avoid climate change's 'worst consequences.' 'When you stop and think about it, it's pretty extraordinary that we select group of human beings because of whatever touched us at some point in our lives, are able to sit in a room and come together and actually talk about saving the planet,' Kerry mused. 'When you stop and think about it, it's pretty extraordinary that we select group of human beings because of whatever touched us at some point in our lives, are able to sit in a room and come together and actually talk about saving the planet,' climate envoy John Kerry said 'It's so... almost extra-terrestrial to think about, "saving the planet." If you say that to most people most people, they think you're just a crazy tree hugging and lefty liberal, you know, do-gooder, whatever.' Kerry who delivered the speech during a WEF session titled Philanthropy: A Catalyst for Protecting Our Planet -- decried that 'allegedly wise adult human beings' still ignored the science, mathematics and physics of climate change. 'I'm convinced we will get to a low-carbon, no-carbon economy we're going to get there because we have to,' he said. 'I am not convinced we're going to get there in time to do what the scientists said, which is avoid the worst consequences of the crisis,' he added. 'And those worst consequences are going to affect millions of people all around the world, [in] Africa and other places. Of the 20 most affected countries in the world from [the] climate crisis, 17 are in Africa.' Kerry spoke about the goal of keeping climate warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius. As to how to get there, he said: 'the lesson I've learned in the last years and I learned it as secretary [of State] and I've learned it since, reinforced in spades, is: money, money, money, money, money, money, money. And I'm sorry to say that.' Kerry said governments would need to ramp up their investments as would philanthropists to keep the cimate from warming 1.5 C Kerry said governments would need to ramp up their investments as would philanthropists. Funding in clean energy would need to more than triple its current levels by 2030 to around $4 trillion, according to the International Energy Agency. The 1.5 degree goal originated in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement that aims to 'limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.' 'You look at what's happening with species, half the species of the planet been already killed,' Kerry added. Kerry also complained that companies often publicly commit to a path towards zero emissions but don't disclose how they plan to get there. 'Let's face it, [a] whole bunch of companies in the world have chosen to say, 'I'm going to be net zero by 2050',' he said. 'And you and I, we know they don't have a clue how they're going to get there. And most of them are not on track to get there.' Republicans have mocked Kerry for criss-crossing the globe on emissions-heavy planes while trying to underscore a sense of urgency about the climate. Over around 15 months, Kerry flew more than 180,000 miles on flights that emitted more than 9.5 million pounds of carbon, roughly 300 times an Americans average annual carbon footprint, according to a Washington Free Beacon analysis. Kerry's office now says he flies commercially or on military aircraft after he was pummeled for using his wealthy wife Teresa Heinz Kerry's private jet to accept a climate award in Iceland in 2019. Prince Harry has been criticised for 'playing into Iran's propaganda machine' Prince Harry has been called a 'stupid boy' and told to 'take responsibility' after his confession of killing 25 Taliban was used by Iran to defend its hanging of a British-Iranian citizen. Current and former British military commanders have accused the Duke of Sussex of 'giving ammunition' to Iran's propaganda machine and exploiting his military career for financial gain. In response to UK criticism of its execution of Alireza Akbari, 61, at the weekend, Tehran said Britain was 'in no position to preach' on human rights after the prince's recent admission about killing Taliban in his memoir Spare. One commander said Harry had 'rendered himself a tool for the Tehran regime' while a colonel who served in Afghanistan said Harry should take responsibility for allowing Iran to compare its murder of a political opponent with lawful deaths in armed conflict. Prince Harry has been heavily criticised for confessing to killing 25 members of the Taliban after Iran used him to defend its hanging of a British-Iranian citizen Former First Sea Lord Admiral Lord West condemned Iran's actions executing Alireza Akbari but criticised Prince Harry, calling him a 'stupid boy' Former First Sea Lord Admiral Lord West told The Sun: 'Harry was a stupid boy saying what he said but there is no equivalence with what Iran is doing.' Colonel Richard Kemp, a former UK military commander in Afghanistan said: 'Harry should take full responsibility for giving ammunition to the murderous Iranian regime's propaganda machine. While all decent people will reject Iran's lies, many of their supporters will be strengthened by the ayatollahs' exploitation of the duke's ill-judged comments.' Former Royal Navy commander Rear Admiral Chris Parry agreed, suggesting the prince had effectively rendered himself a tool for the Tehran regime. He said: 'The Iranians are using him for propaganda purposes. Despite the clumsy words by Prince Harry, it is highly duplicitous to claim equivalence between the lawful killing of combatants in warfare and a show-trial and political murder by a dictatorial regime.' To the disappointment of many former colleagues and military commanders, the prince chose to reveal his personal tally of enemies accounted for. He also described dehumanising his opponents on the battlefield, thinking of them as 'chess pieces' who needed removing 'from the board', rather than human beings. Colonel Richard Kemp (pictured), a former UK military commander in Afghanistan said Harry had played into Tehran's hands The Iranian regime has used Prince Harry's confession that he killed 25 Taliban in Afghanistan to take aim at Britain amid the escalating row over the execution of Alireza Akbari (above) Iran exploited Harry's remarks after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described Mr Akbari's hanging, after being accused of being an MI6 spy, as a 'callous and cowardly act, carried out by a barbaric regime'. Yesterday Iran's Foreign Ministry fired back, tweeting: 'The British regime, whose Royal Family member sees the killing of 25 people innocent people as the removal of chess pieces and has no regrets over the issue, and those who turn a blind eye to a war crime, are in no position to preach to others on human rights.' Just days before his death Mr Akbari is thought to have been severely beaten in jail before he gave what appeared to be forced confessions. In an audio message broadcast on the BBC's Persian service he said he was tortured to make him admit to crimes he did not commit. His Iranian captors described him as 'one of the most important agents of the British intelligence service in Iran'. Prince Harry spent five months fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2012-13 as a gunner aboard an Apache attack helicopter. The Army Air Corps AH-64 was equipped with Hellfire missiles and a 30mm cannon capable of eviscerating and persons in its path. Harry's kills were recorded by a camera fixed to the helicopter's undercarriage. He also described watching the footage to tot up how many dead Taliban he was responsible for. Former Royal Navy commander Rear Admiral Chris Parry agreed, suggesting the prince had effectively rendered himself a tool for the Tehran regime Iran's Foreign Ministry said Britain had no right to criticise the country - which is headed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (above) - given Harry's revelation in his book that he had killed 25 Taliban fighters The admission brought widespread condemnation from military figures and fears of retaliation by militant supporters. Downing Street insisted the execution of Mr Akbari and the prince's remarks about his experiences in Afghanistan were separate issues. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'Nobody should be in any doubt the execution of Alizera Akbari was a barbaric and politically motivated act with no legitimacy. 'Any comparisons between that and servicemen and women carrying out legitimate actions would be entirely false.' Following Iran's exploitation of the prince's remarks, former Conservative leader Iain Duncan-Smith said he hoped Harry 'would reflect on that and not do something similar again'. He added: 'Iran criticising us on human rights grounds would be a joke if it wasn't for the fact that they are maniacal, brutal, violent and dangerous.' In the summer of 2021, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan with a lighting offensive that swept across the country in a matter of weeks Former Defence Minister Alex Shelbrooke said: 'I think Harry's words were unwise. Everyone is aware of the job military personnel do. They don't then seek to exploit that for their financial gain.' Tory MP Alicia Kearns, chairwoman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee, added: 'We will take no lectures from a terrorist state which weaponises human life, and industrialises hostage taking. 'Its rape and murder of innocent women demanding the end to their subjugation is heinous.' And former Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind said the comparison was 'absurd'. 'It shows the Iranians realise how badly they have behaved. The attempt to compare it with British troops, at the request of the Afghan government, fighting to protect Afghan democracy, is an absurd comparison by any standards,' he told the Mail. 'It's an attempt at cheap propaganda that won't convince even Iranians, never mind people in this country.' Paramount+ has removed Jeremy Renner's bloody wounds from The Mayor of Kingstown poster after the actor got into a gruesome snowplow accident. Ahead of the second season debuting on Sunday, the show's poster appeared a lot less horrendous as Renner's stern face lost the gory blood on his right temple and the bridge of his nose. The actor, 52, got into a snowplow incident on January 1, leaving him hospitalized until yesterday. The accident left him 'worse than anyone knows' after he was crushed by a 14,000-pound snowplow that ran over him in Washoe County, Nevada, near Reno. Renner had stopped to help a stranded family whose car broke down close to his mansion when he was run over, leaving him with blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries. He arrived at the hospital in critical condition, was it was downgraded to stable after surgery. Paramount+ has removed Jeremy Renner's bloody wounds (pictured) from The Mayor of Kingstown poster after the actor got into a gruesome snowplow accident (pictured: before) Ahead of the second season debuting on Sunday, the show's poster appeared a lot less horrendous as Renner's stern face lost the gory blood on his right temple and the bridge of his nose (pictured: after) The star has since watched episode one of the new season since returning home Now, the show - which the platform deemed the 'most dangerous show on television' - has changed its poster out of respect for Renner. 'Its good of the network,' show co-creator Hugh Dillion told the Hollywood Reporter. 'Everybody is sensitive to Jeremy.' Despite Renner horrific injuries, which could take years to heal, the show's creators, Dillion and Taylor Sheridan, are already working on season three. Since leaving the hospital, The Mayor of Kingdom star, who plays Mike McLusky on the show, revealed he has been able to watch episode one of the show with his family. He wrote on social media: 'Outside my brain fog in recovery, I was very excited to watch episode 201 with my family at home.' The news comes a day after friends revealed that Renner's injuries are much worse than feared and that he 'nearly bled out' and 'almost died' while waiting for help to arrive. The Hawkeye star appears to be eager to get back onto the snow at his Lake Tahoe property. Renner posted two pictures to Instagram on Monday from Nevada - one of snow covered rooftops with a message saying he missed his 'happy place' and another warning people to 'be safe' along with an image of a road covered in deep snow. Renner suffered blunt chest trauma after being run over by a 14,000 snow plow. He was released from the hospital yesterday His sister gave him a head massage while he was in the hospital as the star recovered The actor is reportedly aware of the extent of his injuries and has a long road to recovery ahead of him, with friends saying it could take up to two years before he is back in fighting shape. 'It's much worse than anyone knows. Jeremy is very aware of the fact that he almost died out there,' a source told Radar Online. 'The right side of Jeremy's chest was crushed, and his upper torso had collapsed. He also had a bad head wound that was bleeding and a leg injury.' 'Word is the damage to Jeremy's chest was so substantial it had to be reconstructed in surgery.' He was injured near his home in Lake Tahoe, Nevada (pictured) Emergency services had to airlift the television star to the hospital where he later underwent surgery on January 2 to place metal pins around his legs, along with chest surgery. 'So far, he's had two surgeries and he will likely require more in the weeks ahead on his leg. Doctors tend to space out operations to allow time for the body's natural healing process to kick in, and that's the case here,' the source continued. 'Jeremy was in a lot of pain and was having difficulty breathing. He knew he was in bad shape and that he might not make it out of this.' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday condemned the Russian bombardment on a Dnipro apartment complex, calling it a "war crime," and pledged to hold those responsible accountable. In his evening speech, Zelensky declared that everyone culpable for the "war crime will be identified and brought to justice," per CNN. There have been at least 40 fatalities and 25 more are still missing after the incident in the 11th month of the Russia Ukraine war. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) launched a "preliminary" inquiry that identified six Russian military personnel as being complicit in the attack. Volodymyr Zelensky remarked that the results of the investigation on Russia war crime will be announced soon, according to The Hill. Read Also: COVID-19 Increases Risk of Death on Pregnant Women Earlier on Sunday, Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council Chair Mykola Lukashuk reported that, aside from the casualties, 73 individuals were wounded, 14 of them children, in Russia's Saturday missile attack on the east-central Ukrainian city, as per a previous HNGN report on the Russia Ukraine war. Zelensky said earlier that rescue efforts would continue in the central Ukrainian city, even though Ukrainian officials have said it's already unlikely to rescue survivors in the wreckage from Saturday's strike in Dnipro, as reported by RTE. Military Aid Delivery Needs To 'Speed Up' President Volodymyr Zelensky in his nightly address has remarked that decision-making in delivering weapons to Ukraine needs to "speed up" after the tragic assault on an apartment building in the city of Dnipro. The Ukrainian head of state said that the attack signifies that Russia "is preparing new attempts to seize the initiative in the war, the fact that the nature of military action at the front requires new decisions on arms supplies." Volodymyr Zelensky added that the situation emphasizes the importance of coordination in "all the efforts of the coalition defending Ukraine and freedom." Related Article: Nepal Plane Crash Final Moments @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has refused to say whether he would ram an Indigenous Voice to Parliament through parliament even if it failed at the polls. Sky News host Chris Kenny told Mr Albanese that Australians required more detail on the proposal before they voted in a referendum later this year. Mr Kenny asked the Prime Minister twice if he would legislate regardless. Mr Albanese shied away from giving a decisive answer, instead saying he had faith in the public. 'I will follow what Indigenous people said,' Mr Albanese replied. 'This is a process that began in 2012, there was five years of consultation leading up to 2017. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people meeting at Uluru and coming up with the statement that they wanted.' 'Yes, sorry to interrupt, but we understand the process,' Mr Kenny cut in. 'If it failed, would you legislate a Voice anyway?' 'I'm not contemplating failure here. What I'm doing is being as optimistic as the Australian people are themselves,' Mr Albanese replied. The prime minister said he was confident Australians would throw their support behind the Voice to Parliament in an referendum later this year 'This is an opportunity to unite the nation, Chris. And I want Australians to take up that opportunity. It is a generous, gracious offer for non-Indigenous Australians to join with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.' The prime minister pointed out the former Liberal government could have legislated a Voice to Parliament 'any time', with Mr Kenny agreeing they had been 'slack'. He defended the proposal as 'conservative' and said enough detail had been provided to the Australian people ahead of the referendum. 'There is a lot of detail out there,' he said. 'We know what a voice is but we also know what it isn't.' Mr Albanese said more information would be provided when the legislation is put before Parliament, in order to 'enact' the referendum. Peter Dutton (left) has renewed calls for the prime minister (right) to provide more detail about the Indigenous Voice to Parliament 'In order to do that, the words and the constitutional changes will be a part of that legislation,' he continued. 'But a part of that debate will be what a Voice looks like. It will be considered as part of that process for all to see.' A parliamentary debate into the finer details of the proposed Voice to Parliament is expected to kick off in March. It comes amid amounting criticism over a lack of detail, with Opposition leader Peter Dutton accusing the leader of treating Australian people like 'mugs'. Last week, Mr Dutton demanded Labor flesh out its plan by answering 15 questions about the make-up of the proposed Voice and its function. He said his letter was issued on behalf of millions of Aussies 'who just want the detail' and claimed his rival 'making a catastrophic mistake' by not providing 'accessible, clear and complete' information on the proposed Voice. Anthony Albanese (pictured with Indigenous minister Linda Burney) branded Peter Dutton's demands as a 'cheap culture war stunt' Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney addressed the perceived lack of detail last week, labelling the Liberals' argument 'rubbish'. At the recent GQ Man of the Year Awards in Sydney, Mr Albanese delivered a rousing speech, calling for the nation to enact the Voice to Parliament. 'So, in 2023, you're going to get a say. You'll have the same vote that I do. Make sure that it counts,' he addressed the crowd. 'Make sure that you do something that will make you proud and that will make a difference to this country. It's a huge risk and it's a risk that First Nations elders are willing to take, because they're sick of waiting for recognition. 'And a Voice to Parliament is simply that: It's so they're consulted on matters that affect them, but also means that our nation's birth certificate is truly as it should be.' Authorities in Oklahoma have recovered the body of a child while searching for missing Athena Brownfield in rural Grady County outside of Rush Springs. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) said in a news release Tuesday evening that they cannot confirm that the remains are those of Athena, the four-year-old girl who was reported missing a week ago. Grim overhead photos shared by KOCO showed cops combing an isolated stretch of woodland, close to where the body was found. The remains will be transported to the Medical Examiner's Office in Oklahoma City for positive identification, authorities said. Athena was first reported missing on January 10 after a mail carrier found her five-year-old sister wandering alone outside their home on West Nebraska Avenue in Cyril. The postal worker called police, which prompted the search for Athena. Earlier today, newly-released court documents revealed that her caregiver, Alysia Adams, 31, told investigators that Athena was beaten to death by her estranged husband Ivon Adams, 36, on Christmas, and that he buried her body on property in Rush Springs where they used to live. Her remains are believed to have been found where Alysia said they'd been buried. This is where a body believed to be that of Athena Brownfield was found by cops close to Rush Springs in Oklahoma on Tuesday afternoon. She is feared to have been murdered by her caregiver's estranged husband Ivon Adams on Christmas Day Another overhead shot shows the desolated area where Athena's body was found Ivon Adams, 36, (left) allegedly beat Athena to death and buried her body, according to his estranged wife Alysia Adams, 31, (right) who told investigators it happened on Christmas The Oklahoma Bureau of Investigations continues to search for the remains of Athena Brownfield, 4, who was reported missing on January 10, but was allegedly killed on Christmas Alysia, who is related to the girls, reportedly told OSBI investigators that on Christmas around midnight, allegedly laid the child on the ground and hit her three times. She didn't move after that, according to the documents. She said that around midnight on Christmas, Ivon beat the little girl to death and held her up by her arms, the court documents revealed, according to KSWO. The child was not moving and her eyes were barely open, according to the document. He then laid her on the ground and punched her at least three more times in the chest, Alysia reportedly told investigators on January 12. Ivon then left the house on West Nebraska Avenue with the child's body around 1 a.m. on December 26. When Ivon returned home, he allegedly told Alysia that he buried Athena near a fence line that was next to their old residence in Rush Springs, Oklahoma, court documents revealed. He added that he placed a large broken branch over the grave. Phone records reportedly showed Ivon leaving the home and traveling to Rush Springs around 4:15 a.m. Ivon was arrested on Thursday in Arizona and will be extradited back to Oklahoma where he faces a murder charge. Alysia was arrested the same day and faces two counts of child neglect. Oklahoma Highway Patrol were seen searching for Athena in a body of water near her home The child vanished from this house in Cyril, Oklahoma, a small city 70 miles southwest of Oklahoma City, on January 10 The court documents also revealed that Ivon and Alysia never took the girls to the doctor for checkups and never enroll them in school. When Athena's sister Adina was interviewed by authorities last week, she had told them she had been home by herself and was 'tired of being alone.' The sisters' biological parents - who have not been named - have been interviewed by authorities and are cooperating with the investigation, the OSBI said. Athena's sister has been taken into protective custody. Volunteers and multiple law enforcement agencies have been involved in the search, which included a helicopter, boats, all-terrain vehicles, a specially trained ground team, and a review of surveillance video from around Cyril. A rapist policeman could keep his entire state-funded pension because he committed his appalling crimes while off duty. David Carrick has admitted 49 charges against a dozen women, including 24 counts of rape, but is still in line for 22,000 a year in retirement income whenever he is released from prison. The 48-year-old abused his police powers to target his victims, showing them his warrant card and saying: 'I'm a police officer, you're safe with me.' Scotland Yard said Home Office rules made it unlikely that he could be stripped of his gold-plated, final-salary pension. David Carrick has admitted 49 charges against a dozen women, including 24 counts of rape However London Mayor Sadiq Khan is pursuing a forfeiture action, backed by Home Secretary Suella Braverman. Met chief Mark Rowley is now grappling with the first major scandal of his four-month tenure by launching a review into 800 serving officers who have faced misconduct claims. He admitted yesterday that he could not guarantee that more sex offenders did not lurk in the ranks. The revelations came as: Detectives who investigated Carrick said they expected more victims to come forward; Watchdogs said officers who missed multiple warnings about the firearms officer would escape punishment; The Home Office announced a shake-up of disciplinary processes that would give forces greater powers to sack unfit and corrupt officers; A former victims commissioner called for Scotland Yard to compensate each of Carrick's victims; Dame Elish Angiolini, who is reviewing lessons from Sarah Everard's lockdown murder, will expand her inquiry to cover Carrick. Home Office guidelines state that 'forfeiture' applications to remove a police pension can be made when an officer has been convicted of a criminal offence committed in connection with their service which leads to a serious loss of confidence in policing. But a Met spokesman said this was unlikely because Carrick's offending was committed while off duty. Met chief Mark Rowley is now grappling with the first major scandal of his four-month tenure by launching a review into 800 serving officers who have faced misconduct claims Detectives who investigated Carrick said they expected more victims to come forward As an elite parliamentary protection officer with two decades on the force, Carrick is likely to have been paid about 43,000, a police source said. And the Met's gold-plated scheme means at 60 his pension would be worth 22,000 annually, according to calculations from Ian Cook at wealth management firm Quilter. This would cost the average private sector worker 730,000 to secure on the open market, said William Burrows of the Retirement Planning Project, a financial advice firm. Former home secretary Priti Patel said London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Home Secretary Suella Braverman should do everything possible to deny Carrick his entire pension. 'If he left prison with a pension pot of hundreds of thousands, with the majority coming from his employer, that would be ludicrous and unjustifiable,' she said. Former victims commissioner Dame Vera Baird said: 'There should be some room for sensible discretion here because in instances like this of course it would be appropriate to take a pension pot away from such a serious offender. What does it matter if he was on duty or not? I hope his victims will be compensated without having to go to court.' Freedom of information data shows that just 42 applications for forfeiture of police pensions were approved in the five years to November 2022. Former victims commissioner called for Scotland Yard to compensate each of Carrick's victims Police officers who face losing their pensions after being convicted of serious crimes can go to the High Court to fight their case. A senior police source said forfeitures happened only in extreme cases such as national security breaches, but Carrick's abuse of his position to facilitate offending meant there could be a strong case to seize his employer contributions. A spokesman for the Mayor's office for policing and crime in London said it would pursue forfeiture, arguing: 'It is clear that PC Carrick committed offences in connection with his service as a member of a police force.' The office is expected to discuss the case with the Met, then apply to the Home Secretary for a certificate of forfeiture for the pension to be taken away. Mrs Braverman said she supported the move but, even if the application was successful, Carrick would keep the 35 per cent of the pension pot he contributed himself. He is understood to have been letting out his home in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, to a family while on remand at more than 1,200 a month. His 80 offences came between 2003 and 2020 but a six-year gap between 2009 and 2015 has convinced detectives there are more victims. Hertfordshire Constabulary has set up a portal for women to come forward. Carrick will be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court in London on February 6. He is likely to face many years behind bars. A Texas man who shot and killed 23 people at an El Paso Walmart will not face the federal death penalty, prosecutors announced on Tuesday. Patrick Crusius, now 24, opened fire at the supermarket in August 2019, having posted a slew of racist material against Mexicans online and claiming his attack was 'a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas.' He will go on trial on 90 hate crime charges in January 2024, but will not be federally executed, after Joe Biden campaigned to end the federal death penalty and the attorney general instigated a moratorium in July 2021. Merrick Garland, the attorney general, said in a memo that 'serious concerns' have been raised about the use of the death penalty, 'including arbitrariness in its application, disparate impact on people of color, and the troubling number of exonerations in capital and other serious cases.' In a one-line filing published on Tuesday, federal prosecutors wrote: 'The United States of America hereby notifies the Court and Defendant PATRICK WOOD CRUSIUS that the Government will not seek the death penalty in the instant case.' Crusius could, however, still be executed by the state of Texas. A date for his state trial has not yet been set. Patrick Crusius 'has been diagnosed with severe, lifelong neurological and mental disabilities', his attorneys wrote in a court filing. He is pictured in court in October 2019 Crucius will go on trial on federal charges in January next year, and will not face the death penalty. A date has not yet been set for his trial on state charges, which could still see him executed Jaime, a bank teller who was inside the Walmart at the time of the shooting, was visibly upset when El Paso Matters told her the news. 'I hope he suffers a lot and spends the rest of his life rotting in jail,' she said. Another family, who lost a loved one in the shooting, told the paper they want him to face the death penalty at state level, even if not at federal. Chris Antcliff, a former justice with the 8th Court of Appeals, told the paper he was disappointed in the decision. 'This guy killed 23 El Pasoans, and he came into town intentionally just to kill Hispanics,' he said. 'And for our government not to seek the death penalty, when it is available to them, that is a travesty.' Leo Campos and Maribel Hernandez, married for 16 years, were killed in the August 2019 shooting Arturo Benavides, 60, (left) and Angelina Englisbee, 86, (right) were also among his victims Jordan Anchondo, 25, died shielding her two-month-old son from gunfire Crusius's lawyers argued that their client has diagnosed mental disabilities that should be a 'red flag' for prosecutors. They said Crusius 'has been diagnosed with severe, lifelong neurological and mental disabilities' and was treated with antipsychotic medication following his arrest moments after the massacre in El Paso. Jail mental health staff found the then-21-year-old to be in a 'psychotic state.' Crusius' mental health conditions were revealed in a request by his lawyers for more time to investigate these 'mitigating themes' because of the coronavirus pandemic. Crusius' mental health conditions, which have not been previously reported, were revealed in a request by his lawyers for more time to investigate 'Counsel must gather all of the information necessary to inform experts who will then be in a position to interview Mr. Crusius at the jail and render opinions regarding his mental status at the time of the shooting,' the motion said, CBS DFW reports. 'As of now, no experts can accomplish these things, as to date, they have either been under stay-at-home orders from the Government or their employers, or they are in a high-risk category for COVID and cannot travel to meet Mr. Crusius.' The court record also states Crusius was in special education for much of his schooling, but does not elaborate on his mental health. A lawyer for his family, Christopher Ayres, declined to comment. Crusius was arrested soon after the August 3, 2019 shooting. Police later said he confessed to driving to border city from his home near Dallas to target Mexicans. Soon before the attack, he posted a racist screed online that railed against Hispanics coming to the U.S., according to prosecutors. Crusius pleaded not guilty. The August 3, 2019 El Paso shooting left dozens wounded and ultimately killed 23 people About four dozen people were struck by gunfire, and 20 were killed outright during the August 3, 2019 shooting. Two more victims died of their wounds two days later. Another victim died in late April 2020. Police said they arrested Crusius near the shooting after he surrendered to officers, telling them he was targeting 'Mexicans.' They also attributed to him a four-page racist screed that decried a Hispanic 'invasion' of Texas and the U.S., and called for ethnic and racial segregation. Police said they arrested Crusius near the shooting after he surrendered to officers, telling them he was targeting 'Mexicans.' FBI agents in the aftermath of the shooting on August 3, 2019 The store where the shooting took place reopened in November 2019. Staff and community residents set up a memorial at the store The shooting was the largest terrorist attack targeting Hispanics in modern history, and spread fear throughout the Latino community. In the wake of the attack El Paso police said the Walmart had previously hired armed off-duty police officers to guard larger stores, but removed them at some point. The store where the shooting took place reopened three months later. The question isn't, 'What's going on with Britney?' The question, I think, is, 'What's going on with us?' Most of us have seen the video by now, Britney Spears seeming to have a mental health crisis in a restaurant. Her husband has since denied that Spears was having any kind of meltdown. Spears was lucid enough to spot another diner surreptitiously recording her and hid behind a menu. In fact, a restaurant employee said, 'the disruptor wasn't Britney it was the diner who taunted her by taking a video without consent.' So much of Britney's life has centered on the very issue of consent. It was the basis for the #FreeBritney movement, one that grew from grassroots online activism to a New York Times documentary to a deep-dive New Yorker investigation to Spears's own harrowing testimony, in 2021, detailing her life under conservatorship. That was the beginning of a nuanced and necessary conversation about mental health in America or so we thought. When Britney Spears was first placed under conservatorship, it did seem necessary: She had clearly been in crisis, shaving her head, attacking a paparazzo's car with an umbrella, and suffering enough that she had been placed on a temporary involuntary psychiatric hold in Los Angeles in 2008. As Spears testified in 2021, however, she became well enough to release several studio albums, go on world tours, perform on television and complete a massively successful Las Vegas residency., employing thousands of people in the process. 'I don't know why she still has a conservatorship,' one of her psychiatrists told The New Yorker. The judge didn't either. Everyone, it seemed, was rooting for Britney and her freedom. Most of us have seen the video by now, Britney Spears seeming to have a mental health crisis in a restaurant. Her husband has since denied that Spears was having any kind of meltdown. But now that she has it, it seems we're all second-guessing her. Does this feel fair? Just because Spears was found by a judge to be capable of making her own decisions, that doesn't mean her story ends with a nice little bow. It doesn't mean she might not still be suffering or struggling. And really, after the trauma of being under such oppressive control for thirteen years who wouldn't struggle? Britney Spears was under that involuntary conservatorship for thirteen years. In her testimony before a judge in 2021 testimony she argued should be public record she talked of not being allowed to make a single decision for herself, whether that was replacing her kitchen cabinets or having her own cell phone or removing her IUD. 'I truly believe this conservatorship is abusive,' she told the judge in part. 'I want to be able to get married or have a baby. I was told right now in the conservatorship, I'm not able to get married or have a baby. I have an IUD inside of myself right now, so I don't get pregnant. I wanted to take the IUD out so I could start trying to have another baby. But this so-called team won't let me go to the doctor to take it out because they don't want me to have children any more children.' When it comes to women and mental illness, we still have a long way to go. The twentieth century is littered with examples of complicated women who were dismissed as crazy and institutionalized against their will, from Rosemary Kennedy (forcibly lobotomized) to Frances Farmer to Gene Tierney to Marilyn Monroe. The etymology of 'hysterical' is from the Greek 'husterikos' 'of the womb.' We should know better, but 'crazy' still looks different on women. Women are hysterical. Men are complicated, or have demons, but their individual autonomy is rarely in question. What happened to Britney Spears was terrifying. Her conservatorship, as The New Yorker's Ronan Farrow and Jia Tolentino reported, took a judge ten minutes to grant. Spears spent the next thirteen years trying to get out of it, and as we learned, conservatorships are notoriously hard to reverse. Spears said she was forced to perform against her will, once suffering from a 104-degree fever. She said she had been forced to take drugs that turned her into a zombie. She said her father, who had a history of addiction and who she claimed had been abusive, should never have been in charge of her conservatorship. She didn't understand why she was forced to pay a court-appointed attorney over $500,000 a year when her own annual living expenses were less than that, or why her father was able to limit her to a $2,000 per week allowance when she had signed a $15 million deal to be a judge on 'X-Factor.' So much of Britney's life has centered on the very issue of consent. It was the basis for the #FreeBritney movement The conundrum remained: How could this woman pull in such money, perform in high-profile jobs, but be wholly unable to care for herself? Spears also had enough self-awareness to tell the judge that she knew she needed therapy and wanted to continue with it. She said she was confused as to why she couldn't see the friends she made in Alcoholics Anonymous. 'I'm not able to see my friends that live eight minutes away from me, which I find extremely strange,' she testified. ' . . . This conservatorship is doing me way more harm than good. I I deserve to have a life.' Britney Spears testified, during COVID lockdown, to feeling alone. Who among us didn't feel sympathy? Even Elizabeth Warren and Matt Goetz united in a bipartisan effort to #FreeBritney. So did many other lawmakers. 'Reproductive coercion is wrong period,' Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) tweeted at the time. 'Everyone should have the freedom to make choices over their own bodies and reproductive care.' Ted Cruz agreed, calling the conservatorship 'freaking ridiculous' and something that 'needs to end.' Now that it's happened, the culture has turned on Britney Spears. Why? Is it her exhibitionism on Instagram? Is it a discomfort with her sexuality? Not for nothing, but this is a woman who was highly sexualized when she was just 16 years old. Do you think today's culture would abide a 16-year-old posing seductively in bed, dressed in a bra and panties and holding a stuffed animal, as a teenage Britney did for Rolling Stone in 1999? Or consider it okay for Diane Sawyer to badger Spears about her virginity and her sex life, as Sawyer did in a televised 2003 interview? Or for Britney to be blamed for her high-profile break-up with Justin Timberlake, castigated as a slut who cheated? Just because Spears was found by a judge to be capable of making her own decisions, that doesn't mean her story ends with a nice little bow. It doesn't mean she might not still be suffering or struggling. Britney Spears may never be fully well. A childhood spent in the spotlight, with her parents on her payroll not to mention a family history of addiction, mental illness, and suicide all but ensured that. There may be no more prominent, poignant example of how complicated mental illness is than Britney Spears. Her case is a stark reminder of how far we have to go in understanding its root causes, its multiple manifestations, its misdiagnoses and over- and under-corrections. Britney may be free, but she still needs us to root for her. A Scotland Yard officer who oversaw schools has been found dead just as he was due to be charged over a stash of child porn and boys' pants allegedly found hidden in a secret room. The body of Richard Watkinson was found at his home after he failed to report to a police station last week on the morning he was due to be charged. It followed an investigation by police watchdogs and the Met that revealed the chief inspector had a secret room in his house, hidden behind a trap door, where he reportedly kept a huge quantity of childrens underwear, sex toys and images of child abuse said to be of the utmost severity. The Met was facing questions about safeguarding last night because it can now be revealed that the 49-year-old was a prominent officer in its west area basic command unit where he was the schools portfolio lead for neighbourhoods. The body of Richard Watkinson was found at his home after he failed to report to a police station last week on the morning he was due to be charged. It followed an investigation by police watchdogs and the Met that revealed the chief inspector had a secret room in his house, hidden behind a trap door, where he reportedly kept a huge quantity of childrens underwear, sex toys and images of child abuse said to be of the utmost severity The Met was facing questions about safeguarding last night because it can now be revealed that the 49-year-old was a prominent officer in its west area basic command unit where he was the schools portfolio lead for neighbourhoods Although investigators found no evidence that any child had been abused by him, his potential access to schools causes concern. A joint investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct and the Mets professional standards unit was launched in 2021. It led to a raid on Watkinsons home in Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire, where the unmarried officer was the director of a residents association. There, investigators were apparently stunned by the colossal scale of the paraphernalia, childrens underwear and disturbing imagery found on his phone and computers. The material is said to have been Category A and B the two most serious bands which feature children being sexually abused. He was arrested on July 9, 2021, over allegations of misconduct, sending obscene messages, corrupt exercise of police powers and data protection breaches. Eleven days later he was held on suspicion of offences including conspiracy to distribute indecent images of children, voyeurism and misconduct in public office. The arrest and suspension of the senior officer, nicknamed Sir Smashy after a Harry Enfield character, sent shockwaves through the force. He had been regarded as a popular and senior officer selected by the Met to give public statements following high-profile stings and police operations. A lengthy and complex investigation was carried out into the case by Met specialist crime officers in liaison with officers in Scotland and Lincolnshire. Last week Watkinson had apparently been due to report to a police station where he was to be charged with seven offences, including making indecent images of children, conspiracy to distribute or show an indecent photograph of a child, misconduct in public offence and voyeurism. The alarm was raised when he failed to show up. Yesterday a former colleague said there had been concerns about his access to children and suggested he had taken his own life because of all the pressure he was under. They said: He was arrested some time ago and when everyone found out it was a huge shock. Thames Valley Police said his death was unexplained but it was not considered suspicious. The Federal government is considering letting Australians get a fifth COVID shot in preparation for winter - as case numbers drop in half over the past month. The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation is set to give their advice on expanding eligibility for another booster shot soon. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler told the ABC's 7.30 program that the Albanese government was eagerly waiting for that advice. 'I've made clear that advice to me from ATAGI, the Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, was that we should expect advice from them very early this year about an additional booster dose,' he said. The Albanese government is waiting for advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation on a fifth COVID booster (stock image) 'ATAGI and governments are thinking particularly about being prepared for the next winter.' 'We need to think about additional communications campaigns to the community about the need for them to consider very seriously getting those additional boosters, and that work is underway in government right now as well.' Only adults with a severely compromised immune system can get a fifth vaccine dose currently. There has been an average of 6500 Covid cases per day recorded in Australia this month. This is a fall from the 15,000 infections reported in December. ATAGI initially recommended against getting a fifth COVID-19 vaccine shot last November. That advice was provided after evidence emerged from Singapore that a fifth shot had a trivial effect on virus transmission in the country. The evidence also showed that serious illness or death was rare amongst vaccinated people. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler (pictured) says the government is working on 'communications campaigns' that will urge the community to get their boosters 'ATAGI has considered international evidence as well as the local data around vaccination numbers, as well as case numbers in the pandemic and decided not to recommend a fifth dose,' Mr Butler said at the time. 'They noted that severe disease and death during that wave in Singapore was very rare for people who had had at least two doses of vaccine for COVID.' The health minister urged Australians to get the recommended number of booster shots regardless. Anthony Albanese has compared the Indigenous Voice to Parliament to the Sydney Harbour Bridge in a combative radio interview. The prime minister was questioned about the details of the proposed advisory body at least six months ahead of a referendum on its creation. For 21 minutes he tried explain that the gritty detail of how the Voice would function was yet to be determined, and the referendum would ask a simple question. Opponents of the Voice fear the referendum could become a 'bait-and-switch' in which the public gives approval only to find out later what that means in practice. Mr Albanese tried to allay those concerns by using the bridge analogy first made by indigenous leader Noel Pearson about the difference between the vote and subsequent detail-laden legislation. He said the referendum was like deciding whether or not to build the Sydney Harbour Bridge without getting lost in arguments over how many lanes it would have or what the tolls should be. Anthony Albanese has compared the Indigenous Voice to Parliament to the Sydney Harbour Bridge in a combative radio interview Radio 2GB host Ben Fordham insisted Australians were entitled to see details of the planned 'bridge' before they made a decision on whether or not to proceed. Mr Albanese said a detailed report by Professors Marcia Langton and Tom Calma released in July 2021 put forward potential models for the Indigenous Voice. The report goes into great detail about how it would work, both at a local and national level, and the PM previously said the Voice would be based on it. 'Go have a look at the report, it is 260 pages long. it goes through [detail about] the national and regional Voice,' he told Fordham. Fordham said Australians should not be required to read 260-page report of proposals in order to know what they were being asked to vote on. 'You're losing people when you constantly refer to reports... this is a radio show,' he said, demanding to know if Voice members would be elected or appointed. Mr Albanese said he would answer if he could get a word in between the questions. 'It (the report) envisages two people from each state and territory and a group of people specifically representing remote communities,' he said. Poll Do you understand the Indigenous Voice to Parliament? Yes No Do you understand the Indigenous Voice to Parliament? Yes 84 votes No 1698 votes Now share your opinion When Mr Fordham interrupted to ask how they would be chosen, Mr Albanese accused him of 'not being interested in the answer'. Eventually Mr Albanese explained that, in NSW as an example, there was already work being done to establish a local Voice with members elected by indigenous people in that state. Members of the national Voice would be chosen from those representatives, along with those of other states and territories. The prime minister did not rule out legislating the Voice into existence even if the referendum failed, as the vote was specifically on whether the body should be enshrined in the constitution, not on whether it exists at all. 'If Australians say no, there will be no constitutional change,' he said The radio host asked several specific questions, including whether Voice members would be paid and if it would have an office in Canberra. Mr Albanese insisted 'the question before the Australian people is a really simple one'. 'Our constitution doesn't go to whether there is an office somewhere or not, it doesn't even have the office of prime minister in it,' he said. 'He said all of the 'serious detail' will be included in legislation that would be voted on in the House of Representatives and Senate. The PM accused Mr Fordham of already knowing this but seeking to mislead listeners. 'You could come up with 50 theoretical questions about a whole range of issues to undermine what is a very simple principle,' he said. 'And the second is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people asked us to have a process, and what they wanted that process to come up with is the Uluru Statement of the Heart in 2017... which is asking for a Voice.' Radio host Ben Fordham insisted Australians wanted to see details of the planned 'bridge' before they made a decision on whether or not to proceed Mr Fordham insisted he was posing the questions that many Australians had about the referendum. 'Please don't tell me what I know and don't know... I'm genuinely asking these questions,' he said. Mr Albanese also refuted claims members of the Voice or others could take the government to court for not acting on its advice, or if they were not consulted on particular legislation. The PM in November said the referendum would be held in the second half of this year, with analysts tipping October as the most likely month. That gives the government nine months to make its case and draw up plans for the Voice that voters could use to make their decision. Mr Albanese said there would be a parliamentary inquiry into what words would be added to the constitution, which voters could make submissions to. Parliament would then make a final decision through legislation in the lead-up to the referendum being called. The five questions that MUST be answered before the Voice to Parliament referendum How would the Voice work? How it would work is one of the key questions Australians need answered before they can be expected to cast an informed vote. Planning for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament has been underway since the Uluru Statement from the Heart in 2017 with experts consulting on a proposed model. The final report by Professors Marcia Langton and Tom Calma, submitted to the former Morrison Government in July 2021, outlines how it could look. Two separate but complementary systems would be created: a National Voice, and at least two dozen location and regional Voices. The latter would be a panel focused on local issues with a varying structure dependent on the specific needs of the area. The final report by Professors Marcia Langton and Tom Calma, submitted to the former Morrison Government in July 2021, outlines how the Voice could look Each would provide advice to their respective local and state governments, as well as the federal government where appropriate, on issues concerning local indigenous people. How each Voice operated and worked with government would be collaboratively agreed to, so as best to address local circumstances. 'Local and regional Voices will work with their communities to decide their aspirations, goals and priorities,' the report stated. 'They will then come together with all levels of government at a 'partnership table' to provide advice, develop plans, and jointly consider how existing and future investment into the region should be used to provide the best outcomes.' Three models were proposed for 25, 30, or 35 local and regional Voices, weighted towards the states and territories with bigger indigenous populations. Three models were proposed for 25, 30, or 35 local and regional Voices, weighted towards the states and territories with bigger indigenous populations The National Voice would consist of 24 members, evenly split between men and women serving for up to two four-year terms, changing every two years. Two would come from each state and territory plus two from the Torres Strait Islands north of Cape York in Queensland, plus five from remote areas and one Torres Strait Islander living on mainland Australia. Two co-chairs of different genders, serving for two years each, would oversee the Voice, and be supported by the independent Office of the National Voice. The Voice would be strictly advisory and not involved in delivering services or other practical applications. Mr Albanese has indicated this model would form the basis of the Voice's design and be refined as the debate evolved. However, Aboriginal leader and former Labor Party president Warren Mundine is concerned the National Voice wouldn't be able to speak for indigenous Australians as a whole. The National Voice would consist of 24 members - two would come from each state and territory plus two from the Torres Strait Islands north of Cape York in Queensland, plus five from remote areas and one Torres Strait Islander living on mainland Australia He said there were hundreds of tribes and family groups with their own language and culture and didn't all share the same views. 'I'm a Bundjalung, so I can't really speak for the Gadigal, for example,' he told Daily Mail Australia. This would not be an issue for the local and regional voices, but may causes legitimacy issues for a national body of 24 members. Country Liberal Party senator Jacinta Price also argued the perception that all indigenous Australians support the Voice was wrong. 'There has been a racial stereotype created around how Aboriginal Australians think and act and behave and we don't generalise in that way about white Australians, or Italian-Australians or Asian-Australians,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'So why should we continually have that way of thinking imposed upon us as indigenous Australians? Again it is a racial stereotype and I won't have a bar of it.' She told said the Voice was being most supported by an 'educated class' of Aboriginal Australians who did not take into account the most marginalised. 'It's those many individuals that do live successful lives that are pushing for this notion of a Voice, disregarding the most marginalised whose first language is not English, who still engage with traditional culture,' she said. 'Half of my family are those people - they have been largely ignored by those of the more educated class of Indigenous heritage who overlook a lot of the reasons why my mob are very much marginalised.' What can the Voice advise government on? What is less well defined is what issues the National Voice would be empowered to advise the government on, and how it would be considered. The only discussion in the report about the scope of the Voice was that the advisory body itself would decide. 'Advice would focus on matters of national significance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The National Voice would determine which issues it would provide advice on,' it read. Mr Albanese has indicated this model would form the basis of the Voice's design and be refined as the debate evolved Professors Langston and Calma considered recommending restrictions to the Voice's scope but decided against it. 'Restricting the scope of the advice function would diminish the role of the National Voice as a national, broad-based representative body for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and reduce its ability to influence the Australian Parliament and government,' they wrote. Mr Albanese has moved to shut down speculation that the Voice would push for reparations to Aboriginal people for past wrongs, and that it would amount to a 'third chamber' of parliament. He clarified the Voice would be 'subservient' to parliament and only empowered to advise and consult, which he called 'just good manners'. How much will it cost? How much the Voice would cost must necessarily be included in legislation, as it would need to be allocated funding by various levels of government. So far the only figure mentioned is $31.8 million set aside in the 2022-23 federal budget to set up the local and regional Voices, with more expected from other levels of government. Holding a referendum is an expense in itself, but since the last one, to make Australia a republic, was in 1999 there isn't a straightforward number yet. The same sex marriage plebiscite cost about $160 million in 2019, but that was a voluntary postal vote not an in-person compulsory ballot. What Anthony Albanese has said about how the Voice would work On why the Voice should be in the constitution: 'The thing that enshrining in the Constitution does, it ensures that the Voice cannot be eliminated or silenced by a change of government or a change of prime minister. 'When it operates, people will wonder why we didn't do it before. I see this similar to the apology for the stolen generations or the 1967 referendum or native title.' On when Australians will know the details: 'We will need a referendum, legislation has to occur for that to advance, there will be a debate in the parliament as well. Inevitably, as part of that debate, there will be discussion about the extensive work of Marcia Langton and Tom Calma, extensive debate, about what a Voice to Parliament might look like in terms of regional structures. 'A particular model [has] been put forward by them that envisages a national model, but also with equal representation of male and female representatives. Particular quarantining of representation to ensure remote communities are represented and a regional structure as well... that will be advanced during the legislative debate. It will determine, when it is clearer, what an appropriate date for a referendum should be.' On how the Voice would relate to parliament: 'It not seeking something that is above parliament. It is something that is subservient to the parliament. 'It will be just an advisory group. The parliament remains sovereign. 'People should be consulted on matters that affect them, that's just good manners.' Advertisement Will it just be another big bureaucracy? Proponents of the Voice also need to dispel the perception in some corners that it amounts to another do-nothing expensive bureaucracy slowing down lawmaking. Senator Price, the only one of the 11 indigenous federal MPs to oppose the Voice, is perhaps the most prominent. 'And my biggest concern with this idea of a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament is it's another bureaucracy,' she said on Q&A days after her first speech. 'It's not something new. It's just enshrining a bureaucracy into the constitution. 'And if there are bureaucracies that have failed and [people] have not been accountable, how are we going to adjust this, which will exist in the constitution and can't be dismantled should it fail?' Senator Price repeated this concern several times in an interview over the weekend, arguing it was unlikely to help indigenous people in any practical way. 'The Voice to Parliament like this one, it doesn't actually detail how it's supposed to help. It feels like just another bureaucracy. We've had that much bureaucracy over our lives in Australia,' she said. Proponents of the Voice also need to dispel the perception in some corners that it amounts to another do-nothing expensive bureaucracy slowing down lawmaking Ms Burney, on the same Q&A program, tried to shoot down this worry and stressed there would be extensive consultation with indigenous people to prevent it. 'And when it comes to another bureaucracy, it is going to be a body that we will consult with - you and everyone else on what it will look like and how it will operate,' she said. But the Voice will come with an army of staffers, all of whom need to be paid, and will inevitably involve endless meetings, proposals, and reports. Over time, there are fears it will become bloated and bogged down in process, unable to effectively carry out its mission. One Nation senator Pauline Hanson, who has taken it upon herself to lead the campaign against the Voice, compared it to the failed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission. 'I feel compelled to note that the annual funding of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission in its final years was well north of a billion dollars,' she said in parliament on last Wednesday. The ATSIC was formed in 1990 by the Hawke Government with a similar mission to the Voice, but also oversaw various programs for indigenous people. By 2001 it was embattled by historic rape accusations against its chairman and was investigated for corruption and embezzlement. Two years later, a review found it was not connecting well with indigenous Australians and was not serving them as intended. Both the Howard Government and the Labor opposition agreed ATSIC had failed and it was dismantled in 2005. A 14-person National Indigenous Council succeeded as a temporary measure, but was wound up in 2008 without a permanent replacement. A key difference between the ATSIC and the Voice is that the latter would be a solely advisory body without any responsibility for running programs - and the cash that goes along with that. Aboriginal leader and former Labor Party president Warren Mundine has many concerns about the Indigenous Voice to Parliament The requirement for gender balance would also address another major criticism of ATSIC - that it was dominated by men. Deciding exactly what the Voice looks like in detail would require a thorough reexamination of the ATSIC to see what not to do. Mr Mundine said he was not convinced any representative model would work, as shown by ATSIC and many other attempts like it. 'We've tried this five or six times (since Whitlam) and it hasn't worked. We can't keep doing the same thing over and over again and hoping for a different result,' he said. 'We've got 50 years a policy that shows it doesn't work.' Will Australians vote for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament? A poll by the Australia Institute in July found not just strong support for the Voice, but for it to be added to the constitution. The poll found 65 per cent would vote yes, up from 58 per cent when the same poll was run in June. Some 14 per cent said they would vote no with the other 21 per cent undecided. Support was highest among Greens voters, but even 58 per cent of those Coalition aligned would vote yes. Some 59 per cent of One Nation voters would cast a yes ballot, despite its leader Pauline Hanson leading the charge against it. This was up from 35 per cent in June. For a referendum to succeed, a majority of the states must also vote yes, but the poll showed that was also easily covered. All of the four biggest states had comfortable majorities with Victoria on 71 per cent, Queensland 66 per cent, WA 63 per cent and NSW 62 per cent. Support was highest at 85 per cent for Australians aged 18-29 but those over 50 were still above 50 per cent yes. Advertisement The politician turned businessman was also concerned about what would happen if the Voice was enshrined into the constitution and failed. 'What if it doesn't work? We'd be stuck with it,' he said. 'If they're going to try, just do it with legislation now and if it stuffs up, like it has in the past, then we can get rid of it.' Mr Mundine argued Aboriginal people were already able to advise the government through their MPs and various Aboriginal organisations. 'When I go to Canberra I'm, tripping over more blackfellas talking to politicians than any other group. So what's the difference?' he said. 'We don't have to spend $100 million to do it... Aboriginal people are quite capable of representing themselves.' Will the Voice actually improve indigenous lives? Perhaps the greatest unknown is whether the Voice will actually result in substantive improvements to the lives of indigenous Australians. Critics like Senator Price said a decent chunk of their opposition was that they would rather focus on practical measures and viewed the Voice as largely symbolic. 'We hear the platitudes of motherhood statements from our now prime minister, who suggests without any evidence whatsoever that a Voice to Parliament bestowed upon us through the virtuous act of symbolic gesture by this government is what is going to empower us,' she said in her maiden speech. 'His government has yet to demonstrate how this proposed voice will deliver practical outcomes and unite rather than drive a wedge further between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. 'No, prime minister, we don't need another handout and no we indigenous Australians have not come to agreement on this statement.' Country Liberal Party senator Jacinta Price argued the perception that all indigenous Australians support the Voice was wrong in her maiden speech to parliament Closing the gap between indigenous Australians and the rest of the country is an enduring and expensive issue that has proved tough to solve. About $30.3 billion is spent on indigenous Australians every year, though only $5.6 billion of that is used for programs specifically targeting First Nations people with the rest being part of services all Australians use. Senator Price frequently cites issues such as domestic violence, child sexual abuse, and alcoholism in Aboriginal communities as the most pressing concerns. 'We need to move away from the racial element and say ''right who's marginalised, why are they marginalised, and let's look at the circumstances and deal with them,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'As opposed to saying "here are blanket measures for people belonging to the indigenous race and that's ever increasing because people can just tick a box nowdays".' Instead of an Indigenous Voice that she feels is largely symbolic and bureaucratic, she wants government to focus on addressing these problems right now. She criticised the NT Government for letting bans on alcohol in many Aboriginal communities expire as a colossal error, along with Mr Albanese's move to scrap cashless welfare cards that can't be used to buy alcohol. Senator Price also argued claims of racism causing the high rate of indigenous people being locked up was a 'false narrative'. 'You hear the activist class talk about the shame of high incarceration rates and they want to provide measures that make it less likely for an Aboriginal person to be locked up,' she said. 'But we've got to remember the number one reason why we're incarcerated at such a high rate is acts of violence. Closing the gap between indigenous Australians and the rest of the country is an enduring and expensive issue that has proved tough to solve 'Usually that violence is metered out against our own people, to those that we're supposed to love and support and protect. 'So if we actually begin to look at things from a more honest perspective, we might be able to overcome some of these challenges. 'If we stop the violence, we lower rates of incarceration dramatically but no-one wants to look at it from this perspective. 'We look at it through the lens of Aboriginal people being oppressed by white Australia and ''White Australia is the cause of all our problems and therefore responsible for all our problems'' when we need to take that responsibility ourselves to solve all our problems.' Senator Price also argued soft bails laws were making the problem worse and needed to be overhauled. 'More often than not instead of being remanded, perpetrators are put on bail, and more often than not while on bail they perpetrate more violence,' she said. 'We need change and we need the right legislation to affect it.' Mr Mundine echoed Senator Price's view that poverty, substance abuse, and violence in Aboriginal communities were bigger priorities. 'Half of Aboriginal people in jail are there for serious, violent crimes,' he said. 'Can't people (in Canberra) see the correlation between that and alcohol and drugs? The number of people who are beaten and raped and sexually abused?' Senator Price criticised the NT Government for letting bans on alcohol in many Aboriginal communities expire as a colossal error Perhaps the greatest unknown is whether the Voice will actually result in substantive improvements to the lives of indigenous Australians He gave the example of Kumanjayi Walker, a 19-year-old Aboriginal boy who was shot dead by a white policeman after stabbing him in the shoulder with scissors in 2019. Walker was wanted for numerous charges and had a history of violent crime. Zachary Rolfe, the officer who shot him, was acquitted of all charges at trial. 'That kid was was doomed from conception,' Mr Mundine said. 'His mother was an alcoholic who took drugs and he was born with foetal alcohol syndrome - you become violent and he was a threat in that community, and there are hundreds of these people around.' Mr Mundine said Jenny Macklin, indigenous affairs minister under the Rudd and Gillard governments, handled the issues better than Labor was so far this term. 'She went to Aboriginal communities and listened to people and that's how we got the cashless welfare cards and focusing on violence against women and children,' he said. 'This is why Jacinta Price has offered to take politicians into indigenous communities. 'Scrapping of the card is a dreadful decision. I'll tell you what I told Jenny Macklin all those years ago: Listen to the women. 'You'll find they have opposite views to the Aboriginal leadership based in the cities. After traveling to the bush, Jenny Macklin came back a supporter.' However, on the other side there are those who believe an Indigenous Voice to Parliament could have addressed these issues before they were made into law. Kumanjayi Walker (pictured), 19, was shot dead by police in Yuendumu, NT on November 9, 2019 Mr Mundine said Jenny Macklin, indigenous affairs minister under the Rudd and Gillard governments, handled the issues well after visiting Aboriginal communities (pictured) Former Liberal Party vice president Karina Okotel argued a Voice enshrined in the constitution could have told the NT Government to keep remote communities dry, and and retain the cashless welfare card. Mr Mundine said the focus should instead be on lifting indigenous communities out of poverty through education and economic opportunity. 'Why are we going to have a bunch of people sitting in Canberra, like we did last time and it failed?' he said. 'I can tell you a lot of different Aboriginal programs that would love to have $100 million to deal with the real day to day issues.' He praised the success of the Indigenous Procurement Policy where three per cent of government contracts were given to indigenous firms. Under the scheme, grants to indigenous businesses rose to more than $1 billion between 2015 and 2020. 'It created 3,000 businesses that hire people and it didn't cost a cent because the government was going to award the contracts anyway,' he said. 'They're putting more money into indigenous communities than the government.' Mr Mundine said improving business opportunities and education kept kids in school and people employed, and reduced crime because they could see a link between staying in school and jobs. Lynn took notes throughout the preliminary hearing on Tuesday morning The human remains were allegedly burnt by Lynn after he allegedly killed them Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73, vanished in the Wonnangatta Valley last year Jetstar pilot Gregory Lynn, 55, has been charged with two counts of murder Elderly camper Carol Clay was shot through the head and killed when her secret lover Russell Hill attempted to grab a gun away from former Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn, a court has head. Gregory Lynn, 55, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Monday charged with the murders of Mr Hill, 74, and Ms Clay, 73. Forensic expert Mark Gellatly revealed Lynn claims Ms Clay was killed instantly when his shotgun accidentally discharged a round into her head. Lynn took notes from behind protective glass within the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Tuesday Russell Hill (pictured, right) and Carol Clay (left) are alleged by police to have been murdered during a camping trip in March 2020 Police have been unable to account for the trailer (pictured) being towed in the CCTV footage the night the couple vanished near a remote camping spot Greg Lynn's Nissan Patrol went from white, to blue to beige over the past seven years before his arrest It is the first time any details have been revealed of how police allege the murders took place. The badly burnt remains of the elderly couple were found by Victoria Police Missing Persons Squad detectives on November 30, 2021 - just days after the arrest of Lynn. It remains unclear how police allege Mr Hill was murdered by Lynn. Lynn's barrister Dermot Dann, QC put it to Mr Gellatly that Mr Hill had grabbed his client's shotgun. 'The two were wrestling over the gun causing an accidental discharge ... which struck Ms Clay in the head while positioned on the near side of Hill's vehicle,' Mr Dann said. 'Yes,' Mr Gellatly responded. Its a possible explanation at this point.' The court heard traces of Ms Clay's blood, confirmed via DNA analysis, had been found on Mr Hill's Toyota Landcruiser, however many suspected traces had been destroyed by fire. On Monday, the court heard the elderly lovers had visited a graveyard in the remote wilderness and buzzed other campers with a drone. Weed sprayer Robert Williams told the court he believed he had seen Mr Hill in the wilderness in the days before he was allegedly murdered. He described Mr Hill as a 'grumpy old bugger' who later buzzed him with a drone. 'I was getting droned out,' he later told police. Mr Williams said he saw the drone hovering over other people's campsites, which he believed were being filmed. Mr Hill had taken a drone with him on the trip, but it has never been found. Mr Williams waved as it filmed him and it circled above him several times. Russell Hill (pictured with his missing drone) is believed to have filmed campers in and about the area where he was allegedly murdered The drone Mr Hill is believed to have flown over the area he was allegedly killed. It has never been found Gregory Lynn, 55, (pictured) was charged with the murder of secret lovers Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73 He watched it as it hovered over and around several campsites for 35 or 40 minutes, before he lost sight of it near Wonnangatta Cemetery. He didn't see who was operating it, but thought it was intrusive. 'You're going down there to have a peaceful camp and somebody's flying a drone over top of you,' he told the court on Monday. The following morning he smelled burning plastic in the air. The campers were allegedly shot by Lynn before their bodies were burnt and dumped in bush graves. Campers Damir Javor and Goran Miljkovic had seen the couple as they parked their vehicle at a camp site believed to be shared by Lynn. Mr Miljkovic told the court he had seen the couple as they drove slowly down a forest track within the Wonnangatta Valley in the Victorian Alps. 'They appeared to be a grandma and grandpa out for a drive,' he said through the aid of a Serbian interpreter. The daughters of slain camper Russell Hill, Colleen and Debbie, eye balled his alleged killer in court on Monday Greg Lynn's barrister Dermot Dann, QC attends court in Melbourne on Monday. Mr Dann is regarded as one of Australia's top legal minds For 20 months police have been investigating what happened to the two missing campers Don't stop me now: Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper leaves the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Monday The pair had been stuck behind the elderly couple as they drove slowly along the track to their campsite, which already had two vehicles parked there. One of those cars was a white Landcruiser, the other was described as a blue Nissan Patrol - the same type of vehicle seized by police when they arrested Lynn on November 22 last year. Mr Miljkovic said he saw the elderly couple park their car up close to the two vehicles already at the site. He described the move as 'strange' given there was plenty of room for them to park elsewhere. Mr Miljkovic told the court he saw the elderly couple again the following day as they returned from a graveyard situated in the remote bushland. The pair had been headed back to their ute, which was parked by the river. Lynn faces life in prison should he be convicted of the double murder. Lynn had been arrested at a remote campsite in Arbuckle Junction, 1.5 hours south of Wonnangatta in the states east in 2021. Mr Hill's white Toyota Landcruiser (pictured) was found with minor fire damage at their burnt campsite near Dry River Creek Track in the valley on March 21, 2020 Keen camper and dad Gregory Lynn, 55, (pictured) claims Ms Clay was killed in a tragic acciden The pair went missing in the Wonnangatta Valley, more than 200km north east of Melbourne Police, desperate for knowledge on where the bodies of the campers might have been disposed, grilled Lynn for a whopping four days before finally charging him with their murders. The burnt out remains of Mr Hill's Toyota Landcruiser was found at their campsite near Dry River Creek Track on March 21 in 2020. Lynn appeared in court from behind bulletproof glass. Dressed in a black suit, Lynn took notes throughout the preliminary hearing, which will determine if he is to face a Supreme Court of Victoria jury trial. Lynn's flight attendant wife and the families of both Mr Hill and Ms Clay watched the hearing via videolink. The court heard prosecutors were keen to have the contents of Lynn's initial record of interview and his original statement to police suppressed over fears they may be inadmissible when the matter goes to trial. The court heard his car had been identified by CCTV cameras on the Great Alpine Rd at Mount Hotham. An IT expert told the court two cameras had identified 12 vehicles of interest through number plate identification technology. The hearing is expected to run until early next week. Police put out a public appeal for this 4WD (pictured in a police sketch) with roof racks, side steps, off-road tyres and a bulbar. The box trailer is 'fairly standard' but has been fitted with 'off-road wheels', detectives say The beige off-roader belonging to Lynn was taken by police at a remote campsite in East Gippsland where heavily armed officers swooped on the suspect, north of Sale Greg Lynn is seen with his wife Melanie - who is a flight attendant with Jetstar - with the pair meeting through work Lynn continues to deny murdering the couple while they were camping Lynn allegedly killed them and their human remains were allegedly bought Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73, vanished in the Wonnangatta Valley last year Jetstar pilot Gregory Lynn, 55, is charged with two counts of murder Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn was allegedly caught by listening devices talking to himself about the deaths of elderly campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay - before he was accused of their murders. In court documents released on Tuesday afternoon, prosecutors revealed that homicide detectives had been investigating Lynn for about a year before finally arresting him in November 2021. 'Investigators identified the accused to have conversations with himself whilst at various locations, at his home address and while camping on his own,' court documents state. 'It is alleged the accused at times referred to the deaths of Hill and Clay.' Russell Hill (pictured, right) and Carol Clay (left) are alleged by police to have been murdered during a camping trip in March 2020 Lynn took notes from behind protective glass within the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Tuesday Lynn, 56, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Tuesday charged with the murders of Mr Hill, 74, and Ms Clay, 73. Lynn continues to deny murdering the couple while they were camping in the Wonnangatta Valley in March 2020. According to a prosecution summary, investigators allege Lynn got into an argument with the campers before killing them both. 'The circumstances of their deaths, and the accused's behaviour afterwards are consistent with the accused having intended to cause death or at least cause each of them really serious injury,' the prosecution summary read. Elderly camper Ms Clay was allegedly shot through the head and killed when her secret lover Mr Hill attempted to grab a gun away from Lynn, the court heard. It is the first time any details have been revealed of how police allege the murders took place. The badly burnt remains of the elderly couple were found by Victoria Police Missing Persons Squad detectives on November 30, 2021 - just days after the arrest of Lynn. It remains unclear how police will allege Mr Hill was murdered by Lynn. Russell Hill (pictured with his missing drone) is believed to have filmed campers in and about the area where he was allegedly murdered Gregory Lynn, 55, (pictured) was charged with the murder of secret lovers Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73 GREG LYNN'S GUN COLLECTION a) 1x .45 Automatic 'Shooters Arms' model 1911A1 Semi-Automatic Pistol with 10x Magazines b) 1x .45 Long Colt Calibre 'Ruger' Model New Vaquera 6 Shot Revolver S/N 513-33691 c) 1x .45 long Colt Calibre 'Ruger' Model New Vaquera 6 Shot Revolver S/N 513-33920 d) 1x 308 Winchester Calibre 'Oceania Precision' Model SP25-TAC Semi-Automatic Rifle S/N SPT00038 and 1 Magazine e) 1x 12 Gauge 'Barathrum Arms' Model S/P 12 Semi-Automatic Shotgun S/N FXF2839 f) 1x 12 Gauge ER 'Amantino' Model A-680 (Boito) Side by Side Shotgun S/N C873299-18 g) 1x 357 Magnum Calibre 'Chiappa Arms' Lever Action Rifle S/N 16E03954 h) 1x 45 Long Colt Winchester Leaver Action Rifle i) Numerous metal cases containing ammunition of various calibres Advertisement The court heard Lynn is accused of working to cover up his alleged crimes, placing camping items, including a BBQ gas bottle belonging to the couple inside their tent before setting it alight. 'This is alleged to have been done to conceal his crimes. He packed up his own camp and fled with the bodies of Hill and Clay,' court documents alleged. Police claim Lynn dumped the couple's bodies in the bush but returned again in May and November 'to implement measures to try to destroy the remains ... including setting fire to the remains of their bodies'. At the time of his arrest, Lynn was employed as a senior check captain pilot with Jetstar and had been employed in the airline industry for more than 30 years, documents said. The court heard Lynn had been a gun enthusiast when he ventured into the wilderness in March 2020. 'The accused was a keen amateur sporting shooter and firearm enthusiast, licenced to possess nine different firearms including pistols, longarm centre fire rifles and a shotgun,' a prosecution summary stated. Police allege Lynn went through the dead campers' wallets, which were partially open and strewn through the foot wells of Mr Hill's vehicle. 'A closer examination noted that credit / debit type cards were missing. It was also confirmed that the mobile phones of Hill and Clay were not within the vehicle,' the court heard. Police believe Lynn then took Mr Hill's beloved DJI drone and the keys to his Landcruiser before leaving the scene. The drone has never been recovered. Police allege Lynn repainted his own vehicle beige from blue just two months after the alleged killings. Months later police released a roadside camera image of a dark blue Nissan Patrol towing a modified trailer in the Wonnangatta Valley on March 20, 2020. In December that year - seven months after the couple went missing - police obtained warrants to commence covert surveillance of Lynn's vehicle. Lynn would not be arrested until near on a year later. The daughters of slain camper Russell Hill, Colleen and Debbie, eye balled his alleged killer in court this week Greg Lynn's barrister Dermot Dann, QC attends court in Melbourne on Monday. Mr Dann is regarded as one of Australia's top legal minds Lynn's barrister Dermot Dann, QC put it to forensic officer Mark Gellatly that Mr Hill had grabbed his client's shotgun. 'The two were wrestling over the gun causing an accidental discharge ... which struck Ms Clay in the head while positioned on the near side of Hill's vehicle,' Mr Dann said. 'Yes,' Mr Gellatly responded. 'It's a possible explanation at this point.' The court heard traces of Ms Clay's blood, confirmed via DNA analysis, had been found on Mr Hill's Toyota Landcruiser, however many suspected traces had been destroyed by fire. On Monday, the court heard the elderly lovers had visited a graveyard in the remote wilderness and buzzed other campers with a drone. The court heard Mr Hill had spoken to three hunters at length on March 12 - some eight days before he would die - about his drone. Documents state Mr Hill discussed his life and family before asking the hunter if he minded him flying his drone. 'Hill told him that he was aware that it is illegal to use drones in a National Park. The hunter told Hill that they had no issue with the drone,' documents state. 'Throughout the day, Hill and the hunters spoke further about the drone, his retirement and work in the area logging as well as about hunting.' The court heard Mr Hill told the hunters he wasnt a hunter but had a friend that was. 'The hunters stated that Hill spoke of the importance of firearm safety with them. He told them about a tragic accident where a relative was accidently killed when mistaken for a deer,' the court heard. On March 13, 2020, Mr Hill packed up his camp and headed home to Drouin. The hunters later describe Mr Hill to police as being an old gentleman and 'polite'. On Monday, Weed sprayer Robert Williams told the court he saw a drone hovering over other people's campsites, which he believed were being filmed. He didn't see who was operating it, but thought it was intrusive. 'You're going down there to have a peaceful camp and somebody's flying a drone over top of you,' he told the court on Monday. The following morning he smelled burning plastic in the air. The case continues. Russia has revealed the construction of its first drones with the ability to cause radioactive tsunamis and destroy enemy naval bases. The first batch of nuclear-armed Poseidon drones has been produced, according to the Russian state news agency TASS on Monday. Russia Produces Nuclear Warheads For Poseidon Torpedo These nuclear torpedoes are designed to alter the maritime battlefield by destroying enemy shores with 300-foot tsunamis and attacking naval equipment with a purported "infinite range." TASS proceeded with a scary announcement: "It will shortly be sent to the nuclear-powered submarine Belgorod for specific purposes." In October, NATO issued a warning that they had lost sight of the Belgorod, a nuclear submarine weighing 30,000 tons, somewhere in the Arctic. It sparked concerns that Putin may employ his prized monster weapon in the Ukraine conflict. According to Russia, the mega-submarine is capable of carrying eight torpedo drone warheads that might unleash nuclear Armageddon. After a few days, the world's biggest submarine was happily found elsewhere in the Arctic. Along with its nuclear payload, the so-called "weapon of the apocalypse" is expressly built for clandestine operations, such as sabotage and espionage. Dmitry Kiselyov, an aggressive spokesman for the Russian propaganda machine, recently informed television viewers that these new drones might "submerge Britain in the sea." Putin formally unveiled the Poseidon project in 2018, although it has been suspected since the Cold War that preparations for this frightening nuclear weapon have been in the works. Putin stated in 2018 that "there is no weapon that can counter them in the world today." Additional information on the terrifying nuclear weapon has been a closely kept Russian secret. According to reports, a successful field test was conducted in 2021, but Russia plans to complete its doomsday project by 2027. Russia is closer to achieving this objective due to the astounding growth of drones. The declaration comes after a Putin ally and former army general advocated for the destruction of the United Kingdom for its backing of Ukraine. The announcement on Monday that Poseidon manufacturing has begun is likely aimed to frighten the West as Putin suffers defeats in Ukraine. Read Also: Peru Protests: AG Launches Probe Russia-Ukraine War Update Since a somber New Year's Eve statement characterizing the West as Russia's ultimate enemy in the conflict in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin has delivered repeated indications that Russia will not back down. Putin has sent hypersonic missiles to the Atlantic and designated his top general to lead the fight. US and Russian authorities have described Poseidon as a new type of retaliation weapon capable of causing radioactive ocean surges that leave coastal communities uninhabitable, according to NDTV. Putin originally disclosed Poseidon in 2018, describing it as an entirely new type of strategic nuclear weapon, and confirmed that it will have its own nuclear power source. Poseidon is essentially a hybrid between a torpedo and a drone that can be fired from a nuclear submarine, albeit there is little known information about it in the public domain. Christopher Ford, assistant secretary of state for international security and non-proliferation in the United States at the time, said in 2020 that the weapons were planned to "inundate US coastal communities with radioactive tsunamis." According to the US Naval Institute, a military think tank, the creation of Poseidon flipped conventional wisdom regarding nuclear weapons deployed from submarines on its head. The weapon is slated to reach service in 2027, although technological challenges have allegedly slowed its development, as per The Telegraph via MSN. In November of last year, US intelligence sources reported the failure of early sea testing. The torpedo was scheduled to be tested in the Arctic aboard the Belgorod, the world's biggest submarine at 178 meters in length. According to accounts, the warship returned to port in Severomorsk, the base of the Russian Northern Fleet, without any evidence that the Poseidon had been tested. Tass claimed that the submarine's crew had finished testing with torpedo types. According to analysts, the Kremlin has a history of overstating the capabilities of newly manufactured weaponry. The intelligence and geopolitical risk organization Sibylline's Justin Crump stated, "While the Poseidon is a novel type of weapon, it is primarily a deterrent meant to bypass missile defense systems." Kremlin-sponsored propaganda on the weapon has frequently been exaggerated, especially when targeted toward the United Kingdom. There are very few confirmed public facts about the weapon, other than apparent Russian simulations of it impacting enemy aircraft carriers and coasts. Last year, a Russian broadcaster aired an animated animation purporting to show how a Poseidon torpedo might "submerge the United Kingdom in the ocean." Dmitry Kiselyov, a prominent Kremlin propagandist, stated on his Sunday evening prime-time show that the weapon might be deployed to convert Britain into a wasteland by flooding it with a 500-meter radioactive saltwater tsunami. In reaction to Britain's plan to send 14 Challenger II tanks to Ukraine, another Putin loyalist, retired general Andrey Gurulev, stated that the country should be "wiped off the face of the Earth." Related Article: Death Toll of Dnipro Missile Strike @YouTube @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Elon Musk's changes to Twitter are even allowing Taliban officials get blue ticks next to their account names, a report reveals. Two officials and four prominent supporters of Afghanistan's militant political movement have been given the checkmarks, according to the BBC. Among them is Abdul Haq Hammad, head of the media watchdog at the Afghan Ministry of Information and Culture, who has 170,000 followers. Meanwhile, among the prominent Taliban supporters given a blue tick is Muhammad Jalal, who declared on Monday that Elon Musk was 'making Twitter great again'. Hedayatullah Hedayat is head of the Taliban's department for 'access to information'. A screenshot by the BBC shows the blue tick next to his name Among the prominent Taliban supporters given a blue tick is Muhammad Jalal, who declared on Monday that Elon Musk was 'making Twitter great again' What does the blue tick mean? On Twitter, the definition of verification and the accompanying blue checkmark is 'changing', Elon Musk's firm says. Until recently, Twitter used the blue tick to indicate active, notable, and authentic accounts of public interest that Twitter had independently verified based on certain requirements. Now the blue checkmark indicates an account has an active subscription to Twitter Blue, its subscription service. Twitter explains: 'Accounts that receive the blue checkmark as part of a Twitter Blue subscription will not undergo review to confirm that they meet the active, notable and authentic criteria that was used in the previous process.' Musk's changes are still rolling out, so right now a blue tick can still mean that an account was verified under the previous verification criteria. Twitter users can click on someone's blue tick to learn more. Advertisement The Taliban ruled three-quarters of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, before being overthrown following the US invasion. However, Taliban forces recaptured capital city Kabul in August 2021 after nearly 20 years and took back control of the country. The Taliban government has been strongly criticised for restricting human rights in Afghanistan, including the right of women and girls to work and to have an education, and no countries have extended diplomatic recognition to its new regime. The BBC report identified two Taliban officials with blue ticks Hedayatullah Hedayat (@Hedayatullah111), who has 188,000 followers, and Abdul Haq Hammad (@AbdulHaqHammad2), who has 170,000 followers. Both seem to be involved in media and communications for the Taliban Hedayat is head of the Taliban's department for 'access to information', while Haq Hammad is head of the media watchdog at the Afghan Ministry of Information and Culture. However, it seems that Twitter has reversed the decision to award the ticks as they can no longer be seen on any of the three accounts. It's possible Twitter staff only became alerted to their Taliban connections by the BBC report and rescinded them. According to the BBC, Twitter has allowed 'hard-line Islamists' on Twitter for some time, even before Musk took over. MailOnline has contacted Twitter for comment, although there haven't been any replies from the firm's communications department since Musk laid off its staff last autumn. Musk who regularly responds to user questions on the platform is yet to comment on the matter. Taliban forces recaptured capital city Kabul in August 2021 after nearly 20 years and took control of the country. Pictured: Taliban fighters are seen on the back of an armoured vehicle in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 16, 2021 Since taking over Twitter in October, one of the biggest changes Musk has made has been to the social media platform's verification system New Twitter feature copies TikTok Elon Musk seems to have taken inspiration from TikTok for his latest revamp of Twitter. Twitter users are now automatically landing on a new tab on the homepage called 'For You'. For You (the same name as a feature on TikTok) shows tweets from accounts users do and don't follow, all out of order and boosted by an algorithm. Twitter users can switch between For You and the alterative tab option, 'Following'. The change was originally introduced to iOS before rolling out to web; Android is yet to get it. Read more Advertisement The billionaire entrepreneur bought Twitter in October and soon after changed the meaning of the blue tick, which appears on a user's profile next to their account name. Previously, before Musk took over, the blue tick indicated that an account belonging to someone of public interest such as a celebrity, politician or journalist has been verified and is authentic. The blue tick became a helpful visual indicator to let other users know that an account marked the official home of the user it claimed to represent, and not an imitator. But, as Twitter's recently modified help page now explains, all this changed following Musk's $44 billion takeover in October. Now, anybody can get the blue tick next to their name to show that their account is verified as long as they pay at least 8/$8 (not including VAT) for Twitter Blue, a monthly subscription service that gives access to several exclusive features. As well as a blue tick next to the account name, Twitter Blue also includes custom app icons, the ability to post longer videos, the ability to undo a tweet immediately after posting it, and, for subscribers in certain countries, the ability to edit tweets. Musk has already run into problems with the revamp of Twitter Blue; shortly after launch users were changing account names and photos to resemble an official account and paying to give it a blue tick to make it look authentic. Accounts imitated included Nintendo America, Donald Trump, LeBron James, George W Bush and Rudy Giuliani, leading to various rude, offensive or amusing tweets under their name. MailOnline has contacted Twitter for comment, although there haven't been any replies from the firm's communications department since Musk laid off its staff last autumn In November, Twitter user @nlntendodoofus was able to change its account name to 'Nintendo of America' and get a blue tick next to it to make it look official - and then posted an offensive image, before being suspended Musk had to temporarily suspend the relaunch of Twitter Blue in November, 'to make sure that it is rock solid', he said at the time. Twitter Blue relaunched in December; however, it is still only for web and iOS as the Android version is still yet to launch. Also recently, some Twitter accounts are having their profile pictures changed from a circle to a square shape with rounded corners. These are being added to verified business accounts on the platform as another way to differentiate them along with the new system of coloured checkmarks. Twitter will also be ditching the 280 character limit to allow longer tweets 'soon', the billionaire owner said potentially up to a whopping 4,000 characters. Teachers should channel Miss Honey rather than Miss Trunchbull if they want to control a classroom, research suggests. A study has found strict-sounding teachers are worse at inspiring their pupils compared to their colleagues who use a kinder tone. Children are less likely to cooperate with or confide in a teacher who speaks harshly or in a controlling manner, researchers say. And their findings should be used to influence teacher training and elevate the importance of voice in a classroom setting, they argue. Teachers should channel Miss Honey rather than Miss Trunchbull if they want to control a classroom, research suggests. Pictured: Lashana Lynch as Miss Honey in Matilda the Musical ALL pupils must study maths to the age of 18, declares Rishi Sunak Pupils will be forced to take some form of maths delivered through new courses or existing qualifications Advertisement Researchers from the University of Essex and the University of Reading recruited 250 children aged 10 to 16 for their study. They were played pre-recorded teachers' voices and asked to judge how the tone affected them, by rating factors such as emotion, trust and their intention to cooperate. Results revealed children reacted much better to supportive voices, while controlling tones made their self-esteem plummet and made them feel as if their teacher was less trustworthy. The findings, published in the British Journal of Educational Psychology, revealed youngsters faced with a strict teachers were also more likely to rebel but less likely to tell their teacher if they were experiencing problems such as bullying. This is because the students felt unable to express themselves when confronted with a harsher, more controlling tone, the researchers said. Meanwhile, a supportive voice inspired a connection to a teacher increasing a child's intention to cooperate. Professor Silke Paulmann, head of the department of psychology at Essex, said: 'We often think about what teachers say to their students, but we rarely talk about how they say it. A study has found strict-sounding teachers are worse at inspiring their pupils compared to their colleagues who use a kinder tone. Pictured: Emma Thompson as Miss Trunchbull 'But the tone of voice teachers use really matters and the way we modulate our voice can have profound effects on listeners. 'We found that when children hear harsh voices, or a controlling voice, they say they have less intention to talk to that teacher for example if they are being bullied. 'Their wellbeing is also lower, meaning less happiness and more negative feeling than they would experience if they had a teacher using a neutral voice. 'For us, this shows harsh voices really have a negative effect on how children respond to those talking to them. 'They feel frightened and threatened and that is the one thing that teachers obviously don't want to do. 'Harsh voices tend to signal danger, rather than support.' Professor Netta Weinstein, from the University of Reading, added: 'Tone of voice is a powerful way to convey teachers' caring, understanding, or openness. 'It's easy to forget when we are stressed or tired, but teachers can provide a positive learning environment when they are thoughtful in how they use their tone of voice.' The team hope their research could influence teacher training and help boost classroom results. Since Russia's invasion on Ukraine started almost a year ago, the threat of devastating nuclear war has for many felt closer than ever before. Now, a study reveals the best way to survive a powerful nuclear explosion if you're inside a concrete building as long as it hasn't been toppled by the blast. According to the researchers, the best place to shelter is in the corner of a room, facing the direction of the blast, or to 'duck and cover', potentially behind a chair or table. However, people should steer clear of windows, corridors and doors as this is where extreme winds travel at the highest speeds, strong enough to lift people into the air and cause serious injury when they hit the ground. Researchers from the University of Nicosia simulated an atomic bomb explosion from a typical intercontinental ballistic missile. This 3D illustration shows the the simulated air blast and generated blast wave 10 seconds after detonation above a typical metropolitan city; the radius of the shock bubble at ground level is 2.8 miles (4.6 km) How to survive a nuclear blast - Be inside a concrete building - Position yourself at the corners of the room, facing the blast - Avoid windows, corridors and doors - If there's not enough time, hiding in the corner of a corridor might be safer than being in the middle of the corridor - Immediately take shelter under tables and chairs Researchers note that this advice is applicable if in a nuclear explosion's moderate damage zone (MDZ), or far enough from the source of the blast, which may be down to luck. Advertisement The new study was conducted by researchers at the University of Nicosia in Cyprus, who used computer modelling to investigate the effects of a nearby nuclear blast for people inside a concrete building. 'Before our study, the danger to people inside a concrete-reinforced building that withstands the blast wave was unclear,' said author Dimitris Drikakis. 'Our study shows that high airspeeds remain a considerable hazard and can still result in severe injuries or even fatalities.' Although the study didn't mention Russia's war on Ukraine, the researchers highlighted 'increasing geopolitical tensions' and the possibility of a 'catastrophic' nuclear scenario. A nuclear blast is usually measured by the amount of overpressure (the pressure in excess of the normal atmospheric value) in pounds per square inch (psi), which depends on distance from the nuclear bomb as it detonates. Anyone in the general vicinity of a nuclear bomb going off would be instantly vaporised, while radiation can also pose a fatal risk. However, there is another potentially fatal danger the blast wave generated by the explosion, defined as an area of pressure expanding outward at supersonic speeds. A blast wave can produce airspeeds strong enough to lift people into the air and cause serious injury or death, even in indoor spaces. 'Primary danger to human survivability in indoor spaces becomes the extreme high-speed winds that enter through the various openings in the building, e.g., window,' the researchers say in their paper, published in Physics of Fluids. 'Supersonic shock waves arising from the blast undergo expansion as they enter a room through an opening leading to channelling effects.' For the study, the team used advanced computer modeling to simulate a concrete building featuring rooms, windows, doorways and corridors. The blast wave enters through the room's window in the lower right of the image Inside a building, tight spaces can increase airspeed, and the involvement of the blast wave causes air to reflect off walls and bend around corners. In the worst cases, this can produce a force equivalent to 18 times a human's body weight How is a nuclear blast measured? A nuclear blast is usually measured by the amount of overpressure (the pressure in excess of the normal atmospheric value) in pounds per square inch (psi). Overpressures at or above 2 psi will easily kill people and partially or entirely demolish concrete buildings. At 10 psi, most people will die and severe damage will occur. At 5 psi, severe injuries and fatalities to humans will be widespread and significant damage to heavy structures will occur. Finally, at longer distances featuring 3 psi, overpressure will result in severe human injuries, and the destruction of smaller built-in structures. Severe injuries can be reduced at distances corresponding to overpressures below 5 psi, particularly for people inside concrete buildings. Advertisement For the study, the team used computer modelling to simulate a reinforced concrete building featuring rooms, windows, doorways and corridors. Researchers simulated a 750-kiloton nuclear explosion (with the the explosive power of 750 tons of TNT) from an atomic bomb, a type of nuclear bomb that uses nuclear fission. Researchers said the explosion would give a blast wave with a radius of about 2.8 miles (4.6 km) at ground level, with a peak overpressure slightly over 7 psi. Typically, overpressures of 5 psi cause 'moderate' blast damage, defined as the collapse of timber buildings, 'universal' injuries and widespread fatalities. According to the results, simply being in a sturdy building is not enough to avoid risk of injury or death, so people should choose their positions wisely. Dangerous indoor locations to avoid are the windows, doors and corridors, although if there's not enough time, hiding in the corner of a corridor might be safer than being in the middle of the corridor. Ultimately, the best option is to hide in the corner of a room, away from any openings such as a window or door, where air speed is higher. The authors stress that the time between the explosion and the arrival of the blast wave is only a few seconds, so quickly getting to a safe place is critical. 'If people see the explosion from far away they have to take shelter ASAP,' Drikakis told MailOnline. Plots show the shock wave following the 750 kT detonation of a nuclear bomb; x and y axes are the ground distance and altitude in units of km; seconds after initial blast from left-to-right and top-to-bottom: 0.6, 2.8, 6.7, 12.0, 14.4, and 21.1 'If they are at the window they should run away from it inside the building and take shelter in a room without openings or in the corners of the rooms/corridors.' Unfortunately, survivors will have to contend with increased radiation levels, unsafe buildings, damaged power and gas lines, and fires, so they should 'seek immediate emergency assistance' too, according to Drikakis. While the authors hope that their advice will never need to be followed, they believe the study can help prevent injuries and guide rescue efforts, should a nuclear blast occur. Nuclear weapons have been deployed twice in war, by the US against the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 during World War II. Although the study didn't mention Russia's war on Ukraine, the researchers highlighted 'increasing geopolitical tensions' and the possibility of a 'catastrophic' nuclear scenario. Russian President Vladimir Putin (pictured) has made a series of nuclear threats since the start of the war on Ukraine last year Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a series of nuclear threats since the start of the war on Ukraine last year. Russia's invasion has triggered the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis when the two Cold War superpowers came closest to intentional nuclear war. Russia and the US are by far the biggest nuclear powers, together holding around 90 per cent of the world's nuclear warheads enough to destroy the planet many times over. In September, Putin warned the West he was not bluffing when he said he'd be ready to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia. A few days later, he said the US had created a 'precedent' by dropping two atomic bombs on Japan in 1945. A flat, square block of brownish sandstone with inscriptions made nearly 2,000 years ago is now the world's oldest runestone and maybe the earliest example of writing in Scandinavia. The artifact was uncovered in a cremation pit filled with burnt bones and charcoal that date between 1 AD and 250. Measuring 312.2 inches by 12.6 inches, the stone has several inscriptions. Eight runes on the front could mean 'For Idibera,' who may be the individual laid to rest in the pit. The rock, dubbed the Svingerud stone, will be exhibited for a month, starting on January 21, at the Museum of Cultural History. Archaeologists announced Tuesday that a runestone found in Norway is the world's oldest. It was discovered in an ancient cremation pit The ancient Norwegian rune stone was found during an excavation of a grave field in Hole municipality, near Tyrifjorden (Lake Tyri) west of the capital Oslo. Kristel Zilmer, a professor at the University of Oslo, of which the museum is part, told The Associated Press: 'This find will give us a lot of knowledge about the use of runes in the early Iron Age. 'This may be one of the first attempts to use runes in Norway and Scandinavia on stone.' Runes are a set of characters used to write various Germanic languages before the Latin alphabet was adopted. The Scandinavian variants used by the Vikings are known as futhark. Around 250 rune stones are known from Viking Age Denmark. Most of the Scandinavian examples are from Sweden, with over 3000 inscriptions. The main purpose of runes was to mark territory, explain inheritance, boast about constructions, bring glory to dead kinsmen and tell of significant events The runestone uncovered in Norway was likely used to memorialize the dead, or it could have been by someone practicing runes on a stone, Zilmer told Science Norway. 'We needed time to analyze and date the runestone,' she continued to explain why the finding was first announced on Tuesday. A famed Viking relic known as the Rok stone was erected in the late 800s near lake Vattern in south-central Sweden and its inscription was deciphered in 2020. Archaeologists announced in that January that the stone tells of a heartbroken parent's crippling fear that the cold weather that robbed their child of life may return. The recent analysis of the mysterious runic inscription claims it speaks of an enduring battle against extreme cold weather in the sixth century. Measuring 312.2 inches by 12.6 inches, the stone has several inscriptions Eight runes on the front could mean 'For Idibera,' who may be the individual laid to rest in the pit It is known that, during the sixth and seventh centuries, more than half of all Scandinavians perished as frigid temperatures caused widespread devastation. Experts had long been stumped by the more than eight-foot-tall stone, with most theories claiming it is a dedication to the legendary Ostrogoth king, Theodore the Great. More than 700 runes cover its five sides, and its true meaning has eluded experts as chunks of the rock are missing or worn away. Some think this references Theodoric the Great, a sixth-century ruler of the Ostrogoths in modern-day Italy. A famed Viking relic known as the Rok stone was erected in the late 800s near lake Vattern in south-central Sweden and its inscription was deciphered in 2020 But this claim has been refuted by some experts, with Professor Holmberg of the University of Gothenburg publishing research in 2016 stating 'the idea that the Rok Runestone mentions the Gothic emperor Theodoric is based on a minor reading error and a major portion of nationalistic wishful thinking.' As endeavors to decipher the true meaning of the writings continue, a team of experts from three Swedish universities now think it talks of a different topic entirely. Instead of regaling travelers with stories of a great warrior who managed to rule over much of Europe, it is believed the Rok Stone speaks of a parent's anguish at losing their child during a period now referred to as the 'Late Antique Little Ice Age.' 'The inscription deals with an anxiety triggered by a son's death and the fear of a new climate crisis similar to the catastrophic one after 536 CE,' the authors write in the study published in Futhark: International Journal of Runic Studies. Barcelona are open to selling Raphinha during the January transfer window, but only if the interested party agrees to pay 100million for his services, according to reports. The 26-year-old joined the Nou Camp from Leeds United over the summer and has made 23 appearances for Barcelona during the 2022-2023 campaign, scoring three goals. However, the Brazilian international has struggled to cement a place in Xavi's starting XI. Therefore, he is said to be open to a transfer, with the a return to the Premier League touted as his likely destination. Barcelona are open to selling Brazilian winger Raphinha during the January transfer window Arsenal are said to be interested in signing Raphinha later this month as Mikel Arteta is looking to add attacking depth to his squad. Arteta is also interested in Raphinha's services as he missed out on the chance to sign Ukrainian winger Mykhaylo Mudryk. Mudryk snubbed Arsenal and completed 88million move to Chelsea despite being heavily linked with the Gunners. The 22-year-old's decision frustrated the Spanish manager - who has been forced to look at alternative options for his Arsenal side. However, they have said the interested party agrees to pay 100million for his services But, Barcelona's valuation of Raphinha could be problematic for Mikel Arteta's side According to Diario Sport, Barcelona president Joan Laporta is willing to 'negotiate a transfer package' for Raphinha. However, Barcelona have made it clear that Arsenal must meet 100m price tag they attached to the 26-year-old winger. Barcelona's valuation of Raphinha could be problematic for Arsenal - who are eager to secure a forward before the transfer window closes on January 31. Nevertheless, Arteta could still move for the 26-year-old as he is eager to reinforce his squad to help the Gunners secure their first Premier League title in 19 years. Arsenal beat Tottenham 2-0 in Sunday's North London derby to go eight points clear at the top of the league, but face a tough test against Manchester United on Sunday. As the dark winter nights drag on, there's no better time to start dreaming up your escape to sunnier shores. This year we all want to make our money go further, so you'll be pleased to know that there are plenty of ways to make smart savings on that well-deserved break. With Jet2holidays, you can book a great-value package that includes return flights, return transfers, 22kg baggage and accommodation. Plus, you can choose the trip length and accommodation type so you have the flexibility to design the right holiday for you. Whether it's two weeks of beachfront living in Greece or a long weekend reclining by crystalline pools in Gran Canaria, thousands of two to five-star star hotels are on offer. Sunnier shores: There's no better time to start dreaming up your great escape Discover the best-value destinations for 2023 from the Jet2holidays experts, complete with seven tips for saving on your holiday so you can get the most out of your trip. Steve Heapy says take advantage of low deposits 1. Buy now, pay later^ 'The best tip I can give anyone is to take advantage of our low 60pp deposit*. 'We offer this to make our holidays affordable for everyone it's the classic buy now, pay later, which really helps with budgeting.' Steve Heapy, Jet2holidays CEO 2. Snap up off-peak prices 'One of my top tricks is to travel at the start (or end) of a season, as it's often the best priced. This is actually my favourite time to travel too, because it can also be cheaper in your destination before the tourist prices come into play! Plus, the weather's just right.' Vicky Stacey, Jet2holidays Travel Advisor 3. Choose budget-friendly destinations 'Meals, drinks, snacks and often activities are all part and parcel when you go all-inclusive, so you won't need much to spend while you're away. But self-catering can be great value too use the Post Office Travel Money report to discover the destinations where everyday essentials are cheapest.' Simon Hill, Jet2holidays Senior Product Executive 4. Spread the cost of your holiday 'With our Pay Monthly^ scheme, you can pay a 60pp deposit* to secure your booking, then split the balance into equal, interest-free monthly chunks until your balance due date. 'Well work it all out for you too, so there are no tricky sums! James Malyon, Jet2holidays Head of Web and ECommerce 5. Upgrade and save 'You can often upgrade to half-board for a steal (we regularly have free upgrade offers available, too) and use that dinner money for lunch. Lunch is cheaper, there are often offers such as a fixed price three-course menu del dia in Spain and you don't have to book.' Zoe Towers, Jet2holidays Head of Product 6. Opt for winter sun Beach bliss: Gran Canaria enjoys a wonderful climate all year-round Olivia Matthews recommends off-season travel 'Gran Canaria enjoys sunny, warm weather in every season, so why not head abroad on one of our frequent, year-round holidays and take a long weekend away in sunny Playa del Ingles over the rainy UK?' Olivia Matthews, Jet2holidays Content Executive 7. Lock in great prices 'We all know prices can be unpredictable, so it really pays to book your holiday early and fix your price, protecting it from cost increases in the future. We won't add any surcharges either.' Jack Molloy, Jet2holidays Senior Revenue Executive Looking for some inspiration on where to travel for 2023? The Jet2holidays experts have that tied up, too. Take a look at their destination and hotel recommendations for ideas on your next holiday. Poolside service in Gran Canaria Situated close to the sun-soaked Playa del Ingles and with a variety of flexible booking options, Gold by Marina is the perfect choice for year-round sun. Gran Canaria boasts warm temperatures even in winter, so you can enjoy some off-peak sunshine while saving money in the process. Enjoy Miami chic at the contemporary Gold by Marina. By day, soak up the chilled poolside scene with a glass of cava, and by night, turn up the volume at the rooftop whirlpool. Gold by Marina in Gran Canaria offers a variety of flexible booking options The light and airy rooms are available on a self-catering or bed and breakfast basis, with the option of a great-value a la carte menu served from the terrace restaurant. Choose to include a freshly cooked breakfast every morning, served from the Pool Style bar, so you can slide straight into sunbathing on your Balinese bed. Barefoot beach living in Turkey Guests can enjoy All Inclusive sundowners at Jiva Beach Resort in Calis, Dalaman All Inclusive is a brilliant option to go for if you're keeping an eye on your budget, and this friendly hotel on the Turkish coast is a great place to do it. Fresh, fun, and blissfully relaxing, the Jiva Beach Resort in Calis, Dalaman combines luxurious poolside glamour with barefoot coastal living. Enjoy beachfront views from one of the six bars on site, enjoying the allure of All Inclusive sundowners without breaking the bank. For families looking to relax, there is the children's pool and slides to keep them entertained each day, or the little ones can make a splash at the children's club while you enjoy a well-deserved steam at the on-site Turkish bath. For those looking for the ultimate slice of luxury, spend the morning enjoying a decadent patisserie in the Lukka Lounge and the afternoon floating up to your swim-up room. Coastal comforts in Corfu Bring your Greek island dreams to life at the Paradise Hotel Apartments in Sidari, Corfu. All options offer great value for money, giving you the option to eat and relax poolside or to dine out in the delicious Greek tavernas nearby. Paradise Hotel Apartments in Corfu is set around two lovely pools With a variety of board bases to suit every budget, you can splash out or make a saving. Choose a self-catering option, enjoying balcony picnics in the afternoon sun, or select bed and breakfast or half board to enjoy freshly cooked, family recipes served to you by exceptional staff. Under the Sardinian sun Bask in Italian sunshine at the Blu Hotel Morisco in Sardinia, lounging by the freshwater pool while enjoying exceptional service. Set among evergreen mountains but only a stone's throw away from Cannigione, the Blu Hotel Morisco effortlessly strikes a balance between seclusion and exploration, inviting you to discover nearby secret coves and parasol-lined beaches. Set among evergreen mountains, Blu Hotel Morisco in Sardinia offers an authentic Italian experience Rebecca Macdonagh says look out for exclusive treats Choose a half board package, and make the most of a hassle-free holiday, tantalising your tastebuds with the authentic Sardinian dishes served during breakfast and dinner. And there's another great perk for Jet2holidays guests - money to spend in the hotel so you can treat yourselves! 'During check-in, Jet2holidays customers receive an exclusive credit of 120 euros per room to spend on drinks and snacks during their stay! It's a great extra that means included treats for the whole family.' Rebecca Macdonagh, Jet2holidays Product Manager. Find out more and book your holiday at jet2holidays.com *60 per person deposit is applicable on holidays departing 10 weeks or more from booking date. ^Terms and Conditions apply. Please visit https://www.jet2holidays.com/part-payment for more details. The Veneto region of Italy has quaint and colourful islands, extraordinary architecture, magnificent displays of art and a deeply rooted history. And with canals and waterways separating these highlights, a cruise is a wonderful way to explore Venice and beyond. On this trip youll spend seven days getting to know the Venetian Lagoon and celebrity chef Rick Stein aboard an elegant river ship, SS La Venezia. Hosting just 126 guests, it promises excellent and attentive service. It was fully transformed in 2020 with opulent furnishings that reflect the classic style of Venice. Youll have exclusive access to famous locations while theyre closed to the public and the opportunity to see them when theyre free from crowds. Step inside St Marks Basilica after nightfall to witness an atmospheric lighting ceremony, and venture inside the church on Torcello before it opens to the public to appreciate its tranquillity. Floating city: During The Mail on Sunday's seven-day river cruise, you'll discover Venice's majestic canals and waterways You will also have VIP access to the Doges Palace during an early morning visit. Theres an impressive choice of other excursions too, all included, whether you want to join walking history tours or bike along the beaches of Chioggia to see the Lusenzo Lagoon. At the end of days exploring the islands, SS La Venezia warmly welcomes you back, transporting you in style through the Venetian Lagoon. Special guest Rick Stein joins the trip for its final few days, accompanying a tour to the Rialto food market in Venice, as well as hosting a cooking demonstration on SS La Venezia and taking questions from guests. During the trip, youll have plenty of time to visit all the unmissable sights of Venice and get to know Burano, Mazzorbo, Torcello, Chioggia and Murano, painting a complete picture of life in the Lagoon. You'll witness a special lighting ceremony at St Marks Basilica (pictured) after dark OUR SPECIAL GUEST You will be joined by Rick Stein Rick Stein CBE is a chef, restaurateur, television presenter and author of more than 20 books, among them his autobiography. He has made over 30 television programmes, including 12 cookery series, his latest being Secret France. Rick also cooked for the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Tony Blair, Margaret Thatcher and former French President Jacques Chirac. Advertisement Reasons to book Sail in style: SS La Venezia is the perfect ship to explore the Venetian Lagoon. It is specifically designed to sail these waters and the interior is a nod to its locale, with Venetian-style decor and Murano glass. Meet Rick Stein: Celebrity chef Rick Stein joins the cruise for three days. Hell accompany a visit to the Rialto market and host a cooking demonstration on board. Theres also the chance to ask Rick questions after he hosts a talk about his life and work. Exclusive after-hours access: Explore famous sights when theyre closed to the public, including the chance to witness a special lighting ceremony at St Marks Basilica after dark and venture inside Torcellos church for a moment of quiet appreciation of an 11th Century mosaic. Plenty of inclusions: Exceptional meals are included while aboard SS La Venezia, with the chefs creating excellent dishes using the freshest ingredients. A choice of tours and excursions is also included, with a variety of selections available on some islands. Meet the craftspeople: Some excursions give you a chance to meet the local craftspeople. Watch glass-blowers in Murano demonstrating an 800-year-old skill and visit an atelier that creates masks for the Carnival of Venice. Enjoy Italian food and wine: The dining on board SS La Venezia is created using fine ingredients. Away from the ship, theres the opportunity to join a sommelier on a tour of Dominio di Bagnoli, one of the oldest wine producers in Europe. If youre stuck for ideas for a truly memorable break, help is at hand. This is your video guide to five hidden-gem destinations unsung holiday heroes that usually fly under the radar. There's the incredible car-free island of Hydra - which lies just 90 minutes by ferry from Athens. There's Formentera, the gorgeous sister island of Ibiza with beaches to rival the Caribbean. We also turn the spotlight on Marseille, the bad boy of the French Riviera, which Lonely Planet has listed as one of the best cities in Europe to visit in 2023. The guide also recommends diverting from Amsterdam to Utrecht, which is blessed with similarly sleepy canals. We have Hollywood glamour, too. But not the Hollywood you're thinking of... we bid you welcome to Wilmington in North Carolina - known as the Hollywood of the East. Save space by vacuum-packing your clothes or stuffing them into a travel pillow Hefty luggage fees are often an unexpected expense when it comes to air travel. You can be lured by bargain airline tickets, only to fork out a fortune on carry-on bags and checked-in luggage. Thankfully, there are a few tricks that'll increase how much you can take on a flight without leaving a big dent in your bank balance. Here, flight attendants, frequent flyers and seasoned travellers reveal their top tips No.1 - Fly with legacy carriers Rob Burgess, editor of www.headforpoints.com, says that you will enjoy the most generous baggage allowance with legacy airlines Use legacy airlines such as British Airways and American Airlines, recommends Rob Burgess, editor of frequent flyer website www.headforpoints.com. He tells MailOnline Travel: If you do need to take a lot of luggage, you will usually find that the legacy airlines are the most generous in terms of your allowance. Unfortunately, there are no search engines that let you say in advance how much luggage you want to take and adjust the pricing accordingly, so it's important to do your homework. This is especially true on short-haul flights, where a tempting 9.99 fare can often turn out to be more expensive than a ticket on a legacy carrier once checked baggage fees - and sometimes even hand baggage fees - are included. No.2 - Get airline status A British Airways elite member can enjoy a bigger baggage allowance across partner airlines such as American Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Cathay Pacific Having status with an airline can boost your luggage allowance, Rob notes. He says: If you have status with a particular airline, remember that this will often give you additional luggage across all of the airlines that partner with it - for example, all of the Oneworld alliance members for British Airways status cardholders. This would give a British Airways elite member a bigger allowance on American Airlines, Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, and so on. No.3 - The TikTok travel pillow hack Ryanair passenger Kristen Black from Atlanta, Georgia, uploaded a video to TikTok in which she rolls a jumper around various other items of clothing to form a makeshift travel pillow. The Atlanta native used the hack to make room in her bag for souvenirs and avoid paying for excess luggage TikTok user Kristen Black set the social media platform alight when she shared an ingenious hack video that showed her fashioning a DIY neck pillow by rolling a jumper around various other items of clothing and then wrapping it around her neck before a Ryanair flight. Labelling it 'the perfect packing hack, the Atlanta native told MailOnline Travel that she tried out the trick to make her flight more bearable and to make room in her bag for souvenirs and avoid paying for excess luggage. To date, the video, titled save space, save money, has racked up nearly one million likes on TikTok. Other influencers have shared videos that show them filling empty pillowcases with their clothing in a similar travel hack. No.4 - Redistribute the weight Check-in luggage is always weighed, but it's far less likely that your carry-on luggage will be placed on the scales by airline staff. Hand luggage is more often simply 'size-checked' in terms of its length and width, Skyscanner notes. If you're worried your check-in bags might be too heavy, redistribute the weight by putting weightier items such as books, chargers and boots inside your carry-on luggage. No.5 - Check in online Check-in online so that your carry-on bags arent weighed at the check-in counter If you're travelling with slightly overweight hand luggage, Emirates flight attendant Caroline Kneitz recommends checking in online to ensure that your carry-on bags arent weighed at the check-in counter. She told MailOnline: 'My top tip when it comes to luggage is to always check in online or via an app before heading to the airport. If you go to a counter at the airport it is likely that they will check the size of your hand luggage and weigh it. If you are travelling with hand luggage only, this is particularly annoying as it's likely that it might be a little overweight. 'If you check in before the airport, you can waltz straight through security and to the gate, where it is very unlikely a staff member will weigh the bag. That is unless you're flying with a super-budget airline.' No.6 - Use a duty-free bag Miguel Munoz, who has been working as a flight attendant for more than a decade, revealed a nifty hack for sneaking extra hand luggage on to a plane without being charged for having an extra carry-on. He said the trick is to disguise the surplus bag as a duty-free purchase by concealing it in a shopping bag. Speaking to the Daily Express, Miguel explained that many passengers are unaware that duty-free bags aren't counted in your carry-on luggage allowance - a fact that travellers can use to their advantage whenever they find themselves with more baggage than they're permitted. No.7 - Custom under-seat cabin bags TikTok user Lily Thompstone shared a video of a 9.99 holdall fitting perfectly into the Ryanair baggage sizer - and it went viral When TikTok user Lily Thompstone posted a video of her 9.99 under-seat holdall fitting perfectly into the Ryanair baggage sizer, the video went viral. It shows Lilys partner easily slotting the pink under-seat holdall inside the luggage checker ahead of a three-night trip to Prague. I can't believe these bags work, she wrote in the video caption. The bag is manufactured by the brand Narwey and is advertised as a Ryanair under-seat cabin bag that adheres to the airlines exact dimension ceiling - 40cm (16in) by 20cm (8in) by 25cm (10in). Ryanair says that all passengers are entitled to bring one small personal bag on board for free, though it must fit under the seat in front of you and mustnt exceed those measurements. Narwey also does an under-seat bag that sticks to easyJet's dimension parameters, which are slightly larger at 45cm (18in) by 36cm (14in) by 20cm (8in). No.8 - Vacuum pack bags Vacuum packing your clothes can save on space, a TikTok influencer has revealed (file photo) A video by blogger 'Jess', who runs a TikTok account called 'sideofsequins', went viral when she shared her trick for fitting more into her carry-on luggage without paying extra. In the video, which has racked up 99,000 likes to date, the blogger can be seen squeezing nine days' worth of clothes into vacuum pack bags before neatly slotting the compressed bags into her carry-on luggage. She notes that she packs a small travel steamer to iron out any of the creases in the tightly-packed clothes once she arrives at her destination. No.9 - Fly business class on short-haul trips While its not strictly a money-saving tip, Rob Burgess recommends flying business class on a short-haul flight to capitalise on the enhanced luggage allowance. He says: Occasionally, you may find with short-haul flights on legacy carriers such as British Airways that business-class tickets - which give you two checked bags included - are not much more expensive than an economy ticket plus extra luggage charge, so its always worth checking the premium fare price. Backing up his point, British Airways flight attendant Taraneh told MailOnline Travel: 'On a business-class ticket each passenger is entitled to two 23kg checked bags. In the interest of spending as little money as possible, might I suggest collecting and using Avios for the business class ticket? For example, you can get a business-class flight from 1 and 31,250 Avios to Europe - such as to Paris and Amsterdam - which would include two 23kg checked bags.' She continued: 'Alternatively, those whove already booked an economy ticket can upgrade to business class from 7,500 Avios and 31 on a return flight, so theyd add an extra bag that way.' The Inbetweeners star Simon Bird says that reviving the sitcom would be a 'terrible idea' and is not sure they could get away with some things said today. The British actor, 38, has only recently told of how he thinks the show 'wasn't an accurate reflection of how teenagers spoke', and has now reinforced that idea. Speaking to the Radio Times in their latest issue, Simon, who starred as the lead character Will McKenzie on the show which ran from 2008-2010, has reflected on the time spent on the hugely popular E4 programme. 'Terrible idea': The Inbetweeners star Simon Bird says that reviving the sitcom would be a 'terrible idea' and is not sure they could get away with some things said today On being interested to revive The Inbetweeners now, Simon said: 'My instinct is it would be a terrible idea. What was funny about these characters was the stage of life they were at. 'They could get away with some of the terrible things they said and did because they were still essentially children. 'If they got back together now, Im not sure that would be funny. I think it might just be sort of sad and creepy.' Speaking to The Telegraph about how times have changed since The Inbetweeners aired, Simon said: 'I honestly think it wouldn't be commissioned today.' No chance of revival: Simon, who starred as the lead character Will McKenzie on the show which ran from 2008-2010, has reflected on the time spent on the hugely popular E4 show The actor added that he doesn't think the show has aged well due to the sexism and 'casual homophobia' displayed by the characters. He said: 'I rationalise it to myself by saying that at the time it was an accurate representation of the way teenagers talk to each other. Is that still the case now? I assume not.' Simon added: 'Although the programme was set in the 2000s, it was based on a pilot set in 1990, so even in the 2000s it wasn't really an accurate reflection of how teenagers spoke.' The show was such a success that it spawned two films and was also nominated for Best Situation Comedy at the BAFTAs twice. Comedy classic: The British actor, 38, has only recently told of how he thinks the show 'wasn't an accurate reflection of how teenagers spoke', and has now reinforced that idea Along with Simon, it also starred Joe Thomas, James Buckley and Blake Harrison while Emily Atack had a recurring role. In a recent interview with The Guardian, Simon was asked if he would ever return to his role as the much-loved briefcase w****r. He replied: 'Its a hard no, Im afraid. It just wouldnt be the show people want or remember. Much better to leave it as a happy memory. 'Cut to us all doing a third film for Netflix next year Anythings possible. Honestly, you cant trust a single word Ive said in this interview. Its all filler, no killer.' China's population declined for the first time in 60 years in 2022, which will likely commence a prolonged trend of population decline that will affect its economy eventually. The population fell by almost 850,000 people to 1.41175 billion in 2022, last year, according to the country's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the first dip since 1961, the last year of China's Great Famine, according to Reuters. UN experts predict that the China population drop will be around 109 million by 2050, which is over three times the loss they predicted in their last projection in 2019. Read Also: NATO Ensures Military Aid For Ukraine Beijing ended its long-standing "one child" policy in 2015 after recognizing that the constraint had led to a fast aging population and a decreasing workforce that threatened China's economic and social steadiness. However, despite a small increase in 2016, the national birth rate has been declining. In 2021, policymakers allowed three children and encouraged bigger families with a multi-agency initiative to improve maternity leave, tax deductions, and other benefits to counter China population drop, as reported by CNN. China Facing a Demographic Crisis Demographer Fuxian Yi of the University of Wisconsin-Madison estimates that while China population drop started in 2018, the decline was repressed by "faulty" demographic statistics. Yi said that China is threatened by a "demographic crisis" that surpasses the expectations of Chinese officials and the world community. He predicts that the trend will slow down China's property market, a key development driver, per the Financial Times. The NBS stated China population reduction should not be a worry since labor supply still surpassed demand and the long-term drop in workers will be compensated by the improvements in the labor and education sectors. Related Article: China Blasts US, Japan, UK: Here's Why @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Molly Meldrum's lewd act at Elton John's farewell concert in Melbourne on Friday was the last straw for his former protege Samuel Johnson, who has vowed to never speak to the TV legend again after his latest attention-seeking display. The former Countdown presenter, 79, joined his long-time friend Elton on stage for a performance of The B***h Is Back, where he exposed his bare buttocks to the crowd. He later blamed his behaviour on a faulty belt buckle. Johnson, while acknowledging his long friendship with Meldrum, said on Tuesday the mooning incident was the last straw after years of holding his tongue, adding that he was 'sick' of the music critic's increasingly erratic behaviour. Molly Meldrum's (pictured) lewd act at Elton John's farewell concert in Melbourne on Friday was the last straw for his former protege Samuel Johnson, who has vowed to never speak to the TV legend again after his latest attention-seeking display He told The Morning Show hosts Kylie Gillies and Larry Emdur: 'He's helped me out of a legal pickle, I've known him for 20 years. He visited my sister in hospital when she was sick with cancer when she was 11 in the 1980s 'I'm really grateful for everything that Molly's done in our lives.' But things changed at the Logie Awards in 2017 when Meldrum stole Johnson's spotlight as he was on stage accepting the Gold Logie for his performance in the Channel Seven miniseries Molly, based on Meldrum's life. Johnson (right), while acknowledging his long friendship with Meldrum, said on The Morning Show on Tuesday the mooning incident was the last straw after years of holding his tongue 'When I won the Gold Logie, I was about to have my million-dollar moment and I told him not to come up on stage. He wasn't nominated, it was my moment,' Johnson said. He wanted to use the opportunity to promote his charity, Love Your Sister, and to thank his sister Connie, who was battling cancer at the time and would die months later. Johnson hoped the moment would be similar to Carrie Bickmore's Gold Logie speech two years earlier when she launched her Beanies 4 Brain Cancer charity. The former Countdown presenter, 79, joined his long-time friend Elton on stage for a performance of The B***h Is Back, where he exposed his bare buttocks to the crowd. He later blamed his behaviour on a faulty belt buckle - an excuse Johnson did not buy The legendary Australian music critic was watching his old friend Sir Elton in the crowd at AAMI Park for his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, before he was brought up on stage 'I wanted to make [my speech] about cancer and he wanted to make it all about the network... It was an absolute catastrophe,' the actor said. 'He warbled in a very drunken fashion for eight whole minutes! Now I've seen him do it again at the Elton John concert.' Johnson then expressed concern for the music legend. 'Maybe it's time to hang up your hat, mate,' he said. 'I hope he's okay.' Johnson said he never forgave Meldrum for upstaging him at the 2017 Logie Awards (pictured), where he had hoped to use his time on stage to promote his charity, Love Your Sister. Instead, a rambling and incoherent Meldrum made it all about himself Johnson went on to say he didn't buy Meldrum's excuse for mooning the crowd at the Elton John concert, noting that if he had had a belt malfunction 'we would have seen his undies, not his bum'. 'For years I haven't said anything, because I don't want to say anything,' he added. 'Who are his minders? Is he okay? He shouldn't be allowed out in the afternoon - he's sozzled by that time.' Johnson went on to suggest Meldrum has a problem with alcohol, claiming he has 'two shots of vodka in his coffee in the morning'. Johnson played Meldrum in the Channel Seven miniseries Molly, for which he won the Gold Logie (pictured on the show). Sadly, his victory was undermined when Meldrum barged on stage during his acceptance speech 'If I want to make any sense out of him, I've got to see him for midday. Stop, Molly!' he exclaimed. Gillies then suggested that perhaps Johnson was in a position to give Meldrum a call and 'have a chat' about his behaviour, but Johnson said he hadn't spoken to him since the Logies debacle six years ago. 'I'll never speak to him again. He cost my charity a million dollars that night,' he said. The Morning Show host Kylie Gillies suggested that perhaps Johnson was in a position to give Meldrum a call and 'have a chat' about his behaviour, but Johnson said he hadn't spoken to him since the Logies debacle six years ago 'Can someone look after him? Can someone care for him? Can someone? I'm really worried about him. I'm not cross at him. I'm just really worried,' he added. Johnson first spoke about Meldrum's troubling behaviour during an interview on 4BC's Afternoons with Sofie Formica on Monday. 'He needs to hang up his hat. Now,' he said bluntly. Samuel started the charity Love Your Sister in 2012 with his late sister Connie (right), who died from breast cancer in 2017 'A few years ago, I won a Gold Logie for playing Molly Meldrum. And we weren't getting along at that point because for six months, he told me who to thank [in my acceptance speech],' Johnson recalled. 'He wasn't even nominated for the Gold Logie and he wanted me to make it all about the network and thank the producers, and I wanted to make it all about cancer. And we disagreed on that.' Johnson said the pair 'didn't speak to each other the whole night' of the Logies. 'He wasn't even nominated for the Gold Logie and he wanted me to make it all about the network and thank the producers, and I wanted to make it all about cancer. And we disagreed on that,' Johnson told 4BC's Afternoons with Sofie Formica on Monday Halfway through Johnson's emotional acceptance speech, Meldrum shuffled on stage, took the microphone and began rambling about himself. 'He took away my moment and recently he just took away the moment of Elton John as well. And I'm sick of him doing this. I'm sick of it. Hang up your hat, mate,' Johnson told Formica. He made similar remarks on WSFM's Jonesy & Amanda on Tuesday morning. 'Can I be honest?' he said while taking a deep breath. 'There's a lot I haven't said, and I'm trying really hard to be diplomatic.' He made similar remarks on WSFM's Jonesy & Amanda on Tuesday morning, admitting he was 'trying to be diplomatic' about Meldrum even though he was angry 'I've seen the same type of thing happen over and over again, including him - when I told him not to - coming up on stage during my Gold Logie win and ruining my Carrie's Beanie moment where I was going to try to raise a lot of money for cancer research,' he added. '[He came] up drunk as a skunk and babbling for eight minutes to finish the Logies that night.' He then asked: 'Whos looking after him? He must not be out in the public during the PM, not with the way he drinks.' Roxy Jacenko is selling off her Balenciaga clothing, two months after the label was hit with a scandal for using children in a BDSM-inspired campaign. The Australian PR guru, 43, took to her Instagram account Roxy Jacenko's Wardrobe on Monday to list multiple designer items, including size 36 Balenciaga black shell shorts for $250. The mother of two is also selling an Alexander Wang black denim skirt for $150. Roxy Jacenko is selling off her Balenciaga clothing, two months after the label was hit with a scandal for using children in a BDSM-inspired campaign Alexander Wang has also been plagued by scandal after multiple models came forward to accuse the designer of sexual misconduct in 2020. Among other items up for grabs from Roxy's wardrobe is a LoveShackFancy dress, Bottega Veneta black cargo pants and an Hermes dress. Balenciaga faced significant backlash in November when the fashion house released its 2022 holiday ad campaign that featured children posing with its Plush Toy Bag. The bags looked like teddy bears and were dressed in BDSM gear. The PR guru, 43, took to her Instagram account Roxy Jacenko's Wardrobe on Monday to list multiple designer items, including size 36 Balenciaga black shell shorts for $250 (left). The mother of two is also selling an Alexander Wang black denim skirt for $150 (right) Many stars who have previously worked with Balenciaga, including Nicole Kidman, Bella Hadid and Dua Lipa, were criticised for not speaking out against the campaign. In the shoot, the children also appeared to be surrounded by empty wine and champagne glasses, further contributing to the disturbing setting. More revelations have also come out about the brand's previous campaigns, with fans discovering the Spring/Summer 2023 campaign featured pages from a U.S. Supreme Court decision on child pornography laws. Balenciaga, which is popular with A-list celebrities including the likes of Kim Kardashian, deleted two shocking images showing young girls holding a teddy bear in bondage-style gear on the gift shop section of its website In a lengthy apology, the fashion house took full responsibility for the teddy bear images but insisted it had no involvement in the photo shoot featuring child porn legislation. The brand's most famous muse, Kim Kardashian, announced she would not be cutting ties with the brand. The billionaire, who has worked with the brand for several years, said that while she was 'shaken' and 'disgusted' by the images, especially as a 'mother of four', she 'believes Balenciaga understands the seriousness of the issue'. Balenciaga triggered outrage with its 2022 holiday advertising campaign, which depicted children holding teddy bears that were dressed in bondage attire (pictured) She added that she was 're-evaluating her relationship' with the brand 'based off its willingness to accept accountability for something that should have never happened to begin with' - but many social media users were angered that she didn't condemn the fashion house further. Her sister Kylie Jenner, has hit back at TikTok users accusing her of deliberately posting photos of her son to detract from the scandal. Other Aussie stars, including Pia Whitesell and Ruby Tuesday Matthews have lamented the brand. Kim Kardashian (pictured), the brand's biggest ambassador, said she is 're-evaluating' her relationship with the fashion house in light of the scandal, but fell short of distancing herself from the brand for good Bella Hadid in the Balenciaga Spring '23 campaign for its collaboration with Adidas. She is yet to comment on the multiple child imagery scandals engulfing the brand Balenciaga ignored the scandal around the teddy bear photos at first and seemingly allowed the photographer who was involved, Gabriele Galimberti, to take the heat. He released a statement saying he had no control over the content of the shoot and eventually, Balenciaga released its own statement agreeing with him and taking responsibility for the campaign. It has now been pulled from the internet. After the BDSM bears fiasco, eagle-eyed critics started examining the rest of Balenciaga's campaigns closely. They soon discovered that in the background of an image from the Spring '23 campaign was a printout of a Supreme Court ruling on whether or not internet child porn can be legally considered free speech (pictured) After the BDSM bears fiasco, eagle-eyed critics started examining the rest of Balenciaga's campaigns closely. They soon discovered that in the background of an image from the Spring '23 campaign was a printout of a Supreme Court ruling on whether or not internet child porn can be legally considered free speech. On the back of the bears scandal, many critics said it pointed to a troubling pattern within Balenciaga. Kim initially issued a statement on her Instagram Stories account on Sunday night In an additional post, this time to both Twitter and Instagram, Kardashian said she was reconsidering her relationship with the fashion brand Balenciaga was quick to blame North Six, a production company that helped arrange the shoot, for the inclusion of those documents. They claimed they entrusted all of the props from the photoshoot to North Six, and that their team was assured everything that was included was fake. Balenciaga is yet to answer for the inclusion of a book by Michael Borremans in the background of two of the images from the Spring '23 campaign. Nicole Kidman remained silent on the Balenciaga 's BDSM-inspired child photoshoot scandal and has instead taken to Instagram to support her husband's upcoming tour (pictured at the brand's FW22/23 show) Borremans is a Belgian painter whose work includes a troubling 2017 series called Fire From The Sun. It depicts naked toddlers - some of them castrated - playing in a group and at times alone. Alexander Wang has also been plagued by scandal. The New York City based designer was accused of being a 'sexual predator' by several anonymous accusers, many of whom claimed Wang had drugged their drinks with MDMA and sexually assaulted them at events in recent years. Wang released a statement acknowledging the sexual assault allegations against him and promising to 'do better' Wang, who became known for his star-studded parties following the success of his fashion label launch in 2005, released a statement acknowledging the sexual assault allegations against him and promising to 'do better'. The fashion designer has maintained that he never touched anyone inappropriately as at least 11 people came forward with allegations against him since late December. He struck a more apologetic tone in an Instagram post on Monday, where he said he supports the accusers' right to come forward but still refused to admit wrongdoing Kanye West's new 'wife' Bianca Censori wasn't always the spitting image of her predecessor Kim Kardashian. The new Mrs West, 27, has undergone quite the makeover since her days as a Melbourne student, according to one of her high school friends, and now looks more like Kim, 42, than her old self. 'Her nose is different, her face is different. Her butt is different,' the friend, whose name is Lucy, told Nova FM's Fitzy & Wippa on Monday. A friend of Bianca Censori's has revealed how much Kanye West's new wife, 27, has changed since her days as a Melbourne school girl. (Left before her transformation, and right recently) 'The only thing that's not different, I'd say, is her boobs. Her boobs came in early, in about year seven,' added Lucy, who last spoke to Bianca five years ago. When asked what Bianca was like at school, Lucy only had positive memories of the Yeezy 'architect'. 'She was lovely. She was always, you know, giving everyone the time a day,' she said. 'Her nose is different, her face is different. Her butt is different,' the friend told Fitzy & Wippa on Monday. (Left in her high school photo, and right recently after her transformation) 'She was definitely in the popular group, I would say so she was definitely like the hot one in the year. But in saying that, she wasn't... b****y or anything,' Lucy added. Elsewhere, Lucy described how Bianca had 'a lot of interest' from the opposite sex growing up, and was previously in a three-year relationship. As for whether her marriage will stand the test of time, Lucy admitted: 'I don't think it's gonna last with Kanye, no.' Kim (left) and Bianca (right) could easily be mistaken for sisters Kim and Bianca, who both boast hourglass frames, full lips and ample busts, could easily be mistaken for sisters, Like Kim, Bianca is also a fan of figure-hugging outfits and boasts a very similar wardrobe to the TV star. Back in May, she turned heads as she arrived at the Balenciaga Fashion Show in New York in a skintight unitard and silver-heeled boots. Rather awkwardly, Kim is a brand ambassador for the fashion house and even hit the runway during the designer's show last October. Back in May, Bianca (left) turned heads as she arrived for the Balenciaga Fashion Show, for which, rather awkwardly, Kim (right) is a brand ambassador In echoes to Kim, Bianca has also recently dyed her dark brown locks peroxide blonde. Kim spent hours dying her naturally dark hair colour last year when she wore Marilyn Monroe's Mr President birthday dress in tribute of the blonde bombshell. Bianca is 'head of architecture' at Kanye's fashion brand Yeezy, having moved from Melbourne to work in Los Angeles after being headhunted on Instagram by the rapper, 45, himself. Bianca is 'head of architecture' at Kanye's fashion brand Yeezy, having moved from Melbourne to work in Los Angeles after being headhunted on Instagram by the rapper, 45, (pictured) himself Bianca grew up at Ivanhoe, a well-heeled Melbourne suburb, and studied for the Victorian Certificate of Education at Kew's prestigious Carey Baptist Grammar School. She mixed mostly with students from Ivanhoe Grammar School, as well as Kew's Methodist Ladies' College, and the Catholic Genazzano FCJ College and Xavier College. A high school peer told Daily Mail Australia that Bianca 'always ran in private school circles'. Bianca grew up at Ivanhoe, a well-heeled Melbourne suburb, and studied for the Victorian Certificate of Education at Kew's prestigious Carey Baptist Grammar School. Bianca is pictured centre as a student at Carey Baptist Grammar School in 2011 'She was friendly with the Xavier and Ivanhoe Grammar boys and hung out with Genazzano and MLC girls,' she said. 'She's super close with her family, who from memory were always considerably private people. So the fact Bianca has married someone so high-profile must have taken them by surprise.' Another school friend said while Bianca was in the 'popular' group, she 'always had time for people outside her social circle'. Bianca is pictured right at the Rainbow Serpent music festival in Victoria in 2017 'I would describe Bianca as a social butterfly - the kind of girl who was friends with everyone,' the peer told Daily Mail Australia. 'Like, she was never an intimidating mean girl. I think it would surprise people how smart she is.' After graduating in 2012 with a VCE that put her near the top of her school, Bianca obtained a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Melbourne in 2017. School friends are not surprised Bianca has gone on to work for Kanye, but were shocked to learn of her secret 'wedding' to the troubled hip-hop superstar. (She is pictured far right at the Rainbow Serpent music festival) A childhood friend said Bianca was always going to succeed at whatever she chose to do. 'She was a party girl after high school; she never missed all the big social events like nightclubbing or going to the Spring Racing Carnival,' she said. 'I can't say I'm surprised she's ended up working for Yeezy. She has always been stylish and pushed boundaries in fashion. A source close to Kim told Page Six the star of Keeping Up with the Kardashians (left) had sensed 'there was a certain frisson' between Kanye and Bianca 'At one point she was running her own jewellery business. I am surprised she's married Kanye, though.' Another female friend recalled attending the four-day Rainbow Serpent festival with Bianca in Lexton in January 2017. 'Bianca was always a bit of an "It girl",' she said. 'We partied together at Rainbow Serpent back in the day and she was up for a good time. A female friend recalled attending the four-day Rainbow Serpent festival with Bianca (circled above) in Lexton in January 2017. 'I loved that she so boldly wore nipple pasties!' After the non-legally binding ceremony made headlines, Kim shared a series of cryptic quotes on Instagram, including one that read: 'I'm really in my quiet girl era, I don't have much to say 'I loved that she so boldly wore nipple pasties!' Bianca returned to university to complete a Master of Architecture from 2019 to 2020. A former colleague at a South Yarra furniture store remembered Bianca had always applied herself to work. Another read, 'Just remember, the black sheep usually turns into a goat. Keep doing you' Kim filed for divorce last February after nearly seven years of marriage. The former couple share four children, North, nine, Saint, seven, Chicago, four, and Psalm, three (all pictured) CENSORI OVERLOAD LYRICS: How Kanye paid tribute to his wife with new song Waking up to "I cant do this anymore" text And The Bible said I cant have anymore sex Till marriage no drip till Paris And the meek shall flourish So where is my aris You wouldnt understand How thin this air is Friends just staring And everyones a Karen When they claim they care and Wasnt given a fair hand Getting calls from parents God calls for prayer rants Temptation at a mere glance I forgot what fear is I forgot what fear is I forgot what fear is Other than the fear off almighty yashua Who knew ya Before you knew who you was Wear a Donda tee For you respond to me You know honestly Yall all honor me I know its 'cause the headlines Why she wanna leave You know I follow God So you should follow me I aint never rock with none of yall no way And Im pulling up in that white OJ And the watch filled up with Oshays Thats Jackson 'cause its nasty Tweeted deathcon Now we past three Tweeted deathcon Now we past three Advertisement 'While I haven't been in touch with Bianca for a number of years, I can confirm she was a very hard-working young lady,' she said. 'I was certainly surprised to read she's gotten hitched to Kanye West - good for her.' Bianca, who has worked for Yeezy since November 2020, 'wed' Kanye two months after his divorce from 42-year-old Kim was finalised in November. The pair reportedly celebrated their union at a private ceremony and both have been seen wearing wedding rings. The informal nuptials have apparently not been followed the filing of a marriage certificate. After the non-legally binding ceremony made headlines, Kim shared a series of cryptic quotes on Instagram, including: 'I'm really in my quiet girl era, I don't have much to say. Just much to do.' Another read: 'Just remember, the black sheep usually turns into a goat. Keep doing you.' A source close to Kim told Page Six the star of Keeping Up with the Kardashians had sensed 'there was a certain frisson' between Kanye and Bianca. 'Kim hates her,' the source said. 'She's pretty. And Kim hates pretty girls.' Last month, Kanye paid tribute to his 'wife' by releasing the track Censori Overload, a play on her last name. In the lyrics, he revealed he stayed celibate before tying the knot, singing: 'And The Bible said, I can't have any more sex 'til marriage.' The song appears to reference his split from Kim, opening with the lines, 'Waking up to "I can't do this anymore" text,' before adding: 'I know it's 'cause the headlines / Why she wanna leave?' In April last year, Bianca gave a lecture to the University of Malta about working with Kanye, telling students: 'At Yeezy we were able to develop a Donda language, an aesthetic with Kanye, which has informed both of our design aesthetics.' Bianca also showed students several housing projects she was working on at Yeezy, saying: 'I developed a space where you can sit, listen to water trickle, and watch how it comes in and out of your residence.' Law & Order: SVU stars Ice-T and Christopher Meloni have blasted 'bulls**t' claims they are embroiled in an ugly feud. Ice-T, 64, took to Twitter on Monday to post an email he had received from The National Enquirer seeking comment on a story alleging they have been 'feuding since' Meloni's 'return to the franchise' in 2021 on the series Law & Order: Organized Crime. The email stated that 'sources told The ENQUIRER that the former rapper has grown envious of the attention that Mr. Meloni has received since coming back.' The latest: Law & Order: SVU stars Ice-T and Christopher Meloni have blasted 'bulls**t' claims they are embroiled in an ugly feud Ice-T denied any problems with Meloni, 61, as he said he had forwarded the email to his longtime colleague on the Dick Wolf franchise - before slamming 'clownass MFs making up drama.' He said: 'Just sent this email over to my guy @Chris_Meloni,' said Ice-T. 'Clownass MFs trying to make up Drama outta thin air... WOW... MFs are really on that BS.' Meloni shared an image of the email, writing, 'So [Ice-T] was sent this. He was kind enough to let me know we were feuding.' Ice-T added to Meloni's comment, 'LOL... Clownass MFs.. Chris is my MF man! F'em They just make BS up. Crazy.' The veteran actors detailed the series of events on social media with added commentary Ice-T has played the role of Detective Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola since 2000, spending 11 seasons performing alongside Meloni. After leaving the franchise after its 12th season in 2010, Meloni reprised the role of Detective Elliot Stabler in 2021 on Law & Order: Organized Crime, which has had crossover storylines with Law & Order: SVU. Other longtime characters in the principal cast of the NBC series include Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson (1999-2023), Dann Florek as Captain Don Cragen (1999-2021); and Richard Belzer as Detective John Munch (1999-2016). The stars were snapped with Universal Studio Group Chairman Pearlena Igbokwe at an event in NYC last fall Ice-T discussed his longtime friendship with Meloni in a 2021 appearance on The View ahead of his return to the franchise. He noted the stayed in touch with Meloni 'the whole time' he was away from the series 'because were friends in real life.' He added: 'To have him come back and watch whats gonna happen with him and Mariska, everybodys just waiting for that moment, but its good, hes a friend, I worked with him for 12 years, we became close friends.' Lori Harvey turned 26 years old on Friday, January 13 - ringing in her birthday with her celebrity friends at Lavo restaurant in West Hollywood. And Lori shared a number of snaps from her star studded birthday bash - posing up a storm with pals Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, Justine Skye and more. Lori looked incredible in the photobooth snaps, rocking a eye-catching black lace skintight dress. Iconic: Lori Harvey turned 26 years old on Friday, January 13 - ringing in her birthday with her celebrity friends at Lavo restaurant in West Hollywood. And Lori shared a number of snaps from her star studded birthday bash - posing up a storm with pals Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, Justine Skye and more; (from L to R) Lauren Perez, Lori, Justine Skye, Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber Lori looked incredible in a black mini form-fitting dress that featured cut-out detailing and lace accents. The frock, which highlighted her ample chest and her flat midsection, was paired with pulled back hair and delicate diamond earrings. She posed for a snap alongside Kendall, 27, who chose a racy dress for the birthday party. The supermodel flashed her braless cleavage in a one-shoulder black dress; the cover girl's frock was completely see-through. Wow factor! Lori looked incredible in the photobooth snaps, rocking a eye-catching black lace skintight dress; Lori pictured with Hailey and a pal Kendall's dress had a red accent along the neckline for a pop of color; she styled it with pulled back hair and pink lips. Hailey, 26, looked stunning in a black mini dress featuring cut-out elements that had lace underlay. The gorgeous model styled the skintight number with her brunette hair pulled back with two pieces loose framing her face. Lovely: Hailey looked stunning in a black mini dress featuring cut-out elements that had lace underlay Gorgeous: Lori looked incredible in a black mini form-fitting dress that featured cut-out detailing and lace accents Striking; The frock, which highlighted her ample chest and her flat midsection, was paired with pulled back hair and delicate diamond earrings Lori was seen arriving at the bash holding hands with her new beau, actor Damson Idris. She posed with Damson in one photobooth snap, as well as pals Offset and Daniel Kaluuya. The stunner and the British hunk, 31, recently confirmed their romance on Instagram - six months after she split from Michael B. Jordan. Good times: She posed with Damson in one photobooth snap, as well as pals Offset and Daniel Kaluuya Rebel: The frock, which highlighted her ample chest and her flat midsection, was paired with pulled back hair and delicate diamond earrings Striking: Lori posed with her gorgeous friends at the bash Another one: The party appeared to be sponsored by Revolve and Patron Adorable: Lori hugging a pal attending her party Lori and Michael started dating in November 2020 but called it quick almost two years later in June 2022. At the time of the breakup, a source told People that 'Michael matured a lot over the course of their relationship and was ready to commit for the long term.' Adding: 'He let his guard down with her, opening up emotionally in a romantic relationship for the first time.' Cute: Lori was seen arriving at the bash holding hands with her new beau, actor Damson Idris; seen on Friday arriving to Lavo in West Hollywood Stunning: Lori's stepdad is Steve Harvey; her mom Marjorie married Steve in 2007; seen with Damson leaving her birthday party on Friday at Lavo in West Hollywood Racy look: The supermodel flashed her braless cleavage in a one-shoulder black dress; the cover girl's frock was completely see-through; seen arriving to the party Smoldering: The gorgeous model styled the skintight number with her brunette hair pulled back with two pieces loose framing her face He is considered to be one of Hollywood's greatest actors. But Russell Crowe has not been back to the US to make a film since 2019. The Gladiator star, who currently splits his time between his Nana Glen farm in Australia and his Sydney apartment, explained he's often asked by his American friends why he hasn't returned to the US post-pandemic. Russell Crowe has revealed he has not been back to the US to make a film since 2019 'My American friends are like ''what's going on?"' he said during an interview on 2Day FMs Hughesy, Ed & Erin breakfast show on Monday. Between 1992 and 2019, there was never a year when the actor did not make a trip to the US at 'least twice'. But after his last film in the US, thriller Unhinged, the pandemic hit. The Oscar winner said his schedule in the past four years has not allowed him time to return to America. Between 1992 and 2019, there was never a year when the actor did not make a trip to the US at 'least twice'. He is pictured on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010 'I haven't been back since for a press tour,' he explained. 'I've been able to wrangle a way to do most of the press sitting here on the phone on the farm.' Over the past four years, Crowe has made films in Thailand, Malta, England, Ireland and Australia. Elsewhere in the interview, the Gladiator star announced he will start filming a new movie Sleeping Dogs in Melbourne in February. The Oscar winner said his schedule in the past four years has not allowed him time to return to America The thriller, based on the novel The Book of Mirrors by E.O. Chirovici, will re-unite Crowe with his Gladiator co-star Tommy Flanagan. The Beautiful Mind star teased another forthcoming project in the chat, but did not reveal details. 'Later in the year I go to Budapest,' he said, explaining that the story of the un-named film 'confirms events right at the end of World War II.' 'It's a great challenge to play the role, it's going to be incredible.' The New Zealand-born star also talked about his love of performing on stage with his new band The Gentlemans Barber. 'There's nothing like it,' he said, 'it's an adrenaline rush.' Crowe went onto to reveal his band's forthcoming performances next week in Coffs Harbour will include special guest artists, including a chart-topping female star and an award-winning male artist. Heidi Klum's stunning daughter Leni Klum posted a pair of gorgeous Instagram images on Monday of her rocking an ad campaign for Dior Beauty. The 18-year-old model who recently wowed in an off-the-shoulder black dress for Valentino treated her 1.7 million followers to a glamorous look. Donning a silk leopard-print headscarf and sultry red lips, Leni gazed into the camera and oozed Parisian attitude. Dior diva: Heidi Klum's stunning daughter Leni Klum, 18, posted a pair of gorgeous Instagram images on Monday of her rocking an ad campaign for Dior Beauty 'You can never go wrong with a classic Dior red 999 lipstick,' captioned the up-and-coming beauty. 'Simply iconic. @diorbeauty #DIORMITZAH' In her second image, Leni posed while applying the iconic shade of crimson to her full lips. Klum's icy blue eyes gazed into the camera with Cleopatra liner and a touch of blush under her lower lids. Leni's flawless complexion accentuated her arresting features, while the stunner's leopard-print 'Mitzah' headscarf named after Christian Dior's muse, Mitzah Bricard gave her extra edge. Crimson Klum: Donning a silk leopard-print headscarf and sultry red lips, Leni gazed into the camera and oozed Parisian attitude. 'You can never go wrong with a classic Dior red 999 lipstick,' captioned the up-and-coming beauty. 'Simply iconic' Comment: One of the first comments under Leni's post was a heart-eyes emoji from her biological father Italian business magnate Flavio Briatore, 72 One of the first comments under Leni's post was a heart-eyes emoji from her biological father Italian business magnate and international playboy, Flavio Briatore, 72. The legendary Briatore has romanced some of the world's most beautiful women, from his former fiance Naomi Campbell, 52, to Leni's mother, Heidi Klum, 49. Flavio and Heidi enjoyed a short-lived relationship in March 2003, resulting in Heidi announcing her pregnancy nine months later in December. By the time Leni was born in 2004, Heidi was already in a relationship with Seal, 59, whom she married in 2005. The German supermodel has emphatically stated over the years that the Kiss from a Rose crooner is Lenni's father and that Briatore has played no parental role in her life. Flavio allowed Seal to officially adopt Leni in 2009, five years before the rockstar and Klum called it quits. Lookalikes: Leni and her legendary mother Heidi Klum, 49, steal the spotlight whenever they join forces Biological dad: One of the first comments under Leni's post was a heart eyes emoji from her biological father Italian business magnate and international playboy, Flavio Briatore, 72 (pictured with Heidi in 2003) Adoptive father: By the time Leni was born in 2004, Heidi was already in a relationship with Seal, 59, whom she married in 2005 (and divorced in 2014). Flavio allowed the Kiss from a Rose crooner to officially adopt Leni in 2009 Another comment came from Leni's maternal grandfather, Gunther Klum, 77. Translated from his original German, Gunther's comment reads: 'She's getting after grandpa!' Heidi and her father were embroiled in a 'bitter legal clash' in 2021 when Gunther trademarked Leni's name, jeopardizing her burgeoning career as a model. The battle between father and daughter came after the pair's rumored estrangement in 2019, when they allegedly fell out over Heidi marrying Tokyo Hotel guitarist Tom Kaulitz, 33. A cosmetics executive himself, Gunther steered the fashion icon's career for decades before their relationship disintegrated. But this latest comment from Leni's grandfather makes it appear that the painful rift might be fully healed. Margot Robbie's stylist Kate Young has come under fire again after the star wore a version of a classic Versace number to the Babylon premiere on Monday. The Oscar-nominated actress, 32, returned to Sydney this week for the Australian premiere of the 1920s-themed Hollywood drama. Ditching her usual Chanel attire, the former Neighbours star opted an updated dress from Versace's 1995 archive. Fashion snobs once again found themselves disappointed by Margot Robbie's 'lack of style' on the red carpet at the premiere of her new movie Babylon on Monday The snug silver-blue number is a modern version of the gown Carla Bruni wore to the Versace spring 1995 couture show. It had featured on the runway the year before. But Margot's version featured a red lace-trimmed thigh split, which many fans didn't like. 'Nevertheless, she persisted. Her dedication is truly unmatched, because why did you add red lace to this SS95 Versace gown? Like, is she just doing red because she wore a red dress in Babylon? I'd love to know the thought process,' one fan said. 'The red lace ruined the dress. Leave it alone. As the old saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it,' added another. Ditching her usual Chanel attire, Margot opted a dress from Versace's 1995 archive. The snug silver-blue number is an updated version of the gown Cala Bruni wore to the Versace spring 1995 couture show (right) The dress first appeared on the Spring Summer runway of Versace's Haute Couture collection in 1995 'She could have just worn bold red jewellery,' commented one. Others were confused about the fit of the bodice, with some saying the 'ill-fitting' underwear looked 'lumpy'. 'The fit of the breast cups looks like they stuffed her bra too. I desperately want to see her in the Row or Jill Sander. So we can see her not some terrible outfit,' one critic wrote. 'Its just me or the padding on the chest of that dress looks like she has something growing in her breasts?' commented another. Margot's modern version featured a red lace-trimmed thigh split, which many fans didn't like 'The fit needed to be better around the bust, no red lace, hair clean back, dark red lip,' commented one. 'My theory is she does it to hide her beauty so she still has interesting opportunities. 'Can you imagine if she choose to play up her beauty and shine? She's made to play Barbie but we know that movie is going to be unhinged, much like Margot's glam squad,' said one. Meanwhile, many thought the dress Margot wore to the Sydney premiere of Babylon was an improvement on her recent red carpet looks. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, stylist Donny Galella said it was good to see her stepping away from her usual Chanel and opting for a different designer Carla Bruni is pictured with Arno Klarsfeld at 1995 Versace show, sans red lace Meanwhile, many thought the dress Margot wore to the Sydney premiere of Babylon was a marked improvement on her recent red carpet looks. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, stylist Donny Galella said it was good to see her stepping away from her usual Chanel and opting for a different designer. 'I love this pastel blue Versace on her, so it's good to see her not wearing Chanel,' he said. 'The gown was inspired by a Versace gown worn in 1995 by model Carla Bruni to the Met Gala. But I wish she did wear an Aussie label to the Australian premiere. Donny thinks Margot should also be representing her country by slipping into some Aussie couture. 'Imagine if she wore some Aussie Couture brands like JAton, Steven Khalil, Toni Maticevski, Yousef Akbar, Nicky Velani and Pallas Couture. I would love to see her in more jewel tones like blues and greens, more red, more gold and silver,' he said. Margot split opinion with her dramatic red number for the Babylon premiere in London on Thursday night Donny is also excited to see her experiment with couture during her upcoming promo tour for Barbie. 'This could be her biggest year in fashion and I just hope she can step away from Chanel and wear other brands like Valentino, Shiaparelli, Gucci, McQueen, Balmain, Zuhair Murad and Armani,' he said. 'That pale pink Chanel dress [from the Golden Globes] was far from her best look; I was expecting so much more. She is insanely talented and a gorgeous girl and I just want to see her in couture that does her justice,' Many agreed with Donny and loved her Versace number He said the pink number was 'a bit boring', although it was a subtle nod to the Barbie movie. 'She has a relationship with Chanel, so she was probably paid to wear that gown. Lots of celebrities have contracts with design houses and are then locked into wearing only that brand. 'But she just attended the (London) Babylon premiere in a red Valentino gown. 'I absolutely love that she is wearing Valentino. The back of this gown is sublime. Not a huge fan of the front of the gown. Her hair and makeup, that red lip is flawless. Stunning!' Last week, the actress opted for a custom Chanel gown to the Golden Globes which was described as 'boring and bland', with keyboard warriors claiming her stylist must 'hate her' due to a string of red carpet flops Her soft pink crystal-embellished dress featured a ruffled hem, and extra sparkle came in the form of a diamond broach pinned to the bodice Last week, the actress opted for a custom Chanel gown to the Golden Globes which was described as 'boring and bland', with keyboard warriors claiming her stylist must 'hate her' due to a string of red carpet flops. Despite topping best-dressed lists, many thought the soft pink crystal-embellished dress featuring a ruffled hem was 'boring and stale'. Margot's choice of pink appeared to be an homage to her upcoming role as Barbie in the upcoming Greta Gerwig-directed comedy, while the flapper style is likely a nod to her role in Babylon, which is set in the 1920s. Despite the clear references to her projects, trolls were quick to criticise the look, with one writing: 'Imagine being Margot Robbie's stylist. Managing to make a woman as beautiful as her look bad. Wow. I'm sure it takes a lot of hard work and dedication'. Margot was named as a brand ambassador for Chanel in 2018, and has almost exclusively worn it on the red carpet since. In the last five years, critics have heckled her outfits online, with many calling on her stylist Kate Young to 'free her' from the contract. While no details of a formal contract have ever been made public, some speculated her deal with the brand had come to an end after she wore an emerald green Bottega Veneta dress to the Governors Awards in November, which was described as her 'best look ever'. Days later, she was papped leaving a New York City hotel in a Proenza Schouler power suit and an oversized Bottega blazer. She also wore a flowing charcoal Celine dress to the European premiere of Amsterdam in London in September, with fans taking to TikTok at the time to celebrate the 'end of her Chanel era'. Some speculated Margot's deal with Chanel had come to an end after she wore an emerald green Bottega Veneta dress to the Governors Awards in November, which was described as her ' best look ever ' Margot (pictured) stole the show on at the Governors Awards in LA last month However, the I, Tonya star returned with a Chanel look at the Golden Globes this week, which disappointed some amateur fashionistas. 'Margot Robbie's stylist knows she would break the internet and everyone would be jealous of her as the most stunning woman in the world, so she lets her wear ugly outfits to protect us,' one fan joked. In 2020, celebrity stylist Elliot Garnaut named Margot as his 'worst-dressed' Australian star in Hollywood. The sartorial expert took part in an episode of The Lady Bunch, hosted by Rozalia Russian, where he dramatically asked the former Neighbours star to 'call him'. 'Your stylist is literally f**king torturing you. You look like an old wench!' he said. In 2020, celebrity stylist Elliot Garnaut named Margot as his 'worst-dressed' Australian star in Hollywood. (She is pictured at the 2020 Screen Actors Guild Awards) One fan asked Elliot who he felt was the worst-dressed Australian celebrity. Elliot then said dramatically, 'Margot Robbie. Call me b***h!' 'Somebody at Chanel obviously hates her,' Elliot joked at the time. (Margot is pictured at the Birds of Prey premiere in Mexico City in January 2020) Rating: Lets hope all the girls in this winters Love Island have teeny tiny Cinderella tootsies, because if they dont, contestant Haris Namani wont be looking their way. I wouldnt get with a girl who had over size five feet, said 21-year-old TV salesman Haris when asked for his ideal type. Shaq Muhammad, 24, a security officer from London, wanted a girl who was hilariously funny with nice eyes, nice lips and a good body, while financial adviser Ron Hall, 25, from Essex a diamond in the rough was looking for a wifey for lifey. But before he settled down with said wifey, he wanted to sample all the flavours, whatevers in front of me, in the villa. Yes, folks, Love Island is back for the first of two series in 2023 and is still as reassuringly shallow as a mouses footbath. Love Island is back for the first of two series in 2023 and is still as reassuringly shallow as a mouses footbath For the next six weeks we can expect an endless parade of bikinis, boob jobs, six-packs and more dazzling-white Turkey teeth than you can shake a stick at. Love it or hate it, theres no denying that the dating show has become something of a cultural phenomenon. The most watched series ever on ITVHub with more than 269 million streams, the format has been sold to 25 territories around the world. Last nights opener was Love Islands second attempt at a winter series, the first in 2020 falling rather flat, arriving as it did just as the country was gripped by Covid panic. Love it or hate it, theres no denying that the dating show has become something of a cultural phenomenon Rumour has it that when plans for a winter show were first mooted, producers toyed with the idea of basing the drama at a luxury chalet in a ski resort.until they realised the freezing temperatures would mean the contestants might occasionally need to wear some clothes. Instead, the action takes place at a villa in South Africa (not that youd know since its pretty much a carbon copy of the summer one in Majorca). The boys were the first to arrive and none of them giddier and more excited to be there than Will Young, 23, one of a new breed of cool farmers with big social media fanbases (Will already has a million followers on TikTok). He believed he would be a hit with the ladies because farming meant he was strong and masculine but also had a loving, caring, nurturing, wholesome vibe. Tanya Manhenga, 22, wearing false eyelashes that looked like they weighed more than she did is a biomedical science student from Liverpool The first five girls to enter included payroll administrator Anna-May Robey, 20, from Swansea, who revealed that she once talked so much on a date that the guy fell asleep at the table. Tanya Manhenga, 22, wearing false eyelashes that looked like they weighed more than she did is a biomedical science student from Liverpool and warned the boys: I literally expect princess treatment, or no treatment at all. Last night the first five couples were formed, overseen by Maya Jama who takes over as the shows presenter. Strutting into the house in a sprayed-on dress, it was clear that, never mind the contestants, shes definitely the boys type. Love Islands return certainly made our Blue Monday a little more sky and a lot less navy After criticism for failing in its duty of care , ITV has made it clear that anyone taking part this year will get more counselling than Prince Harry on a bad day and receive training on everything from inclusive language and microaggressions to financial planning. Those who need their TV viewing a little grittier were no doubt watching Silent Witness on BBC1. But for those who dont mind a bit of low-brow fluff? Well, Love Islands return certainly made our Blue Monday a little more sky and a lot less navy. Celeste Barber dressed to impress as she made a show-stopping appearance at the Babylon premiere in Sydney on Monday. The comedian, 40, looked glamorous in a bright red velvet dress as she arrived with her husband Api Robin. The social media star, known around the world for mocking celebrities on Instagram, put on a loved-up display as she gazed sweetly at her man on the red carpet. Celeste Barber looked glamorous in a velvet dress as she put on a loved-up display with her 'hot husband' Api Robin at the Babylon premiere in Sydney on Monday Celeste accessorised with a pair of gold stilettos and a matching-coloured bag. The funnywoman left her brunette locks out and opted for a neutral palette of makeup, consisting of blush and a nude lip. Meanwhile, Api looked dapper in black pants, a white shirt and white blazer. The social media star, 40, known around the world for mocking celebrities on Instagram, put on a loved-up display as she gazed sweetly at her husband on the red carpet He completed his look with black dress shoes as he held his wife's hand. Celeste has been with Api, whom she affectionately describes as her 'hot husband', for 18 years. They tied the knot nine years ago. The couple share two sons, and Api has two daughters from a previous relationship. The funnywoman left her brunette locks out and opted for a neutral palette of makeup, consisting of blush and a nude lip Celeste previously admitted she married a man who is 'universally hotter' than her. 'It's harder to live with than I originally thought,' she joked on her blog. 'Now, don't get me wrong, I'm no dropped pie, but there isn't a "hot wifey" hashtag hanging around my neck,' she added. A defeated Republican candidate in New Mexico's largest city was arrested for shooting at Democratic politicians' homes while driving by. Police said that SWAT teams took 39-year-old Solomon Pena into custody and searched his residence on Monday evening. The authorities said Pena was bitter about losing and had made unfounded assertions that the US Elections in November had been "rigged" against him, per AP News. When asked about the gunshots at the homes of two county commissioners and two state lawmakers between early December and early January, Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina called Pena the "mastermind" of what looked to be a politically motivated scheme, according to CBS News. Three bullets hit a state senator's 10-year-old daughter's bedroom, but no one was hurt. Read Also: Experts Alarmed Over China Population Drop Investigators identified five participants in the plot and tied the last shooting directly to Pena. He has been accused of a crime based on evidence from multiple witnesses, computer and cell phone data, security cameras, and guns. The arrest of Pena comes after the arrest of an unnamed man last week who was thought to be involved in at least one of the shootings. Pena Unleashed Series of Shootings At least eight shots were fired at the residence of Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa in early December, according to authorities. Within days of the initial attack, the house of state representative Javier Martinez was targeted, and a week after that, former Bernalillo County Commissioner Debbie O'Malley's home was fired at, according to the police. The Republican shooting case is still being probed by investigators. The November US elections did not favor Solomon Pena when he challenged Miguel P. Garcia, the veteran Democrat representing House District 14 in the South Valley. Garcia won the polls by 48 percentage points or around 3,600 votes. The arrest of Solomon Pena takes place only one day before the New Mexico legislature is scheduled to start its session, as per an NPR report. Related Article: California Murder Latest Update @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Lil Tjay was arrested Monday in New York City when police found a loaded handgun in the vehicle he was in. The New York City native, 21, and his friends were pulled over during a traffic stop, police told TMZ, and the rapper - who was shot last year in New Jersey - was arrested after a weapon was recovered from the vehicle. An associate of Lil Tjay was also arrested in the incident, according to the New York Post. The latest: Lil Tjay, 21, was arrested Monday in New York City when police found a loaded handgun in the vehicle he was in. He was pictured last March in LA Police told the outlet that charges were pending for Lil Tjay and his associate in connection with the incident. The arrest was captured in a TikTok clip, in which Lil Tjay was seen handcuffed and being led by NYPD officers. The rapper was clad in a black shirt with a black New York Yankees cap in the clip. The musical artist, whose real name is Tione Jayden Merritt, had previously taken to social media advertising that he would be in the area to film a music video. The Columbia Records-signed performer said in an Instagram Stories post, 'Video shooot today lol its litt.' The rapper was pictured performing at NYC's Citi Field in October of 2021 The musical artist is less than seven months removed from being shot in a June 22, 2022 attempted robbery in Edgewater, New Jersey. Pictured in Houston in August 2021 The musical artist, whose real name is Tione Jayden Merritt, had previously taken to social media advertising that he would be in the area to film a music video The musical artist is less than seven months removed from being shot in a June 22, 2022 attempted robbery in Edgewater, New Jersey. He was with friends Antoine Boyd and Jeffrey Valdez at the time of the incident, according to NorthJersey.com, which took place in a shopping center parking lot. A man named Mohamed Konate (who was also shot in the incident) has been charged with attempted murder, armed robbery and weapons violations in connection with the rapper's shooting. Love Island returned to screens on Monday evening as a new set of singletons coupled up in South Africa. During the first episode, ITV viewers were quick to accuse a number of islanders of lying about their real age. Taking to Twitter, fans demanded the show to 'check birth certificates' as they were left less than convinced that Kai Fagan is 24-years-old. Shocked: During the first episode of the new series of Love Island on Monday evening, ITV viewers were quick to accuse a number of islanders of lying about their real age As viewers watched from home, the new cast came under scrutiny with one writing: 'Nahhh Kai is not 24. Check that birth certificate now'. While another added: 'Kai is 24???? Was he born in a leap year?' 'I cannot believe Kai is 24, he looks at least 30, if not 35,' a third penned. 'Check that birth certificate now': Taking to Twitter, fans demanded the show to 'check birth certificates' as they were left less than convinced that Kai Fagan is 24-years-old Kai wasn't the only singleton to come under fire as bombshell Tom Clare, 23, was also questioned by fans online. The boys were left less than impressed at the end of the first episode as the striker for Macclesfield made his debut. Tom will get to pick any girl of choice in the next episode leaving the boy left single at risk. 'Was he born in a leap year?': As viewers watched from home, the new cast came under scrutiny with one writing: 'Nahhh Kai is not 24. Check that birth certificate now' Awkward: Kai wasn't the only singleton to come under fire as bombshell Tom Clare, 23, was also questioned by fans online It comes after Kai was mocked by viewers for using the term 'wifey for lifey' before switching between three single ladies during the first coupling of the series. The semi-pro rugby player claimed to new host Maya Jama that he has entered the villa on the hunt for the real deal, but fans of the show were quick to call him out for using the 'cringeworthy' slogan. Taking to Twitter, viewers did not hold back, with one writing: 'Wifey for lifey the way I GAGGED #LoveIsland,' while another admitted: 'Wifey for lifey I just threw up my dinner thanks babe x #LoveIsland.' 'Looking for wifey on Love Island? Stop lyingggggg through your pearly veneers mate,' pleaded someone else, as another person insisted: 'sorry but the lads are soooo dry on love island, a grown man saying wifey for lifey.' 'This wifey 4 lifey thing better not the slogan for this series. I will not tolerate 8 weeks of grown men talking like teenage boys. #LoveIsland,' fumed one viewer. Someone else tweeted: '"I just wanna try all the flavours and see which one is a wifey for lifey" go home right now #LoveIsland.' Maternal Rating: **** Mastermind Rating: ** Once, there was no better setting for telly drama than a hospital. Doctors and nurses, romance in A&E, life-and-death decisions... it all adds up to soap's safest bet. Now, the whole subject is fraught with controversy and politically correct pitfalls. Even the title of Maternal (ITV), about three women going back to the wards after having children, risks enraging the thought police. 'Maternal', as a lecturer pointed out to doctors Helen, Maryam and Catherine (Lisa McGrillis, Parminder Nagra and Lara Pulver), is not a word on the approved list. They'd been on 'parental leave,' he emphasised not 'maternity'. Using a pump to express her milk, with as much discretion as she could manage in public, Helen complained that her 'boobs' were sore. Even the title of Maternal (ITV), about three women going back to the wards after having children, risks enraging the thought police Excuse me, doctor, but I think you'll find the correct gender- neutral terminology for that part of your anatomy is 'chest'. Writer Jacqui Honess-Martin takes a boldly feminist tone. It's clear she knows how to fix the NHS: get rid of the men. They're all pompous, condescending, sexist, entitled, lazy, unreliable, randy incompetents. And that's the good ones. Helen's husband, Guy (Oliver Chris), a doctor on the same wards, accuses her of undermining his authority every time she speaks. Maryam's husband is outraged that she's gone back to work at all. Catherine's the sensible one she's a defiantly single mother, coping with life far better than her friends who have succumbed to marriage. Writer Jacqui Honess-Martin takes a boldly feminist tone. It's clear she knows how to fix the NHS: get rid of the men Catherine's mother doesn't approve, though. She had to suffer the demands of a husband who thought he was God, and so should her daughter: 'You wanted to be a mother. It demands sacrifice!' Despite its stridency, Maternal is fast-paced, with plenty of emotional punch and far more watchable than BBC1's self-pity saga, This Is Going To Hurt, last year. There's real sharpness in the script. When one medic volunteers for extra duty, a consultant drawls: 'My hero! We'll organise a clap.' Questionmaster Clive Myrie has a tendency to drawl, too, dragging out the word 'Ye-ee-ess', when he could simply clip it short. That can cheat the players of vital split seconds. Clive, who took over from John Humphrys in 2021, seems increasingly to be turning Mastermind (BBC2) into a game of chance as well as memory. Of course, the tension of the occasion can fluster anyone. Civil engineer Adeleine couldn't remember the name of composer Scott Joplin, even though, she said, she'd been playing his Maple Leaf Rag on the piano for years. 'That chair makes us all do funny things,' Clive commiserated. Clive, who took over from John Humphrys in 2021, seems increasingly to be turning Mastermind (BBC2) into a game of chance as well as memory But the number of questions squeezed into each round has begun to vary markedly. I kept a tally and, by my reckoning, teacher Lesley (who chose the life of Thomas Cromwell as her special subject) had just 29 brainteasers bowled at her. She finished in last place. Optician Alex had more chances to answer, both in his specialist round (on the films of Wes Anderson) and the general knowledge test. In total, he faced 32 questions, which is ten per cent more. Both players answered quickly, but some of Alex's questions seemed shorter such as 'Funf is the German word for what number?' (It's 'five'.) By contrast, Lesley faced posers like this: 'A decade after they disbanded, which singing duo reunited for a free concert in New York's Central Park in September 1981, said to have been attended by around half a million people?' (That was 'Simon and Garfunkel', which also takes a lot longer to say than 'five'.) Unsurprisingly, Alex won the contest. It hardly seems fair and it would never have happened under Magnus Magnusson. Missy Elliott gifted her assistant with a Range Rover for her birthday and shared the generous surprise on social media. The 51-year-old rapper posted a photo on her Instagram Stories on Sunday showing a new black Range Rover with a big silver bow on the hood. Her assistant smiled as she held up the keys to the luxury vehicle and her young son also beamed while standing in front of her. Birthday present: Missy Elliott gifted her assistant with a Range Rover for her birthday and shared the generous surprise on social media The deluxe Land Rover branded car has a suggested starting price of $60K and goes upwards of $120K. Missy penned: 'Happy Born Day to my sister/Friend/Assistant my rider! I wanted to give you this truck last week because I wanted to see ya surprised face lol!,' Missy wrote as a caption for her roughly 5 million followers. 'But you work hard and always there no matter the hour for me so I hope you enjoy,' Missy added. It was announced earlier this month that Missy, Dr. Dre and Lil Wayne will be honored at the Recording Academy's second annual Black Music Collective event during Grammy Week in February. The three Grammy winners will receive the Global Impact Award for their personal achievements in the music industry during an event at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on February 2, ahead of the Grammy Awards on February 5. Social media: The 51-year-old rapper, shown in November 2019 in New York City, posted a photo on her Instagram Stories on Sunday showing a new black Range Rover with a big silver bow on the hood The Black Music Collective group was created in 2020 by prominent music industry leaders - including honorary chairs John Legend, Jimmy Jam and Quincy Jones - to find ways to drive Black representation and inclusion. Missy is a four-time Grammy winner who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019. She broke through with her debut album "Supa Dupa Fly" and has collaborated with several top music acts including Aaliyah, Beyonce, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Ciara, Lil Kim, J. Cole, Busta Rhymes and Chris Brown. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in November 2021. Rap queen: Missy received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in November 2021 Missy first launched her career when she formed the all-female R&B group Fayze in 1991. She was honored at the MTV Video Music Awards in August 2019 with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard award. Missy performed a medley of her greatest hits and her performance included an appearance by dancer Alyson Stoner, 29, who was only nine when she appeared in Missy's 2002 Work It video. Amanda Holden looked nothing short of incredible on set of a racy new photoshoot on Monday. The Britain's Got Talent judge and radio host, 51, sizzled as she showed off her age-defying figure in nothing but a bathrobe as she posed up for Sam Faiers' Revive Collagen brand. Amanda shared a short clip of herself posing on the edge of a bath while on set, saying: 'So good to be back with @revivecollagen.' 'So good to be back': Amanda Holden, 51, sizzled as she showed off her age-defying figure in nothing but a bathrobe during a racy photoshoot in London on Monday Amanda stunned showing off a golden tan, fresh pedicure and with her blonde locsk out and over her shoulders in tousled curls. She could be seen putting on a leggy display in the robe and posing seductively while baring one shoulder. Sam also shared a picture of herself with Amanda on set of the shoot in Notting Hill. Amanda shared a short clip of herself posing on the edge of a bath while on set, saying: 'So good to be back with @revivecollagen' On set: Sam also shared a picture of herself with Amanda on set of the shoot in Notting Hill 'Here we go again. Another exciting year with our British Ambassador Amanda,' Sam captioned her post. Sam looked chic on the day wearing leather-look trousers and a black singlet with a metallic blazer. Amanda has just returned from a lavish trip to Mauritius, where she stayed in a 1,700 per night beachside resort. Holiday: Amanda has just returned from a lavish trip to Mauritius, where she stayed in a 1,700 per night beachside resort The TV personality made sure to document her trip and shared various pictures of herself slipping her figure into tiny bikinis. She stayed at the luxurious five-star LUX Grand Baie situated on the northern shore of the island. Designer and former Dragon's Den star Kelly Hoppen helped to design the hotel, with the suites and villas designed to feel like private apartments. Rumer Willis stepped out to bring her dog to the vet in Los Angeles on Monday. The 34-year-old daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore bundled up in a bright beanie and a tan fleece overcoat to hide her baby bump for the daytime outing. Last December, she announced that she is expecting her first child with her boyfriend Derek Richard Thomas with some sweet snaps on Instagram. Bundled up: Rumer Willis, 34, stepped out to bring her dog to the vet in Los Angeles on Monday The House Bunny actress - who has not revealed her expectancy date - dressed comfortably for the daytime outing. The Once Upon A Time in Hollywood alum wore a simple black top and black leggings. She also modeled a teddy fleece overcoat which concealed her baby bump. Visiting the vet: The eldest daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore bundled up in a bright beanie and a tan fleece overcoat to hide her baby bump for the daytime outing For accessories, she donned a lime green and turquoise ombre beanie and styled her hair in pigtail braids. On her feet, she sported a pair cream Birkenstock sandals and tall white socks that she pulled over her leggings. Willis and her indie musician boyfriend announced in a joint Instagram post on December 30 that they were expecting their first child together. Cozy and comfy: On her feet, she sported a pair cream Birkenstock sandals and tall white socks that she pulled over her leggings The couple only went Instagram official in November of last year but have reportedly been dating for much longer. Their first child will also be Bruce and Demi's first grandchild. Bruce and Willis also share daughters Tallulah, 28, and Scout, 31. Casual yet chic: For accessories, she donned a lime green and turquoise ombre beanie and styled her hair in pigtail braids Previously, they were married from 1987 to 2000. Later, Demi was married to Ashton Kutcher from 2005 to 2013. In 2009, Bruce married Emma Heming, and together they share two daughters - Mabel, 10, and Evelyn, eight. Baby bump: Willis and Derek Richard Thomas announced in a joint Instagram post on December 30 that they were expecting their first child together Former Australian politician Julie Bishop beckoned master sleuth Sherlock Holmes to rescue her from the darkness during her latest trip to England. The 66-year-old went for an early morning jog through the streets of Belgravia, London, on Monday, before dawn had broken. Julie, who is in Europe to attend the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Switzerland, found herself spooked after deciding to take a shorter route back to her hotel because it was raining. Former Australian politician Julie Bishop admitted she was 'jumping at shadows' as she went for a run through the dark in London early Monday morning With sunrise another hour away, Julie found herself 'jumping at shadows' so took out her phone to film a video to reassure herself. 'It's a bit spooky. I'm half expecting Sherlock Holmes to emerge from the shadows,' she said. Just a few hours later, she was in Davos, Switzerland, for the WHO summit, where she met with the Foreign Minister of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis and author Bill Browder. In addition to her daily running, Julie maintains a fitness regime which also includes yoga 'a few times a week'. She made headlines in December when she showed off her yoga skills with a headstand on Cottesloe Beach in the background of a live cross on Studio 10. More recently, she swatted away critics who accused her of using a filter to blur and soften her features in a video posted to Instagram. In addition to her daily running, Julie maintains a fitness regime which also includes yoga 'a few times a week'. She also recently swatted away critics who accused her of using a filter to blur and soften her features in a video posted to Instagram It comes after her eight-year romance with property developer David Panton ended over dinner in Sydney in July. Just a week earlier, the couple had visited London together and dined with King Charles. She is now rumoured to be dating fitness enthusiast Luke Hepworth after the pair were spotted arm-in-arm at several red carpet events late last year. A group of attorneys representing Kanye West are planning to take out large newspaper ads to inform the rapper they are no longer providing him legal services. Lawyers for the firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP said in docs reviewed by TMZ that West, 45, has shut off the phone number they had to contact him with, leading to 'a breakdown in communication' with the ex-husband of Kim Kardashian. The attorneys said that their firm has sought to notify West via 'alternative means' of telling West that they were no longer representing him, along with publishing a court order issued by a judge permitting the severance of the professional relationship. The latest: A group of attorneys representing Kanye West, 45, are planning to take out large newspaper ads to inform the rapper they are no longer providing him legal services. He was pictured in LA in October The attorneys said that the planned ads are a last-ditch idea, as they have been trying to contact West about the issue, but he has been unresponsive. The idea behind publishing the statement in a newspaper is that it would 'likely garner significant media attention, resulting in broader publication,' the lawyers said. The news comes as West has been romantically linked to Bianca Censori, an architectural designer, and the pair 'had some sort of wedding ceremony' recently, the outlet reported, noting that the couple had not appeared to obtain a marriage certificate that would make the marriage legal. West has been keeping a relatively low profile in the six weeks since a December 1 appearance on Alex Jones' show Infowars in which he lavished praise on Nazis and Adolf Hitler. The attorneys said that the planned ads are a last-ditch idea, as they have been trying to contact West about the issue, but he has been unresponsive The idea behind publishing the statement in a newspaper is that it would 'likely garner significant media attention, resulting in broader publication,' the lawyers said. West was pictured in NYC last year 'He didn't kill six million Jews,' West said on the program, in which he appeared alongside white supremacist Nick Fuentes. 'That's just factually incorrect. I'm not trying to be shocking. I like Hitler. The Holocaust is not what happened ... Hitler has a lot of redeeming qualities ... every human being has something of value that they brought to the table, especially Hitler.' The appearance came prior to West being banned from Twitter later that day for posting a picture of a swastika interlaced with a Star of David The turbulent day capped off a two-month stretch in which West dominated the headlines after making a series of anti-Semitic remarks, leading to a number of companies to break ties with him. The race-related controversies kicked off October 3 when he and and conservative commentator Candace Owens donned tops that read White Lives Matter during a Paris Fashion Week showcase for his Yeezy line. Appearing on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' show last month, West said he saw 'good things' about Adolf Hitler and Nazis West made offensive remarks on October 8 after he faced restrictions on Instagram West in October made headlines for a Paris Fashion Week showcase for his Yeezy line that saw him and conservative commentator Candace Owens don tops that read White Lives Matter on the back West faced restrictions on his social media sites after he tweeted October 8: 'I'm a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I'm going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE ... The funny thing is I actually can't be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also ... you guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.' The professional fallout to West's repeated statements about anti-Semitism included Adidas cutting their ties with him October 25 over his conduct. Foot Locker and Gap have pledged to remove Yeezy from its shelves, while fashion mainstays including Vogue magazine and Balenciaga publicly distanced themselves from the rapper/fashion designer. The talent agency CAA dropped West from its roster, while a documentary about West made by the studio MRC was shelved. Channel 10 is set launch Taskmaster, a new comedy game show on February 2. Hosted by funnyman Tom Gleeson, 48, the new series will see a group of five comedians attempt to complete a series of challenges. The Project's Tom Cashman will co-star alongside Utopia's Luke McGregor and Nina Oyama, children's entertainer Jimmy Rees, and stand-up favourites Julia Morris and Danielle Walker. Channel 10 is set launch Taskmaster, a new comedy game show on February 2. Pictured: host Tom Gleeson on the red carpet for the AACTA Awards in 2020 An hilarious new trailer reveals that fans can look forward to the contestants applying themselves to completing crazy challenges. 'For those that take joy in seeing comedians humiliating themselves...good news, that's kind of our whole deal,' Gleeson says in the teaser. Among the highlights featured in the preview are scenes of the cast struggling to sink a bowling ball sitting on a pontoon and floating in a lake - without getting wet. At one point. McGregor is seen pitching bowling pins to knock the bowling ball into the water. Pictured: Tom Gleeson and Tom Cashman (seated) and the cast of Taskmaster - Luke McGregor, Danielle Walker, Nina Oyama, Julia Morris and Jimmy Rees (lying down) Meanwhile, Gleeson serves as the 'taskmaster', awarding points and judging the efforts of the comedians. Based on a hit U.K. show, Variety Australia reports that the format has been sold to 12 countries including New Zealand, Sweden, and Denmark. It also has a YouTube channel, an app and a board game. The new serie will see a group of five comedians attempt to complete a series of hard-to-complete and silly challenges. Pictured: Utopia's Luke McGregor in Taskmaster A U.S. version, launched in 2018 by the Comedy Channel, failed to take off with viewers and was axed after one season. It was later re-launched in 2020 on CW, but was pulled from the air after only one episode because of poor ratings. Meanwhile, the U.K. version, hosted by creator Alex Horne and 'taskmaster' Greg Davies, is a hit with audiences and critics and has enjoyed 15 seasons on air. Taskmaster will be seen on Channel 10's main channel and 10Play. Married At First Sight's Jules Robinson has announced that she has signed with a new talent agency and is ready to embark on a new career path. Robinson and her husband Cameron Merchant had been signed with THE.mgmt since 2019, when they found fame on season six of the Channel Nine dating show. But now the fashion icon has joined TSA Talent, a firm that works with 'high profile talent' across Australia. Married At First Sight's Jules Robinson (pictured) has announced that she has signed with a new talent agency and is ready to embark on a new career path TSA Talent also represent the likes of Studio 10 hosts Tristan Macmanus and Sarah Harris. Since then, Jules has become an entrepreneur, starting her own shapewear company Figur and becoming a champion for body positivity. Jules has also teased a number of upcoming projects, including a memoir to be released in mid-2022, and a possible TV gig in the UK. Robinson and her husband Cameron Merchant signed with THE.mgmt in 2019, when they found fame on season six of the Channel Nine dating show Back in October Jules said that the UK has really been there 'with open arms for me from day one'. 'I always looked at London as a city of so much opportunity, and I do, to this day, feel that way. I just returned from a work trip [there]' she told Stellar Magazine. Jules has not discounted a move to England, specifically London, a city she says she loves. Jules has also teased a number of upcoming projects, including a memoir to be released in mid-2022, and a possible TV gig in the UK 'If the right opportunity arose, my family would definitely move to the UK,' she said, adding that she's already had offers. 'MAFS aired in the UK, where it was extremely popular, and I've already extended work opportunities there' Jules said. 'I've been in talks with some UK TV stations as presenting is something I'd like to explore'. A scene from the musical "Showman" / Courtesy of National Jeongdong Theater of Korea By Dong Sun-hwa Black comedy "Showman" has won the grand prize at this year's Korea Musical Awards, one of the most prestigious theater awards here. Produced by the National Jeongdong Theater of Korea, "Showman," which premiered in April, received the highest honor after edging out other original productions like "Frida" and "Almond." Its lead actor Yoon Na-moo and writer Han Jung-suk nabbed awards for best actor and best writer, respectively. Set in New Jersey in 2020, "Showman" is a story of a cynical young woman doing a photo shoot for an eccentric old man named Nebula, who claims to have worked as a stand-in for a dictator in a fictional country named Paradisus. The musical aims to portray an individual rediscovering his own identity after losing it due to social and ideological issues. "'Showman' is neither glamorous nor incredible," Jung Sung-sook, the CEO of the National Jeongdong Theater of Korea, said during the awards ceremony that took place at the LG Arts Center in Gangseo District, western Seoul, Monday. "But I believe good work can still make people feel that they have been moved by that show when they walk out of the theaters. I think 'Showman' has been recognized as such work. It will hit the stage again in September, so I hope a lot of people will come and watch it." Yoon, who played Nebula, said, "It feels surreal (to win such an award). 'Showman' has encouraged me to view our world in a positive light and become a good person. I want to share this honor with all our audience members." Sami Sheen looked relaxed while grabbing lunch with her sister Lola in Malibu on Monday. The 18-year-old daughter of Charlie Sheen - who posted racy Christmas snaps last month - donned a white T-Shirt with a Budweiser symbol running across the chest. She added light brown khaki pants to the ensemble, and she walked in well-worn black and white sneakers. Keeping relaxed: Sami Sheen looked relaxed while grabbing lunch with her sister Lola in Malibu on Monday She pulled her hair into tight, platinum blonde pigtails that touched the middle of her back. The Los Angeles native protected her eyes with thick black sunglasses, and she carried a black handbag over her right shoulder. She carried a large, orange drink from Starbucks with her as she headed into Howdy's, a cafe in Los Angeles. Sheen gained recognition for the pay site OnlyFans lastyear. She made headlines for posting sexy images alongside her Bond girl mom Denise, who posed for Playboy almost 20 years ago. T-shirt: The 18-year-old daughter of Charlie Sheen donned a white t-shirt with a Budweiser symbol running across the chest It was revealed in September that Denise's husband Aaron Phypers helps her shoot her OnlyFans content. The Wild Things star joined the website in June just days after her daughter Sami signed up for the service. And Denise has now recruited her partner to help her take the sexiest shots for the adult platform - admitting she values his opinion. During an appearance on Sirius XM's Jeff Lewis Live, she explained: 'Aaron takes a lot of my content for me. He knows what guys like. I ask him, I show him things, and say, 'What do you think?'' Denise went on to reveal she takes pictures in bikinis and lingerie and isn't afraid to show off her body - insisting pictures of her semi-naked already exist on the internet, Recognition: Sheen gained recognition for the pay site OnlyFans lastyear. She made headlines for posting sexy images alongside her Bond girl mom Denise, who posed for Playboy almost 20 years ago Way up north: The star was photographed in a snowy setting while on holiday in Whitefish, Montana Also on OnlyFans: It was revealed in September that Denise's husband Aaron Phypers helps her shoot her OnlyFans content She told host Jeff: 'I do bikini, I do lingerie, I do stuff that is sexier 'cause I also think, "Why not?' if I'm able to do stuff outside of some of the more conservative stuff that's on my Instagram. I do show my boobies, my tush."' 'They're already out there if you Google them.' The actress said she first joined the site to show support for her daughter, but she grew to understand why it feels 'empowering'. She went on: 'I did it to support my daughter, being a mom who is an actress who has done stuff, and I just thought it was empowering too as a woman to take control. Why not indeed: 'I do bikini, I do lingerie, I do stuff that is sexier 'cause I also think, "Why not?' if I'm able to do stuff outside of some of the more conservative stuff that's on my Instagram. I do show my boobies, my tush,"' she explained earlier this year 'You own all of the content and (on) a lot of the other platforms, you don't own the content. So, it's nice to be able to control it.' Sami previously faced opposition from her actor dad Charlie Sheen, who wasn't happy with her decision to join OnlyFans, and she recently revealed he still hasn't been won over. The teenager told TMZ: '(My mom) has been incredibly supportive from the jump. I'm grateful to have to her in my corner. But my dad hasn't seen the light yet. ' Sami also has three sisters, Lola, as well as Eloise and 38-year-old half-sister Cassandra Jade Estevez, whose mother is Paula Profit. She also has 13-year-old half-brothers Max and Bob Sheen whose mother is 45-year-old Brooke Mueller. Emily Atack's aunt Amy Robbins has spoken of her joy with getting the role of Daisy Midgeley's long lost mother in Coronation Street. Ahead of her first episode as Christina airing this month, Amy, 51, who has had minor roles in Emmerdale, Hollyoaks, Blood Brothers and a starring role in The Royal, has said her family full of showbusiness stars are 'all really pleased' for her. Her comedian brother, Ted Robbins, 67, has previously starred in the soap playing Brendan Finch alongside Mary Taylor as her love interest back in 2016. Not long now! Emily Atack's aunt Amy Robbins has spoken of her joy with getting the role of Daisy Midgeley's long lost mother in Coronation Street Speaking to The Mirror, the auntie of Inbetweeners actress and TV personality Emily, 33, said she burst into tears when she heard she got the role of Christina. 'My family are all really pleased for me. They know how much this Coronation Street role means to me. We are never competitive with each other and we are all very close. 'My dad, Michael, worked in variety all his life and my mum, Elizabeth, sang. Showbusiness is in our DNA, it's a family business that has lasted generations.' Even Amy's Kate Robbins, 64, has starred in EastEnders, After Life and Spitting Image. Exciting: Speaking to The Mirror, the auntie of Inbetweeners actress and TV personality Emily, 33, (pictured) said she burst into tears when she heard she got the role of Christina Amy's character Christina is on her way to cause havoc on the cobbles as she tries to make amends with her estranged daughter Daisy, whom she abandoned years ago. In the interview, she also touched on how genuinely pleased she is for her niece Emily on her success in the industry. She added: 'What you see is what you get and she deserves to be the star she is.' Amy has often shared messages of support on her social media profiles, including when she went shopping and saw her niece printed across the wall of a high-street shop as part of a brand campaign the actress was doing. New role: Ahead of her first episode as Christina airing this month, Amy, 51, who has had minor roles in Emmerdale, Hollyoaks, Blood Brothers and a starring role in The Royal, has said her family full of showbusiness stars are 'all really pleased' for her Family ties: In the interview, she also touched on how genuinely pleased she is for her niece Emily on her success in the industry (pictured with Emily's brand campaign in a store) Amy is best known for her role as Dr. Jill Weatherill in the British television series The Royal. The new Corrie actress, who grew up in Liverpool, is also a first cousin once removed of Sir Paul McCartney - who is her mother's first cousin. It comes after Emily's mother Kate landed a role on EastEnders. The actress joined the BBC soap in August where she played music producer Jen Glover. Star: Amy is best known for her role as Dr. Jill Weatherill in the British television series The Royal Kate's character was brought in by her friend Rocky (Brian Conley) in order to mastermind the lacklustre pop career of Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty). Although she was only be in Albert Square for a short time, an insider said ahead of her debut that her 'no-nonsense' character will make a big impact. They told The Sun on Sunday: 'Everyone was very excited to get Kate on board for this part, because they felt she was the perfect fit. 'Not only is she a great actress, but she has plenty of experience of the music industry too. And they weren't disappointed she did a brilliant job.' Jacqueline Jossa has shared throwback snaps of her holiday to Dubai with Dan Osborne and their family. The actress, 30, who has daughters Ella, seven, and Mia, four, with the former TOWIE star, took to Instagram on Monday to post the series of images including a relaxed picture of herself and Dan on a sun lounger. Among the gallery, taken during her early 30th birthday trip in October, were images of Jacqueline's mother Selina enjoying an ice cream with her granddaughter and a photograph of the family having pool time together. Memories: The actress, 30, took to Instagram on Monday to post the series of images from her trip to Dubai in October including a relaxed picture of herself and Dan on a sun lounger Family time: Among the gallery was a photograph of the family having pool time together in Dubai on their trip Throwback: The screen star captioned the post: 'Memories, can't wait for the next adventure' as she reminisced about her holiday Her series of snaps also showed her cosying up to her daughters and having time with her sister Katrina and her children. They were also joined by Dan's son Teddy, eight, from a previous relationship and Dan's mother Toni. Another picture showed a fresh-faced and make-up free Jacqueline in a grey bikini smiling with her mother. Elsewhere, the family could be seen enjoying the Dubai aquarium and marvelling at an impressive-looking blue tree. The screen star captioned the post: 'Memories, can't wait for the next adventure' as she reminisced about her holiday. Fun: Her series of snaps also showed her cosying up to her daughters and having time with her sister Katrina and her children Mother and daughter: Another picture showed a fresh-faced and make-up free Jacqueline in a grey bikini smiling with her mother It comes after Jacqueline shut down reports that claimed she is set to comeback to EastEnders full time. Earlier this month, the actress returned to Albert Square to reprise her role as Lauren Branning for the first time since leaving the soap in 2017. Penning a lengthy message to social media she made it clear that she is 'not coming back to the square full time' as she thanked fans for their support. Love: The EastEnders star also shared a snap of Teddy and his father Dan walking together as they explored Dubai Day out: Elsewhere, the family could be seen enjoying the Dubai aquarium as they took time out to relax together She explained: 'Just been inundated with people being lovely, but thinking I'm coming back to EastEnders full time. 'I don't know if something has been taken out of an interview or been completely made up but either way I'm just shutting down any rumours or stories. 'I am not on the way back the the square full time, it's not in talks, I 100 have not confirmed a return. 'That's also not me saying I would never go back, when and if the time is right, I would love to.' Sun-soaked: The actress's family had time on the beach together as they holidayed in Dubai in October Yummy: Jacqueline's mother Selina prepared to enjoy an ice cream with her granddaughter during their sun-soaked getaway She continued: 'Hope you're all okay. Like I have said many times and continue to say, Eastenders is the best job ever and was an honour for the 8 years. 'As of right now, I am not going back atm thanks so much for all the excited DM's and phone calls and texts.. sorry lol.' The actress was believed to be be set for a return to EastEnders after reportedly approaching bosses about a comeback following her feature at Dot Cotton's funeral. Her seven years in Walford could be extended, sources claimed, after reportedly having a conversation with executive producer Chris Clenshaw. Millie Mackintosh showed off her incredible figure as she touched down in Dubai with her husband Hugo Taylor on Tuesday. The Made in Chelsea star, 33, looked sensational in the snakeskin number for her glamorous Instagram update. The couple, who are parents to Sienna, two, and six-month-old Aurelia, also posed for a quick lift selfie at the airport before they jetted away on their child free trip. Glowing: Millie Mackintosh, 32, showed off her incredible figure as she touched down in Dubai with her husband Hugo Taylor on Tuesday Millie teamed her swimwear with an oversized straw hat and matching semi-sheer kaftan. She opted for a pair of cat-eye sunglasses and some metallic sandals to complete her beachy look. The TV personality captioned the snap: 'Delighted to be back in Dubai for a very special event this weekend with @hugotaylorlondon' Off they go: The couple, who are parents to Sienna, two, and six-month-old Aurelia, also posed for a quick lift selfie at the airport before they jetted away on their child free trip Their holiday comes after Millie cosied up to her husband Hugo on the red carpet at the Babylon premiere on Thursday night. The couple held hands at the star-studded event held at the BFI Imax at Waterloo in London, with Millie standing out from the crowd in a plunging red blazer and matching trousers. Millie elevated her height in a pair of gold strappy heels, while accessorising with matching jewellery. Glamorous: Millie teamed her swimwear with an oversized straw hat and a pair of cat-eye sunglasses The beauty sported a bronzed makeup palette with a bold red lip, while scraping her auburn tresses back in a bun. Meanwhile, Hugo cut a dapper figure in a black suit with a crisp white shirt, while accessorising with stylish shades. Set in 1920s Hollywood, Babylon centres around the rise and fall of several ambitious dreamers - including the characters portrayed by leading stars Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie. Poppy Delevingne looked in good spirits as she enjoyed a stroll with businessman Damian Donoghue in west London on Tuesday. The model and socialite, 36, looked effortlessly chic in a long camel coat, a white top and light blue denim jeans while stepping out. It comes after late last year her husband James Cook was spotted on celebrity dating app Raya amid reports that him and Poppy had split. Out and about: Poppy Delevingne looked in good spirits as she enjoyed a stroll with businessman Damian Donoghue in west London on Tuesday Poppy completed her look with suede heeled boots to boost her height and accessorised with a Jimmy Choo Madeleine bucket bag which retails at 1,195. The blonde beauty wore her light tresses in loose waves over her shoulders and opted for a makeup free look to show off her pretty features. Meanwhile Damian wore a navy jumper and gilet which he teamed with comfortable Nike trainers. Style: The model and socialite, 36, looked effortlessly chic in a long camel coat, a white top and light blue denim jeans while stepping out Chic: Poppy completed her look with suede heeled boots to boost her height and accessorised with a Jimmy Choo Madeleine bucket bag which retails at 1,195 Poppy's stroll comes after she and her 40-year-old entrepreneur husband James are rumoured to have split. They are said to have called time on their relationship at the beginning of last year but neither party has publicly addressed the rumours. While the pair are said to have remained friends and still mix in the same social circles, it appears James is now moving on romantically. Alongside a series of brooding snaps on the dating app Raya, James describes himself as a CEO in the business and entrepreneur industry. Glowing: The blonde beauty wore her light tresses in loose waves over her shoulders and opted for a makeup free look to show off her pretty features Outfit: Meanwhile Damian wore a navy jumper and gilet which he teamed with comfortable Nike trainers One black and white image originally featured on his Instagram page with Poppy in the snap, yet he cropped her out for his dating profile. He had originally shared the picture on his social media in May last year alongside a birthday tribute to his wife. The image - which is the last photograph of Poppy on his Instagram feed - was captioned: 'Happy happy birthday my love can't wait to celebrate with you when you get home. @poppydelevingne.' MailOnline has contacted James and Poppy's representatives for comment. Over: Poppy's stroll comes after she and her 40-year-old entrepreneur husband James are rumoured to have split The Mail On Sunday reported last January that the pair had 'consciously uncoupled' after being little more than friends for the best part of a year. The following month she flashed her ringless hand to photographers at Perfect Magazine's London Fashion Week party at The Standard. Poppy looked gorgeous on the night in a striking black and white gown, enjoying the celeb-packed bash with friends Georgia May Jagger and Iris Law. End: The Mail On Sunday reported last January that the pair had 'consciously uncoupled' after being little more than friends for the best part of a year However, there was no sign of her unique blue diamond engagement and wedding rings or James, whom she married in 2014 at a lavish Knightsbridge church ceremony, with sisters Cara and Chloe Delevingne among her 17 bridesmaids. The same month, Poppy's husband James was posting from Chamonix, France, enjoying a ski trip with friends. It's believed that Poppy moved into her own place in West London, with an insider spilling: 'James is refusing to accept things are over.' Marriage: The following month she flashed her ringless hand to photographers at Perfect Magazine's London Fashion Week party at The Standard Busy: The same month, Poppy's husband James was posting from Chamonix, France, enjoying a ski trip with friends Last year, Poppy put on a very cosy display with Caspar von Bismark - whose brother was dating Kate Moss - as they attended the Teen Cancer America Art Auction in West Hollywood. They were spotted enjoying each other's company in April, as they posed for a snap with his arm wrapped around her. James, who works for his family's aerospace company, proposed in October 2012 with a bespoke jewellery box by Anya Hindmarch. It contained an engagement ring alongside pictures of the couple and the words 'will you marry me?' embossed in gold. End of an era: They are said to have called time on their relationship at the beginning of last year but neither party has publicly addressed the rumours Animated: The pair looked like they were enjoying each other's company as they walked around Life: While the pair are said to have remained friends and still mix in the same social circles, it appears James is now moving on romantically Mature: Despite the reported split, the pair have continued to mix in the same social circles, with the pair attending Glastonbury Festival together Moving on: It comes after late last year her husband James Cook was spotted on celebrity dating app Raya amid reports that him and Poppy had split Poppy went on to have three different elaborate hen parties around the globe with her celebrity friends including Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley and Sienna Miller ahead of the lavish London nuptials. The couple, who were together five years before they wed and do not have children, with Poppy musing back in 2017 about her family plans, saying: 'You know when you have a roast dinner? My favourite bit of a roast dinner is the potatoes and gravy. 'So what I do is I eat around them and save them till last, because that's the best bit. And that's kind of how I feel about having children.' Despite the reported split, the pair have continued to mix in the same social circles, with the pair attending Glastonbury Festival together alongside pals Sienna Miller, Alexa Chung and Matt Smith in June. Idris Elba has called for investment to help the world's poor at the opening ceremony at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, on Monday. The actor, 50, cut a dapper figure in a unique grey jacket and a white shirt with a black tie. He was accompanied by his wife Sabrina, 32, who looked the picture of elegance in a grey fitted dress. Appeal: Idris Elba has called for investment to help the world's poor at the opening ceremony at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, on Monday The Elbas were both honoured for their work on environmental conservation, food security and climate change. Idris appealed to participants at the summit for financial support for people hit by food scarcity and climate change. He said: 'The poor of this world are not just looking for aid and handouts, theyre looking for investment. Looking good: The actor, 50, cut a dapper figure in a grey double-breasted jacket and a white shirt with a black tie 'With greater access to finance, markets, resources, technology and knowledge, we can unlock a different future. 'Failure to invest massively will lead to increased hunger and poverty, which in turn could fuel social unrest, conflict and migration.' He added: 'We understand the power and change that can come from this room ... We can move with agility and speed and your speed is needed now.' Couple: He was accompanied by his wife Sabrina, 32, who looked the picture of elegance in a a grey fitted dress Inspiring: The Elbas were both honoured for their work on environmental conservation, food security and climate change While Sabrina said: 'Rural communities are filled with talented, youthful populations and enormous potential for new and vibrant markets. 'The private sector can play a massive role in supporting and sourcing from small farmers and in ensuring world leaders continue to invest in holistic ways to combat environmental degradation and rising hunger. The UN Goodwill Ambassadors received the Crystal Award in front of global leaders in government and industry. Calling for action: Idris appealed to participants at the summit for financial support for people hit by food scarcity and climate change Powerful: She reportedly said: 'Rural communities are filled with talented, youthful populations and enormous potential for new and vibrant markets' Message: She added: 'The private sector can play a massive role in supporting and sourcing from small farmers and in ensuring world leaders continue to invest in holistic ways to combat environmental degradation and rising hunger' Idris' appearance comes after he shared the official release date for his latest film Luther: The Fallen Sun. The actor, who is set to play the lead role, can be seen appearing from a dark shadow in the first dramatic trailer for the film. On ominous voice is then heard saying: 'Something's coming. You see me now?' Deserving: The UN Goodwill Ambassadors received the Crystal Award in front of global leaders in government and industry It will arrive in select cinemas on 24 February, followed by a Netflix release on 10 March. The streaming service took to Twitter on Wednesday to confirm that the much-anticipated new picture will be called Luther: The Fallen Sun. It also revealed that the film, which will follow on from the dramatic 2019 series finale, will be released in March next year. Netflix also shared brand new images of Idris, back once again as DCI John Luther, who was last seen being sent to prison in the dramatic BBC series finale. In the new snaps, Idris is seen once again sporting his signature tweed jacket ensemble as he is seen exploring an array of mystery locations. He cut a suave figure in dark suit trousers, a blue shirt and a red tie, which he styled with his famous longline coat as he once again embodied Luther. And the Luther movie is set to be as jampacked with dramatic scenes as ever as one photograph shows a concerned Idris holding up his hands in a busy city setting. Exciting: Idris' appearance comes after he shared the official release date for his latest film Luther: The Fallen Sun His character Luther is also seen exploring more challenging climes and breaking away from its traditional London setting as he was seen making his way through a snowy, mountainous landscape. Another shot shows Idris standing on what appeared to be underground train tracks, while a final snap saw him dramatically walking through red lights. Luther: The Fallen Sun will arrive in select cinemas on 24 February, followed by a Netflix release on 10 March. Amy Pejkovic turned heads on Tuesday when she showed up to the Australian Open in Melbourne Park wearing a nude, mesh tube top which showcased her figure. Appearing arm-in-arm with her AFL star boyfriend David Zaharakis, the high jumper, 29, stole the show with her ensemble which also featured a long, flowy white skirt. Matching her shades, the model accessorised with a pair of nude sandals and a white designer handbag, adding a pop of colour with a red fan. Amy Pejkovic, 29, (pictured) turned heads on Tuesday when she showed up to the Australian Open in Melbourne Park wearing a nude, mesh tube top which showcased her figure She added some staple silver pieces which complemented the elegant look before slicking her golden tresses back into a tight up-do. Pejkovic tied everything together by highlighting her stunning features with a bronzed makeup look, keeping to a nude lip with dark, smoky eyes. Meanwhile, her hunky partner, 32, kept things simple with a navy polo shirt and white shorts. Appearing arm-in-arm with her AFL star boyfriend David Zaharakis, 31, the high jumper stole the show with her ensemble which also featured a long, flowy white skirt Matching her shades, the model accessorised with a pair of nude sandals and a white designer handbag, adding a pop of colour with a red fan She added some staple silver pieces which complemented the elegant look before slicking her golden tresses back into a tight up-do The former Essendon player's accessories were bare with just a pair of white sneakers and a designer watch. Pejkovic and Zaharakis have been dating since September of 2020. The relationship was initially long distance, as Pejkovic is Sydney-based, while Zaharakis resides in Melbourne. Pejkovic tied everything together by highlighting her stunning features with a bronzed makeup look, keeping to a nude lip with dark, smoky eyes. Meanwhile, her hunky partner (pictured) kept things simple with a navy polo shirt and white shorts Like Zaharakis, Pejkovic is also an accomplished athlete, previously competing as a high jumper, triple jumper and runner. Their relationship was originally kept private, with neither disclosing any details. However, Pejkovic eventually posted about her man on Instagram on March 8, 2021 as they enjoyed a picnic in the park. Craig Revel Horwood has said he would 'love' to see Bruno Tonioli on Britain's Got Talent after it was reported he could replace David Walliams as a new judge. The Strictly Come Dancing judge, 58, shared his excitement at the news that his former co-star could star on the ITV talent show, on Tuesday. Speaking on Good Morning Britain about the speculation, Craig admitted that whilst he couldn't confirm the reports, he would love to see Bruno's 'energy on the show.' Support: Craig Revel Horwood, 58, has said he would 'love' to see Bruno Tonioli on Britain's Got Talent after it was reported he could replace David Walliams as a new judge He explained: 'I would love to say he is, but I believe hes up against Alan Carr as well so I think theyre juggling and theyre going to save it as a surprise, so I in fact dont know. 'And Bruno is very secretive with me, darling, so he will never be honest with me or tell me the truth. So I really dont know. 'But I would love to see Bruno back on our screens and I think its a great position to have so I wish him all the very best if he is in the running for it because I think itd be wonderful to get that energy back on the telly.' Perfect for the job: Speaking on Good Morning Britain about the speculation, Craig admitted that whilst he couldn't confirm the reports, he would love to see Bruno's 'energy on the show' Earlier this week, it was reported Bruno had beaten Alan Carr to the judging role. The former Strictly Come Dancing judge, 67, is reportedly set to begin filming auditions next week alongside his pal Simon Cowell and fellow judges Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon. The news comes after it was believed that comedian Alan Carr, 46, was set to step into David's shoes and join the panel. He said: 'I would love to see Bruno back on our screens and I think its a great position to have so I wish him all the very best if he is in the running for it because I think hed be wonderful' According to The Mirror, both Bruno and Simon are 'thrilled' by the signing, with the Italian choreographer's appointment set to be made official in the coming days. A source told the publication: 'Bruno has all the right experience and his famous exuberance will go down a treat. He and Simon have long hoped to work together so this has proved the perfect opportunity. Everyones very excited.' Meanwhile, The Sun reports that Bruno was show boss Simon's preferred choice over Alan, with producers recently happening out an alleged six-figure deal for the star. New judge? The former Strictly Come Dancing judge, 67, is reportedly set to begin filming auditions next week alongside his pal Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon A source said: 'For almost two months Alan may have been the favourite to take over from David, but Bruno was always Simons preferred choice. 'Not only does he have years of judging experience under his belt from his time on Strictly he will bring an outrageous brand of comedy that BGT needs on the panel. 'In so many ways this is already the perfect job for Bruno as it sees him return to a glitzy showbusiness favourite that fits in with the rest of his work.' Replaced: It comes following David's exit amid his vile comments about BGT contestants The insider went on to add that the sealing of the deal had always been down to whether Bruno found the offer 'enticing enough' to commit to the show. They added that the following a period of 'intense negotiations', and agreement has been reached that will see Bruno make a comeback to prime time Saturday night TV following his Strictly exit. MailOnline have contacted representatives of Bruno and Britain's Got Talent for comment. She already boasts an impressive collection of tattoos around her body. And Demi Sims proudly showed off her inked skin on Monday as she added another unique design, this time on the back of her arm. The former TOWIE star, 26, shared a slew of sizzling snaps from behind where the tattoo, which was of a bar tab, was on show. 'New tat day!': Demi Sims proudly showed off her inked skin on Monday as she added another unique design, this time on the back of her arm Demi also shared a video of herself lying on the bed while waiting for artist Sophie Wilde, who also designed her back tattoos. The beauty captioned the snap: 'New tat day. You know where too find me...' It comes after she surprised fans by getting a small love heart inked onto her cheek during a joint session with sister Frankie, 27, who also got one on her lower back. Looking good: Demi shared a video of herself lying on the bed while waiting for artist Sophie Wilde, who also designed her back tattoos Ink: The former TOWIE star, 26, shared a slew of sizzling snaps from behind where the tattoo, which was of a bar tab, was on show Sharing a glimpse into the trip with her 573K Instagram followers, Demi shared a mirror snap before going as she penned: 'Tattoo time'. She donned a simple black cami top and matching joggers for the trip to see tattoo artist Sophie Wilde - who has provided inks for the star in the past. And after going under the needle, the beauty posted a short clip to her Instagram Stories to show off her complexion, which now features a dainty black love heart on her right cheek. Bold move: Demi surprised fans on Friday as she added to her tattoo collection with a daring new face ink Exciting: Sharing a glimpse into the trip with her 573K Instagram followers, Demi shared a mirror snap before going as she penned: 'Tattoo time'. Frankie also decided to join in on the fun, but steered clear of any face ink as she lay flat for one on her lower back. The brunette is yet to disclose what she went for, but Demi was on hand to document the moment as she filmed her sister for social media. It comes after the youngest Sims sister added another back tattoo in October, going topless as she showed off the huge permanent marking. With the addition of this, her back is now covered with quotes, two giant tigers and outlines. Joint: Her sister Frankie also decided to join in on the fun, but steered clear of any face ink as she lay flat for one on her lower back Filled: It comes after the youngest Sims sister added another back tattoo in October, going topless as she showed off the huge permanent marking While she also has numerous hand tattoos, including the phrase 'pretty poison' transcribed on her hand. She is currently in Los Angeles alongside sisters Frankie and Chloe and brother Charlie as they film for their new OnlyFans reality show, House Of Sims. Last year, eldest Chloe said she and her family are going to 'live out our dream' on their new reality show, with sister Frankie promising it will be as raw as possible'. Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Chloe, who recently left TOWIE to appear on the new show said: 'I'm so excited that I took the leap...we're going to get to live our dream out together.' Inked up: She also has numerous hand tattoos, including the phrase 'pretty poison' transcribed on her hand While Frankie added that fans will see a different side to the Sims family on the new show where they will be in control of how they are edited. The family's deal with the OFTV platform is a 'six-figure' sum set to rise to millions with extra add-ons and earnings, MailOnline has been told. The new show is slated to be broadcast around the start of next year on the free viewing app. The Last Of Us debuted on HBO on Sunday night - and fans were taken with Nico Parker's compelling performance. The 18-year-old stole the show in moving scenes with her on-screen father Joel - played by Pedro Pascal - in the post apocalyptic show launch. Fans took to Twitter after the show lauding her portrayal and to comment on her striking resemblance to her famous mother Thandiwe Newton. Talented: The Last Of Us debuted on HBO on Sunday night - and fans were seriously impressed with Thandiwe Newton's daughter Nico Parker Viewers branded the launch 'a masterpiece' as the show based upon the iconic video game rakes in hundreds of reviews from users. It has already amassed a 99 per cent score on Rotten Tomatoes as well as a 9.6 out of 10 rating on IMDB. We take a look at Nico's role in the TV adaptation of the hit video game and how she has all the signs of hitting Hollywood after landing the role... The Last Of Us plot Paranormal: The show is centered around the parasitic Cordyceps fungus - which tends to infect insects - evolving to control the human race The show is centered around the parasitic Cordyceps fungus - which tends to infect insects - evolving to control the human race. Based on the video game, it follows the same characters Joel - played by Pedro Pascal - and Ellie - played by Bella Ramsey - as they cross the country after the fungus takes over society. It comes as no surprise that the show has viewers locked to their screens, as the PlayStation game won numerous awards, including Game of the Year during the 17th Annual Design Innovate Communicate Entertain summit (DICE). Who is Nico playing? Role: Nico takes on the role of Sarah Miller, who is Joel's daughter. Sarah is Joel's only connection to life before the pandemic Nico takes on the role of Sarah Miller, who is Joel's daughter. Sarah is Joel's only connection to life before the pandemic. Joel sees a lot of his daughter in Ellie, who has survived being infected by the brain infection and could provide a possible vaccine if she travels to Salt Lake City. Reception Race is on: Based on the video game, it follows the same characters Joel and Ellie - played by Bella Ramsey - as they cross the country after the fungus takes over society The actress was a huge hit with viewers with many saying she stole the show for the series premiere. Those watching at home were impressed by Nico's compelling performance as Sarah - and couldn't help but pick up on her striking similarity to mum Thandiwe. One wrote: 'I was wondering who Nico Parker in The Last Of Us looks like and I just found out she's Thandiwe Newtons daughter. What a striking resemblance.' Another fan added: 'She is amazing and looks very familiar then found out she is the daughter of Thandiwe Newton'. Where can I watch The Last Of Us? The Last Of Us airs every night of Sunday at 9pm on HBO. If you're in the UK you can watch the series on Sky or streaming service Now. Family life Family: Nico was joined by her father Ol Parker at the premiere. Of following in her mother's footsteps, Nico said : 'I'm aware of who my parents are' Nico was joined by her father Ol Parker at the premiere. Of following in her mother's footsteps and her thoughts on nepotism in Hollywood, Nico told Glamour magazine: 'I'm aware of who my parents are. I'm aware of how their wonderful careers have impacted me, and me being able to have a career, know the right people, and be in contact with the right people.' Split: Filmmaker Ol tied the knot with Thandiwe in 1998, but separated last year in 2022 after 24 years of marriage. They have three children (pictured in 2016) She added: 'My mum has a very enviable career for anyone. But I think it's more so that your name isn't for your entire life associated with your parents. 'Even then, it's not something that I dwell on. I'll have my career, I'll do my thing, and they do their thing. My parents are very supportive, though, and they're very helpful.' Filmmaker Ol tied the knot with Thandiwe in 1998, but separated last year in 2022 after 24 years of marriage. They have three children, Ripley, 22, Nico, and Booker, eight. On set Well done: The actress was a huge hit with viewers with many saying she stole the show for the series premiere When talking about working alongside game creator Neil Druckmann on the show, which was filmed in Calgary, Nico told Inverse during an interview, 'We were all kind of in awe of him because this is his world. This is his brain. This is a combination of all of his ideas in front of us.' Although she had never played the actual video game herself, Nico explained when she was younger, she had seen others play it. 'I loved the plot. I love the characters. So I would just watch it, regardless of the extreme nightmares that it would give me when I was about eight.' Past roles Nico got her big break as Milly Farrier in the Walt Disney Pictures film Dumbo (2019), directed by Tim Burton. She next starred alongside Naomie Harris and Jude Law in the HBO miniseries The Third Day (2020) and appeared alongside her mother as Zoe in the science fiction film Reminiscence (2021). Korea Financial Investment Association (KOFIA) President Seo Yoo-seok speaks during a press conference held at KOFIA's headquarters located on Yeouido, Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of KOFIA By Anna J. Park Seo Yoo-seok, who was sworn in as the 6th president of the Korea Financial Investment Association (KOFIA) in late December, vowed to cooperate closely with financial authorities to support necessary market liquidity in times of increased economic uncertainty. In his new year's message announced during a press conference held at the KOFIA headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, Tuesday, Seo said the top priority of the association lies in overcoming the market crisis. "The financial investment industry is faced with a variety of tasks ranging from a reduced private equity fund market, fallen investor trust and stagnated public equity fund, to real estate market's project financing (PF) crisis borne by local brokerage companies. Amid such difficulties, the association will support the stabilization of the country's short-term capital fund market as it closely cooperates with the government and related ministries," Seo said during the press conference. He added, the requirement of close consultation with every party in the economy, including the parliament, the financial authorities and media, is more significant than ever, stressing that without stability in the market, good policies would be of no avail. As Seo, former CEO of Mirae Asset Management, is KOFIA's first president with background as a chief in the field of asset management, he also puts emphasis on the need to both advance the public's asset management to a higher level and inject more liquidity into venture capital sectors. In order to bring the goals to reality, Seo emphasized the introduction of a business development company (BDC) into the country is important, as the BDC helps sharing the fruit of business growth with investors. A BDC is an organization that operates like investment funds that inject money for small- and medium-sized companies to nurture them to grow past the initial stages of their development. The KOFIA chief vows to fully support parliamentary procedures to adopt the system into Korea. He also stressed the need to revitalize public mutual funds, as the association aims to newly introduce tax benefits for long-term investors. At the same time, he vows to seek further development for local private equity firms by attempting to remove regulations that puts restraints on growth. He also vowed to fully support the growth of the private pension market, which could complement the public pension system. "With the recent changes taking place at the public pension system, it is paramount that the private pension market should further be advanced, so that private pensions could protect seniors' income level," the KOFIA head said. The new KOFIA chief will be leading the investment companies' association until 2025. Love Island fever kicked in on Monday night as the start of the second-ever winter series got underway. New host Maya Jama has added to the intrigue ahead of a scorching eight weeks in South Africa, where Islanders are hoping to find love and boost their Instagram following at the same time. But away from the grafting, coupling up and fallouts, what is life really like in the villa? MailOnline asked former contestant Coco Lodge, 28, who starred in the most recent summer series, to reveal some secrets, lifting the lid on the particular scenarios viewers never see. Love Island fever kicked in on Monday night as the start of the second-ever winter series got underway with Maya Jama as new host MailOnline asked former contestant Coco Lodge, who starred in the most recent summer series, to reveal some secrets, lifting the lid on the particular scenarios viewers never see Indeed, one of the major questions posed by fans is when do the Islanders eat? We only ever see them have breakfast, usually a toastie or an iced coffee, but what about lunch and dinner? Coco explained how it all works, revealing the boys and girls never share the same table. She said: 'The whole time you're separated, the girls eat on one table and the boys on the other, every lunch and dinner. 'And if you did sit next to a boy during dinner, producers would tell you off.' Coco revealed that male and female Islanders are forced to eat lunch and dinner separately so that none of the action between couples is missed for the main show On where food is served, she continued: 'Tables are set up in the villa kitchen and they bring in catering and it's not filmed. 'You still have your microphones on so they can listen and tell you off but you're not allowed to have chats about what's going on in the storyline. 'You have to save the chats for camera. The producers, who stand there like supervisors, come in for lunch and dinner and you're on your separate tables but for breakfast its whatever because it's when you first wake up. 'Producers send you to do tasks during lunch too like your Beach Hut chats and interviews or a talk with the therapist, those sorts of things.' And what's on the menu? You won't be surprised to know the super healthy Islanders are offered up a great choice of nutritious food. The influencer told MailOnline that Islanders are asked by suspecting producers whether intimate acts are 'consensual' as they're grilled following the morning after the night before Coco, who joined the main villa after starting Island life in rival house Casa Amor, said: 'The catering is super healthy. 'They come in and give you a selection of food, there will be pasta, salad, a meat and vegetation option, one night there was pizza, another night kebabs. 'It's very different every single day but the same kind of setup. We had a roast dinner every Sunday as well, so that was nice. 'A lot of us didn't want to eat really heavy. By the time they're serving lunch we had only been up an hour or so, a lot of the time for lunch we would pick at chocolate or cereal. There was a lot of snacking and midnight snacks.' Boozing certainly isn't something you would associate with Love Island. Coco explained that while Islanders bring their own clothes into the villa, they are provided with pieces to wear as they enter and while on romantic dates If the drink flowed like in the dinner parties on rival dating series Married At First Sight UK, bosses would risk all sorts of trouble. So what exactly are they allowed to consume alcohol-wise? Coco explained: 'During Casa Amor there's a two drink allowance but the rest of the time you only have one. I remember my flat mate saying to me afterwards that she could tell from watching it that I was drunk on the first night, I really was. 'I hadn't really eaten all day and two glasses of wine went straight to my head. It was the first night so they probably wanted us to loosen up a bit.' And how and when do the contestants put in their orders? 'When we're getting ready, producers ask for your drink order and they go around, say your name, and ask for your drink order. Contestants order their drinks via a producer whose voice is projected into the villa, nicknamed by the Islanders of the 2022 series as 'The Voice of God' 'This is a voice that is projected into the villa, we called it 'The Voice of God', they would ask 'what do you want to drink tonight?', you give your order, you go downstairs and all the drinks are there ready. 'It is measured out, it's not the full glass, it is a flute of wine. 'You can only have white, red or rose wine, Prosecco, or cider, those are the only options. You can't have a vodka, lime and soda for example.' The singletons are always dressed up in glamorous outfits for their dates and evening scenes. They take in some of their own clothes with them, but producers also have a wardrobe to raid should they want to wear something different. Coco explained: 'They don't have much say with what you wear while you're in the villa but say for dates they give you a selection of dresses from eBay. Producers are keen for bombshells to all wear different colours so it looks visually appealing on camera 'But walking in they said to us they wanted everyone in different colours and they wanted us all in bikinis. Visually they want it to look colourful and sexy.' As the Islanders grow closer, inevitably intimacy becomes a factor. Bosses are very hot on this and want to know exactly what's gone on, purely so they can monitor Islanders' welfare. Coco, who had a brief fling with co-star Andrew Le Page during his break from Tasha Ghouri, knows first-hand how much they are across the subject. She said: 'Producers must have known something had gone on between me and Andrew because we were saying some non-PG things to each other. 'They would have heard on the bed microphone because there's a mic in between you on the bed, a tiny one, they would have picked up on what we were saying. ITV bosses are aware of intimate moments between the sheets because of small microphones that are carefully placed above the beds Coco explained that Tasha and Andrew from the summer 2022 series were just one of the couples quizzed by producers after they were 'active' together during their time on the show 'The producer kept telling us we needed to go to sleep because we had been up for hours just doing bits, just literally sucking tits and having a grope. 'The next day they called me in and asked 'was it all consensual?' If they think you have done something, they do ask. 'Andrew said they asked him and Tasha because they were quite active too.' Given the stars are filmed 24/7, the majority of the show's footage isn't worthy for TV. But when producers strike gold, they've got to get the right shot, with no obstructions or lighting issues. So, in order to record the perfect shot, Islanders are sometimes asked to reshoot scenes or cameras will be in place for hook-ups pre-organised by the singletons. Coco said: 'They would ask us to sit in certain places, which would look better for the cameras. 'There were sun beds in the swimming pool and they would often ask people to go sit on them to make it look gorgeous. 'They listen to everything we're saying. The pool scene with me and Andrew, where we're kissing, I said to Andrew earlier that I wanted to go for a swim with him later that day and then after lunch suddenly there was this giant camera by the pool.' Jess Wright has candidly discussed her body confidence after welcoming her first child in May last year. The former TOWIE star, 37, recently enjoyed a luxury getaway in Barbados with husband William Lee-Kemp and their son Presley. She told New Magazine she 'felt a little bit bigger' on the trip but was happy to spend quality time with her family. 'I felt a bit bigger': Jess Wright has candidly discussed her body confidence after welcoming her first child in May last year Jess looked sensational as she showed off her slim physique in a stunning green swimsuit on Instagram. Jess explained: 'I've not felt the most body confident. Your body changes after having a baby and your confidence definitely goes. You're a mum, you care less - you've got more important things to worry about. As much as I felt a little bit bigger in certain outfits, I kind of didn't care and was just grateful to be away.' The reality star recently bravely shared a series of candid photographs of her ongoing battle with psoriasis, which affects the skin and sometimes the joints. Family: The former TOWIE star, 37, recently enjoyed a luxury getaway in Barbados with husband William Lee-Kemp and their son Presley Jess, who recently begged her followers for a 'miracle cure' for the autoimmune condition, said she is determined to 'get to the bottom of it'. Speaking on her condition, she said: 'I went to see someone just before Christmas and I was put on medication. It really helped. 'I haven't spoken about it on my Instagram because I don't want to ill-advise anyone because everyone's skin is different. But I personally went down that route and it's helped dramatically and that made me feel more confident in Barbados, not having to worry about that.' WHAT IS PSORIASIS? Psoriasis is an autoimmune condition that affects the skin and sometimes the joints. Around two per cent of people in the US and UK suffer from the condition. Psoriasis occurs when a person's skin replacement process takes place within days rather than the usual 21-to-28 days. The accumulation of skin cells builds up to form raised plaques, which can be flaky, scaly and itchy. Psoriasis arthritis can occur in the joints near affected skin, causing them to become tender, swollen and stiff. Anyone can suffer, but psoriasis is more common in people in their late teens-to-early 30s or those between the ages of 50 and 60. Psoriasis' cause is unclear. Flare-ups can be triggered by stress, skin injury, hormonal changes and certain medications. It is not contagious and there is no cure. Treatment focuses on managing symptoms via topical creams, gels and medication. Source: Psoriasis Association Advertisement Jess gave birth to Presley on May 17, less than a year after she married Will in Mallorca in September 2021. She shared the happy news on her social media page with an adorable snap of the newborn, writing: 'We will hold your hand forever 17~05~22.' Jess told New Magazine: 'Motherhood is extremely full on, but it's amazing and rewarding at the same time. He's such a mummy's boy. I'm worried he's going to be too much of a mummy's boy and it'll be only me who can settle him, so I need to be careful not to pander him too much.' Jess previously spoke about her struggle with postnatal depression after she welcomed her son Presley with husband William. Speaking with The Sun, she detailed how she had been finding motherhood so far. Jess said: 'I had a bit of post natal depression. And the lack of sleep. For me also, I have always had psoriasis but it went when I was pregnant but now it is back with a vengeance. 'It has now gone to the point where it is no return, it is everywhere. I have covered it well tonight. I did not know it would be as bad.' Jess previously admitted her battle with psoriasis had worsened during the stress of the Covid pandemic and the death of her uncle from coronavirus. Speaking in 2021, she said: 'My psoriasis has got a lot worse because of the pandemic. 'With my uncle and all the stress of the past year, it's flared up. It's been a really rubbish few months with everything that's gone on.' Channing Tatum has revealed he is planning to star as Patrick Swayze's character Sam Wheat in a remake of Ghost. Speaking with Vanity Fair on Tuesday, the actor, 42, confirmed that his production company, Free Association, has the rights to the 1990 classic. Starring on the cover of the magazine February issue, he explained 'We actually have the rights. Yeah, we have the rights to Ghost!' Exciting: Channing Tatum has revealed he is planning to star as Patrick Swayze's character Sam Wheat in a remake of Ghost on Tuesday (pictured in June 2022) 'But we're going to do something different. I think it needs to change a little bit,' Channing added before saying he is keen to play Patrick's role. He went on to explain that the original 'contained some problematic stereotypes' like many other films of its time. Ghost tells the story of Patrick's character Sam being killed by a thug and his danger leaving his girlfriend Molly, played by Demi Moore, in danger. Sam enlists the help of a psychic, depicted by Whoopi Goldberg, to help warn Molly that she is at risk. Remake? Speaking with Vanity Fair on Tuesday, the actor confirmed that his production company, Free Association, has the rights to the 1990 classic (Patrick Swayze in Ghost, 1990) It comes after Whoopi hinted that racism impacted the success of Ghost, after the 1990 movie was deemed the 'blockbuster Hollywood forgot'. The star, 64, who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role, responded to an article published in Forbes Magazine, which looked upon how the roaring hit scooped 'no sequels or spinoffs, nostalgic reissues, ripoffs or copycats'. As the publication issued comparisons between less successful movies which received more subsequent fanfare, Whoopi mused: 'We were a very mixed cast, and it makes you wonder, you know is that why nobody wanted to celebrate it?' New project: Starring on the cover of the magazine February issue, he explained 'We actually have the rights. Yeah, we have the rights to Ghost!' Forbes listed the films with less commercial success that Ghost, including Aladdin, Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, Beverly Hills Cop, Twister, Mission: Impossible and Toy Story, and pointed out they have left a larger legacy. The story read: 'This original, non-franchise, PG-13, female-targeted supernatural romantic thriller was far more successful than the deluge of 1980s and 1990s action movies and fantasy properties that now make up our nostalgic pop culture.' Speaking to Deadline after the Forbes article was published, Whoopi mused over why the film achieved less success, as she drew race into the argument. Way back when: Ghost tells the story of Patrick's character Sam being killed by a thug and his danger leaving his girlfriend Molly, played by Demi Moore, in danger. Sam enlists the help of a psychic, depicted by Whoopi Goldberg, to help warn Molly that she is at risk She said: 'When I was reading it and reading how much money it brought in, and how it had been bigger than all these other movies, I thought, but (Forbes) is doing the same thing other people have done... 'They sort of denigrated the fact that this was a terrific movie, and it was also really funny too, and in part, I did that. And we were a very mixed cast... 'It makes you wonder, you know, 30 years later, was it because we were a mixed cast that nobody wanted to celebrate it, the way that, you know, had it been any other cast that happened to be maybe all white, people might've celebrated it?' Alessandra Ambrosio put her stunning curves on display once again as the bikini designer showed off one of her new designs. The Brazilian wonder had on a beige two piece from her brand GAL Floripa as she stood on a rock by a pristine shore with a lone speedboat in the background. The 41-year-old beauty is best known for her work with lingerie giant Victoria's Secret. Queen of the bikinis: Alessandra Ambrosio put her curves on display once again as the bikini designer showed off one of her new designs The Vogue cover girl showed off her natural beauty in natural lighting in a series of sexy snaps. The supermodel held her arms up on her head as she looked at the camera. The cover model added in her caption that the swimsuit was for her new collection for 2023. Last month: She showed off her natural beauty in natural lighting in a series of sexy snaps Sitting around: She is seen in a hat and sunglasses in this image where she sat on a wicker chair The doting mom has been sharing pictures from her winter break in the Mexican Caribbean with her children Anja, 14, and Noah, 10, and boyfriend Richard Lee. The Gal Floripa founder has also posted video with the kids as they enjoyed their vacation in the warm Caribbean water. The area where Alessandra and her family stayed is famous for its nature preserves which house sea turtles and whale sharks. No cars are allowed on the island to protect it's delicate beauty. She has made no secret of her desire to become a mother. And Gemma Collins has now revealed that she prayed to God to help her get pregnant during her recent trip to Bethlehem. The former TOWIE star, 41, - who is in a relationship with beau Rami Hawash - has now opened up on The Gemma Collins Podcast about the spiritual Tel Aviv holiday. Emotional: Gemma Collins has now revealed that she prayed to God to help her get pregnant during her recent trip to Bethlehem She said: 'I was just so happy on New Year's Day to touch the church where baby Jesus was born. 'I did pray when I was there, I said ''please God, please give me a baby this year'' and you know please God it happens.' She added that she felt a 'warm embrace from the man himself' after she did her prayer. Trip: The former TOWIE star, 41, - who is in a relationship with beau Rami Hawash (pictured together) - has now opened up on her podcast about the spiritual Tel Aviv holiday It comes after late last year Gemma said she's not concerning herself about having a baby anytime soon, as she knowns it will 'come to me at the right time'. The blonde beauty said she plans to have a child at 50, and copy supermodel Naomi Campbell. Naomi, 52, stunned fans by announcing the birth of her daughter last May, just weeks after appearing on the New York Fashion Week runway without a visible baby bump. She later insisted that her daughter was not adopted amid growing speculation regarding their biological parentage. Spiritual: She said: 'I did pray when I was there, I said ''please God, please give me a baby this year'' and you know please God it happens' Gemma also said she took inspiration from Jennifer Aniston, saying that she isn't defined by her lack of children. Speaking to MailOnline, she said: 'My only plan is to have a baby at 50. There is so many options available out there now, that I don't worry about it and I don't stress about it. 'I've lived my life as a free spirit and I've always known what's right for me at the right time. Connection: She added that she felt a 'warm embrace from the man himself' after she did her prayer (pictured in Bethlehem) 'Obviously I would love to have my own baby, but it's not happening. But I do believe it will come to me at the right time and if it doesn't I'm not going to stress about it, I'm not going to feel any less of a woman. 'Jennifer Aniston did a great quote, "Don't define me because I don't have children", and I just thought go Jennifer! 'So when I see Naomi Campbell rocking out her pram at 50 years old, she's just changed so much for so many women.' Rylan Clark has been left red-faced after Michael McIntyre exposed his online dating profile Hinge for millions to see. The TV host, 34, was the featuring celebrity in London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane sat in the Royal Box for Michael to display his private apps, messages and online shopping habits to the audience and those watching at home. As Michael looked at Rylan's home screen, Rylan shouted: 'I've just seen something I forgot to remove!' before the comedian realises it was Hinge he was talking about. No way! Rylan Clark has been left red-faced after Michael McIntyre exposed his online dating profile Hinge for millions to see Rylan looks embarrassed as Michael clicks into the app, showing selfies of the TV host. On his prompts, Rylan said the way to win him over is to 'Be decent', and listed his job as 'Host at Tv', that he went to Coopers Coborn school and lives in Brentwood, Essex. He added: 'Do you know when you join these things, because I am a single man now - and I thought, you know, I'll get with the program and do what everyone else does and try this out. 'But it says you have to add a certain amount of photos, I've not updated my photos since I've done that, "Oh that one will do, that one will do!".' Red faced: The TV host, 34, was the featuring celebrity in London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane sat in the Royal Box for Michael to display his private apps, messages and online shopping habits to the audience and those watching at home Cheeky! Michael continues to scroll, only to find a cheeky prompt from Rylan to encourage potential matches to give him a like Michael continues to scroll, only to find a cheeky prompt from Rylan to encourage potential matches to give him a like. On the 'Unusual skills' box, Rylan said he can 'roll my tongue in three places'. He squealed at the sight of it on the big screen: 'Oh... my goodness!' Michael soon moved onto the Amazon app to look into what bits and bobs Rylan had been ordering online for himself. The TV and Radio favourite who separated from Dan Neal in July 2021 after six years of marriage, told his 1.6million Instagram followers a new post didn't reveal a mystery man after fans mistook Rylan's leg for someone else's. Explainer: On his prompts, Rylan said the way to win him over is to 'Be decent', and listed his job as 'Host at Tv', that he went to Coopers Coborn school and lives in Brentwood, Essex Single: Rylan explained that as a single man now, he thought he would 'get with the program' and try out the dating apps Late last month, Rylan 'sadly' denied being in a new relationship after fans mistakenly 'spotted a man' in a social media post of his. Writing on Instagram Stories, Rylan confirmed 'I'm eating chocolate and it's resting on my leg. It's not a chocolate ice pack. It's not someone else's leg, sadly.' The post which caused confusion was a picture of Rylan relaxing on the sofa with a bar of Galaxy chocolate resting on his leg. Spotted: Hilarious: As Michael looked at Rylan's home screen, Rylan shouted: 'I've just seen something I forgot to remove!' before the comedian realises it was Hinge he was talking about Scroll: Michael soon moved onto the Amazon app to look into what bits and bobs Rylan had been ordering online for himself He captioned the upload, 'that's me sorted', before fans believed the leg belonged to a new man in his life. Rylan's loyal following jumped to conclusions after the Radio 2 host shared a selfie of himself ahead of Christmas Day wearing a grey Nike hoodie, giving a thumbs up, but he appeared to be alone in the shot. In the summer of this year Rylan dated Ex on the Beach star Declan Doyle but their romance was short-lived, with the couple's relationship only lasting a few weeks. 'It's not someone else's leg': It comes after Rylan 'sadly' denied being in a new relationship following his painful split from ex-husband Dan Neal Paddy McGuinness appeared to be missing his wedding ring as he was spotted out in Cheshire on Tuesday. The Top Gear star, 49, split from his wife Christine in 2022, but continued to wear his wedding band in the months following their break-up. And it comes after he recently hit back at rumours of him having cosmetic surgery, sharing a hilarious video to social media to debunk the news. It's off! Paddy McGuinness appeared to have finally removed his wedding ring as he was spotted running errands on Tuesday following split from wife Christine Paddy was dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans with a matching zip-up bomber jacket, layered over a plain T-shirt. While he kept comfortable with a pair of monochrome trainers while running errands. The presenter battled the cold by keeping both hands in his pockets, but appeared without his wedding band when they were removed. Low-key: Paddy was dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans with a matching zip-up bomber jacket, layered over a plain T-shirt Comfort: While he kept comfortable with a pair of monochrome trainers while running errands Back in October, Paddy was spotted continuing to wear the ring, despite splitting from his wife of 11 years two months prior. While the duo also revealed at the tail-end of 2022 that they were still living together and hadn't told their children about the split. Christine and Paddy announced that they had parted ways back in July, but have since revealed that they actually ended their relationship early in the year. Chilly: The presenter battled the cold by keeping both hands in his pockets, but appeared without his wedding band when they were removed Over: Back in October, Paddy was spotted continuing to wear the ring, despite splitting from his wife of 11 years two months prior Despite the break-up, they have remained amicable and are still living in the same Cheshire home and are currently enjoying a festive family holiday with the three children - who have all been diagnosed with autism. Speaking to OK! Magazine on the split, Christine shared: 'We're amicable. I'm quite happy for him to be there with the children and it's nice for them to see Mummy and Daddy just being alright. We can sit and have a cup of tea together and that's fine.' But Paddy was forced to fend off new allegations recently after being accused of undergoing cosmetic surgery. With a hilarious respone to the allegations, he shared a video of himself talking to the camera, but edited it with a filter that changed his appearance. Keeping it going: Back in October, Paddy was spotted continuing to wear the ring, despite splitting from his wife of 11 years two months prior He looked strikingly different from his normal look as the filter gave him a luscious brunette quiff and altered his facial features. The Top Gear host then hit back at rumours that he had cosmetic surgery over Christmas during his weekend away in Turkey, slamming them as 'unfounded'. He said: 'Hello there, I've come on here today to address the unfounded rumours that I've had a bit of work done over Christmas. 'Yes, I've been to Turkey for a long weekend, but there's absolutely no truth in that I've had a bit of work done. This is just a tan and I've had a couple of cans of that Prime. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is looking forward to the debut of her latest project, You Hurt My Feelings, which is scheduled to premiere Sunday at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The 62-year-old actress stars in the comedy as a novelist whose marriage is upended after she hears her husband give his honest reaction to her latest book. 'I believe in small stories about really big things,' she said explaining in an interview with Variety why she chose to star in the independent film directed by Nicole Holofcener, who also helmed the award winning 2013 movie, Enough Said, opposite the late James Gandolfini. Closer look: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 62, has appeared on the cover of Variety as she talks her comedy You Hurt My Feelings, which will debut Sunday at the Sundance Film Festival Her film: 'I believe in small stories about really big things,' she said about taking the role in the independent film Julia, who has won 11 Emmy awards for her acting in Seinfeld, The New Adventures of Old Christine and Veep, is fronting the cover of Variety's The Sundance Issue, and talking about her latest work as well as other upcoming projects. The actress, who got her big break on Saturday Night Live in 1982, has focused mostly on television roles in her early career. She is married to fellow SNL alum Brad Hall, 64, and they share two sons, Charlie, 25, and Henry, 30. 'I started having my kids during Seinfeld, so I really didnt do movies,' she explained. 'I passed on a lot of projects because we were filming 22 episodes a year, youd have these few months off, and I couldnt bear the idea of going back to work. It was not comfortable for me, emotionally. To be a mother of kids who also works outside the home is quite the undertaking.' Marvel: Julia has joined the Marvel universe as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, and lobbied to have her 'kick ass' in the upcoming Thunderbolts, joking that it may earn her some 'respect' from her family Family life: Julia has been married to fellow Saturday Night Live alum Brad Hall, 64, since 1987. They have two sons, Charlie, 25, and Henry, 30 The environmental activist who is now in remission after undergoing treatment for breast cancer, has joined the Marvel universe as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, appearing in Black Widow and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The funny lady revealed that when she was first cast in the role, she had to wear a black hooded cloak to the studio so no one would know who she was. Now that she has portrayed the villainous character twice, Julia lobbied to have her 'kick ass' in the upcoming Thunderbolts. 'I told them I really want to fight. I havent seen the script yet well see if that happens,' as she jokingly addied, 'Ugh. I guess Id better get in shape.' The versatile star admitted she pursued the role 'to see if I can get some respect from these people in my family.' Emmy winner: The versatile actress has won 11 Emmy awards, so far, for her acting in Seinfeld, The New Adventures of Old Christine and Veep TV vs Film: Julia's career has been focused mostly on TV roles. 'I started having my kids during Seinfeld, so I really didnt do movies,' she said, explaining that after doing 22 episodes, she couldn't stand the thought of working during hiatus Veep Fan: The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor prize recipient was delighted to learn that Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, are big fans of Veep. 'She told me they love Veep, and that its more like D.C. than anyone would care to admit' The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor prize recipient was delighted to learn that Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, are big fans of Veep. 'She told me they love Veep, and that its more like D.C. than anyone would care to admit,' the star shared. Although the busy actress said she has received pitches about re-booting the comedy, she isn't sure now is the right time, contending the nation would need 'multiple years of normalcy in Washington before we could revisit something.' Julia, whose character will walk the fine line of political correctness, and stumble as Jonah Hill's mother in the upcoming romantic comedy You People. The romantic comedy, which debuts on Netflix January 27, focuses on a Jewish man engaged to a Black woman and the culture clash that ensues. Eddie Murphy and Nia Long star as the bride's equally bumbling parents. When it comes to tackling uncomfortable situations in real life the Screen Actors Guild award winner said she believes in erring on the side of kindness. 'When people complain about being too politically correct, I start to question what their motives are. I believe in irony and satire there must be a place for it for a culture to survive but I also believe in being sensitive and kind at the same time.' Bella Hadid tried on a classic Hollywood movie star look this week. The younger sister of model Gigi Hadid, 27, wore a fun white blonde wig with flirty little curls all around her face to resemble Some Like It Hot actress Marilyn Monroe, who died in 1962 at age 36. The 26-year-old Versace favorite - who was last seen as a brunette in a bikini - also left little to the imagination while going bra-free in a sheer white tank top that showed off her chest. So 1950s: Bella Hadid tried on a classic Hollywood movie star look this week Similar: The younger sister of model Gigi Hadid wore a fun white blonde wig with flirty little curls all around her face to resemble Some Like It Hot actress Marilyn Monroe The man behind the marvelous mane was hair stylist Sam McKnight. Monroe was an actress best known for her movies How To Marry A Millionaire and The Seven Year Itch. She was famous for playing comedic 'blonde bombshell' characters and became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as well as an emblem of the era's sexual revolution. Monroe was born Norma Jeane Mortenson in 1926 in Los Angeles and had a difficult childhood which would haunt her for the rest of her life. A look back: Monroe sings Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend from the 1953 movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Monroe is making headlines again: Ana de Armas wow raves for playing Monroe in the movie Blonde She was found dead in her Brentwood home on August 4, 1962. The pinup was also married several times: to Arthur Miller (19561961), to Joe DiMaggio (19541955) and to James Dougherty (19421946). In November Hadid was named GQ magazine's most stylish person on the planet. The 26-year-old model - who is the daughter of Yolanda and Mohamed Hadid - has been hailed by the publication as the 'best-dressed person' on Earth. The magazine explained: 'Menswear. Womenswear. Streetwear. Workwear. Smartwear. Wavywear. Chesty chick: The Versace favorite also left little to the imagination while going bra-free in a sheer white tank top that showed off her chest No tummy trouble here: And the looker flashed her very toned and flat belly The man behind the marvelous mane: Hadid credited hair stylist Sam McKnight 'Few can wear it all (and pull it off). But few are Bella Hadid, the princess that was promised, she of abundant angles, the chosen one who really can wear anything and our best-dressed person on the planet. 'As soon as the Real Housewives progeny hit supermodel rank, the dam was broken on a flood of fits that stand toe-to-toe and often above the stuff she's actually paid to wear.' GQ was particularly enthusiastic aboutBella's menswear style. The magazine said: 'Our favourite version, and the one that secured Hadid the top spot: Menswear Bella. Tailoring. Prada loafers. Big denim jackets. LSD fur trappers. There was even a tie at one point. It's wavy, classic, and uncomplicated all at once. Her mom is blonde: Bella's mother Yolanda Hadid, who used to model too, was blonde; seen as a kid with sister Gigi Hadid does menswear better than most men and she can still wear everything and anything else.' Meanwhile, Bella previously admitted that she hasn't had a stylist for two years. The brunette beauty - who is the younger sister of model Gigi Hadid - also revealed that she's learned to deal with the scrutiny that comes her way. She said: 'In the last year, it was really important for me to learn that even if people talk about my style or if they like it or if they don't, it doesn't matter, because it's my style. 'When I leave the house in the morning, what I think about is: Does this make me happy? Do I feel good in this and do I feel comfortable?' Hugh Bonneville joined co-star Jack Lowden at a preview screening of their upcoming BBC Drama The Gold in at BFI Southbank in London on Tuesday. The Downton Abbey actor, 59, cut a dapper figure in a brown three-piece suit, which he layered over a crisp white shirt. The Gold, which also stars Mamma Mia's Dominic Cooper, follows the decades-long chain of events that followed what has been described as 'the crime of the century' and air across six episodes on BBC One and Paramount+ globally. Smarty pants: Hugh Bonneville, 59 (left) joined co-star Jack Lowden, 32 (right) at a preview screening of their new BBC Drama The Gold in at BFI Southbank in London on Tuesday Hugh donned a pair of suede sneakers and completed the look with Ukrainian flag cufflinks - showing his support for the war torn country. Meanwhile Jack looked smart in a beige satin suit which he wore with a white shirt and stripped tie. The ensemble featured cropped trousers and the actor slipped his feet into a pair of colour co-ordinated loafers. Dapper: The Downton Abbey actor cut a dapper figure in a brown three-piece suit, which he layered over a crisp white shirt The story is set in November 1983, when six armed men broke into the Brink's-Mat security depot near London's Heathrow Airport and inadvertently stumbled across gold bullion worth 26 million. Much of the three tonnes of stolen gold has never been recovered and four of the suspects were not convicted. The disposal of the bullion was among the largest international money laundering operations of the time and left a string of killings in its wake. Suppoer: Hugh donned a pair of suede sneakers and completed the look with Ukrainian flag cufflinks - showing his support for the war torn country Say cheese: Meanwhile Jack (left) looked smart in a beige satin suit which he wore with a white shirt and stripped tie (pictured with co-star Hugh and Charlotte Spencer) In 1985 Detective Constable Fordham went to Kenneth Noye's mansion to investigate his involvement in the money laundering after the robbery. After entering the grounds, DC Fordham disturbed Noye's rottweilers which attracted the attention of Noye who stabbed him to death. The gangster, who passed away earlier this month aged 71, was cleared of murder after a jury accepted his claim that he had acted in self-defence. Cast: (L to R) Jack Lowden, Aneil Karia, Neil Forsyth, Charlotte Spencer and Hugh Bonneville Detective: The Gold follows the decades-long chain of events that followed what has been described as 'the crime of the century' and air across six episodes on BBC One and Paramount+ globally. He was jailed for 14 years in July 1986 for handling stolen gold bullion, and was freed in 1994. In 1996 - while Noye was out on licence from prison - he stabbed Stephen Cameron, 21, to death on an M25 slip road near Swanley, Kent. After the attack, Noye fled to Spain where he lived under a false name until his arrest in 1998. When he was convicted of murder in 2000 he was given a life sentence with a minimum of 16 years. He served nearly 20 years in prison for the murder, which took place in front of Mr Cameron's 17-year-old fiancee Danielle Cable. Starring role: Jack plays gangster Kenneth Noye in the upcoming drama Noye was released in 2019 after it was decided he no longer posed a risk. He was last pictured in Kent in 2020. A younger Noye will be played by Jack Lowden while DC Fordham will be played by Hadley Fraser. Inspired by research and interviews with some of those involved in the events, show bosses describe The Gold as 'a pulsating dramatisation which takes a journey into a 1980s world awash with cheap money and loosened morals'. The cast also includes Charlotte Spencer from The Duke, Tom Cullen from Black Mirror, Guilt actor Emun Elliott and Sean Harris from Southcliffe and Mission: Impossible. Image captured from Hyundai Card CEO Chung Tae-young's Instagram post / Courtesy of Instagram FSC still examining Apple Pay's compatibility with local privacy law By Anna J. Park It seems Apple Pay's long-awaited official launch in Korea is expected to take place as soon as next month. Some people estimate that the launch date will be Feb. 8, and here's why. Hyundai Card CEO Chung Tae-young posted a photo of eight apples on his Instagram account last Friday, with a caption that reads, "Lovely Apple." Many of Chung's Instagram followers interpreted the photo as a message that Apple Pay will launch in Korea on Feb. 8, saying the photo hints at the official launch date of the payment service. One of the replies to the post reads: "This means Apple Pay will be launched on Feb. 8, thank you!" In addition, Hyundai Card revised its bylaws on electronic financial transactions recently, to take effect Feb. 20. The most noticeable revision to the bylaw stipulates the card company's duty to secure the safety and credibility of electronic financial transactions. Market watchers believe the addition was made to the firm's bylaws, as Hyundai Card attempts to convince local financial authorities of the stability of its infrastructure for financial transactions. Regarding such anticipations, Hyundai Card has remained tight-lipped as usual. The company has been maintaining a strategy of silence towards the media since last year. "As to Apple Pay, there's nothing the company can officially confirm," a company official told The Korea Times on Tuesday. Apple Pay promotional image / Courtesy of Apple Olivia Wilde was seen heading to a workout in Los Angeles. The actress, 38, showcased her toned gams in gray leggings, adding a casual forest green sweater during her Tuesday outing. The star, who split from Harry Styles, 28, in November, opted to go makeup free with her hair pulled back in a low bun. Striking: Olivia Wilde was seen heading to a workout in Los Angeles. The actress, 38, showcased her toned gams in gray leggings, adding a casual forest green sweater The actress showcased her slim frame in silver hued leggings, hitting the pavement in white sneakers. The mom of two slipped on a green colored sweater with a large beige tote slung on one shoulder. Olivia rocked vintage inspired sunglasses to finish off her look; she opted to go makeup free. Olivia beamed at her smart phone as she made her way to her workout. Movie star looks: The star, who split from Harry Styles, 28, in November, opted to go makeup free with her hair pulled back in a low bun Gym outing: The actress showcased her slim frame in silver hued leggings, hitting the pavement in white sneakers Harry and Olivia split in November of last year, after almost two years together, despite sources claiming there is 'no bad blood' between the pair, their relationship was marred by drama. The pair first crossed paths in September 2020 when Harry was cast as actress Florence's husband and replaced Shia LaBeouf in film Don't Worry Darling. Shortly after, rumors of a feud between Olivia and co-star Florence Pugh, 27, began circulating. Two months later, Olivia split from Ted Lasso actor Jason, 47, after nine years which left the actor reportedly 'absolutely heartbroken.' Former flame: Harry and Olivia split in November of last year, after almost two years together, despite sources claiming there is 'no bad blood' between the pair, their relationship was marred by drama; Harry seen November 1, 2022 The Hollywood actress was then pictured arriving at the former One Direction star's LA home with her luggage in hand in January and the two were seen driving around California together later that same month. In December 2021 Olivia addressed the 'false narrative' surrounding her relationship with Harry, who she went public with just two months after splitting from Jason. When Olivia was seen holding hands with her beau Harry, who is a decade younger than her, many people raised an eyebrow at how quickly she moved on. And while the actress said it was 'tempting' to correct the false narrative she added in her Vogue interview: 'But I think what you realize is that when you're really happy, it doesn't matter what strangers think about you.' Last month it was reported Florence and Harry shared an offscreen kiss after developing 'instant chemistry' on the set of Don't Worry Darling - weeks before the One Direction star began a relationship with Olivia. Real life drama: Last month it was reported Florence and Harry shared an offscreen kiss after developing 'instant chemistry' on the set of Don't Worry Darling - weeks before the One Direction star began a relationship with Olivia; from L to R: Gemma Chan, Harry, Sydney Chandler, Olivia, Chris Pine, Florence Pugh and Nick Kroll on September 5 Kyle Sandilands has weighed in on Molly Meldrum's recent erratic behaviour, revealing he had a 'run-in' with the TV legend 15 years ago. Speaking on The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Wednesday, the radio presenter, 51, recounted the time he was 'going to bash' Meldrum, 79, after he flew into a jealous rage over Sandilands getting a judging role on Australian Idol. Meldrum believed he should have got the job, based on his industry experience and years hosting iconic music show Countdown. Kyle Sandilands (pictured) has weighed in on Molly Meldrum's recent erratic behaviour, revealing he had a 'run-in' with the TV legend 15 years ago 'Me and Molly had a big run-in, years ago,' Sandilands told his co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson. 'He got so jealous that I was the judge on Australian Idol, that he thought he should have been. I went off on him, I was gonna bash him.' The pair's blow-up happened on air in 2007 when Sandilands was hosting the breakfast show for 2Day FM. Meldrum was almost incoherent as he rambled for seven minutes about the Idol snub, even describing Sandilands as 'fat' and 'arrogant'. The pair's blow-up happened on air in 2007. Meldrum (pictured in December 2022) was almost incoherent as he rambled for seven minutes about Sandilands being hired as a judge on Australian Idol instead of him, even describing the radio presenter as 'fat' and 'arrogant' 'At least I'm not a drunk. At least I'm not some drunk tragedy hiding under a hat,' Sandilands snapped at the time. Meldrum then told Sandilands to 'get off television', adding that his advice on Australian Idol meant 'sweet jack s**t' to the contestants. Speaking on his KIIS FM show on Wednesday, Sandilands recalled bumping into Meldrum on a flight a year after their on-air clash. 'I walked onto the aeroplane and he's sitting in the chair next to me,' he said. 'I looked at him and he went, "Oh, no," and I went, "Oh, yes, your day has come."' Meldrum exposed his bare buttocks live on stage at Elton John's farewell concert in Melbourne last Friday, later blaming the incident on a faulty belt buckle The legendary Australian music critic was watching his old friend Sir Elton in the crowd at AAMI Park for his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, before he was brought up on stage To Sandilands' surprise, Meldrum apologised for his behaviour. 'He was very genuine about it and he admitted he was jealous. He just couldn't control his jealousy,' he said. It comes after Meldrum's former protege Samuel Johnson vowed to never speak to the TV legend again after his latest attention-seeking display. Meldrum had exposed his bare buttocks live on stage at Elton John's farewell concert in Melbourne last Friday, later blaming the incident on a faulty belt buckle. Meldrum's former protege Samuel Johnson (right) on Tuesday vowed to never speak to the TV legend again after his latest attention-seeking display Johnson, while acknowledging his long friendship with Meldrum, said on Tuesday the mooning incident was the last straw after years of holding his tongue, adding that he was 'sick' of the music critic's increasingly erratic behaviour. He told The Morning Show hosts Kylie Gillies and Larry Emdur: 'He's helped me out of a legal pickle, I've known him for 20 years. He visited my sister in hospital when she was sick with cancer when she was 11 in the 1980s 'I'm really grateful for everything that Molly's done in our lives.' But things changed at the Logie Awards in 2017 when Meldrum stole Johnson's spotlight as he was on stage accepting the Gold Logie for his performance in the Channel Seven miniseries Molly, based on Meldrum's life. His relationship with Meldrum changed at the Logie Awards in 2017 when the music critic stole Johnson's spotlight as he was on stage accepting the Gold Logie for his performance in the Channel Seven miniseries Molly, based on Meldrum's life 'When I won the Gold Logie, I was about to have my million-dollar moment and I told him not to come up on stage. He wasn't nominated, it was my moment,' Johnson said. He wanted to use the opportunity to promote his charity, Love Your Sister, and to thank his sister Connie, who was battling cancer at the time and would die months later. Johnson hoped the moment would be similar to Carrie Bickmore's Gold Logie speech two years earlier when she launched her Beanies 4 Brain Cancer charity. 'I wanted to make [my speech] about cancer and he wanted to make it all about the network... It was an absolute catastrophe,' the actor said. 'He warbled in a very drunken fashion for eight whole minutes! Now I've seen him do it again at the Elton John concert.' Johnson then expressed concern for the music legend. 'Maybe it's time to hang up your hat, mate,' he said. 'I hope he's okay.' Johnson said he never forgave Meldrum for upstaging him at the 2017 Logie Awards (pictured), where he had hoped to use his time on stage to promote his charity, Love Your Sister. Instead, a rambling and incoherent Meldrum made it all about himself Johnson went on to say he didn't buy Meldrum's excuse for mooning the crowd at the Elton John concert, noting that if he had had a belt malfunction 'we would have seen his undies, not his bum'. 'For years I haven't said anything, because I don't want to say anything,' he added. 'Who are his minders? Is he okay? He shouldn't be allowed out in the afternoon - he's sozzled by that time.' Johnson went on to suggest Meldrum has a problem with alcohol, claiming he has 'two shots of vodka in his coffee in the morning'. Johnson played Meldrum in the Channel Seven miniseries Molly, for which he won the Gold Logie (pictured on the show). Sadly, his victory was undermined when Meldrum barged on stage during his acceptance speech 'If I want to make any sense out of him, I've got to see him for midday. Stop, Molly!' he exclaimed. Gillies then suggested that perhaps Johnson was in a position to give Meldrum a call and 'have a chat' about his behaviour, but Johnson said he hadn't spoken to him since the Logies debacle six years ago. 'I'll never speak to him again. He cost my charity a million dollars that night,' he said. 'Can someone look after him? Can someone care for him? Can someone? I'm really worried about him. I'm not cross at him. I'm just really worried,' he added. Johnson first spoke about Meldrum's troubling behaviour during an interview on 4BC's Afternoons with Sofie Formica on Monday. 'He needs to hang up his hat. Now,' he said bluntly. He made similar remarks on WSFM's Jonesy & Amanda on Tuesday morning. He made similar remarks on WSFM's Jonesy & Amanda on Tuesday morning, admitting he was 'trying to be diplomatic' about Meldrum even though he was angry 'Can I be honest?' he said while taking a deep breath. 'There's a lot I haven't said, and I'm trying really hard to be diplomatic.' 'I've seen the same type of thing happen over and over again, including him - when I told him not to - coming up on stage during my Gold Logie win and ruining my Carrie's Beanie moment where I was going to try to raise a lot of money for cancer research,' he added. '[He came] up drunk as a skunk and babbling for eight minutes to finish the Logies that night.' He then asked: 'Whos looking after him? He must not be out in the public during the PM, not with the way he drinks.' Christina Applegate put one troll on blast who claimed she had gotten work done by a 'bad plastic surgeon.' Applegate, who announced her MS diagnosis in 2021, posted a screenshot of a message she received from a troll insisting her changing appearance was not due to her battle with multiple sclerosis but rather from going under the knife. But Applegate, 51, wasn't having it - posting the comment on her Twitter account after having a 'laugh' over the matter. 'What is wrong with people': Christina Applegate put one troll on blast who claimed she had gotten work done by a 'bad plastic surgeon'; Applegate pictured earlier this week at the Critics Choice Awards Applegate revealed she came across the Internet user after making the 'unfortunate decision to look at some comments' on an article about her attending the Critics' Choice Awards with her children. It appears Applegate personally messaged the troll before they replied with the cruel remark. 'Of course I told her that it wasn't nice. This was her reply. What is wrong with people. By the way, I laughed,' Applegate posted. The troll replied: 'Ms didn't make you look that way a plastic surgeon did. And you are a scammer and are notChristi a Applegate(sic),' the person posted before adding, 'And a bad plastic surgeon at that.' 'This was her reply': Applegate, who announced her MS diagnosis in 2021, posted a screenshot of a message she received from a troll insisting her changing appearance was not due to her battle with multiple sclerosis but rather from going under the knife Christina announced her multiple sclerosis diagnosis in August 2021 and has been candid with just how life-changing the disease has been. In addition to impacting filming her Netflix series Dead To Me, MS led to a 40 pound weight gain and brought on a decline in her mobility. 'This is the first time anyone's going to see me the way I am. I put on 40 pounds; I can't walk without a cane. I want people to know that I am very aware of all of that,' she said in a recent interview with The New York Times. Health struggles: Christina announced her multiple sclerosis diagnosis in August 2021 and has been candid with just how life-changing the disease has been; pictured 2019 Applegate was diagnosed with MS while in production on the final season of the show, which then took a five month break so that she could begin her treatment. Multiple sclerosis is a disease in which the immune system eats away at the protective covering of nerves, and interrupts the flow of information between the brain and the body. Announcing her diagnosis on Twitter, she wrote: 'It's been a strange journey. But I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition. It's been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going. Unless some a****** blocks it.' Australian Yeezy designer Bianca Censori was thrust into the spotlight last week after marrying Kanye West in a non-legally binding ceremony. And now, an old friend of the Melbourne-born architect, 27, has revealed intimate details about her high school days. The friend, named Kate, told Nova FM's Ben, Liam and Belle that Censori was not a fan of Kanye West's music growing up, and was always part of the 'popular group'. Kanye West's new wife Bianca Censori (pictured) 'wasn't a fan' of the rapper's music growing up and was known for her 'big boobs', a school friend has revealed 'I knew her pretty well. She was definitely in the popular group and she was known for her big boobs. That was kind of her thing,' Kate said. 'She was pretty hot, she was the hot one, friends with all the guys. [But] she was lovely. 'She wasn't one of the b**chy popular high school girls. I've got nothing bad to say about her.' Kate explained Censori had been studying architecture at the University of Melbourne when Kayne offered her a job. The friend, named Kate, told Nova FM's Ben, Liam and Belle radio show that Censori was not a fan of Kanye West's music growing up, and was always part of the 'popular group' 'Ye slid into her DMs, found her on Instagram, and said, "Come and work for me," and she dropped out. I'm not actually sure if she's an architect,' she said. Kate admitted Censori wasn't a huge fan of Kayne's music when he contacted her. The rapper, 45, is said to have held a private ceremony with the Aussie designer, and the pair have been spotted wearing wedding rings. A Kim Kardashian lookalike through-and-through, Censori hails from Kew, Victoria where she went to Carey Baptist Grammar School, according to her LinkedIn. Kate explained Bianca had been studying architecture at the University of Melbourne when Kayne offered her a job After graduating from high school, she started her own jewellery company Nylons as she completed a Bachelor's degree at the University of Melbourne from 2013-2017. The business began with her friend Irene when they created chokers and bracelets made from Swarovski crystals for themselves and friends, before they realised the potential to set up a store. In the last two years of her degree, Censori also worked as a design consultant at Kelektiv, a furniture design company in the city. The Melbourne-born beauty (left) shares a striking resemblance to Kim Kardashian (right) She joined the Yeezy team in November 2020 and lists herself as the Head of Architecture for the brand on her Linkedin page Censori then moved on to DP Toscano Architects in Collingwood where she stayed as she went for her Masters in Architecture. In November of 2020, she left Australia right after she graduated from university and moved to Los Angeles to work for West as the Head of Architecture at his fashion design company Yeezy. Not much else is known about Censori, as she deactivated her social media accounts quickly after the news about her secret nuptials with West broke. Abbie Chatfield has mastered the elusive art of female ejaculation. The outrageous reality star, 27, made the raunchy confession on her podcast It's A Lot on Wednesday. 'I'm not kidding, I can squirt on demand,' Abbie confessed. Abbie Chatfield has mastered the elusive art of female ejaculation Abbie explained to her producers how she was able to achieve the sexual feat, but her technique is too explicit to publish. She first spoke of her experience ejaculating back in October, after a memorable encounter with a hook-up. It comes after she revealed on air she had slept with '80 people'. The reality star, 27, made the raunchy confession on her podcast It's A Lot on Wednesday She confessed to the milestone during an interview with comedian Christian Hull. 'Somebody asked me the other day how many people I've f**ked and they asked "over a thousand?" and I was like, "I wish!"' she said. 'I think I've f**ked, like, 80 people.' She first spoke of her experience ejaculating back in October, after a memorable encounter with a hook-up Christian was surprised by Abbie's admission, which prompted her to explain it was just a 'conservative' estimate. The Bachelor alum posted a recap of the conversation on Instagram, and many of her followers went wild over her confession. Abbie recently split from ex-boyfriend Konrad Bien-Stephen after they experimented with an open relationship. The rumours have now become Instagram official. Love Island Australia star Amelia Marni debuted her new boyfriend on her main grid on Tuesday, after months of teasing his identity on her Stories. The 26 year-old influencer introduced her latest beau to 321,000 followers with a cosy snap of the couple. Love Island Australia star Amelia Marni debuted her new boyfriend on her main grid on Tuesday, after months of teasing his identity on her Stories Amelia looked sultry in a strappy black swimsuit that drew attention to her eye-popping assets. Her boyfriend, whose name has not been revealed, kept things casual in a green jersey and black shorts. 'Hi boo, welcome to the feed,' Amelia wrote in the caption. It comes after Amelia clapped back at a troll in October who said she'd 'moved on quickly' from her ex-boyfriend Josh Moss, whom she had dated for four years It comes after Amelia clapped back at a troll in October who said she'd 'moved on quickly' from her ex-boyfriend Josh Moss, whom she had dated for four years. The troll's negative reaction was sparked by an IG Story she uploaded of herself wrapping her legs around her mystery beau at the beach in Jervis Bay. While the post was flooded with positive comments, one person pointed out how Amelia hadn't wasted any time finding a replacement for her ex. 'And you judged a person you haven't met quickly,' she replied. The troll's negative reaction was sparked by this IG Story she uploaded of herself wrapping her legs around her mystery beau at the beach in Jervis Bay The troll said there was 'no hate' and she was 'just making an observation', which prompted Amelia to comment: 'If only she was focusing on her happiness and goals and not judging other people's happiness.' Amelia first revealed in September she was seeing someone new. She confirmed her relationship status by posting a cryptic snap on Instagram of herself holding a man's hand after a fan asked her during a Q&A if she was seeing anybody. While the post was flooded with positive comments, one person pointed out how Amelia hadn't wasted any time finding a replacement for her ex While she didn't reveal his name or face, the black-and-white photo suggested the pair were dating as both their legs were intertwined. The picture may have been taken during Amelia's trip to Mykonos, where she shared countless sizzling snaps but didn't reveal a mystery beau. She appeared to be adjusting well to life after calling it quits with Josh in May 2022. Amelia first revealed in September she was seeing someone new. She confirmed her relationship status by posting this cryptic snap on Instagram of herself holding a man's hand after a fan asked her during a Q&A if she was seeing anybody Following their break-up, Amelia announced she would be relocating from Australia to Europe for several months. She hinted a 'casual move' was on the cards, but returned to Australia in mid-August. 'So, in two weeks, I'm gonna go to Mykonos for, like, 10 days,' she said in June. Amelia called it quits with Josh Moss (left) in May 2022. They had started dating as contestants on season one of Love Island Australia in 2018 'Who knows, I'm very sporadic, I'm very spontaneous at the moment.' Amelia and Josh started dating as contestants on season one of Love Island Australia in 2018. They mutually ended their relationship in May, after it was reported the pair had been 'unhappy' for months. The party isn't over for Margot Robbie. A day after attending the Sydney premiere of her new film Babylon, the Hollywood star, 32, joined her old school friends for a drink at a trendy wine bar in Surry Hills. She was spotted leaving Poly on Commonwealth Street with her pals after spending two hours at the venue. Margot Robbie has continued celebrating the release of her latest film Babylon by joining her old school mates for a drink at trendy wine bar in Sydney on Tuesday Margot thanked a man, presumably an employee, who held the door open for the group as they exited the bar. She looked effortlessly chic in an oversized tan blazer with matching suit trousers, and accessorised with a green handbag. Her blonde highlighted hair was styled in cascading waves. The former Neighbours star hugged her friends goodbye before being escorted onto the footpath and stepping into a hire car. The Australian actress, 32, was seen leaving Poly in Surry Hills with a few of her close pals after spending two hours at the venue Margot appeared to thank a man, supposedly an employee, who held the door open for the group as they departed the bar Her blonde highlighted hair was styled in cascading waves One day prior, Margot attended the Sydney premiere of her latest film Babylon and had a hilarious but wholesome moment with her friends on the red carpet. A childhood mate of Margot's called out to the actress while she was being interviewed by Justin Hill. While Margot was chatting to the reporter, one of her pals called out 'hey Maggot' - her embarrassing school nickname - behind her. She looked effortlessly chic in an oversized tan blazer with matching suit trousers Margot also made a statement with a green handbag But the beauty took the dig in good stride, turning to enthusiastically wave at them. 'I saw my school friends. We have been friends since we were four years old,' she told Hill. Hill later uploaded the clip to TikTok and Margot's fans went wild over how down-to-earth the Neighbours star is. One day prior, Margot attended the Sydney premiere of her latest film Babylon and had a hilarious but wholesome moment with her friends on the red carpet. A childhood mate of Margot's called out to the actress while she was being interviewed by Justin Hill While Margot was chatting to the reporter, one of her pals called out 'hey Maggot' - her embarrassing school nickname - behind her 'She looks so comfortable and happy,' one wrote, as Hill responded 'she was beaming the whole time, was lovely to see'. Later that night, the Wolf of Wall Street star swapped her daring Versace gown she wore on the red carpet for a more relaxed yet elegant number to enjoy an afterparty with her family and closest childhood friends. Surrounded by a handful of pals, Margot beamed as the group posed at Shell House's exclusive Sky Bar. The former Neighbours star hugged her friends in an emotional goodbye The blonde bombshell was glowing in an $890 white Michael Lo Sordo wrap maxi shirt dress with a plunging neckline. Margot discussed her 'wild ride' filming Babylon during her appearance on The Graham Norton Show on Friday. She admitted she was 'scared to mess up' the epic opening party scene which took a huge two weeks to film. Speaking about the Hollywood drama, Margot explained: 'It was a wild ride. There were amazing set pieces, including a party scene that took two weeks to shoot. The Project star Carrie Bickmore has shocked Australia with the announcement that she and her longtime partner Chris Walker are separating. And while the cause of their split remains unknown, Chris' infamous 'nude Skype call' scandal could well have something to do with it. Carrie, 42, was left red-faced in May last year when Chris was caught with his trousers down on a company Skype call. The Project star Carrie Bickmore has shocked Australia with the announcement that she and her longtime partner Chris Walker are separating. And while the cause of their split remains unknown, Chris' infamous 'nude Skype call' scandal could well have something to do with it. Pictured: Carrie and Chris in happier times Chris, the executive producer of comedy show The Weekly, stripped naked in front of shocked ABC staff after he thought he'd left a video conference on May 17. He wrongly thought he had left the conference when he took off his clothes in front of up to nine people, with the incident lasting between 40 seconds and two minutes. Chris had dialled in while on sabbatical in the UK with Carrie and their three young children, with the faux pas occurring during a meeting following rehearsals and before the taping of The Weekly with Charlie Pickering. Chris, the executive producer of comedy show The Weekly, stripped naked in front of shocked ABC staff after he thought he'd left a video conference on May 17 Carrie was likely mortified by the incident, as Chris' gaffe led to an avalanche of embarrassing headlines. In a statement at the time, ABC said it was 'aware of an unintentional incident'. 'The ABC is in regular communication with the relevant team members and are in the process of developing strategies to ensure an incident of this nature does not occur again,' it said in a statement. He wrongly thought he had left the conference when he took off his clothes in front of up to nine people, with the incident lasting between 40 seconds and two minutes Following the incident, a staffer accused senior ABC managers of initially brushing off the gaffe as 'hilarious' and dismissing employees' concerns. The ABC then reportedly offered counselling to staffers who witnessed the incident. The staffer also accused the ABC of downplaying the gaffe because Walker's production company Thinkative Television is behind some of the public broadcaster's most popular shows, including The Weekly and Hard Quiz. Following the incident, a staffer accused senior ABC managers of initially brushing off the gaffe as 'hilarious' and dismissing employees' concerns 'You're not allowed plastic bottles in the building, but the nude guy is on the screen [and] that's hilarious,' they grumbled. 'If it was an ABC person [instead of someone from an external production company] they would never be allowed to set foot in the place again.' In June, The Australian reported that Chris was 'unlikely to face serious sanctions' for the gaffe. The ABC has since offered counselling to staffers who witnessed the incident, The Herald Sun reported The public broadcaster reportedly took the incident 'seriously' but managers say the steps already taken will 'probably' be the end of the matter. An insider told the newspaper: 'It was a genuine mistake. Obviously, the ABC is taking it seriously if people were traumatised. 'But if serious action was taken against Chris Walker for an accidental flash, there'd also be an outcry.' It wasn't the first time Chris had accidentally exposed himself during a video call. In November 2021, Carrie host revealed on her Carrie & Tommy radio show that Walker had strolled naked into the background of a Zoom conference she was doing with other journalists from around the world. Carrie said she and her partner later laughed about the incident for 45 minutes. It wasn't the first time Chris had accidentally exposed himself during a video call. In November 2021, Carrie host revealed on her Carrie & Tommy radio show that Walker had strolled naked into the background of a Zoom conference she was doing with other journalists from around the world On Wednesday, Carrie announced that she and Chris had parted ways. The TV star made the announcement in an emotional Instagram post, and said the pair are now focusing on co-parenting their three children - Ollie, 15, Evie, seven, and Adelaide, four. 'While this is a tough time, our focus is on parenting, loving and supporting our three children Ollie, Evie and Addie with everything that we've got. 'They are doing great, We won't be making any further comment.' It comes after Carrie spoke of her private struggles in a touching farewell letter to The Project's hair and makeup team after quitting the Channel 10 show in November. In a handwritten note to her glam squad, the 42-year-old thanked them for helping her get through some of the most challenging times in her professional life. The former Project host announced the news in an emotional Instagram post on Wednesday 'To my hair and makeup family. Crap, I am crying already,' the letter began. 'You have held my hand through some of the toughest days in my career. You hear it all, see it all and share it all with me and I can't explain how much I am going to miss you all. 'There is an unspoken bond between us all and please never forget how special you all are. 'I know this is not goodbye, just goodbye for now. Love to you all, Carrie.' It comes after Carrie spoke of her private struggles in a touching farewell letter to The Project's hair and makeup team after quitting the Channel 10 show in November Carrie's letter was posted on Instagram by makeup artist Julie Bekiri, who also shared a video of the TV presenter laughing in the styling chair while The Project's glam team worked their magic. Another picture showed Carrie on set with the hair and makeup staff on her final night on The Project. 'What can I say about you @bickmorecarrie because words cannot describe the last 10 years or so since we first met,' Julie captioned her post. 'I can say is that we have been through so many things together and our chats, laughs and cries in the makeup room have been priceless. Another picture showed Carrie with the hair and makeup staff on her final night on The Project 'Thank you so much for all your support and friendship and thank you for allowing me to be myself and allow me to express my creativity with you. 'You always kept me on my toes and constantly told me to stop touching your hair even after I perfected it.' The Project bid farewell to Carrie on November 30, as she stepped down from the Channel 10 panel show after an impressive 13 years. She thanked her friends, colleagues and viewers at the end of the broadcast. The Project bid farewell to Carrie on November 30, as she stepped down from the Channel 10 panel show after an impressive 13 years She also thanked Chris, who was sitting in the audience with their children. 'To Chris [Walker, partner]. Thank you for everything. Your guidance and advice over the years, your amazing production skills...' she added Carrie and Chris' love story captured the hearts of Australians after they met on the set of The Project in 2012 - where Carrie worked as an anchor, two years after her husband Greg Lange lost his battle with brain cancer. Despite his terminal condition, they married in 2005 when Carrie was 25 and had a son, Oliver. She said having their son was the greatest thing they ever did together. Carrie and Chris' love story captured the hearts of Australians after they met on the set of The Project in 2012 - where Carrie worked as an anchor, two years after her husband Greg Lange lost his battle with brain cancer After Greg died at 35, she continued his legacy by starting her own charity, Carrie's Beanies for Brain Cancer, which she announced during her Gold Logie acceptance speech in 2015. Carrie and Chris fell in love while working together - he became a stepdad to Oliver, before they had two daughters - Evie in 2015, and Adelaide in 2018. The presenter previously told TV Week that her partner has also suffered loss in his life. 'He like many people understands loss and suffered his own loss in life and I think he just has a huge amount of compassion and he will always be incredibly supportive of me and for our family,' she said. To spend more time together as a family, Carrie and Chris took their three kids to the UK for a school term in April. In a lengthy Instagram post, she explained that they realised they needed to take a break during lockdown in Melbourne last year. Carrie and Chris fell in love while working together - he became a stepdad to Oliver, before they had two daughters - Evie in 2015, and Adelaide in 2018 (all pictured) 'We feel like this is our last chance to do something like this together before Ollie hits the pointy end of his schooling and no longer wants to hang out with us so we are heading to the UK for a school term,' she wrote. Chris previously said he finds himself missing Carrie because of the couple's busy schedule. 'Carrie works so much as well (on The Project). Particularly at the start of the week I find myself missing her and the kids quite a lot.' The five nominees for this year's prestigious BAFTA EE Rising Star Award were announced during a press conference at The Savoy Hotel in London. Emma Mackey and Aimee Lou Wood, who play friends Aimee and Maeve in Sex Education, were among the nominees. Naomi Ackie, who recently took on the iconic role of global superstar Whitney Houston in Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody was also on the nomination list. The actress, 30, said of her nomination: 'I've followed and been inspired by the EE BAFTA Film Awards for so many years, so to be recognised amongst this incredible group of artists is huge! BAFTA: The five nominees for this year's prestigious EE Rising Star Award were announced during a press conference at The Savoy Hotel in London (Nominees Naomi Ackie and Emma Mackey pictured) 'This nod from the EE Rising Star jury, and to be recognised for my work in the country that I've grown up in, is also a nod of encouragement, to continue to create stories that speak to people. What a beautiful experience to be a part of.' Emma Mackey, who is set to feature in Barbie opposite Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, was also shortlisted. Commenting on her nomination, Emma said: 'I am so grateful to BAFTA and EE for including me in this category. Being able to tell stories and make films is already such a blessing. To be nominated alongside these wonderful actors and for us all to be noticed by such a respected and inspiring institution is very humbling indeed.' Stars: Emma Mackey and Aimee Lou Wood (pictured), who play friends Aimee and Maeve in Sex Education, were among the nominees Daryl McCormack, who is well known for his lead role in British comedy-drama Good Luck to You, and Sheila Atim, who stars in the recently released historical epic feature film The Woman King, are also in the running for the award. The award is now in its 18th year and is the only BAFTA voted for by the public. Voting is now open on the BAFTA website and the winner will be announced on Sunday 19 February at the EE BAFTA Film Awards ceremony. Nominees: Daryl McCormack (right), who is well known for his lead role in British comedy-drama Good Luck to You, and Sheila Atim (left), who stars in the recently released historical epic feature film The Woman King, are also in the running for the award Event: Edith Bowman, Darryl, Sheila, Naomi and BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip attend the EE BAFTA Rising Star nominee announcement at The Savoy Hotel The remaining BAFTA nominations will be announced on Thursday at 12pm in a livestream by actors Hayley Atwell ahead of the ceremony. Jane Millichip, CEO at BAFTA, said: 'Recognising and supporting creative talent is of the upmost importance to us at BAFTA which is why we are delighted to continue our partnership with EE and the EE Rising Star Award. 'This year's five nominees have displayed a breath-taking ability to tell stories and create characters that resonate with their audiences, and it's now up to the British public to decide who will take home the award on 19th February.' Stunning: Scottish presenter Edith looked incredible in a glamorous black off the shoulder gown Happy: Nominees Sheila, Naomi and Daryl posed for a snap after the exciting announcement Gorgeous: Sheila looked the epitome of chic in a black cut-out jumpsuit, a jacket and strappy heels For the first time, the ceremony will include a live broadcast to reveal the final four category winners after previously being recorded and then broadcast on the same day. Currently in the running is the Netflix anti-war epic All Quiet On The Western Front, which has been being longlisted in 15 categories. The film, directed by Edward Berger and based on the 1929 novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque, features on the lists for best film and director. Acclaim: Currently in the running is the Netflix anti-war epic All Quiet On The Western Front, which has been being longlisted in 15 categories Black comedy-drama The Banshees Of Inisherin, starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, is close behind with 14 nods. Quirky science-fiction thriller Everything Everywhere All At Once and Baz Luhrmann's biopic of Elvis are both longlisted in 12 categories. Top Gun: Maverick appears in eight categories, as do Babylon, Tar and Aftersun. The Baftas will be broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on February 19. US President Joe Biden, seen here at the National Action Network's Annual Martin Luther King Day Breakfast on January 16, 2023 in Washington, DC, will travel Thursday to flood-hit California US President Joe Biden will travel to flood-hit areas of California on Thursday, the White House said, as the country's most populous state cleans up from a devastating series of storms. Biden will tour "communities impacted by the devastation from recent storms, survey recovery efforts, and assess what additional federal support is needed," the White House said late Monday in a statement. California has endured nine successive storms rolling in from the Pacific Ocean in a three-week period. The extreme weather has cost 19 lives. Biden declared a major disaster in California over the weekend, allowing the federal government to expedite aid, including help with temporary housing and repairs. Relief workers across much of the state hustled to clear landslides, shovel mud from roads and remove fallen trees. Some 23,800 homes in California remained without power late Monday, according to poweroutage.us. Fortunately, the relentless winter storms appeared to abate in California as they moved past the Sierra Nevada mountains into the Rocky Mountain states. Still, the staggering quantities of rain that have hit northern California left cities there sodden. The report from the National Weather Service (NWS) for the Bay Area said more than 18 inches (45 cm) of rain have fallen on San Francisco since December 26. "It's the wettest 22-day period since January 14, 1862," the NWS office said in a tweet. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan hold talks at the Qasr Al Watan presidential palace in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Jan. 15. Yonhap President Yoon Suk Yeol and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan adopted a joint summit statement that included an expression of the UAE's commitment to investing $30 billion in South Korea, the document showed Monday. The statement, adopted after the two leaders' summit in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, covered 14 points under three headers strengthening cooperation in key areas, enhancing future-oriented cooperation, and peace and stability. The 14 points covered conventional energy and clean energy, peaceful nuclear energy, economy and investment, defense and defense technology, and climate change, among other areas. "As part of the wider Special Strategic Partnership framework, and building on the UAE's confidence in the ROK's economic strength and growth prospects, the UAE announced a commitment by its sovereign wealth funds to invest $30 billion in strategic sectors in the Republic of Korea," the joint statement said. The Republic of Korea is South Korea's official name. Country Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Canada Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cuba, Republic of Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Dominican Republic Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Haiti, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Jamaica Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Mexico, United Mexican States Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu US Virgin Islands Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland United States Minor Outlying Islands United States of America Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Fighter jets soar to sky China Military Online) 09:33, January 17, 2023 A fighter jet attached to an aviation brigade of the air force under the PLA Northern Theater Command takes off from the runway during a combat flight training exercise on January 3, 2023. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Yang Pan) (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun) President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during their visit to Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Abu Dhabi, Monday (local time). Yonhap Additional nuclear plants in either UAE or UK possible By Nam Hyun-woo ABU DHABI Korea's campaign to export nuclear reactors and related facilities is gaining fresh momentum on the occasion of President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as the two countries agreed to cooperate for additional nuclear projects in either the UAE or third countries, such as the U.K. Yoon will wrap up his state visit to the UAE on Tuesday afternoon (local time), after fruitful summit diplomacy, including securing the UAE's commitment to invest $30 billion in Korean companies guaranteed through a joint declaration and a total of 48 memoranda of understanding (MOUs) signed between the two countries. Nuclear energy is one of the areas that is expected to facilitate bilateral cooperation. While promising an astonishing amount of investment, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said his country decided to do so in recognition of the successful construction and operation of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, which was built by Korean companies. During the leaders' visit to the nuclear plant on Monday, Yoon noted, "Now is the time for both Korea and the UAE to join hands to create additional nuclear power partnerships in the UAE and other countries." This is also mentioned in the joint statement between the two countries announced on late Monday. Yoon's UAE trip raises hopes for policies related to hydrogen economy First lady meets with Sheikh Mansour of UAE Joint summit statement expresses UAE's commitment to investing $30 bil. in Korea Yoon reveals hopes for another nuclear project with UAE In the statement, the two leaders expressed their determination to "deepen and accelerate collaboration in the nuclear energy sector" by "jointly pursuing additional nuclear projects, whether in the UAE or in third countries." According to a senior official at Korea's presidential office, the reference to "additional nuclear projects in the UAE" can be interpreted as Korea building more nuclear power plants in the country. "Nothing has been determined, and the UAE has yet to make an official offer," the official said. "We assume that the UAE has a plan to build additional nuclear plants and considers Korea as a partner, given that it will be ineffective for the country to have one plant designed by Korea and the other built by other countries." Barakah Nuclear Power Plant / Yonhap Reportedly, a senior-level official of the Korean presidential office asked a top official of the UAE's Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) about the country's intention to build additional nuclear power plants during the Korea-UAE Business Forum held on Monday, and the ENEC official replied that the company "will consider if the Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) makes a fine offer." KEPCO is the main contractor for the Barakah plant. If pursued, the additional nuclear power projects between Korea and the UAE will likely be for small modular reactors (SMRs), which are regarded as the future generation of nuclear reactors due to their lower initial capital investment, siting flexibility and greater scalability. Regarding the joint entry into third countries, the presidential official mentioned the U.K. as a possible candidate. "There have been discussions between ENEC CEO Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi and KEPCO CEO Cheong Seung-il last year with a certain goal," it said. "We believe when Korea's engineering and building capability combines with the UAE's capital, financial and networking capabilities, it will make a very competitive team." The U.K. is now expanding nuclear energy's share in its energy portfolio to lower its reliance on natural gas and boost its long-term energy independence and security. Last April, the British government announced that it would build up to eight nuclear reactors. The official also noted Korea's ongoing efforts to win contracts for nuclear power plant projects in the Czech Republic and Poland will be more effective if they are backed by the UAE's funds. President Yoon Suk Yeol, shakes hands with a South Korean solider as he meets with South Korean troops of the Akh unit in the United Arab Emirates, Jan. 15. Yonhap The South Korean foreign ministry on Tuesday said President Yoon Suk Yeol's recent remark about Iran during his visit to the United Arab Emirates was "irrelevant" to Seoul's relations with Tehran, in an apparent effort to prevent it from spilling into a diplomatic controversy. While speaking to South Korean troops in the UAE earlier this week during his state visit there, Yoon compared the UAE-Iran relations to that of South and North Koreas, and said the UAE's "enemy and biggest threat is Iran." In response, the Iranian foreign ministry said it was "looking into and pursuing the meddling comments" by Yoon, and awaiting an explanation from the Seoul foreign ministry. In a text message to reporters, the Seoul foreign ministry urged against "unnecessary overinterpretation" of the remark, saying it was made while encouraging South Korean soldiers. It added the remark was "irrelevant" to South Korea's diplomatic ties with Iran or other countries. "Since forging diplomatic ties with Iran in 1962, our country has long maintained friendly and cooperative ties with Iran, and our commitment to continue developing the friendly bilateral relations with Iran remains firm," the ministry said. (Yonhap) Textbooks were given late and there is a lack of teachers in most government schools. (Representative Image) Hyderabad: Students of Class X are losing out on precious revision time as government schools across the city are yet to complete teaching the Class X syllabus, despite the district education officer having set a December 31, 2022, deadline for the same. Lack of teachers, insufficient textbooks supply and not dedicating study time at home are major reasons hampering government school students. S. Sridevi, a government high school teacher, said that most students study only at school as they are expected to take up domestic or agricultural chores to contribute to their households. I agree that the textbooks were given late and there is a lack of teachers. But the parents are least bothered about their childs education. Their interest and continuity in schools is disappointing, she said. Teachers also blamed the extended holiday calendar this academic year,. We are rushing with the syllabus in revision time. Last year, there were many holidays due to the rainy season and festivals, said Afreen Fatima, a Class X teacher at a government school. Another teacher, requesting anonymity, said that most teachers were completing the syllabus at their convenience as due to an insufficient number of teachers, they have to borrow subject-specific teachers from other schools. Students, meanwhile, are apprehensive about taking the exams, citing the six-paper pattern instead of the earlier pattern. The students are now in a panic as the portion has not been reduced and there are no holidays in between exams. What is the rush to change the paper pattern this year, that too with such short notice? said Manjula R., a government school teacher. However, the scenario at residential government schools was different. Not only have they finished their syllabus, but have also started with the revision and timely unit tests. Students are living in hostels 24/7 and are more focused on academics. Second (reason) is having enough teachers who are appointed on a rotation basis for taking classes and revision classes. The third reason is they are having access to all the academic resources on time, Sarveshwar Reddy, additional secretary for residential schools, said. Reddy said that such important needs are not being met at day schools, which is affecting the overall pass percentage. Education at stake > On November 24, 2022, the district education officer of Hyderabad directed government schools to finish the Class X syllabus by the year-end and begin revising the same > The official directed schools to hold special revision tests from January 1, with a special focus on slow-learners > Syllabus yet to be completed in most schools due to multiple reasons > Some teachers said textbooks were not given on time, some blamed a lack of teachers, while most agreed that there were additional closures due to rains > Students are panicking as the exam pattern changed to six-paper one Pangolin scales seized by Hanumanthanagar police of Bengaluru.(Photo By Arrangement) BENGALURU: A travel agent has been arrested by the Hanumanthanagar police in Bengaluru for smuggling 23 kilos of pangolin scales. The scales were seized and search is on to trace three other involved in the case. Upon receiving a tip-off, the police flung into action and caught the travel agent identified as Kiran Ramnaik, while he was waiting to hand over the pangolin scales near PES College. The police said that Ramnaik, a resident of Hasiguli village in Siddapura of Uttara Kannada district, was only acting as a courier while the poaching had been done by others at Siddapura. While the arrested confessed to the police that a kilo of pangolin scale would fetch Rs 1 lakh in the market, the police are yet to ascertain as to where the scales were meant to be transported from Bengaluru. It is suspected that the scales, which are used in making medicines and cosmetics, are smuggled to China or an African country. The police have booked him under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Congress leader Uttam Kumar Reddy. (DC) Hyderabad: Against the backdrop of the Chief Minister planning to address a public gathering in Khammam on January 18, Congress leader Uttam Kumar Reddy looked to score political points by demanding the BRS chief to tender an unconditional apology to chilli farmers of Khammam. Reddy said that the farmers were implicated in false cases by the BRS government in April 2017 for seeking remunerative prices. In a media statement, Reddy said: When some poor ST farmers held a protest in the Khammam Mirchi Yard over not getting remunerative prices, the TRS government got them arrested and implicated them in false cases. Serious charges, including Section 307 (murder attempt), were pressed against 10 farmers. This was done to send a message to all farmers across Telangana that they would be treated in the same way if they oppose KCR govt. He took aim at the Aam Aadmi Party with Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann set to attend the BRS meet in Khammam calling the AAP and the BRS B Teams of the BJP, who are working to strengthen Prime Minister Narendra Modi by weakening the Congress. Uttam Kumar Reddy also accused the BRS of misusing public funds and official machinery for a party meeting. Expenditure on the construction of helipads, hiring of additional vehicles, movement and food of security personnel and other officials and other related costs should be borne by the BRS, he said. Reddy said that the Congress would monitor all expenses and submit a detailed report to the Governor, seeking the recovery of the amount from the BRS. If required, the Congress will also approach the court for recovery of public money, he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi with BJP National President JP Nadda arrives for the second day of BJP's National Executive Meet, at NDMC Convention Centre in New Delhi, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. (PTI) New Delhi: Reminding the BJP leaders that only 400 days were left for the 2024 electoral battle, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked the party leaders and the cadre to set a target of reaching out to everyone in every section of society, including the marginalised and minorities, without thinking about electoral gain. He said: "India's best era is coming and we must work very hard to contribute to the country's development." The PM, sources said, asked the BJP leaders that their efforts to reach out to Muslims, including various sects and churches, should not be guided by the precondition that the party will get votes from them. The PM, sources disclosed, also asked the party leaders of some of the election-bound states that they "should not totally depend on him" for elections but should work in a manner that people approve of the party. In his valedictory speech at the BJP national executive meeting, which unanimously endorsed the proposal moved by defence minister and former party president Rajnath Singh to extend national president J.P. Nadda's tenure till June 2024, Modi cautioned the party against any sense of "overconfidence". Union home minister Amit Shah, who officially announced the national executive's endorsement of Nadda's tenure, said the party is confident that under Modi's leadership and Nadda's organisational leadership, the BJP will get a bigger mandate in 2024 than in 2019. Nadda, during his inaugural address at the meeting on Monday, had set the task for the organisation to win all nine Assembly elections scheduled this year. A socio-economic resolution passed at the meeting asserted that in the last eight-and-a-half years, the government has made the Indian economy and society more inclusive and self-reliant. It also thanked the PM for the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Suggesting that the Modi government is fulfilling people's needs, the resolution underlined that now the country is moving towards politics and governance saturation. Asserting that the BJP is not a political organisation but a social movement, Modi asked the party workers to dedicate themselves to reaching out to all communities. The PM also asked them that a special effort should be made to reach out to the youths in the 18- to 25-year-old age category, who should also be told about the difference in the style of governance before 2014. The BJP leadership will chart out the "BJP Jodo Abhiyan" as suggested by the PM. "India's best era is coming and we must work very hard to contribute to the country's development. Amrit Kaal should be transformed into Kartavya Kaal, then only the country can rapidly move towards progress...with dedication reach out to every section of the society...it doesnt matter whether or not they vote(for the BJP)," said senior BJP leader and Maharashtra deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis quoting the PM. While talking about the youth, the PM, as told by Fadnavis, said the youth has not witnessed the political history of India and is not aware of the corruption and wrongdoings that took place in the previous governments. "So, the youth need to be made aware. They must be told about the good governance of the BJP. The party will do it in the coming days," said Fadnavis. When asked about the PM's message for the coming elections, Mr Fadnavis said, "It was a speech made by a statesman rather than a politician." Fadnavis said the PM's address was inspirational as well as a guide to a new path, where he said that "every moment in office your life should be spent in the development story of India. The country can be taken forward only by converting this Amrit Kaal into Kartavya Kaal. Earlier, education minister Dharmendra Pradhan briefed about the socio-economic resolution, which praised the PM for transforming India from a "Fragile Five" economy into the fifth largest economy in the world. "The resolution underlined that now the country is moving towards politics and governance of saturation, suggesting that the government's programmes are fulfilling the requirements of the people... In the last eight-and-a-half years, the government has made the Indian economy and society more inclusive and self dependent," the BJP leader said, underscoring that "Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas" is not merely a slogan but the philosophy of his party," Mr Pradhan said. External affairs minister S. Jaishankar also briefed the gathering on India's G-20 presidency. He asserted that India's image has transformed globally in the last nine years of the Modi government. India used to depend on other countries during earlier crises but it not only met the challenges of the pandemic on its own but also helped others, Mr Jaishankar said. Briefing reporters on the statement made by Mr Jaishankar at the meeting, BJP vice president Baijayant Jay Panda, quoting the minister, said the world's view of India has changed in the last nine years. He said when the Covid pandemic broke, there were concerns that India will be one country that may not manage it, but now the G-20 and the world in general are "full of admiration" as India not only dealt with the crisis but also reached out with help to other countries. A statement on "garib kalyan" (ruling party's welfare policies) at the Centre and in states where it is in power was also made, with BJP Parliamentary Board member Sudha Yadav dismissing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's criticism about concentration of wealth. She said Rahul Gandhi kept raising the same issue without looking at figures about crores of people benefitting from the government's welfare policies, accusing him of making false claims. The BJP claimed that the attention given to the SC, ST, poor and backwards in the last nine years is unprecedented. No point is served by denying that todays geopolitical India is an imperial creation. (Representational Image) Recent events confirm that Indians suffer acutely from what Jawaharlal Nehru saw as the majoritys minority complex. As his biographer put it, Like Sartre, to whom the Jewish question was a Gentile one, to Nehru the Muslim question was a Hindu one. In other ways too, decisions at the highest official level intended to project firmness in fact betray weakness and a sense of insecurity about Indias unity and the loyalty of Indians who dont all sing the same tune. The communal angle looms largest because it threatens life and stability. The warning by Mohan Bhagwat, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief, that Hindus are at war in order to protect their religion and culture because Muslims harbour a sense of supremacy is one reminder of the dangers that lie ahead. Another is the Supreme Courts reprimand to the Delhi police for delaying action against the Dharam Sansad on December 19, 2021 when men and women in saffron vowed to transform India into Hindu Rashtra with the pledge: We shall fight; we shall die and, if necessary, we shall kill. The injunction by Pramod Muthalik, national president of Karnatakas Shree Ram Sene, to display and worship swords as a defence against love jihad is a third example. The Sene acquired notoriety some years ago for attacking couples who were celebrating Valentines Day and women who frequented pubs. Is the timeless Sanatan Dharma so feeble then that it needs the protection of these sword-wielding toughs? The sense of inferiority isnt always expressed so violently. The decision by the National Council for Indian Systems of Medicine to include astrology in the bachelor of ayurvedic medicine and surgery course does not indicate much faith in genuine ayurveda. As G.L. Krishna, an ayurveda physician and Homi Bhabha fellow at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, pointed out, it is a regressive move as it pushes ayurveda towards faith-based practices, away from evidence-based reasoning. The refusal of Tamil Nadus governor, R.N. Ravi, to recognise the states official name which, he says, reveals separatist intent, is another sign of weakness. The ancient Tamizhagam his preference may have contributed to the spread of Sanatan Dharma to the whole of "Bharat, as Mr Ravi claims, but has no constitutional sanction today. Its another piece of pleasant fiction like Ram Rajya or Ram Setu. Even a skyscraping Ram temple at Ayodhya cannot turn myth into reality. Tamil Nadu is listed in the First Schedule of the Constitution. It is a hallowed name for many Tamils who associate it with the legendary C.N. Annadurai. Like Poti Sriramulu, the Telugu nationalist who fasted to death in 1952 to demand a separate Andhra Pradesh, a well-known Tamil nationalist, Sankarilinga Nadar, fasted to death in 1956 to change the old Madras to Tamil Nadu. Given the history of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the party to which the chief minister M.K. Stalin, belongs, eyebrows might have been raised at the time at the choice of a name that stressed the states Tamil identity. But that is no reason for the BJP to reduce a serious constitutional issue to the level of party politics and keep riling the DMK about it. No wonder the governor is suspected of being in cahoots with the state BJP chief, K. Annamalai, a former Indian Police Service officer. The touchiness isnt new. Even Nehrus Centre wasnt too pleased when the Naga tribes chose Nagaland as the new name for the old Naga Hills district. Given the many years of Naga guerrilla resistance to absorption in India, New Delhi thought that some apolitical equivalent of the lyrical Arunachal Pradesh or Meghalaya would be preferable to a name which included the word land, with its connotations of independence. There was a flash of hope of a more realistic approach at the third India-Asean business summit in New Delhi in 2004 when Dr Manmohan Singh quoted Sinnappa Arasaratnam, author of Maritime India in the Seventeenth Century, to recall that India profited from the autonomy enjoyed by littoral states with little interference from groups that would not have understood the needs and demands of the predominant activity of commerce. He argued that mutually beneficial business links between Indias coastal states and Southeast Asia would lend meaning to the Look East policy and eventually give shape to the idea of an Asian century. The suggestion of a break with the rigidity that had 11 years earlier killed an initiative by Keralas industries minister, P.K. Kunhalikutty, was however belied. It neednt have been. Kerala is a state with hoary maritime traditions. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan told an American congressional committee that it supplied teak for King Solomons palace. Legend has it that when Thomas the Apostle landed at the Roman staging post of Muziris in Kerala in AD 52, a Jewish girl played the flute to welcome him. Kochis Jews claim descent from refugees who had fled Nebuchadnezzars sacking of Jerusalem and founded the worlds first independent Jewish state centuries before Israel was a gleam in Chaim Weizmanns eye. Chinas 14th century admiral, Zheng He, made several voyages to the Malabar coast, leaving behind the giant cantilevered fishing nets that Malayali fishermen call cheena vale. All that encouraged Mr Kunhalikutty to announce after talks with Singapore officials that Kerala would be the first Indian state to station someone in Singapore to woo investors throughout the Asean region. New Delhi scotched the plan, recalling Sir C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer and feeling that Trivandrum was again getting above itself. Commercial representation abroad could nurture political ambitions! Yet, international interaction is not always a prerogative of sovereignty. Several Australian and Canadian states pursue their individual commercial stars in foreign capitals. Western Australia has an office in Mumbai. Governor Qin Guangrong of Chinas Yunnan province visited Kolkata in 2008 on a trade and tourism mission but expectedly the proposed Kunming-Calcutta link didnt develop. No point is served by denying that todays geopolitical India is an imperial creation. British rule brought together peoples, kingdoms, regions and tribes with very different pasts. They agreed in 1947, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, to commit their future to a common destiny. Its that future that must be strengthened; demonising or deifying selected people and events through tailored accounts and tame teachers doesnt change the past. It only betrays a weak authoritys lack of confidence. That poses the greatest threat to Indias unity and survival. The UN Security Council's Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee added Makki Monday to its list of individuals and entities subject to the assets freeze, travel ban, and arms embargo. Representational Image/ANI United Nations: In a major diplomatic victory for India, Abdul Rehman Makki was designated a global terrorist by the UN after China lifted its hold on a joint India-US proposal to blacklist the deputy chief of Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, paving the way for the Security Council's Al Qaeda sanctions committee to list him through consensus. The UN Security Council's 1267 ISIL (Da'esh) and Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee added 68-year-old Makki to its list of designated terrorists on Monday, subjecting him to an assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo, after years of efforts by India and its allies. Makki's listing comes seven months after China, a close ally of Pakistan, had put a hold on June 16, 2022 on a joint proposal by India and the US to designate the head of the political affairs wing of JuD/LeT and the brother-in-law of LeT chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed. Decisions to list individuals and entities under the 1267 sanctions committee are made through consensus. Of the 15 Security Council members that make up the Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee, veto-wielding permanent member China was the sole hold-out during the process to list Makki. Consensus to blacklist Makki under the 1267 Al Qaeda sanctions committee could not be achieved after China placed a hold on the joint proposal by India and US in June last year. As per the committee's guidelines, a Member may request more time to consider a proposal by placing a hold on the decision. For the duration of the validity of any hold placed on a matter, the decision on that matter will be considered pending. The Committee Member that has placed the hold is required to provide updates after three months on its progress in resolving the pending matter. If the hold placed on a proposal is lifted, the UN Secretariat is bound to immediately update the ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaeda Sanctions List and inform the Member States concerned about the Committee's decision. With China finally lifting its hold, Makki was designated through consensus under the 1267 Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council. China has repeatedly placed holds and blocks on bids by India and its allies to list Pakistan-based terrorists. In May 2019, India had won a huge diplomatic win at the UN when the global body designated Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, a decade after New Delhi had first approached the world body on the issue. China was the sole hold-out in the 15-nation body on the bid to blacklist Azhar, blocking attempts by placing a technical hold. In 2009, India first moved a proposal to designate Azhar. This was followed by similar efforts together with the US, the UK and France in 2016 and 2017 but on all occasions, China's holds blocked India's proposal from being adopted by the sanctions committee. The Sanctions Committee provided a narrative summary of reasons for Makki's listing in which it said Makki and other Lashkar-e-Taiba/Jamaat-Ud-Dawa operatives have been involved in raising funds, recruiting and radicalising youth to violence and planning attacks in India, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir. The UN said in a press release Makki is deputy Amir/Chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) a.k.a Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Head of Political Affairs Wing JuD/LeT. He also served as head of LeT's foreign relations department and a member of Shura (governing body). He is the brother-in-law of JuD/LeT Chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed. Former Indian diplomats hailed Makki's listing as a huge success for the country's diplomacy. Responding to the development, India's former Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti told PTI that Makki's listing is a huge success for Indian diplomacy. First terrorist listing proposal by India in the Security Council to be approved and, further, expressly mentioning terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir emanating from Pakistan. India's presence in the Council and as Chair of the Counter-terrorism Committee has considerably enhanced the focus on terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, Tirumurti said. Notably, the proposal in June 2022 by India to list Makki under the UNSC sanctions committee was made under Tirumurti's tenure as India's Ambassador to the UN. India was a member of the UN Security Council for the 2021-22 term and Tirumurti was Chair of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee last year before retiring from the Indian foreign service. India's former Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said in a tweet, 1 more success for @IndianDiplomacy. Abdul Rahman Makki designated by @UN Sanctions CommitteeThe pursuit of the rest continues. It was under Akbaruddin's leadership at India's Permanent Mission to the UN here that India won a huge diplomatic win in May 2019 when the global body had designated Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. With just a few weeks left before the grand Galaxy Unpacked 2023 event, Samsung Electronics on Tuesday (January 17) unveiled the new camera sensor for premium smartphones. The ISOCELL HP2 packs 200MP 0.6-micrometer (m) pixels in a 1/1.3-inch optical format, a sensor size that is widely used in 108MP main cameras we see in the current crop of smartphones. This means OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) will not have to increase the bump of the camera module on the back of the premium phone and yet be able to deliver high-quality images. With the new Tetra2pixel advanced pixel-binning technology, the HP2 sensor will be able to simulate different pixel sizes to accommodate varying lighting levels. "When in low-lit environments, the sensor transforms either into a 1.2m 50MP or 2.4m 12.5MP image sensor by binding four to 16 neighboring pixels. For fuller 8K video, approximately at 33MP, the HP2 switches to 1.2m 50MP mode to minimize cropping and capture more of the scene. Filming 8K at 30 frames-per-second (fps), a wide field of view along with bigger pixel size can produce sharp cinematic videos," says the company. Samsung's new 200MP camera sensor. Credit: Samsung With Dual Vertical Transfer Gate (D-VTG) technology, the HP2 sensor will ensure the colour of the subject and the surrounding scene are near-accurate, as seen through eyes, and not come off as washed-out pictures, particularly when they are taken in brightly lit environments. With Super QPD (Quad Phase Detection) tech, the autofocus of the camera will be faster in low light settings. Samsung is also introducing the DSG (Digital Still Camera) feature for the first time in 50MP mode which applies two separate conversion values to the analog signal received at the pixel level. It also comes with Smart-ISO Pro, an HDR solution that merges different levels of ISO readouts from a single exposure, allowing the camera to take 12.5MP images and 4K at 60fps video in HDR. Samsung's latest 200MP ISOCELL HP2 sensor is expected to come first in the upcoming Galaxy S23 Ultra, which is expected to debut on February 1. Also, the new camera sensor will be coming in more premium smartphones launching in 2023. Get the latest news on new launches, gadget reviews, apps, cybersecurity, and more on personal technology only on DH Tech. Warning: The story and video might trigger some readers, discretion advised. In a horrible incident in West Bengaluru, a scooter rider dragged an aged SUV vehicle driver for around 800 meters on Tuesday afternoon in a bid to escape after hitting the SUV near Magadi Toll Gate. The scooter rider is identified as Sahil, 25, a medical representative, resident of Nayandahalli while the injured SUV driver is identified as Muthanna, 71. Muthanna is undergoing treatment in a hospital and is out of risk. A horrible incident reported in #Bengaluru, a scooter rider hit a SUV on Tuesday afternoon, when questioned the scooter rider tried to escape & dragged the SUV driver for almost a km from Magadi Road toll gate to Hosahalli metro station. Police have detained him.@DeccanHerald pic.twitter.com/ekyOZT9wEZ Chaithanya (@ChaithanyaSwamy) January 17, 2023 Sahil was severely beaten by the agitated public before they handed him over to the Govindarajanagar police. The police are questioning him. According to preliminary information police said, Sahil was riding on a scooter bearing registration number KA-05-KU-0833 (Suzuki Access). He hit the SUV from behind and tried to escape. The SUV driver cum owner Muthanna caught his scooter's backrest handle to stop the vehicle but Sahil rode the scooter for almost a kilometer. "I was riding my SUV (Mahindra Bolero). He hit my vehicle from behind around 1 pm near the toll gate on Magadi Road. When I questioned him, he tried to escape without stopping. I decided not to let him escape because of his attitude. So I caught the scooter handle," said Muthanna, who is a resident of Hegganahalli. "He was trying to increase his speed and tried to hit on my hand a couple of times so that I leave the handle. A few motorists tried to stop him, but he rode for almost a kilometer to Hosahalli metro station," he said. He also said that the biker stopped after an auto-rickshaw driver intercepted his scooter to stop him. According to Muthappa, the scooter rider was busy with his phone, instead of looking at the road and riding safely. "If he had stopped and apologised to me, I would have let him go, but the scooter rider didn't even bother to stop when I was being dragged," Muthanna said. Muthanna is into printing and publishing books business. He stays along with his son in Hegganahalli. Vietnam's President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has submitted his resignation after the ruling Communist Party found him responsible for violations and wrongdoing of numerous officials under him, the country's official news agency said on Tuesday. Phuc, 68, a former prime minister, has held the largely ceremonial position for less than two years. It was not immediately clear who would replace him. "Fully being aware of his responsibilities before the party and people, he submitted an application to resign from his assigned positions, quit his job and retire," the Vietnam News Agency reported, citing the party's powerful Central Committee. There was widespread speculation about Phuc's resignation following January's dismissals of two deputy prime ministers, who were working under him when he led the government. To become effective, Phuc's resignation requires approval from the National Assembly. Reuters on Monday reported the legislature would hold a rare extraordinary meeting this week. Vietnam has no paramount ruler and is officially led by four "pillars": the powerful party's secretary, the president, the prime minister and the chair of the parliament. In this Nov. 13, 2022 file photo, Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pose for a photo during their summit at a hotel in Phnom Penh. Yonhap Relations between Korea and Japan have shown a clear trend of improvement recently following a period of "deep ordeal" in the past few years, President Yoon Suk Yeol said in a message Tuesday. "Relations between Korea and Japan went through the most difficult and deepest ordeal for the past few years, but they are showing a clear trend of improvement recently," Yoon said in the message, read by First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong, at a joint Seoul conference of the two countries' private panels on helping develop bilateral relations. Yoon stressed Korea and Japan are "the closest and most important neighbors" that need to cooperate in all fields, including security and the economy. The president added the Seoul government will continue to make efforts toward "practical improvements" of the relations. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also pledged to work toward improving bilateral ties in his message delivered by Koichi Aiboshi, Japan's ambassador to Korea. Kishida said he will maintain close communications with Yoon for a prompt resolution for pending issues. Yoon has repeatedly expressed a commitment to improve the bilateral relationship in a departure from his liberal predecessor, Moon Jae-in. The two neighbors have stepped up efforts to improve security cooperation against North Korea's provocations and threats. (Yonhap) Pakistan has "learnt its lessons" after fighting three wars with India and it now wants to "live in peace", the neighbouring countrys Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told a TV channel. However, his office in Islamabad was quick to dismiss speculations about an offer for talks with New Delhi. We had three wars with India and it only brought more misery, poverty and unemployment to the people, Sharif told Al Arabiya news channel based in Dubai on Monday. My message to the leadership of India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is that let us sit down on the table and have serious and sincere talks to resolve our burning issues like Kashmir. Soon after the Al Arabiya aired his interview, Sharifs comment was interpreted by some as a subtle offer by Islamabad for talks with New Delhi. His office, however, clarified on Tuesday that any negotiation between Pakistan and India would not take place untill Modi government in New Delhi reverses its August 5, 2019 move to strip Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and split the state into two Union Territories. The prime minister consistently maintained that Pakistan and India must resolve their bilateral issues, especially the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir, through dialogue and peaceful means. However, according to the statement issued in Islamabad on Tuesday, the prime minister has repeatedly stated on record that talks can only take place after (the Government of) India has reversed its illegal action of August 5, 2019. Without India's revocation of this step, negotiations are not possible. Sharat Sabharwal, New Delhis former envoy to Islamabad, however, said that the excitement over the remarks by the Prime Minister of Pakistan was unwarranted. He (Sharif) made peace conditional upon resolution of the Kashmir issue that has defied a solution. Any glimmer of hope in his remarks was nullified by the subsequent clarification issued by his office, Sabharwal told DH. Also read: UNSC lists Pakistan-based LeT's deputy leader Abdul Rehman Makki as global terrorist Sharif has been leading the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government since April 2022 after the coalition succeeded in ousting Imran Khan from the office of the prime minister. His government has been under attack from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf led by Khan. The country has also been going through a severe economic crisis aggravated by a devastating flood and the PDM government has been in talks with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout package as well as with Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates for financial assistance. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has also been stepping up terror strikes across the country. The spurt in TTPs terror strikes over the past few months worsened Islamabad relations with the Taliban regime in neighbouring Afghanistan, where the Pakistan Army wanted to get a strategic edge with the help of the Sunni Islamist militia that it had nurtured over the decades and helped wrest power in Kabul in August 2021. Sharif was on a tour to the United Arab Emirates last week. He had a meeting with the UAEs President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi. He told Al Arabiya that he had requested the UAE leadership to mediate between Pakistan and India. He said that Pakistan and India were neighbours and they would have to live with each other. The formal dialogue between India and Pakistan remained stalled since January 2013. We have learnt our lesson and we want to live in peace provided we are able to resolve our genuine problems. We want to alleviate poverty, achieve prosperity, and provide education and health facilities and employment to our people and not waste our resources on bombs and ammunition, that is the message I want to give to Prime Minister Modi," Sharif told the channel. An attempt to restart formal bilateral dialogue by Modi and Sharifs brother and then prime minister M Nawaz Sharif failed due to a series of attacks by the terrorists from Pakistan into military facilities in India in 2016, prompting New Delhi to launch a surgical strikes into terror infrastructure in the neighbouring country. China finally allowed the United Nations Security Council to impose international sanctions on a terrorist leader based in Pakistan after shielding him against a joint move by India and the United States for almost six months. The Security Council imposed full spectrum UN sanctions travel ban, asset freeze and arms embargo on the terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taibas deputy chief, Abdul Rehman Makki, who was one of the masterminds of the November 26-28, 2008 carnage in Mumbai. The UNSC could act against the LeT leader after the technical hold China had placed in June 2022 on a proposal put forward by India and the US for placing international sanctions on him lapsed recently. Beijing, which has been drawing flak from New Delhi for shielding terrorists, chose not to renew the technical hold on the proposal to designate Makki, the brother-in-law of the LeT founder Hafiz Saeed, as an individual linked to international terrorist networks and to place him under the UN sanctions. Also Read | Centre bans two offshoots of LeT, JeM amid terror crackdown China also placed similar technical hold on the proposals moved by India, along with other members of the Security Council, for imposing UN sanctions on four other terrorists based in Pakistan Sajid Mir, Shahid Mahmood and Talha Saeed of the LeT and Abdul Rauf Asghar of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). India had put forward proposals for putting curbs on the terrorists based in Pakistan during its tenure as a non-permanent member of the Security Council from January 2021 to December 2022. Hours after Makki was placed under the UN sanctions, India stated that it would remain committed to pursuing a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism and would continue to press the international community to take credible, verifiable and irreversible action against terrorism. Threats from terrorist organisations in the region remain high and listings and sanctions by the UNSC, are an effective tool to curb such threats and dismantle terror infrastructure in the region, Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), stated in New Delhi. Beijing, however, said that Makki had been convicted and sentenced by Pakistan. Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Chinese Government, said that the UN sanctions on Makki was a sign of recognition of Pakistans staunch fight against terrorism. It also needs to be pointed out that the committee has clear guidelines regarding the designation of terrorist organizations and individuals and related procedures. China takes part in the work of the committee in a constructive and responsible manner in strict accordance with these rules and procedures. Makki is the second Pakistani, whom China, one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, allowed to be designated as a terrorist. The communist country had in May 2019 allowed its technical hold on a proposal to impose UN curbs on JeM founder Masood Azhar to lapse and thus let the Security Council place him under sanctions, albeit after blocking New Delhis bid and shielding the terrorist leader for years. Also Read | India completes UNSC term with spotlight on terrorism, reforms Beijing had stopped shielding the JeM leader at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping had been personally leading efforts to mend the bilateral ties, which had hit a new low after the military stand-off in Doklam Plateau in western Bhutan in June-August 2017. The stand-off reached a flashpoint on June 15, 2020, when the soldiers of the two sides had a violent face-off in Galwan Valley. The Indian Army had lost 20 of its soldiers. The Chinese PLA had several months later admitted that four soldiers of the Chinese PLA had also been killed in the clash. Though protracted negotiations over the past three years led to mutual withdrawal of troops by both sides from some of the face-off points, the stand-off could not be resolved completely. Chinas decision to stop shielding Makki and allow the UNSC to impose sanctions on the terrorist leader based in Pakistan has come when the communist country has been trying to claim that the disengagement of troops from Patrol Point 15 in September 2022 restored normalcy along the disputed boundary between the two nations. India, however, has been dismissing Chinas claim, repeatedly underlining that the overall relationship could not be normal as long as peace and tranquillity would not return to the border areas and the Chinese PLA would not stop flouting the bilateral agreements by deploying large numbers of troops along the LAC. China had earlier blocked Indias moves to get the UN sanctions imposed on the LeT commander Zaki Ur Rehman Lakhvi and the Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin both based in Pakistan. The Union government on Tuesday objected to before the Supreme Court "undesirable" "protests and theatrics" in Delhi led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, when the constitution bench was hearing a matter related to control of services in the national capital. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, referred to the protest held by AAP MLAs against alleged interferences by the lieutenant governors (LG) office in its functioning. Mehta raised the issue before a five-judge Constitution bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud hearing vexatious Delhi government and central government row over control of services. Certain things are happening in the capital, he said, adding these are undesirable. Mehta submitted before the bench, also comprising M R Shah, Krishna Murari, Hima Kohli, and P S Narasimha that protests and theatrics can never take place when the Constitution bench is hearing the matter. Mehta said that there is one caveat and he would confine to the legal submissions only. While I say this, certain events are happening in the national capital while this court is in midst of the matter. Some protests are being held, he said. Mehta said that events happening in the capital would be noticed everywhere. I have much more to say than he has," senior advocate AM Singhvi, representing the Delhi government, retorted. The bench, however, told Singhvi, This is a question on constitutional interpretation. We have made it clear. On Monday, Chief Minister Kejriwal and his party MLAs marched to the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) office to protest against its alleged interferences in the functioning of the government. They also alleged the LG V K Saxena did not allow its teachers to visit Finland for training. India Political Highlights: Modi govt not taking decisions so that people like them, but for their benefit, says Shah The richest one per cent in India now own more than 40 per cent of the country's total wealth, while the bottom half of the population together share just 3 per cent of wealth, a new study showed on Monday. Releasing the India supplement of its annual inequality report on the first day of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting here, rights group Oxfam International said that taxing India's ten-richest at 5 per cent can fetch entire money to bring children back to school. "A one-off tax on unrealized gains from 20172021 on just one billionaire, Gautam Adani, could have raised Rs 1.79 lakh crore, enough to employ more than five million Indian primary school teachers for a year," it added. The report titled 'Survival of the Richest' further said that if India's billionaires are taxed once at 2 per cent on their entire wealth, it would support the requirement of Rs 40,423 crore for the nutrition of malnourished in the country for the next three years. "A one-time tax of 5 per cent on the 10 richest billionaires in the country (Rs 1.37 lakh crore) is more than 1.5 times the funds estimated by the Health and Family Welfare Ministry (Rs 86,200 crore) and the Ministry of Ayush (Rs 3,050 crore) for the year 2022-23," it added. On gender inequality, the report said that female workers earned only 63 paise for every 1 rupee a male worker earned. For Scheduled Castes and rural workers, the difference is even starker -- the former earned 55 per cent of what the advantaged social groups earned, and the latter earned only half of the urban earnings between 2018 and 2019. "Taxing the top 100 Indian billionaires at 2.5 per cent, or taxing the top 10 Indian billionaires at 5 per cent would nearly cover the entire amount required to bring the children back into school," it added. Oxfam said the report is a mix of qualitative and quantitative information to explore the impact of inequality in India. Secondary sources like Forbes and Credit Suisse have been used to look at the wealth inequality and billionaire wealth in the country, while government sources like NSS, Union budget documents, parliamentary questions, etc have been used to corroborate arguments made through out the report. Since the pandemic begun to Nov 2022, billionaires in India have seen their wealth surge by 121 per cent or Rs 3,608 crore per day in real terms, Oxfam said. On the other hand, approximately 64 per cent of the total Rs 14.83 lakh crore in Goods and Services Tax (GST) came from bottom 50 per cent of the population in 2021-22, with only 3 per cent of GST coming from the top 10 per cent. Oxfam said the total number of billionaires in India increased from 102 in 2020 to 166 in 2022. The combined wealth of India's 100 richest has touched USD 660 billion (Rs 54.12 lakh crore) - an amount that could fund the entire Union Budget for more than 18 months, it added. Oxfam India CEO Amitabh Behar said, "The country's marginalised Dalits, Adivasis, Muslims, Women and informal sector workers are continuing to suffer in a system which ensures the survival of the richest. "The poor are paying disproportionately higher taxes, spending more on essentials items and services when compared to the rich. The time has come to tax the rich and ensure they pay their fair share." Behar urged the Union finance minister to implement progressive tax measures such as wealth tax and inheritance tax, which he said have been historically proven to be effective in tackling inequality. Citing a nationwide survey by Fight Inequality Alliance India (FIA India) in 2021, Oxfam said it found that more than 80 per cent of people in India support tax on the rich and corporations who earned record profits during the Covid-19 pandemic. "More than 90 per cent participants demanded budget measures to combat inequality such as universal social security, right to health and expansion of budget to prevent gender-based violence," it added. "It's time we demolish the convenient myth that tax cuts for the richest result in their wealth somehow 'trickling down' to everyone else. Taxing the super-rich is the strategic precondition to reducing inequality and resuscitating democracy. "We need to do this for innovation. For stronger public services and for happier and healthier societies," said Gabriela Bucher, Executive Director of Oxfam International. Oxfam India urged the Union finance minister to introduce one-off solidarity wealth taxes and windfall taxes to end crisis profiteering. It also demanded a permanent increase in taxes on the richest 1 per cent and especially raise taxes on capital gains, which are subject to lower tax rates than other forms of income. Oxfam also called for inheritance, property, and land taxes, as well as net wealth taxes, while enhancing the budgetary allocation of the health sector to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2025, as envisaged in the National Health Policy. Oxfam said it also wants public health systems to be strengthened and budgetary allocation for education to be enhanced to the global benchmark of 6 per cent of GDP. "Ensure workers in formal and informal sector are paid basic minimum wages. The minimum wages should be at par with living wages which is essential for living a life with dignity," it added. The Bharat Rashtra Samitis (BRS) national-level debut public meeting will take place on Wednesday in a corner of Telangana bordering Andhra PradeshKhammamconsidered a weak spot for the party since its inception in 2001. Party supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao, who has rechristened his Telangana Rashtra Samiti as BRS recently, will address a massive public gathering just outside Khammam town, where he is expected to unveil his vision for the nation, pushing forward the Telangana development model. The two-time Telangana Chief Minister is also anticipated to launch yet another scathing attack on the Narendra Modi government at the Centre. On Tuesday, the town was decked up in pink, the BRS colour, with huge banners announcing KCR as the role model leader for the country, capable of replicating his welfare-oriented administration including enhanced pensions, free farm power at the national level. KCRs show of strength rally, for which BRS leaders have targeted a two lakh audience, will be attended by AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, SP leader Akhilesh Yadav, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan and CPI leader D Raja and others. The Telangana chief minister, who was earlier touring the country meeting leaders like Trinamool Congress Mamata Banerjee, DMK chief M K Stalin, Shiv Senas Uddhav Thackeray with his non-Congress, non-BJP front idea, hit upon the idea of BRS last year to engage in national politics. Political observers see Khammam as an interesting choice for the launch rally of a party wanting to make a mark on the national political scene. When KCR revealed the new name of his party in October, he reportedly planned to hold the inaugural rally in New Delhi in December. We do not know the exact reason why Khammam was picked, a BRS leader overseeing arrangements at the rally dais on Tuesday told DH. Khammam region, close to the border with many Andhra-origin settlers as voters, was not very enthusiastic about the idea of separate state during the KCR led political movement for Telangana formation. Even after the bifurcation in 2014, the Congress, TDP, YSRCP performed better here but many elected legislators later shifted to the ruling TRS. May be KCR wants to send out a message to the Khammam voters by organising the rally here, the BRS leader says. The Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) has seen a slump in milk procurement by nine to 10 lakh litres a day since July 2022. Highly placed sources informed DH that on an average, the dairy cooperative has now been procuring 75.6 lakh litres of milk a day from over 26 lakh milk producers in the state. In 2021-22, the output of milk was 84.5 lakh litres a day. This is the first time it has declined in at least the last five years. Lumpy skin disease (LSD), foot & mouth disease (FMD), floods and inferior fodder have resulted in the decline in milk production in Karnataka. Production is expected to drop further during summer, as green fodder turns scarce. Milk shortage has slightly pushed up prices of milk by-products, especially ghee, butter, paneer and others. For instance, ghee and butter are costlier by Rs 30 to 40 a kilo. Many of the 16 milk unions under KMF have scaled down production of milk powder supplied to government schools under the Ksheera Bhagya scheme. However, managing directors of at least two unions confirmed to DH that milk powder supply is normal since they have enough stocks till April when schools close. There is a decrease in production while there is an increase in demand. Small retail outlets have exited the market due to the lack of supply. We are tightening sales based on procurement, said Tumakuru Milk Union managing director Suresh B P. He added that the situation is expected to improve by April. Tumkur Co-op Milk Union has witnessed a fall of nearly 70,000 litres of milk a day, the highest in the state. Nyamadeva Prabhugouda, a farmer in the Bagalkot district says the delay in providing vaccines against lumpy skin disease (LSD) and foot & mouth disease has left many cattle head dead. In December 2021, I was supplying approximately 135 litres of milk a day to the union. Now, after the death of four of the seven bovines due to LSD, the yield has reduced to 80 to 100 litres a day, he says. Officials say KMF used to supply nearly 2,000 tonnes of ghee a month to the Karnataka market in 2021-22. However, due to milk shortage, it has reduced to 1,700 tonnes a month. Similarly, butter production has fallen by 150 tonnes a month. Last year, KMF had a market share of 400 tonnes a month. Unions in Tumakuru, Kolar, Shivamogga, Ballari and Chikkabalapur districts have seen a huge drop in milk production. In spite of the slump in milk production, the Hassan Milk Union is all set to export milk and its byproducts to Maldives, West Asia and Singapore. Through KMF, the Hassan union has already dispatched 1.5 lakh litres of tetrapak milk to the Maldives on a trial basis. In another 15-20 days, they are all set to export two lakh litres of milk and 20 tonnes of butter to West Asia. Delegates from Arab countries visited the Hassan unit last week to check on the quality of the milk being packed here. There are minor issues which have to be resolved. If our first consignment clicks, then we will be able to export at least 50,000 litres of milk a day to those countries, said Gopalaiah, MD of the Hassan union. The export will ensure steady income to farmers, said Gopalaiah. Milk exports are expected to fetch an annual revenue of Rs 500 crore to KMF. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Proposed cuts to the Education Authority (EA) budget in Northern Ireland are unrealistic and cannot be delivered, teaching unions have said. The Northern Ireland Teachers Council (NITC), an umbrella body for five unions, met on Monday to discuss a response to the budget set by Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris in November. The unions said the education system was already in a state of crisis and they would resist cuts. Mr Heaton-Harris was forced to set a budget after the collapse of the Stormont institutions when the DUP withdrew support as part of its protest against the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol. After a deadline to restore the executive passed in October, civil servants were left in control of government departments. In his budget Mr Heaton-Harris increased education spending, but delivered a warning that the current spending trajectory would have to be curtailed. He said this will affect the block grant of the EA, which is responsible for the day-to-day funding of schools and school services in Northern Ireland. It has been reported that the EA may need to find about 100 million in savings from its block grant in the current financial year. An NITC statement said: It is the considered view of the NITC that what is being demanded of EA is both unreasonable and impractical, coming as it does on the back of a decade of inadequate funding for the education sector. A further 100 million cut to the education budget in the last financial quarter of this year is simply impossible to deliver and indicates that the Secretary of State has no understanding or appreciation of the already sorry state the Northern Ireland education system is in. Gerry Murphy, NITC chairman, said: The NITC is calling upon the Secretary of State to withdraw this ridiculous budget and come back with a budget that will meet the needs of learners and ensure financial stability going forward. Anything less will simply result in greater long-term damage to our children and young people and society as a whole. Justin McCamphill, secretary of the NITC, added: Education is already in a state of crisis after over a decade of real-terms cuts to budgets. The Education Authority has been placed in an invidious situation in being tasked to make cuts which will harm children and young people. Cuts of the magnitude demanded by the Secretary of State will inevitably lead to the withdrawal of non-statutory provision but will also lead to the withdrawal of statutory services, many of which our most vulnerable children are reliant upon. The five trade unions which make up the NITC are determined to resist these cuts and will work with support staff unions to be a collective voice for the sector. The NITC is an umbrella body comprised of the Irish National Teachers Organisation, NASUWT, Ulster Teachers Union, National Education Union and the National Association of Head Teachers in Northern Ireland. A Northern Ireland Office spokesperson said: The Northern Ireland Budget Bill prioritises spending in health and education, with the overarching objective of protecting the most vulnerable during a time of particular economic hardship. The previous Executive failed to agree a Budget and the Northern Ireland ministers who remained in their posts during the six months from May to October 2022, left Northern Irelands public finances with a black hole of some 660m. With no Executive in place, the Secretary of State has had no choice but to step in to deliver a budget for Northern Ireland. A spokesperson for the Department of Education said: The department acknowledges the scale of pressures facing the entire education sector and recognises that the budget set by the Secretary of State presents significant challenges. The funding gap reported by the Education Authority comprises mainly statutory, contractual and committed budgets and includes support for our most vulnerable children and young people. There are substantial practical difficulties in realising savings in these areas within this financial year and real concerns about the impact they will have on our children and young people. However, the department is very mindful of its responsibility to stay within allocated resources and, prior to the final budget allocation for 2022-23, had already taken some difficult decisions not to fund a number of programme areas. Working with the Education Authority and other relevant bodies, the department will continue to seek further opportunities to reduce spend. President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during his visit to the Akh Unit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday (local time). Yonhap Seoul seeks to defuse controversy By Kang Seung-woo President Yoon Suk Yeol's description of Iran as the "enemy" of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has provoked protest from Tehran as it calls Yoon's remark undiplomatic and asks for Seoul's explanation. The government is stepping up to prevent the issue from creating diplomatic problems with Iran. Yoon made the remarks during his visit to the Akh Unit, which trains the UAE's special operations forces, Sunday (local time), as part of his efforts to encourage its soldiers. "You are here because the UAE is our brother nation," Yoon told the troops. "And (defending) our brother nation's security is as important as that of South Korea's. The UAE's enemy the most threatening nation is Iran and our enemy is North Korea We are in a very similar position to the UAE." He was on a four-day state visit to the Middle Eastern country when he made the comment. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani said the ministry is looking into and following up on the comments of the Korean president on relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the UAE, which are neighboring countries with established diplomatic relations. The spokesman also said Yoon's remarks show he is totally unaware of the historical and friendly relations between Iran and the Persian Gulf littoral states, including the UAE, as well as positive developments quickly taking place in this regard. According to a report published in the Business Standard, the Indian Government is believed to be developing an indigenous operating system for mobiles in order to ensure a more secure experience for users. This has been confirmed by a top government official (unnamed). The OS will offer users more choices and is being seen as an entity that can compete with Apple and Google. India is one of the largest mobile device markets in the globe. Our objective is to create a secure Indian mobile operating system that could also create choices and competition for Androids dominance in the Indian market and a smaller share of iOS, a senior Indian government official said. What is the current market share of Android and iOS in India? At this moment, Android has a 97% market share in India, while iOS has a smaller share. It is believed that the Indian OS may be called IndOS. The idea is that the process of side loading of apps needs to be safer, and this is a responsibility that the government wants to take on since Android has denied shouldering the same, and so has most OEMs. Most OEMs state that they are simply manufacturing smartphones and offer some after-sales services and warranties. However, they believed Google should ensure security as the OS is Android. We offer a phone and after the sale to customers, take care of certain warranties. Google has to figure out with the CCI or the government who will be responsible for the security of the side-loaded apps. Certainly, it is not for us, a device maker said. IndOS to offer more security IndOS is basically being created because both, Google and OEMs have denied responsibility. In light of this, the government itself is planning to safeguard the security of its users. For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page. Lenovo has launched the Yoga 9i 13th Gen, a 2-in-1 laptop in India, adding a new offering to its celebrated Yoga series. This laptop runs on the latest 13th-generation Intel Core processor and is also Intel Evo certified. The brand states that this laptop can be used in 4 ways - as a laptop, stand, tent or tablet. It also comes with the Lenovo Precision Pen 2. Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 specifications The Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 comes with a 13th-generation Intel Core i7-1360P processor. It offers up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 1TB of M.2 SSD and is also equipped with Intel Iris Xe graphics. The laptop has a 2MP infrared/hybrid FHD camera and also has facial recognition technology that lets you unlock the laptop quickly. The laptop has a 14-inch display with 4K resolution and Vesa Certified DisplayHDR and Dolby Vision. It also has a 90Hz refresh rate. The laptop also has 4 Bowers & Wilkins speakers along with Dolby Atmos support. It also has a 75Wh battery with up to 10 hours of battery life. The laptop comes with a glass touchpad. The laptop comes with the Lenovo Precision Pen 2 (its a part of the product packaging) in order to enhance the experience of using the touch screen. Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 price in India The Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 price in India is 1,74,990. It can be purchased via Lenovo exclusive, Croma, Reliance stores, and Amazon from January 29th, 2023. For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page. A report by J.P Morgan indicated that Apple may end up moving up to 25% of iPhone production to India by 2025. An article posted in the South China Morning Post indicates that this number may increase to 50% by 2027. Apple has reduced the volume of iPhone component orders from Chinese suppliers, and this has had a significant impact on their stock prices as well as their earnings estimates. What is Indias manufacturing capacity right now? Currently, India is only responsible for 5% of Apple iPhone production. There has been an increase in the scope of work recently, with Apple stating that it wants India to assemble iPhone 14 models just a short while after China started producing the same. It is believed that Apple may have India and China manufacture the Apple iPhone 15 series at the same time, rather than with a gap. Apple wants to move to manufacture away from China as much as possible. The company has already increased the volume of MacBooks and AirPods produced in Vietnam, taking the share away from China in the process. Why is Apple moving away from China? Chinas recent lockdown concerns have caused significant delays in manufacturing and sales. As a result, weve seen a global shortage of the Apple iPhone 14. Apple probably wants to prevent such issues from cropping up in the future by ensuring it has multiple manufacturing plants across the globe. Additionally, labour in India and Vietnam is believed to be cheaper, thereby increasing the companys profit margins. For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page. Ahead of the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S23, the company has revealed the new ISOCELL HP2, which is the brands newest 200MP image sensor that comes with 0.6-micrometer pixels in a 1/1.3-inch optical format. This is a sensor size that is typically seen in 108MP primary cameras in smartphones. Just for context, the HP1 has a 1/1.22-inch optical format. Samsung launches a 200MP sensor Samsung revealed its new 200MP ISOCELL HP2 sensor. The technology has gone into mass production and we may see it in the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Joon Seo Yim, Executive Vice President of the Sensor Business Team at Samsung Electronics, elaborated on the technology, saying The Samsung ISOCELL HP2 harnesses Samsungs high-resolution image sensor technologies and know-how at the cutting edge for epic details. Our leadership comes from innovative pixel technologies that allow our sensors to go beyond the number and size of pixels. We will continue to open new horizons and solidify our presence in the expanding ultra-high-resolution sensor market. Samsung 200MP ISOCELL HP2 sensor specifications The following are some of the features of the new sensor: The sensor uses the brands advanced pixel-binning technology, which is known as Tetrapixel. When shooting images in low light, this sensor turns into a 1.2m 50MP or 2.4m 12.5MP image sensor. The HP2 sensor uses its 1.2m 50MP mode in order to shoot 8K video at 33MP. It also films 8K videos at 30fps. It is equipped with a new Dual Vertical Transfer Gate (D-VTG) technology that belongs to Samsung and helps prevent washed-out images The sensor is equipped with Super QPD, which lets it use all 200 million pixels focusing properly in low-lit settings. It also has a Smart-ISO Pro HDR solution that helps merge ISO readouts and lets the camera take 4k videos at 60fps and 12.5MP images. For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page. President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks at the Future Vision Forum in Dubai at the city's Museum of the Future, Tuesday. Yonhap President Yoon Suk Yeol called on the international community to pool their strengths in science and technology to tackle global challenges such as climate change, pandemics and aging societies. Yoon issued the call during the Future Vision Forum in Dubai on the last day of his four-day state visit to the United Arab Emirates. "We must now overcome humanity's common crises of climate change, pandemics, aging and low growth through solidarity and cooperation based on science and technology," he said. "We must together design a future where human dignity is respected as the highest value and realize it through global solidarity," he added. Yoon called attention to the importance of choosing and controlling technology, saying the right to do so is as important as the right to live. "In order to correctly use the authority given to us, we must first design the right future that we must head toward, and for that we need design criteria," he said. "The value that we cannot and must not give up under any circumstances is human dignity." Yoon warned against the risk of relying too heavily on artificial intelligence, saying humans could end up transferring all of their decision power to AI. "Science and technology must continually evolve through innovation, but fully contribute to realizing the values we strive for," he said. (Yonhap) Extending free GP care to everyone in Ireland, using a gradual approach based on peoples income, could cost the state between 381 million and 881 million euro by 2026, according to research. The lower amount is based on a low-pressure scenario while the higher figure is in the event of high demand. A take-up rate of 70% rather than 85% would reduce projected cost by approximately 18%, while increasing the take-up rate from 85% to 100% would increase projected cost by almost 18%, the research funded by the Department of Health said. A paper published on Tuesday by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) estimated there would be an extra 2.3 million visits to GPs in 2026 if care was gradually rolled out for free based on age. This represents a 12% increase on if there were no changes to who gets care for free. As it stands, children aged five and younger and people aged 70 and over have access to free GP care, while others can get access for free based on their income. As of 2019, around 56% of the population did not have a medical card or a free GP visit card. As part of the Slaintecare plan, which has received cross-party support, GP care would be free for the whole population, bringing Ireland in line with public healthcare in other European countries. The ESRI research estimated the cost by comparing two different rollouts: one based on age and the other based on income. The analysis also used varying assumptions about population growth and ageing, take-up rates and payments to GPs. The cost to the state of extending free GP care to everyone in 2026 was estimated at 462 million to 881 million using the age-based approach, and 381 million to 881 million using the income-based approach. The lower cost for the income-based approach is due to the assumption of lower take-up. In the age-based approach, it is assumed that free eligibility will be introduced in 2023 for children aged six and seven, in 2024 for people aged 5069, in 2025 for those aged eight to 17, and in 2026 for people aged 1849. Under the income-based approach, researchers assumed that current income thresholds for a GP visit card would be extended in 2024, 2025 and 2026 so a third of people without free GP care would become eligible each year. Higher costs are associated with higher take-up rates and payments rates for GPs. The report concluded that if free GP care was extended to the total population over a relatively short period of time, an age-based approach could be a pragmatic option to ensure high take-up rates. However, if the extension of eligibility occurred over a longer period of time (eg, over a 10-year period rather than the four-year period considered in this analysis), then extending eligibility via the income approach would seem a more equitable option, the report said. Lead author of the report, Dr Sheelah Connolly, said: The Slaintecare Report noted the need to move towards a universal healthcare system for Ireland. Increasing the number of people entitled to free GP care would help achieve this objective. However, there may not be a sufficient number of GPs available to deliver the additional visits associated with the ageing and growing population, as well as an increase in the number of people eligible for free GP care in the coming years. If there are not sufficient GPs to meet the additional demand for their services, then, while financial barriers to access may be removed, other barriers including long waits or no availability could hinder access, thereby undermining the universality of the system. The projected costs include an expectation of projected population growth and ageing, take-up rates, increases in payments to GPs between 2019 and 2022 as detailed in the 2019 agreement between the Department of Health, the HSE and the Irish Medical Organisation and additional cost growth between now and 2026. By Ellie Goodwin The expectations and roles of women have seen a global shift thanks to women's rights, education and birth control. What were once longstanding societal norms are now being challenged and an acceptance for different lifestyles that complement the individual has started to emerge. However, this shift is still in its infancy and not without its judgments, with women who openly reject motherhood inviting the most scrutiny. "The goalpost expectation still exists for some people: a long-term relationship in your 20s, married by 28, with a house and a child by 30," says Amy Wan, a Chinese citizen currently residing in Daegu. These expectations, though not as prevalent, are still apparent and impact both men and women alike. However, language like "bachelor" still evokes a slightly more attractive image than "spinster." "I consciously chose not to be a mother, but people my family in particular have always assumed that I resigned myself to this because I'm 33 and single. The truth is, I've always wanted to travel. I've never wanted to be a mom," Wan says, while also admitting to having felt like she had "disappointed her family" by not subscribing to their expectations. A rejection of motherhood in favor of the hybrid expat-travel lifestyle can lead to unfair judgments about the character of a woman. "I've been told that I'm selfish, that I have a fear of commitment and settling down. I put that down to ignorance and this social default that's been around for so long," says Eleanor Milders, who is currently into her fifth year of traveling and working abroad. Insidious social systems which preach the narrative that having a family is primary by nature sideline other lifestyles and breed judgment against them. An individual's self-awareness in knowing that motherhood is not compatible with their personality is something that should be commended. Having a child out of obligation or external pressures rather than choice does harm to both parent and child. "I'm pleased that I'm in my 20s at a time when women are in a position to decide against being a mom if they want to. I just hope that other women remember that rather than taking to heart the opinions of others," says a 28-year-old Korean citizen named Eilisha, who has been firmly opposed to the idea of having children since her teenage years, acknowledging that she has no maternal instinct. Solo travel may sound lonely, but that is far from the reality. Traveling alone is common and done by many, meaning that the opportunities to meet other travelers are often plentiful. "I have friends and family who have no problems when I say that I don't want to be a mom, but as soon as I mention that I want to travel alone, then the judgments and concerns come flooding," says Alina, a Romanian-born aspiring travel blogger. For years, media representations have negatively impacted the perceptions of women choosing to travel alone. Movie plots show women being kidnapped on their travels while the media document problems of unwanted attention and publish horrifying incidents so frequently that beg for the assumption that these are commonplace occurrences. The reality is that the home country of the individual often poses the same risks. "Sure, I need to be careful when I'm traveling alone. But I remind my nearest that I have to do the same back home too. Harassment and assault aren't exclusive to the countries I visit there are cases of this back home too. People forget that for some reason," says Clare, a U.K. citizen who has lived in four different countries and is presently residing in Hong Kong, with plans to spend the next year traveling around South America. In some cases, South Korea, famed for its low crime rate, is a safer place for female expatriates than their home country. Katerina, who has traveled solo to 22 countries, spoke to The Korea Times about how welcoming strangers have helped create safe spaces for her while traveling. "It's like there's this unspoken code," she says. "When I've gone to hostels by myself, I always get approached by other women, sometimes traveling in groups and sometimes solo, and they always invite me to join their plans." A mutual shared experience of vulnerability has given way to a mindful response and inclusivity amongst travelers, challenging the preconception that traveling alone is a lonely and unsafe experience for women. "I think back and am so happy with the decisions I've made. I feel like I've made homes in so many people scattered all over the world in the beautiful countries I've visited. It's been a decade and I don't plan on stopping any time soon," says Lola, a Peruvian citizen. While a woman traveling alone is sometimes judged scathingly, at the same time, motherhood is, arguably, romanticized. Realities such as loss of personhood and sleep deprivation are sometimes glossed over. Motherhood is selflessness, a forsaking of one's own needs in favor of your child's. "I couldn't have done half of the things I wanted to if children were in the frame," says 43-year-old Tiffany, who, like her partner, has expressed a desire to travel rather than raising children. "Some of my friends are moms and my life is as equally fulfilling as theirs, but just in a different way. When I look at them I've never felt like I'm missing out, just like they've never felt like they're missing out when they look at me." Traveling is a liberating and fulfilling lifestyle, giving way to endless experiences, be it connections with people from different countries, self-discovery or expanding one's outlook. Like any lifestyle, it has its benefits and drawbacks. Its suitability is entirely dependent on the individual and, like a parent- or career-centric life choice, may not be for everyone. Like all lifestyles, it deserves acknowledgement and acceptance, rather than judgment and criticism. "Solo traveling and living abroad have brought out the best version of myself and motherhood has done the same for my friends. They're different but both equally valid," says Hannah, a Gwangju-based expat. Ellie Goodwin is a teacher who has taught in schools across China, and is currently teaching in Gwangju. She also writes for . Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin waits for the arrival of Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada at the Pentagon in Washington, Jan. 12. AP-Yonhap South Korea and the United States are in consultations to arrange a visit to Seoul by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Seoul's defense ministry said Tuesday, as the allies seek to bolster deterrence against growing North Korean military threats. Austin's visit, if realized, is expected to focus on strengthening America's trilateral security cooperation with its Asian allies, the South and Japan, amid questions here over Tokyo's drive for stronger armament backed by Washington, observers said. "The issue of Secretary Austin's visit here is a matter that the two countries' defense authorities have been discussing, and we cannot offer any details at this point," the ministry said in a statement. The exact date of Austin's possible visit to Seoul remains unknown, but speculation has emerged that he could arrive here later this month after the Lunar New Year holiday, which runs from Saturday to next Tuesday. When in Seoul, Austin is likely to pay a courtesy call on President Yoon Suk Yeol and hold talks with his South Korean counterpart, Lee Jong-sup. During the meetings here, Austin could explain the outcome of the White House summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday (Washington time). At the summit, Biden threw his weight behind Japan's push to beef up its military capabilities under its newly revised key security documents. His backing came as many South Koreans have doubts over the security push by Japan, which they believe has yet to fully atone for its colonial-era wrongdoings. His agenda could also include the reaffirmation of Washington's security commitment to South Korea as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has hardened his rhetoric against the allies. During last month's key ruling party gathering, Kim raised the need for an "exponential" increase in his country's nuclear arsenal and named the South an "undoubted" enemy, while unveiling a plan to develop a new intercontinental ballistic missile and launch a military surveillance satellite at the "earliest possible date." Earlier this month, Seoul's defense ministry briefed Yoon on a plan to hold defense ministerial talks between the allies three times or more this year. The allies' defense chiefs usually meet at the regional security gathering, called the Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore in June, and at their annual Security Consultative Meeting in November. (Yonhap) A GREEN Party councillor has criticised the Department of Social Protection for failing to recognise Covid-19 as an occupational disease and providing financial security for healthcare workers with long Covid. Councillor Liam Quaide raised the issue at a full council meeting in the latter months of 2022 and he received a reply at the first full council meeting of the year from the Department of Social Protection. Covid-19 and long Covid are not considered an occupational disease as they do not satisfy the requirement outlined in the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 Section 87 (2), the department letter said. The department is aware of the work of the EU Advisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work (ACSH) regarding the recognition of Covid-19 as an occupational disease as part of the European Unions Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2021-2027. The Department is monitoring the European Commissions work on this issue, the letter stated. Mr Quaide said the response from the department is an absurd suggestion. It appears that the Department of Social Protection does not believe that healthcare workers were more at risk of Covid infection than the average person in their workplace. This is an absurd suggestion. "We remember the extended applause for our so-called frontline heroes in Dail Eireann. This gesture rings hollow for many healthcare workers now as they face ongoing physical distress, disability, and financial insecurity, he said. Mr Quaide, who works as a clinical psychologist in CUH with long Covid patients, said there is a disproportionate number of healthcare workers among people with severe long Covid. They are struggling with a range of symptoms, which include debilitating fatigue, physical pains, respiratory and cognitive issues. While much of the countrys workforce stayed at home during the critical stages of the pandemic, healthcare staff risked everything, and some have paid an enormous price. An occupational injury scheme for healthcare workers afflicted with long Covid is a need that has been repeatedly identified by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation. Such a scheme has been recommended by the EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2021-2027, Mr Quaide said. They should be compensated for the pervasive impact of these symptoms on their health, quality-of-life and capacity to work. "They also should be provided with pay security by the state into the future, he added. It was agreed that Cork County Council would write back to the Minister for Social Protection Ms Heather Humphreys and ask the Department to revise their position. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during a news conference at the State Department in Washington, Jan. 11. South Korea and the United States are discussing a possible visit to Seoul by Austin this month. AP-Yonhap Trilateral security cooperation gains traction with signs of Seoul-Tokyo rapprochement By Jung Min-ho U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected to visit South Korea later this month as the allies seek to bolster deterrence against evolving nuclear and missile threats from North Korea. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, an official at the Ministry of National Defense said the two countries are in talks to arrange his possible visit to Seoul, but declined to reveal details. The comment comes after the Hankook Ilbo, the sister paper of The Korea Times, reported that the Pentagon chief will hold a meeting with his South Korean counterpart Lee Jong-sup in the capital following the Lunar New Year holiday (Jan. 21-24). His visit, if realized, will likely focus on strengthening U.S.-led security cooperation in the region, along with Japan, in order to counter threats from not just North Korea but also China. At their summit in Washington, Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida reaffirmed their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and to enhancing trilateral cooperation in working toward that shared goal. The day before the summit, the South Korean government announced its solution to resolve the wartime forced labor issue that has long held back South Korea-Japan relations from moving forward. The government said it is seeking a compromise in which South Korean companies will donate funds to victims of Japan's colonial rule. South Korea's Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that Japanese companies must compensate the victims of labor exploitation. Tokyo maintains that all compensation matters were settled under a 1965 treaty that normalized relations between South Korea and Japan. With the major obstacle expected to be cleared, trilateral security cooperation, such as real-time information-sharing about missiles launched from the North, is already gaining traction. South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong speaks during a conference about Seoul-Tokyo relations at a hotel in central Seoul, Tuesday. Newsis A 36-year-old homeless man who is pursuing a career in music said in relation to an allegation he was threatening or abusive in Cork city centre on Sunday: I was singing. Paul Daly, from Wexford, did not want a solicitor to represent him in Cork District Court and was not inclined to accept Judge Olann Kellehers offer to direct him to the Probation Service for help. It emerged during a bail application he does not avail of hostel accommodation and has not applied for social welfare. He faces a charge of engaging in threatening or abusive behaviour at St Patrick Street. Judge Kelleher asked him: Where do you live in doorways? Daly nodded: All over the city I am living on the streets bags and bins, anywhere. Why dont you get social welfare? asked Judge Kelleher Daly replied: Its a choice. Asked if had any health concerns, Daly said he had not but that he was previously an addict. He eventually agreed to have a solicitor represent him at Cork District Court on free legal aid. He told this solicitor, Diarmuid Kelleher, that this addiction had been to everything. He said he was not addicted anymore. Asked if he was getting help from anyone in getting clear of addiction, he said: Meself. Faced with a Garda objection to him being granted bail, Daly said he would turn up in court if granted bail and told Judge Kelleher: It is a career in music I am chasing. Asked what sort of music, Daly replied: From my heart. Judge Kelleher said: I am going to grant him bail. Turning to the accused, the judge said, You might not be coping well. Could you be coping better? I am not being smart. I have great sympathy for you. The 36-year-old said: I appreciate that. Judge Kelleher released Daly on bail to appear on the threatening charge on January 19. Where do you play, the judge asked the defendant in relation to his busking. Daly replied: All around the city. I have a guitar. But for the last four months I am just dancing and singing. Judge Kelleher asked: Irish dancing? Daly laughed and replied: No. Hip-hop. Judge Kelleher said: I hope you turn up on Thursday. I dont want you in jail. The HSEs head of digital transformation has resigned, comparing the job to scaling Mount Everest. Prof Martin Curley, who has worked for the HSE since 2018, publicly announced his resignation on LinkedIn on Sunday. The HSE told The Irish Times it had received a resignation letter from Prof Curley and that as it does not discuss employee matters it had nothing further to add. In his social media post, Prof Curley said he has called off this particular ascent on Everest. Speaking following his resignation, Prof Curley said the HSE was not fit for purpose, and that there was significant resistance to change. The level of resistance that I ... have seen is quite extreme. Over the years, many clinical innovators have had a lot of resistance to change, he told RTE Radio 1s Drivetime on Monday. Asked if the HSE was fit for purpose, he said: To be very honest, no its not. But the problem is bigger than the HSE. There are many amazing people in the HSE, but there are many people, like me, who are deeply frustrated. There have been a number of high-profile resignations in the HSE in recent months. Anne OConnor, who was chief operations officer, left to join VHI healthcare. Former chief executive Paul Reid stepped down from his role last year, citing frustrations with feeling constrained in the HSEs ability to deliver change. Retailers who reassign their software engineers to work on fraud prevention can end up with IT teams that have less time to address other critical security concerns. Retailers who reassign their software engineers to work on fraud prevention can end up with IT teams that have less time to address other critical security concerns. Retailers face a challenging environment in 2023 as global economic growth slows and the U.S. remains at risk of recession. At the same time, fraud against retailers continues to rise. The combination of slow spending growth and increased fraud threats to revenue and customer relationships requires retailers to adjust their fraud prevention strategies. The goal should be to combat fraud especially friendly fraud and policy abuse without eroding revenue by turning off good customers who may be shopping less often and spending less per order. E-commerce retailers, in particular, face a rising trend line of fraud. Juniper Research projects that global e-commerce losses will top $48 billion worldwide by the end of 2023, up from $41 billion in 2022. Juniper also predicts that from 2023 to 2027, global online commerce fraud losses will top $343 billion. Successfully coping with this onslaught of fraud requires understanding how the current fraud landscape differs from the rise in fraud early in the pandemic. It also requires understanding the tactics organized fraudsters are using now and the best ways to counteract them. Rapidly Evolving Fraud Landscape While many types of e-commerce fraud are timeless, like account takeovers and card not present fraud, the way criminals approach these strategies is different now from the start of the pandemic. Then, we saw a wave of consumer account credential phishing driven by Covid-related scams, both email and social media. Now, we see more brand impersonation tactics, including well-designed emails, social media posts, and websites that often look remarkably like legitimate ones. In addition, the ongoing tide of breached personal information keeps flowing to criminals, making it easy for fraudsters armed with botnets to efficiently test and crack passwords to exploit consumer accounts at scale. To further complicate matters, businesses are struggling to shoulder the cost and workload of fraud prevention. Some are delaying expansion plans and pulling engineering resources into fraud prevention. The reallocation of retail IT resources for fraud screening is especially concerning because that leaves IT teams less time to address other security concerns, which can increase the risk of a system intrusion or phishing attack that exposes customer data and leads to more fraud. Cost of Keeping Customers At the same time, theres more financial pressure on retailers as consumer spending growth has slowed and consumer expectations for friction-free experiences have increased. In 2020, according to Salesforce, 80% of consumers said the experience a company provides matters as much as what it sells. In 2022, the percentage increased to 88%. During that same period, the rate of customers who expect companies to anticipate their needs jumped from 56% to 62%. Those rising consumer expectations track with the results of a 2021 survey of more than 5,000 online shoppers by ClearSale across the U.S., Mexico, Canada, the U.K., and Australia. Most (84%) of those shoppers said they would never shop again on a website where they had a fraud experience, and 40% said they would never shop again on a website that declined their order by mistake. Retail Fraud Tactics Trending Upward Retailers who want to avoid losing revenue and having customers defrauded need to understand how fraud is happening now. These are the primary trends affecting retail: More Account Takeover Fraud With billions of login credentials available in criminal corners of the internet, and peoples tendency to reuse passwords across websites, a single exposed password can result in multiple account takeover attacks. Massive Increase in New Account Fraud Identity fraudsters combine stolen email addresses and other personal data to open merchant and bank accounts that appear to belong to real people. Too often, its only when bills go unpaid, or victims report card fraud that retailers realize the new customer never existed. Buy Now, Pay Later Fraud BNPL fraudsters often make purchases with stolen credit card numbers. By the time the victim realizes their card is being used and reports it to the retailer or their bank, the criminal and the stolen merchandise are long gone. Promotions Abuse Is a Growing Problem Ordinary customers and criminal gangs alike exploit promotions codes and coupons to get more of an item thats on sale and work around customer limitations. Promotions abuse is also an in-store problem, with customers who bring in expired coupons and pressure harried cashiers to override the expiration and give them the discount. Best Fraud Prevention Strategies for Retailers This list of trending fraud tactics may appear overwhelming, but retailers can improve their fraud prevention with a few best practices. Avoid Burdening Customers First, consider the customer experience implications of every part of your fraud control process. Its critical not to place the burden of fraud control on your customers because you risk losing them. For example, in the five-country online shopper survey, 35% of consumers admitted abandoning an online cart because checkout was too much of a hassle or time-consuming. Financial and Human Resources Its also wise to strengthen your businesss investment in fraud prevention and overall security. At the very least, try to maintain rather than cut back current investments in those areas. If you must require your IT department or e-commerce team to handle fraud screening in-house, consider that a stopgap measure as you vet providers who can help you outsource that responsibility so that your employees can focus on their core roles. If those teams are away from their primary duties for too long, you risk other security issues and customer dissatisfaction. Contextual Review With AI Implement multiple layers of fraud detection and security for orders because most fraudsters know how to get around at least some fraud prevention tactics. Ideally, your fraud solution will combine AI plus contextual review as needed to prevent fraud and avoid declining good customers by mistake. Feeding contextual review results back into the AI system will make it more precise and effective over time. If promotion abuse is a big problem, make IP address evaluation part of your fraud prevention process. This regimen can help identify users who create multiple email addresses to get around promotion code limits. To prevent account takeover fraud, screen all orders, even those from longstanding good customers who are signed into their accounts. AI and contextual review can analyze anomalies, such as new locations, devices, or purchasing patterns that may indicate ATO, without frustrating legitimate customers. Monitor Data Continually Finally, benchmark, track, and analyze your order data regularly to track order approval rates, fraud prevented, chargebacks, and false declines. Break down this data by channel and device to see where you need to improve fraud prevention and your customer experience. This practice will help your business identify new fraud trends as the economy changes, so you can continue to adapt your prevention strategies to thwart fraud and protect your relationships with your good customers. Infrastructure, feeding still biggest hurdles for Gambia's poultry sector A leading Gambian veterinarian and specialist in poultry diseases has disclosed that basic infrastructure and feeding remain the biggest challenges to poultry farming in the Gambia. Dr. Jarra Jagne, who currently works at Cornell University in United States, made this observation at the official opening of a three-day training of 25 poultry farmers held at the Department of Livestock Services (DLS) at Abuko on January 9. According to Dr. Jagne, many Gambians are enthusiastic about starting poultry farming but lack the requisite skills, knowledge and capital to venture into it. She said poultry farmers must possess vast knowledge on nutrition and diseases that affect poultry in order to become successful in poultry farming. "For me, I just feel bad that a lot of people are just losing their monies just because they don't have the necessary knowledge," she said. "These are the kind of knowledge I am going to impart to the farmers during this training." She added: "There are lots of people who are interested in poultry with lots of enthusiasm but we (Gambia) still don't have basic infrastructures for good poultry industry; so, a lot of poultry coming into the country are imported from the US and Brazil. We (poultry farmers) are not yet at the point where they can ask government to stop the importation of poultry because the local people are not producing enough." The veterinarian also observed that quality feed and feed processing plants are also among the challenges poultry farmers go through in the country, stressing that the Gambia needs poultry feed processing plants as a driving force for poultry production in the country. Dr. Jagne further noted that poultry breeds imported into the Gambia from the US and Europe could better be substituted with breeds that are more adaptable to the Gambia's climate, hinting that such breeds can be source out from other countries such as Egypt, Bangladesh and India. She acknowledged the challenges confronting local poultry farmers amid the import of frozen chicken into the country that are cheaper in terms of pricing, saying that poultry farmers can diversify their market through production of guinea fowl that has similar taste with chicken and much easier to raise in sub-Saharan Africa. Remarking on the issue, Dr. Kebba Daffeh, a private consultant partnering with Dr. Jagne, described the three-day capacity building training dubbed "Strengthening the poultry value chain in The Gambia" as very important to the development of the poultry industry in the country. According to him, the training is part of the MSDG programme under the Diaspora Development Grant (DDG) meant to build the capacity of 25 poultry farmers and also another set of 25 students. The training, he said, is being undertaken to build the capacity of poultry farmers, as the sector remains one of the most important sectors in the country and second only to fisheries, with fish being the most important source of protein for many families in the country. Dr. Daffeh also observed that the problem with poultry farming in the country is lack of capacity as many Gambians entering the poultry industry lack technical capacity, adding that their capacity building programme is envisaged to help close the capacity gap in the poultry industry in the national quest to propel the industry to another level. He said the training would accord both students and the poultry farmers a new set of knowledge in many areas such as postmortem and pathology, bio-security (keeping birds safe from diseases), adding that disease prevention is key to poultry farming as proper bio-security measures will ensure birds are free from diseases. The local consultant for the training noted that participants would be trained on business aspect of poultry and how they can manage and make their businesses profitable. "A well managed poultry is one of the most lucrative businesses one may venture into," he said. "I think this is one of the most important training that these farmers will receive anywhere in the country." - The Point USDA official to serve as keynote speaker for Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit at 2023 IPPE The annual Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit will once again be held at the 2023 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) in Atlanta, Georgia, the United States. Sponsored by the US Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY), the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) and the North American Meat Institute (NAMI), the summit will happen on January 24, and is offered free of charge to all registered IPPE attendees. The United States Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Robert Bonnie will be the keynote speaker. He will present on the topic, "Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Grants: Insights into the Benefits the Animal Agriculture Industry Can Realize." Bonnie will also share specific examples of some of the funded programmes, plans or ideas for accounting and monetising emissions reduction technologies linked to poultry and livestock. The summit's organisers commented: "As a valued partner of the animal agriculture industry, we applaud USDA's multi-billion dollar investment to support climate-smart commodities that stand to open new markets and extend our efforts to be more sustainable." Following Bonnie's presentation, representatives of the meat, poultry and egg, and animal feed industries will share updates on industry programmes or tools to advance their aspirations of producing more protein in a sustainable fashion, followed by a Q&A session at the conclusion. The speakers for this portion of the program include those from North American Meat Institute chief strategy officer Eric Mittenthal, Institute for Feed Education & Research executive director Laura Moody and US Roundtable for Sustainable Poultry & Eggs executive director Ryan Bennett. The program will include a ceremony announcing the winners of USPOULTRY's Family Farm Environmental Excellence Awards for 2023. - USPOULTRY Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam to import Indonesian corn Arief Prasetyo Adi, head of Indonesia's National Food Agency (Bapanas), said the country will export corn to Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam this year, The Star reported. Arief said Indonesia will export 200,000 tonnes of corn to South-East Asian markets in the first three months of this year. She said Bapanas met with representatives from the target importers' pertinent agencies to discuss the export scheme, adding that that there are still a number of obstacls such as the technology needed to transfer corn from one ship to another. The government set aside IDR 2 trillion (~US$130 million; IDR 1000 = US$0.066) in investment funds to develop this technology, but it hasn't been completed. Indonesia's President Joko Widodo requested an increase in corn productivity by opening new farms and sowing high-quality seeds, according to Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto. The President's directive, Airlangga said, was based on consideration of the potential of corn plants in the country. Indonesia produced 34.4 million tonnes of corn in 2022. The Indonesian government also intends to improve the efficiency of corn supply chain operations, including harvest, post-harvest processing, storage, transportation, and distribution. - The Star Terengganu, Malaysia, sets apart land for layer poultry production The state government of Terengganu, Malaysia, has identified 120 hectares of land in the Setiu district to be developed as a hub for layer poultry farming to tackle the state's egg supply shortage and avoid dependence on imported food sources. State Agriculture, Food Industry, Plantation, Commodity and Rural Development Committee chairman Dr. Azman Ibrahim said discussions had been held with several local investors, adding that each of them had shown interest in the initiative. "The state government welcomes investors to open layer farms in Setiu to meet the state's ever-increasing needs every year," Dr. Ibrahim said. "So far, we have held discussions with two or three companies, including from Melaka that own broiler farms in Terengganu." He said the project will start middle of this year based on the same model or mechanism used in other agricultural projects in the state. He commented that the state government would provide the location and basic amenities as well as other assistance to attract investors, adding that the project would create job opportunities and generate the local community's economy. "We set a target to have our own source of eggs within one or two years from now," Dr. Ibrahim said. "We have done the same for broiler farms and so far, Terengganu has 138 broiler farms and can meet 65% of the state's needs." Meanwhile, he noted the state government did not intend to import eggs from other countries, including Thailand, to meet market demand as they are more expensive and are of poor quality. According to Dr. Ibrahim, starting in the middle of last month, the state Fama managed to bring in more than 340,000 eggs from other states to meet the needs of about three million people. - Bernama Australian university research team creates tool to aid beef industry in reducing emissions A research team led by the University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia has developed a tool to help the global beef industry simultaneously reduce costs and greenhouse gas emissions while meeting demand for meat. The team assessed the economic and emissions impacts of different cattle feeds at different locations around the globe to formulate a framework to guide and inform industry sustainability efforts. Postdoctoral research fellow Adam C. Castonguay from UQ's School of Veterinary Science said the study showed that as much as 85% of emissions could be cut without an overall economic hit to the beef sector. "This can be achieved by opting for more efficient feeds and locations, and restoring forests in inefficient areas, without increasing global costs of production or reducing demand for beef," Castonguay said. "We have mapped out the most efficient locations around the world to produce beef and the maps change when factors are altered, such as how much society values reducing emissions over reducing production costs. "This has given us an unprecedented insight into the what, where, and why' of beef production at a global level and decisions about the future of the industry can be informed by inputting trade-offs and opportunities." The research group said the tool could be used by governments and industry to develop policy and strategy. "There will be continued global demand for beef and there are a huge number of livelihoods associated with it, so this research aims to find an appropriate balance to maintain the bottom line of the sector," Castonguay said. "Further economic modelling and fine-tuning the data for specific locations would reveal the implications of any changes, including on beef prices for consumers." Castonguay said the optimisation method developed by the team using mapping technology overcame historic roadblocks to finding an environmental-economic balance. "There are many innovations in cattle feed to increase productivity or reduce emissions which have not been analysed as a trade-off with other values and goals," he said. "Our results highlight the massive potential for improvements in the way we produce beef, to help us to meet global sustainability goals. "The extent to which we reduce emissions and production costs depends on our values or preferences as a society." - The University of Queensland US beef prices may increase this year due to tighter beef supplies US ranchers were told by Don Close, American Ag Credit Chief Research and Analytics Officer, that beef prices in the country may increase in 2023 due to tighter beef supplies, The Record-Courier reported. Close said cattle slaughter in the US is expected to reach 4 million head in 2022, slightly higher than 2011. At the annual Cattlemen's Update hosted by the University of Nevada, Reno, Close said that there had been a lot of speculation during the second quarter that cow slaughter would drop sharply. The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program of the US Department of Agriculture and the Western Center for Risk Management Education are two additional partners in the annual Cattlemen's Update, which is coordinated by the university's College of Agriculture, Biotechnology & Natural Resources and its Extension and Experiment Station units. Due to rising hay prices, he said, drought had a significant impact on ranchers' decisions to cull their herds throughout the year. He said that as a result, cattle became lighter and lighter, having nowhere else to go but into feed yards. Although most ranchers in the Nevada market sell calves, he said that now might be a good time to hold onto those, adding that the market has enough room to keep calves through to 2024, He said that although spring grazing might be improved as a result of the rainy weather, winter grazing numbers are extremely low. Close said they don't see the number of winter grazing cattle that usually come in the window of March-May, adding that there has been enough precipitation that spring grazing opportunities may present themselves. The fed cattle supply is typically at its lowest point in the spring, but prices will be at their highest then. Close said there was some softening in 2022 after a strong demand for beef in 2021. Foreign markets, which consume between 12% to 15% of American production, may increase demand. He said that 7075% of exports go to Asia. He said China is the third biggest importer of beef behind Japan and South Korea, with Mexico tied for second. Close also said they expect incredibly good beef prices in 2023, as well as better average prices over the next three to maybe four years. - The Record-Courier Kenya's financial aid helps push up poultry farming earnings significantly in Bungoma County A cash injection of Ksh81.9 million (US$660,523) by the Kenyan government through the National Agricultural and Rural Inclusive Growth Project (NARIGP) to boost poultry farming in Bungoma County has seen farmers' earnings leap from KSH33 million in 2018 to KSH300 million (US$2.4 million) currently. The National Agricultural and Rural Inclusive Project (NARIGP) is a Kenyan government and World Bank/ International Development Association (IDA) funded project. The project covers Bungoma, Embu, Kisii, Homa Bay, Samburu, Kirinyaga, Nyamira, Turkana, Nandi, Makueni, Kwale, Meru, Vihiga, Kitui, Narok, Kiambu, Muranga, Kilifi, Nakuru, Migori and Trans Nzoia counties. Before the intervention, poultry farmers in Bungoma had little knowledge on proper chicken rearing as a commercial enterprise. Farmers lacked the skills, knowledge and consistency to do the right thing. As a result, hatching rates remained low and farmers experienced high chick mortality due to high disease incidences as they had limited knowledge on proper feeds leading to low productivity. NARIGP county coordinator in Bungoma, Rebecca Lusweti, said the entry of the NARIGP project in 2018 changed everything. The project narrowed in on 20 wards in five sub-counties. Lusweti said NARIGP employed a Participatory Integrated Community Development (PICD) approach which enabled the communities in the five sub counties to align themselves to the chicken value chain. Barazas were held at the ward levels that brought together poultry farmers and mobilised them into 264 common interest groups [CIG] of 25 members per group with each group developing a proposal along their respective value chain. Lusweti said farmers were trained on the vaccination cycle, feeding, brooding and improved housing after which the 264 groups submitted their proposals to NARIGP secretariat at the county for funding. Farmers were trained at each value chain stage (input supply, production and marketing). They were also trained on disease and parasite management, proper housing, feeding, hatching, brooding, marketing and organisational management. The farmers were then issued with feed formulation equipment and raw materials and taught how to formulate their own feeds. The input supply value chain stages included chick incubation and feed formulation while production centered on chicken rearing aspects. Chicken farmers received incubator machines, feed formulation machines, mixers and millers and constructed more than 100 chicken houses. Through purchase of incubators, the hatching capacity increased to 10,000 chicks per cycle. Lusweti said that through the project, farmers in the selected wards have increased the average number of live chickens per house hold to an average of 100 birds per farmer from an initial low of 10 birds. She said farmers now enjoy chicken rearing as they have increased knowledge and have access to fertile eggs, chicken feeds, raw materials for feed formulation, vaccines, drugs and chicken marketing. The number of birds has increased from 10 per farmer to 100 birds per farmer translating to 660,000 birds in project areas from an initial of 66,000 birds. Lusweti said farmers are now able to formulate their own feeds reducing cost of production by 30% whereas improved housing and adoption of vaccination has reduced mortality rates by 50%. The use of incubators has increased hatchability rates, hence increasing the number of chicks per hatch. Lusweti revealed that the groups after formation were federated into two producer organisations namely Webuye East Poultry Cooperative and Sirisia Cooperative. The cooperatives signed a contract with SHIFFA Chicks limited who are running Chwele slaughter house in Bungoma County. According to farmers, feed formulation machinery has lowered the cost of production and increased supply of affordable feeds to the farmers. They have also opened seven feed distribution outlets in the five sub-counties. She said that the co-financing model where farmers contributed 10% of the proposal budget, and NARIGP contributed the remaining 90% enhanced participation and ownership of the project by farmers. Farmers' connection with Kenya Agricultural Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), which, through the supply of improved indigenous chicken, has helped increase productivity while market linkages with SHIFFA poultry farm at the Chwele slaughter house has increased sales. According to Lusweti and several Common interest group (CIG) leaders who spoke to KNA, the CIG approach to chicken production is the solution to commercialisation and profitability. But she pointed out that inconsistency in supply of electricity lowers hatchability percentage and proposed the use of solar driven hatcheries. - Kenya News Agency Supreme Court Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su has been acquitted by the prosecution of corruption charges in connection with his son's family once living in his official residence, judicial officials said Tuesday. Kim was under investigation on suspicion of violating an anti-corruption law for public officials by allowing his son's family to stay in the chief justice's official residence in central Seoul for free from January 2018 to April 2019. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office dropped the case against Kim last month, citing the absence of any Supreme Court regulation restricting the use of the chief justice's official residence by his or her family, the officials said. The prosecution has also dismissed a separate corruption charge against Kim in connection with his daughter-in-law, an in-house lawyer of Hanjin Group, dining with her company colleagues at the chief justice's official residence in early 2018, when the top court was deliberating on a case involving a Hanjin Group company. (Yonhap) Papua New Guinea bans chicken imports from Asia and Australia Papua New Guinea's National Agriculture Quarantine Inspection Authority (NAQIA) has announced a directive to ban imports of fresh, frozen and chilled chicken, as well as chicken products, from Asia and Australia due to a biosecurity risk, Loop reported. Joel Alu, managing director for NAQIA, said importers are only permitted to import chicken from New Zealand. Alu said that the Papua New Guinea government has instructed importers and the general public to stop bringing in fresh, frozen, and chilled chicken through Circular Number 01-2023. He said that the country's Poultry Industry Association had expressed concern to the government via the Minister of Agriculture regarding the biosecurity risk associated with the import of fresh, frozen, and chilled chicken as well as chicken products from Australia and Asia. Alu said all import permits from all nations other than New Zealand have been terminated as of January 6, 2023. He said that the ban would be in place indefinitely. - Loop Description Over the last years, the European Investment Bank Group has shown that fighting COVID-19, financing the recovery, and investing in climate action and environmental sustainability are mutually supportive goals. Innovation, development and green finance are the cornerstones of our approach to creating a more sustainable economy. In 2021, the coronavirus pandemic continued to disrupt lives and businesses around the globe. At the same time, it became clear that the climate and environment crises had reached emergency levels. Urgent action is required if we are to meet the Paris Agreements commitments and avoid biodiversity loss. The European investment Bank Group is ready to tackle these challenges, the biggest of our time. This report shows how we delivered a record 94.9 billion in financing in 2021, supporting sustainable and inclusive growth in Europe and beyond. The Sustainability report should be read in conjunction with its two annexes, the GRI and SASB disclosures, as well as with the Groups 2021 TCFD report. A Korean woman has been found dead on Mount Annapurna in Nepal, according to a local South Korean community association Monday. Kim Jae-soon in her 50s was found at 1 p.m. Sunday (local time) by a local guide at a height of 5,200 meters in the Thorong La Pass in the north of the Annapurna Himal in central Nepal, according to Kim Young-in, the Korean chief of Kathmandu for the World Federation of Overseas Korean Traders Association (OKTA). She was trekking alone and may have died of heart attack caused by altitude sickness, he said citing mountaineering guides. According to her airline tickets, she arrived in Nepal on Dec. 1 and was scheduled to return to Korea on Jan. 25. (Yonhap) Apple may unveil new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros tomorrow They could be the first Macs with WiFi 6E. Apple might not wait long to unveil its first products of 2023. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, 9to5Mac, MacRumors and Front Page Tech (aka Jon Prosser) all claim Apple will have a product announcement tomorrow. While most aren't clear on details, Gurman hints these may be the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro M2 models he discussed last fall. At the time, Gurman said these systems would share the same design as the M1 variants released in late 2021. They would center around new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips that would feature up to 12 CPU cores and 38 GPU cores in the Max. There wouldn't be a touchscreen or other major revisions, in other words. You'd mainly buy one to get the best performance possible from a Mac laptop. The new MacBook Pros are imminent (Apple does have an announcement tomorrow - with press briefings later this week and embargoes lifting next Monday). The new Macs arriving early this year first reported here in October https://t.co/P34OdoMRgZ https://t.co/9JlQ0ueBO1 Mark Gurman (@markgurman) January 16, 2023 However, they might be the first Macs to include WiFi 6E. Twitter user Wade Penner spotted an unreleased MacBook Pro in a Canadian wireless database with support for the newer WiFi standard's 6GHz band. So long as you have a supporting router, you should see higher maximum speeds, lower latency and less congestion on a busy local network. Apple's iPad Pro M2 is already compatible with WiFi 6E. There haven't been mentions of other products debuting in the same time frame, so you might not want to count on a Mac mini M2 or other revisions. If the rumors are accurate, though, this could be good news for anyone who's been holding off on a MacBook Pro to ensure they get the absolute latest hardware. Apple will audit its labor practices in the US after union-busting accusations A third-party firm will reportedly carry out the review. Apple has agreed to review its labor practices in the US after regulators and employees accused the company of union busting. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission ahead of its annual shareholders meeting, Apple said it would carry out an assessment of its "efforts to comply with its Human Rights Policy as it relates to workers freedom of association and collective bargaining rights in the United States by the end of calendar year 2023." The company will bring in a third-party firm to conduct the audit, according to The New York Times. A group of investors, including five New York City public worker pension funds, that controls around $7 billion worth of Apple stock called for the assessment in a September shareholder proposal . New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who started talks with Apple on behalf of the city pension funds, told the Times that Apple agreed to the audit if the investors withdrew the proposal. Workers organizing at Apple for a collective voice in their workplace have reported strong pushback from the company that flies in the face of Apples stated human rights commitment to workers freedom of association, Lander said in a statement . Im grateful to Apples board of directors for listening to the concerns of shareholders regarding worker rights and hope the company will heed the findings of the third-party assessment and take concrete steps to adopt a genuine commitment to non-interference that respects the rights of its workers." In a letter to Apple chairman Arthur Levinson, the investor group urged Apple to hire a firm with expertise in labor (and that has not advised clients on how to prevent workforces from unionizing) to carry out the review. The investors also brought Microsoft's neutral stance on labor organizing to Levinson's attention and urged Apple to include its global supply chain and non-US operations as part of the audit. Subscribe to the Engadget Deals Newsletter Great deals on consumer electronics delivered straight to your inbox, curated by Engadgets editorial team. See latest Subscribe Please enter a valid email address Please select a newsletter By subscribing, you are agreeing to Engadget's Terms and Privacy Policy. "Apple has made commitments to worker rights globally as well as in its supply chain, and while much of the current organizing activity has occurred in the US, there are Apple worker organizing efforts occurring around the world, including in Australia and the UK ," they wrote. "Addressing these topics at a global level can add credibility to the assessment and address other potential areas of concern proactively and efficiently." News of the assessment comes amid talks between Apple and unionized workers at a store in Towson, Maryland over their first union contract. Workers in at least a half-dozen stores have accused Apple of violating labor laws, claiming that the company has clamped down on attempts to organize. The Communications Workers of America, which represents a collective of Apple Store workers in Oklahoma City, said in a National Labor Relations Board filing that the company set up an illegal union controlled by management at a store in Columbus, Ohio to thwart support for an independent employee union. "While a credible, independent assessment by individuals or organizations with the appropriate expertise on workers' freedom of association could uncover important information about Apple's response to worker organizing, including its use of union busting consultants, workers need concrete solutions now. Apple must commit to a true policy of neutrality toward union organizing efforts," the Communications Workers of America told Engadget in a statement. "Apple's workers deserve respect and a voice on the job, not just another self-congratulatory exercise in corporate image management. We support investor advocates efforts to ensure this is a credible audit." All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices are correct at the time of publishing. Microsoft could announce wide-sweeping layoffs within the next few days. The possibility of the tech giant laying off a significant part of its workforce was first reported by Sky News and later corroborated by Bloomberg. Sky put the number of the cuts at approximately five percent of the companys 220,000-person workforce or about 11,000 employees total. Bloomberg said it couldnt find out the scale of the layoffs but reported they would affect a number of engineering divisions and that theyre set to be significantly larger than other rounds of job cuts undertaken by Microsoft over the last year. A Microsoft spokesperson told Engadget the company does not comment on rumor and speculation. If the 11,000 figure is accurate, it would equal the 11,000 jobs Meta eliminated last year and fall short of the 18,000 positions Amazon expects to cut once the retailer is done with its far-reaching layoffs. In any case, Microsoft seemingly finds itself on a familiar trajectory. The company saw profits soar during the first two years of the pandemic, and it tried to capitalize on the moment by going on a hiring spree, adding 50,000 employees over that same time frame. But as recently as this past October, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella warned of imminent belt-tightening due to worsening macroeconomic conditions. We're focused on helping our customers do more with less, while investing in secular growth areas and managing our cost structure in a disciplined way," he told investors and analysts at the time. Hell likely have more to say about Microsoft's current position when the company announces its second-quarter earnings on January 24th. All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices are correct at the time of publishing. DoorDash and Starbucks plan to expand their delivery partnership to all 50 US states by March this year, the companies announced Tuesday . Following a pilot that began last year in Atlanta, Houston and Sacramento (and later expanded to Seattle, Portland and New York City), people in North California, Texas, Georgia and Florida can now turn to DoorDash when they want a Starbucks coffee delivered to them. According to Starbucks, it will offer 95 percent of the items found on in-store menus through DoorDash. You can also customize your order just like when you order in person. The app allows you to specify whether you want syrup in your drink, your milk preference and your choice of expresso roast. DoorDash also promises prompt delivery of coffee orders but stops short of a specific guarantee. DashPass customers wont need to pay additional delivery fees to get their pumpkin spice latte orders to their door. For everyone else, DoorDashs standard delivery and service fees apply. Family photos record joyous moments in SW Chinas Chongqing People's Daily Online) 09:39, January 17, 2023 Dressers were busy putting makeup on several senior couples at an elderly care service center in Nanan district, southwest Chinas Chongqing Municipality, Jan. 10, 2023. With the Spring Festival approaching, a public welfare organization in Nanan district collaborated with two residential communities to launch an activity in which elderly couples had their wedding anniversary and family photos taken free of charge. The activity aims to use cameras to capture local residents smiling faces, and see in a happy and meaningful New Year. A photographer volunteers to capture precious moments for a family in southwest Chinas Chongqing Municipality. (Peoples Daily Online/Chen Qi) As the older generation lived in a time when photographic equipment was not widely available and smart phones did not exist, many of these couples only had one photo taken for their marriage certificates when they got married. For a long time, they have held the wish of taking beautiful pictures to celebrate their wedding anniversaries. After residents of two communities were informed about the activity a few days ago, many of them actively signed up, including several couples celebrating their golden wedding anniversary. One of them is 92 years old. One couple taking part in the activity were 88-year-old Yan Shunzhen and her husband, 92-year-old Li Zhaorong. This year marks their 67th wedding anniversary. Li Zhaorong takes a photo with his family members in southwest Chinas Chongqing Municipality. (Photo/Li Hui) When we got married, we didnt have any chance to take wedding photos. Today, our dream has finally come true. Putting these clothes on makes me feel younger, said Yan. These wedding photos capture the couples sweet memories, and are of special significance for them. I married my husband 50 years ago, and we celebrate our wedding anniversary this month. Back in the old days, there was only a photo on a piece of paper as the marriage certificate, without fine clothes or red covers. We have been together 50 years now, said a woman surnamed Chen from one of the two residential communities, We want to follow the trend of the times and take our own wedding photos. Im delighted that this new years wish can be fulfilled within the community. After the activity, the organizer plans to present some of the photos as gifts to the residents. Senior citizens who took part in the activity said the photos were a valuable gift for the upcoming new year and would be cherished forever. A family poses for photos in southwest Chinas Chongqing Municipality. (Peoples Daily Online/Chen Qi) (Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun) Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Tuesday the government will step up the pace of deregulation after the Lunar New Year holiday, promising practical changes in removing regulations hindering businesses. "In the new year, the government will focus more on creating practical and specific changes so that the private sector can feel the results of regulatory innovation in earnest," Han told a Cabinet meeting. Han called for relevant ministries to make utmost efforts to come up with measures to "bring dynamism to the private sector." Meanwhile, the Cabinet meeting endorsed the nomination of Cho Hong-sik, a Seoul National University law school professor, as climate ambassador. Cho was nominated last week after President Yoon Suk Yeol sacked Na Kyung-won, former vice chair of the presidential committee on low birthrates and ambassador for climate and environment. Yoon also named Kim Young-mi, a standing member of the committee, to replace Na as vice chair, but Kim's appointment is not subject to the Cabinet's approval. The dismissal of Na, a former four-term lawmaker, came after Yoon's office openly voiced displeasure with Na's policy suggestion to tackle Korea's record low birthrate. (Yonhap) The Morning After: Wyoming wants to phase out new EV sales by 2035 Yes, you read that right. While other US states (and the rest of the world) inch towards goals of banning gasoline-powered cars, Wyoming is going in the opposite direction. The states legislature is considering a resolution that calls for a phase-out of new electric vehicle sales by 2035. Introduced on Friday, Senate Joint Resolution 4 has support from members of the states House of Representatives and Senate. The resolution says the state would need to build massive amounts of new power generation to sustain the misadventure of electric vehicles. Its goal is to phase out the sales of EVs entirely by 2035. Yes, EVs. In the proposal, a group of lawmakers led by Senator Jim Anderson says Wyomings proud and valued oil and gas industry has created countless jobs and contributed revenue to the state. They add that a lack of charging infrastructure in Wyoming would make the widespread use of EVs impracticable. The legislation may partially be a political stunt, but Wyoming produced 85.43 million barrels of oil in 2021 its a crucial part of the states economy. But, Wyomings Carbon County also has one of the largest wind farms in the US. Mat Smith The Morning After isnt just a newsletter its also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here. The biggest stories you might have missed They could be the first Macs with WiFi 6E. Subscribe to the Engadget Deals Newsletter Great deals on consumer electronics delivered straight to your inbox, curated by Engadgets editorial team. See latest Subscribe Please enter a valid email address Please select a newsletter By subscribing, you are agreeing to Engadget's Terms and Privacy Policy. Multiple sources suggest Apple is prepping new MacBook Pro models for launch very soon. Bloombergs Mark Gurman teased last fall that these systems would share the same design as the M1 variants released in late 2021. They would center around new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips that would feature up to 12 CPU cores and 38 GPU cores in the Max. Dont expect a touchscreen or other major revisions. At least, not yet. They might be the first Macs to include WiFi 6E, though. Continue reading. Googles game-streaming service shutters tomorrow. Google has confirmed it will release a tool to enable Bluetooth support on the Stadia controller. You'll have to wait until next week to download it, but this should make the device useful for just about any title with gamepad support. Stadia as we know it is about to end, but Google's Immersive Stream for Games should ensure the cloud functionality lives on for other companies offering game streams. The team behind Stadia has also released a Snake clone, Worm Game, as a final gift to users. Continue reading. The technology could protect rocket launchpads and power plants. University of Geneva Lightning rods, your time is up. European researchers have successfully tested a system that uses terawatt-level laser pulses to steer lightning toward a 26-foot rod. It's not limited by its height and can cover much wider areas in this case, 590 feet while penetrating clouds and fog. The laser ionizes nitrogen and oxygen molecules, releasing electrons and creating a plasma that conducts electricity. As the laser fires at a very quick 1,000 pulses per second, it's more likely to intercept lightning as it forms. Continue reading. Weather Alert ...National Weather Service Cold Water Safety Message... ...Please check with state and local authorities regarding guidelines for allowed activities... * Very warm air temperatures today around 80 are expected today. This may cause people to underestimate the dangers of the cold water temperatures which are currently only in the lower 40s across Lake Champlain, and in the upper 30s to lower 40s in the regions' smaller lakes and rivers. * The cold water temperatures can quickly cause hypothermia to anyone immersed in the water. According to the US Coast Guard, when the water temperatures are below 50 degrees, the chance of immediate incapacitation due to cold shock is extremely high. Anyone on small boats, canoes or kayaks should plan accordingly if recreating this weekend and use extreme caution to avoid this threat. Paddle smart from the start and always wear your life jacket! Italian police arrested Matteo Messina Denaro, the country's most wanted mafia boss who had been on the run for three decades. During a visit to the Texas border city of El Paso, New York Mayor Eric Adams criticized the federal government's response to the influx of immigrants into U.S. cities. He said Sunday, "We need clear coordination." Prior to this, Shah was with Dentsu Creative as President West, leading operations, revenue, people and culture for Dentsu Webchutney, and regional business for rest of Dentsu Creative Harsh Shah has been appointed as Chief Digital Officer at Wunderman Thompson South Asia effective 17th January 2023. In his last stint, Shah was with Dentsu Creative as President West, and led operations, revenue, people and culture for Dentsu Webchutney, and regional business for the rest of Dentsu Creative. In his new role, he will be responsible for accelerating the digital transformation of the Wunderman Thompson Group, and working with all of its agencies across Creative, Communication, Tech, Health and Commerce to deliver an integrated solution to all clients across the Group. Commenting on the appointment, Shams Jasani, Chief Executive Officer, Wunderman Thompson South Asia, said, We are delighted to welcome Harsh to the Wunderman Thompson family. He brings in a wealth of experience across Digital, Technology and Commerce. Our work at Wunderman Thompson harnesses the power of creative, technology, and Commerce to drive unprecedented growth for some of the worlds biggest brands. We are glad to have Harsh onboard at a critical juncture when we are keenly looking at offering end-to-end capabilities to our clients at scale. On his appointment, Shah said, I am deeply excited by the vision drawn up at WT and my specific charter as a key growth partner. I look forward to drive this vision and unlock growth with my highly experienced and talented peers at the agency. In the ever-evolving social and economic fabric of the world, it is essential to look at culture and consumer demand as an important ongoing thread in what we do. Leading Digital at WT makes this journey especially thrilling for me. Based out of Mumbai, Shah will report directly to Shams Jasani, Chief Executive Officer, Wunderman Thompson South Asia. Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India) Tuesday, January 17, 2023 There have been several recent news stories about death doulas and end-of-life issues in the media. Heres a roundup of those stories. NPR: End-of-life doulas are working to make conversations about death easier Talking about dying can be uncomfortable, awkward and heartbreaking. But a growing number of people called end-of-life doulas are working to make conversations about the inevitability of death easier for patients and their families. Anyone can call themselves a death doula. No license is required and no accreditation agency oversees them. However, Alvin Harmon, the head of the National End-of-Life Doula Alliance, says the practice has been steadily growing since the pandemic. Read or listen to the story here. Albuquerque Journal : One sister died in pain. The other passed away peacefully. A look at the rising use of New Mexicos medical aid-in-dying law. The states End-of-Life Options Act allows terminally ill adults to seek a doctors help to end their life. More than 130 people took the life-ending medication in 2022, and the pace is picking up as the law becomes more well known. Since it went into effect in June 2021, 170 people altogether have used the law, according to state records. Its also triggered a court challenge. A local physician and a Christian doctors association filed a federal lawsuit seeking to declare parts of the law unconstitutional. The University of New Mexico Hospital, meanwhile, is establishing a medical aid-in-dying program to help providers and patients navigate the law. Read the full article. Washington Post: Dying Can Be a Taboo Topic. Enter the Death Doula Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C. is hosting a series of events called Death Doula Days. Unlike labor doulas, who focus on childbirth, death doulas aim to ease the daunting dying process for people in their final days, offering emotional, physical and spiritual support. Death doulas do not address medical concerns, and they differ from hospice chaplains, as they are not religious professionals. Death doulas help people live out their dying days as they choose whether thats reflecting on regrets, calling loved ones to say goodbye or simply sitting still. Read the full article. Kiplinger.com: Funeral Planning Can Prevent Further Grief When a loved one dies, the grief experienced by family members may be overwhelming. Even when the deceased was elderly and the death was expected, it can be challenging to move forward with funeral planning and burial preparations. Imagine how much more difficult it can be for a family who loses a loved one unexpectedly. Despite strong consumer protection laws(opens in new tab) and the licensing of funeral home directors, it is still possible to experience bad service from a funeral home. But with good information and careful planning, family members should have their moment to pay their respects with dignity. Read the full article. Older News Stories TheConversation.com: What is palliative care? How is it different from hospice? Palliative care and hospice care are two very different things. Hospice care is a Medicare-covered benefit for people whose doctors believe they are in the last six months of life, and who want to stop treatments targeting their disease such as chemotherapy for cancer to focus on comfort. In contrast, palliative care is appropriate for people at any stage of serious illness and is provided alongside treatments aimed at curing disease. Palliative care specialists like me are experts in treating physical symptoms like pain and nausea. But just as important, we listen to patients stories and find out what is most important to them. We help make difficult treatment decisions and address the sadness and uncertainty that often accompany serious illness. We walk alongside patients and their families at a time that can be frightening and overwhelming, offering comfort, information, guidance and hope. Read the full article. Psychology Today: Humor, Serious Illness and End of Life Washington Post: The stunning rise of cremation reveals Americas changing idea of death Washington Post: Shes fighting for a right to euthanasia. But she doesnt want to die. Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist and The Doyenne of Death, is a pioneering death educator. Related The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea floor leader Park Hong-geun speaks at a general meeting of the party's lawmakers at the National Assembly in western Seoul, Jan. 17. Yonhap The floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) threatened Tuesday to pursue an independent counsel investigation of first lady Kim Keon Hee, accusing the prosecution of conducting a politically motivated probe against party leader Lee Jae-myung. Rep. Park Hong-geun made the remark a day after Lee was asked to appear for questioning, claiming the prosecution is fabricating charges against Lee while turning a blind eye to allegations of stock price manipulation involving the first lady. On Monday, prosecutors asked Lee to appear for questioning on Jan. 27 as part of an investigation into corruption allegations involving a high-profile property development project. The summons came less than a week after Lee underwent the first round of questioning in a separate bribery case. Lee has flatly denied all allegations against him. Korean first lady Kim Keon-hee signs a guestbook during a visit to the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 16. Yonhap The Montana Supreme Court issued a split decision Tuesday in part of an ongoing case over how transgender people can amend the sex listing on their birth certificates, leaving all parties in another legal standoff over which rules the state health department can apply when evaluating requests. In a unanimous ruling written by Chief Justice Mike McGrath on behalf of a five-justice panel, the court said Billings District Court Judge Michael Moses was correct last September in requiring the health department revert to a more lenient 2017 rule in order to abide his preliminary injunction in the case over Senate Bill 280. That Republican-backed bill from the last legislative session required proof of surgery and a court order before an individual can change their listed sex between female or male. But the court also said that Moses did not have the authority to block a later, more aggressive rule adopted by the health department barring nearly all birth certificate changes to sex. Plaintiff attorneys, which include the ACLU of Montana, had not challenged the departments most recent 2022 rules in court as part of their ongoing lawsuit, the court wrote. The Preliminary Injunction Order requires DPHHS to maintain the status quo, which reinstates the 2017 Rule for as long as the Preliminary Injunction Order which DPHHS did not appeal remains in effect, the Tuesday Supreme Court ruling said. However, DPHHS is entitled to relief insofar as the [September order] purports to enjoin DPHHS from engaging in rulemaking, as Plaintiffs have not properly challenged the 2022 Rule under MAPA and its implementation therefore has not been brought before the District Court. ACLU of Montana and the state health department issued conflicting statements Tuesday night about where the courts ruling leaves the states current policies for handling changes to birth certificates. The Supreme Courts order confirms that the preliminary injunction granted by the Yellowstone County District Court on April 21, 2022, which remains in effect, restored the 2017 Rule that was in place prior to the states passage of SB 280, said the ACLU of Montanas statement. The civil rights group also said that, in accordance with the Supreme Courts interpretation, their attorneys have challenged the departments latest 2022 rule as part of the case pending before Judge Moses. The Billings judge has not yet ruled on that petition, which the state health department argued against. Department of Public Health and Human Services Director Charlie Brereton said Tuesday evening that the state will apply its rule passed in 2022 in light of the courts ruling. The department is pleased the Montana Supreme Court reaffirmed the rule of law, and given the courts decision, the department will follow and implement its 2022 rule, Breretons complete statement said. DPHHS spokesperson Jon Ebelt did not respond to additional calls and requests for comment. Prior to the courts ruling, the department had spent several months adhering to the rule from 2017, which allowed applicants to fill out a short form and attest to a need to update the sex on their birth certificate without proof of surgery or other medical records. The policy was a rule adopted under the administration of former Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock. The Tuesday order, and the likely legal action yet to come in Moses court, is just the latest twist in the back and forth between transgender Montanans and their advocates and the health department that is part of Republican Gov. Greg Gianfortes administration. In the months following Moses April order enjoining SB 280, the health department did not reimplement the 2017 rule that plaintiffs said constitutes the status quo in the case. Instead, the agency said the 2017 rule had been replaced by SB 280 and, therefore, could not be resurrected. Instead, the department adopted a more restrictive emergency rule in May that prohibited nearly all changes to the sex category on birth certificates, saying the emergency policy was necessary because of the ambiguous and uncertain situation created by Moses ruling. Over the objections of public health advocates and transgender Montanans, the department adopted a permanent version of that rule in September. The departments actions were the subject of a heated exchange in Judge Moses courtroom late that month. I said all aspects, Moses said during the September hearing, referring to the injunction of SB 280. And what was undertaken by the department in this particular case, upon whoevers idea it was, simply violates this courts preliminary injunction. In his written order, Moses called the states justification for passing additional rules in 2022 demonstrably ridiculous and said that the state had unlawfully circumvented the entire purpose of a preliminary injunction and disregarded and disrespected the judicial process with these claims. The health department stood by its 2022 rule for four days, until Moses written order was published, before saying the state would revert to the 2017 rule. Later that week, state attorneys appealed to the state Supreme Court to take over the case from Moses, writing in court filings that the case cries out for supervisory control. In the states appeal, attorneys argued the district judge was wrong in ordering the health department to revert to a prior rule after it had adopted a new, contradictory protocol in September. Doing so infringed on the states rulemaking authority, attorneys said. Judge Moses has not indicated when he intends to provide a response to the most recent petitions over whether the 2022 rules should be amended into the ACLU of Montanas ongoing case. A Devon landowner who sought to prevent the public from wild camping on his land has won a legal case against Dartmoor National Park. Alexander Darwall, who owns the 3,500-acre Blanchford estate, brought the case against the Dartmoor, saying that the right to wild camp in the park never existed. Until now, the national park was the only area in England and Wales where under a local law there had been an assumed right to camp without the landowner's permission. Sir Julian Flaux, the Chancellor of the High Court, issued his judgment in the case of Darwall vs Dartmoor National Park Authority. He found that Section 10(1) of the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985 does not confer on the public any right to pitch tents or otherwise make camp overnight on the Dartmoor Commons. Sir Julian confirmed that any camping required the consent of the landowner. Responding, Dr Kevin Bishop, chief executive of Dartmoor National Park, said he was disappointed with the outcome. "We will now consider our position carefully before deciding on whether to appeal, and on what grounds," he said. We maintain that wild camping is an important form of open-air recreation and is a way to enjoy the special qualities of the National Park. Done properly, and with respect, it has little impact on the environment. We are keen to work with landowners and other stakeholders to see how we can sustain opportunities for people to wild camp on Dartmoor. Former Royal Marines and farming charity RSABI are working together to deliver a new mental health initiative for Scottish agriculture. The Mental Health First Aid training is aimed at encouraging the industry to talk more freely about mental health, reducing stigma and improving understanding. The initiative offers the opportunity for participants to gain certification in the SCQF Level 4 Award for First Aid for Mental Health Awareness and/or SCQF Level 5 Award in First Aid for Mental Health. The training will be aimed at organisations and individuals who work regularly in the front line with farmers or crofters, including those involved in assessments or inspections, consultants and advisers. The training is being delivered in a new partnership between RSABI, the charity which supports people in Scottish agriculture, and IED Training Solutions Ltd, an award-winning consultancy founded by former Royal Marines. Both organisations say the aim of it is to provide individuals with the knowledge to recognise a range of mental health conditions and know how to provide support for a person who is suffering. Participants will be trained to develop the skills to start a conversation and to be able to direct people to appropriate professional help. Seven training courses have so far been delivered during a pilot phase, including five with assessors and staff from Food Integrity Assurance, who undertake assessments on behalf of both Quality Meat Scotland and Scottish Quality Crops. Carol McLaren, chief executive of RSABI, said the innovative training could make a significant difference in the Scottish agricultural community. There are many synergies between the Royal Marines and farming from working in all weathers and challenging terrain to antisocial hours, time away from family and public scrutiny. This initiative comes at a time when there are some really encouraging green shoots of change as farmers and others working in agriculture become more open about talking about mental health. IED Training Solutions was set up in 2015 by former Royal Marine Ian Clark. He sad his team were excited to be working in collaboration with RSABI to deliver the initiative. We have a great deal of respect and admiration for the work of the farming community to both provide food and look after the land, said Mr Clark. During recent times some great work has been done in the Royal Marines to encourage a really positive approach to achieving good mental health and we are very much looking forward to sharing that experience with the farming community. "I think this training, and the cascade effect of the benefit, could be a major step forward for the industry. Major Hugh Jones, a former Royal Marine with 35 years service, is leading on the delivery of the courses. He said it important for farmers to recognise mental health conditions. During the training, Major Jones also explains the signs to look out for when visiting farmers or crofters, saying that subtle changes could be an indication something is wrong. Dont hesitate to ask them how they are. Say if they dont seem themselves and you are worried and above all be kind you wouldnt believe how much impact that can have. RSABI provides emotional support, including a free counselling service, as well as practical and financial support. The free, confidential support service is available 24/7 by calling 0808 1234 555 or using the webchat service on the RSABI website. Northern Irish farmers are being reminded of the importance of following slurry spreading rules as the closed season for spreading organic manures soon comes to an end. Farmers in Northern Ireland are being told to act with extra caution as the open slurry period commences on 1 February. The introduction of the new Nutrients Action Programme (NAP) in 2020 brought with it various changes to spreading. For the month of February, buffer zones will increase and the maximum amount of slurry that can be applied at any one time is reduced to lower the risk of contamination to waterways. Buffer zones will increase to 30m from lakes and 15m from any other waterways, but they can be reduced to 5m if low emission slurry spreading equipment (LESSE) is used and certain conditions are met. The maximum slurry rate is reduced to 30m3 per hectare for each application (2750 gallons/acre). Northern Ireland's Department of Agriculture (DAERA) said farmers should remember their responsibilities to protect water quality when spreading slurry. "From 1 February it will be possible to spread slurry and manure on land as long as ground conditions allow," it said. "Avoid spreading slurry if the ground is frozen, water-logged or heavy rain is forecast." DAERA added: "Farmers should also be aware of the rules for spreading slurry during February when there is an increase in the width of buffer zones required along waterways and a reduction in the maximum application rates allowed. "Buffer zone and maximum application rate requirements will revert back to the original distances and volumes from 1 March onwards until 1 October. "The increased buffer zones will then apply again until the 15 October." A prototype of the KF-21 Boramae flies over Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, Tuesday. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said the fighter jet surpassed Mach 1 during the flight. Courtesy of DAPA By Kang Seung-woo The KF-21 Boramae, the nation's first domestically developed fighter jet, successfully flew at supersonic speeds for the first time, Tuesday, the state arms procurement agency said. Securing supersonic capability is a major part of the project as it means key functions work smoothly irrespective of flight speeds. According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the prototype of the 4.5-generation fighter jet surpassed Mach 1 at an altitude of 40,000 feet at 3:15 p.m. after it took off at the third Flying Training Wing of the Republic of Korea Air Force in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province at 2:58 p.m. The warplane landed at 3:54 p.m. after flying over the country's southern waters. Since its first test flight in July 2022, three prototypes of the aircraft, manufactured by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), have flown over 80 times at speeds of less than Mach 1. KAI produced six prototypes and the third successfully conducted its first flight earlier this month. DAPA said the supersonic flight has two important implications in terms of the research and development of the aircraft. "First, the flight confirmed that the KF-21 has structural stability at supersonic speeds," it said. According to DAPA, when an aircraft exceeds Mach 1, shock waves occur in the plane and the unstable surrounding airflow can have a significant impact on the structural integrity of the jet. "The KF-21's normal flight that overcame shock waves shows its structural stability can be maintained at supersonic speeds," it added. The other achievement is that the KF-21 has become the first domestically developed aircraft to reach supersonic speeds. "In the past, the KAI T-50 Golden Eagle exceeded Mach 1 in 2003, but the supersonic trainer was co-developed with U.S. Lockheed Martin using some of the U.S. firm's technologies, which is different from the KF-21's supersonic flight," it said. "Korea now has a supersonic aircraft developed with domestic technologies." This photo shows the prototype of the KF-21 Boramae surpassing Mach 1 during a flight, Tuesday. Courtesy of DAPA Next Story : Solve Scalp Issues With LOreal Professionnel Scalp Advanced Range The famous arms from which the bag has swung have changed, but its appeal has remained practically unalteredIs your Instagram flooded with pictures of Dakota Johnson clad head-to-toe in Gucci out and about on the streets of Los Angeles with the iconic Gucci Jackie 1961 in tow? Those images are from the Italian houses newest campaign for the iconic bag, and the sepia tone of these images is invoking a certain nostalgia. The Jackie 1961 was first introduced sometime between the 50s and 60s. In the years since, although it underwent many makeovers, the bag has managed to stay not only relevant but also coveted. But what makes the Gucci Jackie 1961 so iconic?Image: GucciWhen it launched, 40 years after Guccio Gucci started the house focussed on selling leather goods, it was called Fifties Constance (or G1244 the jury is still out on that). A slouchy leather hobo, the bag featured a trapezoidal base that was rounded at the edges. It had a short buckled strap that could be held in hand or flung over the shoulder. But the most coveted element was the piston-shaped closure. Former Lady Jackie Kennedy nee Onassis, an early adopter of the bag, is said to have used it to shield herself from the paparazzi. She was photographed with her hobo so often that, in the 70s, Gucci christened it the Jackie 1961.Each of the big names who have been the creative directors of Gucci brought the Jackie 1961 to the forefront with an iteration that was emblematic of the fashion of their era. Both Tom Ford and his successor Frida Gianninni reimagined the bag in 1999 and 2009 with a slightly oblong shape. But it was Alessandro Michele, who became the creative director of Gucci in 2015, who reintroduced the Jackie 1961 and made it what it is today.Micheles version made an appearance on the runway with his Mens Fall 2020 collection. He retained the recognisable trapezoidal shape and introduced the piston in golden on bags that were now available in a bevy of colours including pastels. The top handle, which can still be worn over the shoulder, comes with an additional strap to turn the Jackie 1961 into a chic crossbody. The new Jackie 1961 is a timeless design that is still iconic.Also Read: The Return Of The Fendi Baguette Kenya is eager to strengthen its manufacturing capacity and create more jobs, according to state department for industrialisation principal secretary Juma Mukhwana, who recently said plans to revive collapsed companies like Ken Knit Raymond and Farmers Choice are under way. He was on a tour of Rivatex East Africa Limited, a textile company in Eldoret town. Rivatex had previously collapsed and it has undergone a significant makeover. I want to applaud the factorys management for bringing it back to life, it has now created employment to more than 1,000 people. I am confident that the new Rivatex will boost this administrations efforts to create more jobs for the youth in the future, said Mukhwana. The government has invested up to Ksh 7 billion in the factory over the past five years and has unveiled plans to expand the textile manufacturing industry with the goal of increasing revenue ten times than of the previous year which was Ksh 50 billion, while increasing employment from 50,000 to 500,000 over the next five years, he said. Kenya is eager to strengthen its manufacturing capacity and create more jobs, according to state department for industrialisation principal secretary Juma Mukhwana, who recently said plans to revive collapsed companies like Ken Knit Raymond and Farmers Choice are under way. He was on a tour of Rivatex East Africa Limited, a textile company in Eldoret town. Investments in the textile sector are in line with the governments Buy Kenya, Build Kenya agenda, he said. The country is yet to fully exploit the export benefits offered by the US African Growth Opportunity Act, he was quoted as saying by Kenyan media reports. The government is encouraging farmers to grow cotton on a large scale as the market is readily available, noted Mukhwana. When the factories stopped running farmers stop planting, and as a government we have allocated 50 million for cotton purchases, and this year we have set aside 200 million for the same therefore we will have cotton buying centers for farmers to sell because up to 80 per cent of our cotton supply is imported, the official said. Counties that Rivatex has partnered with include Elgeyo Marakwet, West Pokot, Baringo and Kitui. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS) Turkiyes home textiles exports to the US in the year 2022 are unlikely to surpass the shipment of 2021. As the golden period of home textiles that started during the pandemic globally has ended, the shipment from Turkiye to the US slowed down to reach $961.116 million in the first ten months of in 2022, which was far less than the figure of 2021. Turkiyes exports of home textiles to the US had recorded a consistent increase till 2021 when it soared to $1,590.728 million from $1,224.894 million in 2020. Industry experts believe that as most of the worlds population was confined to their homes in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, and were forced to work from home, the consumption and purchase of home textiles increased drastically during that period. Turkiyes exports of home textiles to the US soared to more than double in 2021 compared to the shipment of $725.660 million in 2017. The country had exported home textile products worth $815.040 million in 2018 and $920.750 million in 2019, according to Fibre2Fashions market insight tool TexPro. Turkiye's home textiles exports to the US in the year 2022 are unlikely to surpass the shipment of 2021. As the golden period of home textiles that started during the pandemic globally has ended, the shipment from Turkiye to the US slowed down to reach $961.116 million in the first ten months of in 2022, which was far less than the figure of 2021. The outbound shipment stood at $961.116 million in the first ten months of 2022. On a quarterly basis, the exports amounted to $260.682 million in Q3 2022, $313.563 million in Q2 2022 and $295.701 million in Q1 2022, as per TexPro. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL) The UK and Colombia have announced the renewal of their partnership for sustainable growth in a bid to promote low-carbon and nature-positive development and accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The next phase of the partnership will also expand to include new and vital areas of collaboration, including halting biodiversity loss in land and marine ecosystems. The partnership focuses on halting and reversing deforestation, implementing an ambitious energy transition, and promoting the sustainable use of biodiversity, with a commitment to supporting local communities across Colombia, the UK government said in a press release. The UK also announced two new innovative projects to empower indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) in Colombia. Working with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the UK will accompany IPLCs to enable them to harness the international carbon markets and maximise the opportunities they provide. The UK will also join a project led by GAIA Foundation to support the official recognition of indigenous local governments in the Amazon. The UK and Colombia have renewed their partnership for sustainable growth to promote low-carbon and nature-positive development and accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The next phase of the partnership will also expand to include new and vital areas of collaboration, including halting biodiversity loss in land and marine ecosystems. Recognising the need to jointly address the biodiversity and climate crisis, both countries will deepen their bilateral cooperation on climate change and increase efforts to protect and restore nature and biodiversity in land and marine ecosystems. This will include further work on the illegal wildlife trade, ocean pollution, and forest and marine protection, with gender and social inclusion integrated at all stages, including recognising the central role played by indigenous people and local communities in nature conservation. The UK and Colombia are working closely together to prevent deforestation, promote a just energy transition and protect Colombias incredible biodiversity. Im delighted to renew the UK-Colombia Partnership for Sustainable Growth today to deepen that co-operation even further, on one of the greatest shared challenges we face, said James Cleverly, the UKs foreign secretary. The United Kingdom is a strategic ally to focus on the defence of the Amazon and create a new face for this program that seeks to stop deforestation in our country, said Colombian minister Susana Muhamad. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DP) Vietnam exported goods valued at $38.8 billion during JanuaryOctober, 2022an increase of 21 per cent year-on-year (YoY)to members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The Southeast Asian nation has witnessed a significant rise in exports to CPTPP members ever since the partnership came into effect three years ago. From January to October 2022, Vietnam gained a trade surplus of $4.4 billion. In 2021, the country earned $45.7 billion in revenue from exports to CPTPP members, which is a rise of 18 per cent YoY, according to local media reports. Vietnams garment and textile and leather shoe industries boosted shipments to CPTPP members by 15 per cent when compared to before the agreement. Local firms benefit from the tax preferences put on Vietnamese goods by the CPTPP. Vietnam exported goods valued at $38.8 billion during JanuaryOctober, 2022an increase of 21 per cent YoYto members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The Southeast Asian nation has witnessed a significant rise in exports to CPTPP members ever since the partnership came into effect three years ago. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (NB) Born Primitive is determined to improve the lives of veterans. Virginia Beach, Virginia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 16, 2023) - Fitness apparel brand Born Primitive recently donated over $100,000 to veteran-related causes as part of their annual Veterans Day initiative. With its latest initiative, the brand has now donated over $1.4 million to charitable causes since its founding in 2014. Born Primitive To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9243/150795_b27d602ca4976937_001full.jpg As Bear Handlon, co-founder and CEO of Born Primitive explains, it is important for his company to do more to honor the veterans who have worked to protect our nation's freedoms. "We experience the freedoms we have today because of those who have gone before us." "Many veterans and their families need help and support, both during and after their time in the military. There are so many great organizations out there doing great things for veterans, and we are just happy to play a small part in those efforts," Handlon says. How Born Primitive's Donation Came to Be Born Primitive's donation was the result of a special Veterans Day weekend promotion. The brand donated 100 percent of profits made from online sales over Veterans Day weekend to three veteran-related charitable organizations. This was the second year in a row that the brand conducted this campaign, following a successful initial effort in 2021. To further encourage customers to participate, the brand also gave out gift vouchers and other rewards from some of its vendor partners with every order placed. "We were able to get some other patriotic brands in the mix as a way to further incentivize people to come out and support the cause," Handlon says. "After all, as we're getting closer to the holiday season, a lot of people are going to be doing their Christmas shopping anyway. At the same time, this time of year is also when a lot of us start thinking of ways that we can give back to others. This Veterans Day weekend event was a way to help people do both at the same time, and it was amazing to see such a strong response." Donations from the 2022 campaign were split between three causes: The Navy SEAL Foundation, which offers a broad range of critical support for active Navy SEALs, veterans and their families; the Best Defense Foundation, which helps retired Special Operators return to civilian life and honors WWII veterans by helping them return to their battlefields; and Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which gives away homes to Gold Star families and families of fallen first responders. Donations Driven By A Personal Connection The connection to veteran-related causes is deeply personal to Handlon, who is himself a former Navy lieutenant. "Serving in the military definitely gives you a different perspective," he notes. "You come to see the great sacrifices that so many men and women make to protect our freedoms. You see the struggles they go through, even as they do so much good on behalf of others. That's why we've always known that we needed to be more than just another company that sells apparel. We had to stand for something and give back - and being able to do things like this has been one of the most rewarding parts of starting this brand." Handlon is far from the only person on the Born Primitive team with military connections. Nearly half of the salaried employees of Born Primitive are military veterans, military spouses or former first responders. This played a key role in the company making its focus on veterans and first responders a core part of its identity, from its branding and clothing lines to the charitable donations it makes, such as the recent Veterans Day weekend event. "At the end of the day, all of the credit goes to our customers. They are the ones who are giving us the platform to give back in such a significant way," Handlon says. An Ongoing Effort For Handlon, this year's donation is simply a continuation of his brand's core identity, and will continue to be so going forward. To date, Born Primitive has donated over $1.4 million to a variety of charitable causes since its founding in 2014 - and Handlon is optimistic that they will be able to continue to grow their impact in the years to come. "This is what we knew we were going to be about from the day we started our company back in the garage," he says. "That's not going to change anytime soon. I'm just grateful to our customers who have made it possible for us to have a bit of an impact in supporting these important veterans' causes. When patriots pull together to support our vets, I believe we can become stronger and more united as a nation and have a much bigger impact than we could on our own - so you can be sure we'll keep doing this in the future." Media Contact: Name: Born Primitive LLC Email: contact@bornprimitive.com City: Virginia Beach, Virginia Country: USA Website: www.bornprimitive.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/150795 Proper approaches needed to extract consensus It is much harder to give people something and take it back even in part than not to give it in the first place. That explains why pension reform is so difficult, and all past governments have tried but failed. President Yoon Suk Yeol has also selected the matter as one of his three key reform targets, along with labor and education. In conclusion, however, the outlook does not seem very positive. There is a goal but the reason to pursue it is misguided and how to attain it is nonexistent or uncertain. First, the government's objective is leaning too far to one side replenishing the pension fund to keep it from drying up as long as possible. A report by the Korea Economic Research Institute under the Federation of Korean Industries a year ago fanned concerns about the fund's depletion. "If we maintain the current system, people born in 1990 qualified to receive a pension in 2055 will receive nothing," said the five-page news release issued by the think tank of the chaebol lobby group. According to experts, however, only Korea and four other countries the U.S., Canada, Sweden, and Japan give pensions from accumulated funds. Others, including Germany, operate their pension system on an "imposition basis" without funds. Korea's s pension fund exceeded 900 trillion won ($720 billion) in 2021 and will likely surpass 1,000 trillion won this year, nearly 50 percent of the gross domestic product, the top level worldwide. The reason for the pension system and why it must be reformed should be the guarantee of security in old age. Out of concerns about the fund's depletion, Korea slashed payment in 2007 and reduced it gradually each year. If things continue, the number of pensioners will increase, but the pension money will be negligible. Even now, Korea's elderly poverty rate is highest in the OCED. Nothing shows this better than numerous older adults collecting paper boxes and carrying them by handcart after working throughout their life. Many Korean media outlets cite the example of France, praising President Emmanuel Macron and his bold pension reform efforts. The French leader is trying to increase the retirement age by two years to 64, and letting people work longer (receiving a pension later). However, without proper vocational training and other career-changing education, the reform will end up as just a far longer and deeper "income crevasse," which is why French labor unions scheduled a national protest rally tomorrow. This is happening where the pension's income substitution rate reaches 70 percent compared to Korea's 30 percent. One should learn from advanced countries but make a suitable model first. The problem is how to raise the premium rate. Paying more and receiving more is the best approach, which experts say is possible in Korea, too. Policymakers here could learn from their Japanese counterparts. The neighboring country, which became an aged society far earlier than Korea, reformed its pension system as early as two decades ago. Japanese leaders took three approaches to do so changing perceptions among people through national discussions, making decisions transparently and easing uncertainty gradually. "Pension is not a saving but an insurance," a Japanese expert says. "If your premium rate rises, just think you gave more spending money to your grandchildren or great-grandchildren." Pension reform is a vast and complicated task covering several generations. It's already too late for Korea to delay it any longer. And any reform should begin and end preferably in the early years of the new government. As a candidate, Yoon said he would activate a presidential committee to reform the pension system. After the election, he did not do so but passed the matter to the National Assembly. The president now says Koreans will see the "finished product" by 2027. Many doubt it. Any half-baked plan, including premium rate hikes, will go nowhere if employers and employees oppose it around the parliamentary elections next April. And Korea will be later than Japan by more than two decades in making this vital reform. DALLAS, Jan. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Data Bridge Market Research has recently published a Report, titled, "Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices Market" The report offers an extensive analysis of key growth strategies, drivers, opportunities, key segment, Porter's Five Forces analysis, and competitive landscape. Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices report consists of well-defined and well categorized market research data that brings marketplace clearly into the focus. This report also explains market definitions, classifications, applications, and engagements in the Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices industry. This Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices market report gives out such business purposes and endows with the best market research and analysis carried out with the advanced tools and techniques. Businesses can accomplish key statistics on the market status of regional and global manufacturers along with valuable assistance which drives the business towards the growth. Being a quality market report, it comprises of transparent market research studies and estimations that supports business growth. Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices report helps this market in deciding upon various strategies such as production, marketing, sales or promotion for a particular product in the market or the new product to be launched. The Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices report provides the company profile, product specifications, capacity, production value, and market shares for each company for the forecast period. In addition, the scope of Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices market report can be broadened from market scenarios to comparative pricing between major players, cost and profit of the specified market regions. Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices report is a trustworthy source of market information for the business which assists with the better decision making and outline better business strategies Data Bridge Market Research analyses that the wearable heart monitoring devices market which is USD 1.88 billion in 2022, is expected to reach USD 4.28 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 10.8% during the forecast period 2023 to 2030. In addition to the insights on market scenarios such as market value, growth rate, segmentation, geographical coverage, and major players, the market reports curated by the Data Bridge Market Research also include depth expert analysis, patient epidemiology, pipeline analysis, pricing analysis, and regulatory framework. Download Sample Copy of Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices Market @ https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/request-a-sample/?dbmr=global-wearable-heart-monitoring-devices-market Market Overview: A wearable heart rate monitor is an instance of a personal monitoring device. It allows for real-time heart rate monitoring. Wearable heart rate monitors come in wrist bands and chest straps. These are small and lightweight devices designed to work in harsh environments. Advanced features of heart rate monitors include activity, heart rate variation, breathing rate, and core temperature. The wrist band is a more popular heart rate monitoring device because it is comfortable and simple to use. The market for wearable heart monitoring devices is expected to grow rapidly over the forecast period. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2.7 million to 6.1 million people in the United States had AFib in 2017. It further revealed that approximately 750,000 people in the country require hospitalization annually due to AFib. Hence, an increase in the frequency of atrial fibrillation and rising geriatric population enhance the demand for wearable heart monitoring devices in the market. Opportunities for Players: Growing adoption rate of artificial intelligence and 5G Furthermore, the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence and 5G will provide favourable opportunities for the wearable heart monitoring devices market growth. 5G can use artificial intelligence (AI) to determine a patient's potential diagnosis and treatments. Furthermore, AI can help healthcare systems predict which patients are likely to have postoperative complications, allowing for early intervention. Furthermore, the growing emphasis of manufacturers on the adoption of advanced technologies, as well as the increase in the number of emerging markets, will provide beneficial opportunities for the growth of the wearable heart monitoring devices market during the forecast period. Recent Developments In 2021, RhythMedix announced the launch of RhythmStar, a wearable cardiac monitoring device for arrhythmia detection. The new RhythmStar is a discreetly worn device that enables long-term remote monitoring without using a phone or other communication equipment. The technology enables the company's team of certified technicians in the United States to quickly analyse ECGs and diagnose cardiac irregularities, alerting clinicians when a potentially dangerous arrhythmia is detected. Some of the major players operating in the Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices market are: Medtronic ( Ireland ) ) Johnson & Johnson Private Limited (U.S.) Zimmer Biomet (U.S.) 3M (U.S.) (U.S.) Smith+Nephew (U.K.) Boston Scientific Corporation (U.S.) Integra LifeSciences (U.S.) Abbott (U.S.) (U.S.) Stryker (U.S.) CONMED Corporation (U.S.) Koninklijke Philips N.V. ( Netherlands ) ) Cardinal Health (U.S.) NuVasive, Inc. (U.S.) BIOTRONIK SE & Co KG ( Germany ) ) LivaNova PLC (U.K.) William Demant Holding A/S ( Denmark ) ) Nurotron Biotechnology Co. Ltd. ( China ) ) Sonova Holding AG ( Switzerland ) ) C.R. Bard Inc. (U.S.) Microport Scientific Corporation ( China ) ) Globus Medical, Inc. (U.S.) MED-EL ( Austria ) Get Full PDF Research Report to Understand More @ https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/checkout/buy/enterprise/global-wearable-heart-monitoring-devices-market The report provides insights on the following pointers: Market Penetration: Comprehensive information on the product portfolios of the top players in the Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices market Product Development/Innovation: Detailed insights on upcoming technologies, R&D activities, and product launches in the market Competitive Assessment: In-depth assessment of the market strategies, and geographic and business segments of the leading players in the market Market Development: Comprehensive information about emerging markets. This report analyzes the market for various segments across geographies Market Diversification: Exhaustive information about new products, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments in the Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices Market Market Dynamics: Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices Market Rise in the number of geriatric and obese population Because life expectancy has increased over time, more people are in their 60s and older. According to the United Nations Database on World Population Ageing 2020, there will be 1.5 billion elderly people worldwide by 2050, up from 727 million in 2020. Elderly people are more likely to sustain fall-related injuries, which can lead to a range of functional restrictions and a dependence on mobility aids. As a result, it is anticipated that the global geriatric population would grow dramatically, driving up the demand for patient handling and mobility equipment. The prevalence of obesity in the population is rising quickly. In 2020, 39 million kids under the age of five will be overweight or obese. The Primary Objectives of This Global Market Research Report Are as Follows: To understand this market competition by analysing the top vendors, with their market profile, revenue, profits, import-export details, and market share To analyse the product type, applications and regional presence of this Industry To state the pricing structure, import-export details, supply chain analysis, SWOT analysis to facilitate the key decision-making process To provide the complete structure and fundamental overview of this Industry To offer insights into vital this market aspect like growth trajectory, CAGR value, market share, and revenue analysis To evaluate the Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices growth opportunities , threats, market drivers, and risks involved , threats, market drivers, and risks involved To boost the future growth, investment analysis and upcoming growth opportunities with the analysis of emerging market segments and sub-segments To present the historic, present, and forecast market analysis with product developments, joint ventures, and strategic alliances To study the recent developments, emerging sectors, new product launch events, and mergers & acquisitions in this market To understand the data sources, implied research methodology, and vital conclusions To Gain More Insights about this Research, Visit @ https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-wearable-heart-monitoring-devices-market Key Industry Segmentation: Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices Market By Product Electric Pulse Bases Product Optical Technology Based Product By Device Type Diagnostic and Monitoring Devices Therapeutic Devices By Application Sports and Fitness Remote Patient Monitoring Home Healthcare By Type Activity Monitors Smartwatches Smart Clothing Patches By Distribution Channel Pharmacies Online Channels Hypermarkets By End Use Retail Pharmacies Hospitals Academic Institutes Regional Analysis/Insights: Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices Market The countries covered in the wearable heart monitoring devices market report are U.S., Canada and Mexico in North America, Germany, France, U.K., Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Russia, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Rest of Europe in Europe, China, Japan, India, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Rest of Asia-Pacific (APAC) in the Asia-Pacific (APAC), Saudi Arabia, U.A.E, South Africa, Egypt, Israel, Rest of Middle East and Africa (MEA) as a part of Middle East and Africa (MEA), Brazil, Argentina and Rest of South America as part of South America. North America dominates the wearable heart monitoring devices market because of the region's well-established healthcare sector and highly developed information technology. Furthermore, the increasing prevalence of AFib diseases will boost the market's growth rate in this region. Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the highest growth rate in the forecast period of 2023 to 2030 due to rising incidences of heart diseases and increasing number of population in this region. Table of Contents: Introduction Market Segmentation Executive Summary Premium Insights Global Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices Market: Regulations Market Overview Global Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices Market, By Product Global Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices Market, By Device Type Global Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices Market, By Application Global Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices Market, By Type Global Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices Market, By Distribution Channel Global Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices Market, By End User Global Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices Market, By Region Global Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices Market: Company Landscape SWOT Analyses Company Profile Questionnaires Related Reports To Check the Complete Table of contents, click here @ https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/toc/?dbmr=global-wearable-heart-monitoring-devices-market Explore More Reports North America Digital Health Monitoring Devices Market, By Product (Devices, Software, Services), Type (Wireless Health, mHealth, Telehealth, EHR/EMR, Others), End User (Hospital, Homecare Settings, Clinics, Ambulatory Surgical Centres, Others), Country (U.S., Mexico, Canada) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/north-america-digital-health-monitoring-devices-market Digital Health Monitoring Devices Market, By Product (Devices, Software and Services), Type (Wireless Health, M-health, Tele-health, EHR/EMR and Others), End User (Hospital, Homecare Settings, Clinics, Ambulatory Surgical Centres and Others) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-digital-health-monitoring-devices-market Patient Monitoring Devices Market By Product (Blood Glucose Monitoring Systems, Cardiac Monitoring Devices, Multi-parameter Monitoring Devices, Respiratory Monitoring Devices, Temperature Monitoring Devices, Hemodynamic/Pressure Monitoring Devices, Fetal & Neonatal Monitoring Devices, Neuromonitoring Devices, Weight Monitoring Devices, Other Patient Monitoring Devices), End-User (Hospitals, Ambulatory Surgery Centers, Home Care Settings, Other End Users), Country (U.S., Canada, Mexico, Germany, Italy, U.K., France, Spain, Netherland, Belgium, Switzerland, Turkey, Russia, Rest of Europe, Japan, China, India, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Rest of Asia-Pacific, Brazil, Argentina, Rest of South America, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Israel, Rest of Middle East & Africa) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-patient-monitoring-systems-market Glucose Monitoring Devices Market, By Product Type (Self-Monitoring Blood Glucose Devices, Continuous Glucose Monitoring Devices), Distribution Channel (Retail, Online), End User (Hospital, Clinics, Diagnostic Centers, Home Healthcare, Others), Country (U.S., Canada, Mexico, Germany, Italy, U.K., France, Spain, Netherland, Belgium, Switzerland, Turkey, Russia, Rest of Europe, Japan, China, India, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Rest of Asia- Pacific, Brazil, Argentina, Rest of South America, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Israel, Rest of Middle East & Africa) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-glucose-monitoring-devices-market North America Glucose Monitoring Devices Market, By Product Type (Self-Monitoring Blood Glucose Devices and Continuous Glucose Monitoring Devices), Distribution Channel (Retail and Online), End User (Hospital, Clinics, Diagnostic Centres, Home Healthcare and Others), Country (U.S., Canada and Mexico) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/north-america-glucose-monitoring-devices-market Europe Digital Health Monitoring Devices Market, By Product (Devices, Software, Services), Type (Wireless Health, m-health, Telehealth, EHR/EMR, Others), End User (Hospital, Homecare Settings, Clinics, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, Others), Country (Germany, Italy, U.K., France, Spain, Netherland, Belgium, Switzerland, Turkey, Russia, Rest of Europe) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/europe-digital-health-monitoring-devices-market Fetal Monitoring Market, By Product Type (Instruments and Consumables, Ultrasound, Electronic Maternal/Fetal Monitor, Fetal Electrodes, Fetal Doppler, Telemetry Solutions, Accessories and Consumables, Software), Portability (Portable, Non-portable), Methods (Non-Invasive, Invasive), Application (Intrapartum Fetal Monitoring, Antepartum Fetal Monitoring), End User (Hospitals, Gynaecological/Obstetrics Clinics, Homecare, Others), Distribution Channel (Direct Tender, Retail) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-fetal-monitoring-market Patient Monitoring Device/System/Equipment Market, By Product (Hemodynamic, Neuro monitoring, Cardiac, Fetal and Neonatal, Respiratory, Multi parameter, Remote Patient, Weight, Temperature, and Urine Output Monitoring Devices), Type (Vibration, Thermal, Motor Current, Alarm, GPS), Process (Online, Portable), Deployment Type (On-Premise, Cloud), End Use (Hospitals and Clinics, Home Setting, Ambulatory Surgical Centres) Country (U.S., Canada, Mexico, Germany, Italy, U.K., France, Spain, Netherland, Belgium, Switzerland, Turkey, Russia, Rest of Europe, Japan, China, India, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Rest of Asia- Pacific, Brazil, Argentina, Rest of South America, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Israel, Rest of Middle East and Africa) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-patient-monitoring-device-market Vital Signs Monitoring Market, By Product Type (Temperature Monitoring Devices, Blood Pressure Monitors, Pulse Oximeters), End Use (Hospitals, Physician's Office, Home Healthcare, Ambulatory Centers, Emergency Care Centers, Others) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-vital-signs-monitoring-devices-market Cardiac Monitoring and Cardiac Rhythm Management Devices Market, By Product Type (Cardiac Monitoring, Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM)), End User (Ambulatory Centers, Home Care, Cardiac Centers, Hospitals, Clinics, Others), Country (U.S., Canada, Mexico, Germany, Italy, U.K., France, Spain, Netherland, Belgium, Switzerland, Turkey, Russia, Rest of Europe, Japan, China, India, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Rest of Asia- Pacific, Brazil, Argentina, Rest of South America, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Israel, Rest of Middle East and Africa) https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-cardiac-monitoring-cardiac-rhythm-management-devices-market About Data Bridge Market Research: An absolute way to forecast what future holds is to comprehend the trend today! Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavours to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process. Data Bridge is an aftermath of sheer wisdom and experience which was formulated and framed in the year 2015 in Pune. Data Bridge Market Research has over 500 analysts working in different industries. We have catered more than 40% of the fortune 500 companies globally and have a network of more than 5000+ clientele around the globe. Data Bridge adepts in creating satisfied clients who reckon upon our services and rely on our hard work with certitude. We are content with our glorious 99.9 % client satisfying rate. Contact Us:- Data Bridge Market Research US: +1 888 387 2818 UK: +44 208 089 1725 Hong Kong: +852 8192 7475 Email:- corporatesales@databridgemarketresearch.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1011053/Data_Bridge_Market_Research_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/wearable-heart-monitoring-devices-market-is-likely-to-upsurge-usd-4-28-billion-by-2030--size-share-trends-demand-growth-forecast-and-challenges-301722528.html Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 16, 2023) - American Aires Inc. (CSE: WIFI) (OTC Pink: AAIRF) (the "Company" or "Aires") announces that, further to its previous press releases of May 9, 2022, June 23, 2022, August 2, 2022, August 26, 2022, September 21, 2022, October 21, 2022, November 3, 2022 and December 6, 2022, the Company filed a revocation application on December 14, 2022 to revoke the failure to file cease trade order ("CTO") issued by the Ontario Securities Commission ("OSC") against the Company dated May 6, 2022. The CTO orders that general trading, whether direct or indirect, of the securities of the Company cease. A copy of the CTO has been posted to the OSC website. In connection with the Company's revocation application, the Company received a Comment Letter from the OSC on January 10, 2023 and is currently in the process of addressing the OSC's comments and requests. The Company will provide further updates as they become available. In addition, the Company announces the resignation of Kristoffer P. Guajala as the Chief Operating Officer of the Company effective August 29, 2022. The Company would like to thank Mr. Guajala for his contributions to the Company and wish him well in his future endeavours. About American Aires Inc. American Aires Inc. is a Canadian-based nanotechnology company which has developed proprietary silicon-based microprocessors that reduce the harmful effects of electromagnetic radiation (EMR). The technology was developed by a team of highly accredited scientists and confirmed by independent third-party validation including peer-reviewed studies and publications in scientific journals. Aires' Lifetune products specifically target EMR emitted by consumer electronic devices such as cellphones, computers, baby monitors, Wi-Fi radiation, including the rapidly expanding next-generation high-speed 5G networks. Aires is listed on the CSE under ticker 'WIFI' and on the OTCQB under the symbol 'AAIRF'. Learn more at www.airestech.com . On behalf of the board of directors Company Contact: Dimitry Serov, CEO Email: dimitry@airestech.com Telephone: (905) 482-4667 Website: www.airestech.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements or information. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking statements and information relating to potential future events involving the Company. The forward-looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by management of the Company. Although management of the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements and information since no assurance can be given that they will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements and information are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations and plans of management of the Company relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such statements and information may not be appropriate for other purposes, such as making investment decisions. Since forward-looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and no undertaking is given to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151466 CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - China is scheduled to release a batch of data on Tuesday, headlining a busy day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. On tap are Q4 numbers for GDP and December data for industrial production, retail sales and unemployment. GDP is expected to sink 0.8 percent on quarter and rise .8 percent on year after gaining 3.9 percent both on quarter and on year in the three months prior. Industrial production is tipped to add 0.2 percent on year, slowing from 2.2 percent in November. Retail sales are expected to drop an annual 8.6 percent after falling 5.9 percent in the previous month. The jobless rate is expected to jump to 6.0 percent from 5.7 percent a month earlier. Australia will see January results for the consumer sentiment index from Westpac Bank; in December, the index rose 3.0 percent. Singapore will provide December figures for non-oil domestic exports, with forecasts suggesting an increase of 1.0 percent on month and a fall of 16,80 percent on year. That follows the 9.20 percent monthly drop and the 14.60 percent yearly decline in November. Japan will release November results for its tertiary industry activity index, with forecasts suggesting an increase of 0.2 percent - steady from the October reading. Copyright(c) 2023 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. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 16, 2023) - Equity Metals Corporation (TSXV: EQTY) ("Equity Metals" or "Company") reported today that it has filed a technical Report (the "Report") prepared in accordance with Canadian Securities Administrators' National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101"). The Report may be found under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com and on Equity's website www.equitymetalscorporation.com. The Report dated January 16, 2023 and titled "Technical Report and Updated Mineral Resource Estimate of the Silver Queen Property, Omineca Mining Division, British Columbia" was prepared by P&E Mining Consultants Inc. ("P&E"), Kirkham Geosystems Ltd ("KGL") and Metallurgical Process Consultants Ltd. (MPC). The updated Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE") features lateral and down-dip extensions of the previously modelled No. 3 and NG-3 Veins, originally included in a previous 2019 MRE, and new, previously unmodelled mineralization from the Camp and Sveinson Targets. The current MRE utilizes a Net Smelter Return ("NSR") cut-off at C$100/t with updated metal pricing. The Report supports the disclosure made by the Company in its news release dated December 1, 2022 titled "Equity Metals Announces a Significant Increase to the Mineral Resource Estimate at the Silver Queen Project, BC". There are no material differences in the Mineral Resources contained in the Report from those disclosed in the December 1, 2022 news release. Silver Queen Resource Model highlights: Indicated Mineral Resources of 3.46Mt averaging 189g/t Silver, 2.13g/t Gold, 0.24% Copper, 0.6% Lead and 3.5% Zinc (565g/t AgEq or 6.9g/t AuEq) equating to 62.8 million ounces silver equivalent or 765 thousand ounces of gold equivalent; and Inferred Mineral Resources of 1.92Mt averaging 167g/t Silver, 0.82g/t Gold, 0.23% Copper, 0.5% Lead and 2.0% Zinc (365g/t AgEq or 4.4g/t AuEq) equating to 22.5 million ounces silver equivalent or 273 thousand ounces of gold equivalent. The updated MRE incorporates an additional 25,659 metres of drilling in 78 core holes completed in 2020-22 and updated metal recoveries and pricing. President Joe Kizis comments, "At the time we assumed management of the Company in Q3 of 2019, we felt there were clear opportunities to quickly add significantly to the 2019 MRE at Silver Queen, and we are proud to report our success at a very low cost of $0.15/oz of added AgEq or $11/oz of added AuEq. The MRE remains open for additional delineation west of the Camp Resource and within the Sveinson Resource. In addition, there are several targets that have only been tested by a few drill holes and remain very attractive areas for new discoveries and MRE increase." Silver Queen Project Highlights Five separate target areas have been tested in part and thick intervals of high-grade gold, silver and base-metal mineralization have been identified in each of the Camp Vein, the Sveinson Target, No. 3 Vein, and NG-3 Vein systems. Figure 1: Plan map of targets and deposits on the Silver Queen vein system, BC To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5566/151468_b5c1dabbc4433ada_002full.jpg The updated NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate increases the tonnage by approximately 240% with approximately 64% of the Mineral Resources are classified as Indicated on a per tonnage basis and 74% of the total on a AgEq basis reflecting the overall higher average grade (565g/t Ag Eq) of the MRE in the Indicated category . The Mineral Resource has a strong precious-metal bias with gold and silver accounting for approximately 64% of the total value and features a significant increase in contained silver ounces in both the Indicated (+297%) and Inferred (+117%) categories, which is supported in large part by the addition of strongly silver enriched mineralization from the Camp Veins. The Company has expended C$6.75 million on exploration of the Silver Queen project since 2019 resulting in a cash-discovery-cost of only C$0.15/oz per AgEq added or C$11/oz AuEq added. Tabulation of grades and tonnages sensitivities (Table 2) demonstrate an excellent retention of higher-grade mineralization at increasing C$NSR cut-offs with 84% of the Base-case Mineral Resource when expressed on a AgEq basis remaining at a C$200 NSR cut-off. Recommendations and 2023 Exploration The Report concludes that the Silver Queen Property hosts significant high-grade mineralization that may potentially be amenable to underground economic extraction and warrants further exploration with a focus on the identification and delineation of the vein system. The recommended work budgets for up to 5000m of core drilling and includes: Step-out drilling to the west and down-dip of the Camp Vein Resource; Further delineation of veins within the Sveinson Resource; Continued confirmation and delineation of historical veins identified on the Property by previous workers, including the George Lake, George Lake South and the Cole Lake veins where historical drilling has identified significant exploration potential. Surface work may include soil and rock chip sampling to assist in establishing vein orientations to be followed by confirmation drilling; Metallurgical test work to resolve base metal displacement in the copper and lead concentrates; and Further test work to optimize gold deportment within the floatation circuit. The budget for the proposed work program is $1.69M. Equity Metals is fully financed for the proposed work program and will start exploration activities at Silver Queen during Q2 2023. Exploration will initially test extensions of the Camp and Sveinson Resources as identified in the Report. Further work will concentrate on the confirmation and extension of mineralization on the George Lake, George Lake South Targets and Cole Lake Targets and continued metallurgical test work to resolve metal displacement within the flotation circuit. Qualified Persons The independent Qualified Persons ("QP") for the Report are Garth Kirkham, P.Geo., Principal, Kirkham Geosystems Ltd., Eugene Puritch, P. Eng., FEC, CET. William Stone, Ph.D., PGeo, Antoine Yassa, P.Geo., Jarita Bary, P.Geo. and Fred Brown, P.Geo, of P&E Mining Consultants Inc., Arthur Barnes P.Eng., FSAIMM. M.Sc. of Metallurgical Process Consultants Limited and James Hutter, P.Geo., as defined by National Instrument 43-101 who have reviewed and approved the technical contents of this news release. In accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, Robert Macdonald, P.Geo, Vice President Exploration, is the Qualified Person for the Company and has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release. Risk Factors Equity Metals Corporation is aware that this project is subject to the same types of risks that large precious metal projects experience at an early stage of development in British Columbia. The Company has engaged experienced management and specialized consultants to identify, manage and mitigate those risks; however, the types of risks will change as the project evolves and more information becomes available. Further details regarding the foregoing Mineral Resource Estimate, including the estimation methods and procedures, are detailed in the Report, now filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) under the Company's profile and on the Company's website. Table 1: Base Case Mineral Resource Estimate for the Silver Queen Project Utilizing a C$100/t NSR cut-off value To view an enhanced version of Table 1, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5566/151468_b5c1dabbc4433ada_001bfull.jpg 1)The current Mineral Resource Estimate was prepared by Garth Kirkham, P.Geo., of Kirkham Geosystems Ltd and Eugene Puritch, P. Eng., FEC, CET and Fred Brown, P, Geo. of P&E Mining Consultants Inc. ("P&E"), Independent Qualified Persons ("QP"), as defined by National Instrument 43-101. 2)All Mineral Resources have been estimated in accordance with Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and Petroleum ("CIM") definitions, as required under National Instrument 43-101 ("NI43-101"). 3)Mineral Resources were constrained using continuous mining units demonstrating reasonable prospects of eventual economic extraction. 4)Silver and Gold Equivalents were calculated from the interpolated block values using relative process recoveries and prices between the component metals and silver to determine a final AgEq and AuEq values. 5)Silver and Gold Equivalents and NSR$/t values were calculated using average long-term prices of $20/oz silver, $1,700/oz gold, $3.50/lb copper, $0.95/lb lead and $1.45/lb zinc. All metal prices are stated in $USD. The C$100/tonne NSR cut-off grade value for the underground Mineral Resource was derived from mining costs of C$70/t, with process costs of C$20/t and G&A of C$10/t. Process recoveries used were Au 70%, Ag 80%, Cu 80%, Pb 81% and Zn 90%. 6)Grade capping was performed on 1m composites for the No. 3 and NG-3 veins and whole vein composites for the Camp and Sveinson veins. For the No. 3 and NG-3 veins Inverse distance cubed (I/d3) was utilized for grade interpolation for Au and Ag and inverse distance squared (I/d2) was utilized for Cu, Pb and Zn. Inverse distance squared (I/d2) was used for all metals in the Camp and Sveinson veins. 7)A bulk density of 3.56t/m3 was used for all tonnage calculations in the No. 3 and NG-3 veins. A variable density with a 3.15t/m3 average was used for the Camp and Sveinson veins. 8)Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves until they have demonstrated economic viability. Mineral Resource Estimates do not account for a Mineral Resource's mineability, selectivity, mining loss, or dilution. 9)An Inferred Mineral Resource has a lower level of confidence than that applying to an Indicated Mineral Resource and must not be converted to a Mineral Reserve. It is reasonably expected that the majority of Inferred Mineral Resources could be upgraded to Indicated Mineral Resources with continued exploration. 10) All figures are rounded to reflect the relative accuracy of the estimate and therefore numbers may not appear to add precisely. Table 2: Resource Model Sensitivities at Various C$NSR/t cut-offs To view an enhanced version of Table 2, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5566/151468_b5c1dabbc4433ada_002bfull.jpg 1)Sensitivities were calculated at progressive C$NSR/t cut-off utilizing the same parameters and metal pricing as the Base Case scenario described in Table 1. Silver, Gold Equivalencies and C$NSR Calculations Silver and Gold Equivalents and NSR$/t values were calculated using approximate average long-term prices of $20/oz silver, $1,700/oz gold, $3.50/lb copper, $0.95/lb lead and $1.45/lb zinc. All metal prices are stated in $USD with a conversion to $CAD of 0.77. See below the equivalency and C$NSR calculations: AgEq = (Ag g/t x 1) + (Au g/t x 81.41) + (Cu% x 116.35) + (Pb% x 28.77) + (Zn% x 44.80) AuEq = (Ag g/t x 0.012) + (Au g/t x 1) + (Cu% x 1.43) + (Pb% x 0.35) + (Zn% x 0.55) C$NSR = (Ag g/t x 0.57) + (Au g/t x 46.79) + (Cu% x 66.87) + (Pb% x 16.54) + (Zn% x 25.74) About Silver Queen Project The Silver Queen Project is a premier gold-silver property with over 100 years of historical exploration and development and is located adjacent to a power line, roads and nearby rail with significant mining infrastructure that was developed under previous operators Bradina JV (Bralorne Mines) and Houston Metals Corp. (a Hunt Brothers company). The Property contains two historical declines into the No. 3 Vein, camp infrastructure, and a maintained Tailings Facility. The Silver Queen Property consists of 45 mineral claims, 17 crown grants, and two surface crown grants totalling 18,852ha with no underlying royalties. Mineralization is hosted by a series of epithermal veins distributed over a 6 sq km area. The initial NI43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate was detailed in a News Release issued on July 16th, 2019 and is hosted by the No. 3 Vein, which is traced by drilling for approximately 1.2km and then to the southeast where it transitions into the NG-3 Vein close to the buried Itsit copper-molybdenum porphyry. More than 20 different veins have been identified on the Property, forming an extensive network of zoned Cretaceous- to Tertiary-age epithermal veins. The Property remains largely under explored. About Equity Metals Corporation Equity Metals Corporation is a Manex Resource Group Company. Manex provides exploration, administration, and corporate development services for Equity Metals' two major mineral properties, the Silver Queen Au-Ag-Zn-Cu project, located in central B.C., and the Monument Diamond project, located in Lac De Gras, NWT. The Company also has a 1% royalty (Greenwood Royalty) and a 100% working interest in the La Ronge Silica Project. The Company owns 100% interest, with no underlying royalty, in the Silver Queen Project, located along the Skeena Arch in the Omineca Mining Division, British Columbia. The Property hosts high-grade, precious- and base-metal veins related to a buried porphyry system, which has been only partially delineated. The Company also has a controlling JV interest in the Monument Diamond project, NWT, strategically located in the Lac De Gras district within 40 km of both the Ekati and Diavik Diamond Mines. The Project owners are Equity Metals Corporation (57.49%), Chris and Jeanne Jennings (22.11%); and Archon Minerals Ltd. (20.4%). Equity Metals is the operator of the Project. The 100% controlled La Ronge Silica Project is an historical sand quarry located in central Saskatchewan, approximately 60 kilometers south-southeast of La Ronge, Saskatchewan and 210 kilometers west of Flin Flon, Manitoba. Preliminary studies indicate the silica deposit may be developed into a simple and profitable, low-cost mining and washing operation to produce high-purity silica (>98% SiO2), a specialty product for the EV battery industry. On behalf of the Board of Directors "Joseph Anthony Kizis, Jr." Joseph Anthony Kizis, Jr., P.Geo President, Director, Equity Metals Corporation For further information, visit the website at https://www.equitymetalscorporation.com; or contact us at 604.641.2759 or by email at ir@mnxltd.com. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include the timing and receipt of government and regulatory approvals, and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. Equity Metals Corporation does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by applicable law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151468 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 16, 2023) - Dynasty Gold Corp. (TSXV: DYG) (FSE: D5G1) (OTC Pink: DGDCF) ("Dynasty" or the "Company"), as a result of a review by the British Columbia Securities Commission, is issuing the following news release to clarify its disclosure and to provide additional information for its press release issued on January 10, 2023 to comply with NI 43-101 guidelines. All information required under s.3.3(2) of NI 43-101 has been added to the reported drill holes, please see Table 2 below, and the Thundercloud resource estimate has been disclosed in accordance with s.3.5 of NI 43-101. The Company is pleased to release assay results from its Phase 1 2022 maiden drill results at the Thundercloud gold property located 47 kilometres southeast of Dryden, in northwestern Ontario. Four new angled NQ wireline core holes were drilled in the Pelham gold target area, for a total of 987 meters of drilling. The assay results from sampling of these holes are reported in Table 1. The drill collar and hole information are reported in Table 2. These are the best assay results ever reported from Thundercloud, and constitute new discovery of wide zones and high-grade gold-bearing quartz veins requiring further delineation. Significant Assay Highlights: DP22-02 intercepted 1.31 g/t Au over 121.5 m from 102 m; Including 15.06 g/t Au over 9 m: Including 43.47 g/t Au over 3 m. DP22-03 intercepted 7.35 g/t Au over 51 m from 88.5 m; Including 13.01 g/t Au over 28.5 m: Including 25.66 g/t Au over 12.5 m: Including 101 g/t Au over 3 m: Including 246 g/t Au over 1.5 m. DP22-04 intercepted 0.764 g/t Au over 40.5 meters from 120 m; Including 8.61 g/t Au over 3 m: Including 25.1 g/t Au over 1.5 m. Table 1. Assay Results: Hole ID From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) DP22-01 9.0 25.5 25.5 30.0 15.5 4.0 0.104 0.269 DP22-02 Including Including Including 0 77.0 83.0 102.0 189.0 189.0 190.5 77.0 83.0 102.5 223.5 214.5 198.0 193.5 Not sampled 6.0 Not sampled 121.0 25.5 9.0 3.0 0.072 1.31 5.37 15.06 43.47 DP22-03 Including Including Including Including And 0 88.5 111.0 112.5 118.5 118.5 139.5 148.5 88.5 139.5 139.5 125.0 121.5 120.0 148.5 154.5 Not sampled 51.0 28.5 12.5 3.0 1.5 Not sampled 6.0 7.35 13.01 25.66 101.1 246.0 1.90 DP22-04 Including Including 0 20.58 120.0 144.0 145.5 20.58 120 160.5 147.0 147.0 Not sampled Negligible values 40.5 3.0 1.5 0.764 8.61 25.1 Table 2. Drill Collar and Hole Information of Current Press News Hole ID Easting Northing Elevation (m) Azimuth Dip Depth (m) DP22-01 534159 5471292 457 20 -46 297 DP22-02 534263 5471425 448 180 -60 300 DP22-03 534264 5471423 448 160 -60 201 DP22-04 534315 5471449 448 192 -67 189 Total Metres NAD83 Zone 15 987.00 The true widths of the drilling intercepts are not known. The percentage of the core recovery, for the drilling intercepts list above is approximately 99 percent. "We are thrilled with these outstanding results in our first drill program on the property. They are the highest gold grades, the longest and the widest intercepts ever drilled on the property. The data will assist in building a structural model for a NI 43-101 resource update, and future drill target planning for resource expansion," states Ivy Chong, President and CEO. These 4 near-surface shallow holes were drilled in the southeastern and south-central portions of the known Pelham area. The first hole was drilled on the eastern edge of a magnetic low that may represent a fault boundary, with no significant gold mineralization in it. Holes 2, 3, and 4 were drilled in untested areas of magnetic "highs" identified in the drone magnetic survey conducted in summer 2022. These three holes encountered a new area of locally high-grade gold mineralization in quartz-veined mafic metavolcanics and overlying volcanic flow breccias. Quartz-veined rocks contained up to 246 g/t Au (7.91 ounces per ton) over a 1.5 m core length. The Company will sample the entire hole 3 in the coming months. The focus of the next drill program will be to outline the extent of the higher-grade gold mineralization away from the presently disclosed drillholes. The host rocks at Thundercloud are metamorphosed mafic volcanic strata of the Wapageisi volcanics and local overlying flow breccias. These strata are of Neoarchean age. They were intruded by two phases of intrusive gabbros, that later were transected by faults. Much of the low-grade gold mineralization found at Thundercloud is associated with a "cloud" of disseminated pyrite. Higher-grade gold mineralization is found locally with quartz veining and local sulfide enrichments. The Company regards this as gold mineralized area to be worthy of further drilling. In addition, the property has several other mostly unexplored areas that show elevated magnetization, and these areas will be explored in the future by the Company. "Current assay results obtained by Dynasty Gold from the Thundercloud Property are particularly of interest in that the results clearly indicate that the Property has potential for both large-tonnage and high-grade vein deposits. Although only four holes were completed, intercepts such as 121 m of 1.31 g/t Au and 101 g/t over 3 m are selected examples of each type with more present in the data set. Additional work obviously is required to establish economics but the nature of the indicators to date are encouraging," said Roman Shklanka, Director. The Company thanks its dedicated team, contractors and the First Nations whose efforts have made this drill program a success. It also likes to acknowledge the contribution by the Ontario Junior Exploration Program ("OJEP") to the Company for the $60,000 grant towards furthering exploration on Thundercloud. Quality Assurance & Quality Control The Company's exploration program was supervised in the field by Richard R. Redfern, M.Sc., CPG. The core samples were personally delivered by the George Downing Estate drillers from the drill rig to Dynasty personnel at the Company's field office in Dinorwic, Ontario, where they were logged geologically and sample intervals selected. The cores were securely transported to Dryden, Ontario and diamond sawed in the presence of the Company's consulting engineer, Dr. Bing Wang, Ph.D. P.Eng. The samples were personally delivered in two batches to the ALS Global Geochemistry Laboratory in Winnipeg, Manitoba by Redfern for holes 1 and 2, and by Bing Wang for holes 3 and 4 for processing. Dynasty used ALS Global for Au-AA23 gold fire assays and the ME-ICP61 33 multi-elements packages for the minor element analyses. Oreas standards and blanks were inserted into the sample stream to check on the comparative accuracy of the gold assays received. Gold fire assays and 4-acid-dissolution geochem analyses were conducted on the samples at the ALS Global Geochemistry Laboratory in Vancouver, B.C, and all gold values higher than 10 g/t were re-assayed by using Au-GRA21 gravimetric fire assays. The technical information in this release has been reviewed and approved by Richard R Redfern, M.Sc., CPG, a director of Dynasty Gold and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. About Dynasty Gold Corp. Dynasty Gold Corp. is a Canadian exploration company currently focused on gold exploration in North America with projects located in the Manitou-Stormy Lake greenstone belt in Ontario and in the Midas gold camp in Nevada. The Company is currently advancing its Thundercloud gold deposit which contains an inferred resource of 182,000 ounces gold at 1.37 g/t (NI 43-101 Independent Technical Report, Thundercloud Property Northwestern Ontario, September 27th, 2021). The report and the press release with details on the resource can also be found on the Company's website. The 100% owned Golden Repeat gold project in the Midas gold camp in Elko County, Nevada, is surrounded by a number of large-scale operating mines. In addition, Dynasty owns a 70% interest in the Hatu Qi2 gold mine in the Tien Shan Gold belt, Xinjiang, China, with which it is in legal dispute with Xinjiang Non-Ferrous Industrial Metals Group and its subsidiary Western Region Gold Co. Ltd. For more information, please visit the Company's website www.dynastygoldcorp.com. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DYNASTY GOLD CORP. "Ivy Chong" _________________________________ Ivy Chong, President & CEO For additional information please contact: Vancouver Office: Ivy Chong Phone: 604.633.2100. Email: ichong@dynastygoldcorp.com This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151474 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 16, 2023) - MediaValet Inc. (TSX: MVP) (the "Company" or "MediaValet") is pleased to announce that further to its press release dated December 30, 2022, it has now closed the non-brokered private placement to raise $3.0 million for the Company (the "Private Placement"). The Private Placement, which was oversubscribed by $500,000, consisted of 2,692,315 units (the "Units") at a price of $1.30 per Unit, for gross proceeds of $3,500,010. Each Unit consisted of one common share of the Company (a "Share") and one Share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one Share at a price of $1.50 for a period of 36 months from the closing of the Private Placement. The Warrants have an acceleration clause that provides that if the closing price of the Shares on the TSX is greater than $2.50 for 20 consecutive trading days, then the Company may, within ten (10) days, accelerate the expiry of the Warrants by issuing a press release announcing that any unexercised Warrants will terminate on the 30th day (including non-trading days) after the date on which such notice was given. The Company will also give written notice to the holders of Warrants not less than thirty (30) days prior to the accelerated expiry date of the Warrants. The net proceeds received from the Private Placement will be used by the Company for general working capital. The Private Placement, which was negotiated between the Company and Shen Capital, is being subscribed in part by Insiders of the Company. This will result in total potential dilution to Shareholders from the issuance to Insiders of 4,615,400 Shares (2,307,700 Shares comprised in the Units and 2,307,700 Warrant Shares), representing approximately 11.3% of the currently outstanding Shares (approximately 10.0% of the outstanding Shares after the Offering and exercise of the Warrants). Shen Capital Partners Inc. ("Shen Capital") a long-standing shareholder of the Company, has agreed to subscribe, directly or through an affiliate, for 1,923,077 Units and David Miller, the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, has agreed to subscribe for 384,623 Units. Shen Capital held 7,677,786 Shares prior to the Private Placement, representing approximately 18.83% of the then outstanding Shares on an undiluted basis, and has one representative on the Board of Directors, Mr. Francis Shen. Mr. Shen was appointed pursuant to a Board Rights Agreement entered into between the Company and Shen Capital entered into in August, 2019. The Company now has 43,478,770 Shares outstanding after closing the Private Placement. With its participation in the Offering, Shen Capital will increase its holdings to 9,600,863 Shares, and will hold Warrants that could increase its holdings (if exercised) to 11,523,940 Shares. Accordingly, on completion of the Offering Shen Capital will hold 22.08% of the outstanding Shares (on an undiluted basis) and 25.38% of the outstanding Shares on a partially diluted basis (assuming Shen Capital exercises all of its Warrants and no other Shares are issued). The TSX requires, under 604(a)(i) of the TSX Company Manual, that any transaction that will materially affect control of a company on the TSX be approved by the security holders of the company. The TSX considers that the acquisition of greater than 20% of the outstanding Shares by Shen Capital will materially affect control of the Company. In addition, the TSX requires shareholder approval pursuant to 607(g)(ii) of the TSX Company Manual for share issuances over 10% to Insiders. The Company obtained written consent from the disinterested shareholders holding more than 50% of the outstanding voting shares, excluding 7,724,786 shares held by Shen Capital and its affiliate, or by David Miller, in accordance with section 604(d) of the TSX Company Manual. The private placements with Shen Capital and with David Miller are considered related party transactions under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company is relying on the exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements set out in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(a) Fair Market Value Not More than 25 Per Cent of Market Capitalization, respectively of MI 61-101. All securities issued in connection with the Private Placement are subject to a statutory hold period of four months plus a day in accordance with applicable securities legislation. About MediaValet Inc. MediaValet stands at the forefront of the enterprise, cloud-based digital asset management and creative operations industries. Built exclusively on Microsoft Azure and available across 61 Microsoft data center regions, covering 140 countries around the world, MediaValet delivers unparalleled enterprise-class security, reliability, redundancy, compliance, and scalability; while offering the largest global footprint of any DAM solution. In addition to providing enterprise DAM capabilities at a global scale, desktop-to-server-to-cloud support for creative teams, and overall cloud redundancy, security and management for all source, WIP and final assets, MediaValet offers industry-leading integrations into Slack, Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office 365, WorkFront, Wrike, Monday.com, Drupal, WordPress and many other best-in-class 3rd party applications. For further information, please contact: David MacLaren, CEO | david.maclaren@mediavalet.com | Tel: (604) 688-2321 Babak Pedram, Investor Relations | babak.pedram@mediavalet.com | Tel: (416) 644-5081 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENT This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, such as statements concerning anticipated future events, results, circumstances, performance or expectations that are not historical facts. Use of words such as "may", "will", "expect", "believe", "intends", "likely", or other words of similar effect may indicate a "forward-looking" statement. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those described in the Company's publicly filed documents (available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com). Many of these risks and uncertainties can affect the Company's actual results and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statement made by the Company or on its behalf. Given these risks and uncertainties, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. All forward-looking statements in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements. These statements are made as of the date of this news release and, except as required by applicable law, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additionally, the Company undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third parties in respect of the Company, its financial or operating results or its securities. The Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by the Company or on the Company's behalf, except as required by applicable law. Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151479 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 16, 2023) - Li3 Lithium Corp. (TSXV: LILI) ("Li3 Lithium" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed the non-brokered private placement previously announced on January 9, 2023 (the "Private Placement") for aggregate gross proceeds of $200,000. The Private Placement involved the issuance of 2,000,000 units ("Units") at a price of $0.10 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one (1) common share in the capital stock of the Company (a "Common Share") and one half of one (1/2) warrant. Each whole warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one Common Share for $0.20 at any time within two years after closing. All securities issued pursuant to the Private Placement will be subject to a hold period of four months plus a day from the date of issuance and the resale rules of applicable securities legislation. The net proceeds from the sale of the Units will be used for general working capital purposes and to assist in conducting due diligence of potential business opportunities. The closing of the Private Placement is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV"). In addition, the Company would like to correct the press release dated January 9, 2023 relating to the 2,000,000 options granted. The exercise price of the options granted was $0.12 and not $0.10 as stated in the January 9, 2023 press release. About Li3 Lithium Corp. Li3 Lithium is focused on acquiring and developing hard rock spodumene lithium assets in Zimbabwe and Argentina, where the founders have significant experience and relationships. As evidenced by recent market growth, hard rock lithium deposits are forecast to continue to dominate the global supply of lithium given the scarcity, complexity and capex-intensive nature of alternative brine sources. At present, spodumene concentrate is at a record high price of US$5,500/tonne and forecast to go higher. Li3 Lithium has a 50 percent interest in Li3 Resources Inc., a private company with a 50 percent interest in the Mutare Lithium Project, which consists of 1,500 hectares of licenses within the Mutare Greenstone Belt of Zimbabwe. Contact Information: Li3 Lithium Corp Stephen Dunn, Director Tel: 416-361-2827 Email: info@lithium3.com www.lithium3.com CAUTIONARY STATEMENT: Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "would", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the information is provided, and is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward- looking information. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change, unless required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151482 TORONTO, ON and NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / January 16, 2023 / Sekur Private Data Ltd. (OTCQX:SWISF)(CSE:SKUR)(FRA:GDT0) ("Sekur" or the "Company"), the leader in Swiss hosted secure communications and secure data management, would like to announce that the Company has amended its stock option issuance announced January 13th 2023. The correct number of issued options is 8,166,272 options, held by management, insiders and consultants of the Company. The foregoing options are exercisable up to January 13th, 2033, as per schedule and at an exercise price of CA$0.06 the options shall all vest 100% immediately. All options are subject to a 4 month and 1 day hold period. About Sekur Private Data Ltd. Sekur Private Data Ltd. is a Cybersecurity and Internet privacy provider of Swiss hosted solutions for secure communications and secure data management. The Company distributes a suite of encrypted e-mails, secure messengers, secure communication tools, and secure cloud-based storage, disaster recovery and document management. Sekur Private Data Ltd. sells its products through its approved wholesalers and distributors, and telecommunications companies worldwide. Sekur Private Data Ltd. serves consumers, businesses and governments worldwide. On behalf of Management SEKUR PRIVATE DATA LTD. Alain Ghiai President and Chief Executive Officer +1.416.644.8690 corporate@sekurprivatedata.com For more information, please contact Sekur Private Data at corporate@sekurprivatedata.com or visit us at https://www.sekurprivatedata.com For more information on Sekur visit us at: https://www.sekur.com . Forward Looking Information This news release contains certain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). All statements other than statements of present or historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "achieve", "could", "believe", "plan", "intend", "objective", "continuous", "ongoing", "estimate", "outlook", "expect", "project" and similar words, including negatives thereof, suggesting future outcomes or that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations; they are not guaranteeing future performance. Sekur cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond Sekur's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to the future of the Company's business; the success of marketing and sales efforts of the Company; the projections prepared in house and projections delivered by channel partners; the Company's ability to complete the necessary software updates; increases in sales as a result of investments software development technology; consumer interest in the Products; future sales plans and strategies; reliance on large channel partners and expectations of renewals to ongoing agreements with these partners; anticipated events and trends; the economy and other future conditions; and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in Sekur's prospectus dated May 8, 2019 filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators and available on www.sedar.com. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Sekur undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information. SOURCE: Sekur Private Data Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/735455/Sekur-Private-Data-Ltd-Amendment-to-Issuance-of-Stock-Options Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 16, 2023) - Whitehorse Gold Corp. (TSXV: WHG) (OTCQX: WHGDF) ("Whitehorse Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to report the closing of the the second tranche of its previously announced non-brokered private placement, whereby the Company completed the issuance of 4,885,000 units (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.40 per Unit for gross proceeds of $1,954,000 in the second tranche. The Company issued a total of 12,807,500 Units at a price of $0.40 for gross proceeds of $5,123,000 for the entire private placement that was announced on November 4, 2022. Whitehorse Gold intends to use the net proceeds of the private placement for working capital requirements and other general corporate purposes. All securities issued in connection with the private placement are subject to a statutory hold period of four-months and one day. The Company paid aggregate finder's fee of $23,920 to the eligible persons in the second tranche. The private placement remains subject to final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. As insiders of the Company (including Silvercorp) participated in the private placement, any such subscriptions are considered to be related party transactions within the meaning of TSXV Policy 5.9 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions, which incorporates Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Securityholders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company intends to rely on the exemptions from the valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 contained in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(a) of MI 61-101 in respect of such insider participation. The securities described herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any United States state securities laws, and accordingly, may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. persons except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities requirements or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This press release is not an offer or a solicitation of an offer of securities for sale in the United States, nor will there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About Whitehorse Gold Whitehorse Gold is a mineral exploration and development company focusing on tin projects in Bolivia and a gold project near Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. The Company has recently signed agreements to acquire up to a 100% interest in the Porvenir Project and SF Tin Project, which are 70 km southeast of Oruro, Bolivia. The Company's 100% owned Skukum Gold Project is approximately 84 km south of Whitehorse by road. An independent Mineral Resource Estimate update was completed in October 2022. Skukum hosts 418,000 oz AuEq Indicated Mineral Resource and 517,000 oz AuEq Inferred Mineral Resource at respective average grades of 8.2 and 5.3 g/t AuEq. From 1986 to 1988, the project produced approximately 80,000 ounces of gold. On Behalf of Whitehorse Gold Corp. signed "Gordon Neal" Gordon Neal, CEO & Director For further information, please contact: Investor Relations, Whitehorse Gold Corp., Phone: +1 (604)-336-5919 Email: info@whitehorsegold.ca www.whitehorsegold.ca Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collective, "forward looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding future plans with respect to the Offering and other future plans of Company, and objectives or expectations of the Company are forward-looking statements. Estimates of Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources are also forward-looking information because they incorporate estimates of future developments including future mineral prices, costs and expenses and the amount of minerals that will be encountered if a property is developed. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by words or phrases such as "expects", "is expected", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "projects", "estimates", "assumes", "intends", "strategies", "targets", "goals", "forecasts", "objectives", "budgets", "schedules", "potential" or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions, assumptions, factors and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made. The opinions, assumptions, factors and estimates which may prove to be incorrect, include, but are not limited to: that market fundamentals will result in sustained precious metals demand and prices; that there are no significant disruptions affecting operations, including labour disruptions, supply disruptions, power disruptions, security disruptions, damage to or loss of equipment, whether due to flooding, political changes, title issues, intervention by local landowners, environmental concerns, pandemics (including COVID-19) or otherwise; that the Company will be able to obtain and maintain governmental approvals, permits and licenses in connection with its current and planned operations, development and exploration activities, including at the Skukum Gold Project; that the Company will be able to meet its current and future obligations; that the Company will be able to comply with environmental, health and safety laws; and the assumptions underlying Mineral Resource estimates and the realization of such estimates. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors include, among others: social and economic impacts of COVID-19; actual exploration results; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; results of future Mineral Resource estimates; future metal prices; availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms; general economic, market or business conditions; uninsured risks; regulatory changes; defects in title; availability of personnel, materials and equipment on a timely basis; accidents or equipment breakdowns; delays in receiving government approvals; unanticipated environmental impacts on operations and costs to remedy same; and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause such actions, events or results to differ materially from those anticipated. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate and accordingly readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this news release or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise required by law. Additional information in relation to the Company, including the Company's Annual Information Form, can be obtained under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Company's website at www.whitehorsegold.ca. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151501 MANNHEIM, Germany, WATCHUNG, N.J. and SHANGHAI, Jan. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Full-Life Technologies today announced the appointments of Steffen Heeger, MD, PhD, as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and Fa Liu, PhD as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO). Dr. Heeger has held senior oncology clinical development positions at both large and emerging companies for more than 15 years. His work was instrumental to the development of Erbitux, a monoclonal therapeutic antibody targeting EGFR, as well as the successful clinical development of other anti-cancer therapeutic antibodies, including targeted drug conjugates. Dr. Liu is a leading peptide chemist who served as Head of Chemistry at Novo Nordisk, and in 2020, as Co-founder and CEO of Focus-X, a peptide-focused radiopharmaceutical company recently acquired by Full-Life. "Dr. Heeger brings to Full-Life great breadth of expertise and an outstanding track record in designing and executing clinical strategies for targeted oncology therapeutics, in both early and late-stage development," said Lanny Sun, Full-Life's Co-founder, Chairman and CEO. "He joins Full-Life as we are accelerating plans for our first targeted radiopharmaceuticals to enter clinical trials. Dr. Liu has had a highly successful, 18-year career in therapeutic discovery, including at Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk. He led Focus-X to build a promising radiopharmaceutical pipeline within two years of inception. He will further strengthen our discovery capabilities, including our radionuclide-drug conjugate (RDC) platforms and therapeutic programs. We are excited to welcome these senior leaders to our team." Dr. Heeger began his pharmaceutical career at Merck KGaA where he played a key role over nine years in the development of Erbitux, a monoclonal antibody therapeutic targeting EGFR. Following Merck KGaA, he joined Morphosys and served for five years as Vice President and Head of Clinical Development. During that time, he led the clinical development of multiple therapeutic monoclonal antibodies for cancer against targets including PSMA, CD38 and CD19. The anti-CD19 work led to the approval of Monjuvi (tafasitamab-cxix) for the treatment of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma, the first registered drug clinically developed by Morphosys. After Morphosys, Dr. Heeger served in Chief Medical Officer positions at Selvita, S.A. where he advanced the company's lead anti-cancer compound through IND and its initial clinical trial, and NBE Therapeutics, where he oversaw the IND submission and initial clinical trial for its antibody drug conjugate NBE-002 for the treatment of solid tumors and lymphoma. NBE was subsequently acquired by Boehringer Ingelheim for $1.5 billion. Most recently, he held the CMO position at Pega-One, a clinical stage oncology company that went IPO under the umbrella of Centessa Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Heeger holds MD and Master of Healthcare Management (MSc) degrees from the University of Heidelberg (Germany). He trained as a clinical oncologist at the University Hospital Heidelberg, Department of Haematology and Oncology and at German Cancer Research Center. Dr. Liu, prior to founding Focus-X, served as the Head of Chemistry at Novo Nordisk Research Centers in the US, leading peptide and protein therapeutics discovery. Previously, Dr. Liu was the Head of Chemistry at Calibrium LLC, where he played instrumental roles in building the company's pipeline until its acquisition by Novo Nordisk. Dr. Liu started his industrial career at Eli Lilly, where he led multiple peptide lead optimization efforts and established the well-recognized modern insulin chemistries. Prior to Lilly, Dr. Liu worked at National Cancer Institute focusing on cancer drug discovery. Dr. Liu has discovered five compounds that progressed into human studies, including NNC0480-0389 (Phase II). He also contributed to the discovery of LY3209590 (Phase III) and the FDA approved drug Lyumjev (insulin lispro-aabc). He received his Ph.D. from Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. About Full-Life Technologies Full-Life Technologies Limited ("Full-Life") is a fully integrated global radiopharmaceutical company with operations in China, Europe, and the US. We seek to own the entire value chain for radiopharmaceutical research & development, production & commercialization in order to deliver clinical impact for patients. The company plans to attack core issues affecting radiopharmaceuticals today through innovative research that targets the treatments of tomorrow. We are comprised of a team of fast-moving entrepreneurs and scientists with a demonstrated track record in the life sciences, as well as radioisotope research and clinical development. Website: www.full-life.com View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/full-life-technologies-announces-appointment-of-steffen-heeger-md-phd-as-chief-medical-officer-and-fa-liu-phd-as-chief-scientific-officer-301721190.html By Donald Kirk WASHINGTON Watch out for Japan. Also watch out for China. And watch out for nukes. These days, in Northeast Asia, everyone has to watch out for everything with increasing trepidation. It may seem heartening to Americans that Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has initiated a brand new "strategy" for defense against Japan's enemies, near and far. In Washington, the cognoscenti in the White House, Pentagon and State Department can be happy that Japan at last is committed to picking up its share of the load, planning to increase defense spending from 1 percent to 2 percent of the country's gross domestic product, which topped $5.4 trillion for 2022. In five years, according to plan, Japan's military budget could double its current level of about $47.2 billion for the current fiscal year. Koreans, among others, may not be so thrilled to see Japan rising again militarily. Memories of Japanese colonial rule over Korea burn deep in the Korean psyche. South Korea may find common cause with Japan against North Korea, but then again, we may be sure many South Koreans will also look with misgivings on an immense Japanese military build-up. Who can trust the Japanese, years from now, while fighting off the North Koreans, to stay away from South Korea? It's easy to imagine a return if not to Japanese rule, at least to an unequal partnership in which the Japanese play a dominant role. But a resurgence of Japanese militarism is not the only concern. In Seoul, President Yoon Suk Yeol has said it might be a good idea for South Korea to have its own nuclear weapons. At least he's considering the possibility. As long as "they" have them, why not "us"? Looking far ahead, it's not hard to imagine a war in which North and South Korea fire tactical nukes against one another in a battle to the death on both sides. The Pentagon has promised, repeatedly, to defend the South with its "nuclear umbrella," but who can be sure the Americans will really come to the rescue? And would South Korea want to go on as a military dependency of the United States when it's already a massive arms producer, capable of meeting most of its own military needs? In the web of alliances and "commitments," one great question is what's China doing or likely to do? China now has so many internal issues and problems, including the spread of COVID-19, that it would be quite surprising if President Xi Jinping were to order an invasion of the off-shore island province of Taiwan as he's been threatening. China, however, has not only a huge army but also an expanding nuclear stockpile. The Chinese are fabricating still more warheads, and China's missiles can deliver nukes to targets anywhere in the region. In North Korea, Kim Jong-un has also been talking about firing tactical nukes. He can do nothing of the sort, however, without Xi's endorsement. It's hard to believe that Xi would go along with Kim's dream of attacking America's two northeast Asian allies, South Korea and/or Japan, when China does a roaring business with both of them as well as the United States. Kim knows full well an attack on anyone would be catastrophic, an invitation for the Americans to go to war with the full approval of much of the rest of the world with the notable exception of the North's only friends and allies, China and Russia. As far as the Chinese are concerned, Kim can order missile tests and maybe another nuclear test, but that's about it. Against this background, if war does not seem imminent, it's at least a danger for which both Japan and South Korea have to be prepared. But could they fight as allies? President Biden seemed delighted with Kishida's new defense strategy when they met last Friday at the White House. In response to intimidation by China and Russia in the form of intrusions into Japan's air defense identification zone and threats from North Korea, the Japanese will be acquiring hundreds of Tomahawk missiles and more warplanes, including drones, from the U.S. to retaliate against their enemies. All of this puts South Korea in a difficult position. Spurred on by the Americans, the South Korean and Japanese navies have conducted joint exercises, and they're also exchanging intelligence information. As long as Japan refuses concessions on so many other differences springing from the era of Japanese rule over Korea, however, we may be sure Koreans will look with suspicion if not alarm on the prospect of Japan's renaissance as a major military power. Donald Kirk (kirkdon4343@gmail.com) writes from Seoul as well as Washington. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 16, 2023) - Beedie Investments Limited ("Beedie") entered into a senior secured loan with VIQ Solutions Inc. (the "Company"), pursuant to which Beedie will make available up to US$15 million to the Company (the "Loan"), pursuant to the terms of a credit agreement by and among the Company and Beedie (the "Credit Agreement"). US$12 million of the Loan has been advanced to the Company as an initial advance (the "Initial Advance"), with an additional US$3 million available to the Company to be drawn in subsequent advances in a minimum of US$1 million tranches (each, a "Subsequent Advance"). In connection with the Initial Advance under the Loan, the Company has issued 7,968,750 common share purchase warrants (each, a "Warrant") to Beedie. Each Warrant is exercisable to purchase one common share of the Company (each, a "Warrant Share") at an exercise price of US$0.256 (Cdn$0.349) per Warrant Share. The Warrants expire on January 16, 2030. In addition, the Company has agreed to issue additional common share purchase warrants (each, a "Subsequent Warrant") in connection with the Subsequent Advances, with such number of Warrants to be equal to 17% of the amount of such Subsequent Advance divided by the exercise price of such Subsequent Warrants. The Subsequent Warrants will have an exercise price equal to the 5-day volume weighted average price of the Company's common shares (the "Common Shares") immediately prior to the earlier of: (i) the announcement of the applicable Subsequent Advance, and (ii) the funding of the applicable Subsequent Advance. The Subsequent Warrants will expire seven years from the date of issuance. Pursuant to the terms of the Credit Agreement, the aggregate number of Warrants issuable cannot exceed 8,589,538 Warrants (the "Warrant Maximum"), unless any securities laws and/or stock exchange policies applicable to the Borrower do not require any shareholder or third party approval (or such approvals have been obtained, provided that the Borrower's decision to seek such approvals shall be in the sole and absolute discretion of the Borrower). Immediately prior to entering into the Credit Agreement, Beedie did not, directly or indirectly, own or control any securities in the capital of the Company. If the Warrants issued in connection with the Initial Advance were converted in full into Common Shares, Beedie, directly or indirectly, would own or control a total of 7,968,750 Common Shares, representing approximately 18.7% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares immediately after entering into the Credit Agreement on a partially diluted basis. If the Warrants issued in connection with the Initial Advance, as well as any Subsequent Warrants issued in connection with any Subsequent Advance, were converted in full into Common Shares (assuming that all Subsequent Warrants have an exercise price equal to US$0.256 per Warrant Share and the Warrant Maximum does not apply), Beedie, directly or indirectly, would own or control a total of 9,960,938 Common Shares, representing approximately 22.3% of the currently issued and outstanding Common Shares on a partially diluted basis. The actual number of Common Shares issued pursuant to the conversion of any Subsequent Warrants will depend upon 5-day volume weighted average price of the Common Shares applicable at the time of such Subsequent Advance and the application of the Warrant Maximum. All of the securities held by Beedie in the Company are being held for investment purposes. Beedie may in the future take such actions in respect of its Company securityholdings as it deems appropriate in light of the market circumstances then existing, including the potential purchase of additional shares of the Company through open market purchases or privately negotiated transactions, or the sale of all or a portion of such holdings in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions to one or more purchasers, or Beedie may continue to hold its current positions. A copy of the early warning report relating to the Warrants will be available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, and may also be obtained by contacting Beedie Investments Limited at 604-435-3321. Beedie's head office is located at Suite 1570 - 1111 West Georgia St., Vancouver, BC, V6E 4M3. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151507 (17 January 2023) Statkraft has announced a major deal with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners' (CIP) fund Copenhagen Infrastructure IV K/S (CI IV) as part of its plans to develop up to 2.2 gigawatts of offshore wind in Ireland. This landmark partnership will see CIP acquire a 50% stake in Statkraft's offshore wind portfolio in Ireland. The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. The scope of the partnership includes the three phases of the North Irish Sea Array, or NISA, and the Bore Array. The proposed location for NISA is off the coast of counties Dublin, Louth, and Meath, while the site of the Bore Array has been proposed for the Celtic Sea. Developing and building these projects is expected to require an investment of more than 4 billion by Statkraft and CIP by 2030. "The need for energy security and decarbonisation has never been as important, or urgent, as it is today. Ireland has a wealth of renewable energy resources right on its doorstep - energy that has largely remained untapped. Statkraft and CIP will now work together to bring that clean, green power to the Irish people," said David Flood, Head of Offshore Wind at Statkraft. "This deal marks a major development for Statkraft in Ireland as we scale up our offshore wind ambitions across Northern Europe. The country's maritime area makes it ideal for large-scale offshore wind energy production - energy we can deliver in partnership with CIP. The company's track record in offshore wind coupled with our development expertise will enable us to harness the energy of the wind in the Irish Sea to create a green energy system designed for a decarbonised future," he added. Nischal Agarwal, Partner in CIP, said: "We are very pleased to be entering the Irish offshore market and look forward to developing these exciting projects together with Statkraft. In combining CIP's industrial background and international experience within offshore wind with Statkraft's experience of Irish renewables, the partnership will enable the provision of renewable power to Irish homes and businesses and contribute to reaching the government's ambitious decarbonisation targets." Within offshore wind, Statkraft is pursuing an industrial role in the North Sea and Ireland. This agreement is an important step in delivering on this ambition. Statkraft intends to play a major role in the development of an offshore wind industry in Norway. The company has ten years of experience from offshore wind in the UK and extensive expertise in developing and operating large renewable projects. Statkraft is taking part in two strong consortia pursuing bids to develop the first Norwegian offshore wind projects. Gry J. Aamodt, Statkraft's Head of Offshore wind in Norway, said: "The agreement and cooperation with CIP gives us access to expertise and experience from both bottom-fixed and floating offshore wind projects. The projects in Ireland will make us even better positioned for the development of both Srlige Nordsj II, Utsira Nord and future projects in Norway." Statkraft is Europe's largest generator of renewable energy. The company entered the Irish market in 2018 and since then has almost tripled its workforce and tripled its development portfolio. A leading player in the Irish renewable energy market, it develops, owns, and operates renewable energy projects across the technologies of onshore wind, offshore wind, solar, battery storage and grid services.?? ENDS For further information, or to request an interview, please contact: Geir Fuglseth, press contact, Statkraft AS Tel: +47 913 70 572 E-mail: geir.fuglseth@statkraft.com Gry Aamodt, Vice President Offshore Wind Nordics, Statkraft AS Tel: +47 952 89 655 E-mail: gryjohanne.amodt@statkraft.com Joanne O'Connor, Communications Manager, Statkraft Ireland Tel: + 353 (87) 1898660 E-mail: joanne.oconnor@statkraft.com Notes to Editor: About Statkraft Statkraft is a leading company in hydropower internationally and Europe's largest generator of renewable energy. The Group produces hydropower, wind power, solar power, gas-fired power and supplies district heating. Statkraft is a global company in energy market operations. Statkraft has 5,000 employees in 20 countries. www.statkraft.com About NISA The North Irish Sea Array, also known as NISA, is an offshore wind energy project being proposed for an area off the coast of counties Dublin, Meath, and Louth. NISA was one of seven offshore renewable projects to be issued with a Maritime Area Consent by the Government in December 2022. A planning application for NISA is scheduled to be submitted this year, with commencement of operations anticipated for 2026. About the Bore Array The Bore Array is a proposed Phase 2 offshore wind farm in the Celtic Sea. About Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners Founded in 2012, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners P/S (CIP) today is the world's largest dedicated fund manager within greenfield renewable energy investments and a global leader in offshore wind. The funds managed by CIP focuses on investments in offshore and onshore wind, solar PV, biomass and energy-from-waste, transmission and distribution, reserve capacity, storage, advanced bioenergy, and Power-to-X. CIP manages ten funds and has to date raised approximately 19 billion for investments in energy and associated infrastructure from more than 140 international institutional investors. CIP has approximately 400 employees and 11 offices around the world. For more information, visit www.cip.com PARIS (dpa-AFX) - Danone (DANOY.PK) announced a global action plan to reduce absolute methane emissions from its fresh milk supply chain by 30% by 2030. The company plans to remove 1.2 million tons carbon dioxide equivalent of methane emissions by 2030. Also, the company will report on its methane emissions, as part of extra financial disclosure. In 2023, Danone will launch 4 new initiatives for methane reduction in Africa, Europe and the United States. The company is also launching a partnership with Environmental Defense Fund, a non-profit environmental organization working in nearly 30 countries. Copyright(c) 2023 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. TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - Ammonia producer CF Industries Holdings Inc. (CF) announced Tuesday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding or MOU with JERA Co., Inc., a Japanese energy generator, for the supply of up to 500,000 metric tonnes per year of clean ammonia beginning in 2027. The companies expect to evaluate a range of potential supply options, including an equity investment alongside CF Industries to develop a greenfield clean ammonia facility in Louisiana and a supplementary long-term offtake agreement from CF Industries' Donaldsonville Complex in Louisiana. The MOU follows a supplier comparison and evaluation process for the procurement of clean ammonia that JERA initiated in February 2022 for the world's first commercial scale ammonia co-firing operations. The company noted that the clean ammonia will be required to be produced with at least 60% lower carbon emissions than conventionally produced ammonia. It will be co-fired with coal at JERA's Hekinan Thermal Power Station in order to reduce carbon dioxide or CO2 emissions from the facility. Ammonia does not emit CO2 when combusted. CF Industries noted that JERA has successfully concluded an ammonia co-firing pilot test and will begin a demonstration project during its fiscal year 2023 at its Hekinan power plant. Copyright(c) 2023 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. Share Buyback Transaction Details January 9 January 13, 2023 Regulatory News: MotorK Plc (AMS: MTRK) ("MotorK" or the "Group") announces today that it has purchased the following number of ordinary shares in the Company. This is part of a repurchase program announced on July 18, 2022. MotorK intends to buy back its own ordinary shares by way of off-market purchases on Euronext Amsterdam and via block trades up to a maximum aggregate value of 3,000,000 (the "Programme"). The authorization will expire following the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in 2023. Date Transactions Number of Ordinary Shares Total Consideration () Average price ( per share) Minimum price ( per share) Maximum price ( per share) 09/01/2023 Purchase 1,600 1,885 1.18 1.18 1.18 10/01/2023 Purchase 3,166 3,765 1.19 1.18 1.20 11/01/2023 Purchase 3,075 3,690 1.20 1.20 1.20 12/01/2023 Purchase 3,182 3,818 1.20 1.20 1.20 13/01/2023 Purchase 3,274 3,863 1.18 1.18 1.18 Total Weekly 14,297 17,021 1.19 1.18 1.20 Cumulated to date 484,014 743,443 Aggregate Information The Programme is implemented within the limitations of the authority granted by the General Meeting on July 18, 2022. Any shares so repurchased shall be treated as cancelled pursuant to section 706(b) of the Companies Act 2006. The Group has entered into non-discretionary instructions with Kepler Cheuvreux SA ("Kepler Cheuvreux") to conduct the Programme on its behalf and to make trading decisions under the Programme independently of MotorK. REGULATED INFORMATION This press release contains information that qualifies or may qualify as inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation (596/2014/EU) ABOUT MOTORK PLC MotorK (AMS: MTRK) is a leading software as a service ("SaaS") provider for the automotive retail industry in the EMEA region, with over 400 employees and eleven offices in eight countries (Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Portugal, the UK, Belgium and Israel). MotorK empowers car manufacturers and dealers to improve their customer experience through a broad suite of fully integrated digital products and services. MotorK provides its customers with an innovative combination of digital solutions, SaaS cloud products and the largest R&D department in the automotive digital sales and marketing industry in Europe. MotorK is a company registered in England and Wales. Registered office: 5th Floor One New Change, London, England, EC4M 9AF Company Registration: 9259000. For more information: www.motork.io or www.investors.motork.io. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230116005376/en/ Contacts: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MotorK Investor Relations Etienne Jacquet etienne.jacquet@motork.io +33 6 22 18 39 09 MotorK Corporate Communications press@motork.io Tremblay-Olson Claims area has returned the highest concentration of metals-in-soil collected to date at the Albert Lake Property. Highest individual metal-in-soil assays returned up to: 743ppm Ni, 547ppm Cu, 946ppb Pd, 575ppb Pt and 175ppb Au. Highest individual 3PE soil sample returned 1.21 g/t (Pd+Pt+Au). Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2023) - Fathom Nickel Inc. (CSE:FNI) (FSE: 6Q5), (OTCQB: FNICF) (the "Company" or "Fathom") is pleased to announce soil geochemistry results collected from the Tremblay-Olson Claims area at the Albert Lake Property. The Tremblay-Olson Claims (see Press Release Oct, 31, 2022) refer to an area of strategic importance in which there has been no exploration work performed since 1987 and includes two known mineralized ultramafic occurrences - the "Tremblay-Olson" and the "NIC-5". The Tremblay-Olson Claims area is immediately along trend to the south-southwest of the historic Rottenstone Mine, a past producer of high-grade nickel, copper and platinum group elements. Soil Geochemistry Highlights: The Tremblay-Olson Claims area has returned the highest concentration of anomalous nickel, copper, palladium plus platinum in soil samples collected thus far at the Albert Lake Property; Highest individual metal-in-soil assays returned up to: 743ppm Ni, 547ppm Cu, 946ppb Pd, 575ppb Pt and 175ppb Au; The 946ppb Pd result, when combined with the Pt and Au result of that sample, yields 1.209 g/t 3PE (Pd+Pt+Au); 37% of soil samples (360 of 977) collected at the Tremblay-Olson Claims area returned anomalous (>90 th percentile, Ni >15.6ppm;) to very anomalous (>97 th percentile, Ni >28.96ppm;) nickel-in-soil assay results; percentile, Ni >15.6ppm;) to very anomalous (>97 percentile, Ni >28.96ppm;) nickel-in-soil assay results; 48% of all very anomalous Ni-in soil samples collected at the Albert Lake Property are within the Tremblay-Olson Claims area; Coincident with Ni-in-soil anomalies are chrome (Cr), cobalt (Co) and magnesium (Mg); associated pathfinder elements and a good indicator of nearby ultramafic source(s); Commenting on the results, Ian Fraser, CEO and VP Exploration stated, "We are very excited with the results from the fall soil geochemistry program at the Tremblay-Olson Claims area. It is indeed rare to get in excess of 1 gram/tonne of platinum and palladium in a soil sample. The elevated nickel-copper in soils, the size and robustness of anomalies now defined, and the high PGE results are very encouraging and a good indicator of ultramafic sources occurring within the Tremblay-Olson Claims area. We continue to integrate these soil results with all historic geophysical and geological data and we very much look forward to drill testing high-priority drill targets within the Tremblay-Olson Claims area in Q1-2023." The 2022 Fall Soil Geochemistry Program In October 2022, 977 B-horizon soil samples were collected and analyzed within the Tremblay-Olson Claims area, an area of 315 hectares (~3 km2). Samples were collected at predetermined locations within the historic showing areas (Tremblay-Olson, NIC-5) at 50-meter sample intervals and in the peripheral survey area, at 100-meter sample intervals. The defined, multi-element soil anomalies coincide with geophysical anomalies the Company continues to interpret through inversion processes. Geochemical anomalies in critical pathfinder elements such as chrome and magnesium are good indicators of an ultramafic source. The highly anomalous nickel, copper, platinum and palladium defined by the survey can be suggestive of a mineralized ultramafic source or sources occurring within the Tremblay-Olson Claims area. The Company's new discovery; the ultramafic hosted and well mineralized Bay-Island Trend, coincides with anomalous nickel-in-soils (Figure 1) and multi-element soil anomalies (Cu, Co, Cr and Mg). The Tremblay-Olson Claims soil geochemical anomalies cover a greater area and are far more robust than the geochemical soil anomalies associated with the Bay-Island Trend. Since 2018 Fathom has collected and assayed 6,179 B-horizon soil samples at Albert Lake. Inclusive of the recent Tremblay-Olson Claims area results, the Company has now defined an anomalous Ni-in-soil trend in excess of five (5) kilometers (Figures 1 & 2). This 5-kilometer trend includes: the historic Rottenstone Mine, the Bay-Island Trend, the mineralized ultramafic Tremblay-Olson and NIC-5 showings, The Island Showing and the Pyroxenite Island occurrence.* Coincident with the Ni-in-soil anomalies are anomalous to very anomalous critical pathfinder elements chrome, magnesium and cobalt values. *The area immediately around the historic Rottenstone Mine has not been soil sampled. Past production has contaminated the area. However; the historic Rottenstone Mine does fall within the trend discussed and there are significant Ni-Cu, 3PE and critical pathfinder anomalies occurring south and north of the historic Rottenstone Mine. FIGURE 1 - TREMBLAY-OLSON/NIC-5 Ni-IN-SOIL SAMPLE DETAIL To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7843/151524_34c3d6bc8486fb86_001full.jpg FIGURE 2 - PROJECT LEVEL Ni-IN-SOIL MAP - ALBERT LAKE PROPERTY To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7843/151524_34c3d6bc8486fb86_002full.jpg Q1-2023 Exploration Program The Company continues to plan its upcoming exploration and drill campaigns at both the Gochager Lake Project and at the Albert Lake Project. Based on recent discussions with representatives from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment, we expect to receive the Gochager Lake exploration permit on or around January 23, 2023. A detailed update on the Q1 exploration programs will be provided at that time. Quality Assurance / Quality Control The Company contracted the services of TerraLogic Exploration Inc. ("TerraLogic") to conduct its soil geochemistry program on the Tremblay-Olson Claims area. Soil samples were collected at pre-determined sites utilizing a 100m x 100m sample spacing configuration and a 50m x 50m configuration in certain critical areas. Soils were placed in kraft soil sample bags and all metadata associated with each sample location was recorded. Once sorted and logged, samples were shipped to ALS Canada Ltd. ("ALS") in North Vancouver, British Columbia. At ALS, individual samples were dried and sieved to -180 micron (80 mesh). Both fractions were retained. A 0.5g split of the sieved portion was partially digested (Aqua Regia) and analysis of 51 elements was performed by ultra trace ICP-MS. Low level fire assay provided results for platinum, palladium and gold. ALS is an ISO / IEC 17025 certified laboratory and independent of Fathom. During the soil geochemistry program, TerraLogic crews provided a field duplicate from every 25th sample and these field duplicates were inserted into the sample stream to monitor the quality of analyses for the soil sampling program. Qualified Person and Data Verification Ian Fraser, P.Geo., CEO, VP Exploration and a Director of the Company and the "qualified person" as such term is defined by National Instrument 43-101, has verified the data disclosed in this news release, and has otherwise reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release on behalf of the Company. About Fathom Nickel Inc. Fathom is an exploration company that is targeting magmatic nickel sulphide discoveries to support the rapidly growing global electric vehicle market. The Company now has a portfolio of two high-quality exploration projects located in the prolific Trans Hudson Corridor in Saskatchewan: 1) the Albert Lake Project, a 90,000+ hectare project that was host to the historic and past producing Rottenstone deposit (produced high-grade Ni-Cu+PGE, 1965-1969), and 2) the Gochager Lake Project, a 4696-hectare project that is host to a historic (NI43-101 non-compliant) open pitable resource consisting of 4.3M tons at 0.295% Ni and 0.081% Cu. The Company anticipates Winter 2023 exploration programs at both projects. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Ian Fraser P.Geo." CEO, VP Exploration, Director For Further Information Please Contact: Ian Fraser, Chief Executive Officer and Vice-President, Exploration 1-403-650-9760 Email: ifraser@fathomnickel.com or Manish Grigo, Director of Corporate Development +1-416-569-3292 Email: mgrigo @fathomnickel.com Forward Looking Statements: This news release contains "forward-looking statements" that are based on expectations, estimates, projections and interpretations as at the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "seek", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "suggest", "indicate" and other similar words or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur, and include, without limitation, statements regarding payment of terms under the Option Agreement, permitting for the Property, receipt of an exploration permit, timing of the exploration program on the Property and the Company achieving the earn-in thresholds under the Option Agreement. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward- looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES. ANY FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS RESTRICTION MAY CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF U.S. SECURITIES LAWS To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151524 Additions reflect Wilson Sonsini's focus on the needs of UK and European tech companies Wilson Sonsini's unique story in London: Building an integrated, US/UK-qualified, transatlantic team experienced in areas that help UK and European tech companies compete and win on the global stage Since opening in London in 2018, Wilson Sonsini remains driven by UK and European tech companies' demand for Silicon Valley-style business, strategic, and legal advice in their local geography Wilson Sonsini Goodrich Rosati, the premier provider of legal services to technology, life sciences, and growth enterprises worldwide, announced today that Fleur Benns, Sarah Lane, and Martin Luff have joined the firm as partners in the London office. The addition reflects Wilson Sonsini's continued growth in London and that the firm has extended its London-based service offerings to include employee incentives and benefits (Benns), tax (Lane), and employment (Luff). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230117005317/en/ Fleur Benns, Partner, Wilson Sonsini (Photo: Business Wire) The combination of new practice areas and Wilson Sonsini's existing US and UK corporate and regulatory capabilities in London means the firm now has an integrated, US/UK-qualified, transatlantic deal team under one roof and one brand in London, with the core strategic skillsets that UK and European tech companies need to successfully grow their businesses. Since opening in London in 2018, Wilson Sonsini has expanded by adding talented transatlantic-focused lawyers who apply their international experience to support the growth of UK and European tech companies from launching, scaling, and raising capital to exiting via M&A, IPO, or otherwise with a particular focus on UK and European tech companies exploring US expansion, fundraising and/or exit. The firm has a formidable position in London's tech ecosystem and also other UK and European markets as the go-to firm for technology companies with transatlantic ambitions. Originally launching its London office with one US partner and a handful of professional staff, Wilson Sonsini now has 38 London-based US, UK and dual US/UK-qualified attorneys including 11 partners and nearly 50 London employees overall. "Our decision to open in London was driven by market demand for the unique mix of legal and strategic business-related advice that has always been a hallmark of Silicon Valley," said Doug Clark, managing partner at Wilson Sonsini. "Since then, market demand in London is why we've grown, through steady and strategic additions of talented attorneys like Fleur, Sarah, and Martin. This is also why we've added core skillsets, like theirs, that UK and European tech companies want and need to successfully grow their businesses and we have all of that in one office, under Wilson Sonsini's unique brand." Fleur Benns was previously a legal director within the Share Plans and Incentives team at Pinsent Masons LLP since 2018. She has more than 20 years of experience as a specialist employee incentives and benefits attorney, with particular experience in the technology and life sciences sectors combined with experience supporting US companies on incentive issues arising in respect of both acquisitions and investments into the UK. She has advised on the implementation of equity and share plans and on the operation of existing arrangements for public and private companies, including those with private equity and venture capital investors. Previously, she worked closely with the corporate teams at her firms on investment and M&A transaction support. Prior to joining Pinsent Masons, Benns worked as a legal director within a specialist employee incentives and benefits team at Bird Bird LLP from 2010 to 2018. Before that, she was a senior associate at Baker McKenzie from 2007 to 2009; an associate at Taylor Wessing LLP from 2001 to 2007; and an associate and trainee at Olswang LLP from 1997 to 2001. She received her undergraduate degree from King's College, University of London and her legal qualifications from the College of Law. She is admitted to practise as a Solicitor of England and Wales. Sarah Lane was previously senior tax counsel in Simpson Thacher's London office. At Simpson, she led tax work on multiple M&A and capital markets transactions. She has worked in both law firms and tax consultancy, including 12 years as a partner in a Big 4 firm dealing with international tax and M&A across a broad range of sectors from tech to capital markets. Her experience includes providing tax advice in the venture capital, M&A, private equity, and fund formation spaces and dealing with major international transactions, as well as advising clients on tax disputes. She particularly enjoys working with early-stage clients to establish their businesses and partnering with them as they grow. Her past experience includes time as an academic at the University of Leeds. She received her M.A. degree from Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford and trained and qualified as a solicitor with Linklaters in London. She is admitted to practise as a Solicitor of England and Wales. Martin Luff is a US and UK-qualified employment lawyer and supports clients on a broad range of UK, US and international personnel matters. He was previously counsel in the London office of Vinson Elkins for the past seven years. From 2009 to 2015, he was based in the Vinson Elkins Houston office. He has extensive experience dealing with the employment aspects of business transactions. He also counsels clients on day-to-day UK and US human resources and personnel issues, including employment and consultancy agreements, international employee transfers and expatriate arrangements, disciplinary and performance issues, non-competition and non-solicitation covenants, redundancies and group layoffs, senior executive terminations, and employment disputes. Luff joined Vinson Elkins in 2009 from global consulting firm ERM, where he served as in-house legal counsel in Houston and London. He began his career in 2002 as a trainee, then employment associate, at UK firm Travers Smith, where he worked until 2007. He received his LL.M. from the University of Texas School of Law, his LPC in law from Nottingham Law School, and his B.A. with honors from the University of Nottingham. He is admitted to practise as a Solicitor of England and Wales, and in Texas. Wilson Sonsini's London team has advised numerous iconic, high-growth UK- and European-based tech companies on significant transatlantic financing and exit transactions since opening the office in 2018. A representative list includes Babylon, Beamery, Checkout.com, Current Health, Multiverse, Oxbotica, Peakon, Stability AI, TrueLayer, and WaveOptics. During the same time frame, the firm's London-led US expansion team has counseled over 1,000 UK and other European start-ups on establishing and scaling US operations. "In tech, the US-UK dynamic is not just the special relationship it's the essential relationship. There are more unicorns in the UK than anywhere else in Europe, and most of those companies have raised capital from US venture and growth capital investors," said Daniel Glazer, managing partner of Wilson Sonsini's London office. "Since launching in London in 2018, we've heard from the market loud and clear that UK and European tech companies want an integrated US-UK service offering, free from friction created by choice of governing law, time zones, and differing market norms and expectations. Our US/UK-qualified London team backed by lawyers across our 14 US offices who have a particular cross-border focus provides the transatlantic support for UK and European tech companies to compete and win in America and globally." About Wilson Sonsini Goodrich Rosati For more than 60 years, Wilson Sonsini's services and legal disciplines have focused on serving the principal challenges faced by the management and boards of directors of business enterprises. The firm is nationally recognized as a leading provider to growing and established clients seeking legal counsel to complete sophisticated corporate and technology transactions; manage governance and enterprise-scale matters; assist with intellectual property development, protection, and IP-driven transactions; represent them in contested disputes; and/or advise them on antitrust or other regulatory matters. With deep roots in Silicon Valley, Wilson Sonsini has 19 offices in technology and business hubs worldwide. For more information, please visit www.wsgr.com. ADDITIONAL FACTS AND INFORMATION Quotes From New Partners "Joining Wilson Sonsini gives me a chance to contribute to the firm's legacy of working with iconic technology and life sciences clients," said Fleur Benns, who focuses her practice on employee incentives and benefits. "I look forward to working with the firm's team in London and helping UK and European tech and life sciences clients seeking to compete and win in America and globally." "Wilson Sonsini has an amazing and special brand that grew out of its long-time practice of representing innovative companies," said Sarah Lane, who focuses her practice on corporate tax matters. "The firm also has a unique position in London in that it's truly focused on technology clients and now has an integrated, dual-qualified, transatlantic deal team." "I share the collaborative, Silicon Valley-inspired spirit you find in the firm's London office and across the firm," said Martin Luff, who focuses his practice on employment matters. "That type of collaboration and approach is valued by our clients and is what helps make Wilson Sonsini unique. The corporate practice is comprehensive in scope, and I'm excited about being a part of the integrated, dual-qualified, transatlantic team in London that has core strategic skillsets that UK and European entrepreneurs need to grow their companies." Representative Clients and Matters Advising Babylon Health on $550 million Series C financing on $550 million Series C financing Advising Babylon Health on NYSE listing via SPAC on NYSE listing via SPAC Advising Beamery on $50 million Series D financing on $50 million Series D financing Advising Checkout.com on $230 million Series A financing on $230 million Series A financing Advising Checkout.com on $150 million Series B financing on $150 million Series B financing Advising Checkout.com on $450 million Series C financing on $450 million Series C financing Advising Checkout.com on $1 billion Series D financing on $1 billion Series D financing Advising Current Health on $400 million acquisition by Best Buy on $400 million acquisition by Best Buy Advising Current Health on $43 million Series B financing on $43 million Series B financing Advising Multiverse on $44 million Series B funding on $44 million Series B funding Advising Multiverse on $130 million Series C funding on $130 million Series C funding Advising Multiverse on $220 million Series D funding on $220 million Series D funding Advising Oxbotica on $47 million Series B funding on $47 million Series B funding Advising Oxbotica on $140 million Series C funding on $140 million Series C funding Advising Peakon on $700 million acquisition by Workday on $700 million acquisition by Workday Advising Stability AI on $101 million funding on $101 million funding Advising TrueLayer on $130 million financing on $130 million financing Advising TrueLayer on $70 million Series D financing on $70 million Series D financing Advising WaveOptics on acquisition by Snap Other Key Facts Headcount [Totals below are as of 01/09/2023.] London Employees: 49 London Attorneys: 38 London Partners: 11 [Includes the new UK partners and Jose Campos (partner-elect)] View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230117005317/en/ Contacts: Wayne Kessler Baretz+Brunelle 732.239.9710 Mobile wkessler@baretzbrunelle.com DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chief Minister of Maharashtra, India, Shri Eknath Shinde, has lined up 21 Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with leading foreign investors and global companies, worth over $17 billion, at the World Economic Forum (WEF). The investments are estimated to create more than 66,500 jobs over the next few years. These investments are aimed at jumpstarting Maharashtra on its ambitious $ 1-trillion economy goal journey. Of these, the majority are greenfield projects in Data Centres, pharmaceuticals, logistics, chemicals, automobiles, electric vehicles, renewable energy and ESDM, which will foster inclusive growth, job creation and sustainable development. Shri Shinde is on a two-day visit to Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum (WEF). Chief Minister of Maharashtra Eknath Shinde stated: "Maharashtra has been a key driver and contributor to India's economic growth. We are leading the way in delivering ground-breaking investment opportunities and building confidence for the investing community. These MOUs demonstrate the heightened interest in the state and are a testament to Maharashtra's progressive policies and investor-friendly initiatives under our new government. I have presented the progressive policy reforms of my government, making the state a part of the global conversation, to reiterate to political leaders and global investors why Maharashtra is a premier investment destination." Maharashtra also signed the prestigious three-year Platform Partnership with the WEF, a commercial contract for continuous engagements on subjects of strategic importance to the State. The subjects focus on Shaping the Future of Urban Transformation - smart and connected cities, urban resilience, governance, infrastructure & services and resource management - and New Economies and Societies, focusing on entrepreneurship, education & skills, economic growth and job creation. During his visit, Shri Shinde also will be presenting Maharashtra's progressive policies and investor-friendly outlook to key political and government representatives from Luxembourg, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore, among others. About Maharashtra: Maharashtra is one of the most industrialised states in India, contributing 16% to the country's industrial output and 15% to its GDP. The service sector contributes the most to the state's economy, accounting for 62% of its GDP, while the manufacturing sector is the second-largest contributor to the state's economy, accounting for 20% of its GDP. Major industries in Maharashtra include automobiles, engineering, textiles, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, petrochemicals, food processing and IT/ITeS. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/chief-minister-of-maharashtra-eknath-shinde-lines-up-mous-in-excess-of-17-billion-with-investors-during-visit-to-the-world-economic-forum-301722857.html VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Standard Lithium Ltd. ("Standard Lithium" or the "Company") (TSXV: SLI) (NYSE American: SLI) (FRA: S5L), a leading near-commercial lithium company, announces that two experienced energy executives, Claudia D'Orazio and Anca Rusu, have joined its Board as independent directors of the Company, effective immediately. "We are pleased to welcome Claudia and Anca to Standard Lithium's Board of Directors during such an important stage of growth for the Company," said Robert Cross, Chairman of the Board. "Both are accomplished senior executives who bring decades of experience in the energy sector. Claudia's technical and financial acumen and human resources expertise, coupled with Anca's experience in project development and focus on safety and environmental excellence, will be of great value to Standard Lithium as we continue to progress towards commercialization." Claudia D'Orazio, CPA, is an accomplished senior executive with leadership experience across a range of industries, including oil and gas, energy, mining, public audit, and finance. She is currently the Vice President and Chief Human Resources & Technology Officer of Centerra Gold Inc., a publicly traded Canadian-based gold mining company. Prior to joining Centerra Gold, Ms. D'Orazio held several leadership roles with Pembina Pipeline Corporation from 2006 to 2020, ending as Vice President, Human Resources. She spent the first half of her career in public audit and finance at the Royal Bank of Canada, and KPMG LLP. Ms. D'Orazio is currently a Board member of the Canadian Mineral Industry Education Foundation. She holds a Chartered Professional Accountant Designation and Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Management Information Systems from McGill University. Anca Rusu is a strategic leader with over 20 years of experience directing global capital projects within the energy sector. She most recently served as the Special Advisor, Projects and Engineering for Royal Dutch Shell, where she supported the re-positioning of the global Projects organization to align with the company's focus on the energy transition. Ms. Rusu joined Royal Dutch Shell in 2005 and has held a variety of leadership roles there, including Vice President, Safety and Environment Excellence and Vice President, Projects Shell Chemical Appalachia, where she led the construction of Shell's major petrochemical plant in Pennsylvania. She began her career as an engineering, procurement, and construction contractor in her role as a project engineer. Ms. Rusu currently serves on the National Board of the Project Management Association of Canada and as an Advisory Board member for Moss Lake Partners LP, a US-based midstream logistics start-up. She holds a Professional Engineer Designation in Ontario, Canada, an MBA from York University and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Mechanical Engineering from Politechnica University of Bucharest. Standard Lithium CEO, Robert Mintak stated, "I am very pleased to welcome Anca and Claudia, two exceptional, independent directors to our Board. Both bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise across the energy, resource and finance sectors that will significantly strengthen and complement the current makeup of our Board." About Standard Lithium Ltd. Standard Lithium is a leading near-commercial lithium development company with a portfolio of projects in process. The Company's flagship projects, the LANXESS Property Project and the South West Arkansas Project, are located in southern Arkansas near the Louisiana state line. The Company is focused on the evaluation and testing of commercial lithium extraction and purification from brine sourced from approximately 180,000 acres of unitized leases across these two projects. The Company operates a first-of-a-kind industrial-scale Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) Demonstration Plant at the LANXESS Property Project. The scalable, environmentally friendly process eliminates the use of evaporation ponds, reduces processing time from months to hours and greatly increases the effective recovery of lithium. A Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) and Front-End Engineering Study (FEED) for Phase 1A of the LANXESS Property Project commenced in September 2022. A Preliminary Feasibility Study (PFS) of the South West Arkansas Project commenced in May 2022. The Company is also pursuing the resource development of approximately 45,000 acres of mineral leases located in the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California. Standard Lithium is jointly listed on the TSX Venture Exchange and the NYSE American under the trading symbol "SLI"; and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol "S5L". Please visit the Company's website at https://www.standardlithium.com. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target, "plan", "forecast", "may", "schedule" and other similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information may relate to plans at the LANXESS Property Project and the South West Arkansas Project, future prices of commodities, accuracy of mineral or resource exploration activity, reserves or resources, regulatory or government requirements or approvals, the reliability of third party information, continued access to mineral properties or infrastructure, fluctuations in the market for lithium and its derivatives, changes in exploration costs and government regulation in Canada and the United States, and other factors or information. Such statements represent the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations. Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. (TOKYO:5802) (ISIN:JP3407400005) has received its first overseas commercial order for power line communication (PLC)* string* monitoring units from a German photovoltaic (PV) power generation and Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) company, bes new Energy GmbH. The products have been installed at an existing solar power plant (in operation for about 12 years with an output of 5 MW) and have been operating since October this year. In Europe, a great number of PV power plants have been installed over the last two decades. Accordingly, many solar power plants and string monitoring units have been in operation for more than 10 years, and an increasing number of facilities are experiencing operational problems due to breakdowns and deterioration after a long period of operation. For this reason, there is a growing need to replace string monitoring units. Looking at this trend at existing power plants, Sumitomo Electric conducted a project to demonstrate the advantages of its PLC string monitoring units in Germany in cooperation with Fraunhofer-Institut fur Solare Energiesysteme ISE. As a result, the products were highly evaluated for their significant improvement in power generation efficiency, which became a key reason for winning this order. Amid growing expectations for the further spread and efficient use of renewable energy toward the realization of a decarbonized society, it is believed that the need for replacing string monitoring units at solar power plants will continue to grow. In order to contribute to the improvement of power generation efficiency, Sumitomo Electric will strive to develop more useful PLC string monitoring units and provide better ancillary services, aiming to realize safe and comfortable life on our green planet. Features of Sumitomo Electric PLC string monitoring units for solar power plants 1. PLC technology used for transmission of string data Reducing the construction period and costs of solar power plants by eliminating the need for the construction of communication lines No potential difference in the unit in the event of lightning damage due to the elimination of communication lines, achieving lightning protection characteristics higher than those of the RS-485 communication protocol Achieving data communication more stable than other communication protocols (RS-485, radio) thanks to Sumitomo Electric's unique noise resistance performance 2. Structure that facilitates retrofitting work (clamping the current sensor) 3. AI-based analysis of the data, which is obtained by the string monitoring unit, on the cloud to send a daily email in the event of a fault and offer a diagnosis service (optional) 4. Track record of shipping more than 10,000 units to solar power plants in Japan *1 Power line communication: A technology designed to use a power line as a communication channel. Sumitomo Electric products superimpose string current data signals on DC power lines. *2 String: A minimum configuration unit of series-connected solar panels Reference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tio2BhKEyUk View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221214006088/en/ Contacts: For media inquiries, please contact: Reika Nishihira (nishihira-reika@sei.co.jp) Public Relations Department Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. TEL: +81-3-6406-2701 By Ahn Ho-young There are times when a government is expected to make a declaration on the basic orientation of its foreign and security policy. In my mind, we are presently living through one such time. I am glad that the Korean government rose to the occasion and brilliantly met that expectation. As we look back, 1953, the year when the fighting stopped for the Korean War through a truce agreement, was such a time as well. In the middle of the Cold War, Korea entered into the Mutual Security Treaty with the United States. Through the treaty, Korea declared to the world that Korea's foreign and security policy will be based on a liberal democracy, a market economy, human rights and the rule of law. That declaration laid the foundations for Korea's economic development and political democratization. Forty years later, the Cold War came to an end. Former communist countries rushed to seek reforms and liberalization. It looked possible to expand the "rule-based international order" to the whole world. This time, Korea declared its "Northern Policy" aimed at normalizing relations with former communist countries. The policy provided an opportunity for Korea to extend its diplomacy to cover the whole world. It also provided an opportunity to accelerate Korea's economic development. The per capita GDP for Korea, which stood at $6,600 in 1990, has risen exponentially to more than $35,000 nowadays. Korea was one of the most impressive beneficiaries of the globalization of international relations and economics in the post-Cold War era. Unfortunately, that era is coming to an end. The "rule-based international order" is meeting with huge challenges. In February last year, Russia and China promised cooperation "without limits." Soon enough, Russia invaded Ukraine, for the simple reason that Ukraine wishes to join NATO and the EU, bastions of liberal democracy and market economics. For almost a year now, Russia has relentlessly assaulted the Ukrainian military, civilians and basic infrastructure necessary for life. Russia bombarded even nuclear reactors and often threatens Ukraine with the use of nuclear weapons. There's a fear that such a blatant attack on a peaceful neighbor can be repeated in other parts of the world. It also seriously interferes with the free flow of goods and resources, further undermining economies around the world. President Biden calls these challenges a fight "between democracy and autocracy." German Chancellor Olaf Scholz calls them "Zeitenwende," meaning an inflection point in history. With whatever name you choose to call them, Korea has to brace itself for fundamental changes in the security and economic environment of the world and the Indo-Pacific. It was against such a backdrop that Korea declared its Indo-Pacific Strategy on Dec. 28, last year. The declaration deserves much praise. It carries messages right for the time we live in, and right for the gravity of the situation. The declaration recognizes the gravity of the times at the very beginning: "Recently, there has been a rise in a combination of challenges that threaten a free, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific. (...) and there is growing concern about democratic backsliding and challenges to universal values such as freedom, the rule of law and human rights." Given such recognition of the times, the declaration keeps on emphasizing the importance for Korea to work to preserve the "rules-based international order," and concludes with nine core lines of effort that need to be made. The first core line is "Building regional order based on norms and rules"; "In realizing the vision for a free Indo-Pacific, the Republic of Korea is committed to partnering with like-minded countries that share the values of freedom, the rule of law and human rights as well as international norms to contribute to the stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region." The declaration has already met with highly positive responses from the U.S., Canada, other NATO members and Australia, the countries that are committed to defending the "rule-based international order." Each of them welcomed the common orientation expressed through Korea's declaration and looked forward to cooperating closely with Korea in the days to come. The spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry responded with a neutral comment, "China hopes that Korea works for the development of sound and stable Korea-China relations." With respect to China, the declaration recognizes the country as "a key partner for achieving prosperity and peace in the Indo-Pacific region," and states that Korea "will nurture a sounder and more mature relationship, as we pursue shared interests based on mutual respect and reciprocity, guided by international norms and rules." Given the geopolitical and geoeconomic reality of Korea, China is "a key partner," and Korea must develop sound and stable relations with China. A point that must be clarified by Korea up front is that these efforts should not interfere with Korea's security alliance with the U.S., a quintessential partner for Korea to maintain international norms and rules. Korea's declaration made the point sufficiently clear. Ahn Ho-young (hyahn78@mofa.or.kr) is chair professor of North Korean studies, Kyungnam University. He also served as Korean ambassador to the U.S. and vice foreign minister. BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - Whirlpool Corp. (WHR) announced the completion of the strategic review of its EMEA business. The company will contribute its European major domestic appliance business, and Arcelik will contribute its major domestic appliance, consumer electronics, air conditioning, and small domestic appliance businesses into a newly formed entity of which Whirlpool will own 25% and Arcelik 75%. The new entity is expected to have combined sales of over 6 billion euros. The combined businesses are anticipated to generate cost synergies of over 200 million euros. Post closing, Whirlpool expects full-year cash provided by operations and free cash flow to increase by approximately $100 and $250 million, respectively. Separately, Whirlpool agreed in principle to the sale of Whirlpool's Middle East and Africa business to Arcelik. In connection with the deal, Whirlpool Corp. recorded a non-cash loss on disposal of approximately $1.5 billion in the fourth-quarter of 2022. The transaction is expected to negatively impact full-year 2022 earnings per share by approximately $26.00 to $28.00 on a GAAP basis with no expected material impact on an ongoing basis. Whirlpool also stated that, during the fourth-quarter, its North America region experienced a significant one-off supply chain disruption primarily involving one critical supplier which has since been resolved. This disruption negatively impacted the company's sales, production volumes, and EBIT margins in the fourth-quarter of 2022. Looking forward to 2023, the company expects supply constraints to significantly improve during the first quarter, as they have already begun to ease. Whirlpool announced estimated preliminary 2022 ongoing earnings per share of approximately $19.25, down 28% from prior year. Ongoing EBIT is projected to be approximately $1.335 billion, a decline of 43%. GAAP loss per share is projected to be approximately $27.50. Net sales are estimated to be approximately $19.70 billion, down 10% from last year. Whirlpool expects 2023 operational performance to be similar to 2022. For more earnings news, earnings calendar, and earnings for stocks, visit rttnews.com. Copyright(c) 2023 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. CEPI to provide up to USD4.3 million (AUD6.4 million) to Vaxxas to advance development of its high-density microarray patch for mRNA vaccines. Vaxxas' vaccine-delivery platform could improve access to mRNA vaccines by removing the need for frozen storage, enabling easier distribution and offering accurate and safe dosing with minimal waste. CEPI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and Vaxxas, a clinical-stage biotechnology company commercializing a novel vaccination platform, have signed a partnership agreement to advance the development of Vaxxas' needle-free vaccine-patch delivery technology in a project that could end the need for frozen storage of mRNA vaccines. CEPI will provide up to USD4.3 million (AUD6.4 million) for preclinical testing of Vaxxas' platform-a needle- free, high-density microarray patch (HD-MAP) to assess its stability, safety and immunogenicity and to evaluate its potential as a rapid-response technology for heat-stable, dried-formulation mRNA vaccines. This project is the first to be announced as part of CEPI's January 2022 call for proposals, aimed at improving thermostability of-and thereby improving equitable access to-a variety of new vaccine platforms. This call forms part of CEPI's wider strategic goal of harnessing innovative technologies to improve the speed, scale and access of vaccine development and manufacturing in response to epidemic and pandemic threats. The potential of needle-free vaccines HD-MAPs are made up of thousands of microscopic points attached to a small patch. Each of these micro-projections contains a tiny dose of vaccine in a dried formulation. When applied to the skin, the patch delivers vaccine to the abundant immune cells immediately below the skin surface. HD-MAP vaccine delivery offers many potential advantages over more traditional ways of administering vaccines. For example, the dried form of the vaccine is more stable at higher temperatures than vaccines in liquid formulations. Vaxxas' HD-MAPs have proven safe and tolerable in hundreds of trial participants to date, and have been shown to induce equal or greater immune responses to injected vaccines at lower doses. Compared with needle and syringe systems, they are also much easier to administer and are likely to have greater acceptability. Ultimately, HD-MAP patches could enable a future in which vaccine patches could be mailed directly to peoples' homes, workplaces and schools, avoiding the delay and inconvenience of traditional needle-and-syringe vaccine scheduling and administration. Enabling equitable access to vaccines CEPI and Vaxxas are committed to enabling global equitable access to the vaccines they develop including those incorporating patch technology. Under the terms of the funding agreement, Vaxxas has committed to achieving equitable access to the outputs of this project including prioritization of supply for low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), production of vaccine volumes required to meet public health needs, with affordable pricing, and the potential technology transfer to LMIC manufacturers in line with CEPI's Equitable Access Policy. Jane Halton, Chair of CEPI, said: "As we have witnessed with COVID-19, equitable access to vaccines must be at the heart of any effective pandemic response. This is a guiding principle for all of CEPI's investments. Combining Vaxxas' vaccine-patch technology with the speed and effectiveness of mRNA vaccines could produce a tool that is not only suited as a rapid-response platform for use against unknown pathogens, but could also serve as an additional means to get life-saving vaccines to the most vulnerable populations around the world." Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI, said: "The advances in mRNA vaccine technology were critical to the global response to COVID-19. One of the major challenges the world faced in getting these life-saving vaccines to vulnerable populations was the need to store them at very low temperatures. One possible way to improve access to mRNA vaccines in future would be to adapt their formulation so that they could be delivered using microarray patches. This removes the need for frozen storage, allows for easier distribution and safe delivery with accurate dosing. These qualities make this technology particularly promising as a platform for rapid delivery of vaccines in an outbreak situation, particularly in harder to reach regions." David Hoey, Vaxxas Chief Executive Officer, said: "Earning this significant funding from one of the world leaders in vaccine development is a great honor, and validates the benefits offered by Vaxxas' HD-MAP vaccine platform in the fight against global epidemic and pandemic threats. In addition to providing an opportunity to get life-saving vaccines for infectious diseases that have a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable populations around the world, the advanced development of HD-MAP delivery of mRNA vaccines could also prove very beneficial for the development of Vaxxas' internal pipeline across a number of diseases, including Covid-19." About CEPI CEPI is an innovative partnership between public, private, philanthropic, and civil organizations, launched in 2017, to develop vaccines against future epidemics. Its mission is to accelerate the development of vaccines and other biologic countermeasures against epidemic and pandemic threats so they can be accessible to all people in need. Prior to COVID-19, CEPI's work focused on developing vaccines against Ebola virus, Lassa virus, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus, Nipah virus, Rift Valley Fever virus and Chikungunya virus it has over 20 vaccine candidates against these pathogens in development. CEPI has also invested in new platform technologies for rapid vaccine development against unknown pathogens (Disease X). CEPI has played a central role in the global response to COVID-19, supporting the development of the world's largest portfolio of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants with a focus on speed, scale and access, as well as co-leading COVAX, the global initiative to deliver fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. CEPI is also the world's leading funder of R&D for broadly protective coronavirus vaccines which could protect against future variants of COVID-19 as well as other coronaviruses with epidemic and pandemic potential. CEPI has embarked upon an ambitious US$3.5bn five-year plan called CEPI 2.0 to dramatically reduce or even eliminate the future risk of pandemics and epidemics. Central to the plan is CEPI's goal supported by the G7 and G20 to compress the time taken to develop safe, effective, globally accessible vaccines against new threats to just 100 days. Achieving this '100 Days Mission' would give the world a fighting chance of containing a future outbreak before it spreads to become a global pandemic. Read the plan at endpandemics.cepi.net/ About Vaxxas Vaxxas is a privately held biotechnology company focused on enhancing the performance of existing and next-generation vaccines with its proprietary high-density microarray patch (HD-MAP). Vaxxas is targeting initial applications in infectious disease and oncology. In addition to a Phase I clinical study of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate patch, Vaxxas is performing demonstration work in preparation for clinical evaluation under contract with the United States Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) on pandemic vaccination solutions. Vaxxas' core technology was initially developed at The University of Queensland (UQ), and the company was established as a start-up in 2011 by UQ's commercialization company UniQuest. The company was founded with the completion of an initial equity financing led by OneVentures Innovation Fund I with co-investors Brandon Capital Partners, Brandon BioCatalyst, and US-based HealthCare Ventures, followed by a further financing led by OneVentures. OneVentures Innovation Fund I and Brandon BioCatalyst are supported by the Australian Government's Innovation Investment Fund (IIF) program. The IIF is an Australian Government venture capital initiative that provides investment capital and managerial expertise through licensed venture capital fund managers to investee companies. Learn more at www.one-ventures.com and www.brandoncapital.vc. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230117005395/en/ Contacts: Media CEPI E: press@cepi.net P: +44 7387 055214 Vaxxas In United States: Kathryn Morris The Yates Network +1 914 204 6412 kathryn@theyatesnetwork.com In Australia: Amy Miller WE Communications +61 431 072 422 amymi@we-worldwide.com Boehringer Ingelheim is one of 15 global Top Employers worldwide Outstanding employer benefits with emphasis on wellbeing, attractive work environment, and rewards and recognition The Top Employers Institute awarded Boehringer Ingelheim for the third year in succession a "Global Top Employer", one of the world's 15 best employers. The certification also highlights the company's commitment to prioritizing mental health for employees. Boehringer Ingelheim's employer offerings do particularly stand out in the dimensions of wellbeing, work environment, as well as rewards and recognition. The results reflect the company's holistic employee healthcare and wellbeing approach that, beyond its emphasis on mental health, integrates concepts of physical, social and financial health. Through dedicated programs and offers, its employees receive support that is relevant for them and their families. This includes a work environment of physical and emotional security, an inclusive way of working together creating a sense of belonging, mental health awareness initiatives and manager trainings, in-house psychologists and counsellors, focus on work-life-balance, opportunities for volunteering, and competitive pay and benefits. "People are at the core of everything that our company does. The strong human dimension of our corporate culture implies a commitment to our people as individuals, not just as professionals. The Global Top Employers award acknowledges that," says Dr Sven Sommerlatte, Global Head of Human Resources at Boehringer Ingelheim. "By prioritizing our employees' mental health, we want to ensure that our colleagues feel empowered to ask for help and be able to rely on each other's support when in need." Mental disorders affect one in eight people worldwide and mental health conditions can substantially impact all areas of life, including relationships with family and friends, the ability to participate in the community or work performance.1 While the need to take good care of physical health is well established, the awareness and means for taking appropriate care of mental health still receives significantly less attention. Boehringer Ingelheim strives to curb the stigma often experienced by people with mental health conditions as an employer and beyond. The research-driven company has a longstanding commitment to mental health research that could offer a more targeted approach to addressing and treating the underlying brain biology, also known as precision psychiatry. Boehringer Ingelheim has been listed among the top employers in multiple countries and regions for the past nine years. This year, Boehringer Ingelheim will receive the award in 29 countries, as well as additional certifications in Europe, the Asia Pacific, and ranked first the Latin America regions. Please click on the following link for 'Notes to Editors' and 'References': https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/about-us/corporate-profile/global-top-employer-2023 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230117005538/en/ Contacts: Boehringer Ingelheim Corporate Affairs Sarah Soetbeer 55216 Ingelheim/Germany Phone: 06132 77 183874 Email: press@boehringer-ingelheim.com Schaan, Liechtenstein, Jan 17, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - EtherMail, the first Web3 email solution setting the standard for anonymous and encrypted wallet-to-wallet communication, facilitated Web3 voting for Decrypt Studios' inaugural Crypties Awards 2022.Launched by Decrypt Studios, the Web3 production studio, The Crypties are the crypto industry's preeminent annual awards initiative, showcasing the standout achievements of Web3 innovators. A decentralized token-gated voting system for the inaugural awards, held at Art Basel Miami in November 2022, was open to the public with a number of nominees across nine categories such as NFT Project of the Year, DAO of the Year, and more.EtherMail enabled Decrypt Studios to engage members of the community and distribute the Crypties voting NFT to voters, providing a seamless voting mechanism for the community to participate in selecting the winners of the Crypties Awards. Through this integration, Crypties voters will also now be able to receive future updates about the Crypties directly into their EtherMail inbox, driven by token-gated dynamic mailing lists. Thanks to EtherMail, Decrypt Studios received over 64,000 sign-ups with a 40% vote cast rate by airdropping NFTs to their community.To vote for The Crypties, members simply had to create an EtherMail account, after which they received a welcome email inviting them to cast their vote on The Crypties voting platform. The user's voting token was airdropped to the crypto wallet associated with their account, which granted them exclusive access to the voting process. Once the vote was registered, the user's voting token was burned and replaced with an "I Voted" NFT.EtherMail is the only tool in the Web3 space that allows Web3 companies to send rich, relevant content directly to their asset holders based on up-to-the-minute information. By leveraging EtherMail, companies always have an up-to-date registry of their entire set of asset holders, and can create customized email and automated communication streams. Included in EtherMail's future pipeline will be the introduction of its native utility token, $EMT, an ERC-20 token based on the Ethereum network. EMT will be a first-of-its-kind incentivization mechanism designed to reward email users for their time and attention reading unsolicited emails, creating a much-needed framework for email economics.Shant Kevonian, CEO and Founder of EtherMail, said: "Given how often tokens and NFTs are bought and sold across the Web3 ecosystem, it has been impossible for projects to maintain direct contact with current holders of their assets. The key word is 'current'. Keeping pace with the ever-changing pool of holders requires consensual self-updating mailing lists based on real-time, blockchain-synced data. This is precisely what we've developed, a Web3 email solution tailored to the needs of Web3 projects. We're delighted to have worked alongside Decrypt Studios, a true industry heavyweight at the cutting edge of Web3 innovation."Joshua Roth, VP of Development at Decrypt Studios, said: "The EtherMail and Crypties "Get Out the Vote" campaign proved the power of EtherMail as a customer engagement, awareness, and information distribution tool. Not only were we able to reach a wide audience of new users, but the product's flexibility allowed us to define our parameters of voting and provide great ease of use for our voters."Further details on the collaboration can be viewed on the dedicated case study page.Join the official EtherMail Telegram channel here: https://t.me/ethermail_official and follow the latest developments on twitter: https://twitter.com/ethermail_io.For more information on how EtherMail can help your project maintain a direct and secure line of communication with your asset holders, visit: https://ethermail.io/daos.About EtherMailEtherMail is the first Web3 Email Solution setting the standard for anonymous and encrypted wallet-to-wallet communication. With EtherMail, companies can send rich, relevant content directly to their asset holders based on blockchain-synced real time information. EtherMail also allows fully anonymous P2P communication and rewards its users for reading relevant content in their inbox.About Decrypt StudiosDecrypt Studios is a Web3 creative studio providing blockchain solutions for brands, strategic partners, and IRL and metaverse events. Decrypt Studios demystifies digital assets and virtual worlds, providing tools to help stakeholders reach new audiences via Web3 offerings and activations. With our finger on the pulse of the industry via sister organization Decrypt Media, Decrypt Studios cuts through the hype to provide real-world results across the scope of the blockchain ecosystem.Media contact:lorcan@forewordventure.commarketing@ethersuite.ioSource: EtherMailDecrypt StudiosCopyright 2023 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. China Eastern Airlines (China Eastern) has recently seen a sharp increase in its daily passenger count as the number of its flights gradually recovered. On Jan. 12, 2023, the company operated 2,030 flights and handled more than 210,000 passenger trips, which represented a new high in the recent six months. In mid-January, the number of flights and passenger flow of the airline has continued to rise, while the number of inbound and outbound trips starting to rebound with the resumption of international routes. According to the international flight schedules recently released by China Eastern, the airline plans to operate 400 international flights on 43 routes between Jan. 8 and 31, with the number of international flights climbing 220 percent year on year. The company has also resumed flights on international routes between Shanghai and Southeast Asian countries, Australia, and European countries and increased the frequency of flights on these routes. China Eastern pays close attention to the demand of the international market and relevant conditions in overseas airports, continuously optimizes and adjusts its network of international air routes, makes reasonable flight schedules, and resumes some popular international air routes in an orderly manner. According to the airline, it has operated three flights a week between Shanghai and Budapest since Jan. 15, and will increase the frequency of flights between Shanghai and Singapore to twice a week starting Jan. 20 and operate three flights a week between Shanghai and Auckland starting Jan. 22. It will operate three flights a week between Shanghai and Melbourne starting Jan. 23, and increase the frequency of the flights to four times a week starting Feb. 5. China Eastern is also planning to resume flights on air routes including those between Shanghai and Manila, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Dubai, Yangon, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and the island of Bali, and between Beijing Daxing International Airport and Hong Kong and Bangkok, and further increase the frequency of flights on other routes. China Eastern will continue to pay attention to the policies and requirements of various countries, carry out training in various services and practical skills for staff members in advance, expand ground service teams at airports, in a bid to provide better services for inbound and outbound passengers. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230117005560/en/ Contacts: Company: China Eastern Airlines Website: http://www.ceair.com/ Contact: fangying TEL: 00862122331470 Email: fangying@ceair.com Turkish module maker Kalyon Solar Technologies said it will use newly secured state funds to expand the capacity of its vertically integrated factory in Izmir by 1 GW.Kalyon Solar Technologies has secured TRY 1.6 billion ($85.1 million) of funding from the Turkish government to increase the capacity of its vertically integrated solar module manufacturing facility in Ankara, Turkey. It has also secured exemptions from customs tax and value-added tax, in addition to other fiscal sweeteners and employees. According to a document in the Turkish official journal, the company has secured a total of ... 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. Well-Regarded Experts in Aircraft Leasing and Technology Supercharge Firm's Innovations and Best Practices to Deliver World-Class Solutions As the global aviation finance community once again gathers in Dublin, Ireland, for the industry's flagship conferences, LeaseWorks, a leading provider of cloud-based solutions and services, is excited to unveil new appointments to its Advisory Board and a series of enhancements to its market-leading suite of software solutions. As part of the firm's continuing focus on advancing aircraft lessors' agility and innovation, four well-regarded experts have joined to make industry-leading insights available to the LeaseWorks community. The most recent additions to the Product Advisory Board include: Andy Mansell, Partner at Split Rock Aviation Jonathan Lang, Merritt Brook Inc. Karen Curtis, Karen Curtis, Principal, Sinoia Group LLC Paul Mason, Principal Advisor, Archway Aviation "At LeaseWorks, we firmly believe in the power of giving lessors access to the innovations and best practices so they can stay competitive, responsive, and fast-to-market," said Haseem Vazhayil, CEO, LeaseWorks. "Our Product Advisory Board has been a core element of that strategy, and we're pleased to welcome these distinguished advisory board members, whose stellar expertise and insights will help us bring to market simple, ground-breaking solutions, delivering the unmatched value our clients can't find anywhere else when it comes to digital transformation." Andy Mansell is accomplished chief commercial officer with extensive experience in developing, implementing and executing strategies for aircraft trading and leasing, with a focus on both yield and residual value management. Prior to joining Split Rock and advising lessors, airlines and investors, Andy had thirty years of experience in the aircraft leasing industry, most of which he spent at Aviation Capital Group ("ACG") in senior positions. Andy is well regarded as a strategic thinker and has extensive experience in all facets of the aircraft leasing business, including the development of corporate strategy, origination of transactions and execution, management of OEM and airline relationships, the development and implementation of aircraft pricing, placement, and residual asset value management strategies. Jonathan Lang is known for developing and executing transformative technology strategies that are key business enablers while maintaining stable core technology operations with robust operating controls and risk management functions. Throughout a career that has spanned firms from large hedge funds with a range of investments to both pre-IPO and publicly listed firms that include Colony Capital, Aircastle Limited and Paloma Partners, he has developed technology and managed teams to help drive business value while maintaining a robust operating platform. Karen Curtis has served in a variety of entrepreneurial, senior managerial and consulting capacities responsible for defining the vision for Enterprise Architecture (EA) and managing its capabilities at large and mid-sized companies in the aviation finance, publishing and telecommunications sectors. With deep expertise in post-merger integrations, building EA teams from the ground up, and aligning IT and business strategy, her strength lies in enhancing efficiency and productivity through improving existing systems and developing enterprise-wide software solutions. Karen has also founded multiple start-up ventures, including technology consulting and the production, marketing and distribution of Hawaiian coffee. Paul Mason has served in several senior and executive roles spanning many specialties, from engineering and technical developments, commercial and airline and airport operations to aircraft leasing and financial services. Currently, he serves as Principal Advisor at Archway Aviation, a private equity funded global aircraft lessor, leading initiatives to significantly increase the value of the firm's aviation portfolio. Previously, he was Deputy to the Head of Commercial Worldwide and VP Commercial Operations at Airbus SAS and eventually led Airbus' North American operations. Paul was involved in the evolution of analog to fly-by-wire aircraft developed by Airbus, the digitalization of all-cockpit displays and flight controls, as well as the early development of autopilot enabling aircraft's autonomous operation from ground-to-altitude and altitude-to-ground. In addition to the new board appointments, LeaseWorks announced the roll-out of a series of enhancements to its product suite, including: Subsequent Events Projection: Lessors can obtain further insights by projecting subsequent maintenance events up to the end-of-life of the asset. Lessors can obtain further insights by projecting subsequent maintenance events up to the end-of-life of the asset. Letter of Credit History of Updates: Lessors can track the detailed history of Letter of Credit drawdowns and adjustments, improving the results of their audits. Lessors can track the detailed history of Letter of Credit drawdowns and adjustments, improving the results of their audits. Forecasting Performance Enhancements: A faster forecast calculation engine enhances lessors' decision-making processes. A faster forecast calculation engine enhances lessors' decision-making processes. Flexible and Brandable Portal : Lessors can create a self-service experience for airline customers, customizing the portal's interface to be in line with their brand and needs. : Lessors can create a self-service experience for airline customers, customizing the portal's interface to be in line with their brand and needs. Tableau and Power BI Embedded Dashboards: Lessors now have a one-stop shop for all their data needs, with the ability to dissect data and visualize it with customized dashboards using the Salesforce reports, Microsoft Power BI and Tableau CRM. Lessors now have a one-stop shop for all their data needs, with the ability to dissect data and visualize it with customized dashboards using the Salesforce reports, Microsoft Power BI and Tableau CRM. Journal Entry Export to ERP with API Functionality : Lessors can integrate the LeaseWorks software with their ERP using API, which eliminates manual upload and reconciliations between separate lessor management and ERP systems, significantly reducing data processing times and eliminating human error. : Lessors can integrate the LeaseWorks software with their ERP using API, which eliminates manual upload and reconciliations between separate lessor management and ERP systems, significantly reducing data processing times and eliminating human error. Airline Bulk Invoicing: Lessors can filter and fetch rent slips for bulk invoice creation, select invoices for bulk approval, generate PDF documents for the selected invoices, review the generated documents and send the approved invoices to airline customers. "With the goal of helping lessors to stay ahead of technological and industry disruptions, the LeaseWorks team is continually collaborating with members or our Advisory Board in conjunction with ongoing input from existing and prospective customers to enhance the functionalities and user experience our best-in-breed product provides," added Vazhayil. Join LeaseWorks for the next edition of Product Release Webcast on February 23, 2023, 11 a.m. U.S. Eastern 16:00 Dublin time, to preview new product developments and module enhancements within our existing product portfolio, including CRM, Technical, Contracts and Finance. Sign up for the webcast by emailing: information@lease-works.com. About LeaseWorks LeaseWorks provides cloud-based products and services to the aviation leasing community, with solutions for both lessors and airlines. Aeris MATCH helps lessors more quickly and effectively deploy their aviation assets with airlines around the globe. Aeris ASSET allows both lessors and airlines to manage the intricate details of aviation leases. These are the first two of a suite of products that will constitute a full-life-cycle portal for managing leased aviation assets. www.lease-works.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230117005282/en/ Contacts: Nicholas D'Silva Email: nicholas.dsilva@lease-works.com Phone: +1-203-663-3999 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 17, 2023 / iMetal Resources, Inc. (TSXV:IMR)(OTC PINK:ADTFF)(FRANKFURT:A7V) ("iMetal" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the assay results of the fall 2022 drill campaign at Gowganda West ("GW"). GW is an exploration-stage gold project about 100 km south-southeast of Timmins, Ontario, contiguous to Aris Gold Corp.'s Juby Project in the Shining Tree Camp of the southern part of the Abitibi Greenstone Gold Belt; contiguous also with the Knight project that is part of the Strategic Partnership between Orefinders Resources Inc. and Agnico Eagle Mines Limited. A total of seven drill holes were completed for a total meterage of 2611m. All seven holes intersected gold mineralization in multiple intervals. Highlights include: Hole IMGW-22-01 1.00m at 0.71 grams per tonne gold, ("g/t"), from 397.0 metres Hole IMGW-22-02 0.80m at 4.6 g/t, from 47.1 metres Hole IMGW-22-03 6.00m at 0.52 g/t, from 245.5 metres Hole IMGW-22-05 5.90m at 0.95 g/t, from 161.5 metres Hole IMGW-22-06 9.00m at 0.75 g/t, from 304.0 metres Including 0.80m at 4.1 g/t Hole IMGW-22-07 0.80m at 4.1 g/t, from 106.3 metres The results strongly suggest all previously encountered gold zones at Gowganda West continue along strike and up dip (towards surface), with gold trends now intersected over a strike of at least 1000m. Equally as important, the gold system continues to grow as a new gold trend to the east was discovered, as part of the multiple parallel gold zones encountered. The system is now open along 500m of width, 1000m of strike and 200m of depth. Mineralization continues to show strong similarities to the nearby Juby Deposits (which has a current resource* containing 0.77 Moz Au Indicated and 1.5 Moz Au Inferred). "All 2022 drill holes intersected gold mineralization, supporting the Company's belief in Gowganda West's potential to host a major gold system," commented iMetal President & CEO Saf Dhillon. "Our location on the doorstep of the Juby deposit presents an exceptional opportunity to drill near-surface, gold-bearing rocks in the Abitibi Greenstone Gold Belt, adjacent to a multi-million-ounce gold deposit." VP Exploration Scott Zelligan added, "The enhanced geological model resulting from the 2022 program places the Company in an excellent position to target higher grades and the richest portions of the extensive regional gold system. These results bolster the Company's interest in GW and we are planning for additional drilling in 2023. The Company is also preparing work programs for its other Abitibi based projects." Figure 1 - Plan Map of "Zone 1" Area with 2022 Drilling Locations QA/QC Protocols iMetal adheres to a strict QA/QC program for core handling, sampling, sample transportation and analyses. Drill core will be securely transported to the rented core facility in Larder Lake which has gate only access. Samples will be sawn in half, labelled, placed in sealed, securitized bags and shipped directly to ALS Laboratories in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec for analysis. ALS Geochemistry Rouyn-Noranda is a Standards Council of Canada (SCC) accredited facility that conforms with both CAN-P-1579 and CAN-P-4E ISO/IEC 17025. QA/QC control procedures include the systematic insertion of duplicate, blank and certified reference materials (CRM) at regular intervals into the sampling stream. Geochemistry analyses will consist of gold by fire assay and atomic absorption spectrometry (Au-AA26) with overlimit values subsequently analyzed using the gravimetric finish (Au-GRA22) technique. Where elected select samples may be analyzed for multi-element using a four acid/inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ME-MS61) analysis. The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Scott Zelligan, P. Geo (Ontario), VP Exploration of iMetal and a qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101. Drilling Results Table 1 - Drillhole Locations (UTM NAD83 Zone 17N) Hole # Easting Northing Azimuth Dip IMGW-22-01 503172 5269508 102 -44 IMGW-22-02 502890 5269924 226 -49 IMGW-22-03 502890 5269924 224 -61 IMGW-22-04 502784 5270030 223 -45 IMGW-22-05 502759 5270074 231 -45 IMGW-22-06 502759 5270074 48 -43 IMGW-22-07 502724 5270118 224 -45 Table 2 - Significant Results Hole # From To Length Au (g/t) IMGW-22-01 86.00 87.00 1.00 0.40 IMGW-22-01 397.00 398.00 1.00 0.71 IMGW-22-02 47.10 47.90 0.80 4.56 IMGW-22-02 60.40 61.00 0.60 0.57 IMGW-22-02 217.50 220.00 2.50 0.75 including 218.65 219.20 0.55 2.52 IMGW-22-02 268.40 269.50 1.10 1.01 IMGW-22-02 280.70 283.10 2.40 0.36 including 282.60 283.10 0.50 0.83 IMGW-22-03 26.50 29.50 3.00 0.92 including 27.20 28.00 0.80 2.41 IMGW-22-03 44.50 45.00 0.50 0.64 IMGW-22-03 100.00 100.60 0.60 0.45 IMGW-22-03 245.50 251.50 6.00 0.52 including 247.00 248.50 1.50 1.30 IMGW-22-04 44.50 47.50 3.00 0.89 including 46.00 47.50 1.50 1.45 IMGW-22-04 95.80 107.50 11.70 0.26 including 106.00 107.50 1.50 1.00 IMGW-22-04 224.90 226.00 1.10 1.32 IMGW-22-04 271.00 272.50 1.50 0.92 IMGW-22-05 22.00 23.50 1.50 0.45 IMGW-22-05 44.30 44.90 0.60 0.59 IMGW-22-05 49.00 50.50 1.50 0.43 IMGW-22-05 62.10 62.90 0.80 0.67 IMGW-22-05 161.50 167.40 5.90 0.95 IMGW-22-06 205.00 206.50 1.50 0.63 IMGW-22-06 233.50 236.50 3.00 0.51 IMGW-22-06 268.00 269.50 1.50 1.04 IMGW-22-06 304.00 313.00 9.00 0.75 including 310.00 310.80 0.80 4.13 IMGW-22-07 57.40 60.80 3.40 0.50 including 57.90 58.60 0.70 1.10 IMGW-22-07 71.30 72.30 1.00 0.45 IMGW-22-07 105.70 108.10 2.40 1.63 including 106.30 107.10 0.80 4.10 IMGW-22-07 232.00 236.00 4.00 0.69 including 235.00 236.00 1.00 1.24 About iMetal Resources Inc. iMetal is a Canadian based junior exploration company focused on the exploration and development of its portfolio of resource properties in Ontario and Quebec. One of its Flagship properties Gowganda West, is an exploration-stage gold project that borders the Juby Project and is located within the Shining Tree Camp area in the southern part of the Abitibi Greenstone Gold Belt about 100 km south-southeast of the Timmins Gold Camp. The 665 hectare Kerrs Gold Deposit comprises a series of gold-bearing pyritized quartz vein replacement breccias with a 2011 historic resource, 90 kilometres ENE of Timmins. The 220 hectare Ghost Mountain property, 42 kilometres NE of Kirkland Lake, lies 5 kilometres west of Agnico Eagle's Holt and Holloway Mine Complex. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Saf Dhillon President & CEO iMetal Resources Inc. info@imetalresources.ca Tel. (604-484-3031) Suite 550, 800 West Pender Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6C 2V6. https://imetalresources.ca Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may include forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include results of exploration, variations in results of mineralization, relationships with local communities, market prices, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required under the applicable laws. SOURCE: iMetal Resources Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/735430/iMetal-Resources-Discovers-New-Gold-Trend-as-Part-of-Multiple-Gold-Zones-Intersected-at-Gowganda-West-During-Fall-2022-Drill-Program Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2023) - Blackrock Silver Corp. (TSXV: BRC) (the "Company" or "Blackrock") is pleased to announce the results of metallic screen gold determinations on the Silver Cloud project situated 20 kilometres south of the Midas mine and 3 kilometres west of Hollister mine located along the prolific high-grade Northern Nevada Rift, in north-central Nevada. A metallic-screen gold assay completed on the high-grade intercept (1.5 metres) in SBC22-020 at Northwest Canyon returned 70 g/t gold (calculated), 33% higher than the original assay of 52.62 g/t gold. The +150 fraction returned 60.257ppm Au, while the average of the two -150 fractions returned 71.420ppm Au. The variability of gold in the intercept indicates the gold is not evenly distributed within the vein. Bonanza grades originally reported from SBC22-020 intersected 52.62 g/t gold (1.53 opt) and 606 g/t silver (17.68 opt) over 1.5 metres, representing a new high-grade vein discovery (See December 7, 2022 news release). The bonanza grades are associated with a banded quartz vein containing black sulphides, and the 606 g/t silver is the highest-grade silver intercept at Silver Cloud to date. Metallic-screen analysis is used when coarse or nuggety gold is suspected, especially in high-grade gold values such as SBC22-020. A larger 1,000 gram sample is split from the original sample reject material and pulverized to approximately 200 mesh. The pulverization process tends to "flatten" malleable metallic minerals such as gold. The sample is then screen sieved and two fractions are created - a plus 150 mesh (coarse material) and a minus 150 mesh (fine material). Coarse gold will report to the coarse fraction. Each fraction is analyzed by fire assay and a combined weighted averaged determination is calculated for each gold value. In the case of SBC22-020, most of the gold reported to the fine fraction indicating the gold is not coarse or nuggety. The 33 percent variation between the original assay determination and the metallic-screen analysis indicates the gold is not evenly disseminated and a larger sample may be required for future assays. Discovery drillhole SBC22-020 targeted the projection of the NNW structure encountered in the Company's 2019 drillhole (SBC19-002: 8.32 g/t gold over 1.52m) and Placer Dome's 2002 drillhole (SCP-15: 5.61 g/t gold over 12.2m) and was drilled to 464 Metres (1523 ft). SBC22-020's collar is a 366 metre step out from SBC19-002 (collar to collar) to the SSE along the interpreted structure. The assay intercepts are separated by 425 metres. Selected intervals were analyzed for metallic-screen gold in drillholes SBC22-019 and SBC22-021. Table 1 shows the results of all the metallic-screen analysis. Andrew Pollard, the Company's president and CEO, commented, "These metallic-screen assays confirm our high-grade gold intercept at Northwest Canyon and returned a gold value 33% higher than the original gold assay. We are very excited by this new, multi-ounce discovery, which ties together drill-defined mineralization across 425 metres, supporting the orientation and mineralization of the vein at Northwest Canyon is more like that characterized at the Midas mine than the Hollister mine that is adjacent to our property. In addition, metallic-screen analyses of an interval, drilled near the historic Silver Cloud mercury mine, starting at 391.4 to 391.7 metres in SBC22-021, returned coarse gold, reading 26.27 g/t Au in the +150 fraction, indicating the possibility of another high-grade gold vein." Pollard continued, "At more than 45 square kilometres, Silver Cloud is an incredibly large, target-rich project that has seen very little drilling despite the fact that it lies along a well known, high-grade gold trend. Home to some of the largest past producing mercury mines in America, with extensive epithermal alteration, Silver Cloud represents one of the largest under-explored volcanic hosted gold and silver epithermal districts in Nevada, and we control all of it." SBC22-019 and -021 drilled at the historic Silver Cloud mercury mine returned significant thickness of low-grade gold. SBC22-021 retuned 20.6 metres grading 0.458 g/t gold, and a single metallic screen determination returning 26.27 g/t gold in the coarse fraction (+150) of the analysis. SBC22-021 is just north of an area with shallow drilling completed in 1970s for mercury. The presence of mercury and coarse gold could indicate the existence of another high-grade vein south of the Silver Cloud mercury mine. Table 1: Results of metallic-screen gold assays for SBC22-019, SBC22-020 and SBC22-021 Drillhole ID From meters To meters Interval meters Original Au ppm +150 Wt grams +150 Au ppm -150 Wt grams Average -150 Au ppm Calc Au ppm Variance percent SBC22-019 260.0 261.5 1.5 0.071 90.00 0.039 769 0.063 0.060 -15.5% SBC22-019 261.5 263.0 1.5 0.197 106.61 0.148 743 0.202 0.195 -1.0% SBC22-019 263.0 264.6 1.5 0.111 87.60 0.089 762 0.118 0.115 3.6% SBC22-019 264.6 265.3 0.8 0.164 69.24 0.154 736 0.168 0.167 1.8% SBC22-019 265.3 266.2 0.9 0.258 60.88 0.176 650 0.277 0.268 3.9% SBC22-019 266.2 267.3 1.1 0.578 73.64 0.487 645 0.633 0.618 6.9% SBC22-019 267.3 267.9 0.6 0.277 20.96 0.126 657 0.294 0.288 4.0% SBC22-019 267.9 268.8 0.9 0.112 48.64 0.061 681 0.127 0.122 8.9% SBC22-019 268.8 270.4 1.5 0.112 56.56 0.065 706 0.115 0.111 -0.9% SBC22-019 270.4 271.9 1.5 0.062 61.40 0.032 770 0.062 0.060 -3.2% SBC22-020 305.1 306.6 1.5 0.037 88.62 0.028 687 0.038 0.037 0.0% SBC22-020 306.6 307.5 0.9 0.056 48.40 0.033 708 0.052 0.051 -8.9% SBC22-020 307.5 309.1 1.5 52.617 77.85 60.257 686 71.434 70.000 33.0% SBC22-020 309.1 309.7 0.6 0.242 55.68 0.106 815 0.244 0.235 -2.9% SBC22-020 309.7 311.2 1.5 0.130 90.24 0.048 743 0.119 0.111 -14.6% SBC22-020 311.2 312.7 1.5 0.082 88.08 0.027 809 0.065 0.061 -25.6% SBC22-021 356.9 357.4 0.5 0.143 60.53 0.172 699 0.145 0.147 2.8% SBC22-021 357.4 358.9 1.5 0.273 59.64 0.179 790 0.308 0.298 9.2% SBC22-021 358.9 359.8 0.9 0.295 74.95 0.182 807 0.294 0.284 -3.7% SBC22-021 359.8 360.6 0.8 0.775 46.71 0.595 728 0.730 0.721 -7.0% SBC22-021 360.6 361.8 1.2 0.591 57.56 0.522 744 0.592 0.586 -0.8% SBC22-021 361.8 363.5 1.7 0.423 63.80 0.426 861 0.453 0.451 6.6% SBC22-021 363.5 365.0 1.5 0.331 81.78 0.215 768 0.402 0.384 16.0% SBC22-021 365.0 366.5 1.5 0.660 72.45 1.215 737 0.685 0.732 10.9% SBC22-021 366.5 369.6 3.0 0.662 83.70 0.804 753 0.691 0.702 6.0% SBC22-021 369.6 372.0 2.4 0.425 66.50 0.211 791 0.359 0.347 -18.4% SBC22-021 372.0 374.3 2.3 0.185 45.00 0.171 83 0.248 0.220 18.9% SBC22-021 374.3 377.3 3.0 0.423 54.44 0.455 826 0.442 0.442 4.5% SBC22-021 377.3 380.4 3.0 0.371 43.23 0.323 787 0.416 0.411 10.8% SBC22-021 380.4 383.4 3.0 0.148 60.53 0.172 838 0.168 0.168 13.5% SBC22-021 391.4 391.7 0.3 1.590 9.73 26.269 462 0.779 1.305 -17.9% Figure 1: 2022 drillhole location map To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/676/151473_957e05f534911a9d_002full.jpg Table 2: Original Silver Cloud significant diamond drill hole assays above 0.3 g/t gold Hole ID Area From (m) To (m) Length (m) Au g/t Ag g/t AgEq g/t SBC22-019 Silver Cloud Mine 218.85 221.90 3.05 0.442 0.385 44.6 SBC22-019 Silver Cloud Mine 224.94 227.99 3.05 0.377 0.360 38.0 SBC22-019 Silver Cloud Mine 266.24 267.31 1.07 0.578 0.49 58.3 SBC22-020 Northwest Canyon 307.54 309.07 1.52 52.617 606.00 5959.3 SBC22-021 Silver Cloud Mine 178.61 187.91 9.30 0.397 0.131 39.8 SBC22-021 Silver Cloud Mine 197.97 198.73 0.76 0.465 0.03 46.5 SBC22-021 Silver Cloud Mine 203.30 204.83 1.52 0.361 0.03 36.1 SBC22-021 Silver Cloud Mine 215.49 217.02 1.52 0.486 0.18 48.8 SBC22-021 Silver Cloud Mine 256.64 257.86 1.22 0.411 0.93 42.0 SBC22-021 Silver Cloud Mine 287.73 290.78 3.05 0.494 0.24 49.6 SBC22-021 Silver Cloud Mine 296.88 299.31 2.44 0.389 0.030 39.0 SBC22-021 Silver Cloud Mine 359.82 380.39 20.57 0.458 3.491 49.3 SBC22-021 Silver Cloud Mine 391.36 391.67 0.31 1.590 10.43 169.4 AgEq_g/t = Ag_g/t + Au_g/t*100; True thickness unknown; NSV = No significant values Table 3: Drillhole location information Hole ID UTMNAD27 E UTMNAD27 N Elevation (m) Total Depth (m) Azimuth Inclination SBC22-019 531554 4544421 1615.1 462.5 273 78 SBC22-020 530149 4544148 1631.0 520.0 272 74 SBC22-021 531648 4544259 1556.3 464.2 268 73 Quality Assurance/ Quality Control For metallic screen analysis, American Assay Laboratory (AAL) splits a 1000-gram sample from the original coarse reject material for each analysis. The 1000-gram split is pulverized and screened through a 150-mesh sieve. The +150 fraction is weighed and analyzed for gold by fire assay and/or gravimetric finish. The -150 fraction is weighed, and a 30-gram assay split is analyzed for gold using fire assay with an ICP finish. The final reported assay is calculated using a weighted average of the gold from the coarse (+150) fraction and the gold from the fine (-150) fraction. The original samples were collected under the supervision of the Company's project geologists, and a strict chain of custody from the project to the sample preparation facility was implemented and monitored. The core samples were hauled from the project site to a secure and fenced facility in Battle Mountain, Nevada, where they are loaded on to AAL flat-bed truck and delivered to AAL's facility in Sparks, Nevada. A sample submittal sheet was delivered to AAL personnel who organize and process the sample intervals pursuant to the Company's instructions. The core and QA/QC samples are crushed and pulverized, then the pulverized material is digested and analyzed for Au using fire assay fusion and an Induced Coupled Plasma (ICP) finish on a 30-gram assay split. Silver is determined using five-acid digestion and ICP analysis. Over limits for gold and silver are determined using a gravimetric finish. Data verification of the assay and analytical results are completed to ensure accurate and verifiable results. Blackrock personnel insert a blind prep blank, lab blank or certified reference material approximately every 15th to 20th sample. In addition, a random selection of pulps are sent to ALS Minerals in Reno, Nevada, for check assays. Blackrock's exploration activities at the Silver Cloud, Tonopah North and Tonopah West projects are conducted and supervised by Mr. William Howald, Executive Chairman of Blackrock. Mr. William Howald, AIPG Certified Professional Geologist #11041, is a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101. He has reviewed and approved the contents of this news release. About Blackrock Silver Corp. Backed by gold and silver ounces in the ground, Blackrock is a junior precious metal-focused exploration company driven to add shareholder value via the drill bit. With 2.97 million tonnes grading 446 g/t silver equivalent1 at its Tonopah West project, and a new bonanza-grade gold discovery at Silver Cloud, the Company has a proven track record of exploration success. In addition to its gold and silver project portfolio, the Company is credited with a lithium discovery, the Tonopah North project, which is under option to a major lithium exploration group. Anchored by a seasoned Board, the Company is focused on its 100% controlled Nevada portfolio of properties consisting of low-sulphidation, epithermal gold and silver mineralization located along the established Northern Nevada Rift in north-central Nevada and the Walker Lane trend in western Nevada. For further information, please contact: Andrew Pollard, President & CEO Blackrock Silver Corp. Phone: 604 817-6044 Email: andrew@blackrocksilver.com Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking statements concern, without limitation, the exercise of the First Option and the Second Option and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the completion of the Initial Earn-In and the Additional Earn-In, the entering into the Joint Venture, the Company's strategic plans, timing and expectations for the Company's exploration and drilling programs, estimates of mineralization from drilling, geological information projected from sampling results and the potential quantities and grades of the target zones. Such forward-looking statements or information are based on a number of assumptions, which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: conditions in general economic and financial markets; accuracy of assay results; geological interpretations from drilling results, timing and amount of capital expenditures; performance of available laboratory and other related services; future operating costs; and the historical basis for current estimates of potential quantities and grades of target zones. The actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of risk factors, including the timing and content of work programs; results of exploration activities and development of mineral properties; the interpretation and uncertainties of drilling results and other geological data; receipt, maintenance and security of permits and mineral property titles; environmental and other regulatory risks; project costs overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses; availability of funds; failure to delineate potential quantities and grades of the target zones based on historical data, and general market and industry conditions. Forward-looking statements are based on the expectations and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. The assumptions used in the preparation of such statements, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statements were made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this news release if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as otherwise required by applicable law. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. _______________________________________ 1 Technical information relating to the Tonopah West Project is based on and derived from the NI 43-101 report prepared for Blackrock entitled "Technical Report and Estimate of Mineral Resources for the Tonopah West Silver-Gold Project, Nye and Esmeralda Counties, Nevada, USA" effective April 28, 2022 (the "Technical Report"). The MRE outlines 2.97 million tonnes at a block diluted grade of 208 grams per tonne (g/t) silver (Ag) and 2.5g/t gold (Au) for a total inferred mineral resource of 19,902,000 ounces Ag and 238,000 ounces Au, or 446 g/t silver equivalent (AgEq) for 42.6 million oz AgEq. AgEq equivalent grade is based on silver and gold prices of US$20/ounce and US$1750/ounce, respectively, and recoveries for silver and gold of 87% and 95%, respectively To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151473 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2023) - QC Copper and Gold Inc. (TSXV: QCCU) (OTCQB: QCCUF) ("QC Copper" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the resumption of drilling on the Opemiska Property as a part of its Mineral Resource Estimate ('MRE') update and provide an update on its plans during 2023. This final drill program before the MRE publication will utilize three drill rigs, complete a planned 10,000 metres, and is expected to be completed in February. "The data from drilling completed between November 2021 and October 2022 has now been incorporated into the geologic model. This updated model was used to target areas for this final leg of the drill program, which is expected to increase the contained metal content in the forthcoming MRE. This program will define additional resources on the Perry Zone, the gold-rich south end of the Springer Zone, and some additional resources in satellite pits in the Eastern Veins," said Charles Beaudry, Director and VP of Exploration for QC Copper & Gold. The Company reminds investors that the current drill program is part of a broader strategy to bring the Opemiska copper project to a development decision. To recap: Maiden open pit-constrained MRE released in September 2021 of 82mt at 0.88% Copper Equivalent ('CuEq') Measured and & Indicated and 21mt at 0.73% CuEq Inferred Aggressive drilling over 2022 focused on resource expansion within the pit. 2022 program has met or exceeded expectations, leading to increased confidence in a significantly expanded resource and better potential mine economics Final 10,000m underway will be included in the expanded MRE, whose timing is expected around June 2023 as described below in Figure 1 QC Copper is increasingly confident in bulk tonnage, and lower strip mining potential, and will move toward the Preliminary Economic Studies post-finalization of MRE. Click here for detailed drill results from Opemiska's Nov. 2021 to October 2022 "Our team has taken great care with this updated MRE, believing that the Opemiska can once again be a great copper mine. Copper assets of this scale, grade, and infrastructure in the heart of Quebec are exceedingly rare. These features will become increasingly valuable as the world shifts to green energy production and consumption. Furthermore, we anticipate prime assets in Canada to trade at new premiums as supply chains shut due to geopolitical trends, and the securing of critical metals, like copper, become sovereign priorities," said Stephen Stewart, CEO and Chairman of QC Copper. Click here for View Video Interview with Charles Beaudry, VP Exploration, & Stephen Stewart, CEO Mineral Resource Estimate Update A Gantt chart in Figure 1 depicts QC Copper's current work plan and associated timeframes. As shown, the updated MRE is targeted for June 2023. While delays are possible, management has implemented tight controls on the process to ensure timelines are respected. Opemiska's Updated Mineral Resource Estimate Gantt Chart - Figure 1 To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9282/151488_d333f1c1d4c01a9b_002full.jpg For the latest videos from QC Copper & Gold, Ore Group, and all things Mining, subscribe to our YouTube Chanel here. QP Statement The technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Charles Beaudry, P.Geo and geo., Director and Vice President Exploration for QC Copper & Gold, a Qualified Person, as defined in "National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects." For the exploration undertaken by QC Copper & Gold, all assay batches are accompanied by rigorous Quality Assurance procedures, including the insertion of standards and blanks and verification assays in a secondary laboratory. All the core received from the drill is split in half, bagged and sent to ALS-Global facilities in Quevillon, Quebec for sample preparation and then the pulps are shipped to AlS-Global's Vancouver laboratory or some other location in the world for analysis using ALS-Global's standardized ISO-compliant methods, all of which are listed in the laboratory certificates provided with the assay results. The remaining half core along with the rejects and the pulps returned from the laboratory are securely stored at QC Copper's facilities in Chapais, Quebec. Quality Control results, including the laboratory's control samples, are evaluated immediately on reception of batch results and corrections are implemented immediately if necessary. All drill collars are surveyed and positioned in UTM coordinates. Collars are oriented using a gyroscopic north-finding system and downhole deviations surveys are done with a single-shot gyroscopic instrument at 30 to 50m intervals. For veins oriented approximately east-west and dipping towards the north, and drill holes oriented due south and plunging between 50 and 65 dips, the true width of mineralized intersections are equal or greater than 80% of the quoted core length composite intervals. This observation also holds for veins oriented northwest-southeast and dipping towards the northeast with holes drilled towards the southwest at 225 degrees with dips between 50 and 65 degrees. However, for other drill hole orientations relative to these veins or other less common vein orientations, the true widths of mineralized intersections are less. For information and updates on QC Copper and Gold, please visit: www.qccopper.com And please follow us on Twitter @qccoppergold To speak to the Company directly, please contact: Stephen Stewart, Chief Executive Officer Phone: 416.644.1571 Email: sstewart@qccopper.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Certain information in this press release may contain forward-looking statements. This information is based on current expectations that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. QC Copper and Gold Inc. assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward looking-statements unless and until required by securities laws applicable to QC Copper and Gold Inc. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in filings by QC Copper and Gold Inc. with Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available under QC Copper and Gold Inc. profile at www.sedar.com. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151488 A customer looks at a bottle of whisky at the GS25 Hapjeong Premium convenience store in Seoul, on Aug. 25, 2020. Newsis By Kim Jae-heun A 35-year-old office worker surnamed Kim recently bought a bottle of whisky to drink at home. "I started drinking whisky from last year because there are no hangovers after drinking. For office workers like me, who have to wake up early to go to work but want to drink on weekday nights, whisky is the perfect choice," Kim said. A 28-year-old graduate student surnamed Jung said he got into the world of whisky after trying certain brands at his friend's house party. "I never thought about drinking whisky before I got the chance to try it with my friends during the pandemic. I realized I can purchase it at a liquor store for one-third of the price that they are sold at in bars." Young people enjoy whisky at a Maker's Mark promotional event held in Seoul, June 19, 2022. Korea Times file Right now, there's a whisky craze in Korea. According to the Korea Customs Service, Korea imported $247.1 million (308.4 billion won) worth of whisky last year, the highest amount since 2008. The distilled alcoholic beverage previously was often referred to as a "drink for middle-aged men" here and it was unpopular among young customers. For a decade, whisky sales in the domestic market continued to decline. But all of a sudden, whisky sales made a rebound and started to rally sharply from 2021. Now, finding popular brand whiskies like Balvenie and Macallan at liquor stores is like getting blood out of a stone. "As more people enjoy drinking at home, many consumers started to look for unique and luxurious alcoholic beverages," Myung Wook, a professor in the Barista & Sommelier Department at Sejong Cyber University, said. "This led to the growing popularity of single malt whisky, which has a distinctive taste and aroma." "Also, people found out that limited edition or luxury whiskies have value just keeping them at home. Thus, many people started to purchase them even if they don't drink at all leading to short supplies of popular brand whiskies," the professor added. The lowered entry barrier for whisky is also cited as a cause of the ongoing craze for the distilled alcohol beverage. Koreans like mixing drinks together such as "somaek," which is portmanteau of soju and beer ("maekju" in Korean). Highball, a mixed drink of whisky and soda, started to become popular among the young generation, so they became familiar with the whisky taste. "Not only are expensive whiskies selling well, but also comparatively cheaper ones are selling as well. Many young consumers are looking for whiskies in large discount stores to make themselves highballs at home," a local retail firm official said. The country's largest discount store, Emart, held a whisky sales promotion for two days from Jan. 6 to Jan. 7, offering popular brands such as Balvenie, Macallan, Hibiki and Yamazaki. It only took just 20 minutes from the store's opening for all of the whisky to sell out. Emart said it held the event as the company recognized the explosive growth in the popularity of whisky. In 2022, its revenue generated by whisky jumped 30 percent year-on-year. "We prepared 10,000 bottles of popular whiskies to attract customers. As we see whisky sales showing a sharp increase in the total proportion of all hard liquors, we will expand the lineup and hold more promotional events," an Emart official said. Convenience stores are also considering offering a greater variety of whiskies at their stores. CU, GS25, Emart24 and Seven Eleven have started to add new whisky products to their display stands. "Before, most of our customers only looked for common brand whiskies like Windsor or Ballantine's. However, they have recently been asking for other brands, especially single malt types. We are gradually increasing the number of whisky types to meet the needs of our customers," a BGF Retail official said. Global IoT services provider Trackunit has started 2023 with a bang after it closed a deal in early January for Berlin-based ConTech startup Flexcavo. AALBORG, Denmark, Jan. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Global IoT services provider Trackunit has this month closed a deal for Germany's Flexcavo enabling the telematics specialist to extend its reach in the contractor market. The agreement, which closed on January 1, will see Flexcavo continue to build its software solution to contractors and rental clients across Europe. Berlin-based Flexcavo specializes in data-enabled workflow and process management through the construction sector enabling contractors and rental companies to increase their efficiency, lower costs and improve the team's collaboration across construction sites, yards, and headquarters. "We're delighted to welcome Flexcavo into the Trackunit group and this significantly strengthens our offering to contractors and those with mixed fleets," said Soeren Brogaard, CEO of Trackunit. "We're looking forward to leveraging Flexcavo's expertise and make sure we're serving our customers in the best way possible moving forward. "Our team has doubled in the last 18 months and with the acquisition of Flexcavo, we're on track to continue growing," said Brogaard. "We're ambitious and this move fits perfectly with our overall strategy." Trackunit currently has just under 400 employees. "We are excited and proud to join forces with Trackunit," said Flexcavo Co-Founder Benedict Aicher. "This enables us to double down on our ambition to be the leading partner for every contractor who strives for excellence and wants to make the most of every single job. "Being part of the Trackunit ecosystem allows for a deeper integration into the contractor value chain and beyond," he said. "I know the Trackunit team shares our commitment to build the most useful industry for the world, and I can't wait to get started." Fellow Co-Founder Leonhard Fricke additionally highlights the potential for Flexcavo, which employs approximately 30 staff, to make their solutions for customers even better. "It will boost our developing capabilities significantly so that contractors and rental companies can benefit from even faster feature releases, real-time data across all machinery, and even more automation of processes between site, yard, and headquarters," he said. "Making our offering available in other key markets and supporting customers in their digitization efforts will be our key mission going forward." Brogaard added that the acquisition should also enable Trackunit to manage the rental/contractor relationship even better in the future. "It's adding new capabilities and will allow rentals and contractors to smooth out any hiccups relating to machine usage, efficiencies and productivity," he said. "It fits with the industry-wide purpose to eliminate downtime and any move that brings us closer to that goal can only make construction better." About Trackunit Trackunit is the leading SaaS-based IoT solution and machine insights provider to the global construction equipment industry. Trackunit collects and analyzes machine data in real-time to deliver actionable, proactive, and predictive information, empowering customers with data-driven foresight. Trackunit promises to lead the technology engagement to help eliminate downtime. The ambition of this mission is not only to recover from budget and schedule overruns, but also to re-establish the reputation of the industry for innovation and leadership. From operator safety and machine health to business optimization, Trackunit's industry-leading telematics software, hardware and fleet management services benefit the everyday operations of the customers worldwide. Trackunit services its customers worldwide from its offices in Denmark, Canada, United States, and Singapore, Sweden, Norway, France, Holland, Germany, UK, Australia, and Japan. Visit Trackunit.com to learn more. About Flexcavo Flexcavo was founded in July 2020 by Benedict Aicher and Leonhard Fricke with the goal of accelerating the digitalization of the construction industry. The company's platform helps to streamline construction projects by providing data-driven resource scheduling and telematics enabled workflow automation. As a pioneer in the digitalization of the construction industry, Flexcavo enables the exchange of machine and logistics data between new and existing IT systems through API interfaces. This creates an orchestrated ecosystem across construction-sites with automated workflows for construction machines, equipment, and material, making the construction process more efficient and effective. With its innovative approach and cutting-edge technology, Flexcavo is revolutionizing the way the construction industry operates. Visit www.flexcavo.com to learn more. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1984196/Soeren_Brogaard.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1984198/Trackunit_Logo.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1984203/Flexcavo_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/trackunit-acquires-german-contractor-services-provider-flexcavo-301722682.html VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 17, 2023 / Faraday Copper Corp. (" Faraday " or the " Company ") (TSX:FDY)(OTCQX:CPPKF) is pleased to announce the results from two drill holes at its Copper Creek Project, located in Arizona, U.S. ("Copper Creek"). Paul Harbidge, President and CEO, commented "I am very excited to see the high-grade massive sulphide intersection from the Copper Prince breccia, which remains open at depth, and outside of the Mineral Resource Estimate. The identification of significant gold assays is also a very encouraging value proposition for the project as the current Mineral Resource does not include gold. This is leading us not only to plan follow-up drilling, but also to assay historical core, which was not previously analysed for gold. Furthermore, the presence of over 400 breccias mapped at surface demonstrates the prospectivity of the Copper Creek district." Highlights Intersected 15.01 m at 10.83% copper, 1.65 grams per tonne ("g/t") gold and 55.62 g/t silver , from 234.27 m,at the Copper Prince breccia in drill hole FCD-22-013 (Table 1, Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4). , from 234.27 m,at the Copper Prince breccia in drill hole FCD-22-013 (Table 1, Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4). The intercept is located approximately 40 m below the pit shell used to constrain the Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE") published in July 2022. used to constrain the Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE") published in July 2022. Mineralization remains open at depth and further drilling is planned. The assay results represent a total of 775.71 m of drilling, including 291.69 m from FCD-22-013 (Phase II drill program) and 484.02 m from FCD-22-001 (Phase I drill program). All intercepts are reported as downhole drill widths. Drill hole FCD-22-013 was collared at the northwestern margin of the Copper Giant breccia and was drilled to the south. This hole closes a gap in historical drilling and extends drill coverage to the lower projection of the Copper Prince breccia. Confirms high-grade extension with 15.01 m at 10.83 % copper, 1.65 g/t gold and 55.62 g/t silver, from 234.27 m (Table 1). The mineralization consists of massive chalcopyrite, bornite and pyrite. from 234.27 m (Table 1). The mineralization consists of massive chalcopyrite, bornite and pyrite. Two additional intercepts are located within a 70-metre-wide kaolinite-sericite alteration halo to the massive sulphide zone: 9.79 m at 0.18% copper, 0.02 g/t gold, and 0.93 g/t silver from 208.47 m and 8.02 m at 0.28% copper, 0.02 g/t gold and 0.73 g/t silver from 264.88 m. The results from this drill hole have the potential to expand open pit mineral resources. This drill hole demonstrates that high-grade copper mineralization is present at Copper Creek. Exploration potential is supported by over 400 breccia occurrences mapped at surface, only 14 of which are included in the MRE and 35 have one or more drill holes in them. This drill hole has yielded some of the highest gold assay values known to date from the project. Other zones with significant gold assays include the Childs-Aldwinkle breccia and the Keel zone. Gold assay data coverage is approximately 12% of the copper coverage for the current drill database. The Company is evaluating the assaying for gold of selected historical core to continue to add value to the project. Figure 1: Plan View Showing Drill Holes Reported in this News Release Note: The open pit shell is based on constraints used in the MRE as presented in the report titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report Mineral Resource Estimate Copper Creek Project, Arizona" dated August 18, 2022 (the "Technical Report"). Figure 2: Cross Section Showing Drill Hole FCD-22-013 at Copper Prince Figure 3: Photographs of the High-Grade Mineralization in Drill Hole FCD-22-013 (234.27 m to 242.78 m) at Copper Creek Figure 4: Photographs of the High-Grade Mineralization in Drill Hole FCD-22-013 (242.78 m to 249.28 m) at Copper Creek Drill hole FCD-22-001 was collared east of the Glory Hole breccia and drilled to the southeast targeting Copper Prince and covers an area without historical drilling. No significant mineralized intervals or breccias were intersected; however, isolated samples up to 0.43% copper and 1.56 g/t silver occur within a broad zone of kaolinite-sericite alteration. This is the same alteration halo that was intercepted in drill hole FCD-22-013 surrounding the massive sulphide mineralization, while drill hole FCD-22-001 was drilled to the south of the high-grade zone. Table 1: Selected Drill Results from Copper Creek Drill Hole ID From To Length Cu Mo Au Ag (m) (m) (m) (%) (ppm) (g/t) (g/t) FCD-22-013 208.47 218.26 9.79 0.18 74 0.02 0.93 and 234.27 249.28 15.01 10.83 141 1.65 55.62 and 264.88 272.90 8.02 0.28 126 0.02 0.73 FCD-22-001 No significant assay results Note: All intercepts are reported as downhole drill widths. Table 2: Collar Locations from the Drill Holes Reported Herein Drill Hole ID Easting Northing Elevation Azimuth Dip Target Depth Depth (m) () () (ft) (m) FCD-22-001 547841 3624744 1236 130 -45 Copper Prince 1,588.0 484.02 FCD-22-013 548065 3624734 1231 180 -45 Copper Prince 957.0 291.69 Total 2,545.0 775.71 Note: Coordinates are given as World Geodetic System 84, Universal Transverse Mercator Zone 12 north (WGS84, UTM12N). Next Steps Drilling continues and is focussed on three objectives: Reconnaissance drilling on new targets; Expanding the MRE; and Better delineating high-grade mineralized zones. Ten drill holes have been complete and assay results for completed holes will be released as they are received, analyzed and confirmed by the Company. Sampling Methodology, Chain of Custody, Quality Control and Quality Assurance All sampling was conducted under the supervision of the Company's geologists and the chain of custody from Copper Creek to the independent sample preparation facility, ALS Laboratories in Tucson, AZ, was continuously monitored. The samples were taken as core, over 2 m core length. Samples were crushed, pulverized and sample pulps were analyzed using industry standard analytical methods including a 4-Acid ICP-MS multielement package and an ICP-AES method for high-grade copper samples. Gold was analyzed on a 30 g aliquot by fire assay with an ICP-AES finish. A certified reference sample was inserted every 20 th sample. Coarse blanks were inserted every 20 th sample. Approximately 5% of the core samples were cut into core and submitted as field duplicates. On top of internal QA-QC protocol, additional blanks, reference materials and duplicates were inserted by the analytical laboratory according to their procedure. Data verification of the analytical results included a statistical analysis of the standards and blanks that must pass certain parameters for acceptance to ensure accurate and verifiable results. Qualified Person The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Faraday's VP Exploration, Dr. Thomas Bissig, P. Geo., who is a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). About Faraday Copper Faraday Copper is a Canadian exploration company focused on advancing its flagship copper project in The United States of America. The Copper Creek project , located in Arizona, is one of the largest undeveloped copper projects in North America with open pit and bulk underground mining potential. The Company is well-funded to deliver on its key milestones and benefits from a management team and board of directors with senior mining company experience and expertise. Faraday trades on the TSX under the symbol "FDY". For additional information please contact: Stacey Pavlova, CFA Vice President, Investor Relations & Communications Faraday Copper Corp. E-mail: info@faradaycopper.com Website: www.faradaycopper.com To receive news releases by e-mail, please register using the Faraday website at www.faradaycopper.com . Cautionary Note on Forward Looking Statements Some of the statements in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking statements" and are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and are necessarily based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Faraday to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements and forward-looking information specifically include, but are not limited to, statements concerning the exploration potential of the Copper Creek property. Although Faraday believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements should not be in any way construed as guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include without limitation: market prices for metals; the conclusions of detailed feasibility and technical analyses; lower than expected grades and quantities of resources; receipt of regulatory approval; receipt of shareholder approval; mining rates and recovery rates; significant capital requirements; price volatility in the spot and forward markets for commodities; fluctuations in rates of exchange; taxation; controls, regulations and political or economic developments in the countries in which Faraday does or may carry on business; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, competition; loss of key employees; rising costs of labour, supplies, fuel and equipment; actual results of current exploration or reclamation activities; accidents; labour disputes; defective title to mineral claims or property or contests over claims to mineral properties; unexpected delays and costs inherent to consulting and accommodating rights of Indigenous peoples and other groups; risks, uncertainties and unanticipated delays associated with obtaining and maintaining necessary licenses, permits and authorizations and complying with permitting requirements, including those associated with the Copper Creek property; and uncertainties with respect to any future acquisitions by Faraday. In addition, there are risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining, including environmental events and hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations, pressures, cave-ins, flooding and the risk of inadequate insurance or inability to obtain insurance to cover these risks as well as "Risk Factors" included in Faraday's disclosure documents filed on and available at www.sedar.com . This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such an offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction. This news release is not, and under no circumstances is to be construed as, a prospectus, an offering memorandum, an advertisement or a public offering of securities in Faraday in Canada, the United States or any other jurisdiction. No securities commission or similar authority in Canada or in the United States has reviewed or in any way passed upon this news release, and any representation to the contrary is an offence. SOURCE: Faraday Copper Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/735468/Faraday-Copper-Reports-15-metres-at-1083-Copper-165-gt-Gold-and-5562-gt-Silver-at-Copper-Creek-in-Arizona BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The pound advanced against its major counterparts in the European session on Tuesday, as investors cheered U.K. employment data showing a faster than expected wage growth in November. Data from the Office for National Statistics showed that the UK unemployment rate remained unchanged in three months to November but wage pressures intensified. The ILO jobless rate held steady at 3.7 percent in three months to November, as expected. Average earnings including bonuses grew 6.4 percent annually in three months to November, faster than economists' forecast of 6.2 percent. Earnings excluding bonuses also increased 6.4 percent, the fastest since records began in 2001, excluding the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Economists had forecast an increase of 6.3 percent. The data supported expectations that the Bank of England will raise its key rate by 50 basis points in February. The pound appreciated against the yen, hitting a 4-day high of 157.38. The pound is likely to locate resistance around the 161.00 level. The pound rebounded to 1.1299 against the franc, from a 6-day low of 1.1265 hit at 1:45 am ET. The pound may target resistance around the 1.14 level. The pound rose to 1.2230 against the greenback, from a 4-day low of 1.2169 it logged at 1:55 am ET. On the upside, 1.24 is possibly seen as its next resistance level. The pound edged up to 0.8850 against the euro, from a 4-day low of 0.8887 seen at 1:45 am ET. If the pound rallies again, 0.86 is seen as its next resistance level. Looking ahead, Canada housing starts data for December is set for release at 8:15 am ET. Canada CPI for December and New York Fed's empire manufacturing survey for January will be released in the New York session. Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX MEXICO CITY, Jan. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hexaware has been named on the Forbes list of Mexico's Best Employers 2022. This prestigious award is presented by Forbes and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. The awards list was announced on October 18th, 2022 and can currently be viewed on the Forbes website. Forbes and Statista selected Mexico's Best Employers 2022 through an independent survey applied to a vast sample of approximately 10,000 Mexican employees working full or part time. 400 employers were awarded. The evaluation was based on direct and indirect recommendations from employees that were asked to rate their willingness to recommend their own employers to friends and family. Employee evaluations also included other employers in their respective industries that stood out either positively or negatively. Furthermore, the employees were asked questions about work related topics like working conditions, salary, potential for development, and company image regarding their current employer. Based on the results of the study, Hexaware is ecstatic to be recognized on the Forbes list of Mexico's Best Employers 2022. Miguel Herrera, Country Manager & Head of Competencies - Mexico, Hexaware Technologies said, "We are proud to be recognized as one of Mexico's Best Employers. We know that delivering meaningful impact for our customers begins with our people reaching their full potential. That's why we are fully committed to enabling them to thrive professionally and personally. We continuously strive to ensure that our employees feel supported, valued, and engaged, so that we can 'create smiles through great people and great technology,' in Mexico and everywhere else across the world where we do business." About Hexaware Hexaware is a global technology and business process services company. Our 30,000 Hexawarians are driven by our purpose; to create smiles through great people and technology. With 54 offices in 19 countries, we empower enterprises to realize digital transformation at scale and speed by partnering with them to build, modernize, run, and optimize their IT landscapes. We put people first in everything we do and seek to improve people's lives by collaborating with our stakeholders to build a better, more sustainable tomorrow. Learn more about Hexaware at https://www.hexaware.com. Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/530945/Hexaware.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/hexaware-recognized-on-forbes-mexicos-best-employers-2022-list-301723153.html Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2023) - PreveCeutical Medical Inc. (CSE: PREV) (OTCQB: PRVCF) (FSE: 18H) (the "Company" or "PreveCeutical"), is pleased to announce that PreveCeutical is furthering the progress of its patent family directed to peptide analogues of dynorphin and their use in pain management (International Patent Application No. PCT/AU2021/050707, Peptides and Uses) and is taking the International patent application forward in the US, Europe, Canada and Australia. The US patent application (USSN 18/003,768) has been filed with amended claims, together with its Australian and Canadian counterparts, and the European application is being filed before the 31-month deadline of 1 February 2023. PreveCeutical is prosecuting the patent applications to maximize the scope of protection available in those countries and to ensure that effective and secure patents are obtained as we continue our clinical process. PreveCeutical's Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Stephen Van Deventer, commented, "We are ensuring that the peptides identified for possible therapies in our research projects, including possible therapies for cancer and non-addictive analgesic for pain management, are well protected. We are continuing to work with government agencies, potential partners, and investors to assist in developing these anticipated therapies." The Company also announces that Ms. Rajan has resigned, effective January 15, 2023, as the Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Rajan will remain a consultant in assisting the CEO and financial department moving forward. Mr. Stephen Van Deventer has been appointed the interim Chief Financial Officer. The Company has retained the services of Treewalk Consulting Inc. to provide financial reporting and support services. Mr. Van Deventer further commented, "We thank Ms. Rajan for serving as the Company's CFO for the past six years and are delighted that she will continue assisting the company in a smaller capacity." Although PreveCeutical believes that any such intentions, plans, estimates, beliefs, and expectations in this news release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such intentions, plans, beliefs, and expectations will prove to be accurate or successful. About PreveCeutical PreveCeutical is a health sciences company that develops innovative options for preventive and curative therapies utilizing organic and nature identical products. The Company aims to be a leader in the preventive health sciences sector. With the completion of three of its research programs, the Company is actively working on the development, clinical trials, and commercialization of its products; and has filed a number of provisional patent applications to protect the intellectual property from its research programs. For more information about PreveCeutical, please visit our website www.PreveCeutical.com or follow us on Twitter and Facebook. On behalf of the Board of Directors of PreveCeutical Stephen Van Deventer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer For further information, please contact: Stephen Van Deventer: +1 604 306 9669 Or Investor Relations ir@preveceutical.com Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation, including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements in this news release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations and orientations regarding the future, including, without limitation, matters related to the Company's current and planned research and development programs, including the Analgesic Program, the Company's anticipated business plans and its prospect of success in executing its proposed plans. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "will", "plans", "expects", "may", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "proposes" or variations of such words including negative variations thereof and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions regarding the Company, including expected growth, results of operations, including the Company's research and development activities, performance, industry trends, growth opportunities, and that the Company will be able to obtain the financing required to carry out its planned future activities, retain and attract qualified research personnel and obtain and/or maintain the necessary intellectual property rights it needs to carry out its future business activities. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors including, risks and uncertainties relating to the Analgesic Program, complexities and delays in connection with research and development activities and the actual results of research and development activities, and the inability of the Company, to, among other things, obtain any required governmental, regulatory or stock exchange approvals, permits, consents or authorizations required, including Canadian Securities Exchange acceptance of any planned future activities, commercialize therapeutic and diagnostic technologies, execute its proposed business plans, pursue business partnerships, complete its research and product development programs as planned, including the Analgesic Program, and obtain the financing required to carry out its planned future activities. Other factors such as general economic, market or business conditions or changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting the healthcare and cannabis industries in Canada may also adversely affect the future results or performance of the Company. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and, unless required by applicable law, the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the statements, beliefs, plans, expectations, intentions, and assumptions contained in this news release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that those statements, beliefs, plans, expectations, intentions, or assumptions will prove to be accurate. Readers should consider all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to other periodic reports provided by the Company from time-to-time. These reports and the Company's filings are available at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and, accordingly, are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty of such statements. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151492 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. Dr. Garibaldi's 40 years of experience brings industry-leading pharmaceuticals development expertise to the Scientific Board of Advisors. His appointment demonstrates the company's resolve to leverage its biotechnology platform for enabling drugs development. Vancouver, British Columbia and Rehovot, Israel--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2023) - BioHarvest Sciences Inc. (CSE: BHSC) ("BioHarvest" or the "company") announces that effective immediately, Dr. George Garibaldi will serve on its Scientific Board of Advisors. Complementing a top-tier group that includes a significant array of expertise, Dr. Garibaldi brings BioHarvest 40 years of experience in drug development and understanding of the pharma industry. "I am joining the Scientific Board of Advisors of BioHarvest because I believe in the potential of its biotech platform," said Dr. Garibaldi. "The company has proven its ability to industrially produce unique, patentable and consistent compositions of phytochemicals such as polyphenols and cannabinoids. The medical field has consistently highlighted the therapeutic potential of these products. Together with the community of health care providers we will explore opportunities to develop therapies addressing a plethora of health conditions. I look forward to working with the company's management and fellow advisors to realize this potential." "Dr. Garibaldi's extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry is a great addition to the Scientific Board of Advisors," said Ilan Sobel, CEO of BioHarvest. "Understanding the entire development cycle of drugs is critical for the company's ability to serve this high priority segment of our business. George's expertise and involvement will play an important role in solidifying our plant-based biotech leadership." Dr. George Garibaldi, BioHarvest Scientific Board of Advisors To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6168/151519_48bc3eb3449e3af0_001full.jpg DETAILED BIOGRAPHY Dr. George Garibaldi is co-founder and President of Research and Development of Noema Pharma AG. He previously held leadership responsibilities in research and development in several major pharmaceutical companies, most recently serving as VP and Global Head of Clinical Neuroscience at F. Hoffmann-La Roche. Dr. Garibaldi trained in child psychiatry, statistics, and neuropsychopharmacology. During his tenure at Roche, he led the development of multiple therapies including OCREVUS (ocrelizumab), approved in 2017 for primary progressive and relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Prior to Roche, he was Head of Psychiatry and Geriatric Psychiatry at Novartis and the Neuroscience Therapeutic Area Lead at Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Throughout his career, Dr. Garibaldi developed therapies for multiple conditions including Exelon (rivastigmine) in Alzheimer's disease, Fanapt (iloperidone) in schizophrenia, Risperdal Consta (risperidone long-acting injectable) in frequently relapsing patients with bipolar disorders, and Invega (paliperidone) in patients with schizoaffective disorder. He also led the regulatory submission and approval of Risperdal (risperidone) in autism spectrum disorders. Dr. Garibaldi serves as a peer reviewer for multiple scientific and medical journals and has authored more than 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals. He developed, validated and published a number of clinician- and patient-reported clinical outcomes including "The Readiness for Hospital Discharge Questionnaire in Schizophrenia", "The Patient Most Troubling Symptoms Scale in Anxiety and Depression", "The Readiness for Work Questionnaire in Schizophrenia" and "The Clinical Global Impression for Schizoaffective Disorder". Dr. Garibaldi is a board member of several biotech companies, a member of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), founder and past president of the International Society for Central Nervous System Clinical Trials and Methodology (ISCTM) and former chairman of the International Society for CNS Drug Development (ISCDD). He is the recipient of multiple awards including the ISCDD Award for Innovation. Dr. Garibaldi is widely recognized by his peers as an innovative and collaborative leader guided by his dedication to developing novel therapies for patients. Dr. Garibaldi earned an M.D. from the faculty of medicine of Cairo University. He completed his residency in Child and General Psychiatry at the Rene Descartes Medical School, his studies in statistics and mathematical modeling at the University of Kremlin-Bicetre, and his studies in Neuropsychopharmacology at the Pitie Salpetriere. About BioHarvest Sciences Inc. BioHarvest Sciences Inc. (CSE: BHSC) is a fast-growing Biotech firm listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange. BioHarvest has developed a patented bio-cell growth platform technology capable of growing the active and beneficial ingredients in fruit and plants, at industrial scale, without the need to grow the plant itself. This technology is economical, ensures consistency, and avoids the negative environmental impacts associated with traditional agriculture. BioHarvest is currently focused on nutraceuticals and the medicinal cannabis markets. Visit: www.bioharvest.com. BioHarvest Sciences Inc. Ilan Sobel, Chief Executive Officer For further information, please contact: Dave Ryan, VP Investor Relations & Director Phone: 1 (604) 622-1186 Email: dave@bioharvest.com Facebook Twitter Linkedin Youtube Forward-Looking Statements Information set forth in this news release might include forward-looking statements that are based on management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions, and expectations, and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. There is no assurance that the Company will be successful in expanding its technology to broader medical applications or conduct clinical trials to validate the efficacy of the Company's products for new forms of medical treatments. Clinical trials are subject to risks of significant cost overruns and lengthy delays with no assurance they will confirm desired results. Even where desired results are obtained government approvals for treatments take considerable time and cannot be guaranteed. There is no assurance that the company will develop therapies addressing health conditions which could take considerable time and require resources and clinical trials beyond the capacity of the Company. All forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and actual results may be affected by a number of material factors beyond our control. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. BHSC does not intend to update forward-looking statement disclosures other than through our regular management discussion and analysis disclosures. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151519 17 January 2023 TECTONIC GOLD PLC ("Tectonic Gold" or the "Company") NOTICE OF AGM Tectonic Gold plc (TDIM: TTAU) announces that the Company's Report and Accounts for the year ended 30 June 2022 and a Notice to convene the Annual General Meeting ("AGM") were sent to shareholders on 12 January 2023. Copies of the Report and Accounts and the Notice of the Annual General Meeting are also available on the Company's website www.tectonicgold.com The AGM will take place at 9:00 a.m. (local time) on 3 February 2023 at Level 13, 20 Bridge Street, Sydney, 2000, Australia. The Directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement. For further information, please contact: Tectonic Gold plc Brett Boynton Sam Quinn www.tectonicgold.com @tectonic_gold +61 2 9241 7665 AQSE Corporate Adviser and Broker VSA Capital Limited Andrew Raca - Corporate Finance Andrew Monk - Corporate Broking +44 20 3005 5004 Ends MONTREAL, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bombardier Inc. ("Bombardier" or the "Company") today announced the commencement of a tender offer (the "Tender Offer") to purchase for cash up to $104,000,000 aggregate principal amount (exclusive of accrued and unpaid interest, and as such aggregate principal amount may be increased or decreased by the Company, the "Aggregate Maximum Principal Amount") of its outstanding 7.50% Senior Notes due 2025 (the "Notes"). The Tender Offer is being made in connection with a concurrent offering of notes by the Company (the "New Notes") to be sold in an offering (the "New Offering") exempt from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The Tender Offer will be financed by the amounts raised in the New Offering (net of transaction fees and expenses). The Tender Offer is being made pursuant to an Offer to Purchase dated January 17, 2023. The table below summarizes certain payment terms for the Tender Offer: Title of Note CUSIP / ISIN (144A) CUSIP / ISIN (Reg S) Principal Amount Outstanding Aggregate Maximum Principal Amount Tender Offer Consideration (1)(2) Early Tender Payment (1) Total Consideration (1)(2)(3) 7.50% Senior Notes due 2025 097751BM2 / US097751BM26 C10602BA4 / USC10602BA41 $1,139,000,000 $104,000,000 $972.50 $30.00 $1,002.50 (1) Per $1,000 principal amount of Notes accepted for purchase. (2) Excludes accrued and unpaid interest, which will be paid in addition to the Tender Offer Consideration or the Total Consideration, as applicable. (3) Includes the applicable Early Tender Payment. The Tender Offer will expire at 11:59 p.m. New York City time, on February 13, 2023 unless extended or earlier terminated (such date and time, including as extended or earlier terminated, the "Expiration Date"). Registered holders (each, a "Holder" and collectively, the "Holders") of the Notes must validly tender their Notes at or before 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on January 30, 2023 (such date and time, including as extended or earlier terminated, the "Early Tender Date") in order to be eligible to receive the Early Tender Payment in addition to the Tender Offer Consideration (as defined below). Tenders of the Notes may be withdrawn at any time at or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on January 30, 2023, unless extended or earlier terminated (the "Withdrawal Deadline"), and not thereafter, except in certain limited circumstances where withdrawal rights are required by applicable law. Subject to the Aggregate Maximum Principal Amount and the other terms and conditions of the Tender Offer, possible proration of the Notes on the Early Settlement Date (as defined below) or the Final Settlement Date (as defined below) will be determined in accordance with the terms of the Tender Offer. If the aggregate total purchase price payable for the Notes validly tendered and not validly withdrawn at or prior to the Early Tender Date and accepted for purchase by the Company equals or exceeds the Aggregate Maximum Principal Amount, then Holders who validly tender their Notes after the Early Tender Date will not have any such Notes accepted for payment (unless the terms of the Tender Offer are amended by the Company in its sole and absolute discretion). If, on the Early Settlement Date or Final Settlement Date, as applicable, only a portion of the tendered Notes may be accepted for purchase, the aggregate principal amount of Notes accepted for purchase will be prorated based upon the aggregate principal amount of Notes that have been validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) and not yet accepted for purchase in the Tender Offer, such that the Aggregate Maximum Principal Amount will not be exceeded. The Total Consideration includes an early tender payment (the "Early Tender Payment") of $30.00 for each $1,000 principal amount of the Notes, which Early Tender Payment is in addition to the Tender Offer Consideration (as defined below). Subject to purchase in accordance with the Aggregate Maximum Principal Amount and possible proration, Holders validly tendering Notes (that have not been validly withdrawn) at or prior to the Early Tender Date will be eligible to receive the applicable Total Consideration listed in the table above, which includes the Early Tender Payment, on the "Early Settlement Date", which is expected to be February 1, 2023, but that may change without notice. Holders validly tendering Notes after the Early Tender Date but at or prior to the Expiration Date will only be eligible to receive the applicable "Tender Offer Consideration" listed in the table on the "Final Settlement Date". The Final Settlement Date is expected to be the second business day after the Expiration Date, which means that the Final Settlement Date is expected to be February 15, 2023, but that may change without notice. In addition to the Total Consideration or Tender Offer Consideration, Holders whose Notes are accepted for purchase will also receive accrued and unpaid interest from the last interest payment date to, but not including, the applicable settlement date. The obligation of the Company to accept for purchase, and to pay for, Notes validly tendered pursuant to the Tender Offer is subject to, and conditioned upon, the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions as set forth in the Offer to Purchase, in the sole and absolute discretion of the Company, including the Company's completion of the New Offering prior to February 1, 2023, on terms satisfactory to the Company, the proceeds of which New Offering (net of transaction fees and expenses) will be used to finance its purchase of Notes pursuant to the Tender Offer. The Company intends to complete the New Offering prior to February 1, 2023. Its obligation to accept for purchase any Notes pursuant to the Tender Offer is expressly conditioned on the completion of the New Offering on terms satisfactory to the Company. For avoidance of doubt, references in the Offer to Purchase to "completion" of the New Offering mean completion of the closing under such New Offering at which closing the Company receives the anticipated proceeds from the New Offering. No assurance can be given that the New Offering will be completed on the terms currently envisioned or at all. If such conditions shall not have been satisfied (or waived by the Company), no payments will be made to tendering Holders on the Early Settlement Date or Final Settlement Date, as applicable. The Tender Offer is not conditioned on any minimum amount of Notes being tendered. None of Bombardier, the trustees for the Notes, the agents under the respective indentures for the Notes, the dealer managers, the information and tender agent, any of their respective subsidiaries or affiliates or any of its or their respective directors, officers, employees or representatives makes any recommendation to Holders as to whether or not to tender all or any portion of their Notes, and none of the foregoing has authorized any person to make any such recommendation. Holders must decide whether to tender Notes, and if tendering, the amount of Notes to tender. All of the Notes are held in book-entry form. If you hold Notes through a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee, you must contact such broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee if you wish to tender Notes pursuant to the Tender Offer. You should check with such broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee to determine whether they will charge you a fee for tendering Notes on your behalf. You should also confirm with the broker, dealer, bank, trust company or other nominee any deadlines by which you must provide your tender instructions, because the relevant deadline set by such nominee may be earlier than the deadlines set forth herein. Bombardier has retained Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and RBC Capital Markets, LLC to serve as the dealer managers for the Tender Offer. Bombardier has retained Global Bondholder Services Corporation to act as the information and tender agent in respect of the Tender Offer. For additional information regarding the terms of the Tender Offer, please contact Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC or RBC Capital Markets, LLC at their respective telephone numbers set forth on the back cover page of the Offer to Purchase. Copies of the Offer to Purchase may be obtained at https://www.gbsc-usa.com/bombardier/or by contacting Global Bondholder Services Corporation at (855) 654 2014 or by email at contact@gbsc-usa.com. This notice does not constitute or form part of any offer or invitation to purchase or sell, or any solicitation of any offer to sell or purchase, the Notes or any other securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction, and neither this notice nor any part of it, nor the fact of its release, shall form the basis of, or be relied on or in connection with, any contract therefor. The Tender Offer is made only by and pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Offer to Purchase and the information in this notice is qualified by reference to the Offer to Purchase. This announcement does not constitute an offer to buy or the solicitation of an offer to sell any securities in any jurisdiction or in any circumstances in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. In those jurisdictions where the securities, blue sky or other laws require the Tender Offer to be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the Tender Offer will be deemed to be made by the dealer managers or one or more registered brokers or dealers licensed under the laws of such jurisdiction. Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements based on current expectations. By their nature, forward-looking statements require us to make assumptions and are subject to important known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause our actual results in future periods to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. For additional information regarding these risks and uncertainties, and the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements, please refer to the Offer to Purchase. For information MONTREAL, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bombardier Inc. ("Bombardier") today announced that it has launched an offering of US$500 million aggregate principal amount of new Senior Notes due 2029 (the "New Notes"). Bombardier intends to use the proceeds of the offering of the New Notes, together with cash on hand, (i) to fund the redemption (the "2024 Notes Redemption") of all of its outstanding 7.500% Senior Notes due 2024 (the "2024 Notes"), of which there is $396 million aggregate principal amount outstanding on the date hereof, (ii) to finance the offer to purchase (the "2025 Tender Offer") up to $104 million aggregate principal amount of its outstanding 7.50% Senior Notes due 2025 (the "2025 Notes"), of which there is $1,139 million aggregate principal amount outstanding on the date hereof, and (iii) for the payment of related fees and expenses. Consummation of the offering of the New Notes, the redemption of the 2024 Notes and the 2025 Tender Offer are subject to market and other conditions, and there can be no assurance that Bombardier will be able to successfully complete these transactions on the terms described above, or at all. The redemption of the 2024 Notes and the 2025 Tender Offer are subject to certain conditions, including the completion of the offering of the New Notes prior to February 16, 2023, as it relates to the 2024 Notes Redemption, and prior to February 1, 2023, as it relates to the 2025 Tender Offer. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or buy or the solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any security and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation, sale or purchase of any securities in any jurisdiction in which such offering, solicitation, sale or purchase would be unlawful. The New Notes mentioned herein have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, any state securities laws or the laws of any other jurisdiction, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. The New Notes mentioned herein may be offered and sold in the United States only to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers in accordance with Rule 144A under the U.S. Securities Act and outside the United States in reliance on Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act. The New Notes mentioned herein have not been and will not be qualified for distribution to the public under applicable Canadian securities laws and, accordingly, any offer and sale of the securities in Canada will be made on a basis which is exempt from the prospectus requirements of such securities laws. The New Notes will be offered and sold in Canada on a private placement basis only to "accredited investors" pursuant to certain prospectus exemptions. This announcement does not constitute an offer to purchase or the solicitation of an offer to sell the New Notes, the 2024 Notes or the 2025 Notes. This announcement does not constitute a redemption notice in respect of any 2024 Notes or any other notes. Any redemption of the 2024 Notes or any other notes will be made pursuant to a notice of redemption under the indentures governing such notes. Any purchase of the 2025 Notes pursuant to the 2025 Tender Offer will be made pursuant to an offer to purchase. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements based on current expectations. By their nature, forward-looking statements require us to make assumptions and are subject to important known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause our actual results in future periods to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. For information Basilios Triantafillos, global director of Deutsche Messe AG, speaks during a press conference at the Plaza Seoul hotel in central Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul By Baek Byung-yeul The Hannover Messe 2023, an annual manufacturing industry-focused trade fair, will focus on technologies for digitization and sustainability and highlight efforts to tackle climate change and global supply chain disruptions, an official from the German event organizer said Tuesday. "The Hannover Messe is a worldwide leading fair. Digitization and sustainability are the main drivers and topics of this year's fair," Basilios Triantafillos, global director of Deutsche Messe AG, told reporters during a press conference in Seoul. This year's event will be held in Hannover from April 17 to 21. The event organizer expects over 100,000 visitors and 4,000 exhibitors will participate in order to explore how to reduce their energy use and achieve digitization to produce products more efficiently. "Digitization and sustainability are the main drivers for each company," the director said stressing the importance of looking closer at production processes to help companies overcome the challenges they face. About 70 Korean companies including LS Electric will join the event. The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and the Korea Association of Machinery Industry (KOAMI) will also support small and medium-sized companies to set up promotional booths at the fair. The trade fair has been disrupted for the last three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the director added they are very confident that this year's event will be a success. "The last three years affected us very heavily because the main aspect of our event is bringing people together, and we've had no possibility to do that. This affects, of course, the business that we're doing. Nevertheless, we're very confident. We need to be humble and patient," he said. The fair has chosen a partner country for each event, shedding light on its industries. For this year's event, Triantafillos said Indonesia will feature as the partner country. Indonesia President Joko Widodo will also take part in the fair to promote the country's national project named Making Indonesia 4.0, its strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution era. Significant Programs & Strategic Partnerships: A testament to the high quality of our BC Cu-Au Districts VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 17, 2023 / Amarc Resources Ltd. ("Amarc" or the "Company") (TSXV:AHR)(OTCQB:AXREF)) is pleased to provide this summary of its major achievements and milestones over the last twelve months, as we look towards another highly active exploration year progressing our JOY, DUKE and IKE Districts. In 2022, we successfully expanded the opportunities for development within our portfolio of copper-gold districts, added further depth and breadth to our exploration and management team and engaged a communication group, enhancing our ability to provide effective and timely information to shareholders and the market. Advancing our portfolio of porphyry copper-gold districts Amarc and Freeport-McMoRan Mineral Properties Canada Inc. ("Freeport") made considerable progress at the JOY District ("JOY"), completing a second comprehensive program with a substantial drilling component in 2022. In November, Amarc and Boliden Mineral Canada Ltd. ("Boliden") completed an agreement on the DUKE District ("DUKE"), and initiated drilling at DUKE before year end. Freeport at JOY and Boliden at DUKE can earn up to a 70% interest in the districts by funding CDN$110 million and CDN$90 million of staged earn-in expenditures, respectively. At both JOY and DUKE we are the Operator, which is a positive reflection on our team's operational abilities and high standards across all aspects of exploration and development. We believe that these strategic earn-in agreements are a testament to the high quality of our project portfolio, located in British Columbia - a premier mining jurisdiction, and its attractiveness to major mining companies. The investments made through these agreements will be important catalysts to the advancement of exploration and development of our projects, while being non-share dilutive, and will further the growth of the Company. In addition, the fully-funded, ongoing exploration activities at the JOY and DUKE Districts will provide a significant flow of results in 2023. JOY District Leading into 2022, Amarc revealed expansions of the PINE Deposit laterally and to depth through a comprehensive CDN$5.94 million Freeport-funded program in the JOY Copper-Gold District in 2021. Notably, the three long core holes completed at the PINE Deposit in 2021 intercepted some of the highest grades over the longest intervals encountered to date (March 7, 2022 release). This program also confirmed the potential for additional, large-scale, porphyry copper-gold deposits in the District. In 2022, we operated a significant exploration program that included core drilling, designed to target additional extensions to the known mineralization at the PINE Deposit and initially test the more advanced deposit-scale copper-gold targets clustered across the JOY District. Geological mapping, geochemical sampling and geophysical ground surveying was also completed to better define existing and also new copper-gold targets within the District in preparation for current and future drilling. As work progressed, the drilling component of the program was significantly expanded with three drill rigs active; all told, some 15,427 m was completed in 37 drill holes. In line with increased activities, the initial exploration budget was also significantly expanded to approximately CDN$14 million. Although we experienced significant processing delays at the laboratory in 2022, assays are now being received and we look forward to releasing assay results over the coming weeks. DUKE District In late November, we announced an earn-in agreement with Boliden Mineral Canada Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Boliden Group, for our 100% owned DUKE Copper-Gold District and immediately commenced a drill program focused on delineating the size of the DUKE Deposit, that will continue into this year. The DUKE District's excellent infrastructure enables the Company to drill year-round. In addition to the drilling at DUKE Deposit, ground geophysical and other surveys are planned as part of a comprehensive program to advance both the DUKE Deposit and prioritized porphyry copper deposit targets for drill testing. To the end of 2023, Boliden is to fund CDN$10 million of which CDN$5 million are committed expenditures. Amarc also continues to focus on plans to advance the IKE District, which includes the higher grade copper-gold Empress Deposit and the IKE Deposit - a porphyry copper-silver-molybdenum discovery, and our other copper-gold porphyry projects in British Columbia. Building our management team for the long term Early in 2022, Amarc strengthened our experienced management team with the appointment of Dr. Roy Greig, P.Geo., as the Company's new Vice President, Exploration. The appointment of Dr. Greig enhances Amarc's leadership team for the longer term and reinforces the Company's existing relationship with C.J. Greig & Associates, one of Canada's premier minerals exploration and discovery groups. C.J. Greig & Associates will be assisting with Amarc's initiatives to explore and develop our porphyry copper-gold districts in BC. Outlook Copper has typically been recognized as an important economic indicator. This was reflected in its performance in 2022, particularly in the latter half of the year when prices dropped as global economic growth slowed as a result of factors such as "tighter U.S. monetary policy, the energy crisis arising from Russia's war in Ukraine and China's combination of strict Covid-19 lockdowns and a weak property market"; however, the influential Wall Street Bankers Goldman Sachs and Bank of America expect copper prices to recover in 2023 as China opens up and supplies tighteni. And the outlook for copper is positive over the longer term as the green transition gains momentum. A growing number of countries have set net zero policies with aggressive goals. Canada has acknowledged the key part that copper plays in the generation, transportation and transmission of energy by including copper in its critical minerals strategyii. The United States is making massive public and private investmentsiii in renewable power, EVs, charging stations and other electrification technologies that are heavily reliant on copper, and has announced its intent to work with Canada to secure a reliable supply chain to meet its policy goalsiv. The influence is already being felt: "collated data on demand growth rates from sectors linked to net-zero policies indicated an expansion in copper consumption of 4.5% year-on-year out to 2030in contrast to demand growth [of] 2.1% over the past two decades," noted Bank of America analyst Michael Widmerv. Expert studies such as The Future of Copper by S&P Global show the world needs to find and develop more deposits of coppervi - and soon. We believe that Amarc is ideally positioned to do so. British Columbia is the heartland of Canada's copper production. With two agreements with major producers, it is clear that our district scale projects are being noticed. The fundamentals of the copper market over the long term are highly positive. The stage is set for an exciting 2023! A collaborative effort The planning and successful execution of productive programs is dependent on the ongoing efforts of the members of Amarc's team inclusive of our partners, consultants and contractors and, in particular, on the willingness of Indigenous groups, local governments and stakeholders to work collaboratively with us. We extend our thanks to all of you. We would also like to acknowledge our shareholders for their continued support that contributes to the success of the Company. About Amarc Resources Ltd. Amarc is a mineral exploration and development company with an experienced and successful management team focused on developing a new generation of long-life, high-value porphyry Cu-Au mines in BC. By combining high-demand projects with dynamic management, Amarc has created a solid platform to create value from its exploration and development-stage assets. Amarc is advancing its 100%-owned IKE, DUKE and JOY porphyry CuAu districts located in different prolific porphyry regions of southern, central and northern BC, respectively. Each district represents significant potential for the development of multiple and important-scale, porphyry CuAu deposits. Importantly each of the three districts is located in proximity to industrial infrastructure - including power, highways and rail. Amarc is associated with HDI, a diversified, global mining company with a 35-year history of porphyry Cu deposit discovery and development success. Previous and current HDI projects include some of BC's and the world's most important porphyry deposits - such as Pebble, Mount Milligan, Southern Star, Kemess South, Kemess North, Gibraltar, Prosperity, Xietongmen, Newtongmen, Florence, Casino, Sisson, Maggie, IKE, PINE and DUKE. From its head office in Vancouver, Canada, HDI applies its unique strengths and capabilities to acquire, develop, operate and monetize mineral projects. Amarc works closely with local governments, Indigenous groups and stakeholders in order to advance its mineral projects responsibly, and in a manner that contributes to sustainable community and economic development. We pursue early and meaningful engagement to ensure our mineral exploration and development activities are well coordinated and broadly supported, address local priorities and concerns, and optimize opportunities for collaboration. In particular, we seek to establish mutually beneficial partnerships with Indigenous groups within whose traditional territories our projects are located, through the provision of jobs, training programs, contract opportunities, capacity funding agreements and sponsorship of community events. All Amarc work programs are carefully planned to achieve high levels of environmental and social performance. Qualified Person Dr. Roy Greig, P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has read and approved all technical and scientific information related to the Duke Project contained in this news release. Dr. Greig is Amarc's Vice President, Exploration. For further details on Amarc Resources Ltd., please visit the Company's website at www.amarcresources.com or contact Dr. Diane Nicolson, President and CEO, at (604) 684-6365 or within North America at 1-800-667-2114, or Kin Communications, at (604) 684-6730, Email: AHR@kincommunications.com. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dr. Diane Nicolson President and CEO Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor any other regulatory authority accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward Looking and other Cautionary Information This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All such statements, other than statements of historical facts that address exploration plans and plans for enhanced relationships are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Assumptions used by the Company to develop forward-looking statements include the following: Amarc's projects will obtain all required environmental and other permits and all land use and other licenses, studies and exploration of Amarc's projects will continue to be positive, and no geological or technical problems will occur. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, potential environmental issues or liabilities associated with exploration, development and mining activities, exploitation and exploration successes, continuity of mineralization, uncertainties related to the ability to obtain necessary permits, licenses and tenure and delays due to third party opposition, changes in and the effect of government policies regarding mining and natural resource exploration and exploitation, exploration and development of properties located within Aboriginal groups asserted territories may affect or be perceived to affect asserted aboriginal rights and title, which may cause permitting delays or opposition by Aboriginal groups, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions, as well as risks relating to the uncertainties with respect to the effects of COVID-19. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on Amarc Resources Ltd., investors should review Amarc's annual Form 20-F filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov and its home jurisdiction filings that are available at www.sedar.com. i https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/13/copper-prices-traditionally-a-barometer-for-the-global-economy-are-expected-to-soar-next-year.html ii https://www.canada.ca/en/campaign/critical-minerals-in-canada/canadian-critical-minerals-strategy.html iii https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/08/02/updated-fact-sheet-bipartisan-infrastructure-investment-and-jobs-act/ iv https://www.iea.org/policies/16060-canada-us-joint-action-plan-on-critical-minerals-collaboration v See endnote 1 vi https://ihsmarkit.com/Info/0722/futureofcopper.html SOURCE: Amarc Resources Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/734977/Amarc-2022-a-Transformative-Year-and-Corporate-Outlook VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 17, 2023 / Stillwater Critical Minerals (formerly Group Ten Metals) (TSXV:PGE)(OTCQB:PGEZF)(FSE:5D32) (the "Company" or "SWCM") is pleased to announce that it will present at the Emerging Growth Conference on January 25th, 2023, at 9:35am PT | 12:35 ET. President and CEO Michael Rowley will provide a comprehensive overview and update on the Company and its flagship Stillwater West PGE-Ni-Cu-Co + Au project in Montana, USA, including anticipated Q1 catalysts such as exploration results, carbon dioxide sequestration initiatives and an updated NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate, in addition to technical and corporate objectives for 2023. Participants are invited to submit questions in advance to Questions@EmergingGrowth.com, or ask questions directly during the Q&A session after the presentation. To register, click here or the on the adjacent logo. About the Emerging Growth Conference The Emerging Growth conference is an effective way for public companies to present opportunities and communicate major announcements to the investment community in a time efficient manner. Conference focus and coverage includes companies in a wide range of growth sectors with strong management teams, focused strategy and execution, and overall potential for long-term growth. The audience includes individual and institutional investors, as well as investment advisors and analysts. About Stillwater Critical Minerals Corp. Stillwater Critical Minerals (TSXV:PGE)(OTCQB:PGEZF) is a mineral exploration company focused on its flagship Stillwater West PGE-Ni-Cu-Co + Au project in the iconic and famously productive Stillwater mining district in Montana, USA. With the recent addition of two renowned Bushveld and Platreef geologists to the team, the Company is well positioned to advance the next phase of large-scale critical mineral supply from this world-class American district, building on current production of platinum group metals, nickel, copper, and other commodities by neighboring Sibanye-Stillwater, and past production of chromium and other metals. The Platreef-style nickel and copper sulphide deposits at Stillwater West contain a compelling suite of critical minerals and are open for expansion along trend and at depth, with an updated NI 43-101 mineral resource update expected early in 2023. Stillwater Critical Minerals also holds the high-grade Black Lake-Drayton Gold project adjacent to Treasury Metals' development-stage Goliath Gold Complex in northwest Ontario, which is currently under an earn-in agreement with an option to joint venture whereby Heritage Mining may earn up to a 90% interest in the project by completing payments and work on the project. The Company also holds the Kluane PGE-Ni-Cu-Co critical minerals project on trend with Nickel Creek Platinum's Wellgreen deposit in Canada's Yukon Territory. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Michael Rowley, President, CEO & Director Email: info@criticalminerals.com Phone: (604) 357 4790 Web: http://criticalminerals.com TToll Free: (888) 432 0075 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Stillwater Critical Minerals View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/735484/Stillwater-Critical-Minerals-to-Present-at-the-Emerging-Growth-Conference-on-January-25th-2023 Resilience CEO joins the Directors of the FBI and Europol to advise government and private sector attendees around how to navigate ransomware in 2023 SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Resilience , the next-generation cyber risk solutions company, is proud to announce their invitation to the World Economic Forum's Annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, and share how their unique approach and evidence-based experience has helped companies become cyber resilient to ransomware attempts. Vishaal "V8" Hariprasad, Co-Founder/CEO of Resilience and a former Air Force Cyber Operations Officer, will be joined by Christopher Wray, Director of the FBI, Catherine De Bolle, Executive Director for Europol, and others, in leading a panel discussion titled "Ransomware: To Pay or Not to Pay" on January 19, 2023. Ransomware is an epidemic - increasing 82% from 2020 to 2021 - and representative of the surge in cybercrime overall, estimated to reach $10.5 trillion by 2025 according to Crowdstrike and Cybersecurity Ventures - despite the significant investment in cybersecurity that companies continue to make. The surge in cyber crime requires companies to make a massive shift in how they assess, measure, and manage their cyber risk across the internal silos of finance and security. Resilience has seen that the strongest companies align their technological investments with financial understanding of the most critical risks to their enterprise. This holistic approach of leveraging insurance with technical cybersecurity visibility has proven to help to ensure clients are resilient to extortion attempts. "The ransomware epidemic has made it clear that continuously improving companies' risk profiles requires connecting their cyber insurance coverage with their cybersecurity plan to reinforce great cyber hygiene," said Hariprasad. "We've seen tremendous success fighting ransomware by connecting insurance to security, helping clients build resiliency to extortion and manage active incidents. What we propose is dynamic: reduce the risk, reduce the risk transfer cost, reduce the severity of a breach, reduce the risk to partners, and improve your business's agility and competitiveness. That's Resilience's mission." With Resilience's success deploying this novel approach in the US and UK, they look forward to sharing best practices and learnings with the entire World Economic Forum community and helping companies across continents fight crime and build cyber resilience. Previously in November 2022, Hariprasad led the Forum's educational session in Geneva, Switzerland as part of their Annual Meeting on Cybersecurity (titled "Cybercrime: Staying Ahead of the Curve"), discussing how to stay ahead of bad actors as their tactics grow more technologically advanced, complex, and malicious. About Resilience Resilience helps middle-to-large market enterprises connect their cyber insurance coverage with advanced cybersecurity visibility and actionable cyber hygiene. Their recently launched new website (www.cyberresilience.com), and campaign, titled "Rewriting the Rules of Risk"; advocate a unique approach to the integration of technology, economics, and behavior to break down barriers between risk management, information security, and financial leaders. Resilience is proud to be backed by leading technology investment firms including General Catalyst, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Intact Ventures, Founders Fund, CRV, and Shield Capital. With headquarters in San Francisco, Resilience's team is globally dispersed, with offices in New York, Chicago, Baltimore, Toronto, and London. Resilience offers insurance coverage through its licensed and appointed insurance agency and security services through its expert security team. For more information, visit us at www.cyberresilience.com. About the Forum The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas. It was established in 1971 as a not-for-profit foundation and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It is independent, impartial, and not tied to any special interests. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1937256/Resilience_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/resilience-invited-to-lead-davos-panel-discussion-around-cybersecurity-301721909.html SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global in-vitro toxicology testing market size is projected to reach USD 64.7 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 11.10% over the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Over the years, acceptance of in-vitro toxicology testing methods by regulatory authorities is increasing at a faster pace & thus validation of these tests methods opposed to conventional testing is even rising. Key Industry Insights & Findings from the report: Based on technology, the cell culture segment held the largest revenue share in 2022, owing to the increased demand for accurate & cost-effective analysis. Moreover, the adoption of 3D cell culture is also propelling the growth of this segment. On basis of application, the system toxicology segment dominated the market for in-vitro toxicology testing in 2022. Generation of toxicology data points such as minimum dose, tolerated dose, risk assessment and many more will contribute to the revenue generation. The cellular assays segment accounted for the highest revenue share in 2022, owing to the developments in cell-based imaging assays, high throughput screening & label-free detection. The pharmaceutical industry as an end-user contributed the largest revenue to the market in 2022. The importance of toxicology testing during drug development stages coupled with high number of product pipeline attributes to the revenue generation. North America accounted for the highest revenue share in 2022 due to prevalence of animal testing bans & supportive government initiatives for toxicology research. In addition, aggregation of players in this regions to provide in-vitro testing product and services will continue the revenue generation during the forecast. Read 180-page market research report, "In-vitro Toxicology Testing Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Technology (Cell Culture, High Throughput), By Method, By Application, By End-user, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030", published by Grand View Research. In-vitro Toxicology Testing Market Growth & Trends Development of technologies to substitute animal use for toxicology tests has fueled the usage of in-vitro models such as in-silico simulation, assays, 3D cell cultures and many more, thereby boosting market growth. Screening of a new drug candidate involves the use of animals for preclinical studies which is very tedious and expensive. However, in recent times, several jurisdictions are promoting ban for animal-based chemical testing. For example, for several years, the EU has been promoting the reduction, replacement, and refinement of animal tests. The Regulation on cosmetic products (1223/2009), REACH (2007/2006), the Directive on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes (2010/63), and Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) (1272/2008) are some examples of EU legislation that are engaged in strongly encouraging the replacement of animal toxicology testing. Furthermore, in June 2018, the Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act was passed in California to ban the selling of animal-tested products after 2020. Many governments and private organization are taking actions to minimize conventional testing models, providing funds to support & develop in-vitro toxicology assays and form conducive government policies. Thus, increase in government initiatives that are focused on banning animal testing can be attributed to the rise in adoption of in-vitro toxicological models and creates many opportunities within the market. For instance, approximately USD 3.2 million were contributed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and its international associates to promote the development of non-animal test methods. The advancements in computational and screening methods such as biological, high throughput, and chemical coupled with the vast number of public databases for toxicity analysis has expanded largely. This has allowed researchers to access information for drug discovery studies, toxicology profiling, and drug development programs. For instance, the MetaTox HS project by Agilent Technologies, Inc. brings advanced solutions for toxicity assays & high sensitivity metabolism during drug development procedures. In-vitro Toxicology Testing Market Segmentation Grand View Research has segmented the global in-vitro toxicology testing market based on technology, application, method, end-user, and region: In-vitro Toxicology Testing Market - Technology Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030) Cell Culture Technology High Throughput Technology Molecular Imaging OMICS Technology In-vitro Toxicology Testing Market - Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030) Systemic Toxicology Dermal Toxicity Endocrine Disruption Occular Toxicity Others In-vitro Toxicology Testing Market - Method Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030) Cellular Assay Live Cells High Throughput / High Content Screening Molecular Imaging Confocal Microscopy Others Others Fixed Cells Biochemical Assay In-silico Ex-vivo In-vitro Toxicology Testing Market - End-user Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030) Pharmaceutical Industry Cosmetics & Household Products Academic Institutes & Research Laboratories Diagnostics Chemicals Industry Food Industry In-vitro Toxicology Testing Market - Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030) North America U.S. Canada Europe Germany U.K. France Italy Spain Denmark Sweden Norway Asia Pacific Japan China India Australia Thailand South Korea Latin America Brazil Mexico Argentina Middle East and Africa (MEA) and (MEA) South Africa Saudi Arabia UAE Kuwait List of Key Players of In-vitro Toxicology Testing Market Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. SGS S.A. Merck KGaA Eurofins Scientific Abbott Laboratories Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings Evotec S.E. Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated Agilent Technolgies, Inc. Catalent, Inc. Danaher Corporation Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. BioIVT Gentronix Check out more related studies published by Grand View Research: Genetic Toxicology Testing Market - The global genetic toxicology testing market size is expected to reach USD 3.57 billion by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 12.7% from 2022 to 2030. The rising usage of personalized medicines, combined with the development of cell and gene therapy across the globe is enhancing the demand for genotoxicity. The global genetic toxicology testing market size is expected to reach by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 12.7% from 2022 to 2030. The rising usage of personalized medicines, combined with the development of cell and gene therapy across the globe is enhancing the demand for genotoxicity. In Vitro Diagnostics Market - The global in vitro diagnostics market size is expected to reach USD 113.38 billion by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. It is estimated to register a CAGR of 0.2% over the forecast period driven by the increasing geriatric population, COVID-19 pandemic, and technological advancements in diagnostics that are supporting its adoption. - The global in vitro diagnostics market size is expected to reach by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. It is estimated to register a CAGR of 0.2% over the forecast period driven by the increasing geriatric population, COVID-19 pandemic, and technological advancements in diagnostics that are supporting its adoption. In-Vitro Colorectal Cancer Screening Tests Market - The global market for In-Vitro Colorectal Cancer Screening Tests is expected to reach USD 840.5 million by 2022, according to a new study by Grand View Research, Inc. Increasing incidences of colorectal cancer and the development of novel CRC screening tests employing methods of genetic screening are some primary factors expected to drive market growth over the forecast period. Browse through Grand View Research's Clinical Diagnostics Industry Research Reports. About Grand View Research Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research Helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead. Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc. Phone: 1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: sales@grandviewresearch.com Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com Grand View Compass | Astra ESG Solutions Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/661327/Grand_View_Research_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/in-vitro-toxicology-testing-market-worth-64-7-billion-by-2030-grand-view-research-inc-301723253.html Network services over 96,000 addresses and 29,000 customers Antin Infrastructure Partners ("Antin", Ticker: ANTIN ISIN: FR0014005AL0) announced today that it has completed the acquisitions of Empire Access and North Penn Telephone (together, "Empire"), leading fiber-to-the-premise ("FTTP") broadband providers in New York and Pennsylvania. With a network of 1,280 fiber route miles servicing over 96,000 addresses and 29,000 customers, Empire is the independent fiber provider of choice in both Western New York and Northern Pennsylvania and plans to continue to expand its high speed fiber broadband footprint across the region. In 2021, Empire was rated as the "Fastest ISP in the U.S." by PC Mag. The Wagner family, which has controlled Empire since 1946, retained an ownership stake in the company and Brian Wagner will remain on the company's board of directors. Financial terms were not disclosed. Francisco Abularach, Senior Partner at Antin, commented: "Empire is uniquely positioned to leverage its expansive fiber network to provide broadband services to underserved parts of New York and Pennsylvania. We are thrilled to partner with the Empire management team to support the next chapter of the company's growth. Jim Baase, CEO at Empire, added: "Empire is one of the preeminent FTTP providers in the regions we serve and the Empire-Antin partnership will enable us to grow more quickly. With still a substantial opportunity ahead, we are excited to partner with Antin to help secure that future growth and provide high speed broadband access to consumers across our footprint Brian Wagner, member of the Empire board of directors, added: "Empire has been a part of my family since 1946. We couldn't be more proud of the track record of success and customer service that the company has achieved, which is entirely a testament to the tremendous people that work here. We are excited to see what the team can achieve under Antin's ownership." Citizens, CIT (a division of First Citizens Bank), and Webster Bank acted as lead arrangers on the debt financing, with Citizens also acting as financial advisor to Antin. Weil, Gotshal Manges and Morgan Lewis Bockius acted as legal advisors to Antin. Harter Secrest Emery acted as legal advisors to Empire. About Empire Founded in 1896 and based in Prattsburgh, NY, Empire is a regional broadband provider proudly serving large areas of New York and Pennsylvania. Today, the company operates a fiber network of 1,280 route miles servicing over 29,000 customers and 96,000 addresses, of which 95% are served by fiber. Empire offers a wide range of products and services, including high-speed fiber internet, voice and digital TV services. In 2017 and 2018, Empire Access was awarded Best Internet Service Provider in the Southern Tier region of New York. In 2021, Empire was named Fastest Internet Provider in the U.S. by PC Mag. About Antin Infrastructure Partners Antin Infrastructure Partners is a leading private equity firm focused on infrastructure. With over 29 billion in assets under management across its Flagship, Mid Cap and NextGen investment strategies, Antin targets investments in the energy and environment, digital, transport and social infrastructure sectors. With offices in Paris, London, New York, Singapore and Luxembourg, Antin employs over 190 professionals dedicated to growing, improving and transforming infrastructure businesses while delivering long-term value to portfolio companies and investors. Majority owned by its partners, Antin is listed on Euronext Paris (Ticker: ANTIN ISIN: FR0014005AL0). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230117005177/en/ Contacts: Antin Infrastructure Partners Nicolle Graugnard, Communication Director Email: nicolle.graugnard@antin-ip.com Red Light Holland to export another 3000 Grams (3KG) of Psilocybin Truffles, produced and sold in The Netherlands, into Canada under a fourth Health Canada approved psilocybin import permit to its laboratory partner, CCrest Laboratories Inc., a cGMP pharmaceutical laboratory in Montreal, Canada CCrest Labs to utilize its newly amended Controlled Drugs & Substances Dealer's License by Health Canada adding 'Assembly and Packaging' to develop Red Light's psilocybe Truffles into homogenized microdosing capsules containing 0.5 mg of psychoactive material (psilocybin + psilocin). Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2023) - Red Light Holland Corp. (CSE: TRIP) (FSE: 4YX) (OTCQB: TRUFF) ("Red Light Holland" or the "Company"), an Ontario-based corporation engaged in the production, growth and sale of functional mushrooms and mushroom home grow kits in North America and Europe, and a premium brand of psilocybin truffles to the legal, recreational market within the Netherlands, in compliance with all applicable laws is pleased to announce that 3000 grams (3 KG) of the Company's natural psilocybin truffles grown in the Netherlands, have been approved by Health Canada to import to Red Light's partner, cGMP licensed CCrest Laboratories in Montreal, Canada for the purposes of product development of homogenized powder for microdosing capsules. CCrest Laboratories, which holds a Controlled Drugs & Substances Dealer's License, has announced plans to use its newly amended license, recently approved by Health Canada to include assembly and packaging, to develop homogenized microdosing capsules in partnership with Red Light Holland. These capsules will contain 0.5 mg of psychoactive material, a combination of psilocybin and psilocin, and will be packaged in child-proof safety bottles containing 20 capsules. This dosage and packaging were determined based on prior testing, as well as information obtained through the use of Red Light Holland's iMicrodose app and the experience of the company's therapist, Jeff Hamburg. Upon projected arrival at CCrest Labs in a few weeks, Red Light's psilocybe Truffles will be produced and tested in accordance with quality control requirements that will hopefully allow the products to be accessible in the emerging legal markets across the globe. These measures include dosage testing, certificate of analysis testing, stability testing and child proof safety bottles. "We are carefully but aggressively seeking to open up our Netherland's grown truffles to new legal markets for natural psilocybin products. In particular, Red Light is specifically focused on product development targeting areas we believe are most likely to succeed. We don't want to get ahead of ourselves, as we know there may be many hurdles to get homogenized microdosing capsules to customers in emerging markets, but with our excellent partnership with CCrest Laboratories we see a possible path that is very exciting," said Todd Shapiro, CEO and Director of Red Light Holland. "The knowledge gained, continued R&D and product development we plan on creating here is exciting and Red Light will provide updates when our Netherlands' fresh grown Psilocybe Truffles have landed at CCrest Laboratories, in Montreal, Canada via a Health Canada approved psilocybin import permit, which is projected to arrive within the next few weeks," added Shapiro. "At CCrest Labs, we are thrilled to leverage the expertise of our esteemed scientists to research and develop a high quality potential dosage of psilocybe truffles in a way that preserves their natural integrity. Our collaboration with Red Light, a pioneering partner in this field, allows us to push the boundaries of discovery and make meaningful progress in the psychedelic sector. We are proud to operate in compliance with Health Canada regulations and maintain the highest standards of quality and safety. Together with Red Light, we are committed to advancing this exciting field with caution and care, and we are grateful for the opportunity to contribute a positive impact through disruptive innovation," said Alex Grenier, CEO of Shaman Pharma and President of CCrest Laboratories. About Shaman Pharma Corp. Shaman Pharma is a federally registered Canadian corporation with the mission to power outstanding psychedelic life science innovation. Accelerating time-to-market through its portfolio of assets, Shaman launches and consolidates revenue-driven pharma-biotech life sciences ventures focused on supplying psychedelic drugs & novel active ingredients. About Red Light Holland Red Light Holland is an Ontario-based corporation engaged in the production, growth and sale of functional mushrooms and mushroom home grow kits in North America and Europe, and a premium brand of psilocybin truffles to the legal, recreational market within the Netherlands, in compliance with all applicable laws. For additional information on the Company: Todd Shapiro Chief Executive Officer & Director Tel: 647-643-TRIP (8747) Email: todd@redlight.co Website: www.RedLight.co Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Information Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of Red Light Holland. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements include, but are not limited to: statements with respect to the Company creating a standardized consistent dose from naturally occurring psychoactive truffles; the Company working with CCrest Laboratories, which holds a Controlled Drugs & Substances Dealer's License to develop homogenized microdosing capsules from naturally occurring psychoactive truffles; statements with respect to Health Canada's Special Access Program, including the Company's expectations to have their 3000kg of psilocybe truffles arrive safely in Canada at CCrest Labs within the next few weeks; the Company's expectations to have their 3000kg psilocybe truffles in Canada at all; the Company' expectations with respect to exceeding any potential regulatory standards set by such program; statements with respect to further evaluation, R&D, product development and testing of the Company's naturally occurring psilocybe truffles by CCrest Laboratories for either recreational or scientific and medical purposes; the potential of the Company's products being used for recreational and/or scientific and medical purposes; the potential of the Company's products being used for Health Canada's Special Access Program; the potential of the Company's products being used for emerging markets; the potential of the Company's products being used for future legal markets as legal markets and regulations are still being written, the potential of the Company's products being used for emerging markets across the globe; the Company's recommeded dosage and packaging - which were determined based on prior testing, as well as information obtained through the use of Red Light Holland's iMicrodose app and the experience of the company's therapist, Jeff Hamburg - may not be the preferred dosage and packaging by regulators and the Company's ability to establish itself as the leader in the recreational psychedelics sector. Forward-looking information is based on a number of key expectations and assumptions made by Red Light Holland, including without limitation: the COVID-19 pandemic impact on the Canadian economy and Red Light Holland's business, and the extent and duration of such impact; no change to laws or regulations that negatively affect Red Light Holland's business; there will be a demand for Red Light Holland's products in the future; no unanticipated expenses or costs arise; the Company will be able to continue to develop products that are allowed to be imported and sold under Health Canada's import permit; and the partnership with Shaman Pharma Corp. will help Red Light Holland to achieve its business goals. Although the forward-looking information contained in this news release is based upon what the Company believes to be reasonable assumptions, it cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with such information. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to: the inability of the Company to receive a shipping partner for the psilocybe truffles to Montreal, Canada; the inability for the Company to have the psilocybe truffles to Montrea, Canada within the next few weeks; the inability for the Conpany's psilocbye truffle to ever arrive in Canada or at CCrest Labs in Montreal, Canada; the inability of the Company to continue as a going concern; the inability of the Company to obtain all necessary governmental and/or other regulatory approvals, licenses, and permits necessary to operate and expand the Company's facilities; the effect of regulatory and/or political change and its effect on the legislation and regulations surrounding the psychedelics industry including SAP; negative perception of the medical-use and adult-use psilocybin industry; the inability of CCrest to complete the planned testing of the Company's products; the inability of the Company to create a standardized dose; the inability of the Company and CCrest Labs to create a homogonized microdosing capsule from the Company's Netherlands grown truffles, the potential unviability of psilocybin for recreational, medical and/or scientific purposes; the inability of the Company to partner with any global emerging markets, the inability of the company's information obtained through the use of Red Light Holland's iMicrodose app and the experience of the company's therapist, Jeff Hamburg to be relevant for future regulations or emerging markets; the Company's ability to establish itself as the leader in the recreational psychedelics sector; the inability for the company to use their psilocybin in any potential recreational use of naturally occurring Psilocybin; the inability for the Company to continue product development and research and development including the inability of the Company to continue working with CCrest labs; the inability of the Company to continue its growth; the Company's limited operating history; reliance on management; the Company's requirements for additional financing; and competition for mental health and wellness investments. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and reflect the Company's expectations as of the date hereof and are subject to change thereafter. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, estimates or opinions, future events or results or otherwise or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151528 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 17, 2023 / Blackwolf Copper and Gold ("Blackwolf", or the "Company") (TSXV:BWCG)(OTC PINK:BWCGF) is pleased to announce highly encouraging surface sample assay results from its 2022 reconnaissance exploration program at its 100%-owned, Hyder area Properties located northwest of the towns of Stewart, BC and Hyder, AK on the Alaska side of the Golden Triangle. Despite significant exploration activity in Canada, virtually no modern exploration has been performed in the area since the 1930's. Blackwolf's team is exceptionally knowledgeable and experienced with mineral deposits in the Golden Triangle. High-grade gold-silver mineralization was identified in multiple areas during this initial work program, with three priority areas identified that will be prioritized for drilling and additional surface exploration (Fig. 1). Highlights of the 2022 work include: Cantoo : individual assays up to 37.6 g/t Au from chip samples of outcropping veins up to 30m wide. A series of these stacked, shallow southwesterly-dipping veins and stockwork zones were identified at Cantoo, spanning over 300 meters of exposed elevation and over 500m along strike. The Company holds an authorized permit for Cantoo, which is a high-priority drill target for the 2023 season. : individual assays up to from chip samples of outcropping veins up to 30m wide. A series of these stacked, shallow southwesterly-dipping veins and stockwork zones were identified at Cantoo, spanning over 300 meters of exposed elevation and over 500m along strike. The Company holds an authorized permit for Cantoo, which is a high-priority drill target for the 2023 season. Solo : grab samples including: 20.6 g/t Au, 386 g/t Ag and 6.0 g/t Au, 3,836 g/t Ag from a zone of structurally-controlled quartz veining, sulfide mineralization, and alteration over 535 meters of strike length. Blackwolf's sampling results, coupled with the historic discovery of ultra-high-grade veins, are geologically similar to those from the Brucejack deposit. : grab samples including: from a zone of structurally-controlled quartz veining, sulfide mineralization, and alteration over 535 meters of strike length. Blackwolf's sampling results, coupled with the historic discovery of ultra-high-grade veins, are geologically similar to those from the Brucejack deposit. Doghole: samples up to 16.6 g/t Au and 583 g/t Ag from a series of NE trending quartz-sulfide veins traced over 220 meters along strike. A total of 15 samples were collected along the trend and returned an average of 6.02 g/t Au and 171 g/t Ag. "The 2022 Program on the Hyder Area Properties was very encouraging; stacked, wide, high-grade veins, located adjacent to one of the most important gold-silver deposits in the Golden Triangle, represent the best drill target that I've seen in the area and we look forward to drilling the initial holes at Cantoo in the spring of 2023," said Rob McLeod, President and CEO of Blackwolf Copper and Gold. "Additionally, the gold and silver-rich veins and alteration zones sampled from the Doghole and Solo Prospects represent excellent, undrilled targets as well." Exploration during the 2022 field season at the Company's five Hyder area properties included the collection of 330 rock grab and chip samples, geologic mapping, aerial photography, LiDAR surveys, and a high-resolution World-View 3 remote sensing survey. Precipitous areas were sampled by experienced climbing technicians. Due to the steep, challenging climbing conditions at Cantoo, only limited surface sampling was completed on the outcropping veins. Assay results for all samples collected during 2022 on the Hyder Properties ranged from trace to 37.6 g/t Au, trace to 3,836 g/t Ag, trace to 1.47% Cu, trace to 21.3% Zn, and trace to 58.4% Pb. Thirty-four of the samples returned over 1.0 g/t Au. Figure 1 - Hyder Project Location Map CANTOO Located due east of the Premier, Silver Coin and Big Missouri deposits that are currently in development by Ascot Resources and likely part of the same metallogenic system, the Cantoo property hosts a series of shallow, southeast-dipping breccias, stockworks and vein structures up to 30 meters in thickness. Historic literature describes an upper 'gold rich' vein and a lower 'silver rich vein' with a single historic sample from the upper vein collected by USGS government geologists in 1995 assaying 27.7 g/t Au. These veins outcrop on cliff faces that are clearly observable from the air. Historic adits and two, aerial tram line cables dating back to the late 1920's, helped Blackwolf's geologists to locate the veins, and according to Alaskan territorial records, ore was directly recovered and shipped from surface without blasting. Work ceased on ambitious development plans at Cantoo after the stock market crash of 1929. Experienced climbing technicians were able to access the 'upper', 30 meter-wide, gold-rich vein, and a composite chip sample from it returned 37.6 g/t Au. The mineralization was associated with silicification, stockwork quartz veining, and up to 25% disseminated pyrite mineralization. Grab samples from altered zones on the edge of the 30m zone returned 0.74 and 0.38 g/t Au. A series of additional zones of veining and alteration were noted on the cliff below the upper vein but were not sampled for safety reasons. Together, these form a series of stacked zones of veining and alteration over 300 meters in vertical extent. Additional sampling was also conducted from scree slopes and limited outcrop exposure below the cliffs assayed up to 2.66 g/t Au. The Cantoo property geology is dominated by multiple phases of the regionally prospective Early Jurassic Texas Creek granodioritic intrusive suite with occurrences of the prospective megacrystic 'Premier Porphyry'. This geologic setting, along with shallow vein/breccia orientations and compositional similarities show parallels between the Cantoo veins and Ascot's immediately adjacent Premier, Big Missouri and Silver Coin deposits. Blackwolf plans to target these vein structures with exploration drilling during the spring of 2023. Figure 2 - Cantoo cliffs outcropping of stacked zones of alteration over ~300m with location of 37.6 g/t Au sample on the gold-rich 'upper' vein. Figure 3 - 'Upper' gold-rich vein and location of 37.6 g/t Au sample MINERAL HILL Samples up to 2.53 g/t Au, 56.5 g/t Ag, 0.25% Cu, 0.34% Pb, and 7.16% Zn from strongly silicified and quartz veined boulders with up to 10% disseminated-vein controlled sulfides. The mineralized boulders are eroding from a newly discovered iron-oxide stained cliff face over a 200 meter-long trend and may represent a southern extension of the Cantoo vein system 2.5 km to the south. Figure 4 - Cantoo and Mineral Hill properties SOLO The Solo prospect is located on the western flank of the Texas Creek property and is dominated by quartz-vein hosted massive galena-pyrite-electrum mineralization in Lower Jurassic Lower Hazelton argillitic sediments. In the 1930's, miners built 1,800 meters of tunnels through an ice sheet chasing source of the electrum, including a glacial transported float that assayed over 20,000 g/t Au. Significant glacial recession has occurred since, however large areas of snowpack did not melt during the summer of 2021 or 2022, including the estimated location of one of these veins in outcrop. Intrusive rocks and very high-grade, late tension veins are similar to those observed at the Premier and Brucejack deposits in the Golden Triangle and suggest potential for a strong mineralizing system. 2021 samples at the Solo prospect returned up to 20.6 g/t Au, 386 g/t Ag, 26.5% Pb and 10.9% Zn in one of these veins. Highlights of the 2022 sampling at Solo include: C0042635: 20.6 g/t Au, 386 g/t Ag, 1.47% Cu, 26.5% Pb, 10.9% Zn; 20.6 g/t Au, 386 g/t Ag, 1.47% Cu, 26.5% Pb, 10.9% Zn; B0011001 : 7.23 g/t Au, 175 g/t Ag, 0.15% Cu, 13.6% Pb, 8.62% Zn; : 7.23 g/t Au, 175 g/t Ag, 0.15% Cu, 13.6% Pb, 8.62% Zn; B983870: 8.49 g/t Au, 315 g/t Ag, 0.59% Cu, 18.5% Pb, 0.54% Zn and; 8.49 g/t Au, 315 g/t Ag, 0.59% Cu, 18.5% Pb, 0.54% Zn and; B0010866: 6.04 g/t Au, 3836 g/t Ag, 0.9% Cu, 3.47% Pb, 2.1% Zn. DOGHOLE Located on the Texas Creek property, Doghole consists of shear-hosted sulfide mineralization along with proximal intrusion-related semi-massive to massive sulphide mineralization set in sills, ranging from five to twenty meters wide, of the Early Jurassic Texas Creek granodiorite. These sills are cross-cut by late, continuous quartz-sulphide epithermal-style veins. Samples from the 2021 program returned up to 11.3 g/t Au, 530 g/t Ag, 0.44% Cu and 4.63% Zn, and were focused on historic workings on the target. Sampling in 2022 followed on the 2021 program and traced a series of NE trending quartz-sulfide veins over 220m along strike. A total of 15 samples were taken along the trend and returned 0.92 - 16.6 g/t Au, averaging 6.02 g/t Au. Individual highlights of the 2022 sampling at Doghole include: B0010766: 16.6 g/t Au, 585 g/t Ag, 0.13% Cu, 1.52% Pb, 3.32% Zn; 16.6 g/t Au, 585 g/t Ag, 0.13% Cu, 1.52% Pb, 3.32% Zn; B0010759 : 12 g/t Au, 85.3 g/t Ag, 0.17% Cu, 1.13% Pb, 0.29% Zn; : 12 g/t Au, 85.3 g/t Ag, 0.17% Cu, 1.13% Pb, 0.29% Zn; B0010762: 7.94 g/t Au, 642 g/t Ag, 0.59% Cu, 11.3% Pb, 6.64% Zn and; 7.94 g/t Au, 642 g/t Ag, 0.59% Cu, 11.3% Pb, 6.64% Zn and; B0010755: 8.17 g/t Au, 292 g/t Ag, 0.55% Cu, 4.82% Pb, 0.17% Zn. CASEY Grab samples up to 16.9 g/t Au, 226 g/t Ag, 10.6% Pb, and 0.56% Zn from a series of NE trending quartz-sulfide veins near the historic Engineer Mine. And identification of >1km NW oriented structurally controlled trend of quartz veining, alteration, and sulfide mineralization associated with the historic Casey Sphalerite occurrence. Samples returned strong base metals values up to 2.9% Pb and 13.7% Zn, and may represent the upper portions of a larger, epithermal vein system with similarities to the Premier deposit approximately 10 km to the east. Figure 5 - Quartz-sulfide veining at Doghole Prospect, Texas Creek Property. Location of sample B0010766: 16.6 g/t Au and 585 g/t Ag THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE Blackwolf's Hyder Properties are located in the Golden Triangle, a regional-scale mineral belt in Northwest British Columbia and Southeast Alaska. Significant mines and deposits in the area include: Brucejack, Premier, Big Missouri, Scottie Gold, Red Mountain, Galore Creek, KSM, Eskay Creek, Porter and Torbrit, and new discoveries by Goliath Resources and Eskay Mining. The region, centered around the towns of Stewart, BC and Hyder, Alaska, has world-class metal endowment. Set in the Stikinia Paleozoic-Mesozoic island arc terrane, the stratigraphy of the area is dominated by Triassic to Jurassic rocks of the Stuhini and Hazelton Groups, respectively. Porphyry, VMS, and other intrusion-related deposits in the area are dominantly hosted in the Jurassic Hazelton Group strata associated with coeval intrusions, with commonly overprinting Eocene epithermal-style vein-dominated mineralization. HYDER PROPERTIES Acquired through staking in 2021 and 2022, Blackwolf has a 100% interest in its Hyder properties which are comprised of five claim groups (Texas Creek, Cantoo, Mineral Hill, Casey, & Rooster), totaling 3224 hectares. These properties are located between 10 to 20 kilometers northwest of Hyder, immediately south of the past-producing Granduc Copper Mine, 10 kilometers south of the past-producing Scottie Copper Mine and due west of the past-producing Premier Gold Mine, currently in redevelopment by Ascot Resources. The claims are underlain by regionally prospective Lower Hazelton volcanics and coeval Texas Creek polyphase intrusives. Very limited modern exploration has been performed in the area, with virtually none in the last 25 years. QA/QC AND QUALIFIED PERSON The analytical work on the Hyder project was performed by MSALABS a certified, analytical services provider, at its laboratory in Langley, British Columbia. All rock samples were prepared using procedure PRP-910 (dry, crush to 70% passing 2mm, riffle split off 250g, pulverize split to better than 85% passing 75 microns) and analyzed by method FAS-111 (30g fire assay with AAS finish) and IMS-130 (0.5g, aqua regia digestion and ICP-AES/MS analysis). Any samples containing >10g/t Au were reanalyzed using method FAS-415 (30g Fire Assay with gravimetric finish). Samples containing >100 ppm Ag and/or >1% Cu, Pb, & Zn are reanalyzed using method ICF-6 (0.2g, 4-acid digest and ore grade ICP-AES analysis). Samples containing >1000 g/t Ag were reanalyzed using method FAS-418 (30g fire assay with AAS finish) and samples containing >20% Pb were reanalyzed using method STI-8Pb (volumetric titration). The reported work was completed using industry standard procedures, including a quality assurance/quality control ("QA/QC") program consisting of the insertion of certified standard, blanks and duplicates into the sample stream. The Qualified Person has reviewed the data and detected no significant QA/QC issues. Jodie Gibson, P.Geo., Vice President Exploration for the Company, a Qualified People under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical content of this release. ABOUT BLACKWOLF COPPER AND GOLD Blackwolf's founding vision is to be an industry leader in transparency, inclusion and innovation. Guided by our Vision and through collaboration with local and Indigenous communities and stakeholders, Blackwolf builds shareholder value through our technical expertise in mineral exploration, engineering and permitting. The Company holds a 100% interest in the high-grade Niblack copper-gold-zinc-silver VMS project, located adjacent to tidewater in southeast Alaska as well as the Cantoo, Casey, Texas Creek and Mineral Hill gold-silver properties in southeast Alaska and Rooster Property in British Columbia. For more information on Blackwolf, please visit the Company's website at www.blackwolfcopperandgold.com. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS "Robert McLeod" Robert McLeod President, CEO and Director For more information, contact: ROB MCLEOD 604-617-0616 (Mobile) 604-343-2997 (Office) rm@bwcg.ca LIAM MORRISON 604-897-9952 (Mobile) 604-343-2997 (Office) lm@bwcg.ca Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company regarding future events. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would" or "occur". This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements", are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation, statements relating to the Hyder properties and the Company's future objectives and plans.Forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, market volatility; the state of the financial markets for the Company's securities; fluctuations in commodity prices and changes in the Company's business plans. In making the forward looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions that the Company believes are reasonable, including without limitation, that the Company will continue with its stated business objectives and its ability to raise additional capital to proceed. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. The Company seeks safe harbor. For more information on the Company, investors should review the Company's continuous disclosure filings that are available at www.sedar.com. SOURCE: Blackwolf Copper and Gold Ltd View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/735464/Blackwolf-Samples-up-to-376-gt-Gold-from-30-meter-Wide-Vein-at-the-Cantoo-Prospect-and-Identifies-Multiple-High-Grade-Targets-Across-the-Hyder-Properties Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2023) - Meteorite Capital Inc. (TSXV: MTR.P) ("Meteorite" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on the Company's previously announced Qualifying Transaction with Kobo Resources Inc. ("Kobo" and together with the Company, the "Parties"), as such term is defined in Policy 2.4 - Capital Pool Companies (the "Policy") of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV" or the "Exchange") Corporate Finance Manual (the "Transaction"). Further to the binding letter agreement entered into on November 1, 2022 (the "Letter Agreement"), the Parties are presently in advanced negotiations to finalize the definitive agreement (the "Proposed Definitive Agreement"), which will form the basis upon which the Parties will effect the Transaction. About Kobo Kobo was incorporated under the Business Corporations Act (Quebec) on December 14, 2015 under the name 9333-9141 Quebec Inc. On March 4, 2016, Kobo changed its name to Kobo Resources Inc.. Kobo's head office and registered office are located at 388 Grande-Allee East, Suite 101, Quebec, Quebec, G1R 2J4. Kobo is a junior Canadian exploration and mining development company focused on acquiring, exploring and developing gold property assets located in West Africa and primarily in Cote d'Ivoire. Kobo, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, KOBO Ressources Cote d'Ivoire S.A., owns two research permits for gold (being the Kossou Permit and the Kotobi Permit) covering 449km2 and has three pending applications covering 1,068km2. As at the date hereof, Kobo's sole material asset is the Kossou Permit, which forms the basis of its Kossou gold project (the "Kossou Gold Project"). About Meteorite Meteorite exists under the provisions of the Canada Business Corporations Act with its registered and head office located at 1 Place Ville Marie, Suite 3900, Montreal, Quebec. It is a capital pool company and intends for the Transaction to constitute its "Qualifying Transaction" as such term is defined in the Policy. Meteorite is a "reporting issuer" within the meaning of the Securities Act of each of the Provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. The Transaction Pursuant to the Proposed Definitive Agreement, the Company is expected to acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Kobo (the "Kobo Shares") pursuant to a three-cornered amalgamation, whereby 9454-2123 Quebec Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Meteorite formed for such purpose ("Subco") will amalgamate with Kobo (the "Amalgamation") to form a newly amalgamated company ("Amalco") The Amalgamation is expected to result in the issuance, to each shareholder of Kobo (each, a "Kobo Shareholder"), of one (1) Resulting Issuer Share (as defined below) for each one (1) Kobo Share held by such holder immediately prior to the closing of the Transaction (the "Closing"). In all, Meteorite will issue an aggregate of 56,809,749 Resulting Issuer Shares at a deemed price of $0.20 per share in consideration for the acquisition of all outstanding Kobo Shares. As part of the Amalgamation, all convertible securities of Kobo outstanding immediately prior to the Closing are expected to be replaced with or exchanged for equivalent convertible securities of the Company entitling the holders thereof to acquire Resulting Issuer Shares in lieu of Kobo Shares. The Amalgamation will result in the reverse takeover of the Company by the Kobo Shareholders and will constitute the Company's Transaction. Following the completion of the Transaction, the Company, as the issuer resulting therefrom (the "Resulting Issuer"), is expected to carry on the current business of Kobo under the name "Kobo Resources Inc." or such other name as may be determined by Kobo and approved by the shareholders of the Company and be acceptable to the applicable regulatory authorities. Post-closing of the Transaction, the Resulting Issuer will carry on the business currently conducted by Kobo. Further, it is proposed that the officers and directors of Kobo will replace the existing officers and directors of Meteorite, with the exception of Charles R. Spector, who will stay on as director of the Company. Biographical information regarding these individuals is provided below under the heading "Proposed Officers and Directors". The Letter Agreement may be terminated in the event the Proposed Definitive Agreement is not entered into by February 15, 2023. Upon completion of the Transaction, it is anticipated that the Resulting Issuer will be listed as a Tier 2 Mining Issuer on the TSXV. Completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of other conditions, including obtaining all necessary board, shareholder and regulatory approvals, including TSXV approval. Consolidation and Name Change As will be further set out in the Proposed Definitive Agreement, the Company is expected to, prior to the Closing, (i) effect a consolidation (the "Consolidation") of its outstanding common shares (the "Common Shares") on the basis of 0.2 post-Consolidation common shares (each, a "Resulting Issuer Share") for every one (1) pre-consolidation Common Share (the "Consolidation Ratio"), and (ii) effect a change of its corporate name to "Kobo Resources Inc." or such other name as determined by Kobo and approved by the shareholders of the Company and is acceptable to the applicable regulatory authorities (the "Name Change"). As of the date hereof, there are 7,065,000 Common Shares issued and outstanding. Upon completion of the Consolidation, an aggregate of 1,413,000 Resulting Issuer Shares are expected to be issued and outstanding. Further, all outstanding incentive stock options of the Company ("Company Options") will automatically adjust in accordance with their terms to give effect to the Consolidation such that, following the Consolidation, the holders thereof will be entitled to acquire Resulting Issuer Shares in lieu of Common Shares (with adjustments to account for the Consolidation Ratio). Thus, the 565,200 Company Options currently outstanding will be exercisable for an aggregate of 113,040 Resulting Issuer Shares. Concurrent Financing In connection with the Transaction, Kobo is expected to undertake a brokered private placement (the "Concurrent Financing") of subscription receipts of Kobo (the "Subscription Receipts") at a price of $0.25 per Subscription Receipt led by Leede Jones Gable Inc. (the "Agent"), for minimum aggregate gross proceeds of at least $3,500,000 (the "Minimum Offering") and a maximum of $5,000,000 (the "Maximum Offering"), which proceeds will be held in escrow pending closing of the Transaction. Each Subscription Receipt will be convertible into one Kobo Share and one-half of one warrant to purchase one Kobo Share ("Kobo Warrant"). Upon satisfaction and/or waiver (where permitted) of certain escrow release conditions, which will include, among others, events in connection with the completion of the Transaction, each Subscription Receipt is expected to be automatically converted, without payment of any additional consideration and without any further action on the part of the holder thereof, for the securities of Kobo underlying the Subscription Receipts (which securities will, upon the Closing, be exchanged for Resulting Issuer Shares and/or replacement convertible securities of the Resulting Issuer, as applicable). The Agent, along with a syndicate of other selling agents (collectively, the "Agents"), will be compensated as follows: i) a cash commission (the "Agents' Commission") equal to 6% of the gross proceeds (including the Agent's Option) from the Concurrent Financing (the "Gross Proceeds"), other than Gross Proceeds originating from Kobo's President's List of subscribers (the "President's List") subscriptions, on which the Agents' Commission will be 2% of the gross proceeds from the President's List. As additional compensation, Kobo will issue to the Agents transferable broker subscription receipt warrants (the "Agents' Subscription Receipt Warrants", and together with the Agent's Commission, the "Agency Fee") equal to 6% of the number of Subscription Receipts sold pursuant to the Concurrent Financing (including the Agent's option to increase the size of the Concurrent Financing by 15% (the "Agent's Option") but excluding the President's List). Each Agents' Subscription Receipt Warrant will be comprised of one Kobo Share and one half of one Kobo Warrant entitling the holder to purchase, subject to adjustment, one Kobo Share at an exercise price of $0.40 for 24 months after the escrow release date. Each Agents' Subscription Receipt Warrant shall be exercisable to acquire one subscription receipt of the Resulting Issuer ("Resulting Issuer Subscription Receipt") at a price of $0.25 per Resulting Issuer Subscription Receipt for a period of 24 months following the date the escrow release date, and ii) a cash corporate finance fee (the "Cash Corporate Finance Fee") which is equal to 2% of the Gross Proceeds (including the Agent's Option) plus applicable taxes, subject to a minimum Corporate Finance Fee of $75,000, plus applicable taxes, and the Corporation shall issue warrants (the "Corporate Finance Compensation Warrants") equal to 2% of the number of Subscription Receipts sold pursuant to the Concurrent Financing (including the Agent's Option). The Corporate Finance Compensation Warrants shall have the same terms as the Agents' Subscription Receipt Warrants. Other than as set out above, neither Meteorite nor Kobo intends to pay any finder's fees or commissions in connection with the Transaction. The proceeds of the Concurrent Financing are expected to be used to fund (i) the exploration and other expenses relating to the Kossou Gold Project (as defined below), (ii) the expenses of the Transaction and the Concurrent Financing, and (iii) the working capital requirements of the Resulting Issuer. Kobo currently has (a) 56,809,749 Kobo Shares, (b) 3,150,000 options, of which 400,000 are conditional, to purchase Kobo Shares ("Kobo Options") and (c) 4,250,034 common share purchase warrants of Kobo ("Kobo Warrants") issued and outstanding. It is anticipated that, following completion of the Consolidation and assuming the Minimum Offering, an aggregate of approximately 72,222,749 Resulting Issuer Shares will be issued and outstanding, and: (a) former holders of Kobo Shares will hold 56,809,749 Resulting Issuer Shares, representing approximately 78.66% of the outstanding Resulting Issuer Shares; (b) holders of Kobo Subscription Receipts will hold 14,000,000 Resulting Issuer Shares, representing approximately 19.38% of the outstanding Resulting Issuer Shares; and (c) former Meteorite Shareholders will hold 1,413,000 Resulting Issuer Shares, representing approximately 1.96% of the outstanding Resulting Issuer Shares. In addition, it is expected that the Resulting Issuer will also have outstanding approximately 3,263,040 stock options, of which 400,000 are conditional, and 4,250,034 warrants outstanding. Insiders and Control Persons No Insider, Promoter or Control Person (as such terms are defined in the policies of the Exchange) of the Company has any interest in Kobo. To the best knowledge of the directors and senior officers of Kobo, no person beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, or exercises control or direction over, shares carrying more than 10% of the voting rights attached to any class of voting securities of Kobo as at the date hereof except as set out below: Name of Holder Description of Securities Number of Securities Percentage prior to the Financing Percentage after the Minimum Offering Percentage after the Maximum Offering Edouard Gosselin Common Shares 15,500,000(1) 27.28% 21.46% 19.81% Paul Sarjeant Common Shares 8,000,000(2) 14.08% 11.08% 10.23% Jean Cote/Gestion JCJC Inc. Common Shares 6,520,073(3) 11.48% 9.03% 8.34% Notes: (1) Total of 16,150,000 securities (including the 650,000 Options), representing 25.15% prior to the Concurrent Financing on a fully-diluted basis. (2) Total of 8,400,000 securities (including the 400,000 Options), representing 13.08% prior to the Concurrent Financing on a fully-diluted basis. (3) Total of 6,520,073 securities (including the 200,000 Options), representing 10.47% prior to the Concurrent Financing on a fully-diluted basis. Gestion JCJC Inc. is a corporation controlled by Mr. Jean Cote. Mr. Jean Cote resigned as a director of Kobo as of November 12, 2021. Sponsorship The Transaction is subject to the sponsorship requirements of the TSXV, unless a waiver or exemption from this requirement can be obtained in accordance with the policies of the TSXV. The Company intends to apply for a waiver of the sponsorship requirement, however there is no assurance that a waiver from this requirement can or will be obtained. Trading in Meteorite Shares Trading of Meteorite's common shares has been halted in compliance with the policies of the TSXV. Trading of Meteorite's shares will remain halted pending the review of the Proposed Transaction by the TSXV and satisfaction of the conditions of the TSXV for resumption of trading. It is likely that trading of Meteorite's shares will not resume prior to the closing of the Transaction. Conditions Precedent The completion of the Transaction remains subject to a number of terms and conditions to be set forth in the Proposed Definitive Agreement, including, among other things (i) there being no material adverse change in respect of either of the Parties, (ii) the receipt of all necessary consents, orders and regulatory and shareholder approvals, including the conditional approval of the TSXV, subject only to customary conditions of closing, (iii) the completion of the Consolidation, Name Change, the Concurrent Financing, and (iv) such other customary conditions of closing for a transaction in the nature of the Transaction. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the Transaction will be completed on the terms proposed and described herein, or at all. Additional Information Further updates in respect of the Transaction will be provided in a subsequent press release. Also, additional information concerning the Transaction, the Company, Kobo, and the Resulting Issuer will be provided in the filing statement (the "Filing Statement") to be filed by the Company and Kobo in connection with the Transaction, which will be available in due course under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Shareholder Meeting The Transaction is not a Non-Arm's Length Qualifying Transaction (as such term is defined in the Policy) and as such, the Company will not be required to obtain shareholder approval of the Transaction. In addition, the Transaction is not a "related party transaction" as such term is defined by Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions and is not subject to Policy 5.9 of the TSXV. As a result, no meeting of the shareholders of the Company is required pursuant to the Policy or securities law. However, a special meeting of the Company's shareholders will be held to approve the various corporate matters connected to the Transaction, including the Board Reconstitution (as defined below), the Consolidation, the Name Change, and the approval of the implementation of Kobo's current stock option plan as the stock option plan of the Resulting Issuer (the "Special Meeting"). A management information circular of the Company (the "Circular") will be mailed to shareholders of the Company in connection with the Special Meeting to be held on February 7, 2023 and posted on the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. A meeting of the Kobo Shareholders will be held to approve the Transaction and various corporate matters connected thereto. Proposed Officers and Directors Currently, Kobo's board and management team is comprised of international business leaders and mining industry professionals with expertise and experience working in Cote d'Ivoire. Several of Kobo's executives/directors have experience in conducting business in Africa. The completion of the Transaction, it is expected that all of the officers and three of the four Meteorite directors will resign and be replaced by nominees of Kobo (the "Board Reconstitution"), such that management of the Resulting Issuer will be comprised of the following individuals, subject to compliance with the requirements of the TSXV and applicable securities and corporate laws. Charles R. Spector - Director Charles R. Spector will stay on as a director of the Resulting Issuer. Mr. Spector is a corporate finance, M&A and securities lawyer with over 30 years of experience. Mr. Spector has previously acted as director of a TSX-listed company from 1996 through 2010 and regularly advises public companies on securities, M&A and corporate finance. He is currently a partner in the Montreal office of Dentons Canada LLP. Mr. Spector holds a B.A. degree from McGill University, a law degree (L.L.B.) from Universite de Sherbrooke and a Masters of Law (L.L.M.) from Columbia University in New York. He has been a member in good standing of the Barreau du Quebec since 1986. Edouard Gosselin - Proposed Director, Chief Executive Officer and Corporate Secretary Mr. Edouard Gosselin is an attorney, member of the Quebec Bar Association since 1984 and throughout his career exclusively in private practice represented financial institutions, corporations and individuals before the courts mainly in commercial law, banking and bankruptcy, reorganizations and start-ups in tech and industrial sectors. Mr. Gosselin is also President of EG Industrial Solutions Ltd. since August 2011, a Quebec-City based management-consulting and manufacturing company in specific industries. Mr. Gosselin was director of Wanted Technologies Inc. from 1999 to 2004, President of Gotar Technologies from 1999 to 2011 and Vice-President of Sawnode Technologies Ltd from 2011 to 2017 inclusively. Mr. Gosselin earned a Bachelor of Social Sciences, Conc. Political Science from Ottawa University (1980) and a License in Civil Law (L.L.L.) from Ottawa University (1983). Mr. Gosselin is also General Manager of Kobo Ressources C.I. since August 2016. Paul Sarjeant, P.Geo. - Proposed Director, President and Chief Operating Officer Mr. Paul Sarjeant is a mining professional having been involved in mining and exploration for over 35 years. He is the President and owner of Doublewood Consulting Inc., a consulting company with a focus on geological and management consulting to the mining industry created in August of 2006. Most recently Mr. Sarjeant acted as Manager, Exploration for Largo Inc. supervising all exploration activities at the companies mine site in Brazil. Prior to that he worked for 15 years with Echo Bay Mines. Mr. Sarjeant serves as a board member to several junior mining companies and is currently President and COO of Kobo. He also serves on the board of directors of Global Energy Metals Inc and Ares Strategic Mining Inc and has held similar positions with a number of companies over the years. He is a member in good standing with the Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario. He graduated in 1983 from Queen's University, Kingston Ontario with a BSc, (Honours) in Geological Sciences. Gilles Couture - CPA, Auditor - Proposed Chief Financial Officer Mr. Gilles Couture has acted as Kobo's CFO since February 2016. He obtained his Accounting Licence from Laval University in 1974 and is a CA and CPA. During his career, Mr. Couture was Audit Partner for PWC until July 2011 at the Quebec City office, responsible for the mining, life sciences and information technology sectors. He has taught accounting sciences at Laval University for over 10 years as well Universite du Quebec (Rimouski). Throughout his career, Mr. Couture was involved in numerous IPOs and public financings for companies operating in the mining, health sciences, information technology and manufacturing industries on the Canadian and US markets. He is a director and shareholder of two manufacturing companies and a service company. Frank Ricciuti - Proposed Director, Chairman Mr. Frank Ricciuti was the President of Efjay Consulting Ltd., an Oakville-based management-consulting company providing a broad range of management and financial services, including organizational structuring, board advisory assignments and corporate finance advice to companies within a broad range of industries. Mr. Ricciuti was a director of Novik Inc. from 2006 to 2014, and of Petrolympic Ltd. from 2008 to 2019. Mr. Frank Ricciuti also acted as Kobo's Vice President, Corporate Development from December 2015 until November 12, 2021. Frank Ricciuti earned a diploma in Engineering Technology from Ryerson University, his Bachelor of Sciences degree (B.Sc.) in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Technological University (1966) and his Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA) in 1969 from York University. Patrick Gagnon - Proposed Director, Independent Mr. Patrick Gagnon is a retired executive having spent more than 25 years in the financial/brokerage industry. Nonetheless, Mr. Gagnon is an active private investor in technology, resources and consumer products industries. He obtained a bachelor's degree in Commerce from McGill University in 1986 and joined the brokerage industry first as a research assistant, research analyst, trader and institutional sales. From 1995 to 2015 Mr. Gagnon was a partner at GMP Securities Inc. and was Managing Director and Branch Manager, Institutional Sales of the firm's Montreal office. Mr. Gagnon was President of Palos Asset Management in Montreal from December 2016 to November 2017. Jeff Hussey - Proposed Director, Independent Mr. Jeff Hussey is a Professional Geologist with 36 years of professional experience in the mineral exploration, development, and mining industry. He graduated from the University of New Brunswick with a Bachelor of Science in Geology in 1985. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Brunswick Exploration Inc. and of Osisko Metals Incorporated ("Osisko"), a Canadian exploration and development company creating value in the base metal space with a particular focus on zinc mineral assets. He has served as President and CEO of Osisko between June 2017 until January 2020, and is President and COO of Osisko since January 2020. Mr. Hussey has worked in both open pit and underground mine operations at various stages of mine life, from start-up to mine closure. He spent 19 years with Noranda/Falconbridge, then as a consultant for 10 years, Jeff Hussey and Associates Inc. helped junior mine development companies, by offering services in exploration, mining and geometallurgy. Customers in Quebec included Champion Iron Mines and Focus Graphite, Puma Exploration in New Brunswick, and Starcore International in Mexico. For Champion Iron Mines he led a team that built a high-quality iron Mineral Resource Inventory of five billion tonnes completing a feasibility study and participating in raising more than $70 million for corporate development. He is also a member of the board of directors of CIM. Selected Financial Information for Kobo The following tables summarize selected financial information for the two most recent financial years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. Kobo had no operating revenue in any financial reporting period and did not declare or pay any dividend or distribution in any financial reporting period. As at and for the 9-month period ended September 30, 2022 (unaudited) As at and for the year ended December 31, 2021 (audited) As at and for the year ended December 31, 2020 (audited) Net Loss and Comprehensive Loss: $869,584 $1,466,582 $990,760 Basic and diluted net loss per share $0.016 0.030 0.026 Total assets $188,785 721,337 336,449 Total liabilities $923,008 681,171 322,522 As a junior exploration company, Kobo has no expectation of generating operating profits until it develops a commercially viable mineral deposit. Financial information for Kobo is also available at the corporation's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Meteorite and Kobo will continue to provide further details in respect of the Transaction and financial information regarding Kobo, in due course by way of press release following completion of the Private Placements. Additionally, Meteorite will make available to the TSXV, all financial information as required by the TSXV and will provide, in a press release to be disseminated at a later date, summary financial information derived from such statements. Upon completion of the Transaction, it is the intention of the parties that the Resulting Issuer will continue to focus on the current business and affairs of Kobo and will be a mining issuer listed on the TSXV. Further Information All information contained in this news release with respect to Meteorite and Kobo was supplied by the parties respectively, for inclusion herein, without independent review by the other party, and each party and its directors and officers have relied on the other party for any information concerning the other party. For further information regarding the Transaction, please contact: Charles R. Spector, Director, Meteorite Capital Inc. Telephone: (514) 878-8847 Email: info@Meteoritecapital.com Edouard Gosselin, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Kobo Resources Inc. Telephone: 1-418-609-3587 Email: egosselin@kobores.com Completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, TSXV acceptance. Where applicable, the Transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular or filing statement to be prepared in connection with the Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of a capital pool company should be considered highly speculative. The TSXV has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. NEITHER THE TSXV NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSXV) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate, among other things, to: the terms and conditions of the proposed Consolidation and Transaction; the terms and conditions of the proposed Offering; use of funds; and the business and operations of the Resulting Issuer after the proposed Transaction. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; and the delay or failure to receive board, shareholder or regulatory approvals. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Except as required by law, Meteorite and Kobo assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law. Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for release publication, distribution or dissemination directly, or indirectly, in whole or in part, in or into the United States. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151543 Drill targets are well supported by coincident IP, geochem and geology Victoria, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2023) - GoldON Resources Ltd. (TSXV: GLD) ("GoldON" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has hired Major Drilling Group International Inc. for its initial drilling program at the 100%-owned McDonough gold property (the "Property") located approximately 15 kilometres north of the town of Red Lake, Ontario. Drilling is scheduled to commence before month end. Figure 1: Regional geological location of the McDonough gold property within the Red Lake greenstone belt. Source: Harris, J., Sanborn-Barrie, M., Panagapko, D., Skulski, T and Parker, J. (2007). Gold prospectivity maps of the Red Lake greenstone belt: Application of GIS technology. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 43. 865-893. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7436/151415_4f08f5c80487eb73_001full.jpg The Property lies along the contact and unconformity of the Huston Assemblage conglomerates (2733-2743 million years [(Ma]) and the Slate Bay Assemblage (Confederation) (<2903 Ma) clastic sediments. The same Huston Assemblage conglomerates are in unconformable contact with the Balmer Assemblage mafic and ultra-mafic rocks where the Red Lake Mine Complex (Campbell and Red Lake gold mines) lies in close proximity. Sediment unconformities are also proximal to the Madsen and Starratt-Olsen gold mines southwest of Red Lake (Figure 1). Mike Kilbourne, P. Geo, an independent qualified person as defined in NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this news release on behalf of the Company. About GoldON Resources Ltd. GoldON is an exploration company focused on discovery-stage properties located in the prolific gold mining belts of northwestern Ontario, Canada. Our current project portfolio includes seven properties in the Red Lake Mining District (McDonough, Springpole East, Red Lake North, Pipestone Bay, Pakwash North, McInnes Lake, and West Madsen) and an eighth property in the Patricia Mining District (Slate Falls). For additional information, please visit our website at goldonresources.com; you can download our latest investor presentation by clicking here and follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GoldONResources. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Signed "Michael Romanik" Michael Romanik, President GoldON Resources Ltd. Direct line: (204) 724-0613 Email: info@goldonresources.com 179 - 2945 Jacklin Road, Suite 416 Victoria, BC, V9B 6J9 Forward-Looking Statements: This news release may contain "forward-looking statements" that involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this news release and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or results or otherwise. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151415 Denver, Colorado--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2023) - CBD of Denver Inc. (OTC Pink: CBDD) formerly a full-line CBD and Hemp oil company and a producer and distributor of Cannabis and CBD products in Switzerland, Europe and the US announces a new approach in 2023. After an in-depth analysis of the cannabis industry, and the ongoing struggles of industry distributors and producers, CBDD management concludes it's in the best interest of shareholders to move in a different direction. As such, CBDD announces the signing of a letter of intent to acquire innovative health and wellbeing product firm, Libra 9. The agreement will see CBDD take a controlling interest in the company, which focuses on unique nanotechnology products unlike anything else currently available on the market. Libra 9 is a Berlin, Germany-based business, currently providing revolutionary technology services within health through its proprietary product formulations. CEO, Paul Gurney commented on the acquisition, "Our company is evolving and this is part of our transition to solidifying our revenue and profit profile. Our team has known the entrepreneur behind Libra 9 for three years. His success in Switzerland with previous products gives us confidence he can continue to generate value with new product launches. In addition, his access to a large retail network in Germany is attractive for our growth plans for 2023." The due diligence for the acquisition is ongoing with it on track to close by the end of February. In the meantime, the two companies are working in partnership to launch a new product in Europe in the coming weeks. The company also announced it has terminated the agreement to acquire Mellow.Store, and will not be continuing with any of its previously announced Mellow Enterprise initiatives. The company will host a Twitter Space with the CEO to discuss the acquisition and other strategic developments on Wednesday, January 18th at 2pm Eastern time. About CBD of Denver, Inc. is a roll-up company focused on using equity to acquire profitable assets at attractive valuations to create value for all our shareholders. Our team is focused on sourcing high margin & innovative products that align with our company values and improve consumer health & wellbeing. Follow CBDD on LinkedIn & Twitter: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cbd-of-denver/ https://twitter.com/cbdofdenver_ Investor Contact: Ben Muir Pivot Relations ben@pivotrelations.com www.pivotrelations.com Paul Gurney Twitter: @PGurney_ Information contained herein includes forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or future financial performance, involving known and unknown risks and you should not place undue reliance on these statements. Any forward-looking statement reflects our current views with respect to future events. We assume no obligation publicly about update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151539 Medytox CEO Jung Hyun-ho, right, shakes hands with Dubai Science Park CEO Marwan Abdulaziz Janahi, after signing a memorandum of understanding on building a toxin production plant in Dubai, at the Rixos Marina Hotel in Abu Dhabi, Monday. Courtesy of Medytox By Kim Jae-heun Medytox plans to build a botulinum toxin plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), seeking to capitalize on the country's rapidly growing market for cosmetic beauty products. The Korean biopharmaceutical company said Tuesday that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Dubai Science Park, owned by state-run Tecom Group, to construct a toxin production facility. The MOU was signed during the Korea-UAE Business Forum held at the Rixos Marina Hotel in Abu Dhabi, Monday. Medytox CEO Jung Hyun-ho is part of the economic mission of President Yoon Suk Yeol's visit this week to UAE. At the planned facility, Medytox will be able to produce MT10109L, the world's first and only non-animal liquid toxin drug. The company then plans to market the halal-certified product in Muslim markets around the world as well as Europe. "Securing a local production plant is essential for a bio company to go global. Our first halal-certified plant in Dubai will serve as a bridgehead for the company to expand in the global market with a toxin product developed with the world's best R&D capability," the Medytox CEO said. "I am also proud to have joined the economic delegation of the president's overseas trip to create an exemplary case of cooperation." The UAE succeeded in attracting the biopharmaceutical production plant, which was one if its key projects in preparation for the post-oil era, while creating a representative economic cooperation case with Korea. Medytox has long been reviewing the construction of a production facility abroad in conjunction with various overseas companies to actively and efficiently respond to the expanding global toxin market. The company picked Dubai as an ideal location with the advantage of entering Middle Eastern and European markets and for its business environment that favors foreign companies. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2023) - Romios Gold Resources Inc. (TSXV: RG) (OTCQB: RMIOF) (FSE: D4R) ("Romios Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to report that is has discovered a series of high-grade gold veins assaying from 12.65 g/t Au to 72.6 g/t Au in four of five samples on its North West claim block in the Golden Triangle of NW British Columbia. The veins appear to be controlled by a well-developed set of NW-SE trending faults. Romios' VP of Exploration, Mr. John Biczok, P. Geo, commented, "Romios' brief 2022 exploration program on the North West claims resulted in not only the highest-grade gold assays ever found on the property but also the identification of a set of probable control structures up to 1 km long that now provide an exciting focus for our future exploration work." Highlights: Four high-grade gold veins returned 4 assays between 12.65 and 72.6 g/t Au. A 5th assay of 1.23 g/t Au came from a chip sample <2 m from a historic assay of 16.5 g/t Au and 4 m from the 12.65 g/t Au result, indicating that there may be a nuggety distribution of gold in some veins. The mineralized veins are distributed along a >500 metre long trend on Romios' North West claim block (Map 1). These results are from chip samples across vein widths of 10 to 60 cm within fault zones from 1 m to more than 8 m wide (See Table 1). Anomalous gold levels of 0.14 to 0.45 g/t Au were detected in 5 additional veins as well as a quartz flooded, pyritic patch in the host granodiorite that also assayed 0.57% Cu. The largest and most mineralized veins tend to be aligned in a NW-SE direction, parallel to a nearby prominent series of unexplored lineaments/fault structures up to 1 km long that are visible in recent satellite imagery (see Map 1). The host granitic rocks are part of the Texas Creek plutonic suite, the same series of intrusions associated with multiple past producers and major deposits in the Golden Triangle including Silbak Premier, Scottie Gold, KSM, SNIP, etc. "The broad extent of the high-grade gold veins discovered this year is very encouraging," stated Romios' CEO and President, Mr. Stephen Burega. "Even though some of these high-grade veins are narrow where exposed, the fact that they are spread out along a >500 m trend that is parallel to some very prominent fault lineaments nearby provides a realistic opportunity to find larger, more extensive veins in those major structures. The discovery on the North West claims is just one of the encouraging set of recent results from Romios' pipeline of grass-roots to advanced projects in this highly endowed portion of the Golden Triangle" he continued. BACKGROUND INFORMATION The area between the exposed mineralized veins is covered with a veneer of glacial till from a rapidly receding glacier. It is currently unknown if the high-grade veins sampled in 2022 are connected along a single structure, however, they are aligned in the same orientation as a prominent set of NW-SE lineaments beginning in the extensive outcrops about 200 m to the southwest (See Map 1). This set of potential controlling structures has not been specifically targeted in past years and now forms a high-priority target for future exploration. Map 1: North West claims gold showings and lineaments on a Worldview 3 satellite image To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5376/151540_f198fb12544aaaae_002full.jpg In 2021, Romios discovered three mineralized quartz + pyrite veins assaying 5.28 - 8.9 g/t Au in outcrop and boulders located 1.1 km to the SSW of the high-grade samples reported herein (see Romios news release Oct. 27, 2021) and, in 2010, another Romios crew located more modest mineralization 670 m to the SW in a quartz vein that assayed 1.65 g/t Au plus 19 g/t Ag and 0.19% Cu (Map 1). This crew also located the original high-grade sample (16.5 g/t Au) that was followed up in 2022 and resulted in the high-grade discoveries reported in this news release. These recent gold discoveries on Romios' North West Claims block are within 4.4 km of the partially cleared road route to Teck and Newmont's enormous Galore Creek Cu-Au-Ag porphyry deposit(s) which is now in the final stages of a pre-feasibility study (See website at www.gcmc.ca). They are also just 4 km east of the Stikine River, which was a major barge route between the seaport of Wrangell, Alaska and the community of Telegraph Creek in the past (see Map 2). Map 2: Romios' North West claim block and 2022 gold discoveries on a topographic map. All surrounding claims are held by the Galore Creek Mining Corp. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5376/151540_f198fb12544aaaae_003full.jpg Table 1: Descriptions of the highest-grade auriferous vein samples. SAMPLE # Easting Northing Description Au g/t B994603 341101 6329604 10 cm chip across narrow part of the main fault-fill quartz vein in shear zone >8 m wide 72.6 B994606 341102 6329584 50 cm chip of large quartz vein on strike from B994603. Vein swells to 1 m. 1.23 B994607 341102 6329580 75 cm chip of vein ~5m along strike to SE of B994606. 12.65 B994608 341209 6329477 10 cm chip of a quartz-pyrite vein on small cliff face. 33.1 B994614 341515 6329323 60 cm chip of quartz vein with minor pyrite, chalcopyrite; in a fault zone >2 m wide. 30.7 For more information, please click here for Romios' website. QA/QC The samples discussed in this document were grab and chip samples considered representative of the outcrops and mineralization being sampled. They were submitted to the ISO/IEC 17025 accredited ALS Canada Ltd. laboratories in Terrace and Vancouver, BC for gold assay and multi-element analyses. As a matter of procedure, a rigorous quality assurance and quality control program was implemented to ensure reliable assay results by inserting alternating blanks and commercial assay standards at every 10th position in the sample series. Qualified Person The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by John Biczok, P. Geo., VP-Exploration for Romios Gold and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. In addition to his extensive experience with several major mining companies exploring for a wide variety of ore deposit types across Canada and India, Mr. Biczok spent 12 years conducting exploration and research at the Musselwhite gold mine in NW Ontario. About Romios Gold Resources Inc. Romios Gold Resources Inc. is a progressive Canadian mineral exploration company engaged in precious- and base-metal exploration, focused primarily on gold, copper and silver. It has a 100% interest in the Lundmark-Akow Lake Au-Cu property plus 4 additional claim blocks in northwestern Ontario and extensive claim holdings covering several significant porphyry copper-gold prospects in the "Golden Triangle" of British Columbia. Additional interests include the Kinkaid claims in Nevada covering numerous Au-Ag-Cu workings and two former producers: the Scossa mine property (Nevada) which is a former high-grade gold producer and the La Corne molybdenum mine property (Quebec). The Company retains an ongoing interest in several properties including a 20% carried interest in five of Honey Badger Mining's claim blocks in the Thunder Bay silver district of northwestern Ontario; a 2% NSR on McEwen Mining's Hislop gold property in Ontario; a 2% NSR on Enduro Metals' Newmont Lake Au-Cu-Ag property in BC, and the Company has signed a definitive agreement with Copperhead Resources Inc. ("Copperhead") whereby Copperhead can acquire a 75% ownership interest in Romios' Red Line Property in BC. For more information, visit www.romios.com As part of our ongoing effort to keep investors, interested parties and stakeholders updated, we have several communication portals. If you have any questions online (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn) please feel free to send direct messages. To book a one-on-one 30-minute Zoom video call, please click here. For further information, please contact: Stephen Burega, President and CEO - 647-515-3734 or sburega@romios.com John Biczok, P. Geo., VP of Exploration - 613-410-7877 or jbiczok@romios.com This News Release contains forward-looking statements which are typically preceded by, followed by or include the words "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "estimates", "intends", "plans" or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance as they involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. We do not intend and do not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements and shareholders are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such statements. TSX Venture Exchange or its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151540 SOUTH PASADENA, CA / ACCESSWIRE / January 17, 2023 / Whittier Trust Company is excited to announce the promotion of Vice President, Ashley Fontanetta, to the role of Senior Vice President. As a Senior Vice President, Ashley will provide advisory and administration services to high-net-worth individuals and families. She specializes in philanthropic planning and administration, providing strategic consultation and guidance for clients who have an existing philanthropic entity or are looking to create one. Ashley brings to this role more than six years of experience at Whittier Trust, as well as a background in both financial services and nonprofit management. Prior to joining Whittier Trust, Ashley worked as a Financial Advisor, responsible for developing wealth management strategies for clients and their families. Before that, she spent several years as a director of a nonprofit organization serving youth with chronic illnesses in Los Angeles and the Bay Area. "This promotion was just a matter of time. Ashley's passion and knowledge of the philanthropic field are unmatched, and her experience as an advisor truly shines in her work with our clients. She's done great things within this department, and we couldn't be more excited about the ways she'll help us grow in her expanded role." - Pegine Grayson, Senior Vice President, Director of Philanthropic Services Ashley earned her Bachelor's degree in International Relations from the University of Southern California, received her Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) designation from The American College and the Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA) designation from the American Bankers Association. She is an active volunteer in the community, working with organizations that address homelessness, youth mentorship and education. For more information, contact Brandi J. Fields at BFields@whittiertrust.com, or visit www.whittiertrust.com . ### Collectively, Whittier Trust Company and The Whittier Trust Company of Nevada, Inc. (referred to herein individually and collectively as "Whittier Trust"), are state-chartered trust companies wholly owned by Whittier Holdings, Inc. ("WHI"), a closely held holding company. Whittier Trust is the oldest and largest private multi-family office headquartered on the West Coast. Whittier Trust works with 545 families and over 40 foundations throughout the US and advises on nearly $18 billion in assets. The firm has helped individuals and families manage, grow and transfer wealth intergenerationally for six generations. The firm has offices in South Pasadena, San Francisco, Menlo Park, Newport Beach, West Los Angeles, Reno, Seattle, and Portland. To learn more, visit http://www.whittiertrust.com . Contact: Brandi J. Fields Whittier Trust Email: BFields@whittiertrust.com SOURCE: Whittier Trust View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/735253/Whittier-Trust-Promotes-Ashley-Fontanetta-to-Senior-Vice-President FREDERICTON, NB, Jan. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Introhive, the world's leading Customer Intelligence Platform, announced today that Lee Blakemore has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer. Blakemore brings over 30 years of software and sales experience to lead Introhive through its next phase of growth, with a focus on customer growth and product research and development. Lee has a proven track record of success and deep expertise in scaling software businesses to a global audience. Throughout his career, he has led go-to-market, operations, customer support, and international operations at leading global enterprise software companies. He is a seasoned technology leader who leads business transformations to drive growth. Blakemore most recently served as President of K-12 Community Engagement at Anthology, where he successfully ran the Blackboard K-12 business leading to the sale of the business to Finalsite, where Blakemore assisted in the successful integration and unification of the company. Before Anthology, Lee held several senior executive roles at Blackboard, including President, Global Markets & Chief Client Officer. Before joining Blackboard in 2015, Lee was SVP of Global Sales & Marketing at Velocity Technology Solutions and held senior roles at IBM, Corio (acquired by IBM), and Scala Business Solutions (acquired by Epicor). "I am thrilled to join Introhive and lead our talented team. I look forward to unlocking the company's full potential as we leverage our proprietary customer intelligence platform to help businesses realize the full value of their CRM investment and deepen customer relationships," said Blakemore. "Introhive is trusted by hundreds of the world's leading professional services enterprises to improve top-line revenue, reduce operational costs, and improve workforce efficiency. We have an exciting opportunity to continue to grow as we enter the vast number of markets that remain underserved and unaware of the power of Introhive." In 2021, Introhive secured $100M in its Series C funding round led by PSG , a leading growth equity firm, to further invest in developing Customer Intelligence solutions for the world's leading enterprises. About Introhive Introhive is an award-winning software company that helps sales-focused B2B enterprises become more customer intelligent. Introhive's customer intelligence platform captures and delivers trustworthy customer data automatically in CRM to surface relationship insights and actionable intelligence to revenue teams where and when they need it, in order to find, win, and grow customer accounts. Introhive has offices in the US, Canada, UK, and India, supporting hundreds of thousands of users in over 90 countries around the world. Learn more at www.introhive.com . Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1983557/Introhive_Lee_Blakemore.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/introhive-announces-appointment-of-lee-blakemore-as-chief-executive-officer-301721911.html CHICAGO, Jan. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --The industrial ethernet market is projected to grow from USD 11.0 billion in 2023 to USD 15.8 billion by 2028, registering a CAGR of 7.5% during the forecast period according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. Growing popularity of smart automobiles and rising adoption of 5G are expected to fuel the growth of the industrial ethernet market. Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=198318524 Browse in-depth TOC on "Industrial Ethernet Market" 149 - Tables 45 - Figures 203 - Pages Hardware switches is expected to hold the largest market share during the forecast period Switches are used to establish an industrial network by interconnecting computers. Switches provide high security and durability and are suitable for use in mission-critical environments. They provide a reliable communication network for machine tools and motion control applications in process and discrete industries. Switches are energy-efficient, durable, and robust. The rising demand for networking in various automation applications has created a need for additional features, such as industrial-grade reliability, network redundancy, seamlessly integrated security, and the best price-to-performance ratio. To fulfill these requirements, companies such as Moxa (Taiwan), Siemens (Germany), and Cisco Systems (US) provide different switches with various data transfer speeds. Water & Wastewater is expected to register a higher CAGR during the forecast period In water & Wastewater treatment operations, reliable and timely data can make a difference in improving efficiency and reducing costs. Outdated communication architectures are unable to keep up with existing SCADA applications in terms of the bandwidth, security features, scalability, and environmental ruggedness required to connect to remote areas. The increasing efficiency of Water & Wastewater operations is attributed to the deployment of low-cost, low-power sensors, as well as edge computing devices in the operations. These devices help in the timely delivery and management of services. Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=198318524 China is expected to register the highest CAGR in the Asia Pacific industrial ethernet market during the forecast period China is one of the largest manufacturing hubs for automobile and electronics devices in the world. In response to the labor cost increasing year-on-year in China, companies are increasingly adopting advanced automation systems to reduce production costs. The high-quality standards have led companies to introduce factory automation, which requires a robust industrial communication network. These factors are collectively expected to boost the growth of the industrial ethernet market in China during the forecast period. The report profiles key players in the industrial ethernet market and analyzes their market shares. Players profiled in this report are Cisco (US), Siemens (Germany), Rockwell Automation (US), OMRON (Japan), Moxa (Taiwan), Belden( US), Huawei Technologies (China), SICK (Germany), Schneider Electric (France), and ABB (Switzerland), GE Grid Solutions (France), Advantech (Taiwan), HMS Networks (Sweden), IFM Electronics (Germany), Weidmuller (Germany), Patton (US), Beckhoff Automation (Germany), Honeywell (US), AAEON (Taiwan), Turck (Germany), Bosch Rexroth (Germany), Hitachi (Japan), Ericsson (Sweden), Mitsubishi Electric (Japan) and Chaos Prime (US). Get 10% Free Customization on this Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=198318524 Browse Adjacent Market: Semiconductor and Electronics Market Research Reports &Consulting Related Reports: Industrial Communication Market by Offering (Component, Software and Services), Communication Protocol (Fieldbus, Industrial Ethernet and Wireless), Vertical (Automotive, Engineering/Fabrication) and Region - Global Forecast to 2027 Industrial Control & Factory Automation Market by Component, Solution (SCADA, PLC, DCS, MES, Industrial Safety, PAM), Industry (Process Industry and Discrete Industry) and Region (North America, Europe, APAC, RoW) - Global Forecast to 2027 Industrial IoT Market by Device & Technology, Connectivity Type, Software, Vertical (Manufacturing, Energy, Oil & Gas, Healthcare, Retail, Transportation, Metals & Mining, Agriculture), and Geography - 2026 Smart Factory Market by Component (Industrial Sensors, Industrial Robots, Industrial 3D Printers, Machine Vision Systems), Solution (SCADA, MES, Industrial Safety, PAM), Industry (Process Industry, Discrete Industry) and Region - Global Forecast to 2027 Cellular IoT Market by Component (Hardware, Software, and Services), Technology (2G, 3G, 4G, LTE-M, NB-LTE-M, NB-IoT, and 5G), Application, Vertical and Geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America & MEA) - 2027 About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets is a blue ocean alternative in growth consulting and program management, leveraging a man-machine offering to drive supernormal growth for progressive organizations in the B2B space. We have the widest lens on emerging technologies, making us proficient in co-creating supernormal growth for clients. The B2B economy is witnessing the emergence of $25 trillion of new revenue streams that are substituting existing revenue streams in this decade alone. We work with clients on growth programs, helping them monetize this $25 trillion opportunity through our service lines - TAM Expansion, Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy to Execution, Market Share Gain, Account Enablement, and Thought Leadership Marketing. Built on the 'GIVE Growth' principle, we work with several Forbes Global 2000 B2B companies - helping them stay relevant in a disruptive ecosystem. Our insights and strategies are molded by our industry experts, cutting-edge AI-powered Market Intelligence Cloud, and years of research. The KnowledgeStore (our Market Intelligence Cloud) integrates our research, facilitates an analysis of interconnections through a set of applications, helping clients look at the entire ecosystem and understand the revenue shifts happening in their industry. To find out more, visit www.MarketsandMarkets.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Visit Our Web Site: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/industrial-ethernet-market.asp Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/industrial-ethernet.asp Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/industrial-ethernet-market-worth-15-8-billion-by-2028---exclusive-report-by-marketsandmarkets-301723257.html Devo DeepTrace fundamentally changes the way organizations discover and thwart their adversaries while protecting the business CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 17, 2023, the cloud-native logging and security analytics company, today announced Devo DeepTrace, an autonomous alert investigation and threat hunting solution that uses attack-tracing artificial intelligence (AI) to advance how security teams identify attacks, investigate threats and secure their organizations. DeepTrace augments the work security analysts do by building complete traces of suspicious activity detected across an organization's infrastructure, which alleviates much of their mundane, repetitive tasks. "Today's SOCs are under strain and SOC analysts in particular are overwhelmed with the ever-increasing volume of alerts and threats," said Rakesh Nair, vice president of engineering at Devo. "Humans can't scale at the same pace of data and threats, so we need to augment analysts and threat hunters with automation technologies and AI. DeepTrace takes an alert and translates it into a full summary of events by asking a series of questions. In return, the analyst can review pre-investigated and fully contextualized attack traces to mitigate them instead of drowning in data and chasing false positives." DeepTrace helps analysts by performing investigations as they would but at machine speed and scale. Starting with an event or an alert, its AI engine asks potentially hundreds of thousands of questions to autonomously construct traces fully and chronologically detailing an attacker's actions. DeepTrace then overlays its results against the MITRE ATT&CK framework, which provides analysts with advanced context and additional points of reference so they can analyze attacks, identify patterns, and assess existing defenses within the organization. DeepTrace was designed to meet multiple use cases for today's security teams: Autonomous investigations : DeepTrace autonomously investigates suspicious events and alerts using attack-tracing AI. It identifies each step in the attack chain, providing a full, evidence-based timeline of the attack. Each trace offers critical information that an analyst needs to nullify the threat. : DeepTrace autonomously investigates suspicious events and alerts using attack-tracing AI. It identifies each step in the attack chain, providing a full, evidence-based timeline of the attack. Each trace offers critical information that an analyst needs to nullify the threat. Autonomous threat hunting : DeepTrace helps threat hunters quickly construct and configure new hunts that map to MITRE ATT&CK framework tactics and techniques. Once refined and validated with the use of autonomous investigations, these can be converted to new cadence-based threat detections. : DeepTrace helps threat hunters quickly construct and configure new hunts that map to MITRE ATT&CK framework tactics and techniques. Once refined and validated with the use of autonomous investigations, these can be converted to new cadence-based threat detections. Optimized incident response: DeepTrace harnesses the organization's data to perform retroactive hunts that find attacks and malicious activity. Once an actual attack is identified, DeepTrace produces interactive traces and reports documenting an attacker's footsteps. DeepTrace ensures that security teams are able to comprehensively investigate threats by rapidly tracing attacks, which fundamentally changes the way organizations discover and thwart their adversaries while protecting the business. DeepTrace will be generally available in the first quarter of 2023. To learn more, visit https://www.devo.com/applications/deeptrace/ . About Devo Devo is the only cloud-native logging and security analytics platform that releases the full potential of your data to empower bold, confident action. With unrivaled scale to collect all of your data without compromise, speed to give you immediate access and answers, and clarity to focus on the signals that matter most, Devo is your ally in protecting your organization today and tomorrow. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with operations in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, Devo is backed by Insight Partners, Georgian, TCV, General Atlantic, Bessemer Venture Partners, Kibo Ventures and Eurazeo. Learn more at www.devo.com . Devo Media Contact: Daysi Robles Lopez Devo@pancomm.com DZ Bank AG: Post-Stabilisation Notice Not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful. DZ BANK AG (contact: Ralph Ockert; telephone: +49 69 7447 7051) hereby gives notice that no stabilisation (within the meaning of Article 3.2 (d) of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU Regulation 596/2014) was undertaken by the Stabilising Managers named below in relation to the offer of the following securities. The security to be stabilised: Issuer: European Union (EU) Guarantor (if any): none ISIN: EU000A3K4D09 Aggregate nominal amount: EUR 6.548bn Description: Fixed rate, due 4th of December 2037 Offer price: 99,795% Other offer terms: Payment 14 Dec 2022, Listing Luxembourg Stock Exchange Exchange, denominations:1k x 1k Maturity 04th of Dec 2037 Stabilisation: DZ BANK AG Stabilising Manager(s): DZ BANK AG Barclays BofA Deutsche Bank Societe Generale Stabilisation period commences 07 th of December 2022 Stabilisation period expected to No later than 30 days after the proposed end on: issue date of the securities Existence, maximum size and The Stabilising Manager(s) may over-allot conditions of use of over-allotment the securities to the extent permitted in facility. Accordance with applicable law. This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an invitation or offer to underwrite, subscribe for or otherwise acquire or dispose of any securities of the Issuer in any jurisdiction. This announcement is not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any other jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful. After upgrading its features, the FullChinese App seeks its use by language educators, Chinese teachers, and heritage speakers. Boston, Massachusetts--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2023) - Today, FullChinese App ("FullChinese App" or the "Company"), a Chinese language app that combines all critical learning language features into a one single highly optimized app, declared the app now has an option - for importing Youtube videos with Close Caption inside the app, such that they become engaging study material completely in tune with students' interest. To reach more students, the company upgraded its features to allow educators, whether Chinese university teachers, high school teachers or tutors, to add their own content. Teachers can import their own text into the app, anything of interest on the internet, such as YouTube videos, or student generated content. This allows students to access content tailored to both their level and interest. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8896/151534_54f260601498884f_001full.jpg The new upgraded feature received positive feedback from language educators, as it became possible to retain some students who would have given up otherwise. By being aware of the challenges faced by Chinese teachers, the Company provides free technical support for their students. Teachers only have to choose which content they wish their student to study, and the company handles every other technical aspect. The FullChinese app is available on iPhone, iPad, and Android. Emmanuel Roche, founder of the FullChinese App, said, "The FullChinese App is designed to help language educators like governmental committees in charge of higher education, and school districts, Chinese teachers in universities, and all teachers of the Chinese language make their job less tedious and more exciting for both them and their learners." "We also created a helpful resource center they can freely access, since we are all together in the business of promoting the Chinese language," he continued. Since its founding, the FullChinese App has embraced AI technology to simplify the learning of the Chinese, making it fun to use for both potential investors and their students. Its use of AI technology has allowed the Company to identify other audiences, except its original audience; students, expanding their audience base. This is just another way FullChinese App is reshaping the language learning industry, especially Chinese. About FullChinese App Founded in 2012 by Emmanuel Roche, a researcher in Natural Language Processing and Computational Linguistics, and an entrepreneur who co-founded the main NLP Company of the time (Teragram Corporation), with a lifelong interest in Chinese language and how to learn it efficiently. The FullChinese App is a comprehensive software solution designed to help students reach full fluency in Chinese. The Company now has a worldwide team of linguists, educators who are native speakers, engineers, including a team in Ukraine, who are counted as colleagues. Media Contact Company name: FullChinese App Contact Person: Emmanuel Roche Email: roche@gammakite.com Country: United States Website: https://www.fullchinese.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151534 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2023) - NetCents Technology Inc. (CSE: NC) (FSE: 26N) (OTCQB: NTTCF) ("NetCents" or the "Company"), a cryptocurrency payments company, announces the closure of its cryptocurrency exchange effective immediately. The closure is designed to streamline its current operations and product offerings to focus on revenue-generating product streams. For the last few years, the Company's primary focus has been the growth of its merchant processing products and services with less reliance on the cryptocurrency exchange. The cryptocurrency exchange, planned initially as a complementary business segment, has never been a significant percentage of the Company's revenues, accounting for less than one half of one percent (0.5%) of estimated total revenues in fiscal 2022 (unaudited). As the Company merchant processing continued to grow, the cryptocurrency exchange became unnecessary for the overall business strategy. In fiscal 2022, the exchange generated insignificant revenues and was no longer cost effective to maintain. At the same time, the Company recognized and focused on its market share and competitive advantages in merchant processing. Virtually all of the Company's growth and revenue for the last two fiscal years was from its merchant services. In July 2022, the Company began internal discussions regarding the future of the exchange, and the Board of Directors voted to begin the steps required to cease exchange operations. In September 2022, the Company contacted the regulatory authorities, communicating the Company's intention to cease exchange operations. In November 2022, the Company detailed the procedure to be used to wind down exchange operations to the regulators and at that time, the Company ceased receiving fiat or cryptocurrency deposits to the exchange. This action, however, has not affected users' ability to withdraw their fiat funds or crypto assets from the exchange. In the near future, all account holders will be contacted via email and, if required, by phone. Account holders will be instructed to access their accounts and withdraw their fiat and crypto assets. At the instruction of the account holders, all fiat funds will be transferred via traditional means, and all crypto assets will be transferred via the associated blockchain. All accounts will have 60 days from the first email to move their fiat funds and their transferable crypto assets off the exchange. The Company has maintained the fiat funds in its bank accounts and crypto assets have been held by an independent third-party wallet as a service provider. All account holders will receive 100% of their respective account holdings, except accounts holding NCCO. Any accounts holding NCCO will be maintained pending final resolution by regulatory authorities. As a brief business update, the Company's merchant processing business continues to grow, and in 2022, the Company experienced significant growth since 2020 in all key metrics. Since 2020, merchants on the platform have grown by over 250%, with a global footprint of processing merchants in 46 countries. The average transaction value increased from USD $391 in 2020 to USD $4,500 in 2022, and the Company's Instant Settlement processing volume grew 374% in 2022 over 2020 from USD $10.6 million in 2020 to USD $50.6 million in 20221. In 2022, merchant processing revenue increased by 445% over 20201. As of today, the Company continues to be subject to a cease trade order. The following financial statements are outstanding: interim financial statements (unaudited) for the quarterly periods ending January 31, 2021, April 30, 2021, and July 31, 2021, audited annual financial statements for fiscal year end October 31, 2021, and interim financial statements (unaudited) for the quarterly periods ending January 31, 2022, April 30, 2022, and July 31, 2022. The Company is currently focused on preparing its outstanding financial statements so that it will be in compliance with its regulatory requirements. About Us NetCents Technology Inc., the transactional hub for all cryptocurrency payments, equips forward-thinking businesses with the technology to seamlessly integrate cryptocurrency processing into their payment model without taking on the risk or volatility of the crypto market. NetCents is registered as a Money Services Business (MSB) with FINTRAC. For more information, please visit the corporate website at www.net-cents.com or contact Investor Relations at investor@net-cents.com. On Behalf of the Board of Directors NetCents Technology Inc. "Clayton Moore" Clayton Moore, CEO, Founder and Director NetCents Technology Inc. 350 - 375 Water Street Vancouver, BC, V6B 5C6 Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements including without limitation, timing of finalizing and filing of the Company's financial statements, , the expected closure procedure for the exchange, the expected growth and results of operations of the Company. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include regulatory actions, market prices, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates, and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. FOFI Disclosure This press release contains future-oriented financial information and financial outlook information (collectively, "FOFI") about the Company's future growth and expansion, all of which are subject to the same assumptions, risk factors, limitations and qualifications as set forth in the above paragraphs. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on FOFI. The Company's actual results, performance or achievement could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these FOFI, or if any of them do so, what benefits the Company will derive therefrom. FOFI contained in this press release was approved by management as of the date of this press release and was included in order to provide readers with information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future and such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any FOFI contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required pursuant to applicable law. Readers are cautioned that the FOFI contained in this press release should not be used for purposes other than for which it is disclosed herein. [1] Unaudited financial information To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151470 Global phase III with 605 patients from the US and eight European countries demonstrates therapeutic equivalence and safety between Stelara and DMB-3115 Aims to submit marketing authorization in the first half of 2023 for the US and the EU Dong-A ST (President and CEO: Min-young Kim) (KRX:170900) announced on January 16th that therapeutic equivalence and safety were established between DMB-3115 and Stelara, the reference drug, in global phase III. Stelara is a blockbuster drug developed by Janssen Biotech Inc. and indicated for plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis; it recorded USD 16.8 billion (IQVIA, MAT Sept 2022) sales worldwide, making it one of the highest grossing biologic medicines. DMB-3115 global phase III first kicked off in the US back in 2021 and then in eight European countries, including Poland, Estonia, and Latvia, with a total patient number of 605 over 52 weeks. Patients with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis were treated with DMB-3115 or Stelara PFS to compare efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity. The trial was performed as a randomized, double-blinded, multicenter, parallel, and active-control study. In accordance with the recommendation from the regulatory agencies, primary endpoint time frames were set as Week 8 and Week 12 for the EMA and the FDA, respectively. DMB-3115 and Stelara demonstrated therapeutic equivalence when looking at percent change from baseline in PASI (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index) at Week 8 and Week 12. Similarly, there was no clinically significant difference in safety. As the results are met for their differing recommendation of EMA and the FDA, the data is expected to be received more positively when submitted for marketing authorization to the respective agencies. Dong-A Socio Holdings and Meiji Seika Pharma began joint development for DMB-3115 in 2013, and the rights of Dong-A Socio Holdings for R&D and commercialization were transferred to Dong-A ST in July 2020 for efficient project management; since then, Dong-A ST and Meiji Seika Pharma worked together for the development of the drug. In July 2021, Dong-A ST and Meiji Seika Pharma signed a global license agreement with Intas, a leading multinational pharmaceutical company, and granted the exclusive rights for regulatory approval and commercialization of DMB-3115 in the territories excluding Korea, Japan and some Asian countries. DMB-3115 will be commercialized by Intas through its worldwide affiliates including Accord Biopharma in the US and Accord Healthcare in Europe, the UK and Canada. Dong-A ST and Meiji Seika Pharma are responsible for R&D and supply of the product to Intas and its worldwide affiliates. Binish Chudgar, Vice-Chairman Managing Director of Intas Pharmaceuticals, said, "This agreement with Dong-A ST and Meiji Seika Pharma emphasizes our commitment to acquiring advanced research to leverage our leadership position internationally. Further supporting our dedication to drive our mission of making world-class drugs more accessible to patients, globally." Min-young Kim President CEO Dong-A ST, said, "We will leverage the successful global phase III of DMB-3115 and submit the marketing authorization application for the US and the EU in the first half of 2023," and continued, "We are committed to supplying DMB-3115 to the global market at the earliest date possible through close cooperation with Intas Pharmaceuticals." View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230117005498/en/ Contacts: Dong-A ST CO., Ltd Shin-Hee Park +82-32-610-2481 sh-park@donga.co.kr Ji-Su Song +82-920-8866 songjs@donga.co.kr Cloudflare, Inc. (NYSE: NET), the security, performance, and reliability company helping to build a better Internet, today announced the appointment of Phil Winslow as Vice President of Strategic Finance, Treasury, and Investor Relations. Winslow previously covered Cloudflare as a financial analyst at Credit Suisse, where he was the global head of the software team, and at Wells Fargo. "Phil has extensive expertise in the software industry, and we have developed a relationship with him prior to this search, as he has covered Cloudflare for years," said Matthew Prince, CEO and co-founder, Cloudflare. "As someone who has been following our growth even before our IPO, welcoming him to Cloudflare is a huge testament to our rapid growth, innovation, and ability to deliver strong execution and profitability at scale." Winslow will be responsible for ensuring the company's long-term financial strategy is optimized for growth and profitability, managing its capital structure and treasury processes to support strategic goals and operational objectives, and overseeing investor relations. These functions are particularly important as Cloudflare continues to experience rapid growth, scales free cash flow generation, and becomes an increasingly important player in the market for cloud-based Zero Trust, network, and application services, and developer platforms. Reporting to Cloudflare's Chief Financial Officer, Thomas Seifert, Winslow will work closely with the leadership team to develop and implement strategies that support Cloudflare's long-term success. "Phil has a proven track record and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his role at Cloudflare. As an influential software analyst, he has worked alongside institutional investors to develop investment strategies for software companies, as well as with issuers to execute successful capital markets transactions," said Thomas Seifert, Chief Financial Officer at Cloudflare. "We're thrilled to have Phil on board as we continue towards our goal of $5 billion in annualized revenue in the next five years." Most recently, Winslow served as a Managing Director at Credit Suisse and was the global head of the software team in the Securities Research department. In this position, he led a team of equity research professionals that spanned the United States and Europe. Leveraging more than two decades of capital markets experience, Phil has an extensive background in financial modeling and data-driven operational analysis, and a deep knowledge of the technology industry. "Cloudflare is constantly propelling the industry forward, and I'm proud to join this talented team and contribute to the company's continued growth," said Phil Winslow, Vice President of Strategic Finance, Treasury, and Investor Relations at Cloudflare. "I look forward to working with the leadership team and the entire Cloudflare community to drive long-term value for all of our customers, shareholders, and other stakeholders." About Cloudflare Cloudflare, Inc. (www.cloudflare.com @cloudflare) is on a mission to help build a better Internet. Cloudflare's suite of products protect and accelerate any Internet application online without adding hardware, installing software, or changing a line of code. Internet properties powered by Cloudflare have all web traffic routed through its intelligent global network, which gets smarter with every request. As a result, they see significant improvement in performance and a decrease in spam and other attacks. Cloudflare was awarded by Reuters Events for Global Responsible Business in 2020, named to Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies in 2021, and ranked among Newsweek's Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces in 2022. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as "may," "will," "should," "expect," "explore," "plan," "anticipate," "could," "intend," "target," "project," "contemplate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," or "continue," or the negative of these words, or other similar terms or expressions that concern Cloudflare's expectations, strategy, plans, or intentions. However, not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements expressed or implied in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Cloudflare's future financial and operating performance, Cloudflare's reputation and performance in the market, general market trends, the benefits to customers from using Cloudflare products, the expected functionality and performance of Cloudflare products, Cloudflare's plans and objectives for future operations, growth, initiatives, and strategies, Cloudflare's expectations about senior management transitions, Cloudflare's goal of organically achieving $5 billion in annualized revenue in 5 years, Cloudflare's market opportunity, and comments made by Cloudflare's CEO and others. Cloudflare's actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including but not limited to, risks detailed in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including Cloudflare's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 3, 2022, as well as other filings that Cloudflare may make from time to time with the SEC. The forward-looking statements made in this press release relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. Cloudflare undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made in this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. Cloudflare may not actually achieve the plans, intentions, or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. 2023 Cloudflare, Inc. All rights reserved. Cloudflare, the Cloudflare logo, and other Cloudflare marks are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Cloudflare, Inc. in the U.S. and other jurisdictions. All other marks and names referenced herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230117005511/en/ Contacts: Cloudflare, Inc. Daniella Vallurupalli Vice President, Head of Global Communications press@cloudflare.com A worker fuels vehicle at a hydrogen fueling station at Seoul City Hall's annex building near Seosomun in this October 2022 file photo. Newsis By Park Jae-hyuk President Yoon Suk Yeol's latest visit to the UAE has given a certain amount of momentum once again for Korea's transition to a hydrogen economy, dispelling worries that his administration may hit the brakes on the previous government's major energy policy, according to industry officials, Tuesday. In a joint statement announced on Monday following Yoon's summit with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, both leaders vowed to prioritize strengthening their ties concerning the production and utilization of hydrogen. "Both leaders concurred on the importance of bilateral cooperation to accelerate and invest in projects of energy security, decarburization and climate action, and to continue developing both the UAE and the Republic of Korea as global leaders in hydrogen ecosystems," the statement reads. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport also emphasized that the two countries are strengthening their cooperation in the hydrogen sector, seeking to transition to a hydrogen economy for carbon neutrality. First lady discusses cultural exchanges with UAE counterpart President Yoon with Dubai ruler Korea's push to export nuclear reactors gains new momentum Land Minister Won Hee-ryong told his UAE counterpart, Falah Al Ahbabi, chairman of Abu Dhabi's department of municipalities and transport, on Monday that the Middle Eastern country needs to give approvals as soon as possible for the project to develop hydrogen fueling station technologies suited for the desert climate. Securities analysts anticipated that the government's interest in the hydrogen industry will benefit fuel cell producers, which have been underestimated compared to companies engaged in the defense and nuclear energy industries. "The markets for defense systems and small modular reactors, as well as the hydrogen industry, will likely grow further in the Middle East," Hyundai Motor Securities analyst Kwak Min-jung said. Since Yoon was elected last March, his government had been expected to adjust the hydrogen economy roadmap announced by his predecessor in 2019. The expectation was attributed partially to the Ministry of Environment's decision last May to cut the budget for the supply of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to 667.7 billion won ($540 million) from 892.7 billion won. This decision caused concerns at that time that Hyundai Motor Group may face difficulties in selling passenger cars powered by hydrogen, such as the Nexo. Last August, business tycoons were also absent from the H2 MEET, the world's largest hydrogen exhibition, which the year before had attracted the chairmen of SK, Hyundai Motor and Lotte, as well as the heirs of Hanwha, GS, HD Hyundai and Kolon. As concerns have grown over the loss of momentum to the nation's transition to a hydrogen economy, the government has continuously denied speculation about the administration's disinterest in the hydrogen industry. Last November, the fifth meeting of the Hydrogen Economy Commission was held to discuss ways to create large-scale demand for hydrogen in the power generation and transportation industries, establish infrastructure to promote the use of hydrogen and make Korea a hydrogen industry powerhouse. Finsbury Growth & Income Trust Plc - Result of AGM 17 January 2023 Finsbury Growth & Income Trust PLC (the "Company") Result of Annual General Meeting The Board is pleased to announce that at the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on Tuesday, 17 January 2023, all resolutions as detailed below were duly passed by shareholders on a poll. Resolutions Votes For % Votes Against % Total Votes Cast Votes Withheld Ordinary Resolutions 1. To receive the Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 30 September 2022. 86,635,501 99.99 4,625 0.01 86,640,126 22,864 2. To elect Pars Purewal as a Director of the Company. 86,546,703 99.93 59,207 0.07 86,605,910 53,110 3. To re-elect Simon Hayes as a Director of the Company. 85,340,302 98.54 1,265,165 1.46 86,605,467 57,503 4. To re-elect James Aston as a Director of the Company. 85,271,697 98.45 1,339,807 1.55 86,611,504 51,466 5. To re-elect Kate Cornish-Bowden as a Director of the Company. 85,266,765 98.45 1,339,502 1.55 86,606,267 56,703 6. To re-elect Sandra Kelly as a Director of Company. 85,308,552 98.49 1,303,752 1.51 86,612,304 50,666 7. To re-elect Lorna Tilbian as a Director of the Company. 85,303,240 98.50 1,303,027 1.50 86,606,267 56,703 8. To receive and approve the Directors' Remuneration Report for year ended 30 September 2022. 86,451,715 99.84 137,827 0.16 86,589,542 73,428 9. To receive and approve the Directors' Remuneration Policy. 86,434,157 99.83 149,590 0.17 86,583,747 79,223 10. To re-appoint PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as Auditors to the Company, to hold office from the conclusion of this meeting until the conclusion of the next general meeting at which financial statements are laid before the Company. 86,459,240 99.82 151,767 0.18 86,611,007 51,983 11. To authorise the Audit Committee to determine the remuneration of the Auditors of the Company. 86,600,361 99.97 23,646 0.03 86,624,007 38,983 12. To receive and approve the Company's Dividend Policy, as set out in the Annual Report. 86,624,234 99.99 5,238 0.01 86,629,472 33,518 Special Business 13. To allot securities in the Company. (Ordinary Resolution) 86,565,854 99.93 58,964 0.07 86,624,818 38,172 14. To disapply the rights of pre-emption in relation to the allotment of securities. (Special Resolution) 86,482,660 99.84 139,595 0.16 86,622,255 40,735 15. To disapply pre-emption rights on the sale of Treasury Shares and to sell Treasury Shares at a premium to the net asset value per share. (Special Resolution) 86,596,346 99.97 30,312 0.03 86,626,658 36,332 16. To authorise the Company to make market purchases of Ordinary shares in the Company. (Special Resolution) 86,606,488 99.97 23,505 0.03 86,629,993 32,997 17. That the Directors be permitted to call General Meetings (excluding the AGM) on not less than 14 clear days' notice. (Special Resolution) 86,209,333 99.51 420,288 0.49 86,629,621 33,369 A vote Withheld is not a vote in law and is not counted in the calculation of the proportion of votes "For" and "Against" a resolution. Notes: Any proxy votes which are at the discretion of the Chairman have been included in the "for" total. A vote withheld is not a vote in law and is not counted in the votes for or against a resolution. As at the date of the Annual General Meeting, the total number of voting rights in the Company was 212,105,211. The Company had 12,886,092 ordinary shares held in Treasury. The full text of the resolutions can be found in the Notice of Annual General Meeting, which is available for viewing at the National Storage Mechanism and can be located at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism and on the Company's website, www.finsburygt.com In accordance with Listing Rule 9.6.2 and Listing Rule 9.6.3, the full text of the special business resolutions passed has been submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and will shortly be available for inspection at: https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism . The special business resolutions will additionally be filed with Companies House. Terms not otherwise defined in this announcement have the meaning given to them in the Notice of Meeting. For further information, please contact: For Immediate Release 17 January 2023 ROGUE BARON PLC ("Rogue Baron" or "The Company") Quarterly Trading Statement to December 31 Strong finish to the year Rogue Baron PLC (AQSE: SHNJ, OTC: SHNJF), a global company in the premium spirits sector, is pleased to announce a trading statement for the quarter ending December 31, 2022. In the final quarter, the Company sold approximately 930 cases of Shinju globally, which was a 137% increase compared to the same period in 2021 resulting in revenues of approximately USD 120,000. This growth has come despite minimal marketing dollars spent. The Shinju brand is gaining significant traction in its current markets due to its price positioning, quality, and taste. Repeat purchases from customers and increased orders from distributors are playing a factor in the growth. The Shinju brand also saw a strong start to sales in the final quarter in the U.K., with the launch of the 8-year-old 'Black Pearl' extension leading the way. The Company projects growth to continue in 2023 as it officially launched the Shinju brand with the second-largest distributor in the U.S. in November. Starting in only one market, the plan is to roll out Shinju across the U.S. in 2023 through the distributor's national footprint. The effect of the new distributor is already evident despite sales initially in only the Maryland / Washington DC market with that particular distributor. Given the Company's increasing distribution footprint globally, Rogue Baron is looking at various financing options to accelerate sales in its current markets, expand into new markets, and potentially push new products through its existing sales platforms. Numerous options are being perused by the board to take advantage of the opportunities that are continually presented to the Company. Audit Opinion 2021 The Company has made good progress in conjunction with its auditor to resolve the issues presented in the Company's report and accounts for the year ended 31 December 2021 and is on track to release its results for the year end for September 30, 2023, in advance of the March 31, 2023 deadline. Ryan Dolder, CEO of Rogue Baron, commented: "Despite a challenging year due to shipping and logistics issues that limited our inventory availability, and a complex transition to a larger U.S. distributor, we are excited about the trajectory of not only Shinju, but the Company as a whole. When we set out to launch our first brand, Shinju, we had a very specific strategic plan on how we wanted to do it. We knew it would take time, but we also believed if we stayed committed to the plan it would create the best chance of success for the Brand and the Company long-term. Many of the steps in that plan are now starting to take hold." The Directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement For further information, please contact: The Company Ryan Dolder rdolder@roguebaron.com AQSE Corporate Adviser: Peterhouse Capital Limited Guy Miller +44 (0) 20 7469 0936 AQSE Corporate Broker: Peterhouse Capital Limited Lucy Williams +44 (0) 20 7469 0936 WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESSWIRE / January 17, 2023 / R3T Technologies is pleased to announce the acquisition of YING Inc., an advanced group skillsharing platform powered by AI and designed to unlock cultural, community, and financial capital. Ying, which has been under development for seven years, has now become the right tool at the right time in addressing the "gig economy". Why? US government statistics have confirmed that the "gig economy" or "sharing economy" is exploding, as more people seek direct access to find work, share resources and skills with one another. There are currently around 60 million gig workers, approximately 36% of all US employees. Statista projects that 85.6 million people will be doing freelance work in the US by 2027. According to Thrivemyway.com, by 2023, the size of the gig economy could reach $455.2 billion. ADP Research Institute says that in 6% of US companies gig workers make up as much as 85% of the workforce. At the same time, according to the Pew Institute, a significant number of Americans are seeking ways to feel like they belong and are looking for offerings that provide a sense of community. YING's focus on building intentional communities and bringing about a sense of "the village" is well-aligned with these both trends, and all research points to significant likelihood of market success. YING, which recently launched a neighborhood activation called VillageYING in Philadelphia and Boulder, Colorado, is dedicated to building intentional communities and empowering people to share their skills and resources with one another directly, without need of an employment agency, temp agency, or any other "middleman", thus bypassing traditional barriers to direct and immediate employment. "It's clear that in this economy, we will need to leverage technologies to create more effective ways of unlocking the value we have within our own trusted networks to share resources and micro gigs," said Hope Sullivan, a board member of R3T. "We are thrilled to have found such a strong business model in YING, and believe that its combination of fintech and valuing human capital is what differentiates Ying from any business model we've seen like it to date." Ying is a cutting-edge group skillsharing platform with "intentional technology" to unlock community, financial and social capital. This is possible via the in-app currency, the "Balance Coin" as well as fiat currency, all of which is kept accurate by usage of the block chain for all transactions. Ying is FREE for users, with Ying taking a small percentage of the agreed upon consideration between the two bilateral parties (a job seeker & employer, for instance). Due to its noted exceptional improvement in intra-company communications, for larger corporations, there is a monthly fee, which is expected to be a significant component of revenue stream. CEO Karla Ballard was quoted as saying "We've been working hard for quite some time and now believe the marketplace is seeking exactly this type of economic solution in a fintech tool that unlocks opportunities to earn a better living. I am thrilled to be in position for us to bring this to the market under R3T." The acquisition of YING by R3T represents a major milestone for both companies, and we believe it will create new opportunities for growth and innovation. Management is aware of the current "yield sign" appearing on OTC markets and is working with new firm of CPAs to properly revise the 3rd Quarter report and hope to have it published shortly. By now bringing this technology public, we are confident that we can unlock even more value for our customers and shareholders, and help to build stronger, more resilient communities as we inter-connect, one gig and community at a time. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include but are not limited to statements identified by words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "intends," "plans," "targets," "projects" and similar expressions. The statements in this release are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of our company's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Numerous factors could cause or contribute to such differences, including, but not limited to, the challenges inherent in new industry development initiatives, the effects of competition, our ability to license and protect our intellectual property, our ability to raise additional capital in the future that is necessary to maintain our business, as well as other risks discussed from time to time in our filings with OTC Markets including, without limitation, our Annual Report recently filed. We undertake no duty to update any forward-looking statement or any information contained in this press release or in other public disclosures at any time. Finally, the investing public is reminded that the only announcements or information about R-3 Technologies Inc. which are condoned by the Company must emanate from the Company itself, and bear our name as its Source. Contact: Info@R3TGroup.com 877 927-2816 SOURCE: R3T Technologies View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/735513/R-3-Technologies-Inc-Acquires-Ying-Inc WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - New York manufacturing activity has seen a significant contraction in the month of January, according to a report released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Tuesday. The New York Fed said its general business conditions plunged to a negative 32.9 in January from a negative 11.2 in December, with a negative reading indicating a contraction. Economists had expected the index to climb to a negative 4.5. 'Manufacturing conditions in the U.S. are deteriorating as central banks continue to raise rates and recessionary pressures constrain the sector's advance,' said Gurleen Chadha, U.S. Economist at Oxford Economics. 'This coupled with tighter financial markets and a weaker labor market weigh on regional and national factory activity,' Chadha added. 'The result has been a dwindling pipeline and downbeat sentiment.' The unexpected slump by the headline index partly reflected significant decreases in new orders and shipments. The new orders index dove to a negative 31.1 in January from a negative 3.6 in December, while the shipments index dove to a negative 22.4 from a positive 5.3 in the previous month. The number of employees index also slid to 2.8 in January from 14.0 in December, although a positive reading still indicates modest job growth. The report also said the prices paid index tumbled to 33.0 in January from 50.5 in December, while the prices received index fell to 18.8 from 25.2. Looking ahead, the New York Fed said firms expect little improvement in business conditions over the next six months. The index for future business conditions inched up to 8.0 in January from 6.3 in December. The Philadelphia Federal Reserve is scheduled to release its report on regional manufacturing activity in the month of January on Thursday. The Philly Fed Index is expected to rise to a negative 11.0 in January from a negative 13.8 in December. Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX ATLANTA and GLASGOW, Jan. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Invisors, a Workday Services Partner, announced today its endorsement from Workday to prime phase 1 Workday deployments in the United Kingdom and Ireland. This expansion recognises Invisors' commitment to helping European companies migrate their HR and financial systems to Workday and provide ongoing support and optimisation once live. "This is a fantastic recognition from Workday on the team we have built here in less than a year and outlines our commitment to Workday globally," says Matt Lawrence, EMEA Commercial Lead at Invisors. "We are excited to work closely with Workday helping customers here in the United Kingdom and Ireland adopt the best-in-class applications for finance, HR, and more." Invisors provides initial deployment, optimisation and ongoing support services in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada and the United States for Workday's full suite of products, including: Human Capital Management, Financial Management, Adaptive Planning, Prism Analytics and Extend. Its team has successfully completed over 200 Workday client engagements, with recognitions by Fortune's Great Place to Work, Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces, and Inc. Magazine's 5,000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies. "Growing our partner ecosystem in the UK with Invisors will further enable us to support our current and prospective customers with their teams comprehensively, from conception to solution implementation and optimisation. We are looking forward to building on a successful partnership in North America to deliver additional value to our community in Northern Europe and supporting companies in their transformation to employee-centric organizations," said, Michael Douroux, group vice president, Northern Europe and South Africa, Workday. Last year Invisors announced its global expansion into Europe. Since then, the Invisors team has been busy establishing an office in Glasgow, Scotland and hiring over 15 local resources across the UK. About Invisors As a certified Workday Services partner, Invisors helps customers utilise their organisational data to make better-informed business decisions through the deployment of Workday. We believe the most important measure of our team's success is our client's ability to achieve their big-picture vision. From initial deployments to ongoing projects, we are focused on elevating perspectives + transforming results. Learn more by visiting invisors.com. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1446927/Invisors_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/invisors-announces-its-intent-to-prime-workday-deployments-in-the-united-kingdom-and-ireland-301722568.html Every day, Spider Lab's demand-side ad fraud countermeasure analyzes over 10 billion IP addresses to identify invalid traffic TOKYO, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tokyo-based Spider Labs has recently had its IP Blocklist API adopted by Japan's GENIEE DSP in the ongoing effort to combat online ad fraud. Spider Labs' Demand-Side Ad Fraud Countermeasure Analyzes over 10 billion IP addresses every day to identify invalid traffic. GENIEE DSP will use the IP Blocklist API to filter out General Invalid Traffic (GIVT) and Sophisticated Invalid Traffic (SIVT). GIVT includes traffic that can be identified by routine filtering, such as known data center traffic and search engine crawlers, while SIVT includes various types of invalid traffic, including traffic disguised as traffic caused by someone else, including Ad Fraud. "Ad fraud has become an issue that cannot be ignored in recent years, and we feel that interest in demand-side countermeasures is growing year by year," said Sayaka Kobayashi, COO of the Demand Side Business Division at Geniee, Inc. "We are very pleased to be using the IP Blocklist API as a countermeasure against invalid traffic, and we believe that it will contribute to the improvement of transparency for our clients who use GENIEE DSP in the future. GENIEE DSP will continue to adopt cutting-edge technology that helps our clients increase brand awareness, acquire users, and achieve higher advertising cost-effectiveness." Kazuhiro Miyamoto, Product Manager at Spider Labs, added, "We are pleased to be working with Geniee, one of the largest DSPs in Japan. The importance of ad verification, including countermeasures against invalid traffic, has increased dramatically over the past few years. We are confident that this collaboration has led to a healthier digital advertising industry. Spider Labs remains committed to building a secure and happy future through technology." About GENIEE DSP GENIEE DSP is a platform that allows advertisers to distribute their ads to slots selected in accordance with their needs. Ad spaces are selected based on data such as internet users' past behavioral history, purchase history, and location information, and are allocated to users who are assumed to be promising potential customers for the advertiser. Approximately 5,000 PC and smartphone media participate in the platform, which is capable of purchasing approximately 80 billion Impressions/month. About Spider Labs, Inc. Spider Labs, Inc. is the developer and provider of the automated, AI-driven fraud prevention tool, Spider AF, which operates with the mission of "Building a Safer, Happier Future with Automation." Spider Labs' team of data scientists is working to help fight the ever-evolving issue of ad fraud. Founded on the belief that the happiness of each team member must be realized to fully support the company, Spider Labs is committed to creating a "work-life integration" corporate environment that allows people to live their lives in their own way by promoting more flexible work lifestyles. Contact Information: Saaya Hashimoto PR pr@spider-labs.com Related Images Image 1: Spider AF GENIEE DSP This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment NORWICH, England, Jan. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Homemove , a tech platform connecting sellers, buyers and renters with vetted, trusted and established home moving services, has raised $400,000 in pre-seed funding to aid rapid growth. Led by Fuel Ventures and supported by Oracle VC and a strong array of angel investors, this round of funding will be used to scale up the business and build upon the inhouse proprietary platform which currently serves home sellers. With the funds raised, Homemove will be launching a suite of game-changing features, including cutting-edge CRMs, advanced communication tools, and AI-powered valuation tools that will empower their hand-picked partners to achieve even greater success. They will also be used to expand the partnership team to cover more geographic regions and market segments in the UK, and to fuel its rapid expansion. Industry veteran and Ex Rightmove Commercial Director Jason Busby and seasoned marketplace executive James Moore have backed the founders and joined as NEDs to bring their valuable experience in scaling up multi-billion pound household marketplaces. Homemove reduces the stress of moving home by streamlining the process and providing a one-stop destination for customers to research, choose and talk to each professional service in the home moving journey online with real-time updates, all for free. With the successful beta launch of Homemove in June of last year, the team has seen tremendous growth in customers, with hundreds of users flocking to the platform to find the most reliable and trusted home moving services. In a display of momentum, Homemove has already achieved record-breaking user numbers in the first two weeks of 2023 alone, solidifying its position as the destination for anyone in need of home moving services. In an effort to challenge the so-called 'disruptors', Homemove will be promoting the best local and independent service providers who prioritise their clients' best interests. The platform, which has already onboarded over 500 estate agents throughout the UK and built out strategic partnerships with other home moving services, aims to improve service levels across the industry and reduce the number of transactions that fall through. According to Legal & General , moving home can be one of the most stressful times in a person's life and, with Homemove, the goal is to augment the home-moving journey through technology and exceptional customer service, reducing transaction times and fall-through rates and ultimately reducing one of life's biggest stressors. Louis O'Connell-Bristow , Homemove co-founder & CEO, said: "My vision is to significantly improve the home moving process and this funding round is a major step towards achieving that goal. As an ex estate agent, I have witnessed firsthand the issues that can arise in the industry due to poor practices, which can lead to consumers feeling sceptical and negative towards the entire sector. "At Homemove, we are promoting only the highest rated companies that can benefit from Homemove's trustworthy and impartial reputation, while still maintaining the personal touch that customers want during this significant life event." James Freestone , Homemove co-founder & COO, said: "At Homemove, we are not just building a brand, we are building a legacy of trust and excellence. We are thrilled to secure funding from institutional investors alongside strong angel investors. Their investment will go towards ensuring that all of our customers have the best home moving experience possible. "We are always pushing the boundaries to find new ways to reduce costs and stress for all parties involved, in our relentless pursuit of becoming the gold standard in customer service and streamlining transaction times, nothing is off the table." Mike Stevenson , Fuel Ventures, said: "Homemove stood out to us because of their innovative approach to building and maintaining relationships not just with estate agents and movers, but across the whole home moving value chain. When combined with the robust industry and commercial experience of the founders, alongside ex-Rightmove Commercial Director Jason Bushby and seasoned marketplace exec James Moore joining as NEDs - we at Fuel think team Homemove are well placed to bring this highly fragmented market into the 21st century." Tom Whitby , Oracle VC General Partner, said: "Oracle VC invests in digital trade enablers that reduce friction across the value chain. Homemove does this for the sale of real property, which remains inefficient and un-digitalised. All the actors in the transaction are aligned by an efficient digital process that should result in a faster, smoother property sale," Notes to editors Louis O'Connell Bristow leads the business and develops the technology platform for Homemove. He has over 11 years of experience in the estate agency industry and in using web tools to support agents. He previously worked as an estate agent at Watsons and ran a previous business before joining forces with James to expand Homemove's vision. He holds a BSc Hons from the University of East Anglia and is a member of the National Association of Estate Agents. leads the business and develops the technology platform for Homemove. He has over 11 years of experience in the estate agency industry and in using web tools to support agents. He previously worked as an estate agent at Watsons and ran a previous business before joining forces with James to expand Homemove's vision. He holds a BSc Hons from the University of and is a member of the National Association of Estate Agents. James Freestone is responsible for raising the funds and setting strategic direction for Homemove . He has over 10 years of experience in management consulting, corporate finance, strategic execution, and business development. He has a background in working with start-ups and international brands alike, including Jaguar Land Rover and Bidstack PLC . He has a BSc Joint Hons from Aston University and is a qualified accountant. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1984930/Homemove_Founders.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/disrupting-the-disruptors-proptech-platform-homemove-secures-400-000-in-funding-301723516.html NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / January 17, 2023 / PNC Financial Services Group Register Now! Join PNC Diversity & Inclusion for a Black History Month event featuring Michele Norris, Founding Director of the Race Card Project, which sparks moving conversations about race and identity. Hear from an award-winning journalist and the first Black female radio host for NPR, as Michele engages in a productive dialogue about race, culture, and the modern Civil Rights movement in America. Opening Remarks: Michael Bickers Regional President Detroit and Southeast Michigan PNC Bank Michael G. Bickers is Regional President for PNC Bank in Detroit and Southeast Michigan. Prior to being named to his current role in March 2022, Bickers served as Midwest Territory Manager for PNC's Retail Bank, responsible for leading the branch network and partner teams throughout the region. Bickers, with more than 30 years of financial industry experience, has held several leadership positions since joining PNC in 1990, including key roles in Commercial and Retail Banking. He served as Retail Market Manager for Detroit from 2006 to 2018. Prior to being named Midwest Territory Manager in April 2022, Bickers served as Group Manager, Market Manager and Midwest Territory Executive. Bickers has served on the Business School Advisory Council of Oakland University's Business School in Rochester Hills, Michigan. He also has served on PNC's Corporate Talent and Diversity Council. Bickers earned his bachelor's degree from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, and holds an MBA in Business Administration. Presenter: Michele Norris Award-Winning Journalist Founding Director of "The Race Card Project" An award-winning journalist and one of the most recognized voices in radio, Michele Norris engages audiences in candid discussion about race, culture and communication in America. From the radio airwaves of NPR and primetime television to leading news publications such as The Washington Post, Norris is one of the most trusted voices in American journalism. On stage, she inspires open and honest dialogue, with memorable stories and fascinating perspectives drawn from her personal journey, investigative research, and interviews with world leaders, Nobel Laureates and influential newsmakers. For a decade, as host of National Public Radio's longest-running program, All Things Considered, she captivated audiences nationwide while earning some of journalism's highest honors. As a Washington Post Opinions Columnist, Norris sparks important dialogue on current events, social issues and the power to make change as she breaks down commonly held beliefs and attitudes on race, diversity and bias. She makes complex and taboo issues remarkably accessible. Her audiences walk away empowered to stimulate discussion around challenging topics within their communities. Throughout Norris' accomplished career, her efforts to promote conversation about race have resulted in her critically acclaimed book, The Grace of Silence: A Memoir. She received accolades for a Peabody Award-winning initiative, "The Race Card Project," which fosters conversation among individuals about their differences. Norris was previously the director of "The Bridge"-the Aspen Institute's program on race, cultural identity and inclusion-which addresses some of America's most complex issues by encouraging people to explore and engage with differing perspectives. Moderator: Mark Allen Head of Retail Bank Operations PNC Bank Mark Allen joined PNC in 2018, after a 15-year career at Comcast Cable. His responsibilities include the operational, financial, and strategic performance of the back office for Deposit products within Retail Bank Operations. His 2,500 employee organization includes AML Operations, Production Operations, Business Operations, Business Information Management, and a team of Performance Management Professionals that are leading the organization's end-to-end process mapping, operational analytics, and intelligent automation efforts. Mark is Chairman of PNC's Corporate Diversity Council Leadership Standards Subcommittee and is an Executive Sponsor of PNC's Black Leaders Forum. Mark earned his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and holds a BA in business administration from Morehouse College. Mark is based and resides in Philadelphia. Closing Remarks: Miranda Creel Treasury Management Commercial Sales Executive PNC Bank Miranda Creel has 35 years of progressive experience and responsibility in banking with PNC including predecessor National City Bank. She currently holds the position of Executive Vice President of Commercial Sales leading the Treasury Management professionals covering the United States. During her career, Miranda has held leadership positions in Retail Banking, Corporate Banking, Human Resources and Treasury Management. In addition, Miranda served as the Local Sponsor, President and founding member of one of PNC's Employee Business Resource Groups. Through this role, Miranda's leadership and extensive sales experience continues to benefit the Treasury Management organization on a broader scale. Miranda graduated from Baldwin Wallace College and earned her Certified Treasury Professional certification. She is a current board member of the Urban League of Greater Cleveland and prior board member of the Business Volunteered Unlimited, YWCA, Junior Achievement of Greater Cleveland, and City Year. Register Now! View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from PNC Financial Services Group on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: PNC Financial Services Group Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/pnc-financial-services-group Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: PNC Financial Services Group View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/735519/PNC-Hosts-Understanding-Black-Identity-in-Modern-America-With-Journalist-Michele-Norris-on-Feb-9 QUEBEC, QC / ACCESSWIRE / January 17, 2023 / NuRAN Wireless Inc. ("NuRAN" or the "Company") (CSE:NUR)(OTC PINK:NRRWF)(FSE:1RN), a leading supplier of mobile and broadband wireless infrastructure solutions, is pleased to announce the entry into a Network-as-a-Service ("NaaS") agreement with Orange Madagascar for the deployment of up to 500 rural networking telecommunication sites under the NaaS business model in the east coast of Madagascar. The agreement was signed today at a virtual ceremony with the attendance of Frederic Debord, CEO at Orange Madagascar, Francis Letourneau, CEO at NuRAN Wireless and with the presence of Mr. Tahina Razafindramalo, Minister of Digital Development, Digital Transformation, Posts and Telecommunications of Madagascar. "We are pleased with the materialization of this partnership which aims to bring mobile telephony services to the Malagasy people who were previously excluded from digital connectivity. Mobile telephony has become an essential need in everyday life and essential for economic and social development because it makes it possible to open up and connect Madagascar to the rest of the world and as importantly have access to financial services through mobile money" stated Frederic Debord, CEO of Orange Madagascar. "We are extremely pleased to add Madagascar to our growing portfolio of African countries. We are also thankful to Orange for this third contract as we continue to build and grow this strong relationship with them. With the addition of these 500 sites, we have now reached 4,642 sites under contract in less than 2 years from receiving our first NaaS contract. We are approaching 50% of our goal of 10,000 sites under contract within five years. NuRAN is proud to be at the forefront of our mission to bring essential mobile connectivity to those that need it most in a cost effective, profitable and an environmentally friendly manner." stated Francis Letourneau, CEO of NuRAN. The 10-year agreement with Orange Madagascar is the Company's third contract with Orange with over US$90 million in potential gross revenue at an approximate rate of US$1,500 per site per month with an estimated gross margin of 70%. The estimated gross revenues are subject to among other things, associated project expenses including expenses associated with satellite bandwidth, site lease, network operations center expenses, curative and preventative maintenance fees, project management and monitoring fees, the Company completing all financing necessary for the build out of the sites and insurance and collection of applicable fees from network operators. Fees for the NaaS services provided by NuRAN under the agreement are paid on a revenue sharing basis. The project is expected to support 2G and 3G networks with variety of site categories to cover different population densities and coverage areas. NuRAN expects to retain the ownership of the infrastructure after completion of the contract which increases the overall value of the agreement. About Orange: Orange is one of the world's leading telecommunications carriers with a turnover of 42 billion in 2019 and 143,000 employees as of 30 September 2020, of which 83,000 are in France. The Group has a total customer base of 257 million customers worldwide on 30 September 2020, including 212 million mobile customers and 21 million fixed broadband customers. The Group is present in 26 countries. Orange is also a leading provider of global IT and telecommunication services to multinational companies, under the brand Orange Business Services. In December 2019, the Group presented its new "Engage 2025" strategic plan, which, guided by social and environmental accountability, aims to reinvent its operator model. While accelerating in growth areas and placing data and AI at the heart of its innovation model, the Group will be an attractive and responsible employer, adapted to emerging professions. Orange is listed on Euronext Paris (symbol ORA) and on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol ORAN). About NuRAN Wireless: NuRAN Wireless is a leading rural telecommunications company that meets the growing demand for wireless network coverage in remote and rural regions around the globe. With its affordable and innovative scalable solutions of 2G, 3G, and 4G technologies, NuRAN Wireless offers a new possibility for more than one billion people to communicate effectively over long distances efficiently and affordably. "Bridging the Digital Divide, One Connection at a Time." Additional Information: For further information about NuRAN Wireless: www.nuranwireless.com. Francis Letourneau, Director and CEO Francis.letourneau@nuranwireless.com Tel: (418) 264-1337 Frank Candido Investor relations Frank.candido@nuranwireless.com Tel: (514) 969-5530 Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as, "expects", "is expected", "anticipates", "intends", "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements include those relating to the Orange Madagascar definitive agreement terms and conditions and the proposed sites and revenues from the sites in Madagascar. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results projected, expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements, such as the uncertainties regarding include risks such as the uncertainties regarding the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, and measures to prevent its spread, risks relating to NuRAN's business and the economy generally; NuRAN's ability to refinance its long term debt that is currently in default; NuRAN's ability to adequately restructure its operations with respect to its new model of NaaS service contracts; our ability to collect fees from our telecommunication providers and reliance on the network of our telecommunications providers, the capacity of the Company to deliver in a technical capacity and to import inventory to Africa at a reasonable cost; NuRAN's ability to obtain project financing for the proposed site build out under its NaaS agreements with Orange, MTN and other telecommunication providers, the loss of one or more significant suppliers or a reduction in significant volume from such suppliers; NuRAN's ability to meet or exceed customers' demand and expectations; significant current competition and the introduction of new competitors or other disruptive entrants in the Company's industry; effects of the global supply shortage affecting parts needed for NuRAN's sites and site installations; NuRAN's ability to retain key employees and protect its intellectual property; compliance with local laws and regulations and ability to obtain all required permits for our operations, access to the credit and capital markets, changes in applicable telecommunications laws or regulations or changes in license and regulatory fees, downturns in customers' business cycles; and insurance prices and insurance coverage availability, the Company's ability to effectively maintain or update information and technology systems; our ability to implement and maintain measures to protect against cyberattacks and comply with applicable privacy and data security requirements; the Company's ability to successfully implement its business strategies or realize expected cost savings and revenue enhancements; business development activities, including acquisitions and integration of acquired businesses; the Company's expansion into markets outside of Canada and the operational, competitive and regulatory risks facing the Company's non-Canadian based operations. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward looking information. Other factors which could materially affect such forward-looking information are described in the risk factors in the Company's most recent annual management's discussion and analysis that is available on the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The estimates included in this news release relating to the calculation of the gross revenue of the agreements with Orange are based on multiplying an average population per site by the expected penetration rate which yields the number of mobile customers. This is then multiplied by the average revenue per customer per month (ARPU) to derive total revenue. Orange's direct costs associated with this revenue are deducted and the resulting amount is shared by both parties. The revenue share only applies to revenue in excess of a guaranteed amount which is the minimum paid to NuRAN. A penetration rate reduction factor has been used to mitigate risk. The base data used to calculate the total potential revenue of this agreement was provided by Orange based on average population, penetration rate and ARPU. Management of the Company believes that the estimates have been prepared on a reasonable basis, reflecting best estimates and judgments, and based on a number of assumptions management believes are reasonable as well as information provided to the Company by Orange. However, because this information is highly subjective and subject to numerous risks, including the risks discussed above, it should not be relied on as necessarily indicative of future results. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the estimates prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. SOURCE: NuRAN Wireless Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/735512/NuRAN-Signs-NaaS-Agreement-with-Orange-Madagascar-for-up-to-US90M NEW YORK, Jan. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As per Facts and Factors study, The global chlorinated polyethylene market size was worth around USD 645 million in 2021 and is predicted to grow to around USD 1177.45 million by 2030 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of roughly 7.83% between 2022 and 2030. Chlorinated Polyethylene Market: Overview Chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) is created by substituting hydrogen atoms with chlorine atoms in high density polyethylene or HDPE. CPE does not exhibit any taste and is a non-toxic chemical. It is first created in white powder form before being used with other chemicals. CPE produced using low pressure showcases higher temperature thermal resistance as compared to CPE produced using high pressure polyethylene. The most common density range for CPE is between 0.93 to 0.96 gram per centimeter cube. The properties of CPE are highly influenced by the degree and intensity of chlorination. For instance, it is in plastic form when chlorine content is below 15%, while it acts as a thermoplastic elastomer in case the chlorine content ranges between 165 to 24%. It exhibits the properties of rubber-like elastomer when the content percentage is increased to 25% unto 48% and if the quantity is increased above 73% it turns into a brittle resin. Few advantages offered by chlorinated polyethylene include high resistance to ozone aging, thermal oxygen aging, and resistance to alkali & acid substances. The two main categories of CPE include elastomer-type and resin-type. It can be used as a standalone product or with a mixture of a wide array of chemicals including polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyurethane amongst few others. Get a Free Sample Report with All Related Graphs & Charts (with COVID 19 Impact Analysis): https://www.fnfresearch.com/sample/chlorinated-polyethylene-market Our Free Sample Report Includes: 2022 Updated Report Introduction, Overview, and In-depth industry analysis COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak Impact Analysis Included 209+ Pages Research Report (Inclusion of Updated Research) Provide Chapter-wise guidance on Request 2022 Updated Regional Analysis with Graphical Representation of Size, Share & Trends Includes an Updated List of tables & figures Updated Report Includes Top Market Players with their Business Strategy, Sales Volume, and Revenue Analysis Facts and Factors methodology Facts and Factors published the latest report titled "Chlorinated Polyethylene Market Size, Share, Growth Analysis Report By Application (Impact Modifier, Wire & Cable Jacketing, Magnetics, Adhesives, Ignition Resistant Abs, Tubing, and Others), By Type (135A, 135B, and Others), and By Region - Global and Regional Industry Insights, Overview, Comprehensive Analysis, Trends, Statistical Research, Market Intelligence, Historical Data and Forecast 2022 - 2030" into their research database. Industry Dynamics: Chlorinated Polyethylene Market: Growth Drivers Growing applications in the rubber industry to propel market demand. The global chlorinated polyethylene market is projected to grow owing to the high applications of chlorinated polyethylene in the rubber industry. CPE when crosslinked with peroxides, a group of compounds showing an R-O-O-R structure, becomes highly valuable for the rubber sector. This is due to the CPE offering various chemical properties that are of importance in the sector. For instance, it provides higher flexibility, is extremely resistant to chemicals & ignition, it restricts abrasion alongside limiting the impact of weathering conditions. Because of the high tensile strength and filler acceptance offered by CPE, the demand for the compound has grown immensely in the last few years. Using CPE helps to reduce the cost of processes associated with the use of polyethylene (PE) since it is a cheaper substitute for PE. The rubber industry is one of the fastest-growing industries due to the growing product penetration across engineering segments. The compressibility and strength offered by rubber have made them an essential part of segments dealing with products that work around drive couplings, anti-vibration mounts, bearings, adhesives, springs, and others. Chlorinated Polyethylene Market: Restraints Harmful impact above melting temperature to restrict market expansion. Chlorinated polyethylene does not have toxic compounds and is generally considered safe for use. But some of the known emissions during the combustion of the compound include carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen chloride. At temperatures above melting value, polymer fragments of these substances can be released into the environment and the associated fumes are known to be irritating to the skin or other human body organs. When the compound decomposes, it can leave behind chemicals like organic acids, aldehydes, hydrogen chloride, and alcohol that could negatively impact the environment. Directly Purchase a Copy of the Report @ https://www.fnfresearch.com/buynow/su/chlorinated-polyethylene-market Chlorinated Polyethylene Market: Opportunities Growing automobile industry to provide growth opportunities. The demand for chlorinated polyethylene may further be propelled by the increasing adoption of the chemical in the automobile industry which is designated to increase at a high CAGR due to factors like a growing number of players, increasing disposable income alongside per capita spending capacity and availability of financial assistance. For instance, the northern and southern states of India are known to have a high number of families owning 2-wheelers. In the Karnataka state of India, around 61.15% of the state population is known to use some form of 2-wheeler for personal use. Chlorinated Polyethylene Market: Challenges Disruptions in the supply chain to act as a major challenge during the forecast period. The global market players will have to forecast the impact of the growing political tension across the world on business revenue as there may be a large number of cases that could potentially disrupt the smooth supply chain of CPE in the coming years. Asian countries including China currently dominate the production of the compound and the growing tension between the west and east could affect the supply of CPE. Global Chlorinated Polyethylene Market: Segmentation The global chlorinated polyethylene market is segmented based on application, type, and region. Based on application, the global market divisions are impact modifier, wire & cable jacketing, magnetics, adhesives, ignition resistance abs, tubing, and others. The global market is anticipated to be dominated by the wire & cable jacketing segment during the forecast years due to growing infrastructural development activities. Since they exhibit excellent thermal properties along with resistance to other chemicals and oils, they are widely used for jacketing wires and cables which acts as a fire retardant. Growing applications in automotive tuning may drive the demand in the tubing segment. The cable industry currently is valued at over USD 91 billion. Based on type, the global market segments are 135A, 135B, and others. In 2021, the global market was dominated by chlorinated polyethylene 135A which is an elastomer with applications related to rigid polyvinyl chloride (RPV). The segmental growth was driven by the growing demand to manufacture vinyl sidings as well as impact modifiers that are used in microwaves, refrigerators, window profiles, and other consumer goods. CPE135A offers superior ductility making it desirable in electrical conduits using specialty polyvinyl chloride. The growing demand for 135A in the rubber industry could further fuel the demand for CPE. Get More Insight before Buying@: https://www.fnfresearch.com/inquiry/chlorinated-polyethylene-market List of Key Players in Chlorinated Polyethylene Market: Weifang Yaxing Chemical Co. Ltd. Polycast Industries Inc. Shin-Etsu Chemical Company Ltd. Wacker Chemie AG Evonik Industries AG Key questions answered in this report: What are the growth rate forecast and market size for Chlorinated Polyethylene Market? What are the key driving factors propelling the Chlorinated Polyethylene Market forward? What are the most important companies in the Chlorinated Polyethylene Market Industry? What segments does the Chlorinated Polyethylene Market cover? How can I receive a free copy of the Chlorinated Polyethylene Market sample report and company profiles? Report Scope: Report Attribute Details Market size value in 2021 USD 645 Million Revenue forecast in 2030 USD 1177.45 Million Growth Rate CAGR of almost 7.83 % 2022-2030 Base Year 2020 Historic Years 2016 - 2021 Forecast Years 2022 - 2030 Segments Covered By Type, By Application, By Payload and By Propulsion System Forecast Units Value (USD Billion), and Volume (Units) Quantitative Units Revenue in USD million/billion and CAGR from 2022 to 2030 Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa, and Rest of World Countries Covered U.S., Canada, Mexico, U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, GCC Countries, and South Africa, among others Companies Covered Weifang Yaxing Chemical Co. Ltd., Polycast Industries Inc., Shin-Etsu Chemical Company Ltd., Wacker Chemie AG, Evonik Industries AG, and others. Report Coverage Market growth drivers, restraints, opportunities, Porter's five forces analysis, PEST analysis, value chain analysis, regulatory landscape, market attractiveness analysis by segments and region, company market share analysis, and COVID-19 impact analysis. Customization Scope Avail of customized purchase options to meet your exact research needs. https://www.fnfresearch.com/customization/chlorinated-polyethylene-market Free Brochure: https://www.fnfresearch.com/ask-to-analyst/chlorinated-polyethylene-market Recent Developments In April 2022 , Nokian Tyres announced that the company intends to increase its production capacity in Europe due to disruption in the Russian production line Nokian Tyres announced that the company intends to increase its production capacity in due to disruption in the Russian production line In November 2022 , the US Department of Agriculture granted USD 35 million to Bridgestone Americas for encouraging the production of natural rubber in the country Regional Dominance: Asia-Pacific to dominate with the highest CAGR. The global chlorinated polyethylene market is anticipated to be dominated by Asia-Pacific in the coming years due to the presence of highly dominated chemical producers in the region, especially in China and India as well as a growing number of end-user verticals. For instance, as per estimates, China's revenue from the synthetic rubber production market may grow by USD 35 billion in 2022. The country has already marked a steady growth in the last 5 years at a yearly average of 2.76%. The demand for rubber in China reached 739 billion yuan in 2017 due to various factors like the growing construction industry, and high demand in the automobile sector. Growth in Europe may be driven by the growing demand for magnetic rubber used during the vehicle production process. The European automotive segment is responsible for more than 13.5 million direct and indirect jobs representing 6.05% of the region's employment rate. Global Chlorinated Polyethylene Market is segmented as follows: Chlorinated Polyethylene Market: By Application Outlook (2022-2030) Impact Modifier Wire & Cable Jacketing Magnetics, Adhesives Ignition Resistant Abs Tubing Others Chlorinated Polyethylene Market: By Type Outlook (2022-2030) 135A 135B Others Chlorinated Polyethylene Market: By Region Outlook (2022-2030) North America The U.S. Canada Europe France The UK Spain Germany Italy Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China Japan India South Korea Southeast Asia Rest of Asia Pacific Latin America Brazil Mexico Rest of Latin America Middle East & Africa GCC South Africa Rest of Middle East & Africa Press Release for Chlorinated Polyethylene Market: https://www.fnfresearch.com/news/global-chlorinated-polyethylene-market Browse Other Related Research Reports from Facts and Factors Methyl Methacrylate Market Report 2022 - 2030 : According to the report published by Facts Factors, the global methyl methacrylate market size was worth around USD 14 billion in 2021 and is predicted to grow to around USD 30 billion by 2030 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of roughly 8.21% between 2022 and 2030. 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Contact Us: Facts and Factors Tel: +1 347 690-0211 USA/Canada Toll-Free No. +44 2032 894158 Email: sales@fnfresearch.com Website: https://www.fnfresearch.com/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1981423/FnF_Research_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/with-7-83-cagr-global-chlorinated-polyethylene-market-size--share-worth-usd-1177-45-mn-by-2030--chlorinated-polyethylene-industry-trends-demand-value-manufacturers-analysis--forecast-report-by-fnf-research-301723413.html Japanese PM's G7 tour seeks gang-up, growing int'l presence Xinhua) 10:01, January 17, 2023 TOKYO, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has toured five of the Group of Seven (G7) nations at the beginning of the new year, after controversial moves on security policy triggered concerns among its Asian neighbors in December 2022. Scholars warned that the Japanese government should change its "subordinative" relationship with the United States and an open diplomacy with Asian neighbors is the foundation of Japan's national security. During his trip to France, Italy, Britain, Canada and the United States on Jan. 9-15, Kishida signed a reciprocal access defence agreement for closer defense and security ties with his British counterpart Rishi Sunak, and issued a joint statement with U.S. President Joe Biden reiterating the Japan-U.S. alliance in the so-called "Indo-Pacific strategy." Since Kishida's government updated its security strategy last month in contravention of its exclusively defense-oriented policy, its series of actions have increasingly raised alarms among its Asian neighbors, said local scholars, urging the government to change its relations with the United States from "subordination" to "self-reliance." FREE RIDER ON U.S. HEGEMONY Friday's U.S.-Japan summit, the main focus of Kishida's week-long tour, marked his first Washington visit as the Japanese premier, who attached utmost importance to the debut trip and made "full preparations" beforehand. In December last year, Japan approved three updated documents on its security and defense policies, including the new National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy, and the Defense Buildup Program, vowing to gain "counterstrike capability," or "enemy base strike capabilities." Japan's annual defense outlays are also set to surge. The government intends to secure about 313 billion U.S. dollars in defense spending for the five years from fiscal 2023. Analysts pointed out that the United States in recent years has dominated the Australia-India-Japan-U.S. Quadrilateral in the Asia-Pacific region, peddling the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework while forming cliques and divided camps. Since taking office in October 2021, Kishida's cabinet is so willing to spearhead the expansion of U.S. hegemony in the Asia-Pacific that it courted the United States by arming itself, while relying on the latter for army expansion and war preparation, paving the way for its dream of becoming a military power again. During the U.S.-Japan meeting, the most severe and complex security environment in the Indo-Pacific region was repeatedly brought up. While Kishida explained to Biden the changes in Japan's security policy, the U.S. president "commended" Japan's defense upgrade and its "historic" defense budget hike. According to the joint statement issued on Friday, the two sides agreed to further strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance not only in terms of security but also in economic ties to secure their edge on emerging technologies including semiconductors. Prior to the meeting, foreign and defense chiefs from the two sides held 2-plus-2 defense talks, or the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee on Wednesday, vowing to address their "greatest strategic challenge." The ministers agreed to strengthen military ties, deepen cooperation regarding Japan's decision to possess counterattack capabilities, expand joint use of U.S. and Japanese facilities and extend the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty into space. Atsushi Koketsu, emeritus professor at Yamaguchi University of Japan, said the Japanese government, following the U.S. intention, has turned to a "preemptive attack strategy" by abandoning the "exclusive defense" concept, putting its Asian neighbors on alert. Kishida's practice of "free riding" on the U.S. hegemony has roused discontent among the Japanese public. DISTURBING SEEKER OF DEFENSE CO-OP As the current G7 chair, Japan will host the group's summit in May. Kishida's visit to the five G7 countries is also aimed at garnering support on a host of issues including food security, nuclear disarmament, climate change and Russia-Ukraine conflict before the summit in Hiroshima. Since last October, four ministers have resigned successively from Kishida's cabinet due to scandals, plunging the government's approval ratings to record lows. Meanwhile, former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga criticized Kishida recently for remaining as the head of a political faction within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party while leading the country, an additional blow to Kishida. As multiple crises unfold, Kishida intends to take advantage of Japan's G7 presidency, as well as its election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and the council's rotating president in January, to engage in vigorous diplomacy and create a sense of presence by forming cliques, in a bid to ensure a successful G7 Hiroshima summit and boost his flagging approval ratings. During the visit, the Kishida government, abandoner of its exclusively defense-oriented policy and pacifism embodied in the Constitution of Japan, is seeking to strengthen defense and security cooperation with the United States and European countries wherever possible. In London, for example, Kishida and Sunak signed the Japan-Britain Reciprocal Access Agreement aimed at facilitating bilateral defense and security cooperation, stating simplified procedures for Japan-Britain cooperation in ship berthing and joint exercises in the future, and expecting more active military cooperation between the two countries. Liu Di, a professor at Japan's Kyorin University, said Japan's economy has been stagnant for the past 30 years and it will inevitably lead to a host of domestic conflicts if the world's third largest economy continues to hike defense spending. Therefore, Japan may use external forces to strengthen its comprehensive security capabilities, including leveraging other developed countries within the G7 framework, the scholar said. Ukeru Magosaki, a former Japanese foreign ministry official, told Xinhua that the economic weather in Japan is not optimistic, and most Japanese people do not approve of raising taxes or issuing government bonds to increase defense expenditure. Koketsu said the urgent task for the Japanese government is to transform its relations with the U.S. from "subordination" to "self-reliance" and carry out an open diplomacy with its Asian neighbors. This would be the foundation of Japan's guarantee for national security, he noted. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Genesis EVs are parked, featuring stickers promoting Busan's bid to host the World Expo 2030, in Davos, Switzerland. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group By Kim Hyun-bin Major Korean business conglomerates are gearing up to promote the southern port city of Busan's bid to host the World Expo 2030 at the World Economic Forum (WEF) held in Davos, Switzerland. According to industry officials, Tuesday, the heads of big business groups, including Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, arrived in Switzerland to attend the WEF, also known as the Davos Forum, after wrapping up their visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as part of the presidential economic delegation. While the focus of the UAE trip was to find new growth opportunities, the key task of the business leaders in Davos is to promote Busan's bid to host the World Expo 2030. Under the theme of "Cooperation?in a fragmented?world," the Davos Forum, now in its 53rd year, kicked off Monday and will last through Friday. Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, and Hanwha Solutions Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan will also attend the forum. "Many conglomerate chiefs will try to promote Busan's World Expo 2030 bid, but as always each year at the Davos Forum, there are major schedule changes at the scene, so it is difficult at this point how the company heads will try to approach and promote the expo," an industry official familiar with the matter said. In addition, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) is scheduled to host a Korea Night event in Switzerland to help promote the World Expo bid by inviting influential figures from around the world who are attending the Davos Forum. The SK Group chairman also serves as the co-chairman of the Busan Expo bid committee and plans to embark on an all-out campaign to help the southern port city host the Expo. Other business leaders also plan to mobilize their global connections to emphasize the benefits of Busan hosting the Expo. "At Davos Forum luncheons and banquets, we will install various LEDs and advertising slogans to promote Busan's bid to host World Expo 2030," a senior KCCI official said. "After Davos, Chairman Chey Tae-won will meet foreign ambassadors in Paris to explain the expo there as well." Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2023) - Altima Resources Ltd. (TSXV: ARH) (FSE: AKC1) (OTC Pink: ARSLF) (the "Company" or the "Altima") announces that the Company has successfully closed on the acquisition and transfer of a key pipeline (the "Pipeline") in the Company's core oil producing area of Red Earth Alberta (the "North Panny Field"). The 9.2 kilometers Pipeline ties the Company's central battery at 3-8-96-5 W5M in the Blue Sky Resources processing facility at 3-11-96-6 W5M. Altima holds an average Working Interest of 81% in seven (7) wells (the "Wells") in the North Panny Field, three (3) Wells are located in Twp. 95, Rge. 5 W5M, three (3) Wells in Twp.96, Rge. 4W5M and one (1) well is located in Twp. 96, Rge. 5 W5M. These Wells are long life assets with a combined production of approximately 115 bopd. The Company has initiated the process of sequentially placing these Wells back into production, which are connected to the Altima 8-3 central battery and flow through the Pipeline to the 3-11 Blue Sky processing facility and market hub. The new Pipeline will provide the Company sustainable, year-round production capability from the North Panny Field. Mr. DeVries commented, "We are very encouraged in this first step towards creating multiple long-term, sustainable, economic production." With the Company greatly reducing its operating costs through the acquisition of the Pipeline, Altima will complete an evaluation for on-stream potential with (5) five additional wells (the "Expansion Wells") also located in North Panny Field to determine the feasibility of working over, tying in and/or the re-completion of the Expansion Wells for additional production. The Expansion Wells are expected to have a combined initial production of approximately 40 bopd. One of the Expansion Wells is slotted as a potential water disposal well to further decrease operation costs. Bernie Goruk, P.Eng is the Practising Professional Engineer responsible for reviewing and approving the data contained in this press release. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD SIGNED: "Joe DeVries" Joe DeVries, interim CEO and President Contact: (604) 336-8610 Forward Statements: This news release includes certain forward-looking statements or information. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's plans or expectations include risks relating to: availability of capital and financing required to continue the Company's exploration and development plans; general economic, market or business conditions; the actual results of current and planned exploration activities; fluctuating commodity prices; risks associated with property option agreements, leases, joint ventures and the ability to conclude joint venture agreements on favorable terms; possibility of accidents, equipment breakdowns and delays during exploration; exploration cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses; regulatory changes and restrictions including in relation to environmental liability; timeliness of government or regulatory approvals and other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151451 MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) - A high-level U.S. delegation held discussions with top leaders of the Ukrainian Government in Kyiv Monday. The delegation, headed by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, members of the Office of the President, and senior Ukrainian officials 'to reaffirm the United States' strong and steadfast commitment to Ukraine and its defense against Russia's unprovoked aggression,' the State Department said in a statement. The other members of the U.S. squad included Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer and Under Secretary of Defense Dr. Colin H. Kahl. The U.S. team met with Prime Minister Shmyhal to discuss how U.S. and international assistance has helped stabilize Ukraine's economy and how to develop an enduring U.S.-Ukraine trade and investment partnership as Ukraine rebuilds. They also met with Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov to discuss diplomatic efforts and security assistance to strengthen Ukraine's security capabilities. In a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov and Ukrenergo CEO Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, they reviewed emergency efforts to repair and sustain Ukraine's energy system in the wake of Russia's brutal attacks on critical infrastructure. Monday, the mayor of Kyiv had warned that the collapse of Ukraine's energy infrastructure is imminent. As part of the trip, the U.S. delegation heard from young Ukrainians who have adapted their businesses and advocacy to support their fellow citizens even as they look ahead to Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction. Meanwhile, Ukrainian troops have arrived at Fort Sill in Oklahoma for training on the U.S. Patriot missile system, the US Army base said. Copyright(c) 2023 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. Collaboration used satellite channel and 5G base station emulation platforms to establish a 5G NTN connection with a Qualcomm Technologies 5G mobile test platform NTN using satellite-to-ground communication brings complete global 5G coverage Successful NTN connection enables faster development of 3GPP Release 17 compliant designs SANTA ROSA, CA / ACCESSWIRE / January 17, 2023 / Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:KEYS), a leading technology company that delivers advanced design and validation solutions to help accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world, announced it has collaborated with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. to establish an end-to-end 5G non-terrestrial network (NTN) connection. Based on this successful demonstration of call signaling and data transfer using orbit trajectory emulation, Keysight and Qualcomm Technologies aim to accelerate 5G NTN technology to provide affordable broadband connectivity in remote areas. NTNs based on 5G satellite-to-ground communication bring secure, reliable, and high bandwidth connectivity to remote areas that do not have terrestrial network coverage. Widespread 5G NTN deployments can provide critical health, safety, and financial benefits to rural populations while improving economic conditions for industrial sectors such as agriculture, energy, health, and transportation. The end-to-end 5G NTN connection, based on modelling constellations of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, was made in Qualcomm Technologies' San Diego laboratory by combining Keysight's 5G base station and aerospace emulation solutions with a Qualcomm Technologies 5G mobile test platform (MTP). The Qualcomm Technologies MTP is a smartphone reference design that acts as a proven test device for implementing and verifying the most advanced features available from Qualcomm Technologies research labs. The collaboration enables device makers to speed development and verification of 3GPP Release 17 compliant designs. Keysight's high-performance emulation capabilities make it possible to compensate for high Doppler effect and time delay as satellites move at speeds up to 7,500 kilometers per second and at altitudes as high as 750 kilometers. The aerospace industry uses Keysight's software-centric design and validation solutions to launch thousands of satellites that are used for aeronautical, maritime, and mission-critical communications as well as environmental monitoring. Keysight integrates 5G network and real-world channel emulation hardware and software to create an end-to-end mixed terrestrial and space lab-based test bed to realistically simulate a wide range of orbit trajectories. The solution uses dynamic multipath propagation to emulate ground-to-satellite, satellite-to-ground, and ground-to-ground satellite links. This provides holistic performance verification of terrestrial and non-terrestrial infrastructure as well as 5G NTN devices. Tingfang Ji, Vice President of Engineering at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., said: "Our research with Keysight drives many innovations with significant positive impact across a multitude of sectors that rely upon robust wireless connectivity. We are pleased to leverage Keysight's expertise in 5G emulation platforms to help the validation of our research and development for satellite-driven 5G NTN communications." Cao Peng, Vice President and General Manager for Keysight's Wireless Test Group, said: "Together with Qualcomm Technologies, Keysight is making significant leaps in digitally connecting the world's unconnected areas where deploying terrestrial cellular networks is not a viable option. Keysight is excited to provide industry-first emulation capabilities to Qualcomm Technologies, enabling the world-leading wireless technology innovator to comprehensively address a wide range of complexities that arise as advanced space and terrestrial technologies are combined onto a single modem platform." About Keysight Technologies Keysight delivers advanced design and validation solutions that help accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world. Keysight's dedication to speed and precision extends to software-driven insights and analytics that bring tomorrow's technology products to market faster across the development lifecycle, in design simulation, prototype validation, automated software testing, manufacturing analysis, and network performance optimization and visibility in enterprise, service provider and cloud environments. Our customers span the worldwide communications and industrial ecosystems, aerospace and defense, automotive, energy, semiconductor and general electronics markets. Keysight generated revenues of $5.4B in fiscal year 2022. For more information about Keysight Technologies (NYSE: KEYS), visit us at www.keysight.com. Additional information about Keysight Technologies is available in the newsroom at https://www.keysight.com/go/news and on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. Keysight Contact: Geri Lynne LaCombe, Americas/Europe +1 303 662-4748 geri_lacombe@keysight.com Fusako Dohi, Asia +81 42 660-2162 fusako_dohi@keysight.com View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Keysight Technologies on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Keysight Technologies Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/keysight-technologies Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Keysight Technologies View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/735525/Keysight-Qualcomm-Accelerate-5G-Non-Terrestrial-Network-Communication-to-Support-Broadband-in-Remote-Areas Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2023) - Rome Resources Ltd. (TSXV: RMR) ("Rome" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that Mark Gasson has been appointed to the Company's board of directors. Mr. Gasson is a geologist with 38 years of experience and has been active in South Africa, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo ("DRC") since 1986 in exploration for gold and base metals and resource development. Mr. Gasson has served on the boards of and in senior management positions at several mineral exploration and mining companies, and was instrumental in the discovery of the Bisie tin project (250,000 tonnes of contained tin), the Kipoi one million tonne copper project and in the three million ounce Giro gold project, which are all located in the DRC. Mr. Gasson is member of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Dr. Georg Schnura, CEO and a director of the Company, states that "Mark Gasson's extensive experience as a geologist, especially in the DRC, will help the Company to oversee and conduct its exploration activities on the two licences that the Company has optioned in eastern DRC." About Rome Resources Rome Resources Ltd is a mineral exploration company that has entered into two option agreements to acquire 51% direct and indirect interests in two contiguous properties situated in the Walikale District of the North Kivu Province in eastern DRC, which are referred to collectively as the "Bisie North Tin Project". Rome intends to fund exploration on the project up to the completion of a definitive feasibility study. For further information, please contact: Dr. Georg Schnura President, CEO and Director Telephone: (604) 687-6140 Email: romeresourcesltd@gmail.com Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements The information in this news release may include certain information and statements about management's view of future events, expectations, plans and prospects that may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Because of these risks and uncertainties and as a result of a variety of factors, the actual results, expectations, achievements or performance may differ materially from those anticipated and indicated by these forward-looking statements. Although Rome Resources Ltd believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, Rome Resources Ltd disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking statements or otherwise. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151557 EQS-News: Steinhoff International Holdings N.V. / Key word(s): Miscellaneous Steinhoff International Holdings N.V.: Steinhoff launches Accelerated Placement of ordinary shares in Pepco Group N.V. 17.01.2023 / 17:00 CET/CEST The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, INTO OR IN THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AUSTRALIA OR JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH OFFERS OR SALES WOULD BE PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE OR FORM A PART OF AN OFFER FOR THE SALE OF, OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY, THE SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN IN ANY JURISDICTION, INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, SOUTH AFRICA, JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH OFFERS OR SALES WOULD BE PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW. PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT NOTICE AT THE END OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. Steinhoff launches Accelerated Placement of ordinary shares in Pepco Group N.V. Steinhoff International Holdings N.V. (the "Company", together with its subsidiaries, "Steinhoff" or the "Steinhoff Group") announces that the Steinhoff Group has decided to launch an accelerated placement of ordinary shares in Pepco Group N.V. ("Pepco Group") which are held through IBEX Retail Investments (Europe) Limited (formerly Pepco Holdco Limited) (the "Seller"), an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. The Steinhoff Group intends to sell approximately 34.5 million ordinary shares (the "Placement Shares") in the capital of Pepco Group, through a placement to institutional investors (the "Placement"). The Placement Shares represent up to 6% of Pepco Group's issued share capital, subject to the final terms of the Placement. The Company currently indirectly owns 453,594,616 ordinary shares, representing approximately 78.9% of Pepco Group's issued share capital. If the Placement is fully implemented, the Company's stake in Pepco Group will be reduced to approximately 72.9%. The price per Placement Share will be determined by way of an accelerated bookbuilding process to institutional investors. The bookbuilding period will commence immediately following this announcement and may close at any time on short notice. The results of the Placement, including the number of Placement Shares to be sold and the price per Placement Share, will be announced as soon as practicable after the closing of the bookbuilding process. The Steinhoff Group intends to use the proceeds from the Placement to reduce its outstanding debt. Pepco Group will not receive any proceeds from the Placement. The Placement is separate from the maturity extension transaction announced by the Company on 15 December 2022 which the Company continues to work towards and in respect of which further updates will be announced by the Company in due course. Any of the ordinary shares in Pepco Group indirectly held by the Company which are not sold in the Placement will be subject to a 90-day lock-up period, subject to customary exemptions. Goldman Sachs Bank Europe SE ("Goldman Sachs") and J.P. Morgan SE ("JP Morgan") are acting as Joint Global Coordinators in connection with the Placement. Santander Bank Polska S.A. - Santander Biuro Maklerskie ("Santander") and Numis Europe Limited ("Numis") are acting as Joint Bookrunners. Pepco Group is a fast-growing pan-European variety discount retailer and owner of the Pepco and Dealz brands in Europe and Poundland in the United Kingdom. Further information on Pepco Group can be found on the Pepco Group website at https://www.pepcogroup.eu. Further information on the Company can be found on the Company's website at https://www.steinhoffinternational.com. The Company has a primary listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and a secondary listing on the JSE Limited. Stellenbosch, South Africa 17 January 2023 IMPORTANT NOTICE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY ANY OF THESE SECURITIES IN THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, SOUTH AFRICA, JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH OFFER, SOLICITATION OR SALE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. THE SECURITIES MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES ABSENT REGISTRATION OR AN APPLICABLE EXEMPTION FROM UNITED STATES REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS. NO PUBLIC OFFER OF SECURITIES IS TO BE MADE IN THE UNITED STATES AND NEITHER THIS ANNOUNCEMENT NOR ANY COPY OF IT MAY BE TAKEN, TRANSMITTED OR DISTRIBUTED, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO OR FROM THE UNITED STATES (INCLUDING ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS, ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA), CANADA OR JAPAN. ANY FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS RESTRICTION MAY CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF UNITED STATES, CANADIAN, SOUTH AFRICAN OR JAPANESE SECURITIES LAWS. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND ANY OFFER OF PLACEMENT SHARES IF MADE SUBSEQUENTLY ARE ONLY ADDRESSED TO AND DIRECTED AT PERSONS (1) IN THE EEA WHO ARE QUALIFIED INVESTORS WITHIN THE MEANING OF REGULATION (EU) 2017/1129 (THE "PROSPECTUS REGULATION") AND (2) IN THE UNITED KINGDOM WHO ARE QUALIFIED INVESTORS WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE PROSPECTUS REGULATION AS IT FORMS PART OF DOMESTIC LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018 WHO HAVE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS RELATING TO INVESTMENTS WHO FALL WITHIN ARTICLE 19(5) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER 2005 (AS AMENDED, THE "ORDER") OR ARE HIGH NET WORTH ENTITIES FALLING WITHIN ARTICLE 49(2)(A) TO (D) OF THE ORDER OR ARE PERSONS TO WHOM AN OFFER OF THE PLACEMENT SHARES MAY OTHERWISE BE LAWFULLY COMMUNICATED (ALL SUCH PERSONS BEING REFERRED TO AS "RELEVANT PERSONS"). PERSONS WHO ARE NOT QUALIFIED INVESTORS OR RELEVANT PERSONS SHOULD NOT TAKE ANY ACTION ON THE BASIS OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND SHOULD NOT ACT OR RELY ON IT. THE SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN WILL BE OFFERED WITHIN THE UNITED STATES ONLY TO QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYERS IN RELIANCE ON RULE 144A UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE "SECURITIES ACT") OR ANOTHER EXEMPTION FROM, OR TRANSACTIONS NOT SUBJECT TO, REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, AND OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES IN RELIANCE ON REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT. THE SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES WITHOUT REGISTRATION THEREUNDER OR UNLESS PURSUANT TO AN AVAILABLE EXEMPTION THEREFROM. NEITHER THIS DOCUMENT NOR THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN CONSTITUTES OR FORMS PART OF AN OFFER TO SELL, OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY, SECURITIES IN THE UNITED STATES. THERE WILL BE NO PUBLIC OFFER OF ANY SECURITIES IN THE UNITED STATES OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT, AND SHALL NOT, IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCES CONSTITUTE A PUBLIC OFFERING, NOR AN OFFER TO SELL OR TO SUBSCRIBE, NOR A SOLICITATION TO OFFER TO PURCHASE OR TO SUBSCRIBE SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION. THE DISTRIBUTION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE OFFERING OR SALE OF THE SECURITIES IN CERTAIN JURISDICTIONS MAY BE RESTRICTED BY LAW. NO ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN BY THE COMPANY, THE SELLER, THE JOINT GLOBAL COORDINATORS, THE JOINT BOOKRUNNERS, OR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES THAT WOULD, OR WHICH IS INTENDED TO, PERMIT A PUBLIC OFFER OF THE SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION OR POSSESSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT OR ANY OTHER OFFERING OR PUBLICITY MATERIAL RELATING TO THE SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION WHERE ACTION FOR THAT PURPOSE IS REQUIRED. PERSONS INTO WHOSE POSSESSION THIS ANNOUNCEMENT COMES ARE REQUIRED BY THE COMPANY, THE SELLER, THE JOINT GLOBAL COORDINATORS AND THE JOINT BOOKRUNNERS TO INFORM THEMSELVES ABOUT AND TO OBSERVE ANY APPLICABLE RESTRICTIONS. NO PROSPECTUS OR OFFERING DOCUMENT HAS BEEN OR WILL BE PREPARED IN CONNECTION WITH THE PLACEMENT. ANY INVESTMENT DECISION IN CONNECTION WITH THE PLACEMENT MUST BE MADE SOLELY ON THE BASIS OF PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION RELATING TO THE PEPCO GROUP. SUCH INFORMATION HAS NOT BEEN INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIED AND THE COMPANY, THE SELLER, THE JOINT GLOBAL COORDINATORS AND THE JOINT BOOKRUNNERS ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY LIABILITY, FOR SUCH INFORMATION. THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR BACKGROUND PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT PURPORT TO BE FULL OR COMPLETE. NO RELIANCE MAY BE PLACED FOR ANY PURPOSE ON THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT OR ON ITS ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A RECOMMENDATION CONCERNING THE PLACEMENT. THE PRICE AND VALUE OF SECURITIES AND ANY INCOME FROM THEM CAN GO DOWN AS WELL AS UP. PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT A GUIDE TO FUTURE PERFORMANCE. ACQUIRING PLACEMENT SHARES TO WHICH THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES MAY EXPOSE AN INVESTOR TO A SIGNIFICANT RISK OF LOSING ALL OF THE AMOUNT INVESTED. POTENTIAL INVESTORS SHOULD CONSULT A PROFESSIONAL ADVISOR AS TO THE SUITABILITY OF THE PLACEMENT FOR THE ENTITY OR PERSON CONCERNED. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT REPRESENT THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF A DEFINITIVE AGREEMENT TO PROCEED WITH THE PLACEMENT AND, ACCORDINGLY, THERE CAN BE NO CERTAINTY THAT THE PLACEMENT WILL PROCEED. THE COMPANY AND THE SELLER RESERVE THE RIGHT NOT TO PROCEED WITH THE PLACEMENT OR TO VARY THE TERMS OF THE PLACEMENT IN ANY WAY. CERTAIN FIGURES CONTAINED IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HAVE BEEN SUBJECT TO ROUNDING ADJUSTMENTS. ACCORDINGLY, IN CERTAIN INSTANCES, THE SUM OR PERCENTAGE CHANGE OF THE NUMBERS CONTAINED IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MAY NOT CONFORM EXACTLY WITH THE TOTAL FIGURE GIVEN. EACH OF GOLDMAN SACHS AND JP MORGAN IS SUPERVISED BY THE EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK AND THE FEDERAL FINANCIAL SUPERVISORY AUTHORITY (BUNDESANSTALT FUR FINANZDIENSTLEISTUNGSAUFSICHT) IN GERMANY. SANTANDER IS SUBJECT TO THE SUPERVISION OF THE POLISH FINANCIAL SUPERVISION COMMISSION (KOMISJA NADZORU FINANSOWEGO) WITH ITS HEADQUARTERS IN WARSAW, PIEKNA 20, 00-549 WARSAW, POLAND. NUMIS IS REGULATED BY THE CENTRAL BANK OF IRELAND IN IRELAND. THE JOINT GLOBAL COORDINATORS AND THE JOINT BOOKRUNNERS ARE ACTING FOR THE SELLER ONLY IN CONNECTION WITH THE PLACEMENT AND NO ONE ELSE, AND WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE TO ANYONE OTHER THAN THE SELLER FOR PROVIDING THE PROTECTIONS OFFERED TO CLIENTS NOR FOR PROVIDING ADVICE IN RELATION TO THE PLACEMENT SHARES OR THE PLACEMENT, THE CONTENTS OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT OR ANY TRANSACTION, ARRANGEMENT OR OTHER MATTER REFERRED TO IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. IN CONNECTION WITH THE PLACEMENT, GOLDMAN SACHS, JP MORGAN, SANTANDER AND NUMIS OR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES MAY TAKE UP A PORTION OF THE PLACEMENT SHARES AS A PRINCIPAL POSITION AND IN THAT CAPACITY MAY RETAIN, PURCHASE, SELL, OFFER TO SELL FOR ITS OWN ACCOUNTS SUCH PLACEMENT SHARES AND OTHER SECURITIES OF THE PEPCO GROUP OR RELATED INVESTMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE PLACEMENT OR OTHERWISE. ACCORDINGLY, REFERENCES TO THE PLACEMENT SHARES BEING ISSUED, OFFERED, SUBSCRIBED, ACQUIRED, PLACED OR OTHERWISE DEALT IN SHOULD BE READ AS INCLUDING ANY ISSUE OR OFFER TO, OR SUBSCRIPTION, ACQUISITION, PLACEMENT OR DEALING BY ANY OF THE JOINT GLOBAL COORDINATORS, THE JOINT BOOKRUNNERS AND ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES ACTING AS INVESTORS FOR THEIR OWN ACCOUNTS. THE JOINT GLOBAL COORDINATORS AND THE JOINT BOOKRUNNERS DO NOT INTEND TO DISCLOSE THE EXTENT OF ANY SUCH INVESTMENT OR TRANSACTIONS OTHERWISE THAN IN ACCORDANCE WITH ANY LEGAL OR REGULATORY OBLIGATIONS TO DO SO. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT INCLUDES STATEMENTS THAT ARE, OR MAY BE DEEMED TO BE, FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. THESE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS MAY BE IDENTIFIED BY THE USE OF FORWARD-LOOKING TERMINOLOGY, INCLUDING THE TERMS "INTENDS", "EXPECTS", "WILL", OR "MAY", OR, IN EACH CASE, THEIR NEGATIVE OR OTHER VARIATIONS OR COMPARABLE TERMINOLOGY, OR BY DISCUSSIONS OF STRATEGY, PLANS, OBJECTIVES, GOALS, FUTURE EVENTS OR INTENTIONS. THESE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS INCLUDE ALL MATTERS THAT ARE NOT HISTORICAL FACTS AND INCLUDE STATEMENTS REGARDING INTENTIONS, BELIEFS OR CURRENT EXPECTATIONS. NO ASSURANCES CAN BE GIVEN THAT THE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT WILL BE REALISED. AS A RESULT, NO UNDUE RELIANCE SHOULD BE PLACED ON THESE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AS A PREDICTION OF ACTUAL EVENTS OR OTHERWISE. 17.01.2023 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.eqs-news.com Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2023) - Nextech AR Solutions Corp. (OTCQX: NEXCF) (CSE: NTAR) (FSE: EP2) today announced that Nextech AR's CEO Evan Gappelberg will be attending the virtual Investor Summit. Nextech AR Solutions is a diversified augmented reality, AI technology company that leverages proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) to create 3D experiences for the metaverse. Its main businesses are creating 3D WebAR photorealistic models for the Prime Ecommerce Marketplace as well as many other online retailers. Event: Q1 Investor Summit Date: January 26th, 2023 Presentation: January 26th at 12:30 p.m. EST Location: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_0JLg-aH8QQuGqwU2B7muMw The theme is 25 micro-cap companies with a catalyst and/or strong performance in the current market. 1x1s will be available for qualified investors. The conference is completely complimentary to qualified investors. Please register at Complimentary Investor Registration. About Nextech AR Solutions Corp. Nextech AR Solutions (OTCQX: NEXCF) (CSE: NTAR) (FSE: EP2) is a diversified augmented reality, AI technology company that leverages proprietary AI to create 3D experiences for the metaverse. Its main businesses are creating 3D WebAR photorealistic models for the Prime Ecommerce Marketplace as well as many other online retailers. The company develops or acquires what it believes is disruptive technology and once commercialized spins them out as stand alone public companies issuing a stock dividend to shareholders while retaining a significant ownership stake in the public spin-out. On 10/26/2022 the company completed its first spin-out of an augmented reality wayfinding solution company called ARway The company owns 13 million shares in ARway and distributed 4 million shares to Nextech shareholders. On 12/14/2022, the company announced its second spinout of Toggle3D, an AI powered 3D design studio to compete with Adobe. Toggle3D is expected to be public in the first half of 2023. For further information: Investor Relations Lindsay Betts investor.relations@Nextechar.com 866-ARITIZE (274-8493) Ext 7201 Nextech AR Solutions Corp. Evan Gappelberg CEO and Director 866-ARITIZE (274-8493) About the Investor Summit The Investor Summit is an exclusive, independent conference dedicated to connecting smallcap and microcap companies with qualified investors. The Q1 Investor Summit will take place virtually, featuring 30 companies and over 120 institutional, family office, and high net worth investors. Sectors Participating: Biotech, Communication Services, Consumer, Energy, Technology, Financial, Healthcare, Industrials, Materials, Real Estate. Contact: emily@investorsummitgroup.com. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151561 CIRCLEVILLE, OH / ACCESSWIRE / January 17, 2023 / Sofidel, a leading global provider of paper for hygienic and domestic use, awarded Sam Pusateri, senior processing engineer at Sofidel's Circleville, Ohio plant, with an all-inclusive trip to Italy. For its "We, Sofidel" program, Sofidel selects one winner from each country where it operates to fly to Lucca, Italy and explore the beautiful surroundings and meet and engage with international colleagues and Sofidel executives. Pusateri was selected as the U.S. representative. "Sofidel thrives from the cultural differences our employees bring to our company, which is no surprise given the number of countries our company reaches," said Fabio Vitali, Vice President of Marketing, Sofidel America. "This program was created to foster diversity and ideas that can become a source of inspiration throughout our lives." Pusateri's passion for music began at a young age. He has been involved with music since he was a child and singing in a band for nearly 10 years. During his visit to Lucca, Pusateri dined with Sofidel executives, went sightseeing and spent quality time with peers and colleagues. "I love how music allows me to express my artistry with my best friends," said Pusateri. "I'm grateful that my passion for music brought me to the beautiful city of Lucca which is rich in history. I'm proud to work for an employee-centered company that values its employees and is focused on building a culture that encourages them." To enter the "We, Sofidel" contest, employees can upload a photo or short video that represents their passion and explains how it helps improve their personal and professional lives. A panel of experts selected 13 winners to fly to Lucca, Italy, a city rich in history and monuments, and visit the Sofidel Group's headquarters in Italy just a few miles from the city center, in the village of Porcari. Pietro Paolini, an up-and-coming Italian photographer, created the 13 winners' portraits. The images will be featured in the new Sofidel calendar. For more information about the "We, Sofidel" contest, visit here. About?The?Sofidel?Group???? The?Sofidel?Group, a privately held company owned by the Stefani and?Lazzareschi?families, is a world leader in the manufacture of paper for hygienic and domestic use. Founded in 1966, the Group has?subsidiaries in 12 countries - Italy, Spain, the UK, France, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Poland, Hungary, Greece, Romania, and the USA - with more than 6,400 employees. A member of the UN Global Compact and the international WWF Climate Savers program, the?Sofidel?Group considers sustainability a strategic imperative and is?committed?to promoting sustainable development.? For more information, visit?www.sofidel.com.??????? Media Contact:???? Brianna Fitzpatrick? Mulberry Marketing Communications? bfitzpatrick@mulberrymc.com???? ?? -###- View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Sofidel on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Sofidel Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/sofidel Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Sofidel View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/735517/Sofidel-Awards-Circleville-Employee-With-Italy-Trip LONDON, Jan. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cubico Sustainable Investments (Cubico), one of the world's largest privately-owned renewable energy companies, has acquired Project Sobral, a 1 GW solar PV project under development in Brazil, from ZEG Energias Renovaveis (ZEG). The transaction comprises a large solar PV complex located in the municipalities of Sobral and Santana do Acarau in the state of Ceara. Project Sobral, one of the largest solar development projects in the country, is expected to generate more than 2,000 GWh per year, enough energy to power approximately a million Brazilian homes. Cubico and ZEG will co-develop the project, including the negotiation of supply contracts and offtake agreements with third parties. Francisco Moya, Country Head of Brazil and Rest of Latam at Cubico, said: "This important acquisition consolidates our presence in Latin America and marks the start of our new renewables platform in Brazil after recent strategic divestments in the country. It's also our first investment in solar assets in Brazil and we will be actively looking to grow the portfolio through the acquisition and development of other PV and onshore wind projects. We also see this as the start of an exciting partnership with ZEG, where we combine Cubico's global in-house development capability, construction and operational experience and proven financing track-record with their expertise on renewable project development and energy commercialisation in the local market." Javier Areitio, Head of Origination and Development at Cubico, added: "This transaction reflects our focus on accelerated growth and greenfield development, both at the centre of our ambitious new strategy. We look forward to building our global portfolio further as we increase our commitment to driving the energy transition and bringing clean power to people and communities around the world." Daniel Rossi, CEO of ZEG, said: "Project Sobral will increase our availability of renewable energy to consumers and clients interested in decarbonising their productive process. As part of Grupo Capitale, ZEG has the potential to strategically allocate this energy in the free market, offering good opportunities for companies committed to ESG goals." Cubico was advised by Machado Meyer (Legal), RINA (Technical) and KPMG (Finance & Model Audit). ZEG was advised by Trench Rossi Watanabe (Legal) and Virtus Capital Partners (Financial) The conclusion of this transaction remains subject to the fulfilment of the conditions precedent agreed within the scope of the acquisition, which are customary for this type of transaction and include, but are not limited to, approval of the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE). About Cubico Founded in May 2015, Cubico Sustainable Investments is a major investor in the renewable energy sector. The company is backed by the resources of Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, Canada's largest single-profession pension plan, and PSP Investments, one of Canada's largest pension investment managers. Cubico's global portfolio in 12 countries has an installed gross capacity of more than 2.7 GW, with 3.5 GW in construction and under development. Cubico is headquartered in London and has offices in Sao Paulo and Fortaleza (Brazil), Athens (Greece), Milan (Italy), Stamford (US), Mexico City (Mexico), Madrid (Spain), Bordeaux (France), Sydney and Melbourne (Australia), Montevideo (Uruguay) and Bogota (Colombia). www.cubicoinvest.com About ZEG & Capitale Energia ZEG ("Zero Emission Generation") is a company focused on reducing the negative impacts of carbon fuels in the energy matrix worldwide, investing in disruptive and innovative technologies. Through its different subsidiaries and invested companies, ZEG provides a broad range of carbon-neutral and energy efficient solutions, going from biomethane production, waste to energy conversion and the renewable energy generation. Capitale Energia is one of the largest and most active independent commercialization companies in Brazil, with more than 1GWa of energy daily negotiated. Capitale provides innovative and customized solutions for more than 1.500 companies of different sectors in the free energy market in Brazil ZEG and Capitale Energia are part of Grupo Capitale's energy solutions platform. www.zeg.com.br www.capitaleenergia.com.br View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/cubico-sustainable-investments-acquires-1-gw-solar-development-project-in-brazil-from-zeg-301723600.html Regulatory News: The CLASQUIN Group (Paris:ALCLA) and the PUECH family group announce the signing of an agreement for the CLASQUIN Group to acquire a controlling interest in the TIMAR Group. The parties have entered into exclusive negotiations for the CLASQUIN Group to acquire 63.57% of TIMAR SA's share capital and voting rights held by members of the PUECH family group. This acquisition would then be followed by a mandatory takeover bid on the remaining portion of TIMAR's share capital. TIMAR is a Moroccan group listed on the Casablanca Stock Exchange that operates in Europe, North Africa and West Africa. For almost 40 years, the TIMAR Group has designed innovative solutions in international transport, logistics and goods transit. Founded in 1980, it generated in 2021 consolidated sales of over MAD 540 million (around 50 million) and net profit Group share of MAD 12.3 million (around 1.12 million). The TIMAR Group comprises 13 subsidiaries in Morocco, France, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, Mauritania, Mali, Senegal and Ivory Coast, with 450 employees. By working together on the France-Morocco route for over 30 years, and particularly since the 2015 takeover of LCI by the CLASQUIN Group, the two groups have significantly accelerated their development and strengthened their business relationships. The planned transaction would enable the CLASQUIN Group to benefit from: experienced and committed teams from the TIMAR Group to strengthen CLASQUIN Group Road Brokerage/RORO division*; the expansion of the service offering across the European/North African markets for the new group's clients; a strong brand and market positioning in North Africa to boost the group's development strategy in the EuroMed region; an integrated network of operating subsidiaries in sub-Saharan Africa. The aim is to preserve the identity of the TIMAR Group and its subsidiaries, allowing for long-term growth. Olivier Puech would continue to lead TIMAR as CEO, with the management team. Completion of the transaction is subject to prior approval by the Moroccan authorities (Conseil de la Concurrence -Morocco's Competition Council-). Subject to ongoing negotiations and the satisfaction of conditions precedent, the transaction is expected to be completed in the first half of 2023 *RORO, i.e. roll-on/roll off, refers to heavy goods vehicles or trailers driven on and off specifically designed ships UPCOMING EVENTS (publication after market closure) Thursday 23 February 2023: Q4 2022 business report Wednesday 22 March 2023: 2022 annual results Wednesday 3 May 2023: Q1 2023 business report Thursday 27 July 2023: Q2 2023 business report Wednesday 13 September 2023: H1 2023 results Thursday 26 October 2023: Q3 2023 business report ABOUT CLASQUIN: CLASQUIN is an air and sea freight forwarding and overseas logistics specialist. The Group designs and manages the entire overseas transport and logistics chain, organising and coordinating the flow of client shipments between France and the rest of the world and, more specifically, to and from Asia-Pacific, North America, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. Its shares are listed on EURONEXT GROWTH, ISIN FR0004152882, Reuters ALCLA.PA, Bloomberg ALCLA FP. Read more at www.clasquin.com. CLASQUIN confirms its eligibility for the share savings plan for MSCs (medium-sized companies) in accordance with Article D. 221-113-5 of the French Monetary and Financial Code established by decree number 2014-283 of 4 March 2014 and with Article L. 221-32-2 of the French Monetary and Financial Code, which set the conditions for eligibility (less than 5,000 employees and annual sales of less than 1,500m or balance sheet total of less than 2,000m). CLASQUIN is listed on the Enternext PEA-PME 150 index. LEI: 9695004FF6FA43KC4764 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230117005862/en/ Contacts: CLASQUIN CONTACTS Philippe Lons Deputy Managing Director/Group CFO Domitille Chatelain Group Head of Communication Marketing CLASQUIN Group 235 cours Lafayette 69006 Lyon Tel.: +33 (0)4 72 83 17 00 Fax: +33 (0)4 72 83 17 33 NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / January 17, 2023 / The cooking class looks like something you'd see on TV. Ten students at workstations chopping, whisking, sauteing, the sounds and smells of home cooking filling the air. But if you look closely at the kitchen tools in hand, you'll see some adaptive equipment at work, like safety knives. And soon, more adaptive equipment will arrive-including a peeler that can be operated with just one hand; a slicer safe for someone with visual impairments; and larger utensils that are easy to hold and maneuver for those with coordination issues. The cooking class is a favorite learning activity offered as part of the curriculum at Opportunity Enterprises (OE), a non-profit operating in three counties in northwest Indiana. By going through the process of following a recipe and preparing ingredients, OE's clients-individuals with disabilities-develop cooking skills, learn about nutrition, socialize with peers, and take important steps toward self-sufficiency. Based in the city of Valparaiso, OE delivers programs and support to around 1,000 people with disabilities in the region every year. Each week alone, more than 250 clients attend their in-demand day programs, operated in a classroom-like setting. Clients are enrolled in a range of courses and activities, such as the cooking class, depending on the client's learning stream and goals. The proof of OE's success is in the proverbial pudding. "We keep outcomes on the learning goals of all our clients," says Shannon Keaton, OE's curriculum director. "Right now we're showing that approximately 87% of our clients are meeting their individualized learning goals." Operating since 1967, OE originally focused on supporting adults; in recent years they've expanded youth programming to include school partnerships, an eight-week summer camp for school-aged youth of all abilities, and monthly weekend camps. As word of their accomplishments spreads, the number of clients increases, and so do programming costs. Government funding covers some support for people with disabilities, but not to the extent of programming and support OE offers. "OE is not willing to compromise on our mission of enriching the lives of individuals with disabilities," says Alison Martin, OE's development director, noting that OE also relies on donations and grants from the community to fill the gaps in funding. At Enbridge, we're committed to helping create vibrant and sustainable communities near our operations. Recognizing the immediate need to expand educational programs, we awarded OE a $7,500 Fueling Futures grant to support OE's educational curriculum day programming, including the purchase of adaptive equipment, computer software, art supplies, and tools to help develop fine motor skills. All of these supplies contribute to the growth and independence of clients, OE's ultimate goal. "When our clients achieve their learning goals, they're one step closer to self-sufficiency, one step closer to our mission," Martin says. She adds: "It all contributes to a vibrant community." Opportunity Enterprises clients at work in the kitchen. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Enbridge on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Enbridge Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/enbridge Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Enbridge View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/735531/Cooking-Up-Growth-Opportunities-in-Indiana A customer on Tuesday reads a notice stating that NC Department Store Yatap branch in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, will close temporarily until its operator verifies the building's safety. Yonhap By Park Jae-hyuk E-Land Retail has drawn criticism once again for its safety negligence, after it was revealed that its NC Department Store in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, had stayed open despite cracks in the ceiling. On Monday afternoon, customers started noticing the cracks in the ceiling on the second floor of the building, which has eight floors aboveground and seven basement levels. The same day, a glass panel for controlling smoke in case of fire also fell from the ceiling on the first floor of the building. The retailer, however, did not close the department store. Metal poles were placed to support the ceiling. After some customers uploaded photos of the department store on internet forums, Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Won Hee-ryong, who is accompanying President Yoon Suk Yeol on his trip to the UAE and Switzerland, said he asked Seongnam Mayor Shin Sang-jin to take necessary measures. "The department store's operator had to close down and evacuate customers until it verifies safety," he wrote on Facebook late on Monday. "Its decision to stay open proves that Korean society is still careless about safety." The minister also mentioned the Sampoong Department Store collapse in 1995, which killed at least 502 people, as the department store's operator had not evacuated its customers despite awareness of cracks in the building. As criticism intensifies against E-Land Retail, the company belatedly sent a letter to Seongnam's municipal government saying it would shut down the problematic department store. Seongnam also ordered the retailer at 4 a.m. on Tuesday to prevent customers from entering the building until after an emergency safety inspection. "In accordance with our principle to prioritize the safety of our customers, we decided to close the store until we finish checking the safety of the building," E-Land Retail said. In 2018, the company was embroiled in a controversy for keeping the same department store open, after a ceiling on the second floor collapsed. The accident came just three days after a similar one occurred at NC Department Store's Suwon branch in Gyeonggi Province. Davos, Switzerland--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2023) - Innovating in the field of socially sustainable investing, ESG DAO, a UK-based organization, has unveiled OpenESG, a revolutionary new scoring system that promises to transform the way Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) scores are determined. OpenESG is the first open, democratic, and credibly neutral ESG Scoring System that aims to restore trust in the ESG movement. ESG Scoring Infrastructure for People and Planet To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8675/151532_8f8086864469391e_001full.jpg OpenESG combines multiple datastreams with a diverse and decentralized expert council and data validator networks that are incentivized to measure companies' real world impact and serve the people and the planet. Their innovative approach also democratizes the ESG scoring process by simplifying the methodology and making scores more accessible to a wider range of companies of all sizes. OpenESG is poised to revolutionize the ESG landscape. The technology is a significant step forward in aligning the interests of businesses with the preferences of most consumers, who prioritize companies that are acting in the world's best interests. "OpenESG is a game-changer for the ESG industry, providing consumers and investors with the information they need to make informed decisions about the companies they choose to support. This innovative approach to ESG scoring is a significant step forward in creating a more sustainable and responsible global economy," says Tee Ganbold, Co-Founder and Executive Chair of ESG DAO. Building a better ESG rating system Unlike traditional ESG scoring systems that only measure a company's risk-mitigation capabilities, OpenESG is designed to provide a comprehensive and transparent assessment of a company's positive and negative impact on the planet. The system will merge several legacy and novel data streams to provide a more accurate and holistic view of a company's ESG performance. The data is curated by a decentralized Expert Council, comprised of diverse perspectives, to ensure that no special interests can dominate the decision-making process. All Expert Council decisions will be made public, promoting transparency and restoring trust in the system. OpenESG announced it will source diverse public and non-public data sets to get the most comprehensive landscape of relevant ESG metrics for the largest possible pool of companies, partnering with organizations and ratings agencies to get better, more frequently updated data which will be stored in a distributed knowledge graph database. Companies will be able to get their score for free in the first quarter of 2023. If your company would like an OpenESG Score, please sign-up here. "A transparent, democratic, and credibly neutral ESG scoring system accessible to consumers, academics, businesses, and builders will become the foundation for the emergence of a new wave of apps capable of nudging customer awareness, engagement, purchasing behavior, and investment decisions towards high scoring companies. This is the basis of a flywheel that privileges good behavior and translates good corporate karma into better outcomes," says David Aikman, Co-Founder and CEO of ESG DAO. "Our goal is to build a system that is truly global and future compatible, using the same standards as current ESG systems, but compiling data in a more efficient way, and in real time, connecting good companies to good people and incentivizing businesses to act in the planet's best interests." The OpenESG Expert Council As a centerpiece of the OpenESG scoring system, ESG DAO is also announcing its Expert Council, comprised of the world's leading ESG experts from different stakeholders of the society and diverse regions of the world, who provide the intellectual and ethical guidance to define and maintain a truly independent set of ESG ratings. Council members are nominated from science, academia, sustainability, finance, technology, industry, and civil society to contribute their knowledge and expertise at the global, regional, local, and industry level. The Council currently has 10 experts but will quickly grow to over 100 co-opted members and beyond, to ensure diversity and plurality of perspectives. OpenESG is currently recruiting new leaders for the council. The initial members include names such as Adam Werbach, Global Lead of Sustainable Shopping for Amazon; Alvaro Arregui, Managing Partner at MA2; Asher Jay, CEO and Founder at IncOperate; Lady Marieme Jamme, Founder at Iamthecode; Oliver Niedermaier, Chairman and CEO of TAU Investments, Reem Khouri, Co-founder at Whyise, E. Benjamin Skinner, founder of Transparentem and, Kristin Rechberger, CEO of Dynamic Planet, John Haffner, Deputy Director at Hang Lung Properties and Sony Kapoor, CEO of The Nordic Institute for Finance, Technology and Sustainability. If you would like to nominate an OpenESG Expert Council member you can do so here. The founders will be in Davos 2023, hosting a panel about the future of ESG on the 17th of January, with key leaders in the industry such as Leslie Maasdorp, VP and CFO at the New Development Bank, Chris Cleverly, President of Tingo Inc, Lei Lei, Head of Growth and Infrastructure, at NEAR Foundation, Amanda Terry, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Metagood, and Benjamin Z. Bronfman Founder of Electric Tree. For those interested in participating, reserve a spot in the panel here. Users can subscribe to receive early access & updates, and companies can submit an application to get a score for their Brand or Product at openesg.com. About ESG DAO ESG DAO is building an open, democratic, and credibly neutral ESG scoring system, OpenESG, that will power a new wave of Web2 and Web3 applications that engage consumers and incentivize companies to create positive environmental and social change in the world. Learn more about ESG DAO at esgdao.earth or OpenESG at openesg.com. Follow ESG DAO on Twitter or join their Telegram discussions here. CEO name: David Aikman Email: pr@esgdao.earth Company: ESG DAO Country/city: Zug, Switzerland To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151532 Strong growth of +60% in international sales Video interview: Philippe Roussouly, Chairman and CEO of SMAIO, discusses the Company's 2022 achievements and 2023 prospects Regulatory News: SMAIO (Software, Machines and Adaptative Implants in Orthopaedics Euronext Growth Paris ISIN: FR0014005I80 Ticker: ALSMA, eligible for PEA-PME equity savings plans), a French player specialized in complex spine surgery with a global offer comprising software, adaptative implants and related services, today published its annual sales for the year to December 31, 2022. Philippe ROUSSOULY, Chairman and CEO of SMAIO, said: "During our first year of listing, SMAIO continued its commercial development with a strong increase in its international sales. To support and boost this expansion, we have set up international educational programs, the first three of which were successfully held in Sweden, Spain and the United States in the second half of 2022. Our objective is to make SMAIO's technological offer known and available to a maximum of surgeons in countries of strategic interest. Since the IPO, we have also continued our interactions with our partner NuVasive, in order to achieve, in the first half of 2023, a first milestone of 3 million dollars followed by recurring sales by providing imaging analysis services for NuVasive's clients. We look forward to 2023 with confidence and expect even stronger growth with the ramp-up of new countries, with priority given to the United States, the world's largest spine market." 2022 annual sales: strong growth of +60% in international sales In thousands 2022 2021 Change Sales* 2,442 2,130 +14.7% France 1,101 1,293 -14.9% International 1,341 837 +60.2% * Unaudited data Annual sales totaled 2.4 million in 2022, an increase of 14.7% compared with 2021 (2.1 million euros). Sales of implants and rods accounted for almost all of the Company's revenue (94%). The software segment, with the Keops platform, accounted for the balance (6%). This segment will grow in coming halves, notably following the granting of FDA's 510(k) clearance for the Balance Analyzer 3D software and thanks to the partnership and licensing agreement with NuVasive. International sales jumped 60.7% to 1.3 million euros (55% of total sales). This solid momentum was due to: the development of activity with historical distributors in Spain and Scandinavia. - the signing of new distribution agreements in the Baltic States and Greece; - the first surgeries performed in the United States. In France, sales declined slightly to approximately 1.1 million euros. Domestic activity should see a return to growth in 2023 thanks to the marketing of the i-Kontrol solution to new medical facilities. 2022 highlights: gradual ramp-up in line with the roadmap Partnership with NuVasive, a global leader in spine technology innovation Within the framework of this partnership, NuVasive has committed to invest a total of $10 million (9 million1) in the Company, of which $5 million (~4.5 million) has already been invested at the time of the Company's IPO in early April 2022, the balance consisting of milestone payments to be made when the Company receives FDA 510(k) clearance for two software solutions interfacing with the US group's technological platforms. Two 510(k) clearances to accelerate development in the United States In June 2022, SMAIO announced that it had been granted two 510(k) clearances by the FDA for the key components of its i-Kontrol platform: the Balance Analyzer 3D surgical planning software and the custom-made union rod, "K-rod". With these approvals, SMAIO is now able to offer its i-Kontrol solution to North American centers. Success of the "Sagittal Alignment Academy" educational programs During the second half of 2022, SMAIO successfully held three "Sagittal Alignment Academy" sessions for spine surgeons in Europe (Copenhagen for Northern Europe and Madrid for Southern Europe, in September) and North American (Dallas, Texas, in November). Bringing together several dozen surgeons, these programs aim to accelerate the diffusion of SMAIO's technology internationally. Interview with Philippe Roussouly https://youtu.be/hPZQ8oDWQ_E Upcoming financial publication FY 2022 results: April 12, 2023, after market About SMAIO A precursor in the use of clinical data and imaging of the spine, SMAIO designs global solutions for spine surgery specialists. The Company has recognized expertise thanks to KEOPS, its Big Data management software that has become a global reference with more than 100,000 patient cases documented. SMAIO offers spine surgeons a comprehensive platform, I-Kontrol, incorporating planning, implants and related services, enabling them to treat spinal pathologies in a safe, effective and lasting way. SMAIO is positioned at the forefront of innovation with the ambition of providing surgeons with the first active robotic solution enabling a high level of performance and repeatability to be achieved. Based in Lyon, France, SMAIO benefits from the skill and expertise of more than 30 highly specialized staff. For further information, please visit our website: www.smaio.com Listing market: Euronext Growth Paris ISIN: FR0014005I80 Mnemonic: ALSMA Disclaimer This press release contains non-factual elements, including, but not limited to, certain statements regarding future results and other future events. These statements are based on the current vision and assumptions of the management of the Company. They incorporate known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could result in significant differences in results, profitability and expected events. In addition, SMAIO, its shareholders and its affiliates, directors, officers, counsels and employees have not verified the accuracy of, and make no representations or warranties about, statistical information or forecast information contained within this news release and that originates or is derived from third party sources or industry publications; these statistical data and forecast information are only used in this press release for information purposes. Finally, this press release may be drafted in French and in English. In the event of differences between the two texts, the French version will prevail. 1 Based on an indicative exchange rate of 1 euro for 1.10 dollars View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230117005898/en/ Contacts: SMAIO Philippe Roussouly Chief Executive Officer Renaut Fritsch Chief Financial Officer investors@smaio.com NewCap Dusan Oresansky/Quentin Masse Investor Relations smaio@newcap.eu Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 92 NewCap Arthur Rouille Media Relations smaio@newcap.eu Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 98 HERSHEY, PA / ACCESSWIRE / January 17, 2023 / The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) recently announced its inclusion on the annual ranking of America's Most JUST Companies by JUST Capital and media partner CNBC. The customer stakeholder group ranked Hershey as number one in the Food, Beverage and Tobacco industry, and 2023 marks the company's fourth consecutive year on the list. Each year, JUST Capital ranks the nation's largest corporations on their performance on the issues that matter most to Americans, such as paying a living wage, supporting workforce development and demonstrating leader integrity. Hershey was named number 58 overall of the top 100 companies, moving up 26 spots from 2022. "Embedded in how we make and sell our beloved brands is a responsibility to operate in a way that makes a positive impact for people, the planet and our communities. To be once again recognized by JUST Capital and the American public as a leader in responsible business among the nation's largest corporations is an honor," said Leigh Horner, Vice President of Global Sustainability and Corporate Communications, The Hershey Company. "We're particularly proud that those who enjoy our products see us as category leaders. This reflects not just our commitments but the actions and meaningful progress we are making on the topics most important to consumers." Hershey's commitment to responsible and sustainable business continued in 2022 with progress across its ESG (environmental, social and governance) priorities including cocoa and responsible sourcing, its workforce, communities, the environment and youth. Highlights from last year include: The company's first U.S. bilingual manufacturing facility in Hazleton, Pa . , integrating both Spanish and English-speaking employees under one roof with bilingual resources and leadership. 'Say Hola' underscores Hershey's efforts to create an accessible and equitable employee experience that also impacts the broader community. , integrating both Spanish and English-speaking employees under one roof with bilingual resources and leadership. 'Say Hola' underscores Hershey's efforts to create an accessible and equitable employee experience that also impacts the broader community. Hershey is also progressing against measurable environmental goals, demonstrated by the launch of a third utility-scale solar project, new energy and water optimization investments and continued efforts to address land use change. The company leveraged its iconic brands to make a meaningful impact during moments like Women's History Month and Black Music Month. In 2023, Hershey will continue to advance its social impact. The company will bolster its partnership with non-profit partners to launch the Future CEO initiative - a new program which will partner young women from around the globe with Hershey executive leadership for mentorship and reverse mentorship experiences. This year also marks the five-year anniversary of Hershey's sustainable cocoa strategy, Cocoa For Good. True to the legacy of its founder Milton Hershey, the company is dedicated to doing what's right for the planet, investing in its workforce, enhancing the livelihood of communities and providing a brighter future for children around the world. Learn more about these commitments and Hershey's ESG progress in its 2021 ESG Report. About The Hershey Company The Hershey Company is headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania and is an industry-leading snacks company known for bringing goodness to the world through its iconic brands, remarkable people and enduring commitment to help children succeed. Hershey has approximately 19,000 employees around the world who work every day to deliver delicious, quality products. The company has more than 100 brand names in approximately 80 countries around the world that drive more than $8.9 billion in annual revenues, including such iconic brand names as Hershey's, Reese's, Kit Kat, Jolly Rancher and Ice Breakers, and fast-growing salty snacks including SkinnyPop, Pirate's Booty and Dot's Homestyle Pretzels. For more than 125 years, Hershey has been committed to operating fairly, ethically and sustainably. Hershey founder, Milton Hershey, created Milton Hershey School in 1909 and since then the company has focused on helping children succeed. To learn more visit www.thehersheycompany.com. Follow: http://www.twitter.com/hersheycompany https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-hershey-company?trk=top_nav_home http://www.facebook.com/hersheycompany http://www.youtube.com/hersheycompany http://www.instagram.com/hersheycompany View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from The Hershey Company on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: The Hershey Company Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/hershey-company Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: The Hershey Company View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/735544/The-Hershey-Company-Recognized-as-One-of-Americas-Most-JUST-Companies-Number-One-for-Customers-in-Food-Beverage-Category Fitch Group, a global leader in financial information services with operations in more than 30 countries, has announced the appointment of Bruce Legorburu as General Counsel. Heather Merrigan replaces Mr Legorburu as Chief Compliance Officer for Fitch Ratings. As General Counsel, Mr Legorburu is responsible for the worldwide oversight of the legal affairs of Fitch Group and its subsidiaries and affiliates. He has been with Fitch since 2013, serving most recently as Chief Compliance Officer for Fitch Ratings since 2019. Mr Legorburu will be a member of the Fitch Group Executive Committee. Ms Merrigan joined Fitch's Legal team in New York in 2000 having worked for Duff Phelps in Chicago since 1998. Ms Merrigan has served as Head of Compliance for the Americas since 2019. Charles D. (Charlie) Brown, who has served as Fitch's General Counsel for nearly 25 years, is retiring from the firm. In addition to serving as General Counsel, Mr Brown was Fitch Ratings' Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Credit Officer at various points during his tenure. Paul Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, Fitch Group said: "I am very pleased that we had two very strong internal candidates in Bruce and Heather to take on these crucial roles within the firm. I'd also like to thank Charlie for the material contribution he has made to the success of Fitch over the years." About Fitch Group Fitch Group is a global leader in financial information services with operations in more than 30 countries. Fitch Group is comprised of: Fitch Ratings, a global leader in credit ratings and research, and Fitch Solutions, a leading provider of data, research and analytics. With dual headquarters in London and New York, Fitch Group is owned by Hearst. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230117006001/en/ Contacts: Media Relations: Mark Tierney, London, Tel: +44 20 3530 1697, Email: mark.tierney@thefitchgroup.com London, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2023) - For the second consecutive year Cannabis Wiki and The Western Fair District have partnered to bring Southwestern Ontario's regulated cannabis industry and community to the Forest City. Organizers are again planning on hundreds of exhibitors and attendees gathering to move the industry and the region's economy forward, while continuing to break the stigma of cannabis. In Partnership with The Western Fair District, Cannabis Wiki is Thrilled to Bring the Second Annual Cannabis Conference to Southwest Ontario on June 14th & 15th, 2023 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8446/151560_cannabiswiki%20conference%20expo%202023%20social%20post%201250%20850%20px.jpg "After a higher-than-expected level of success last year we are excited to be back in 2023! From our location partners to our sponsors, exhibitors, speakers and panellists we will once again pack the itinerary with value, diversity and high level business networking. This is an event where the agriculture and cannabis industry connects and deals get made," said Derrick Burney, CEO and founder, Cannabis Wiki. 2022 Conference Highlights Last year's event featured over 60 expert speakers from Canada and the United States, welcomed dozens of budtenders, retailers, brands, licensed producers and more from Southwestern Ontario, and beyond, and accommodated hundreds of attendees from London and the surrounding area. Highlights included a fully-attended Women + Cannabis Workshop, a panel on 'Diversity & Inclusion in Cannabis: Removing Barriers' that unabashedly and earnestly explored challenges and solutions, and a networking event hosted by Greenway Greenhouse at the Old Courthouse in downtown London. What To Expect in 2023 This year's conference will attract a wide range of industry speakers, workshop facilitators, podcasters, journalists, retailers, budtenders, post-secondary cannabis educators, cannabis entrepreneurs, licensed producers, brands, influencers, regulatory leaders and more. Beyond the over-the-top education value from the thematic programming of the conference will be another action-packed exhibitor's hall. Cannabis Wiki & The Western Fair District look to build on last year's success by attracting even more diverse exhibitors representing the local, national and international cannabis industry. "Without our event partners at Cannabis Wiki, our organization would not have had the same first-year achievement with this new agri-business industry event. We are buoyed by the exhibitor, sponsor, and attendee response thus far for this niche event and are excited about its potential to support and grow this new agri-industry in Canada and beyond," said Reg Ash, CEO, Western Fair Association. The conference will take place on June 14 and 15, 2023 in London Ontario at the Western Fair District. Cannabis Wiki is proud to welcome early supporters on board for 2023 including: Count Canna, CannaNavigators, Cannabis Marketspace, Djot, EXKA Inc., Frankie Smoke, Hyde Advisory, Independent Retail Cannabis Collective (IRCC), Merrco, Mientzu, RH Accelerator, Shatterizer, Weedpanion, with many more to come. For further information about the conference, visit the conference website at www.expo.cannabis.wiki. Sponsorships, exhibitor and speaking opportunities are now available. Contact Cannabis Wiki to confirm your 2023 attendance. About The CannabisWiki Conference The second annual CannabisWiki Conference and Expo is hosted by, and presented in partnership with, the Western Fair District, an agricultural society that supports the on-going development of the agricultural industry, and will offer a premier cannabis-related event to Southwestern Ontario, Canada's Eastern Agri-Food hub and innovation centre. The CannabisWiki Conference & Expo is set to forge new relationships and usher in a reinvigorated era for the cannabis & hemp expo space. This is a 19+ event. About Cannabis Wiki Cannabis Wiki is the leading media and technology platform purpose-built for the legal cannabis industry in Canada. Driven by an SEO content engine, Cannabis Wiki started in 2018 and is now a leading media and technology provider focused on global cannabis digital marketing and technology with 2M monthly users. Cannabis Wiki was founded and built by a team of passionate cannabis connoisseurs, advocates, technologists and entrepreneurs who recognized the needs of a disconnected new industry, where brands struggle to justify returns on investment, and consumers flounder. Cannabis Wiki is more than just a content production or communications agency, it's a foundation on which they're building the next generation of media and technology tools to support the global cannabis industry in a multi-faceted and targeted manner that hasn't yet been available to the industry. Learn more at www.corporate.cannabis.wiki. Follow cannabis.wiki on Twitter & LinkedIn. About Western Fair District The Western Fair Association (WFA) is a multi-faceted, not for profit, Agricultural Society, based in the heart of London, Ontario. It strives to be a leader in the Agricultural industry by supporting the agriculture community with programming and facilities that meet the business needs of the sector. Its latest strategic plan is focused on a re-commitment to agriculture initiatives and includes fostering relationship-building and promotion of local agri-food producers and production. Media Contact: Jessica Moran Chief Business Development Officer, Cannabis Wiki 519-494-5379 jess@cannabis.wiki To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151560 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2023) - Pure Energy Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: PE) (OTCQB: PEMIF) ("Pure Energy" or "the Company") will hold its Annual General Meeting in-person in Vancouver, BC, Canada, on January 26, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific time at Suite 2110, 650 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 4N8. The Company has mailed voting materials to registered shareholders, and is providing access to the Information Circular and voting documents on the Company's website, www.pureenergyminerals.com. We encourage all shareholders to vote, and to access the materials online well in advance of the 48-hour voting deadline of 10:00 a.m. on January 24, 2023. Please refer to the Information Circular and materials. All voting will be conducted in advance by proxy form, and no voting will occur at the meeting. A shareholder must obtain a unique Control Number to be able to vote their shares. Non-registered shareholders, who hold shares through a brokerage firm, should contact their brokers. If materials are not received, contact Odyssey Trust Company, Pure Energy's transfer agent, who can be reached during business hours at: Canada: 1 (587) 885-0960, or Toll-Free: 1 (888) 290-1175. The year 2022 has been marked by substantial progress at the Company's Clayton Valley lithium brine project in central Nevada. With our partner, Schlumberger Technology Corporation ("SLB"), the modified Operating Plan for the on-site pilot plant was approved by the Bureau of Land Management, with concurrent approvals from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, and with additional approvals from various state agencies. Pure Energy received a finite-term water right in late 2018 with sufficient capacity for pilot plant testing. Permitting progress was somewhat slowed by covid restrictions and changes in agency personnel. However, we are pleased with the progress towards the CV pilot plant - it will be the first of its kind in Nevada and likewise the first to implement Direct Lithium Extraction technology ("DLE") there. The advantages of DLE technology are clear, and well suited to Clayton Valley lithium brines. Of particular importance are its efficiency in recovering lithium from brine in a matter of days vs. more than a year in conventional ponds; significant recovery of precious, clean water resources for reintroduction into the valley's aquifer; plus, a much reduced footprint and environmental impact. About Pure Energy Pure Energy Minerals is a lithium resource developer that is driven to become a low-cost supplier for the growing lithium battery industry. Pure Energy has consolidated a pre-eminent land position at its Clayton Valley Project in the Clayton Valley of central Nevada for the exploration and development of lithium resources, comprising 950 claims over 23,360 acres (9,450 hectares), representing the largest mineral land holdings in the valley. Pure Energy's Clayton Valley Project adjoins and surrounds on three sides the Silver Peak lithium brine mine operated by Albemarle Corporation. Pure Energy's strategic partner, Schlumberger Technologies Corporation ("SLB"), is the operator of the Clayton Valley Project. In May of 2019, Pure Energy and SLB signed an Earn-In agreement over the CV Project which requires significant investment by SLB at the Project, to include the design and construction of a pilot plant capable of processing lithium-bearing brines for high-quality lithium hydroxide monohydrate ("lithium hydroxide" or "LiOHH2O") and/or lithium carbonate products at a specified rate. SLB plans to utilize both in-house and commercially available technology in the design of the CV pilot plant. SLB's costs, technical parameters and ultimate technology are anticipated to differ from the published PEA. For further details regarding SLB's participation, please refer to Pure Energy's Annual General and Special Meeting Management Information Circular dated April 4, 2019, available on SEDAR.com. On behalf of the Board of Directors, "Mary L. Little" Director, Pure Energy Minerals Ltd. CONTACT: Pure Energy Minerals Limited (www.pureenergyminerals.com) Email: info@pureenergyminerals.com Telephone - 604 608 6611 Cautionary Statements and Forward-Looking Information The information in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in our forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause such differences include: changes in world commodity markets, equity markets, costs and supply of materials relevant to the mining industry, change in government and changes to regulations affecting the mining industry. Forward-looking statements in this release may include future exploration and development on the Clayton Valley Project. Although we believe the expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements are reasonable, results may vary, and we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except as required by applicable laws. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151587 NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / January 17, 2023 / As the pandemic extended into its second year - with travel requirements shifting frequently depending on destination and other factors - American provided our customers with the resources they needed. We expanded the use of Sherpa, an independent travel resource, to provide updates on international travel requirements due to COVID-19 variants. We also continued to partner with VeriFLY to help customers understand and verify their travel requirements. Its mobile health wallet makes it easy for passengers to upload negative COVID-19 test results, vaccination records and forms they need to get verified status for travel. Our customers can also use the app to get mobile boarding passes and take advantage of dedicated and expedited check-in lanes at several airports. Customers traveling internationally can now access our Ready to Fly checklist when viewing their eligible reservations on aa.com and the American Airlines mobile app. The checklist outlines everything our customers need, including test and vaccination requirements, along with options to submit digital documentation and contact tracing information. Ready to Fly also links to the VeriFLY app. Customers can now check-in online at aa.com, through the American Airlines mobile app or at the airport kiosk after receiving their green check mark from VeriFLY and head straight to the gate. These new digital options save customers time at the airport and give them peace of mind that they are ready to fly before arriving at the airport. American also partnered with trusted COVID-19 testing providers to allow customers to take a test at a clinic, at home before their trip or to order a test kit to pack for their return trip. Among our clinic partners, both GoHealth and CareNow each offer more than 150 locations in the United States. For at-home testing before a trip, customers can order a kit from LetsGetChecked. It offers a 48-hour turnaround time for results. Qured, eMed and Optum all provide packable test kit options for return trips. Read more View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from American Airlines on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: American Airlines Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/american-airlines Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: American Airlines View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/735563/American-Airlines-Is-Providing-Travel-Resources-To-Help-Navigate-the-Persistent-COVID-19-Pandemic Cranbrook, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2023) - DLP Resources Inc. (TSXV: DLP) (OTCQB: DLPRF) (the "Company") is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") of up to 3,703,704 units (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.27 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to $1,000,000. Each Unit consists of one common share in the capital of the Company (a "Share") and one common share purchase warrant of the Company (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one common share in the capital of the Company (a "Warrant Share") for a period of two (2) years from the date of issue at an exercise price of $0.40 per Warrant Share, subject to an acceleration clause in the event the trading price of the Shares equals or exceeds $0.50 for a period of 10 consecutive days. The Private Placement will be made available to subscribers pursuant to the accredited investor and friends, family and business associate exemptions provided under sections 2.3(1) and 2.5 of National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions. The Private Placement will also be made available to existing shareholders of the Company who, as of the close of business on January 16, 2023, held Shares (and who continue to hold such Shares as of the closing date), pursuant to the existing shareholder exemption set out in BC Instrument 45-534 Exemption From Prospectus Requirement for Certain Trades to Existing Security Holders (the "Existing Securityholder Exemption"). The Existing Securityholder Exemption limits a shareholder to a maximum investment of CAD$15,000 in a 12-month period unless the shareholder has obtained advice regarding the suitability of the investment and, if the shareholder is resident in a jurisdiction of Canada, that advice has been obtained from a person that is registered as an investment dealer in the jurisdiction. If the Company receives subscriptions from investors relying on the Existing Shareholder Exemption exceeding the maximum amount of the Private Placement, the Company intends to adjust the subscriptions received on a pro-rata basis. The Company expects to pay finder's fees in connection with the Private Placement to certain eligible finders in the form of: (i) a cash commission of 7.0% of the gross proceeds raised under the Private Placement from investors introduced to the Company by the finder; and (ii) the issuance of such number of non-transferable common share purchase warrants of the Company (the "Finder's Warrants") equal to 7.0% of the Units issued under the Private Placement from investors introduced to the Company by the finder. The Company intends to use the proceeds from the Private Placement for for funding the Peru projects and general office and administration requirements. There may be circumstances, however, where, for sound business reasons, a reallocation of funds may be necessary. Re-initiation of drilling at the Aurora copper-molybdenum project is programmed to take place in the next two weeks. The Private Placement is subject to all necessary regulatory approvals including acceptance from the TSX Venture Exchange. All securities issued in connection with the Private Placement will be subject to a four-month hold period from the closing date under applicable Canadian securities laws, in addition to such other restrictions as may apply under applicable securities laws of jurisdictions outside Canada. Not for distribution to U.S. news wire services or dissemination in the United States. About DLP Resources Inc. DLP Resources Inc. is a mineral exploration company operating in Southeastern British Columbia and Peru, exploring for Base Metals and Cobalt. DLP is listed on the TSX-V, trading symbol DLP and on the OTCQB, trading symbol DLPRF. Please refer to our web site www.dlpresourcesinc.com for additional information. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: DLP Resources Inc. Ian Gendall, CEO and President Jim Stypula, Executive Chairman Robin Sudo, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary Maxwell Reinhart, Investor Relations Telephone: 250-426-7808 Email: iangendall@dlpresourcesinc.com Email: jimstypula@dlpresourcesinc.com Email: robinsudo@dlpresourcesinc.com Email: maxreinhart@dlpresourcesinc.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information This release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company regarding future events. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would" or "occur". This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements", are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation, statements regarding discussions of future plans, estimates and forecasts and statements as to management's expectations and intentions with respect to, among other things: the anticipated proceeds to be raised under the Private Placement; the use of any proceeds raised under the Private Placement; and finder's fees to be paid in connection with the Private Placement. These forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things: delays in obtaining or failure to obtain required regulatory approvals for the Private Placement; market uncertainty; and the inability of the Company to raise the anticipated proceeds under the Private Placement. In making the forward looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that: the Company will obtain the required regulatory and TSX Venture Exchange approvals for the Private Placement; the Company will be able to raise the anticipated proceeds under the Private Placement; and the Company will use the proceeds of the Private Placement as currently anticipated. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. We seek safe harbor. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151598 South Bend, Indiana--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2023) - Strawberry Fields REIT, Inc. (OTCQX: STRW) (the "Company") , announced today they will be attending and presenting at the virtual Q1 Investor Summit on January 26th, 2023. During the presentation, the Company's Chief Investment Officer, Jeff Bajtner, will discuss the Company and its vision for 2023. The presentation will be webcast and an archived recording will be made available in the Investor Relations section of the Company's website. 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. Jaguar Land Rover Korea CEO Robin Colgan poses next to the Defender 75th Limited Edition at the D Museum in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Jaguar Land Rover Korea By Kim Hyun-bin Jaguar Land Rover Korea held an event to unveil its limited-edition Land Rover Defender for the first time in Korea, marking the 75th anniversary of the model at the D Museum in Seoul, Tuesday. All-new Defender and classic Defender vehicles, including the Defender 75th Limited Edition, were exhibited. "The Defender, developed under the motto that 'the road is wherever Land Rover goes,' has been steadily loved by countless customers around the world since its first release in 1948." Jaguar Land Rover Korea CEO Robin Colgan said. "Land Rover's pioneering spirit and heritage are embedded through the 75th-anniversary limited edition of the representative off-roader Defender." The limited edition is a model that embodies the respect for past Defender series and the values that Land Rover holds dear. The company plans to sell 75 limited edition vehicles in Korea. The vehicle comes in Grasmere Green, a color reminiscent of the early model that is applied to the exterior, roof, sides and 20-inch alloy wheels. The matrix LED headlamp, a modern reinterpretation of the Defender's iconic headlight shape, provides optimized lighting that reaches farther and wider. On the rear side, a graphic symbolizing the 75th anniversary is embedded. The Defender received the highest safety rating of five stars in the Euro NCAP test, a new European car safety evaluation agency rating. It also provides an electronic air suspension system, a twin-speed transfer box, and an intelligent all-wheel drive system (iAWD). The all-new Defender is equipped with a Terrain Response system that can set driving conditions such as Comfort, Eco, Snow, Mud, Sand, Rock and Wading modes. The limited edition is equipped with a 6-diesel engine and a 48V Mild Hybrid EV (MHEV) technology that is applied to increase efficiency and reduce emissions. The maximum output is 300PS and the vehicle has a maximum torque of 66.3kg.m. It can go from zero to 100km in 7 seconds. JACKSON, MS / ACCESSWIRE / January 17, 2023 / In preparation for the growing electric vehicle market, Entergy Mississippi has launched a direct current fast charging station pilot project. It is the first company-owned electric vehicle charging station of its kind in Entergy Corporation's four-state service area. Located at Renaissance at Colony Park in Ridgeland, the company's $200,000 fast charging station will serve both residents and EV drivers passing through on I-55 and nearby I-20. As EV owners use the charging station, Entergy Mississippi will be able to study the impact of electric vehicles on the power grid. Insights on frequency, time of day and location can help the company prepare for improvements that may be needed as power use from electric vehicle drivers increases. "The complexities of the power grid require us to plan years ahead of when we'll need infrastructure in place to serve our customers," said Haley Fisackerly, president and CEO, Entergy Mississippi. "By proactively installing this fast charging EV station pilot project, we'll be able to learn in real time the effects electric vehicle use has on our systems and implement technologies to help manage the demands we expect in the future." The facility is equipped with two direct current fast chargers that provide up to 120 kilowatts of power and are compatible with many different electric vehicle models. Customers using the charging station pay $.30/kWh and, on average, an EV can be fully charged for $20-$30 within 30-45 minutes. "It's important for the public and private sectors to be studying the utilization of these systems now regarding potential growth of electric vehicles in our state and the infrastructure needed to support their use," said Commissioner Brent Bailey, central district, Mississippi Public Service Commission. "I appreciate the efforts of Entergy Mississippi as we all share the goal to better understand the electric vehicle market, infrastructure needs and consumer habits." More accessible and affordable than ever, electric vehicle ownership is gaining ground. An estimated 26 million EVs are expected to be on America's roads by 2030. "Nissan has been a pioneer in electric vehicles, producing the first mass-market EV - the Nissan LEAF," said David Sliger, vice president of manufacturing, Nissan Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant. "As we prepare to transform the Canton plant into a center for EV production with two all-new, all-electric EVs in 2025, Nissan applauds Entergy and its innovative efforts toward an electrified future." Pilot projects like this one can also help Mississippi towns and cities, as well as the state, understand how they can prepare to meet the demands of EV on their communities. "Entergy Mississippi's DC fast charging station pilot program will help us ultimately bridge the 'charging gap' on Mississippi roadways in (all areas) rural and urban," said Willie Simmons, Mississippi Department of Transportation, central district commissioner. "Our hope is that one day EV drivers will no longer have to bypass our state because of a lack of charging infrastructure which hurts tourism and economic activity This public and private collaboration investment will yield great returns for the public sector." Entergy Mississippi has supported other electric vehicle initiatives in addition to the direct current fast charging station pilot project. In 2011, through Entergy's Environmental Initiatives Fund, the company funded electric vehicle charging station installations at universities across its footprint for use by students, faculty and staff, including stations at Jackson State University, University of Mississippi Medical Center and Mississippi State University. "Now we're expanding beyond our universities, and we're grateful to the City of Ridgeland for granting us the permits to construct this charging station," Fisackerly said. "The lessons we learn through this pilot will help us better advise municipalities and developers throughout our service area as they plan for future electric vehicle charging stations in their area. In 2021, Entergy became a founding member of the National Electrification Highway Coalition. Partner utilities in the organization are working to address gaps along major transportation corridors in their respective service areas. Coalition members currently consist of more than 60 investor-owned and municipal electric companies and electric cooperatives collectively serving more than 120 million U.S. electric customers across 48 states and the District of Columbia. About Entergy Mississippi Entergy Mississippi, LLC provides electricity to approximately 461,000 customers in 45 counties. Entergy Mississippi is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation, an integrated energy company engaged in electric power production, transmission and retail distribution operations. Entergy delivers electricity to 3 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy owns and operates one of the cleanest large-scale U.S. power generating fleets with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including 7,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, Entergy has annual revenues of $10 billion and approximately 12,500 employees. In preparation for the growing electric vehicle market, Entergy Mississippi has launched a direct current fast charging station pilot project View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Entergy Corporation on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Entergy Corporation Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/entergy-corporation Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Entergy Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/735568/Entergy-Mississippi-Opens-Corporations-First-Electric-Vehicle-Fast-Chargers New features strengthen the app to make it an efficient tool to learn Chinese. Boston, Massachusetts--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2023) - FullChinese App, ("FullChinese" or the "Company"), an efficient tool to learn Chinese, is pleased to announce the release of more features in the FullChinese App Pro version. A move to help students reach complete fluency with its fully integrated learning experience. Before the addition of these features to the FullChinese Pro version, learning Chinese was an overwhelming grinder where only a few students survive and complete their classes. The FullChinese App combines videos, sounds, personal dictionaries, in-app translations, customizable and curated content into the most comprehensive and advanced learning language app for the Chinese language. The FullChinese App To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8896/151535_827f84fd548f5b93_001full.jpg The FullChinese App is a system developed to transform how students learn Chinese. Every text is pre-analyzed with the dictionary meaning of each word given. With the FullChinese App, students have all their learning resources in one place. It also allows students to download external materials to supplement their reading, helping students reach fluency within a short time, including retention of what they have learned well enough to communicate with natives. The COVID-19 pandemic saw a clampdown on gatherings; educational institutions were not left out. Anticipating the effects of the pandemic on students' return to classes, the Company added another feature for Chinese language teachers and those who offer one-on-one teaching of the Chinese language. This feature allows classes to go on despite the pandemic. "FullChinese is the most comprehensive and highly optimized learning app that supports both students and teachers in their enjoyable Chinese language journey. We developed the App to serve the needs of students after researching their downward learning pattern in the Chinese language," said Emmanuel Roche, CEO, and founder of the FullChinese App. "FullChinese App is free for teachers to use and access the class content to support the noble profession. Inserting the FullChinese App in teachers' curriculum makes their job easier and exciting for their students," he continued. On what makes the app different from other language apps, the CEO said, "FullChinese App doesn't only focus on beginners, it has a much more ambitious goal: helping students move from beginner to advanced level, not without studying (there is no magic involved), but without language study being an overwhelming grinder, then only a few survive." To learn more about getting started on the FullChinese App, visit www.fullchinese.com About FullChinese App FullChinese, a Boston headquartered company, was founded twelve years ago by Emmanuel Roche to help individuals achieve complete fluency in Chinese through an integrated learning experience. FullChinese is being used by top universities in the United States and serves as an academic learning tool. It centralizes all critical language-learning features (i.e. personal dictionaries, sounds, videos, in-app translation, customizable and curated content) into one highly optimized app. Media Contact Company name: FullChinese Contact person: Emmanuel Roche Email: roche@gammakite.com Country: United States Website: http://www.fullchinese.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151535 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2023) - The Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE" or "the Exchange") today announced market statistics for 2022, which reflect the Exchange's outstanding listings growth and continuing liquidity for issuers and investors. 2022 Operating Statistics Trading volume of CSE-listed securities totaled 17.3 billion shares; Trading value of CSE-listed securities was $9.2 billion; CSE issuers completed 861 financings that raised an aggregate $2.45 billion; The CSE welcomed listings from 113 new companies, including nine fundamental changes of existing issuers; and The CSE had 813 listed securities as at December 31, 2022, an increase of 9% compared to 743 as at December 31, 2021. December 2022 Operating Statistics Trading volume of CSE-listed securities totaled 1.4 billion shares; Trading value of CSE-listed securities was $750 million; CSE issuers completed 119 financings that raised an aggregate $371 million; and The CSE welcomed listings from three new companies. "The Canadian Securities Exchange had another highly successful year in 2022, further cementing our position as a leading exchange for securities of entrepreneurial companies," said Richard Carleton, CSE Chief Executive Officer. "Our listings growth remained very strong and included 26 initial public offerings. Our issuers also raised significant capital across a wide variety of industries, with the financing momentum remaining solid throughout the year; In fact, the 119 financings completed in the month of December was the most of any month in 2022. Looking ahead, we have several exciting initiatives planned for 2023, including the anticipated launch of our senior tier, which should bring significant benefits to both issuers and investors." DealMaker Financing The Exchange recently participated in an oversubscribed financing round for DealMaker, a rapidly growing provider of capital markets solutions that streamline the capital raising process for both issuers and investors. DealMaker plans to use the funding to fuel product development and R&D. The CSE is pleased to form a deeper partnership with DealMaker and believes that its solutions bring significant value to the capital markets ecosystem, including to its issuers. This latest DealMaker financing round also included an investment from Mawer Investment Management Ltd. What's On at the CSE The CSE will be attending the Jamaica Stock Exchange's 17th annual Regional Investments and Capital Markets Conference in Kingston, Jamaica on January 24-26. The event highlights capital market opportunities in Jamaica and across the broader Caribbean region. The CSE has a partnership with the JSE in which the two exchanges co-operate in order to expand opportunities for their respective issuers and investors. The Exchange is excited to be returning to the annual Vancouver Resource Investment Conference, presented by Cambridge House and taking place on January 29-30 at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The event features more than 300 junior mining companies and presentations from many of the industry's thought leaders. Notable speakers at this year's event include the former premiers Christy Clark of British Columbia and Brad Wall of Saskatchewan. Conference participants are encouraged to visit the CSE at booth #822 in the trade show. The CSE was pleased to be a lead sponsor of the Empire Club of Canada's Annual Investment Outlook 2023 event on January 12. The panelists included Thomas S. Caldwell, who served as CSE Chairman from 2012 to 2020. The Exchange attended and spoke at the Lift Cannabis Business Conference in Vancouver on January 12. Anna Serin, the CSE's Director of Listings Development for Western Canada/United States and Vancouver Branch Lead, spoke on a panel focused on financing strategies for the industry. This business conference was part of Lift's larger cannabis conference and trade show, which took place from January 12-14. Richard Carleton joined a panel of experts on January 12 for a special webinar focused on opportunities and challenges in the 2023 cannabis market. Topics discussed included updates on SAFE banking, risks and opportunities with distressed cannabis assets, migration of Canadian cannabis companies to the United States, and new cannabis markets opening up for investment. New Listings in December 2022 Umdoni Exploration Inc. (UDI) Vortex Energy Corp. (VRTX) Cumberland Resources Nickel Corp. (LAND) About the Canadian Securities Exchange: The Canadian Securities Exchange is a rapidly growing stock exchange focused on working with entrepreneurs to access the public capital markets in Canada and internationally. The Exchange's efficient operating model, advanced technology and low fee structure help companies of all sizes minimize their cost of capital and maximize access to liquidity. The CSE offers investors in Canada and abroad access to a multi-sector collection of growth companies through a liquid, reliable and regulated trading platform. The Exchange is dedicated to entrepreneurship and has established itself as a leading hub for discourse in the entrepreneurial community. STAY CONNECTED WITH THE CSE ============================= CSE TV on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/csetv HashtagFinance Podcast: https://blog.thecse.com/cse-podcasts/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/canadianexchange/ Linkedin: https://ca.linkedin.com/company/canadian-securities-exchange Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CanadianSecuritiesExchange/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CSE_News Blog: https://blog.thecse.com/ Website: https://thecse.com/ Contact: Richard Carleton, CEO 416-367-7360 richard.carleton@thecse.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151641 NAPOLEONVILLE, LA / ACCESSWIRE / January 17, 2023 / (OTC PINK:IFUS) The Company announced today, that a rancher with multiple herds located within a 25 mile radius of Impact Fusion's production facility, has committed to testing our Supreme Gold Plus technology and formulation to his herds of beef cattle in Louisiana. Impact Fusion has been asked to supervise the controlled feeding of the herds commencing the week of January 23, 2023. The Company's proprietary manufacturing process offers customers the flexibility to custom design their own unique feed. Louisiana ranks in the top 5 of American beef producing states. The Company will be in charge of mixing our Supreme Gold Plus with the additional ingredients supplied by our customer to create a whole food. In addition, the Company has been asked to oversee and supervise the feeding of the herd in the initial introductory stage to ensure that proper protocols are followed to get the best results. "The goal of the testing and validation by "hand's on ranchers" will further enable Impact Fusion to design feed suited to experienced ranchers' specifications" stated Marc Walther, CEO Supreme Gold Plus is currently available in loose format at the request of our current customers. We will soon offer Supreme Gold Plus bags to accommodate both feed lots and ranchers looking for multiple options and convenience in picking up or delivering our products to their locations. See our videos on our Youtube Channel @Impact Fusion International. Please subscribe to get regular updates. "I am pleased to report that Supreme Gold Plus continues to earn the reputation within the ranching community that it deserves while at the same time addressing the cattle feed crisis in America caused by climate change." said Marc Walther, CEO. About Impact Fusion International Inc. Impact Fusion International, Inc. is in the business of marketing products in the "Health and Wellness" sector of all international markets. It is the company's mission to invent, develop and market these proprietary products worldwide for the health and well-being of humans and animals. The information contained in this release includes some statement that are not purely historical and that are "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our and their management's expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including our financial condition, results of operations. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words "anticipates," "believes," "continue," "could," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "may," "might," "plans," "possible," "potential," "predicts," "projects," "seeks," "should," "would" and similar expressions, or the negatives of such terms, may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are based on current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and the potential effects on the parties and the corporate and administrative transactions. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements and represent our management's beliefs and assumptions only as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. Updates can be found at the official Impact Fusion Twitter account @impactfusionl Contact: Impact Fusion International Inc. 204 Highway 1011 Napoleonville LA 70390 1-800-775-4130 Email: impactfusionintl@gmail.com https://www.impactfusionbrands.com/brands https://www.impactfusionint.com SOURCE: Impact Fusion International Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/735592/Impact-Fusions-Team-Ramps-up-Production-to-Meet-Demand-for-Commercial-Sales-Providing-Custom-Blended-Feed-for-Cattle-Ranchers Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2023) - Beauce Gold Fields (TSXV: BGF) (Champs D'Or en Beauce), ("BGF" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has completed an analysis of drill hole data comparing all historical overburden placer channel drill holes, overlaid with the Company's 2021 diamond drill program. The study revealed that the auriferous saprolite unit of the paleoplacer channel on the Beauce Gold property located in St-Simon les Mine, Quebec, is thicker and broader than previously estimated. Patrick Levasseur, President and CEO of Beauce Gold Fields, said, "We are excited to have made this new revelation on Canada's oldest pacer gold deposit." Mr. Levasseur further stated, "This could mean the historical gold estimates of the placer channel is underestimated." The drill holes data for analysis was sourced from the Company's 38-hole 2021 diamond drill (DDH) program that drilled the bedrock below the paleoplacer channel, totaling 4,585 meters (see BGF press release February 7, 2022). Data also included 272 historical overburden drill holes from Beauce Placer Mining Company 1959 churn drill program (Missing Drill Logs Acquired, BGF press release January 21, 2021), churn drilling Coniagas Mines 1985, sonic drilling Geological Survey of Canada (GSC 1985), reverse circulation (RC) drilling Macamic Exploration 1987 and Uragold's 2011 sonic drill program. The Company cautions investors to note historical drill results, grades and historical gold estimates of the placer channel are conceptual in nature. A qualified person has not completed sufficient work to validate historical data nor to classify mineral resources as defined by National Instrument (NI) 43-101; it is uncertain if future exploration will result in the target being delineated as mineral resources. Gold in Saprolite Beneath the Quaternary glacial till layering, the Beauce paleoplacer channel contains two Tertiary auriferous units: a brownish diamictite basal till and an underlying saprolite bedrock or fractured shales. Before ice age glaciations, the region had undergone a long period of tropical, humid conditions, causing deep weathering of bedrock forming saprolite profiles. A transitional zone of fractured and oxidized shale underlies the saprolite unit. Fresh shale is present a few metres below the saprolite and or fractured and oxidized shale. The weathering of sulphides and substantial erosion of quartz veins and antiform folds of a conceptual bedrock Saddle Reef formation northeast of the paleoplacer channel, would have released gold and material that led to the formation of a thick colluvial mantle over the sides and bottom of the Gilbert river valley. The coarse gold grains and nuggets are both detrital and chemically derived. The former is weathered out of the rock as gold chunks; the latter first requires that the gold goes into solution and is then precipitated as ever-growing nuggets (accretion) in the fractured saprolite and oxidized shale layers. Vertical Grade Variation The churn and reverse circulation (RC) drilling results from the 1980s allow the construction of vertical gold concentration profiles, which are shown in Figures (1) and (2). Each represents a combination of all the relevant drill hole results. Bedrock in both graphs is shown as zero elevation. Note the distinction between the plotted variables, the mass of gold per 3 m vertical section, and grade, taken from the available drill log cross-sections. Although not directly comparable, the measures accurately reflect the vertical variation relative to the bedrock surface in the gold content of the basal (aurefous) till and the underlying saprolitic bedrock. It suggests the saprolite bedrock holds some of the highest gold grades on average. Figure 1: Vertical gold mass profile based on churn drilling results at 3 m vertical intervals. Source: Coniagas Mines Ltd report (GM44862). Figure 2: Vertical grade profile based on reverse circulation drilling results. Source: Macamic (and Roche) report (GM42988). To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6198/151628_3ed5a15e44722998_001full.jpg The two graphs, Figures (1) and (2), are comparable only in the gold concentration versus elevation. Nevertheless, part of the differences between the graphs may result from the different performances of the two drilling systems. RC drilling is prone to creating a common effect known as "drag ore" in that they frequently contaminate the bedrock with gold particles derived from gravels at a higher elevation. To a lesser extent, we may see this effect with churn drilling. However, this is somewhat negated by sonic drilling that recuperates complete drill cores of unconsolidated material and hard rock that allows for the extraction of insitu gold grains. In 1985 sonic drilling by the Geological Survey of Canada extracted gold nuggets from 2 feet of saprolite (Hole #20, 27g/m3). In 2011 UBR pulled gold grains from saprolite drill cores G65-SO6. Historical Paleoplacer Gold Deposit Open At Depth and Laterally All five historical overburden drill programs from 1959 to 2011 aimed to test the basal auriferous till unit of the paleoplacer channel for its economic potential. A hole was considered completed after a drill run through the basal till layer into approximately 1 meter of saprolite. The Company believes that past operators stopped their drill holes prematurely; consequently, results might have been different had they drilled entirely through the saprolite layer down to solid fresh shale bedrock. An example of this disparity is Macamic's 1987 RC dill hole G80-2 drilled only 0.6 meters in the fractured shales extracting coarse gold valued at 3.6 g/m3. In the Company's 2021 Diamond Drill hole SM-21-30, the saprolite/fractured rock is at least 1.6 vertical meters thick in this area. According to the Company's 2021 Diamond Drill program, the saprolite and the highly fractured and oxidized shale zones developed, on average, over 8.8 meters of vertical depth in the rock. There are places where these zones are more than 18 meters deep. The historical overburden drill programs positioned their drill lines perpendicular to the paleoplacer channel for cross-section profiles. On seven drill lines, the borehole at the end of a section was mineralized, and, therefore zone remains open laterally. In other words, the section or "drill line" should have been closed with additional holes to confirm whether the mineralized gold zones continue. Examples of the highest gold grades with open sections: Hole G49-6 furthest hole to the right = 5.82 g/m3 Hole G38-8 furthest hole to the right = 1.48 g/m3 Hole G53-2 furthest hole to the right = 3.31 g/m3 Hole G59-2 furthest hole to the left = 0.53 g/m3 Hole G64-3 furthest hole to the right = 6.43 g/m3 Figure 3: Drill hole G-49-6 stopped at 1.5 meters in a mineralized (5.82gr/m3) mixture of gravel and fractured shale. Macamic should have sampled the till segment above the mineralization, drill deeper into it and drilled additional holes to the right to close the zone. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6198/151628_3ed5a15e44722998_002full.jpg Of the Company's 38 DDH 2021 program, 25 holes recuperated a total of 275 meters of drilled core segments of saprolite and oxidized shale layers. The cores will be analyzed for coarse gold content. More sonic drill holes would be needed to test the saprolite units for gold to confirm that the paleoplacer channel is open at depth and laterally. Sources and references: Sedar- Beauce Gold Fields 43-101 Report - Beauce July 4th 2018, Author B. Violette; VGP Reference (vertical grade profile): Garnett, R.H.T., 2014. "Vertical grade profiles of offshore and coastal placers". Applied Earth Science (Trans. Inst. Min. Metall. B), vol. 123, no. 3, pp. 164-178.; Coniagas Mines Ltd. Report GM42988, Macamic (and Roche) report GM46219 Jean Bernard, B,Sc. Geo., is a qualified person, as defined by NI 43-101, who has reviewed and approved the technical information presented in this release. About Beauce Gold Fields Beauce Gold Fields is a gold exploration company focused on placer to hard rock exploration in the Beauce region of Southern Quebec. The Company's objective is the trace old placer gold workings back to a bedrock source to uncover economic lode gold deposits. The Company's flagship property is the St-Simon-les-Mines Gold project site of Canada's first gold rush that pre-dates the Yukon Klondike. The Beauce region hosted some of the largest historical placer gold mines in Eastern North America that were active from 1860s to the 1960s It produced some of the largest gold nuggets in Canadian mining history (50oz to 71oz). (Source Sedar: 43-101 Report - Beauce July 4th 2018, , Author B. Violette) Beauce Gold Fields website www.beaucegold.com Disclaimers: This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "may", "plan", "will", "estimate", "continue", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "in the process" and other similar expressions which constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current expectation and assumptions, and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, our expectations regarding mineral exploration. Such statements reflect the current views of the Company with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and other risks detailed from time-to-time in the Company's on-going filings with the securities regulatory authorities, which filings can be found at www.sedar.com. Actual results, events, and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements either as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities 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 release. For further information contact Patrick Levasseur, President and CEO Tel: (514) 262-9239 www.beaucegold.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151628 Patients treated with the investigational combination of trifluridine/tipiracil in combination with bevacizumab in the pivotal Phase 3 SUNLIGHT trial achieved clinically meaningful improvement in overall survival compared to trifluridine/tipiracil alone Results demonstrate that trifluridine/tipiracil plus bevacizumab may be an effective and well-tolerated therapy for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer following disease progression on two prior chemotherapy regimens Servier and Taiho Oncology, Inc., today announced the release of data from SUNLIGHT, a pivotal Phase 3 global trial evaluating the combination of trifluridine/tipiracil (LONSURF) and bevacizumab in adults with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), demonstrating that the trial met its primary endpoint of overall survival (OS). These data will be shared during an oral presentation (Abstract #392020) on January 21, 2023 at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium (ASCO GI) in San Francisco. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230116005180/en/ The SUNLIGHT trial investigated the efficacy and safety of trifluridine/tipiracil plus bevacizumab versus trifluridine/tipiracil alone in patients with refractory mCRC following disease progression or intolerance on two prior chemotherapy regimens. Results from the main analysis demonstrated that the investigational combination provided a statistically significant and a clinically meaningful improvement in OS of 3.3 months compared to trifluridine/tipiracil alone (10.8 months vs. 7.5 months, hazard ratio [HR]: 0.61, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.49-0.77, p<0.001). This improvement in OS represents a 39% reduction in the risk of death in patients with refractory mCRC. Regarding the key secondary endpoint, there was a statistically significant improvement for the trifluridine/tipiracil plus bevacizumab combination versus trifluridine/tipiracil alone in progression-free survival (PFS) (5.6 months vs. 2.4 months, HR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.36-0.54, p<0.001). "The prognosis for metastatic colorectal cancer patients who do not respond to chemotherapy remains poor, with median survival times typically ranging from 4 to 8 months," said Professor Josep Tabernero, MD, PhD, Head of Medical Oncology, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain, and Principal Investigator for the SUNLIGHT trial. "Coupled with the fact that cases of colorectal cancer are increasing, there is an urgent need for new treatment options that can extend survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer in the later stages of disease. Findings from the SUNLIGHT trial represent an important development, which will be welcomed by the colorectal cancer community." Side effects were as expected based on the known profile of each treatment and well managed. The percentage of patients who experienced severe adverse events (Grade =3) was similar in the trifluridine/tipiracil plus bevacizumab and trifluridine/tipiracil groups: 72.4% versus 69.5%, respectively. The most frequent severe treatment emergent adverse events for trifluridine/tipiracil plus bevacizumab and trifluridine/tipiracil groups were neutropenia (43.1% versus 32.1%) and anemia (6.1% versus 11.0%), respectively. "We are delighted by the findings from SUNLIGHT which demonstrate trifluridine/tipiracil plus bevacizumab may be an effective and manageable post-progression therapy in metastatic colorectal cancer," said Nadia Causse-Amellal, MD, Head of Global Development, GI Indications, Oncology and Immuno-Oncology Therapeutic Area, Servier. "In the coming months both Servier and Taiho Oncology plan to submit these data to regulatory authorities with a view to bringing this innovative combination to patients as early as possible." "Given the typically poor prognosis and limited options for patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer, there is a significant need to explore different approaches to treatment that may impact the course of disease for these patients," said Fabio Benedetti, MD, Global Chief Medical Officer for Oncology, Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. "The results of this study potentially further validate the utility of trifluridine/tipiracil in this patient population and demonstrate the potential impact of this combination therapy for the management of advanced disease." About Colorectal Cancer Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide,1 with nearly 1.4 million people diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC) each year,1 equating to 10% of the global cancer cases.1 CRC is the second most common cause of cancer mortality, accounting for 881,000 deaths globally in 2018.2 The worldwide incidence of colorectal cancer is expected to exceed 3 million cases annually by 2040,3 and the number of deaths is predicted to increase by more than 70% to 1.6 million per year.3 About the SUNLIGHT Trial SUNLIGHT is a multinational, open-label, active-controlled, two-arm Phase 3 trial to investigate the efficacy and safety of trifluridine/tipiracil plus bevacizumab versus trifluridine/tipiracil alone, in patients with refractory mCRC following two chemotherapy regimens. A total of 492 patients were randomly allocated (in a 1:1 ratio) to receive trifluridine/tipiracil plus bevacizumab or trifluridine/tipiracil monotherapy. The primary objective was to demonstrate the superiority of trifluridine/tipiracil plus bevacizumab over trifluridine/tipiracil alone, in terms of OS (primary endpoint). Key secondary objectives were to compare the regimens in terms of progression-free survival (PFS), overall response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR) and quality of life (QoL), as well as the safety and tolerability of trifluridine/tipiracil plus bevacizumab in comparison with trifluridine/tipiracil monotherapy. For more information on SUNLIGHT, please visit: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04737187. About LONSURF LONSURF is an oral nucleoside antitumor agent discovered and developed by Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. LONSURF consists of a thymidine-based nucleoside analog, trifluridine, and the thymidine phosphorylase (TP) inhibitor, tipiracil, which increases trifluridine exposure by inhibiting its metabolism by TP. Trifluridine is incorporated into DNA, resulting in DNA dysfunction and inhibition of cell proliferation. INDICATIONS EU Trifluridine and tipiracil, marketed under the brand name LONSURF, is indicated as monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with: Metastatic colorectal cancer who have been previously treated with, or are not considered candidates for, available therapies including fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin- and irinotecan-based chemotherapies, anti-VEGF agents, and anti-EGFR agents; and Metastatic gastric cancer including adenocarcinoma of the gastroesophageal junction, who have been previously treated with at least two prior systemic treatment regimens for advanced disease U.S. Trifluridine and tipiracil, marketed under the brand name LONSURF, is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with: Metastatic colorectal cancer previously treated with fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin- and irinotecan-based chemotherapy, an anti-VEGF biological therapy, and if RAS wild-type, an anti-EGFR therapy; and Metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma previously treated with at least two prior lines of chemotherapy that included a fluoropyrimidine, a platinum, either a taxane or irinotecan, and if appropriate, HER2/neu-targeted therapy IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS Indications and Use LONSURF is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with: Metastatic colorectal cancer previously treated with fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin- and irinotecan-based chemotherapy, an anti-VEGF biological therapy, and if RAS wild-type, an anti-EGFR therapy metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma previously treated with at least two prior lines of chemotherapy that included a fluoropyrimidine, a platinum, either a taxane or irinotecan, and if appropriate, HER2/neu-targeted therapy. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS Severe Myelosuppression: LONSURF caused severe and life-threatening myelosuppression (Grade 3-4) consisting of neutropenia (38%), anemia (18%), thrombocytopenia (5%), and febrile neutropenia (3%). Two patients (0.2%) died due to neutropenic infection. A total of 12% of LONSURF-treated patients received granulocyte-colony stimulating factors. Obtain complete blood counts prior to and on day 15 of each cycle of LONSURF and more frequently as clinically indicated. Withhold LONSURF for febrile neutropenia, absolute neutrophil count less than 500/mm3, or platelets less than 50,000/mm3. Upon recovery, resume LONSURF at a reduced dose as clinically indicated. Embryo-Fetal Toxicity: LONSURF can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to the fetus. Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment and for at least 6 months after the final dose. USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS Lactation: It is not known whether LONSURF or its metabolites are present in human milk. There are no data to assess the effects of LONSURF or its metabolites on the breast-fed infant or the effects on milk production. Because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in breast-fed infants, advise women not to breastfeed during treatment with LONSURF and for 1 day following the final dose. Male Contraception: Because of the potential for genotoxicity, advise males with female partners of reproductive potential to use condoms during treatment with LONSURF and for at least 3 months after the final dose. Geriatric Use: Patients 65 years of age or over who received LONSURF had a higher incidence of the following compared to patients younger than 65 years: Grade 3 or 4 neutropenia (46% vs 32%), Grade 3 anemia (22% vs 16%), and Grade 3 or 4 thrombocytopenia (7% vs 4%). Hepatic Impairment: Do not initiate LONSURF in patients with baseline moderate or severe (total bilirubin greater than 1.5 times ULN and any AST) hepatic impairment. Patients with severe hepatic impairment (total bilirubin greater than 3 times ULN and any AST) were not studied. No adjustment to the starting dose of LONSURF is recommended for patients with mild hepatic impairment. Renal Impairment: No adjustment to the starting dosage of LONSURF is recommended in patients with mild or moderate renal impairment (CLcr of 30 to 89 mL/min). Reduce the starting dose of LONSURF for patients with severe renal impairment (CLcr of 15 to 29 mL/min) to a recommended dosage of 20 mg/m2 ADVERSE REACTIONS Most Common Adverse Drug Reactions in Patients Treated With LONSURF (=5%): The most common adverse drug reactions in LONSURF-treated patients vs placebo-treated patients with mCRC, respectively, were asthenia/fatigue (52% vs 35%), nausea (48% vs 24%), decreased appetite (39% vs 29%), diarrhea (32% vs 12%), vomiting (27% vs 16%), infections (27% vs 16%), abdominal pain (21% vs 18%), pyrexia (19% vs 14%), stomatitis (8% vs 6%), dysgeusia (7% vs 2%), and alopecia (7% vs 1%). In metastatic gastric cancer or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ), the most common adverse drug reactions, respectively were, nausea (37% vs 32%), decreased appetite (34% vs 31%), vomiting (25% vs 20%), infections (23% vs 16%) and diarrhea (23% vs 14%). Pulmonary emboli occurred more frequently in LONSURF-treated patients compared to placebo: in mCRC (2% vs 0%) and in metastatic gastric cancer and GEJ (3% vs 2%). Interstitial lung disease (0.2%), including fatalities, has been reported in clinical studies and clinical practice settings in Asia. Laboratory Test Abnormalities in Patients Treated With LONSURF: The most common laboratory test abnormalities in LONSURF-treated patients vs placebo-treated patients with mCRC, respectively, were anemia (77% vs 33%), neutropenia (67% vs 1%), and thrombocytopenia (42% vs 8%). In metastatic gastric cancer or GEJ, the test abnormalities, respectively, were neutropenia (66% vs 4%), anemia (63% vs 38%), and thrombocytopenia (34% vs 9%). Please see full Prescribing Information for the EU. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/product-information/lonsurf-epar-product-information_en.pdf Please see full Prescribing Information for the U.S. https://www.taihooncology.com/us/prescribing-information.pdf About Servier Founded to serve health, Servier is a global pharmaceutical group governed by a Foundation that aspires to have a meaningful social impact, both for patients and for a sustainable world. With its unique governance model, it can fully serve its vocation with a long-term vision: being committed to therapeutic progress to serve patient needs. The 21,800 employees of the Group are committed to this shared vocation, source of inspiration every day. As a world leader in cardiology, Servier's ambition is to become a renowned, focused and innovative player in oncology by targeting hard-to-treat cancers. That is why the Group allocates over 50% of its R&D budget to developing targeted and innovative therapies in oncology. Neuroscience and immuno-inflammatory diseases are the future growth drivers. In these areas, Servier is focused on a limited number of diseases in which accurate patient profiling makes it possible to offer a targeted therapeutic response through precision medicine. To promote access to quality care for all at a lower cost, the Group also offers a range of quality generic drugs covering most pathologies, relying on strong brands in France, Eastern Europe, Brazil and Nigeria. In all these areas, the Group includes the patient voice at each stage of the life cycle of a medicine. Headquartered in France, Servier relies on a strong geographical footprint in over 150 countries and achieved a revenue of 4.7 billion in 2021. More information on the new Group website: servier.com. Follow us on social media: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram About Taiho Oncology, Inc. The mission of Taiho Oncology, Inc. is to improve the lives of patients with cancer, their families and their caregivers. The company specializes in the development of orally administered anti-cancer agents and markets these medicines for a range of tumor types in the U.S. Taiho Oncology's growing pipeline of antimetabolic and selectively targeted anti-cancer agents is led by a world-class clinical development organization. Taiho Oncology is a subsidiary of Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. which is part of Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd. Taiho Oncology is headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey and oversees its parent company's European and Canadian operations, which are located in Zug, Switzerland and Oakville, Ontario, Canada. For more information, visit www.taihooncology.com. LONSURF is a registered trademark of Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. used under license by Taiho Oncology, Inc. and Servier. Avastin is a registered trademark of Genentech, Inc. References 1 Digestive Cancers Europe. Prevalence of Colorectal Cancer. Available at: https://digestivecancers.eu/colorectal-cancer/prevalence-of-colorectal-cancer-prevalence/?menu_id=13873. Last accessed: December 2022. 2 Tabernero J., Taieb J., Prager G., et al. Trifluridine/tipiracil plus bevacizumab for third-line management of metastatic colorectal cancer: SUNLIGHT study design. Future Oncol. 2021.17(16): 1977-1985. Available at: https://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/full/10.2217/fon-2020-1238. Last accessed: January 2023. 3 World Health Organization. International Agency for Research on Cancer. Global burden of colorectal cancer in 2020 and 2040: incidence and mortality estimates from GLOBOCAN. Available at: https://www.iarc.who.int/news-events/global-burden-of-colorectal-cancer-in-2020-and-2040-incidence-and-mortality-estimates-from-globocan/#:~:text=The%20authors%20predict%20that%20by,an%20increase%20of%2073%25. Last accessed: December 2022. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230116005180/en/ Contacts: Servier: Sonia Marques: presse@servier.com I Tel. +33 (0)1 55 72 40 21 Taiho Oncology: Judy Kay Moore: jumoore@taihooncology.com Tel. +1 574-526-2369 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2023) - ATEX Resources Inc. (TSXV: ATX) ("ATEX" or "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed the first two diamond drill holes of the Phase III drill campaign on its Valeriano Copper-Gold Project in the Atacama Region, Chile. Highlights ATXD-11A intersected chalcopyrite-bearing porphyry units and breccias starting at a depth of 1,092 metres and continuing to the end of the hole at 2,130 metres. ATXD-11A extended the strike length of the porphyry a further 200 metres to the northeast of historical drillhole VAL-14 (Figure 1) which intersected 1,194 metres grading 0.73% copper equivalent ("CuEq") (0.52% Cu, 0.24 g/t Au and 36 ppm Mo) including 493 metres grading 0.94% CuEq (0.67% Cu, 0.32 g/t Au and 31 ppm Mo), see ATEX release dated January 6, 2022. ATXD-21 was drilled to a depth of 2,020 metres and had been designed to test the southwest extension of the mineralized corridor 200 metres to the south of hole ATXD-17 which intersected 1,160 metres of 0.78% CuEq (0.53% Cu, 0.28 g/t Au and 70 ppm Mo), see Company release dated 13 June 2022). ATXD-21 intersected multiple mineralized intervals including a fine-grained porphyry unit between 1,805 and 1,907 metres potentially indicating that the target porphyry trend might be further west and/or north than initially anticipated and was not reached with this hole. The mineralized corridor remains open to the northeast and southwest. Assays for drill hole ATXD-11A are expected by the end of January while assays from drill hole ATXD-21 are expected during February. "We are excited that the initial Phase III drilling has extended the mineralized corridor to over 1 kilometre long to over 800 metres wide with over a kilometre of vertical extent," said Raymond Jannas, President, and CEO of ATEX. "Hole ATXD-11A demonstrated continuity by extending the porphyry mineralization a further 200 metres to the northeast of VAL-14 and well below hole ATXD-19. The intersection of mineralized porphyry in this hole confirms that the porphyry trend remains open along strike to the northeast. Hole ATXD-21 also extended the mineralized corridor to the southwest, intersecting chalcopyrite bearing rock milled breccia, rhyolite, and fine-grained porphyry. These holes confirm that the porphyry trend is oriented northeast- southwest and open along strike." Figure 1 - Plan view of Valeriano Mineralized Corridor at 2,750 Metres Elevation To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6303/151670_1fe1e6fee4333ab6_001full.jpg ATXD-11A Summary Directional drill hole ATXD-11A (daughter hole) was wedged, in an easterly direction, from historical hole VAL-11 (mother hole) starting at a downhole depth of 855 metres and extending 1,275 metres to a final depth of 2,130 metres. ATXD-11A successfully tested the early porphyry mineralization below hole VAL-11 which intersected 195 metres grading 0.58% CuEq (0.43% Cu, 0.14 g/t Au & 62 ppm Mo) from 972 metres to the end of the hole at 1,167 metres. ATXD-11A also extended the copper mineralization below drill hole ATXD-19 which intersected 647 metres of 0.65% CuEq (0.50% Cu, 0.15 g/t Au & 60 ppm Mo), see Company release dated 13 June, 2022, and was lost due to operational error at a depth of 1,309 metres in chalcopyrite bearing breccias. ATXD-11A intersected a wide sequence of variably mineralized breccias and porphyry units with potassic alteration and A-veining starting at 1,092 metres downhole. The target porphyry trend was intersected at 1,400 metres, deeper than anticipated, indicating that the mineralized porphyry corridor has a northeast trend. Mineralization continued from 1,092 metres until the hole was terminated at 2,130 metres at the safe operating limit for the rig. ATXD-21 Summary Drill hole ATXD-21 was drilled with the objective of extending the mineralized corridor 200 metres southwest of ATXD-17 which intersected 1,160 metres grading 0.78% CuEq (0.53% Cu, 0.28 g/t Au and 70 ppm Mo) including 550 metres of 1.03% CuEq (0.69% Cu, 0.39 g/t Au and 70 ppm Mo). From surface to approximately 300 metres, the drill hole cut significant grey-banded quartz veinlets (Maricunga-type). A fine-grained porphyry, with covellite replacing pyrite, occurs from approximately 500 to 800 metres with the covellite mineralization continuing in rock milled breccia to 900 metres and, again, from 1,080 to 1,180 metres. Disseminated chalcopyrite mineralization first occurs at around 1,400 metres downhole. A fine-grained chalcopyrite bearing porphyry was intersected between 1,805 and 1,907 metres. The fine-grained porphyry appears to have less visible sulphides and veining compared to the coarser-grained porphyry in the VAL14-ATXD-17 and ATXD-11A trend. It is possible that this porphyry trend is present further to the west and/or north of where ATXD-21 was terminated. Metallurgical Testing Update Two composite samples of finely crushed core-sample material from drill hole ATXD-17 were dispatched to AMTEL of London, Ontario for initial metallurgical test work with the aim of estimating copper sulphide liberation and baseline flotation recoveries in addition to characterizing sulphide and host rock mineralogy. Upon initial examination of the samples, it was noted by the lab that the finely crushed sample material had visible oxidization of copper minerals which had the potential to impact recovery results. In addition, an error occurred at a third-party lab resulting in insufficient sample material available to complete the assaying for this program. As a result, a decision was made by the Company to wait until fresh core samples could be collected before continuing metallurgical test work. About ATEX ATEX is exploring the Valeriano Copper-Gold Project which is located within the emerging Copper-Gold porphyry mineral belt linking the prolific El Indio High-Sulphidation Belt to the south with the Maricunga Gold Porphyry Belt to the north. This emerging belt, informally referred to as the Link Belt, hosts a number of Copper-Gold porphyry deposits at various stages of development including, Filo del Sol (Filo Mining), Josemaria (Lundin Mining), Los Helados (NGEX Minerals/JX Nippon), La Fortuna (Teck Resources/Newmont) and El Encierro (Antofagasta/Barrick Gold). Valeriano hosts a large Copper-Gold porphyry deposit overlain by a near surface oxidized epithermal gold deposit. In 2022, ATEX completed the Company's first limited drill test of the Copper-Gold porphyry system that is now being followed up with campaign of directional drilling to extend the high-grade trend, test new targets and expand the mineralized envelope. Based on an option agreement from August 2019 and amended in January 2020, ATEX can earn a 100% interest in Valeriano by September 1, 2025. Qualified Person Mr. Ben Pullinger, P.Geo., registered with the Professional Geoscientists Ontario, is the Qualified Person, as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards for Disclosure for Mineral Projects, for the Valeriano Copper-Gold Porphyry Project. Mr. Pullinger is not considered independent under NI 43-101 as he is Senior Vice President Exploration and Business Development of ATEX. He has reviewed and approved the disclosure of the scientific and technical information contained in this press release. For further information, please contact: Raymond Jannas, President and CEO Email: rjannas@atexresources.com Ben Pullinger, Senior Vice President of Exploration and Business Development Email: bpullinger@atexresources.com or visit ATEX's website at www.atexresources.com CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains forward-looking statements, including predictions, projections, and forecasts. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "planning", "expects" or "does not expect", "continues", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "potential", "anticipates", "does not anticipate", or describes a "goal", or variation of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, future events, conditions, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, prediction, projection, forecast, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, among others: plans for the evaluation of exploration properties including the Valeriano Copper-Gold Project; the success of evaluation plans; the success of exploration activities; mine development prospects; potential for future metals production; changes in economic parameters and assumptions; all aspects related to the timing and extent of exploration activities including the Phase III drill program contemplated in this press release; timing of receipt of exploration results; the interpretation and actual results of current exploration activities and mineralization; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; the results of regulatory and permitting processes; future metals price; possible variations in grade or recovery rates; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; the results of economic and technical studies; delays in obtaining governmental and local approvals or financing or in the completion of exploration; timing of assay results; as well as those factors disclosed in ATEX's publicly filed documents. Although ATEX has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its regulation services provider has reviewed or accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/151670 Splitero, a San Diego, CA-based financial technology company that provides homeowners with options to access their home equity, raised $11.7m in Series A funding. The round was led by Fiat Ventures with participation from Gemini Ventures, Joint Effects, PBJ Capital, Permit Ventures, Dream Ventures, Goodwater Capital, Spark Growth Ventures, and Oyster Fund. Led by Michael Gifford, Co-Founder and CEO, Splitero provides homeowners a sum of cash in exchange for a share of their homes appreciation. Home Equity Investments (HEIs) allow homeowners to use their home equity to better their lives without income or minimum credit score requirements and no monthly payments. Homeowners financial needs are constantly evolving, creating a demand for unique and flexible solutions that support them in reaching their goals and achieving financial wellness, said Alex Harris, General Partner of Fiat Ventures. Splitero is solving that problem and serving a critical need in todays housing market, allowing homeowners to leverage the value of their home without selling or moving. We are elated to partner with them to advance their transformative approach to more markets so they can help more homeowners across the U.S. The company currently operates in California, Colorado, Oregon, Utah, and Washington, with plans to expand into additional states in 2023. Since launching in August of 2021, the company has secured more than $1 billion in financing to help homeowners access their equity without new debt or monthly payments. Walker Sands, a Chicago, IL-based marketing agency focused on accelerating the growth of B2B brands, acquired KoMarketing, a Boston, MI-based B2B demand generation firm. The amount of the deal was not disclosed. With the acquisition, Walker Sands will strengthen its digital marketing capabilities. Going forward, KoMarketing will be known as KoMarketing, a Walker Sands company. KoMarketing managing partners Derek Edmond and Steven Wells will report to Andrew Cross, president of Walker Sands. Combined, the firm has more than 200 full-time employees across remote locations and five physical offices: Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, Boston and Atlanta. Founded in 2004, KoMarketing helps B2B organizations get found online, drive more leads and build brand visibility through strategic search, social media, and content marketing programs tailored to clients specific business challenges. Clients range from Fortune 500 companies to small and medium-sized businesses in a variety of B2B industry sectors. Led by CEO Mike Santoro, Walker Sands is a full-service B2B marketing agency with core capabilities in public relations, demand generation, branding, creative, marketing strategy and web. Its integrated approach to marketing drives awareness, credibility and conversions for 100+ clients around the world. The agency offices in Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston and Atlanta. FinSMEs 17/01/2023 Top Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, center, leaves an Italian Carabinieri barrack soon after his arrest at a private clinic in Palermo, Sicily, after 30 years on the run, in this picture taken from a video released by Italian Carabinieri, Jan. 16. AP-Yonhap Italy's No. 1 fugitive, a Mafia boss convicted of helping to mastermind some of the nation's most heinous slayings, was arrested Monday when he sought treatment at a private clinic in Sicily after three decades on the run. Matteo Messina Denaro was tried in absentia and convicted of dozens of murders, including helping to mastermind, along with other Cosa Nostra bosses, a pair of 1992 bombings that killed top anti-Mafia prosecutors and led the Italian state to stiffen its crackdown on the Sicilian crime syndicate. He faces multiple life sentences that he is expected to serve in a maximum security prison and under the particularly restrictive conditions reserved for top organized crime bosses. He went into hiding a year after those bombings while still a young man but he was still considered one of Cosa Nostra's top bosses even as a fugitive. Hundreds of police officers were tasked over the years with tracking him, the last of three longtime top-level Mafia bosses who managed to elude capture for decades. He is now 60, and his health condition helped investigators zero in on him, according to Carabinieri Gen. Pasquale Angelosanto, who heads the police force's special operations squad. ''It all led to today's date (when) he would have come for some tests and treatment'' at the clinic, the Carabinieri general said. Authorities did not say what he was being treated for, but he was captured at La Maddalena clinic in Palermo, an upscale medical facility with a reputation for treating cancer patients, and Italian media said he was undergoing treatment for a year. During an evening news conference, authorities said Messina Denaro's treatment could continue at a hospital prison ward. Investigators said he was unarmed and dressed like a typical patient at the clinic, though wearing a watch worth at least 30,000 euros (about $33,000). ''He didn't resist at all,'' Carabinieri Col. Lucio Arcidiacono told reporters. A pair of Carabinieri officers, each holding an arm, walked Messina Denaro down the front steps of the clinic to a waiting black van in pouring rain. He was dressed in a brown leather jacket trimmed in shearling, a matching white-and-brown skull cap and his trademark tinted glasses. His face looked wan and he stared straight ahead. Shortly after his arrest, the sun peeked through, and a rainbow could be seen in the sky over the clinic. When dozens of police officers, wearing ski masks, converged on the clinic, local residents knew something big was about to happen. When Messina Denaro was brought outside, applause rang out on the sidewalks. Palermo Chief Prosecutor Maurizio De Lucia told reporters that the fugitive had used the pseudonym Andrea Bonafede and had an Italian identity card in that name. He used the alias the surname roughly means ''good faith'' in Italian to book a morning appointment at the clinic. In addition to convictions for the killings of prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, he was also found guilty of killing Falcone's wife and several of their bodyguards as well as the grisly murder of a Mafia turncoat's young son, who was abducted and strangled before his body was dissolved in a vat of acid. A composite picture showing a computer-generated image released by tihe Italian police, right, and a picture of Mafia top boss Matteo Messina Denaro. Italian police say, Jan. 16, they arrested Italy's No. 1 fugitive, Sicilian Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, on the run for 30 years. AP-Yonhap On the morning of November 10, 2022 local time, Premier Li Keqiang of the State Council, accompanied by High Representative of Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen and Deputy Prime Minister Chea Sophara, visited an exhibition marking the 30 years of China-Cambodia exchanges and cooperation on cultural heritage in Siem Reap, and attended the handover ceremony of the China-assisted Ta Keo Temple restoration project at Angkor. Li Keqiang first listened to a presentation on the ongoing cooperation between China and Cambodia in the field of cultural heritage, and viewed with great interest exhibition boards displaying cooperation achievements in this field. He also inquired about the techniques and construction materials applied in the restoration of cultural relics, scientific research on cultural relics, the measures adopted for antiquities preservation, and international exchanges and cooperation on cultural heritage, among others. In his speech at the handover ceremony of the restoration project, Li Keqiang said that this year marks the 30th anniversary of China-Cambodia exchanges and cooperation on cultural heritage. Thanks to the exchanges, mutual learning, and inclusive cooperation among civilizations, the development of humanity has come a long way with fruitful results. China and Cambodia both have a time-honored history and a splendid culture, and mutual learning has contributed significantly to the growth of China-Cambodia relations. The two peoples' understanding and knowledge about each other's country and culture have laid a solid foundation for bilateral friendship. People-to-people interactions not only bring together diverse cultures, but also people's hearts, and all this has a crucial role to play in keeping international industrial and supply chains stable and smooth under the current circumstances. Premier Li noted that the Angkor antiquities not only epitomize the splendid Khmer civilization, they are also a source of pride of the Cambodian nation. Over the years, many Eastern and Western countries have actively participated in the preservation and restoration of Angkor antiquities. The Ta Keo Temple project that China handed over on Thursday is the second restoration project undertaken by the Chinese government under the International Coordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor (ICC-Angkor). This project is good for Cambodia, good for China-Cambodia friendship, and good for inter-civilization exchanges and mutual learning. He expressed the hope that the Angkor antiquities, a treasure of human civilization, will brim with even greater vitality. Li noted that the preservation and harness of cultural heritage call for exchanges and cooperation, and the development of state-to-state relations and the progress of humanity cannot happen without exchanges and cooperation. China stays committed to the fundamental national policy of opening up, and stands ready to draw strength from all outstanding achievements of human civilizations, carry out practical cooperation with other countries in such areas as economy, society, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and promote mutual understanding and connectivity among the peoples, so as to contribute to safeguarding peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and the world at large. Chea Sophara said that Cambodia and China are as close as brothers, and have respected and supported each other. The close cooperation between the two sides has boosted the rapid development of Cambodia. Cambodia thanks China for its active assistance in promoting economic and social development and preserving national culture of Cambodia. Cambodia is ready to work with China to carry forward traditional friendship, maintain close cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and promote new progress in Cambodia-China comprehensive cooperative partnership. Xiao Jie attended the above events. On November 18, 2022 local time, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and State Councilor Wang Yi met at request with Peruvian Foreign Minister Cesar Landa on the sidelines of the 29th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Bangkok. Landa hailed the success of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) as with great significance. He said that President Xi Jinping's re-election as General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee will lead China to achieve longer-term and more stable development. China is an important cooperative partner of Peru. The traditional friendship between the two countries enjoys strong public support, and pragmatic cooperation has yielded fruitful results. Peru is firmly committed to the one-China policy, and is ready to deepen cooperation with China in various fields and keep enriching the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. Wang Yi briefed Landa on the great achievements and far-reaching significance of the 20th CPC National Congress. He said that with General Secretary Xi Jinping at the helm, the Chinese people will advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization on the new journey of building a modern socialist country in all respects. China is ready to work with Peru to continue mutual support on issues involving each other's core interests, seek greater synergy between development strategies, expand pragmatic cooperation, deepen cooperation within the China-CELAC Forum and other mechanisms, promote greater development of China-Peru relations and relations between China and Latin American and Caribbean countries, and jointly build a human community with a shared future. On January 14, 2023, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and President Xi Jinping and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong sent congratulatory letters to each other on the coming Spring Festival, a traditional festival for the Chinese and Vietnamese people. In his message, Xi Jinping extended his most sincere greetings and blessings for the Spring Festival to Nguyen Phu Trong, the CPV as well as the Vietnamese government and people on behalf of the CPC, the Chinese government and the Chinese people. Xi Jinping said that the year 2022 is of crucial importance to the respective development of the two parties as well as the two countries, and also a milestone for the China-Vietnam relationship. The CPC held its 20th National Congress successfully, putting forward the Party's missions and tasks in the new era and on the new journey. The Vietnamese people, under the leadership of the CPV Central Committee, have comprehensively acted upon the guiding principles of the 13th National Congress of the CPV. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong paid a visit to China successfully shortly after the conclusion of the 20th National Congress of the CPC, and both sides released a joint statement on further strengthening and deepening the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between China and Vietnam. Xi Jinping said that relevant departments and sub-national authorities of the two parties and two countries have been striving to follow through on the broad common understandings reached between the two sides, and he believes that this will consolidate political mutual trust and traditional friendship between the two sides, and earnestly improve the well-being of the people of both countries. Xi Jinping noted that with the beginning of the new year, everything takes on a new look. Looking ahead to 2023, Xi said he is ready to keep close communication with General Secretary Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong and steer the course for the sustained, sound and steady development of China-Vietnam relations. China and Vietnam are a community with a shared future that bears strategic significance and China regards Vietnam as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy, and stands ready to strengthen the alignment of development strategies with Vietnam, deepen practical cooperation in various fields, enhance communication and coordination in international and regional affairs, and make positive contributions to advancing the noble cause of peace and development of mankind. Nguyen Phu Trong said in his message that over the past year, under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the CPC successfully held its 20th National Congress, which was an extremely important event in the political life of the Chinese people. Nguyen Phu Trong expressed confidence that under the leadership of the CPC, the brotherly Chinese people will successfully fulfill all the goals and visions set forth at the 20th CPC National Congress, build a modern socialist country in all respects, and march toward the realization of the Second Centenary Goal. Nguyen Phu Trong said that under the guidance of a series of common understandings reached between General Secretaries of the two parties, Vietnam-China relations have maintained a positive momentum of development and achieved important progress. Nguyen Phu Trong noted that his official visit to China with a high-level delegation of the Vietnamese party and government shortly after the conclusion of the 20th CPC National Congress was a success. Nguyen Phu Trong said he is ready to work with General Secretary Comrade Xi Jinping to guide the departments and sub-national authorities of both sides to implement the agreements and common understandings reached during his visit, carry out strategic communication on theories and practices of both countries' respective socialist development, and chart the course and make strategic plans to ensure that the relations between the two parties and two countries continuously develop and reach new heights. Nguyen Phu Trong wishes the CPC continuous development and growth, the People's Republic of China prosperity and strength, and the brotherly Chinese people a happy and peaceful New Year. On January 9, 2023, Foreign Minister Qin Gang had a phone call at request with Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Qin Gang said that China and Pakistan enjoy special friendship and high-level mutual trust. The high-level officials of the two countries have maintained close interactions, injecting strong impetus into the development of bilateral relations. The Chinese side is ready to work with the Pakistani side to follow the important common understandings reached by the leaders of the two countries, continuously deepen the traditional friendship between China and Pakistan, and jointly build an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era. Qin Gang stressed that with the Chinese New Year just days away, the Chinese side is highly concerned about the safety of Chinese citizens in Pakistan and hopes that the Pakistani side will continue to take strong security measures. Bilawal once again congratulated Qin Gang on his assuming office as China's Foreign Minister, saying that the ironclad brotherhood between China and Pakistan is the "North Star" guiding Pakistan's foreign policy toward China. Bilawal expected to jointly take the Pakistan-China all-weather strategic cooperative partnership to a new level. He wished the Chinese people a happy Chinese New Year in the upcoming Year of the Rabbit. The Pakistani side will spare no effort to protect the safety of the Chinese personnel, institutions and projects in Pakistan. Vietnam's President Nguyen Xuan Phuc arrives to attend APEC Leader's Dialogue with APEC Business Advisory Council during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok, Thailand, Nov. 18, 2022. Reuters-Yonhap Vietnam President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has resigned, state media said Tuesday, after days of rumors he was about to be sacked as part of a major anti-corruption drive that has seen several ministers fired. Phuc has "submitted his resignation from his assigned positions, quit his job, and retired," state news agency VNA said. Phuc's sudden departure is a highly unusual move in communist Vietnam, where political changes are normally carefully orchestrated, with an emphasis on cautious stability. State media said the communist party had ruled he was responsible for wrongdoing by senior ministers under him during his 2016-2021 stint as prime minister, before he became president. Two deputy prime ministers were sacked this month in an anti-corruption purge that has led to the arrest of dozens of officials, with many of the graft allegations relating to deals done as part of Vietnam's COVID pandemic response. Phuc "took political responsibility as leader when several officials, including two deputy prime ministers and three ministers committed violations and shortcomings, causing very serious consequences", VNA said, quoting the party central committee's official statement. Earlier this month, the country's rubber stamp National Assembly removed Pham Binh Minh and Vu Duc Dam from their positions as deputy prime ministers. Minh was a minister of foreign affairs while Dam was in charge of the country's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. At least 100 officials and businesspeople, including Dam's assistant, have been arrested in connection with a scandal involving the distribution of COVID-19 testing kits. Thirty-seven people many of them senior diplomats and police have also been arrested in an investigation over the repatriation of Vietnamese during the pandemic. Corruption, infighting After closing its borders to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Vietnam organized nearly 800 charter flights to bring citizens home from 60 countries and territories. But travelers faced complicated procedures while paying exorbitant airfares and quarantine fees to get back to Vietnam. Phuc, 68, was elevated to the largely ceremonial role of president in April 2021 after winning plaudits for the country's broadly successful handling of the pandemic. Authoritarian Vietnam is run by the Communist Party and officially led by the party general secretary, president, and prime minister, with key decisions made by the politburo, which now numbers 16. Le Hong Hiep, a fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, said Phuc's resignation may also be linked to political infighting. "It's mainly related to corruption investigations but we cannot rule out the possibility that his political rivals also wanted to remove him from his position for political reasons," he told AFP. Communist Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong, the architect of what is Vietnam's largest-ever anti-corruption drive, is due to step down in 2026. "Some politicians will try to get the (top) prize and because of the competition from their rivals in this case Mr Phuc is one of them they may want to remove him to clear the way for the other candidate to get the top job." (AFP) Gov. Tina Kotek has announced several appointees to her staff, among them a deputy chief of staff who will oversee agencies, a communications director, and a former state representative who will advise her on natural resources and climate change. Among the prominent hires to her staff, most of them policy advisers: Chris Warner as deputy chief of staff for a newly created Office of Public Administration, which will give him wide latitude to oversee state agencies. Warner comes from the Portland Bureau of Transportation, where he became assistant director in 2016 and its director since June 2019. He had been chief of staff for Portland City Commissioner Steve Novick, who was in office from 2013 to 2017. Warner has worked in government at all levels. From 2003 to 2010, he was legislative director and a top assistant to Gov. Ted Kulongoski. He helped shepherd passage of the 2009 Jobs and Transportation Act, which at $1 billion was the largest such spending plan until 2017. He also worked for U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith, and U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio. He is married to Barbara Smith Warner, herself a former Wyden aide, who was in the District 45 seat in the Oregon House from November 2013 until Jan. 9 of this year. Barbara Smith Warner was House majority leader from July 2019 until January 2022. An Do as director of communications and public affairs, starting Jan. 19, which will enable her to speak for the governor. She has spent almost two years as executive director of Planned Parenthood Associates of Oregon, for which she was also its political director. She led the campaign against a 2018 ballot measure that would have barred public funds for abortions, except in specified instances. Oregon has used state money for abortions since a federal restriction took effect in 1976. (Voters rejected Measure 106.) She also was a social worker in alternative high schools in Portland and Brooklyn, N.Y. Karin Power, who just completed three terms as a Democratic state representative from District 41 (Milwaukie), as a natural resources and climate adviser. She had taken leave from her job as interim director of Business for a Better Portland, where she was hired in July. Before she was elected to the Oregon House in 2016, Power was a Milwaukie city councilor and associate general counsel for the Freshwater Trust. She was appointed to the governing board of Clackamas Community College last fall. Other appointees Most of the other appointees have some experience in state government. They are listed below. Vince Porter, adviser for economic development and workforce. He had been director of Regence Health Policy Center for eight months, director of government affairs at Cambia Health Solutions since 2017, and a vice president at Strategies 360 from 2016 to 2017. A former vice president for production at Showtime Networks, he also led the Governors Office of Film and Television from 2008 to 2014, and was an economic development adviser to Gov. Kate Brown from 2014 to 2016. Kelly Scannell Brooks, transportation and infrastructure adviser. She has been assistant city manager in Milwaukie since 2017, and was an official in the Portland regional office of the Oregon Department of Transportation from 2011 to 2017. She also did separate stints (2003-04, 2007-10) for U.S. Rep. David Wu in Washington, D.C., and in Oregon. Geoff Huntington, senior natural resources adviser. Most recently he was Elliott State Forest project manager for the Department of State Lands. The 2022 Legislature kept the south coast forest in public ownership for research purposes, but severed a prior requirement for it to produce income from timber sales for the Common School Fund. He has taught in the College of Forestry at Oregon State University, and was executive director of the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board and deputy director of the Oregon Department of Water Resources. Doug Grafe, wildfire and emergency response adviser. Grafe led state programs created by the 2021 Legislature to lessen the effects of severe wildfires and help communities plan to avert them. Gov. Brown named him to that job after 17 years at the Oregon Department of Forestry, where he was chief of fire protection. Rachel Currans-Henry, health and human services adviser. She has worked as strategic initiatives administrator in aging and disability services at the Department of Human Services, and in the COVID-19 response and recovery unit of the Oregon Health Authority. She also held top health positions in Wisconsin, including Medicaid administration. Maya Crawford Peacock, executive appointments director. She led the Lawyers Campaign for Justice, a nonprofit that aims to broaden access to legal representation. She also has been a supervising attorney for Legal Aid Services of Oregon and public interest law coordinator at Lewis & Clark College law school. Constantin Severe, public safety adviser, the same job he had with Gov. Brown. Severe had been a lawyer with Metropolitan Public Defender in Portland and director of Portlands Independent Police Review. Amelia Porterfield, regional solutions director. For the past three years, she has been director of government affairs for The Nature Conservancy. She was a top aide to Kotek when Kotek led House Democrats from mid-2011 until 2013 when the House was tied 30-30 -- and then her first chief of staff (for three years) after Democrats gained a majority and Kotek became House speaker. Previously announced She previously announced as her chief of staff Andrea Cooper, who had been deputy chief for the final two years of Gov. Kate Browns tenure. A second deputy chief of staff for Kotek announced previously is Lindsey OBrien, who will be in charge of public engagement. She had been her communications director (2015-17) and chief of staff (2019-22) while Kotek was speaker of the Oregon House. She stayed for a few months with the current House speaker, Dan Rayfield, until she joined Koteks campaign as a senior adviser. She was chief of staff for the House Majority Office from 2017 to 2019. OBrien also had worked for the 2014 campaign of U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley. Also announced previously: Melissa Goff as education adviser. She comes from the Oregon School Boards Association, where she was deputy executive director for a few months. She had been schools superintendent for two years in Albany, until the board fired her without explanation in 2021. She also led schools in Philomath, and was an assistant superintendent at Portland Public Schools for a year. If you want more information about joining the IMT, fill in this form. We will get back to you as soon as possible. SPOKANE, Wash., Jan. 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Avista Corporation (Avista) and NorthWestern Energy (NorthWestern) announce an agreement through which Avista will turn over its interest in the Colstrip coal-fired power plant to NorthWestern on December 31, 2025. Through the transaction, NorthWestern will assume ownership of the 222 MW generating capacity that is currently owned by Avista, along with its related interest in the plant, plant equipment, rights and obligations. This transaction is the result of several years of work and discussions among all owners of Colstrip, through which we have looked for commercial solutions that would allow Avista and others to exit Colstrip by the end of 2025, while also meeting the needs of other owners and stakeholders, including NorthWestern and the state of Montana, said Jason Thackston, Avistas Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy & Clean Energy Officer. Avista has been in Montana for decades and will be in Montana long after its exit from Colstrip is completed; thus, it was important to us that any agreement regarding Colstrip address the needs of Montanans in addition to the needs of our customers and the interests of the states we serve. It is indicative of our commitment to Montana that we have previously committed to contribute $3 million for the betterment of the Colstrip communitys future. Avistas integrated resource plan has indicated that Colstrip will no longer be economic for its customers in Washington and Idaho after 2025. Avistas integrated resource plan sets forth a strategy for serving its customers in Washington and Idaho with reliable and cost-effective resources. In addition, Washingtons Clean Energy Transformation Act precludes Avista from serving Washington customers with generation from Colstrip after 2025. This Agreement furthers our objective of providing reliable, affordable energy to our customers, while also ensuring that we are able to comply with the law, said Thackston. Under the Agreement, Avista retains its existing remediation obligations and enters into a vote sharing agreement with NorthWestern to retain voting rights in regard to any decision that might be made with respect to remediation activities. In addition, while NorthWestern will have the right to exercise Avistas vote with respect to capital expenditures between now and 2025, the Agreement is structured such that Avistas contribution to those expenditures is limited to its pro rata share between the date of the expenditure and 2025, and to the least-cost alternative available, thereby ensuring that the costs directly benefit Avista customers and dont, in and of themselves, extend the life of the plant. The Agreement also preserves Avistas rights in the Colstrip transmission system, giving Avista the ability to leverage capacity on that system for future renewables projects in furtherance of its clean energy goals. The ability to utilize the Colstrip transmission system for future renewables projects in Montana will be an important tool as we move towards our clean energy goals, said Thackston. Preserving that capacity was another important objective for us in discussions regarding our exit from Colstrip. On behalf of Avista, I want to thank NorthWestern, as well as the other owners of Colstrip for their ongoing commitment to work constructively on solutions that address everyones respective needs in Colstrip, said Dennis Vermillion, President and Chief Executive Officer of Avista. This agreement would not have been possible if the owners had been unwilling to engage constructively with one another, and to recognize each others unique needs and interests when it came to Colstrip. Vermillion added that while this is an important step forward, it is not the end of the process. We remain engaged with the other owners of Colstrip to address several outstanding issues, including potential future emissions reductions at the plant and resolution of pending legal proceedings. I am confident that, through our continued work together, we will continue to find solutions to these complicated and challenging issues, for the benefit of our customers and the region as a whole. Under the Colstrip Ownership & Operating Agreement, each of the owners will have a 90 day period in which to evaluate the transaction and determine whether to exercise their respective right of first refusal as to a portion of the generation being turned over to NorthWestern. About Avista Corp. Avista Corp. is an energy company involved in the production, transmission, and distribution of energy as well as other energy-related businesses. Avista Utilities is the operating division that provides electric service to 403,000 customers and natural gas to 369,000 customers. Its service territory covers 30,000 square miles in eastern Washington, northern Idaho, and parts of southern and eastern Oregon, with a population of 1.6 million. Alaska Energy and Resources Company is an Avista subsidiary that provides retail electric service in the city and borough of Juneau, Alaska, through its subsidiary Alaska Electric Light and Power Company. Avista stock is traded under the ticker symbol "AVA." For more information about Avista, please visit www.avistacorp.com. This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding the companys current expectations. Forward-looking statements are all statements other than historical facts. Such statements speak only as of the date of the news release and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the companys control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations. These risks and uncertainties include, in addition to those discussed herein, all of the factors discussed in the companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2021 and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2022. To unsubscribe from Avistas news release distribution, send a reply message to lena.funston@avistacorp.com. Contact: Media: Casey Fielder, (509) 495-4916, casey.fielder@avistacorp.com Investors: Stacey Wenz, (509) 495-2046, stacey.wenz@avistacorp.com Avista 24/7 Media Access: (509) 495-4174 English Finnish ROBIT PLC PRESS RELEASE 17 JANUARY 2023 AT 9.30 A.M. ROBIT INVOLVED IN SAUDI ARABIA'S NEOM PROJECT One of the world's largest construction projects has started in Saudi Arabia near the northern end of the Red Sea. Neom is a futuristic city with an area of 26,500 square kilometers. The Line, a 170 kilometer long building, is part of the Neom project. It will use high-speed trains for transport within the city. The rail system will require the excavation of some 28 kilometres of tunnels. In the summer of 2022, the bidding for jumbo drilling in the tunnel project was won by Jinyang R&S, one of the largest jumbo drill rental companies in Korea. Rock tools for the tunnel jumbos will be supplied by Robit. Robit does not have a long-term supply contract, but the project is a significant opportunity. "We have already received the first orders, size category is not yet significant in terms of invoicing. However Robit is in a good position to continue working closely with the customer," says CEO Arto Halonen. Robit has signed a distribution agreement with the mentioned Korean company Jinyang R&S already in 2017. Drilling equipment has been delivered to numerous construction sites in Korea since then. ROBIT PLC Arto Halonen Further information: Arto Halonen, Group CEO +358 40 028 0717 arto.halonen@robitgroup.com Distribution: Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd Key media www.robitgroup.com Robit is the expert focused on high quality drilling consumables for mining and construction markets globally to help you drill Further. Faster. Robit strives to be world number one company in drilling consumables. Through our high and proven quality Top Hammer, Down the Hole and Geotechnical products, and our expert services, we deliver saving in drilling costs to our customers. Robit has its own sales and service points in eight countries and an active distributor network through which it sells to more than 100 countries. Robits manufacturing units are located in Finland, South Korea, Australia and the UK. Robits shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. Further information is available at www.robitgroup.com. ISTANBUL, Turkey, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Boyden, a premier leadership and talent advisory firm with more than 70 offices in over 45 countries, is delighted to announce the arrival of a new leadership team in Turkey, Murat Ergene and Ibrahim Paksoy. We are delighted to join Boyden, a firm we have known very closely, said Murat Ergene Managing Partner, Country Leader Boyden Turkey. Our local strength, combined with Boydens global synergy and capabilities will provide valuable services to clients in Turkey and worldwide. Our differentiating strength has always been the wide range of business domain expertise of our consultants who held multinational executive management roles at leading companies. We pride ourselves in our agility to meet the changing demands of our customers such as the impact of digital advancements and technology. Our aim is to exceed clients expectations by delivering services at a global level through collaborative efforts with our colleagues worldwide. Ibrahim Paksoy, Managing Partner, Boyden Turkey, adds, I am delighted to join a global team of leadership consultants, which will strengthen our capabilities in both executive search and leadership consulting services. Murat Ergene is a well-known executive search and human resources expert, collaborating with C-suite leaders to identify high performers and improve team effectiveness. He identifies senior executives and board members for organisations across a range of sectors, and provides expertise in HR consulting. He is a partner in one of the most comprehensive people analytics technology solutions providers in the market. He is the founder of Ergene Consulting, a market-leading consulting firm and held human resources leadership roles in FMCG, Retail and Finance sectors at industry-leading firms such as Unilever, Carrefour and Garanti Bank BBVA. He started his career in the sales division at Unilever. Murat holds a Bachelors degree in political science and international relations from Bogazici University and a Masters degree in HR Management. Ibrahim Paksoy leverages more than 25 years experience in executive management, providing executive search services to clients across a range of industries. He is a partner in one of the most comprehensive people analytics technology solutions providers in the market. He was previously partner in Ergene Consulting, and held executive management roles in Real Estate and Banking sectors at industry-leading institutions in Turkey, Germany, Russia, Netherlands, Romania and The United Arab Emirates. He started his career in Audit and Business Advisory division at Arthur Andersen. Ibrahim holds a Masters degree in finance from Koc University, and a Bachelors degree in economics from Marmara University. About Boyden Boyden is a premier leadership and talent advisory firm with more than 70 offices in over 45 countries. Our global reach enables us to serve client needs anywhere they conduct business. We connect great companies with great leaders through executive search, interim management and leadership consulting solutions. Boyden is ranked amongst the top companies on Forbes Americas Best Executive Recruiting Firms for 2021. For further information, visit www.boyden.com. Contacts: Chris Swee, Boyden New York Chief Marketing Officer T: +1 914 747 0172 E: cswee@boyden.com Infographics accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/66662ba2-3cf4-4954-be6f-e57bd9b776e5 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/879202c3-2535-4b9c-86a2-3b6e8e511387 VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Standard Lithium Ltd. (Standard Lithium or the Company) (TSXV: SLI) (NYSE American: SLI) (FRA: S5L), a leading near-commercial lithium company, announces that two experienced energy executives, Claudia D'Orazio and Anca Rusu, have joined its Board as independent directors of the Company, effective immediately. We are pleased to welcome Claudia and Anca to Standard Lithiums Board of Directors during such an important stage of growth for the Company, said Robert Cross, Chairman of the Board. Both are accomplished senior executives who bring decades of experience in the energy sector. Claudias technical and financial acumen and human resources expertise, coupled with Ancas experience in project development and focus on safety and environmental excellence, will be of great value to Standard Lithium as we continue to progress towards commercialization. Claudia DOrazio, CPA, is an accomplished senior executive with leadership experience across a range of industries, including oil and gas, energy, mining, public audit, and finance. She is currently the Vice President and Chief Human Resources & Technology Officer of Centerra Gold Inc., a publicly traded Canadian-based gold mining company. Prior to joining Centerra Gold, Ms. DOrazio held several leadership roles with Pembina Pipeline Corporation from 2006 to 2020, ending as Vice President, Human Resources. She spent the first half of her career in public audit and finance at the Royal Bank of Canada, and KPMG LLP. Ms. DOrazio is currently a Board member of the Canadian Mineral Industry Education Foundation. She holds a Chartered Professional Accountant Designation and Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Management Information Systems from McGill University. Anca Rusu is a strategic leader with over 20 years of experience directing global capital projects within the energy sector. She most recently served as the Special Advisor, Projects and Engineering for Royal Dutch Shell, where she supported the re-positioning of the global Projects organization to align with the companys focus on the energy transition. Ms. Rusu joined Royal Dutch Shell in 2005 and has held a variety of leadership roles there, including Vice President, Safety and Environment Excellence and Vice President, Projects Shell Chemical Appalachia, where she led the construction of Shells major petrochemical plant in Pennsylvania. She began her career as an engineering, procurement, and construction contractor in her role as a project engineer. Ms. Rusu currently serves on the National Board of the Project Management Association of Canada and as an Advisory Board member for Moss Lake Partners LP, a US-based midstream logistics start-up. She holds a Professional Engineer Designation in Ontario, Canada, an MBA from York University and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Mechanical Engineering from Politechnica University of Bucharest. Standard Lithium CEO, Robert Mintak stated, I am very pleased to welcome Anca and Claudia, two exceptional, independent directors to our Board. Both bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise across the energy, resource and finance sectors that will significantly strengthen and complement the current makeup of our Board. About Standard Lithium Ltd. Standard Lithium is a leading near-commercial lithium development company with a portfolio of projects in process. The Companys flagship projects, the LANXESS Property Project and the South West Arkansas Project, are located in southern Arkansas near the Louisiana state line. The Company is focused on the evaluation and testing of commercial lithium extraction and purification from brine sourced from approximately 180,000 acres of unitized leases across these two projects. The Company operates a first-of-a-kind industrial-scale Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) Demonstration Plant at the LANXESS Property Project. The scalable, environmentally friendly process eliminates the use of evaporation ponds, reduces processing time from months to hours and greatly increases the effective recovery of lithium. A Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) and Front-End Engineering Study (FEED) for Phase 1A of the LANXESS Property Project commenced in September 2022. A Preliminary Feasibility Study (PFS) of the South West Arkansas Project commenced in May 2022. The Company is also pursuing the resource development of approximately 45,000 acres of mineral leases located in the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California. Standard Lithium is jointly listed on the TSX Venture Exchange and the NYSE American under the trading symbol SLI; and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol S5L. Please visit the Companys website at https://www.standardlithium.com. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words anticipate, believe, estimate, expect, target, plan, forecast, may, schedule and other similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information may relate to plans at the LANXESS Property Project and the South West Arkansas Project, future prices of commodities, accuracy of mineral or resource exploration activity, reserves or resources, regulatory or government requirements or approvals, the reliability of third party information, continued access to mineral properties or infrastructure, fluctuations in the market for lithium and its derivatives, changes in exploration costs and government regulation in Canada and the United States, and other factors or information. Such statements represent the Companys current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations. With industrial militancy growing and spreading across Britain, the Tories and bosses are pushing for further restrictions on workers right to strike. The trade union leaders must organise a militant fightback to smash these laws to pieces. Earlier this week, after months of rumours and speculation, Tory transport secretary Grant Shapps finally outlined a new bill that would enforce minimum service levels in key industries during strikes. The draconian bill would essentially remove the right to strike from millions of workers, and blunt the effectiveness of legal strike action. Despite being drafted to specifically target transport unions, such as the RMT, who have led the way in Britains strike wave, this legislation represents a threat to the entire labour movement. It is no coincidence that the Tories are proposing this latest bill amidst a resurgence of industrial militancy. With these new laws, this belligerent government is throwing down the gauntlet to the trade unions. Union leaders must pick it up and respond to this challenge by launching a mass movement one rivalling the general strike of 1926, the Suffragettes, and Chartism, as Mick Lynch correctly proposed when this plan was first revealed. Resistance The TUC has put forward 1 February as a national day of action against this Tory bill, involving events across the country. Paul Nowak, the new TUC general secretary, has also referred to the new legislation as undemocratic, unworkable, and almost certainly illegal. Trade union leaders must mobilise members en masse to defy these Tory laws / Image: Socialist Appeal Nowak has committed the TUC to resisting the bill in Parliament and in the courts. But the whole history of the labour movement shows that the legal system is no friend of the working class. Instead, the trade union leaders must prepare to mobilise members en masse to defy these Tory laws. As Unite general secretary Sharon Graham has previously stated: If [the Tories] force our legitimate activities outside of the law, then dont expect us to play by the rules. Anti-union laws have shackled the organised working class for years not because of the strength of the state, but because of the timidity of the union leaders. The response from the trade unions must therefore be more than a few town hall meetings and court cases. What is needed is a mass mobilisation of the whole labour movement. Already, the Enough is Enough campaign has responded with a petition titled defend the right to strike, which has almost 160,000 signatures at the time of writing. Another by the TUC has over 100,000. The appetite is there for a serious fightback. Responding to the Tories latest anti-union announcement, Matt Wrack, general secretary of the firefighters union, correctly called for a mass movement of resistance to this authoritarian attack. Such resistance must utilise all means at our disposal. Mass rallies, demonstrations, coordinated action, and even a one-day general strike: the labour movement must use any means necessary to defend itself in this class war. Encouragingly, left-led PCS has pointed the way forward, calling out 100,000 civil servants for the 1 February day of action. Other unions must join this mobilisation. The call must be: all forces to the point of attack! Safety The new legislation, dubbed the Minimum Service Levels Bill, targets six sectors in particular: rail, health, education, border security, fire services, and nuclear decommissioning. The bosses proposals to cut safety-critical jobs are a main driver behind the RMTs dispute / Image: Socialist Appeal The bill was initially floated by the Tories in their 2019 manifesto, and revived again under the short-lived Truss regime, in response to the ongoing strikes by the RMT. But the extension of the bill to the wider public sector is clearly a response to the fact that action has spread and is spreading to key workers such as nurses, ambulance drivers, immigration officials, teachers, junior doctors, and firefighters. Cynically, Shapps and co. have even taken to referring to the bill as providing minimum safety levels, implying that strikes are putting the public in danger. But when ambulance drivers have struck, for example, they have continued to respond to essential emergency cases. And in fact, as pointed out by many striking workers and union activists, it is low pay and intolerable conditions that are making public services unsafe. As the RCN has argued, for example, a decade of declining real wages for nurses has led to fewer staff, more vacancies and shortages, more burnout, and greater stresses on remaining health workers. Similarly, on the railways, the bosses proposals to cut safety-critical jobs are a main driver behind the RMTs dispute. The suggestion that new repressive laws against the right to strike are needed to keep the public safe is therefore a barefaced lie. It is the Tories and their big business buddies who are the real dangers to public safety. And it is the unions who are fighting for safe, decent, fully-funded services for all. Opposition By proposing this bill, the ruling class is also making it clear who they intend to make pay for the crisis of capitalism the working class. Even after 12 years of austerity and wage restraints, the Tories are intent on continuing their policy of below-inflation pay rises for public sector workers. But with Sunak and Hunt looking to implement another 50 billion in cuts, in order to restore a semblance of stability for British capitalism, the worst is yet to come. And anticipating further industrial struggles, the Tories are preparing for a showdown. This incendiary move has even provoked stern words from His Majestys (sickeningly) Loyal Opposition, with the Labour leaders pledging that they will oppose this bill and would repeal these restrictions on the right to strike if in power. Similarly, the Scottish National Party has come out against these Tory laws, with SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon saying: The way you resolve industrial disputes is by negotiations, not by legislating to take away workers rights. Splits Such comments hypocritically coming from political leaders who have consistently antagonised striking workers show the thinking of a section of the establishment, who are concerned that the Tories are pouring petrol on the fire with their anti-union proposals. The ruling class is increasingly split in the face of British capitalisms deepening crisis / Image: Socialist Appeal The Financial Times, a serious mouthpiece of British capitalism, shares these worries, calling instead for the government to settle disputes and calm the situation through negotiations and compromise. You cant legislate your way into better labour relations, the FT concludes. But even with a new responsible leadership at the helm, the Tories are not completely under the control of the ruling class. Instead, Rishi Sunak is pandering to his partys rabid backbenchers, to whom he must continue to throw generous portions of red meat including further attacks on the trade unions. Above all, what this shows is the dead-end facing the ruling class, which is increasingly split in the face of British capitalisms deepening crisis. One wing demands reforms, fearing the potentially explosive effects of further anti-union restrictions. The other demands repression, meanwhile, unwilling to make concessions for fear that workers appetite will grow with eating. Struggle Whether the bill will actually be implemented remains unclear. Some have suggested that it would be in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights, or that it could be held up in the House of Lords. The organised working class should rely on its own strength to smash these Tory laws / Image: Socialist Appeal Sensible sections of the ruling class those preferring industrial peace over continual strife may look to block, or at least blunt, the bill through these bodies, concerned that it could be the spark for a social explosion. In any case, as emphasised above, the labour movement cannot have any faith in Parliament or the courts. Instead, the organised working class should rely on its own strength a strength which it is now rediscovering and mobilise to smash these Tory laws to pieces through militant, united action. Only class struggle methods mass strikes and street protests can defeat the Tories anti-union attacks and austerity agenda, and overthrow the capitalist system that is at the root of workers problems. Dublin, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Modular Construction Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global modular construction market size reached US$ 76.1 Billion in 2021. Looking forward, the publisher expects the market to reach US$ 109 Billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 6.17% during 2021-2027. Modular construction refers to the off-site development of prefabricated engineered buildings in controlled industrial conditions. It involves the use of individual modules or sections, such as kitchens, bathroom pods and complete or partial rooms, manufactured in a facility using standard materials and code of construction. These modules are further assembled at the building site and are reinforced with a self-supporting structure or an independent structural framework for multi-story buildings. In comparison to the traditionally used construction methods, modular construction is faster, cost-effective, sustainable and causes minimal disturbances and waste generation. It can also be conveniently disassembled, refurbished and relocated with low resource requirements. Modular Construction Market Trends: Significant growth in the construction industry across the globe is one of the key factors creating a positive outlook for the market. Moreover, the increasing requirement for time and cost-effective construction solutions is providing a thrust to the growth of the market. With the rising environmental consciousness among the masses, consumers are widely adopting permanent modular constructions (PMC) for developing sustainable commercial, industrial and residential complexes. They are also used for establishing custom-built rehabilitation clinics, emergency rooms, operating rooms, hospital extensions, laboratories, diagnostic centers and other medical facilities. In line with this, widespread adoption of steel-based frames, wall panels and hot-rolled frameworks is also contributing to the market growth. They offer enhanced structural integrity, design flexibility, security and fire resistance. Additionally, the increasing utilization of lean manufacturing techniques and technologically advanced equipment is also favoring the market growth. Other factors, including increasing expenditure capacities of the consumers, along with the implementation of favorable government policies promoting infrastructural development, are anticipated to drive the market toward growth. Competitive Landscape: The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined along with the profiles of the key players being Algeco, Balfour Beatty plc, Bouygues, Etex Group, Guerdon LLC, KLEUSBERG GmbH & Co KG, Laing O'Rourke, Larsen & Toubro Limited, Lendlease Corporation, Red Sea International, Skanska AB and Taisei Corporation. Key Questions Answered in This Report: How has the global modular construction market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years? What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global modular construction market? What are the key regional markets? What is the breakup of the market based on the type? What is the breakup of the market based on the module type? What is the breakup of the market based on the material? What is the breakup of the market based on the end use? What are the various stages in the value chain of the industry? What are the key driving factors and challenges in the industry? What is the structure of the global modular construction market and who are the key players? What is the degree of competition in the industry? Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 145 Forecast Period 2021 - 2027 Estimated Market Value (Billion) in 2021 Billion76.1 Billion Forecasted Market Value (Billion) by 2027 Billion109 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 6.1% Regions Covered Global Key Topics Covered: 1 Preface 2 Scope and Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Introduction 4.1 Overview 4.2 Key Industry Trends 5 Global Modular Construction Market 5.1 Market Overview 5.2 Market Performance 5.3 Impact of COVID-19 5.4 Market Forecast 6 Market Breakup by Type 6.1 Permanent 6.1.1 Market Trends 6.1.2 Market Forecast 6.2 Relocatable 6.2.1 Market Trends 6.2.2 Market Forecast 7 Market Breakup by Module Type 7.1 Four Sided 7.1.1 Market Trends 7.1.2 Market Forecast 7.2 Open Sided 7.2.1 Market Trends 7.2.2 Market Forecast 7.3 Partially Open Sided 7.3.1 Market Trends 7.3.2 Market Forecast 7.4 Mixed Modules and Floor Cassettes 7.4.1 Market Trends 7.4.2 Market Forecast 7.5 Modules Supported by a Primary Structure 7.5.1 Market Trends 7.5.2 Market Forecast 7.6 Others 7.6.1 Market Trends 7.6.2 Market Forecast 8 Market Breakup by Material 8.1 Steel 8.1.1 Market Trends 8.1.2 Market Forecast 8.2 Concrete 8.2.1 Market Trends 8.2.2 Market Forecast 8.3 Wood 8.3.1 Market Trends 8.3.2 Market Forecast 8.4 Plastic 8.4.1 Market Trends 8.4.2 Market Forecast 8.5 Others 8.5.1 Market Trends 8.5.2 Market Forecast 9 Market Breakup by End Use 9.1 Residential 9.1.1 Market Trends 9.1.2 Market Forecast 9.2 Commercial 9.2.1 Market Trends 9.2.2 Market Forecast 9.3 Education 9.3.1 Market Trends 9.3.2 Market Forecast 9.4 Retail 9.4.1 Market Trends 9.4.2 Market Forecast 9.5 Hospitality 9.5.1 Market Trends 9.5.2 Market Forecast 9.6 Healthcare 9.6.1 Market Trends 9.6.2 Market Forecast 9.7 Others 9.7.1 Market Trends 9.7.2 Market Forecast 10 Market Breakup by Region 11 SWOT Analysis 12 Value Chain Analysis 13 Porters Five Forces Analysis 14 Price Analysis 15 Competitive Landscape 15.1 Market Structure 15.2 Key Players 15.3 Profiles of Key Players 15.3.1 Algeco 15.3.1.1 Company Overview 15.3.1.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.2 Balfour Beatty plc 15.3.2.1 Company Overview 15.3.2.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.2.3 Financials 15.3.2.4 SWOT Analysis 15.3.3 Bouygues 15.3.3.1 Company Overview 15.3.3.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.4 Etex Group 15.3.4.1 Company Overview 15.3.4.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.5 Guerdon LLC 15.3.5.1 Company Overview 15.3.5.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.6 KLEUSBERG GmbH & Co KG 15.3.6.1 Company Overview 15.3.6.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.7 Laing O'Rourke 15.3.7.1 Company Overview 15.3.7.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.7.3 SWOT Analysis 15.3.8 Larsen & Toubro Limited 15.3.8.1 Company Overview 15.3.8.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.8.3 Financials 15.3.8.4 SWOT Analysis 15.3.9 Lendlease Corporation 15.3.9.1 Company Overview 15.3.9.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.9.3 Financials 15.3.9.4 SWOT Analysis 15.3.10 Red Sea International 15.3.10.1 Company Overview 15.3.10.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.10.3 Financials 15.3.11 Skanska AB 15.3.11.1 Company Overview 15.3.11.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.11.3 Financials 15.3.11.4 SWOT Analysis 15.3.12 Taisei Corporation 15.3.12.1 Company Overview 15.3.12.2 Product Portfolio 15.3.12.3 Financials 15.3.12.4 SWOT Analysis For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/asic6i Attachment Toronto, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Diabetes Canada is proud to announce the winners of our End Diabetes Awards research competition . Each of the winning research projects has the potential to unlock new insights and breakthroughs in the field of diabetes management, care, and risk-reduction. These investigator-driven projects span biomedical, clinical, health services and population health researchand all aim to dramatically improve the lives of people living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Canada has a well-earned reputation for innovation in diabetes treatment and care that has dramatically improved the quality of life for people with diabetes, says Laura Syron, President and CEO of Diabetes Canada. Diabetes Canada is excited to invest in these researchers and their teams as they work to advance new discoveries and the next big breakthrough in diabetes care. From a project that is probing into the systemic health inequities that prevent high-risk communities from accessing life-saving technologies to a study that is exploring the possibility of delaying type 1 diabetes by resetting the immune system, these research projects are uncovering new and pioneering ways to tackle the growing burden of diabetes in Canada. To end diabetes, we need to harness the transformative and combined power of technological, medical, and scientific research. That is why Diabetes Canada has committed $9 million in funds to the research community, ensuring that each of these 30 promising projects receive a $100,000 grant annually for three years. The winning projects were rigorously evaluated by scientists with expertise in diabetes research, with input from people with lived experience, as well as our National Research Council. The diversity and strength of diabetes research in Canada cant be overstated, says Dr. Rob Screaton, Co-Chair of Diabetes Canadas National Research Council. These new awards will energize the dynamic research community and add to the growing excitement about identifying new treatments for people living with diabetes on the immediate horizon. On behalf of Diabetes Canada and the millions of people in Canada currently living with diabetes, including myself, I would like to recognize the support of our incredible community of donors, without which this research funding would simply not be possible, says Laura Syron. Diabetes Canada currently supports 55 research projects from 15 research institutions and labs located across the country. About Diabetes Canada A world free of the effects of diabetes is our vision. Thats why were working together to improve the quality of life of people living with diabetes. Were sharing knowledge and creating connections for individuals and the health-care professionals who care for them; advocating through public policy; and funding research to improve treatments and find a cure to end diabetes. Brooklyn, New York, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to a new market research report published by Global Market Estimates, the Global Wind Turbine Bearings Market is expected to grow from USD 6.2 Billion in 2023 to USD 11.5 Billion by 2028 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 13.15% from 2023 to 2028. The rising support of government policies for wind energy production, the requirement for high-capacity bearings in wind turbines, and the adoption of smart industrial bearings will propel the demand of the wind turbine bearings market. Browse 153 Market Data Tables and 113 Figures spread through 185 Pages and in-depth TOC on Global Wind Turbine Bearings Market - Forecast to 2028 Key Market Insights As per the type outlook, the slewing ring bearing segment is expected to be the largest segment in the global wind turbine bearings market from 2023 to 2028 As per the application mode, the cloud on shore is expected to be the largest segment in the global wind turbine bearings market from 2023 to 2028 The Asia Pacific region is analyzed to be the fastest-growing region in the market North America region will have the largest share in the market during the forecast period of 2023-2028 The paramount competitors covered in the global wind turbine bearings market report include Dalian Metallurgical Bearing Group Co. Ltd., IMO Antriebseinheit GmbH & Co. KG, Liebherr-International AG, NSK Ltd., NTN Bearing Corp., Rollix Defontaine S.A, Rothe Erde India, Schaeffler AG, SKF Group, and Timken Company among others Request a Sample Copy of the Report @ https://www.globalmarketestimates.com/market-report/wind-turbine-bearings-market-3921 Type Mode Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2023-2028) Slewing Ring Bearings Spherical Roller Bearings Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2023-2028) On-shore Off-shore By Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2023-2028) North America The U.S. Canada Mexico Europe Germany UK France Spain Italy Netherlands Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China India Japan South Korea Thailand Indonesia Malaysia Singapore Vietnam Rest of APAC Central & South America Brazil Argentina Chile Rest of CSA Middle East & Africa Saudi Arabia UAE Israel South Africa Rest of MEA Contact: Yash Jain Director - Global Accounts & Strategic Advisory Email address: yash.jain@globalmarketestimates.com Phone Number: +1 6026667238 Website: www.globalmarketestimates.com ISELIN, N.J., Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Provident Bank, a leading New Jersey-based financial institution is pleased to announce that Scott Hurlbert has joined the bank as Senior Vice President, Digital Channels Director with the Information Technology team. Mr. Hurlbert will be based in the banks Iselin, N.J. administrative headquarters. In this position, Mr. Hurlbert is responsible for the management of all of the banks digital channels, including ATMs, online and mobile banking, customer contact center, as well as collaborating closely with key internal stakeholders to ensure the bank has a shared and cohesive digital strategy that is integrated and aligned. I am thrilled to welcome Scott to our team. He is a leader who understands what digitizing a bank involves from providing a best-in-class digital experience for customers and enabling digitization of processes to assist our employees, said Ravi Vakacherla, Executive Vice President, Chief Digital and Innovation Officer. His expertise is a welcome addition, as we look to continue enhancing the digital experience for our customers, added Mr. Vakacherla. Scott Hurlbert, Senior Vice President, Digital Channels Director Mr. Hurlbert has more than 20 years experience in banking technology, and digital and mobile delivery channels. Prior to joining Provident, he was Senior Vice President, Digital Banking with Peoples United Bank, where he was instrumental in developing and delivering world class digital experiences to their customers. Mr. Hurlbert holds a Bachelor of Arts from Connecticut College, New London, CT. About Provident Bank Provident Bank, a community-oriented financial institution offering Commitment you can count on since 1839, is the wholly owned subsidiary of Provident Financial Services, Inc. (NYSE:PFS), which reported assets of $13.60 billion as of September 30, 2022. With $10.69 billion in deposits, Provident Bank provides a comprehensive suite of financial products and services through its network of branches throughout northern and central New Jersey, as well as Bucks, Lehigh and Northampton counties in Pennsylvania and Nassau and Queens Counties in New York. The Bank also provides fiduciary and wealth management services through its wholly owned subsidiary, Beacon Trust Company and insurance services through its wholly owned subsidiary, Provident Protection Plus, Inc. For more information about Provident Bank, visit www.provident.bank or join the conversations on Facebook (ProvidentBank) and Twitter (@ProvidentBank). CONTACT: Keith Buscio 732.590.9407 Keith.buscio@provident.bank A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/66c20ce4-e914-4320-bc73-4016a951004d New York, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "4D Bioprinting Market by Type of Technology, Application Area, End-user and Key Geographical Regions : Industry Trends and Global Forecasts, 2023-2035" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06380614/?utm_source=GNW One such application area is 3D bioprinting that includes the printing of living cells and enables the development of highly complex tissues that mimic the structure and performance ability of desired organ, within the body. Although 3D bioprinting results in the printing of an exact replica of primary human organs, however, the printed 3D objects are inert and static in nature and are unable to change shape when subjected to environmental changes. 4D bioprinting makes this possible; 4D bioprinting refers to the incorporation of a fourth dimension that enables these structures to change their shape with time. The additional element in the bioprinting technology that enables the fourth dimension, includes application of smart materials, which have the tendency to morph in the presence of stimuli (such as, heat, water, light, electricity, magnetic energy, stress, strain, and pressure). In addition to the ability to morph, these 4D printed structures have the ability to self-repair and can adapt to various environmental changes. This technology, though, is currently associated with several challenges; these include printing the existing stimuli-responsive materials and optimizing them with bio-inks. Assembling and folding deformations in 4D printed structures is also quite demanding. Owing to the ongoing advancements in the 4D biofabrication technology, several players are actively adopting and developing 4D bioprinters and smart biomaterials. It is worth highlighting that 4D bioprinting is garnering a lot of attention from academicians and industry players. In fact, the volume of affiliated scientific literature has increased at a rate of ~130% since last five years, demonstrating the growing popularity of 4D bioprinting. Further, looking at the wide range of applications associated with the 4D bioprinting, such as tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and drug related applications, a number of start-ups have also emerged in this domain. Given the rising interest of stakeholders towards technological advancements and growing adoption of 4D bioprinting for above mentioned applications, we believe that the overall market for 4D bioprinting is anticipated to witness substantial growth in the coming years. SCOPE OF THE REPORT The 4D Bioprinting Market Distribution by Type of Technology (Extrusion-based Technology, Laser-based Technology, Inkjet-based Technology and Others), Application Area (Biomedical Applications and Others), End-user (Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Companies, Academic Research and Development and Other End-users) and Key Geographical Regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and North Africa): Industry Trends and Global Forecasts, 2023-2035 report features an extensive study of the current market landscape and future potential of the 4D bioprinting market. The study features an in-depth analysis, highlighting the capabilities of 4D bioprinter and smart biomaterial developers. Amongst other elements, the report includes: An executive summary of the key insights captured during our research. It offers a high-level view on the likely evolution of the 4D bioprinting market in the short to mid-term, and long term. A general overview of the 4D bioprinting and its working principle, which features details on the different stimuli responsive materials used in 4D bioprinting (including, physical and chemical stimulus). Further, the chapter includes details on the various technologies (such as, stereolithography, selective laser sintering, fused filament modeling, jet 3D printing, direct ink writing and selective laser melting) being used in 4D bioprinting. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the applications, limitations associated and factors which would lead to projected growth in the coming years. A detailed assessment of the current market landscape of 4D bioprinters, featuring information on the status of development (commercial and under development), type of biomaterial (natural, polymer, synthetic, ceramic and others / undisclosed), type of technology (extrusion-based technology, polymer-based technology, laser-based technology, micro-valve technology, electro-writing, fused filament fabrication, vector technology and others / undisclosed), type of stimulus used (heat, light, moisture and others / undisclosed), product specifications (remote accessibility, and software and service), applications area(s) (tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, wound healing, electronics, drug discovery and development, orthopedics and others) and end-user(s) (academic and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies). In addition to this, the chapter features information on 4D bioprinter developers and a detailed analysis based on several relevant parameters, such as year of establishment, company size (in terms of employee count) and location of headquarters (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World). A detailed assessment of the current market landscape of smart biomaterials, featuring information on the status of development (commercial and under development), type of biomaterial (polymer, metallic, natural and others / undisclosed), form of biomaterial (sheet, liquid, gel, fibre, versatile and others / undisclosed), type of stimulus used (heat, electric field, magnetic field, moisture, enzymes / chemicals and others / undisclosed) and application area(s) (tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, wound healing, drug-based applications, orthopedics and others). In addition to this, the chapter features information on smart biomaterial developers and a detailed analysis based on several relevant parameters, such as year of establishment, company size (in terms of employee count) and location of headquarters (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World). A benchmarking analysis of the various players engaged in developing 4D bioprinters and smart biomaterials. It highlights the capabilities of the players in terms of their expertise across the products developed or under development. The analysis allows companies to compare their existing capabilities within and beyond their peer groups and identify opportunities to gain a competitive edge in the industry. A detailed competitiveness analysis of 4D bioprinters, taking into consideration several relevant parameters, such as product strength (including, commercial status, type of biomaterials, type of technologies used, type of stimulus used and number of specifications) and product diversity (including, application area(s) and end-user(s)). Tabulated profiles of the key players involved in developing 4D bioprinters and smart biomaterials. Each profile features a brief overview of the company, its financial information (if available), details on its product portfolio, recent developments and an informed future outlook. An in-depth analysis of various publications for 4D bioprinting, based on several relevant parameters, such as year of publication, type of article, emerging key focus areas, popular publishers (in terms of number of publications), popular journals (in terms of number of number of publications), journal impact factor, popular journals (in terms of journal impact factor) and popular funding bodies (in terms of number of publications). It also highlights the timeline analysis (by article type and journal impact factor), along with the benchmarking of the publications to develop more insightful opinions on the recent trends related to research and development in this area. A qualitative analysis of the five competitive forces, including threats of new entrants, bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, threats of substitute products and rivalry among existing companies under an insightful Porters Five Forces framework. One of the key objectives of the report was to evaluate the current opportunity and future potential associated with the 4D bioprinting market, over the coming 12 years. We have provided informed estimates of the likely evolution of the market in the short to mid-term, and long term, for the period 2023-2035. Our year-wise projections of the current and future opportunity have further been segmented based on relevant parameters, such as type of technology (extrusion-based technology, laser-based technology, inkjet-based technology and others), application area (biomedical applications and others), end-user (pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academic research and development and other end-users), key geographical regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and North Africa). To account for future uncertainties in the market and to add robustness to our model, we have provided three forecast scenarios, portraying the conservative, base and optimistic tracks of the markets evolution. The opinions and insights presented in the report were also influenced by discussions held with senior stakeholders in the industry. The report features detailed transcripts of interviews held with the following individuals: Suhridh Sundaram (Chief Operating Officer, Avay Biosciences) Preethem Srinath (Doctoral Candidate, CURAM) Sam Onukuri (Independent Consultant, the US) RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The data presented in this report has been gathered via secondary and primary research. For all our projects, we conduct interviews / surveys with experts in this domain (academia, industry, medical practice and other associations) to solicit their opinions on emerging trends in the market. This is primarily useful for us to draw out our own opinion on how the market will evolve across different regions and technology segments. Wherever possible, the available data has been checked for accuracy from multiple sources of information. The secondary sources of information include: Annual reports Investor presentations SEC filings Industry databases News releases from company websites Government policy documents Industry analysts views All actual figures have been sourced and analyzed from publicly available information forums and primary research discussions. Financial figures mentioned in this report are in USD, unless otherwise specified. KEY QUESTIONS ANSWERED What is meant by 4D Bioprinting? How does 4D bioprinting work? What are the benefits of 4D Bioprinting? Who are the leading developers of 4D bioprinters and smart biomaterials? Which is the hub of 4D bioprinter and smart biomaterial developers? What is the relative competitiveness of different 4D bioprinter and smart biomaterial developers? What is the relative competitiveness of different 4D bioprinters? What are the strengths and threats for the developers engaged in the 4D bioprinting industry? What is the focus of various publications related to 4D bioprinting? What is the current / future market of 4D bioprinting? CHAPTER OUTLINES Chapter 2 is an executive summary of the key insights captured during our research. It offers a high-level view on the likely evolution of the 4D bioprinting market in the short to mid-term, and long term. Chapter 3 provides a general overview of the 4D bioprinting and its working principle, which features details on the different stimuli responsive materials used in 4D bioprinting (including, physical and chemical stimulus). Further, the chapter includes details on the various technologies (such as, Stereolithography, Selective Laser Sintering, Fused Filament Modeling, Jet 3D Printing, Direct Ink Writing and Selective Laser Melting) used in 4D bioprinting. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the applications, limitations associated and factors which would lead to projected growth in the coming years. Chapter 4 provides an overview of the current market landscape of 4D bioprinters, featuring information on the status of development (commercial and under development), type of biomaterial (natural, polymer, synthetic, ceramic and others / undisclosed), type of technology (extrusion-based technology, polymer-based technology, laser-based technology, micro-valve technology, electro-writing, fused filament fabrication, vector technology and others / undisclosed), type of stimulus used (heat, light, moisture and others / undisclosed), product specifications (remote accessibility, and software and service), applications area(s) (tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, wound healing, electronics, drug discovery and development, orthopedics and others) and end-user(s) (academic and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies). In addition to this, the chapter features information on 4D bioprinter developers and a detailed analysis based on several relevant parameters, such as year of establishment, company size and location of headquarters. Chapter 5 provides an overview of the current market landscape of smart biomaterials, featuring information on the status of development (commercial and under development), type of biomaterial (polymer, metallic, natural and others / undisclosed), form of biomaterial (sheet, liquid, gel, fibre, versatile and others / undisclosed), type of stimulus used (heat, electric field, magnetic field, moisture, enzymes / chemicals and others / undisclosed) and applications area(s) (tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, wound healing, drug-based applications, orthopedics and others). In addition to this, the chapter features information on 4D smart biomaterials and a detailed analysis based on several relevant parameters, such as year of establishment, company size and location of headquarters. Chapter 6 presents an insightful benchmarking analysis of the various players engaged in developing 4D bioprinters and smart biomaterials. It highlights the capabilities of the players (in terms of their expertise across the products developed or under development). The analysis allows companies to compare their existing capabilities within and beyond their peer groups and identify opportunities to gain a competitive edge in the industry. Chapter 7 provides a detailed competitiveness analysis of 4D bioprinters, taking into consideration several relevant parameters, such as product strength (including, commercial status, type of biomaterials, type of technologies used, type of stimulus used and number of specifications) and product diversity (including, application area(s) and end-user(s)). Chapter 8 features tabulated profiles of the key players involved in developing 4D bioprinters and smart biomaterials. Each profile features a brief overview of the company, its financial information (if available), details on its product portfolio, recent developments and an informed future outlook. Chapter 9 consists of an analysis of various publications for 4D bioprinting, based on several relevant parameters, such as year of publication, type of article, emerging key focus areas, popular publishers (in terms of number of publications), popular journals (in terms of number of number of publications), journal impact factor, popular journals (in terms of journal impact factor) and popular funding bodies (in terms of number of publications). It also highlights the timeline analysis (by article type and journal impact factor), along with the benchmarking of the publications to develop more insightful opinions on the recent trends related to research and development in this area. Chapter 10 presents a qualitative analysis of the five competitive forces, including threats of new entrants, bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, threats of substitute products and rivalry among existing companies under an insightful Porters Five Forces framework. Chapter 11 presents an insightful market forecast analysis, highlighting the likely growth of the 4D bioprinting market till the year 2035. In order to provide details on the future opportunity, our projections have been segmented based on type of technology (extrusion-based technology, laser-based technology, inkjet-based technology and others), application area (biomedical applications and others), end-user industry (pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academic research and development and other end-users), key geographical regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America And Middle East and North Africa). Chapter 12 summarizes the overall report. In this chapter, we have provided a list of key takeaways from the report and express our independent opinion related to the research and analysis described in the previous chapters. Chapter 13 provides the transcripts of the interviews conducted with representatives from renowned organizations that are engaged in 4D bioprinting domain. The chapter contains the details of our conversation with Suhridh Sundaram (Chief Operating Officer), Preethem Srinath (Doctoral Candidate) and Sam Onukuri (Independent Consultant). Chapter 14 is an appendix, that provides tabulated data and numbers for all the figures included in the report. Chapter 15 is an appendix that provides the list of companies and organizations that have been mentioned in the report. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06380614/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ CINCINNATI, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blue Water Vaccines Inc. (BWV or Blue Water Vaccines or the Company), a biopharmaceutical company developing transformational vaccines to address significant global health challenges, today announced the appointment of Timothy Ramdeen, seasoned public market and private equity investment leader, to its board of directors. Mr. Ramdeen has nearly a decade of experience in private equity and hedge fund investing, capital markets, and company formation. Since June 2022, Mr. Ramdeen has been founder and managing partner of Dharma Capital Advisors, an investment and advisory firm focused on early-stage private and public companies. From March 2021 to March 2022, Mr. Ramdeen was co-founder, chief investment officer, and portfolio manager at Sixth Borough Capital Management, a multi-stage, event-driven hedge fund focused on both private and public equities. Since 2022, Mr. Ramdeen has been the co-founder of Amplexd Therapeutics, which is a womens health/biotechnology company focused on providing low-cost, effective, safe and accessible treatments for early cervical and HPV-related cancers worldwide. Mr. Ramdeen also serves as a corporate advisor/board member to multiple early-stage companies and investment funds. Previously, Mr. Ramdeen was the fifth hire at Altium Capital Management (Altium), a healthcare-focused investment firm, where from July 2019 to March 2021 he served as the sole investment analyst on the private capital markets/special situations desk (privately-negotiated financings, direct investments, event-driven long/short, and private to public investments in micro and small-cap companies). During his tenure at Altium, Mr. Ramdeen was instrumental in co-creating the firms SPAC and reverse merger investment efforts and establishing extensive relationships with sell-side constituents, buy-side counterparts, and hundreds of private and publicly traded companies across biotechnology, therapeutics, healthcare services, medical devices and medtech. Mr. Ramdeen received his B.S. in Biology from Temple University, where he conducted scientific research across neurology, oncology, and developmental biology. In addition, Mr. Ramdeen earned his MBA in Finance from NYU Stern School of Business. With his extensive experience in capital advisement and company development, specifically within the life science industry and for publicly traded companies, we are delighted to welcome Mr. Ramdeen to the BWV board of directors, said Joseph Hernandez, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BWV. As BWV continues to grow and establish our footprint in the biotechnology landscape, we are confident that Mr. Ramdeen will greatly contribute to that success. About Blue Water Vaccines Blue Water Vaccines Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing transformational vaccines to address significant health challenges globally. Headquartered in Cincinnati, OH, the company holds the rights to proprietary technology developed at the University of Oxford, Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center, St. Jude Childrens Hospital, and The University of Texas Health San Antonio. The Company is developing a universal flu vaccine that will provide protection from all virulent strains in addition to licensing a novel norovirus (NoV) S&P nanoparticle versatile virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine platform from Cincinnati Childrens to develop vaccines for multiple infectious diseases, including norovirus/rotavirus and malaria, among others. Additionally, Blue Water Vaccines is developing a Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) vaccine candidate, designed to specifically prevent the highly infectious middle ear infections, known as Acute Otitis Media (AOM), in children, and prevention of pneumonia in older people at risk for contracting pneumococcal pneumonia, a significant unmet medical need. The advantage of this technology includes a serotype independent mucosal immunity that prevents colonization in the upper respiratory tract as well as systemic immunity that can confer serotype independent against invasive pneumococcal disease. The Company is also developing a Chlamydia vaccine candidate with UT Health San Antonio to prevent infection and reduce the need for antibiotic treatment associated with contracting Chlamydia disease. For more information, visit www.bluewatervaccines.com. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as anticipate, believe, forecast, estimate, expect, and intend, among others. These forward-looking statements are based on BWVs current expectations and actual results could differ materially. There are a number of factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, risks related to the development of BWVs vaccine candidates; the failure to obtain FDA clearances or approvals and noncompliance with FDA regulations; delays and uncertainties caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic; risks related to the timing and progress of clinical development of our product candidates; our need for additional financing; uncertainties of patent protection and litigation; uncertainties of government or third party payor reimbursement; limited research and development efforts and dependence upon third parties; and substantial competition. As with any vaccine under development, there are significant risks in the development, regulatory approval and commercialization of new products. BWV does not undertake an obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement. Investors should read the risk factors set forth in BWVs Registration Statement on Form S-1, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) on August 29, 2022 and periodic reports filed with the SEC on or after the date thereof. All of BWVs forward-looking statements are expressly qualified by all such risk factors and other cautionary statements. The information set forth herein speaks only as of the date thereof. Media Contact Information: Blue Water Media Relations Telephone: (646) 942-5591 Email: Nic.Johnson@russopartnersllc.com Investor Contact Information: Blue Water Investor Relations Email: investors@bluewatervaccines.com VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Latin Metals Inc. (Latin Metals or the Company) - (TSXV: LMS) (OTCQB: LMSQF) announces staking of the Mirador Copper project (Mirador or the Property), totaling 99,000 hectares and located within Salta Province, Argentina. The property is prospective for sediment-hosted copper deposits, and initial reconnaissance has identified outcropping mineralization with one sample grading 2.4% copper and 628ppm vanadium. Keith Henderson, the Companys President & CEO stated, The Mirador property was successfully acquired as part of our ongoing generative studies for sediment-hosted copper in geologically prospective areas. Our initial mapping and sampling has provided proof of concept in the form of high-grade, sediment-hosted copper mineralization in outcrop. Mr. Henderson added, The style of mineralization that we have discovered is exactly what we were looking for, and the project ticks a lot of boxes for Latin Metals. The project area is large, and the acquisition cost was low. Sediment-hosted copper deposits elsewhere in the world tend to be large and high-grade, so we believe that acquiring prospective belts with the right geology and potential for copper mineralization make attractive projects to farm out to larger mining companies, in line with our business model. Plate 1: Outcropping, shale-hosted copper oxide mineralization grading 2.4% copper, Mirador project. https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/17324436-e0ef-4b7d-bbe8-303e3fdbdb89 Mirador Copper Project The 99,000-hectare Mirador project was selected for staking based on the compilation of historical data, regional interpretation of geological maps, and recognition of key geological characteristics in common with sediment-hosted copper deposits elsewhere in the world. The Salta rift and the rocks of the Cretaceous Salta Group have not been a focus for modern exploration and a result, Latin Metals believes that the belt is significantly under-explored. The belt hosts potential source rocks and host rocks as well as structural settings seen in sediment hosted copper deposits globally. Historical records for sediment-hosted copper mineralization have been documented at two levels within the Salta group. The potential host rock sedimentary formations are typically recessive and are covered by vegetation, which goes some way to explain why no other company has identified mineralization in this area. The Project is located approximately 110 km by road from Salta and is accessible year-round by paved road. During initial reconnaissance, our geologists were able to visit a small portion of the claim block and confirm the existence of sediment-hosted copper mineralization. Sampling from an outcrop (Figure 1, Plate 1) returned a grade of 2.4% copper. The sample is also highly anomalous in vanadium, assaying 628 ppm. Figure 1: Mirador project location in Argentina together with various current and historical project locations (left), and Mirador project claim block together with regional geology and historical copper occurrences (right) https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5766a457-db69-48e6-af0b-af4b53fbb6cb Future Work The Company plans to initiate a regional stream sediment survey covering the entire Mirador project area. This work will allow prioritization of prospective areas for detailed follow-up. We will concurrently visit all documented mineral occurrences in the area to identify all possible stratigraphic levels of mineralization and geometry within the Salta group. Corporate Update Webinar On Thursday, February 16, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET, the Company will host a live corporate update and will provide an overview of Latin Metals, its projects in South America and its goals for the coming year. A live question-and-answer period will follow this for investors, analysts, and media. Webinar Details Date: Thursday, February 16, 2023 Time: 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET Speaker: Keith Henderson, CEO of Latin Metals Inc. Registration Link: https://meet.zoho.com/W7CE9ctAr2 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. About Latin Metals Latin Metals is a mineral exploration company acquiring a diversified portfolio of assets in South America. The Company operates with a Prospect Generator model focusing on the acquisition of prospective exploration properties at minimum cost, completing initial evaluation through cost-effective exploration to establish drill targets, and ultimately securing joint venture partners to fund drilling and advanced exploration. Shareholders gain exposure to the upside of a significant discovery without the dilution associated with funding the highest-risk drill-based exploration. QA/QC The work program at Mirador was designed and supervised by Eduardo Leon, the Company's Exploration Manager, who is responsible for all aspects of the work, including the quality control/quality assurance program. On-site personnel at the project rigorously prepare and track samples which are security sealed and shipped to the ALS laboratory in Mendoza. Samples used for the results described herein are prepared and analyzed by multi-element analysis using an inductively coupled mass spectrometer in compliance with industry standards. Qualified Person Keith J. Henderson, P.Geo., is the Company's qualified person as defined by NI 43-101 and has reviewed the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for portions of this news release. He has approved the disclosure herein. Mr. Henderson is not independent of the Company, as he is an employee of the Company and holds securities of the Company. On Behalf of the Board of Directors of LATIN METALS INC. Keith Henderson President & CEO For further details on the Company readers are referred to the Company's web site ( www.latin-metals.com ) and its Canadian regulatory filings on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . For further information, please contact: Keith Henderson Suite 890 999 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC, V6C 2W2 Phone: 604-638-3456 E-mail: info@latin-metals.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation, including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the negotiation of the Option Agreements and exercise of the Option for the Properties, the anticipated content, commencement, timing and cost of exploration programs in respect of the Properties and otherwise, anticipated exploration program results from exploration activities, and the Company's expectation that it will be able to enter into agreements to acquire interests in additional mineral properties, the discovery and delineation of mineral deposits/resources/reserves on the Properties, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Often, but not always, forward looking information can be identified by words such as "pro forma", "plans", "expects", "may", "should", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "potential" or variations of such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, market fundamentals will result in sustained precious and base metals demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future development of the Companys Argentine projects in a timely manner, the availability of financing on suitable terms for the development, construction and continued operation of the Company projects, and the Companys ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors include, among others, operating and technical difficulties in connection with mineral exploration and development and mine development activities at the Properties, including the geological mapping, prospecting and sampling programs being proposed for the Properties (the "Programs"), actual results of exploration activities, including the Programs, estimation or realization of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the timing and amount of estimated future production, costs of production, capital expenditures, the costs and timing of the development of new deposits, the availability of a sufficient supply of water and other materials, requirements for additional capital, future prices of precious metals and copper, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities, possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates, possible failures of plants, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, delays or the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required, any current or future property acquisitions, financing or other planned activities, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, hedging practices, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims limitations on insurance coverage and the timing and possible outcome of pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, risks related to joint venture operations, and risks related to the integration of acquisitions, as well as those factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's latest Management Discussion and Analysis and other filings of the Company with the Canadian Securities Authorities, copies of which can be found under the Company's profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements. Except as otherwise required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking information in this news release or incorporated by reference herein. New York, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Middle East and Africa General Aviation Market - SIZE, SHARE, COVID-19 IMPACT & FORECASTS UP TO 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06381542/?utm_source=GNW Fastest-growing Market by Sub-Aircraft Type - Business Jets : Frequent traveling requirements to attend business and private affairs of HNWIs and their lifestyle is prompting them to acquire more expensive private planes. Largest Market by Body Type - Large Jet : The consumers preference for large jets across the region is driving the demand. Therefore, manufacturers offer consumers a wide range of products according to their convenience. Largest Market by Country - Qatar : Procuring large jets by various companies or individuals across various sectors drives the countrys market growth. Key Market Trends Business Jets is the largest segment by Sub Aircraft Type. Middle East & Africa accounted for around 3% of global business jet deliveries in 2021. Turboprop and piston aircraft accounted for 6.3% and 2.3% of global deliveries. The COVID-19 pandemic adversely impacted the general aviation sector of the region. The global restrictions on travel and pandemic-induced lockdown affected the demand in the general aviation sector. The deliveries in the overall general aviation aircraft segment declined by 36% in 2020. The HNWIs and UHNWIs prefer private jets and helicopters for personal or business travel. The rising number of HNWIs in the region is boosting the procurement of aircraft in the general aviation sector. The UHNWI population increased from 2,146 in 2016 to 2,489 in 2021 in Africa and from 4,452 in 2016 to 9,717 in 2021 in the Middle Eastern countries. Gulfstream was the leading OEM in terms of aircraft deliveries, with around 29 aircraft, followed by Embraer and Bombardier, with 14 and 13 deliveries in the Middle East during 2016-2021. Similarly, in Africa, Bombardier was the prominent player with nine deliveries, followed by Dassault, Gulfstream, and Cessna, with around seven, five, and five deliveries. The growing demand for business aviation services in oil-rich economies is expected to boost the general aviation sector in the Middle East & Africa. Around 1,160 aircraft comprising business jets, helicopters, turboprops, and piston aircraft are expected to be delivered in the region during the forecast period. Qatar is the largest segment by Country. The Middle East & Africa accounted for around 3% of global business jet deliveries in 2021. Similarly, turboprop and piston aircraft accounted for 6.3% and 2.3% of the global deliveries in their category. In 2021, air charter service providers witnessed high demand in the whole Middle East & African region with the surge in new memberships for business aviation. The HNWIs and UHNWIs prefer private jets and helicopters for personal or business travel. The rise in the number of HNWI individuals in the Middle East & African region has aided in procuring aircraft in the general aviation sector. From 2016 to 2021, the HNWI population in the Middle East region increased from 176,000 in 2016 to 754,000 in 2021, and in the African region, it increased from 45,000 in 2016 to 128,000 in 2021. After the pandemic, business jet demand in this region surged 113% in 2021, specifically in the large business jet segment. In terms of the current operational fleet, large jets accounted for around 50% of the overall Middle East business jet fleet and 36% in the Africa region of July 2022, as large jets are more prevalent in the Middle East & Africa region. During the pandemic, air charter service providers witnessed high demand in the Middle East & Africa region. The growth in demand for business aviation services in oil-rich economies is expected to boost the demand for the general aviation sector in the Middle East & African region. Around 1,160 aircraft comprising business jets, helicopters, turboprops, and piston aircraft are expected to be delivered in the Middle East and Africa region during the forecast period. Competitive Landscape The Middle East and Africa General Aviation Market is fairly consolidated, with the top five companies occupying 78.70%. The major players in this market are Airbus SE, Bombardier Inc., Dassault Aviation, General Dynamics Corporation and Leonardo S.p.A (sorted alphabetically). Additional Benefits: The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format 3 months of analyst support Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06381542/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Scottsdale, AZ, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stephen Bishop, MBA, MS, MLS (ASCP), CPHQ, a healthcare consultant at Accumen Inc., was named Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality by the National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ). NAHQ provides the industry-standard framework for healthcare quality competencies that reduce variability of healthcare delivery, by offering a common vocabulary and toolset. The framework includes eight domains: quality review and accountability, professional engagement, quality leadership and integration, performance and process improvement, population health and care transitions, health data analytics, patient safety, and regulatory and accreditation. Leveraging the framework enables professionals and organizations to assess, plan, and measure progress on their quality improvement journey. Further, the Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality is the only accredited certification in healthcare quality. Stephens achievement helps Accumen achieve our goals of providing the best products and services to our clients, said Joe McGann, vice president / general manager of Laboratory Operations at Accumen. He is a highly driven, motivated individual who is continuously delivering value to both Accumen and our clients. Since joining Accumen in 2018, Bishop has obtained his Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from the University of Redlands. He is also a certified medical laboratory scientist by the American Society for Clinical Pathology and a licensed clinical laboratory scientist by the California Department of Public Health. Bishop has been with Accumen for four years in the Lab Consulting service line. In his current role, he advises and constructs strategies for executive healthcare leaders on topics like clinical laboratory revenue expansion, strategic space design, regulatory readiness and compliance, operations improvement, and system-wide standardization. By becoming a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality, he will further advance healthcare quality and safety initiatives for his clients by driving sustainability, improvement opportunities, and increasing patient safetythree critical factors impacting hospitals and health systems today. About Accumen Inc. Accumen helps hospitals and health systems respond to current challenges and even thrive in todays unpredictable and ever-changing environment. With a focus on lab operations, clinical transformation, and 3D imaging post-processing, Accumen leverages technology-enabled consulting services to solve complex hospital and health system issues. Based in Scottsdale, AZ with offices in Louisville, KY and Blue Bell, PA, Accumen accelerates results for more than 1,000 U.S. hospitals and health systems by providing expert resources, extensive operational and clinical data, as well as analytic technology. AccumenHelping Healthcare Get Better, Faster. Attachment Dublin, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Military Robots and Autonomous Systems - Market and Technology Forecast to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. "Global Military Robots and Autonomous Systems - Market and Technology Forecast to 2030" examines military robot markets geographically, focusing on the top 95% of global markets, in the United States, Europe, and Asia. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has once again drawn the attention of military planners towards military robots and autonomous systems. Military robots are autonomous robots or remote-controlled mobile robots created for military functions, from transport to search & rescue and strike mission. Some of these robotic systems are presently in use, and several such robots are under development. These military robots and autonomous systems just rolling out or already in prototype stage are far more proficient, logical, and autonomous than ones now in Iraq and Afghanistan. As new add-ons are developed, military robots will be able to take on a wider set of battlefield roles. As of now the United States military remains the largest user of these robots, however countries like China and Russia are investing billions in robotics research and development that will allow them to narrow the gap with the US. Throughout the report we show how military robots and autonomous systems are used today to add real value. To provide the most thorough and realistic forecast, this report provides a twin-scenario analysis, including "steady state", emergence of new military robot and autonomous system technology. Scope Overview: Snapshot of the various military robots and autonomous system tech in the defense market during 2022-2030, including highlights of the demand drivers, trends, and challenges. It also provides a snapshot of the spending with respect to regions as well as segments. It also sheds light on the emergence of new technologies Market Dynamics: Insights into the technological developments in this market and a detailed analysis of the changing preferences of governments around the world. It also analyzes changing industry structure trends and the challenges faced by the industry participants. Segment Analysis: Insights into the various Systems market from a segmental perspective and a detailed analysis of factors influencing the market for each segment. Regional Review: Insights into modernization patterns and budgetary allocation for top countries within a region. Regional Analysis: Insights into the Systems market from a regional perspective and a detailed analysis of factors influencing the market for each region. Trend Analysis: Key military robots and autonomous system markets: Analysis of the key markets in each region, providing an analysis of the various Systems segments expected to be in demand in each region. Key Program Analysis: Details of the top programs in each segment expected to be executed during the forecast period. Competitive landscape Analysis: Analysis of the competitive landscape of this industry. It provides an overview of key companies, together with insights such as key alliances, strategic initiatives, and a brief financial analysis. Leading Companies Airbus BAE Systems Boeing Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Leonardo Northrop Grumman Corp. Raytheon Safran Thales Other Companies of Interest Apium Swarm Robotics Axon AI Bosch Group Brainalyzed Continental AG DoBots Hydromea S A Lexalytics Nvidia Resson Sentien Robotics SpaceX Segmentation Region Americas Europe Asia Middle East Africa Technology Software Technologies Computer Vision Natural Language Processing Edge Computing Complex Event Process Transfer Learning AI Hardware Acceleration for AI Reinforcement Learning Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) Mixed Reality Emotion research - affective computing Hardware Technologies Power Source Actuation Sensing Manipulation Locomotion Environmental Interaction & Navigation Human Robot Interaction Control Application Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Search and Rescue Combat Transportation Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mine Clearance Firefighting Others Operation Fully Autonomous Semi-Autonomous Platform Land Based Platforms Air Based Platforms Sea Based Platforms End User Army Air Force Navy Key Topics Covered: 1 Introduction 1.1 Scope 2 Executive Summary 2.1 Trends and Insights 2.2 Major Findings 2.3 Major Conclusions 2.4 Important Tables and Graphs 3 Market Overview 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Russia - Ukraine conflict of 2022 and the use of military robots and autonomous systems 4 Technologies and Developments 4.1 Technology overview 4.1.1 Autonomy in Aerial Vehicles 4.1.2 Autonomy in Ground Vehicles 4.1.3 Autonomy in Underwater Vehicles 4.1.4 Autonomy in Maritime Surface Vehicles 4.1.5 Unmanned Spacecraft 4.2 Avionics 4.2.1 Flight Controls 4.2.2 Air data computers 4.2.3 Autopilots/flight control computers 4.3 Navigation 4.3.1 Global Positioning Systems (GPS) / Global Navigation Satellite systems (GNSS) 4.3.2 Inertial navigation systems (INS)/inertial measurement units (IMU) 4.3.3 Sense & Avoid 4.4 Sensors 4.4.1 Speed Sensors 4.4.2 Light Sensors 4.4.3 Proximity Sensors 4.4.4 Temperature Sensors 4.4.5 Position Sensors 4.4.6 Communication devices 4.4.7 Proprioceptive Sensors 4.4.8 Exteroceptive Sensors 4.4.9 Acoustic Sensors 4.5 Propulsion 4.5.1 Gas engine 4.5.2 Electric engine 4.5.3 Batteries 4.5.4 Hydrogen Cells 4.6 Payload 4.6.1 Cameras 4.6.2 Radars 4.6.3 Lidars 4.6.4 Gimbals 4.6.5 Datalink 4.6.6 Ground control station 4.6.7 Autonomous Manipulation 4.7 Autonomous Systems: Testing, Validation and Certification 5 Market Analysis and Forecast Factors 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Drivers 5.3 Trends 5.4 Opportunities 5.5 Challenges 5.6 Important events in the market 6 Market Segmentation 7 Region Market Forecast to 2030 7.1 Introduction For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/5pvf54 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2023 in preparation Xinhua) 10:32, January 17, 2023 A staff member awaits the participants at the Media Village for the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2023 in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 15, 2023. The World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2023 is scheduled to kick off in Davos on Jan. 16. The meeting is themed "Cooperation in a Fragmented World." (Xinhua/Lian Yi) Staff members have a meeting at the Congress Center for the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2023 in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 15, 2023. The World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2023 is scheduled to kick off in Davos on Jan. 16. The meeting is themed "Cooperation in a Fragmented World." (Xinhua/Lian Yi) People communicate with each other at the Congress Center for the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2023 in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 15, 2023. The World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2023 is scheduled to kick off in Davos on Jan. 16. The meeting is themed "Cooperation in a Fragmented World." (Xinhua/Lian Yi) This photo taken on Jan. 15, 2023 shows the logo of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. The World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2023 is scheduled to kick off in Davos on Jan. 16. The meeting is themed "Cooperation in a Fragmented World." (Xinhua/Lian Yi) This photo taken on Jan. 15, 2023 shows the logo of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. The World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2023 is scheduled to kick off in Davos on Jan. 16. The meeting is themed "Cooperation in a Fragmented World." (Xinhua/Lian Yi) This photo taken on Jan. 15, 2023 shows the logo of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. The World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2023 is scheduled to kick off in Davos on Jan. 16. The meeting is themed "Cooperation in a Fragmented World." (Xinhua/Lian Yi) A participant takes a photo of people visiting the Congress Center for the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2023 in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 15, 2023. The World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2023 is scheduled to kick off in Davos on Jan. 16. The meeting is themed "Cooperation in a Fragmented World." (Xinhua/Lian Yi) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) The International Marxist Tendency is proud to present the Winter 2023 edition of the In Defence of Marxism theoretical journal. The feature article in this issue takes on the Spanish Conquest of the Americas, which far from a 'meeting of cultures', was a brutal and bloody affair resulting in the extermination of millions of indigenous peoples. We publish the editorial by editor-in-chief Alan Woods below. Editorial The present issue is composed of a number of articles dealing with a very interesting subject: the decline of feudalism and the early phase of capitalist development, which Marx described as the primitive accumulation of capital. Marx wrote in Capital that If money comes into the world with a congenital blood-stain on one cheek, then capital comes dripping from head to toe, from every pore, with blood and dirt. Nowhere is this statement more relevant than in the bloody history of the rape of America by a host of European nations, most notably the English in the North and the Spanish in the South. The conquest of the Americas by Spain is one of the most appalling episodes in the blood-drenched annals of human history. In analysing it, Jorge Martin and Ubaldo Oropeza deal in some depth with another fascinating question: the character of American societies before the Spanish conquest, the reasons behind their collapse and the ensuing conquest as well as the role of the conquest in the development of capitalism. A second article, which is separate but related, is one I wrote some time ago on the great Spanish writer Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote, which describes Spanish society in the same period. Following the same theme, Pascal Cueto writes about the 1780 uprising of Tupac Amaru II against Spanish rule. Finally, we republish an important but unfinished and little known article by Engels on the decline of feudalism and the rise of the bourgeoisie, which deserves a far wider audience. The destruction of the Americas Smoke rises, the mist is spreading. Weep, my friends and know that by their deeds We have lost our history. Lines written by an unknown Aztec poet. When the Spaniards first came to Mexico, the country was home to a flourishing state with a population of 22 million. 80 years later its culture was destroyed, its economy in ruins and its people enslaved. 90 percent of the population had lost their lives, either massacred by the Spaniards and their allies, or from hunger or diseases that decimated whole communities. This was genocide on a horrendous scale. The Spaniards rampaged through the country, burning, butchering and enslaving. Carrying the banner of the Christian Cross before them, they systematically slaughtered the men, and branded the women and children on the face and sold them as slaves. The last Aztec chief, Cuauhtemoc, was tortured with fire to reveal where the gold was, and then hanged when the Spaniards did not find the quantities of gold they had expected. The vast and thriving lake-city of Tenochtitlan was burned, plundered and destroyed. Spiritual genocide The destructive activities of the Spaniards reduced a once proud people to an abject condition of servitude and despair. Their physical slavery was accompanied by demoralisation, disease, depression and alcoholism. But the genocide of the native Americans did not stop at physical extermination. It also involved an attempt to destroy their art, religion and culture. The destructive activities of the Spaniards reduced a once proud people to an abject condition of servitude and despair / Image: Anon After the conquistadors had enslaved the Aztecs with fire and sword, the hordes of fanatical priests descended upon them like hungry locusts, greedy for captive souls. In order to eradicate all traces of the native culture, they built Christian churches over the remains of their pyramids and cult centres. Priceless works of art were melted down into gold ingots or recast into huge Christian relics of little or no aesthetic value. A long time ago I visited an old church in Cadiz (I think it was) where a number of Christian relics were on display large casks and the like mostly dating to the period of the conquest of the Americas. These items may have served to impress people, if only by the huge quantities of gold and silver employed in their production. But I must confess that I found these pompous relics of superstition completely tasteless from an artistic point of view and was disgusted at the thought of the many valuable works of art that were destroyed in their making. Even more revolting was the thought of those millions of men, women and children whose lives were sacrificed on the monstrous altar of Capital, disguised in the robes of a Catholic priest. But the Spaniards did not have a monopoly of violence and cruelty in those dark times. The period of primitive accumulation of capital is full of the most terrible stories of exploitation, vile oppression, slavery and mass murder perpetrated by civilised Europeans of different nations. From the brutal expropriation of the Scottish and Irish peasantry, to the deliberate killing of Native Americans presented by European settlers with blankets infected with smallpox, to the monstrous slave trade in Africa, which kept the plantations in the Caribbean supplied with cheap labour and the merchants of Liverpool and Bristol in a life of idle luxury. There seems to have been no end to it. Can history be judged by morality? Edward Gibbon in his masterpiece, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, wrote that history is indeed, little more than the register of the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind. Gibbon was a wonderful writer, a true man of the Enlightenment. But his interpretation of history is one-sided and profoundly mistaken. Our postmodernists have none of his virtues and have not advanced a single step beyond his analysis when they allege that there is no such thing as progress, that one society is as good or bad as another and history has no meaning. Essentially, their reading of history (insofar as it exists at all) is reduced to sentimental moralising. That certainly has no meaning, or at any rate, is unable to tell us anything meaningful about history, which remains for them a book sealed with seven seals. Reading the blood-soaked annals of this period one is filled with a profound sense of indignation and revulsion, yet morality and feelings of repugnance are of as little value in understanding human history as they would be to a surgeon who strives to save the life of the patient under his scalpel. The motor forces of history never had even the smallest moral or ethical content. On the contrary, the morality and ethics of every period are ultimately derived from an attempt to justify the existing property relations that are sanctified by its laws. History cannot be reduced to morality, religion, politics or philosophy. These are more or less distorted reflections in mens minds of real social relations. They merely constitute the illusions of the prevailing epoch. The real conditions of social (and therefore human) development have a material content, not an ideal, still less an ethical one. Money does not stink When the Roman emperor Vespasian (who ruled in 6979 CE) was rebuked by his fastidious son Titus for introducing a tax on the collection of urine, he is supposed to have replied pecunia non olet, which means money does not stink. The intention was to show that money is not tainted regardless of its origins. As Marx says in The German Ideology: the sum of productive forces, capital funds and social forms of interaction, are the conditions of life itself / Image: public domain This idea is so attractive to the bankers and capitalists that they have elevated it to a principle that has endured for centuries and is still maintained in our own times, when the viciously oppressive and exploitative system of market economics is carefully disguised under a thick coat of moral hypocrisy. In the final analysis, however, the progress of society can only be measured by the development of the productive forces. That is the real foundation upon which all other elements of what is called civilisation, all intellectual, scientific, philosophical and artistic life can flourish and develop. As Marx says in The German Ideology: the sum of productive forces, capital funds and social forms of interaction, are the conditions of life itself. The gold that was extracted from the slaves in the gold mines of what was known as the New World, did not save imperial Spain. It helped destroy it from within its bowels. Spain was displaced by England, the mightiest maritime power, which within the space of a century, enjoyed practically a monopoly of commerce and manufacture. The wealth created out of the blood, sweat and tears of generations of slaves and workers alike entered as a component part of Capital. This was used to fuel one of the greatest revolutions in human history: the Industrial Revolution. And out of that fiery furnace came the modern proletariat the class that is destined to expropriate the expropriators. The material basis of socialism Lenin pointed out that socialism will be built out of the material that capitalism left us, because we have no other bricks with which to build. Karl Marx explains that socialism presupposes a level of development where capitalism has become the dominant mode of production on a world scale. We are now living in the epoch of imperialism, where large-scale industry, finance capital, and monopolies have established a dominant role, and the narrowness of the nation state is challenged by the rise of a global economy. Today we may weep for the fate of the Maya, Aztecs and Incas. Their contribution to the sum total of human culture and civilisation is immortal and, despite the vandalism of the conquistadors, will never be forgotten. But merely to see the past, like Edward Gibbon, as an endless list of crimes and injustice is too one-sided and misses the essential point. The real meaning of history is precisely that the development of the productive forces, which was achieved by centuries of the most appalling oppression and exploitation of the masses, has created the necessary material conditions for the establishment of a higher form of human society world socialism. Humanity cannot live on dreams of a return to a past that is gone forever. In our vocabulary there is no room for the word sentimentality. A man or woman who has become an adult can never return to a lost childhood. In the same way, those who present a vision of past societies in an idealised light may justly be regarded as childish. Those who dream of putting the clock back, of returning to an imaginary past, when all was sweetness and light, can only play a reactionary role. Not by dreams of returning to a non-existent past, but only by fighting for a new and better future can humanity ever hope to rise to its full stature. It is the historic task of the working class to put an end to all exploitation, oppression and injustice, and strike a blow that will finally bring about the long yearned-for revenge for all the pain, bloodshed and suffering that has been inflicted on humanity for so many centuries. London, 23 November 2022 PHOENIX, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Schola, the online platform that helps families discover, connect, and enroll in the ideal PK-12 schools for their children, marks a new milestone by closing a $10M Series A round of funding. With triple-digit annual recurring revenue growth, this minority-founded and led organization has already surpassed 100K students searching for the most suitable school in their platform to improve educational outcomes across the United States. The growth investment will power Schola's continued nationwide expansion and standardization of how families and schools connect with one another, creating brighter futures for all. "We're very excited about the additional resources from this investment that will allow Schola to execute further our vision for families and schools across America. We will continue adding tools to the platform to help students in every state find their perfect school, giving them a better chance to reach their full potential." - Jaime Martinez, Founder and CEO of Schola. Channel Equity Partners led Series A, followed by significant investors Arizona Venture Development Corp, Revolution's Rise of the Rest (led by Steve Case, of AOL fame), EduLab, Stout Street, and Portfolia. Their support accelerates the addition of more mission-driven professionals to Schola's team and expands the capabilities of its double-sided school choice marketplace, strengthening Schola's commitment to increasing parents' engagement with their children's education. Schola will continue to revolutionize how English and Spanish-speaking families from various backgrounds connect with schools to build strong communities inside and outside the classroom. "PK-12 student recruitment is yet another market transitioning from offline methods to streamlined, digital channels. The data showed that Schola's school partners receive a potential 15x return on investment from the value of enrollment applications generated by its marketplace. CEP is thrilled to support this amazing team that has developed the most efficient solution for schools and families to succeed." - Jensen Bryant, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Channel Equity Partners. About Schola: Schola is the leading software company for families and schools to improve PK-12 education outcomes. Schola helps families discover, connect, and enroll in the ideal school setting and helps schools source, enroll, and engage with prospective families. Schola believes that enrolling in the ideal learning environment must be accessible; thus, it is entirely free to parents and students. Learn more by visiting schola.com Contact Information: Carlos Melendez Chief Marketing Officer carlos@schola.com 5202614903 Related Images Image 1: Schola Is the Smart Way To Discover Your Ideal Pk-12 School CEO and Founder Jaime Martinez and Chief Marketing Officer Carlos Melendez showcasing Schola's free and easy to use school matching platform. This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment Dublin, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Germany Construction Equipment Market - Strategic Assessment & Forecast 2022-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Germany construction equipment market share by units is expected to reach 101,807 units by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 4.02%. The Germany construction equipment market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.89% during 2022-2028 Rising government investment in public infrastructure projects & 'Green Infrastructure Strategy' is expected to prompt construction equipment sales in Germany during the forecast period (2022-2028). The country's new government under the 'Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building in 2022 has aimed to expand housing construction. It has planned to build 400,000 apartments every year. Under the Housebuilding subsector, investments grew by 39% in 2021, where the number of new flats and houses coming to the market doubled to more than 300,000 units. Such initiatives by the government give a significant boost to the Germany construction equipment market. KEY HIGHLIGHTS In Germany construction equipment market, the earthmoving construction equipment segment accounted for the largest market share in 2021. In the Material Handling Segment, forklifts accounted for the largest share in 2021. Forklifts are compact equipment used for material handling in confined spaces such as small warehouses, & distribution centers. Germany is one of the most attractive logistics markets in the world due to its central location in Europe. It brings over USD 269.51 billion to the country's budget. German developer Goldbeck International is expected to complete the Flow Warehouse in Duisburg-Walsum for Maersk in 2023. The development of warehouses in Germany is expected to drive the demand for forklifts and telehandlers in the Germany construction equipment market. The project Digital Rail Germany, introduced in January 2020, aims to increase the performance of Germany's Rail Network by as much as 35%. In 2021, the German government announced a USD 324 billion national investment to improve roads, rails, and waterways over the next 10-15 years. According to the Global FDI Annual Report 2022, in 2021, Germany surpassed the United States in terms of the number of projects (approximately 1,537) receiving Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Increasing building materials and rising labor costs are some major challenges in the Germany construction equipment market that can adversely affect the demand for construction equipment. Under the Germany Recovery & Resilience Plan, the European Union granted aid of USD 25.54 billion. MARKET TRENDS AND DRIVERS Investment in Public Transport: Rails, Roads & Bridges The Germany Rail (Deutsche Bahn) and the federal government have targeted to spend USD 13.56 billion in 2022, which is a 6.3% increase compared to 2021. This investment by the government majorly focuses on renewing and modernizing Germany's rail infrastructure. The country has planned to mend bridges on much of the country's Autobahn network. A budget of USD 529.17 million has been set by the German Government's Road firm, Autobahn, in 2022. In addition, the German government allotted USD 372.42 million for road construction projects in 2022 in the Brandenburg region which is approximately USD 5 million higher than in 2021, which will significantly contribute to the Germany construction equipment market growth. High Demand for Excavators Due to Mining, Construction, and Smart City Projects Regardless of the Covid-19 impact, investment opportunities in the construction industry have attracted foreign investors who have aided the construction equipment market in 2021. The government's aid in the residential projects, rise in infrastructure construction, increase in FDI and surge in the rental investment of construction equipment is expected to lead the Germany construction equipment market The growing demand for excavators is attributable to the improvements in the mining and construction sectors and a few government projects like the smart city project. The smart city project is supported by the government's investment of USD 751.42 million. The mining industry consumes a large part of the excavator industry in Germany. Hard coal and lignite make up most of the mineral resources extracted in the country. Investment in Green Infrastructure Strategy The country has targeted investing USD 220 billion by 2026 to support the industrial transformation, including climate protection, hydrogen technology, and electric vehicle charging station expansion. The construction machinery and building experienced a 22% increase from the previous year (2020) due to the infrastructure push with highways, dams, and green cities, which require tons of heavy machinery; such activities are contributing to the Germany construction equipment market. Germany and Indonesia have contracted to work on this Green Infrastructure Project, where approximately USD 2.7 billion worth of loan amount will be made accessible for the infrastructure related to climate and the environment. Some notable projects scheduled under this are Green Infrastructure at Leipzig, MoorFutures in Mecklenburg, and Urban GreenUP. Adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM) to Enhance Remote Monitoring & Digitization The German government has invested more than USD 4.94 million in Building Information Modeling (BIM) for public projects, mandating using digital technology to design and construct all projects. The Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) will aid medium and small-sized companies in integrating BIM to increase the productivity of construction processes and improve the quality of buildings constructed. A few companies like Caterpillar, Volvo, and JCB are at the forefront of integrating BIM in the Germany construction equipment market. The investment by the government for the integration of BIM into construction machines is expected to trigger the demand for the BIM-integrated construction equipment industry. MARKET RESTRAINTS Russia-Ukraine War Impacting the German Construction Projects Due to the Supply Chain Bottleneck Impacting the Development of Construction Projects In 2020, Germany imported approximately 66.1% of its natural gas from Russia, highlighting its massive dependency on Russia for fossil fuels. According to the Federal Statistical Office, in March 2022, Germany had reduced the volume of its import of fossil fuel from Russia by 27.8%, leading to inflation which cost fossil fuel imports 131.7% more compared to 2021. In addition to the surge in energy prices, raw materials and fuel prices also increased. Diesel fuel climbed by 57.5%, steel went up by 74.4 %, and aluminum increased by 37% over 7-8 months after the war hit, causing delivery problems for construction companies. HBD survey pointed out that approximately 40% of the clients put the projects on hold, and 30% of the customers canceled the projects after seeing the delayed deliveries caused by the disruption in the supply chain, directly affecting the Germany construction equipment market. VENDOR LANDSCAPE Caterpillar has the strongest share in the German construction equipment market. Caterpillar, Volvo, Komatsu & Liebherr are the market leaders in the German industry, has a strong distribution network & provide a wide variety of products. Hitachi Construction Machinery & XCMG are emerging strong in the German market. These companies are introducing innovative products to capture the Germany construction equipment market share. For instance, in 2022, XCMG launched a new electric all-terrain crane, excavator, and loader at the Bauma festival in Germany. Hitachi Construction Machinery launched a wheeled excavator ZX135W-7 in the German construction equipment market, comprising a 360-degree swing radius, 2.2m arm length, and a Stage V-compliant 4-cylinder engine in Germany. Key Metrics Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 111 Forecast Period 2021 - 2028 Estimated Market Value in 2021 77,952 Units Forecasted Market Value by 2028 101,807 Units Compound Annual Growth Rate 3.8% Regions Covered Germany Key Vendors Caterpillar Liebherr Komatsu Volvo SANY Hitachi Construction Machinery Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group Co. Ltd. (XCMG) Hyundai Construction Equipment JCB Other Prominent Vendors Kobelco CNH Industrial Manitou Takeuchi Manufacturing Liu Gong Yanmar Distributors Profiles Tecklenborg Construction and Industrial Machines KUHN- BAUMASCHINEN.DE Schluter Baumaschinen GmbH SWECON Thomas Baumaschinen For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/x4cu4d About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Attachment New York, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Asia-Pacific General Aviation Market - SIZE, SHARE, COVID-19 IMPACT & FORECASTS UP TO 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06381488/?utm_source=GNW Largest Market by Body Type - Large Jet : The consumers preference for large jets across the region is driving the demand. Therefore, manufacturers offer consumers a wide range of products according to their convenience. Largest Market by Country - Australia : A large number of helicopters and business jet procurement in the country is anticipated to occupy a major share of the regional general aviation market. Key Market Trends Business Jets is the largest segment by Sub Aircraft Type. Asia-Pacific accounted for around 4% of the global business jet deliveries in 2021. Similarly, turboprop and piston aircraft accounted for 13% and 14% of global deliveries. The COVID-19 pandemic adversely impacted the general aviation sector in the Asia-Pacific region. Global restrictions on travel and pandemic-induced lockdown affected the demand in the general aviation sector. The deliveries of business jets declined by 47% in 2020 compared to 2019. Similarly, the deliveries of turboprop aircraft declined by 24%, and the helicopters category witnessed a fall of around 59%. However, with the ease of travel restrictions, there is increasing momentum in the number of people traveling and the adoption of private jets. The rising number of HNWIs and UHNWIs in the region and their preference for private jets and helicopters for personal or business travel are also helping boost the procurement of private jets in the general aviation sector. For instance, the HNWI population in the region increased from 7.2 million in 2016 to 15.6 million in 2021. Bombardier was the leading OEM, with 24% of the current operational fleet size, followed by Gulfstream and Textron, with 21.2% and 20.3%, respectively, in the Asia-Pacific business jet fleet as of July 2022. In terms of current operational fleet size in the business jet category, large jets dominated with a fleet size of 565 aircraft, followed by light jets and mid-size jets with 364 and 133 aircraft, respectively. Australia is the largest segment by Country. The overall aircraft deliveries in the general aviation sector were affected during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the growth between 2019 and 2021 was -7.8%. The reduced economic activities in Asia-Pacific, along with travel-related restrictions, affected the utilization and procurement of business jets, helicopters, and turboprop aircraft in the region. The rise of HNWIs and UHNWIs, who prefer private jets and helicopters for personal or business travel in Asia-Pacific, aided in the procurement of aircraft in the general aviation sector. From 2016 to 2021, the HNWI population in the region increased by 117%. In terms of the current operational fleet, China was the leading country with around 21% of the overall Asia-Pacific business jet fleet, followed by Australia, India, and Japan with around 18%, 13%, and 9% of the deliveries, respectively, as of July 2022. In the helicopter category, Australia was the leading country with around 32% of the overall helicopter fleet, followed by China, Japan, and New Zealand with around 18%, 12%, and 11% of the deliveries, respectively, as of July 2022. The helicopter category was dominated by single-engine helicopters, which accounted for 70% of the current operational Asia-Pacific helicopter fleet. The large-scale utilization of single-engine helicopters in corporate aviation aided in the procurement of single-engine helicopters. Approximately 1,600 aircraft are expected to be delivered in China during 2022-2028. The economic recovery in the developing economies in the region, such as China and India, is expected to aid the growth of the general aviation sector in Asia-Pacific during the forecast period. Competitive Landscape The Asia-Pacific General Aviation Market is fairly consolidated, with the top five companies occupying 70.23%. The major players in this market are Airbus SE, Bombardier Inc., General Dynamics Corporation, Robinson Helicopter Company Inc. and Textron Inc. (sorted alphabetically). Additional Benefits: The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format 3 months of analyst support Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06381488/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ SAN FRANCISCO, California, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pachama, a technology company with the mission of restoring nature to solve climate change, has been named on Cleantech Groups 2023 Global Cleantech 100. The Global Cleantech 100 is an annual list of the most innovative and promising companies that will take us from commitments to actions in our efforts to reach global net zero emissions. Pachama earned its place on the annual list for using remote sensing and artificial intelligence to advance a new standard of quality, transparency, and efficiency in the voluntary carbon market. Harnessing remote sensing, satellite data, and machine learning, Pachama provides rigorously evaluated projects in its owned marketplace. In addition, Pachama is working with leading industry players to establish a digital measuring, reporting, and verification (DMRV) platform for the general market. Because there arent enough forest restoration and conservation projects to move at the pace the planet demands to avoid the worst consequences of climate change, Pachama is also now using its technology to originate forest carbon projects. Pachama Originals increases the supply of high-quality carbon credits while positively impacting communities and ecosystems. "Our team is proud to be recognized for our commitment to driving innovation in the voluntary carbon market for the benefit of our planet," said Diego Saez Gil, Co-Founder, and CEO of Pachama. With more companies making net-zero commitments globally, our advanced AI-based technology will continue to play an increasingly important role as a source of truth that de-risks investments and ensures only credits from the highest quality nature-based projects are available for purchase. Since 2009, the Global Cleantech 100 Program has recognized innovative companies best positioned to help build a more digitized, de-carbonized, and resource-efficient industrial future. The list recognizes companies delivering sustainable solutions in six sectors: agriculture and food, enabling technologies, energy and power, materials and chemicals, resources and environment, transportation, and logistics. This years group has been selected from over 15,000 nominees from 93 countries, submitted by the public, Cleantech Groups expert panel, i3 research portal, awards, and Cleantech Group staff. From there, 330 companies were shortlisted and reviewed by Cleantechs 81-member expert panel of leading investors, and corporate and industrial executives active in technology and innovation scouting. This Global Cleantech 100 edition is remarkable for the number of businesses in it who represent solutions for some of the hardest of decarbonization challenges and those who are working on some of the critical materials issues coming our way, real soon, said Richard Youngman, CEO, Cleantech Group. We salute not only these 100 companies but all the thousands beyond, who are fighting the good fight. Pachama and the other companies selected will be recognized at the upcoming Cleantech Forum North America on January 23-25 in Palm Springs, CA. Download the Global Cleantech 100 complimentary report to learn more about how Pachama is helping to drive the sprint to net zero. ### About Pachama Pachama is a technology company on a mission to restore nature to solve climate change. Harnessing the latest advancements in satellite imagery, remote sensing and machine learning, Pachama measures the carbon stored in our forests with unprecedented precision and monitors forest growth over time. Through the Pachama platform, responsible companies can confidently invest in high-quality forest conservation projects verified by Pachamas rigorous evaluation process. About Cleantech Group Cleantech Group provides research, consulting and events to catalyze opportunities for sustainable growth powered by innovation. At every stage from initial strategy to final deals, we bring corporate change makers, investors, governments and stakeholders from across the ecosystem the access and customized support they need to thrive in a more digitized, de-carbonized and resource-efficient future. Millbur, New Jersey, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 17, 2023 The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) and the PSEG Foundation are collaborating once again to send a message on the importance of healthy choices to New Jersey students across the state through the annual Third Grade Healthy Life Healthy Decisions Coloring and Activity Book. With the support of the PSEG Foundation, 35,000 third grade students will receive the activity book, which educates children about the importance of living a healthy life free of substance use. Teachers and school administrators can sign up to receive the activity book here, with the books to be distributed in early 2023. Young adults have a hard-enough time navigating through a multitude of social challenges; couple that with the ease of access to substances and you realize just how many compromising and risky situations there are for them, said Maria Spina, PSEG Foundation Program Manager and a PDFNJ Board member. The PSEG Foundation is proud to support the Partnership for a Drug Free New Jerseys Third Grade Healthy Decisions program, which aims to create a learning environment that helps to tackle those challenges exposing youth to the risks of substance abuse and the alternative life choices that will lead youth to more positive, thriving outcomes. By distributing activity books through schools, PDFNJ and the PSEG Foundation recognize the key role educators play in engaging New Jerseys youth in activities that teach them about the dangers of substance use and misuse. To highlight their role, the activity book contains a contract encouraging students to commit to living a substance-free life, which their parents and a school representative also sign. We are grateful to the PSEG Foundation for providing the funding for these activity books that will allow third graders throughout the state to learn valuable prevention messages, said PDFNJs Executive Director Angelo Valente. Educating our youth to prevent the misuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs in communities and schools is an ongoing effort, and the earlier we start the better. Recent studies suggest research-based, age-appropriate prevention materials have had a positive impact as alcohol, tobacco and substance use has decreased among American teenagers in grades 8, 10 and 12. ### About the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey Best known for its statewide anti-drug advertising campaign, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is a private not-for-profit coalition of professionals from the communications, corporate and government communities whose collective mission is to reduce demand for illicit drugs in New Jersey through media communication. To date, more than $200 million in broadcast time and print space has been donated to the Partnerships New Jersey campaign, making it the largest public service advertising campaign in New Jerseys history. Since its inception, the Partnership has garnered 217 advertising and public relations awards from national, regional and statewide media organizations. About the PSEG Foundation The PSEG Foundation (501c3) is the philanthropic arm of Public Service Enterprise Group (NYSE: PEG). The Foundation generally supports and invests in programs in three areas: environmental sustainability, equity and economic empowerment and social justice. The Foundation provides grants to organizations in communities served by PSEG and its subsidiaries. Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) (NYSE: PEG) is a predominantly regulated infrastructure company focused on a clean energy future. Guided by its Powering Progress vision, PSEG aims to power a future where people use less energy, and it's cleaner, safer and delivered more reliably than ever. PSEG'scommitment to ESG and sustainability is demonstrated in our net-zero 2030 climate vision and participation in the U.N. Race to Zero, as well as our inclusion on the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index and the list of America's most JUST Companies. PSEG's businesses include Public Service Electric and Gas Co. (PSE&G), PSEG Power and PSEG Long Island. (https://corporate.pseg.com). Attachment English Finnish Incap Corporation Press release 17 January 2023 6.00 p.m. EET Incap Corporation: Incap Estonia opened new production machinery at the Kuressaare factory Incap Estonia upgraded its two current SMT production lines and added a third SMT line to its factory in Kuressaare. The EUR 1.35 million investment increases the factorys overall SMT production capacity by more than 50%. According to Margus Jakobson, the Interim Managing Director of Incap Estonia, the investment in SMT (surface-mount technology) supports the companys rapid growth and flexibility in customer service. New electronics equipment in the Kuressaare factory was acquired from SMT Renting on a long-term lease agreement. We decided to upgrade two existing production lines to make the production process faster. The third 30-meter long line will help to increase our SMT production capacity and increase it by more than 50%, Jakobson explained. The new production machinery will contribute significantly to the production of the most important part of electronic devices. Incap Estonia is part of Incap Corporation, which is an international contract manufacturer. Electronics manufactured by Incap Estonia can be found for example in smart meters, in light electric vehicles on the streets, in smart led lights in different regions in Estonia as well as in the machinery of the worlds most famous maritime company. Photos of line opening at Incap Estonia: https://photos.app.goo.gl/kH79yY2ToAYWm7xq5 INCAP CORPORATION For additional information, please contact: Margus Jakobson, Interim Managing Director of Incap Estonia, tel. +372 5818 8038 Otto Pukk, President and CEO, tel. +372 508 0798 Distribution: Principal media www.incapcorp.com INCAP IN BRIEF Incap Corporation is a trusted partner and full service provider in Electronics Manufacturing Services. As a global EMS company Incap supports customers ranging from large multinationals and mid-sized companies to small start-ups in their complete manufacturing value chain. Incap offers state-of-the-art technology backed up by an entrepreneurial culture and highly qualified personnel. The company has operations in Finland, Estonia, India, Slovakia, the UK and Hong Kong and employs approximately 2,500 people. Incaps share has been listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd stock exchange since 1997. OLIVER, British Columbia, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Lunar New Year arrives next week, ushering in the Year of the Rabbit, predicted to be a year of hope, peace and prosperity. To celebrate, the Okanagans acclaimed Phantom Creek Estates is offering a 2023 Lunar New Year gift pack, featuring two of its most sought-after red blends, the 2019 Becker Cuvee and the 2019 Kobau Cuvee, beautifully packaged together with a signature seated tasting experience voucher for two and lucky red envelopes to bring health and prosperity. The Lunar New Year is a time of hope and anticipation in Chinese culture and for the family of Phantom Creek proprietor Richter Bai. With the rabbit known as the luckiest of the 12 animals in the zodiac, its exciting to share some of that optimism with winery fans. The Year of the Rabbit begins on January 22, with festivities beginning on Lunar New Year Eve, January 21: bright red decorations symbolize wealth and prosperity, families gather for reunion dinners, and children are given red envelopes containing lucky money. The celebration lasts only until the Lantern Festival on February 5. Similarly, the 2023 Lunar New Year gift pack is only available for a limited time. The red blends within it come from Phantom Creek estate vineyards, which are all located within three of the Okanagans most legendary sites: in the sub-regions of the Black Sage Bench and Golden Mile Bench south of Oliver, and in the dramatic Similkameen Valley. The 2019 Becker Cuvee, a Cabernet Franc-dominant Bordeaux blend, is comprised of fruit from the Becker Vineyard, on the upper terrace of the Black Sage Bench. The 2019 Kobau Cuvee is made with grapes from the Kobau Vineyard on the storied Golden Mile Bench; it offers a perfect expression of the sub-regions famed terroir. The 2023 Lunar New Year Gift Package The elegant gift package, valued at $150, is available online until January 29. They include one bottle each of the 2019 Becker Cuvee and the 2019 Kobau Cuvee, a Phantom Creek Estates seated tasting voucher for two people, as well as beautifully designed lucky red envelopes. 2019 Becker Cuvee 55% Cabernet Franc, 28% Merlot, 9% Carmenere, 7% Syrah, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon It has now been over 25 years since Becker Vineyard was replanted to Cabernet family varieties, proving that late ripening red varieties could thrive in the South Okanagan. First planted in 1977 as part of the pioneering Becker Project, Becker Vineyard produces finessed, elegant wines from the upper terrace of the Black Sage Bench. Nestled against the Okanagan Highland mountains, the Becker vineyard sits on the upper terrace of the Black Sage Bench. At a higher elevation, the vineyard enjoys a gradual growing season and maintains a sense of vibrancy and freshness. The nose of this wine exhibits ripe baked fruit notes of dark cherry and black currant combined with subtle savoury notes of black sage and forest floor. This Cabernet Franc dominant Bordeaux blend has a complex and balanced palate offering layers of ripe red bramble fruit with herbaceous and peppery undertones. The mouthfeel is smooth and supple with fine-grained tannins and a long satisfying finish. 2019 Kobau Cuvee 69% Cabernet Franc, 27% Merlot, 4% Syrah The 2019 Cuvee from the famed Kobau Vineyard is dominated by Cabernet Franc. On the nose, sweet notes of black plum, espresso, and cocoa are apparent along with a hint of earth and kalamata olive. An intriguing herbal lift, provided by the Cabernet Franc in this blend, creates complexity and refinement. This wine is expressive on the palate, with concentrated ripe black and blue fruit flavours perfectly balanced with dark chocolate and toasty notes. The mouthfeel is rich and smooth, leading to a long finish. Well-structured tannins and fresh acidity, this is a perfect expression of what Cabernet Franc from the Golden Mile Bench can achieve. Phantom Creeks 2023 Lunar New Year gift pack is available to purchase online at phantomcreekestates.com/collection/bundle. To learn more about the winery and its selection of wines, visit phantomcreekestates.com or follow @phantomcreek. About Phantom Creek Estates | Phantom Creek Estates is a destination winery located on the famed Black Sage Bench of British Columbias Okanagan Valley, specializing in single-vineyard Bordeaux reds, Alsatian whites, and varieties of Viognier and Syrah from storied vineyard sites. From the start, the winery has been guided by the long-term vision of building one of the leading family-owned wineries in Canada. Cultivated in certified organic vineyards and made by influential international winemaking and winegrower teams Amy Richards, Mark Beringer, and Olivier Humbrecht MW Phantom Creek Estates wines celebrate and speak to where they are grown. | phantomcreekestates.com | @phantomcreek -30- Photos For a selection of high-resolution photos, click on the image above or download via Google Drive. Attachment New York, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "US Business Jet Market - SIZE, SHARE, COVID-19 IMPACT & FORECASTS UP TO 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06381480/?utm_source=GNW Fastest-growing Market by Body Type - Light Jet : Regional air travel and the capability to access remote airports/locations are making light jets more attractive to customers, therefore driving their demand in the market. Key Market Trends Large Jet is the largest segment by Body Type. The US business aviation is part of general aviation that contributes around USD 150 billion annually to the US economy. The fleet of the US accounted for 58% of the worlds business aviation, and the country holds around 89% of the private jets in the North American region. In 2021, the number of UHNWI individuals surged to approximately 13% in the country and aided in procuring business jets. Out of the business jet deliveries delivered over the historical period from 2016 to 2021, light jets constitute around 49%, when compared to mid-size jets and large jets with 29% and 22%, respectively. During and after the COVID-19 pandemic, the safer way of traveling has become one of the major criteria for high net-worth individuals in the country, which resulted in the increased utilization of private jets. The same trend is expected to continue over the next few years. In terms of deliveries, in 2021, the US accounted for almost 91% of North Americas total business jet deliveries. In 2021, Textron became the leading player in deliveries with 132 aircraft, while Gulfstream Aerospace was in the second position with 69 deliveries. Cirrus Aircraft, Bombardier, Embraer, Honda Group, and Pilatus Aircraft were the other major players, with 61, 49, 52, 34, and 21 deliveries in the country. Around 3500+ business jets are expected to be delivered in the country during the forecast period. Competitive Landscape The US Business Jet Market is fairly consolidated, with the top five companies occupying 92.21%. The major players in this market are Bombardier Inc., Dassault Aviation, Embraer, General Dynamics Corporation and Textron Inc. (sorted alphabetically). Additional Benefits: The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format 3 months of analyst support Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06381480/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ DALY CITY, Calif., Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Safety Training Seminars, an official American Heart Association (AHA) Training Center, announced that it opened a new office in Daly City. Aligning with Safety Training Seminars' other California locations, the Daly City CPR office will offer certification paths in critical lifesaving skills, including CPR, BLS, ACLS, and PALS. The Daly City training center is located in Serramonte Office Plaza, 333 Gellert Blvd, Suite 215, Daly City, CA 94015. To meet the needs of busy professionals, the new center offers a flexible schedule of daily classes Monday through Sunday. Individuals interested in initial or renewal certifications in CPR, BLS, ACLS, and PALS can choose the courses at the Daly City CPR office relevant to their needs. Programs are a blend of online learning components and on-site skills testing. All programs result in students receiving the official American Heart Association certification card (valid for two years). BLS CPR Provider Heartcode courses lead to initial or renewal certification in Basic Life Support fundamentals. Upon course completion, attendees will be able to recognize various life-threatening emergencies and properly administer chest compressions, perform ventilation, and use AEDs. This course is also called BLS Provider or BLS Healthcare Provider. ACLS Heartcode courses teach the necessary skills for competency in Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support. Both initial and renewal certification are available. During this course, attendees learn about the importance of continuous, high-quality CPR. ACLS Heartcode programs are ideal for those responding to cardiopulmonary arrest or other cardiovascular emergencies. Adult and Pediatric Heartsaver CPR and First-Aid Heartcode courses show attendees how to administer CPR for infants, children, and adults. Attendees receive certification upon completion. Additional lifesaving skills covered in the course include chokesaving, AED use, bleeding treatment, seizures, EpiPen, and more. The skills taught in this course are valuable for a wide range of participants, including teachers, camp counselors, and childcare providers who require EMSA certification. According to Laura Seidel, owner of Safety Training Seminars, "Our purpose is to increase access to training programs for Californians seeking to learn critical lifesaving skills. Armed with these skills, they can advance in their careers or feel confident to intervene during an emergency. Our Daly City facility advances our mission by providing reasonably priced, flexible training schedules for those in and around Daly City." Since 1989, Safety Training Seminars has provided crucial courses for certification. The woman-owned company offers certification classes in CPR, First Aid, BLS, ACLS, PALS, NRP, and EMSA Childcare. Safety Training Seminars is dedicated to providing affordable, flexible training with the most up-to-date training equipment. Learn more about Safety Training Seminars and its more than 30 locations across Northern California. Visit www.bayareacpr.org. Contact Information: Danielle Bell Marketing Manager office@safetytrainingseminars.com 415-437-1600 Related Images Image 1: Daly City CPR Classes CPR, BLS, ACLS, & PALS classes in Daly City, CA This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment New York, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "North America Controlled Release Fertilizer Market - SIZE, SHARE, COVID-19 IMPACT & FORECASTS UP TO 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06381440/?utm_source=GNW As nitrogen is the most applied fertilizer, CRF urea can prevent nitrogen mineralization that degrades the soil quality. Largest Segment by Coating Type - Polymer Coated : These fertilizers effectively supply all the essential primary and secondary nutrients, coupled with micronutrients, reducing the need for multiple fertilizer applications. Largest Segment by Crop Type - Field Crops : Field crops dominate the North American fertilizers market due to the large cultivation area in the region. Field crops account for more than 95% of the total crop area. Largest segment by Country - United States : The United States accounts for about 69% of the total agricultural crop area in the region. The country is one of the major producers of fertilizers in North America. Key Market Trends Polymer Coated is the largest segment by Coating Type. The North American controlled-release fertilizer market grew by 70.6% during the study period. Precision farming is widely practiced in North America. An important component of precision farming is the provision of the right dosage of nutrients to crops at the right time. Thus, controlled-release fertilizers serve as important inputs in precision farming. Field crops occupy 82.4% of the overall market, followed by turfs and ornamentals, which constitute 13.9% of the market share. These types of coated controlled-release fertilizers are commonly used in specialty, high-value crops like cereals, grains, and vegetables, as well as in areas like orchards and nurseries. Although the use of specialty chemicals is limited in row crops, their usage is increasing due to higher grain prices, environmental concerns, and other regulations. The United States is the largest market for controlled-release fertilizers. It accounted for 81.9% of the market in 2021, registering a growth of 70.43% during the study period. With the growing technological advancements in the fertilizer industry, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) partnered with various stakeholders, such as The Fertilizer Institute (TFI), the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), to boost awareness about controlled-release fertilizers among farmers. These factors are anticipated to boost the countrys field crop production. United States is the largest segment by Country. The United States was the largest market for controlled-release fertilizers, accounting for 81.9% of the market in 2021. The country registered a growth of 70.4% during the study period. The polymer coating segment was the largest coating type in 2021, accounting for 63.2% of the market. The country is concentrated on field crop cultivation. Thus, the demand for polymer-coated controlled-release fertilizers is high to meet environmental and cost-related concerns. The increased cultivation of field crops in Canada includes wheat, canola, and maize, and various government initiatives, such as the Farm Credit Canada, offer increased credit availability for farm inputs involving the cost of buying expensive and efficient fertilizers like controlled-release fertilizers. This trend is anticipated to drive the controlled-release fertilizer market in the country during the forecast period. Similarly, in 2021, the Mexican legislature approved the 2022 Federal Government Budget, allocating roughly USD 2.70 billion to the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER), wherein 70% was allocated to fertilizer subsidies. The production of cereals in Costa Rica decreased in 2020 from 2017, with a production of 197,701 metric ton in 2017 to 151,685 ton in 2020. This decrease facilitates the demand for controlled-release fertilizers for enhanced productivity and crop quality. The need to increase the production of field crops across the region, coupled with the various government initiatives and increasing awareness among the farmers, is anticipated to drive the market during the forecast period. Competitive Landscape The North America Controlled Release Fertilizer Market is fragmented, with the top five companies occupying 19.51%. The major players in this market are Compo Expert GMbh, Florikan, ICL Speciality Fertilizers, Nutrien Ltd. and Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile SA (sorted alphabetically). Additional Benefits: The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format 3 months of analyst support Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06381440/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ This is a crucial week for the movement against the coup in Peru. Despite brutal and continued repression, the workers, peasants and students in struggle against illegitimate president Dina Baluarte have continued fighting. The countrys trade union confederation CGTP has called for a national strike on 19 January and columns of protesters are converging on the capital Lima. Faced with growing anger and opposition, the response of the state and its institutions continues to be one of repression and criminalisation of the movement. This week, 14 social and trade union leaders have been arrested. Amongst them is the General Secretary of the CGTP in the region of San Martin, in the north. The counter-terrorism branch of the Peruvian police also detained the president and seven leaders of the Ayacucho Peoples Defence Front, a mass social organisation leading the movement in this Andean Department. Police also harassed those attending a gathering of the National Peoples Assembly to coordinate the work towards the 19 January general strike. Police surrounded the building of the Telephone Workers Union in Lima, where the meeting was to be held, and in a provocative way proceeded to demand ID from all those attending. Criminalisation campaign Part of the campaign of criminalisation of the movement of workers and peasants is the constant slandering of those participating as terrorists. This was particularly the case with the arrest of the leaders of the Ayacucho Peoples Defence Front, who were accused of being senderistas (members of the Shining Path guerrilla organisation) despite the fact that this has all but disappeared. Never mind the facts, the terrorist nature of those arrested was splashed across all the frontpages of the daily media and broadcast widely on the TV stations. An even wilder allegation made against the movement was that weapons and ammunition had been smuggled in from Bolivia and that this would explain why so many people (18) had been killed in Juliaca, Puno on 9 January. The facts, however, are stubborn. No actual evidence that the protesters had weapons, even less expanding dumdum bullets has been presented. The official forensic report for those killed is clear: nine of those killed had bullet fragments in their bodies and the others had also been killed by gunshots. All of those could be traced back to police issued AKM assault rifles (in six cases), police pellets and police handguns. The illegitimate president Boluarte has also declared, again, a state of emergency in several provinces and departments across the country and a curfew in Puno. This means basic democratic constitutional guarantees are suspended. The declaration of the state of emergency last year, ahead of the 15 December general strike, was the prelude to massacres in which the police and the army killed at least 28 unarmed civilians, including 10 in Ayacucho in a single day. It is the duty of the international labour movement to energetically raise its voice against this brutal repression and to reject the illegitimate coup-president Boluarte. Marcha de los 4 Suyos The tactics of the ruling class and the government are not a sign of strength but rather an indication of panic, faced with a growing movement which repression has not been able to stop. Thousands are converging on the capital to bring down the illegitimate, bloodstained Boluarte regime / Image: Ministerio de Defensa del Peru Thousands from across the country, not only from the poor Andean regions in the south, but also from the north, are making their way to the capital Lima with one aim: to bring down the hated, bloodstained Dina Boluarte. The movement has become known as the marcha de los 4 Suyos (march from the four corners), after the massive march on Lima in 2000, which finally brought down the dictatorship of Fujimori. Workers, peasants, students in towns and cities have organised collections of money and food to sustain delegations to the capital. They are coming from the aymara-speaking regions, from the rondas campesinas (peasant patrols) north of Lima, from Ayacucho, from the jungle regions in the east, etc. Police roadblocks are stopping some of the caravans, but the people are finding ways to get through. The movement has widespread popular support, from which it derives its strength. According to a recent opinion poll by IEP, 60 percent of the population think that the protests are justified (72 percent amongst the youth) and 58 percent think that the police and army committed excesses (70 percent amongst the youth). On the other hand, 71 percent disapprove of Dina Boluartes presidency, with a mere 19 percent in favour. Congress is even more discredited with a record 89 percent against. An overwhelming 69 percent of the population now think there should be a Constituent Assembly, up 22 points since a year ago, an indication of widespread rejection of all existing bourgeois institutions. The government of Boluarte is against the ropes, with even some institutions coming out openly against her, and several regional governors demanding her resignation, with even some of her own ministers tending their resignation. The march on Lima and the general strike could be the last blow, which forces the ignominious collapse of this illegitimate president. Never again poor people in a rich country The mass movement of workers and peasants has grown in strength and acquired a certain degree of national coordination. Its political programme so far is limited to democratic demands: freedom for Castillo, closing down of congress, new elections and a constituent assembly. But what lies behind these demands is a deep seated desire for fundamental change, one which is not limited to just political questions, as important as they are, but which is based on a desire for a general improvement of living standards and a substantial redistribution of wealth. The ousting of Fujimori in 2000 only led to the coming to power of Alan Garcia, who continued with ultra-liberal capitalist policies / Image: Asamblea Nacional del Ecuador Castillos election slogan never again poor people in a rich country encapsulates whats behind this mass movement. Peru is indeed a wealthy country, but one where power and resources are in hands of a handful of parasitical economic groups, national and multinational, while the majority of the people live in poverty conditions. It is significant that the movement is making reference to the march of the 4 Suyos in 2000 and also raising the slogan of todas las sangres (meaning all the different ethnic and national groups which make up the country). The idea is that the workers and peasants of Peru, united as a single fighting unit, converging on the capital, can bring down the government. That is correct. However, what happened after the overthrow of Fujimori in 2000 was the coming to power of self-styled social democrat Alan Garcia, who then proceeded to continue the ultra-liberal capitalist economic policies of his predecessor. The peoples victory was transformed into disillusionment as the mining multinationals and 17 Peruvian economic conglomerates continued to loot the countrys wealth, bribing presidents and state officials in the process. This time, the issue must be posed point blank. For there to be real meaningful change, for which nearly 50 have already given their lives in the last 40 days, the masses must brush aside not only the rotten institutions of bourgeois power but also expropriate the capitalist oligarchy and the multinationals, so that the countrys wealth can be democratically planned, under workers control, in the benefit of the majority. That is the only prize worthy of the blood that has been shed in this struggle. Victory to the Peruvian workers and peasants! Down with Dina Boluarte! Close down Congress! Kick them all out! Expropriate the capitalist oligarchy and the mining multinational! All power to the working people! Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States TORONTO, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PIMCO Canada Corp. (PIMCO Canada) today announced the 2023 January cash distributions for the ETF series (ETF Series) of the PIMCO Canada mutual funds that distribute monthly (Funds). Unitholders of record of the ETF Series, at the close of business on January 24, 2023, will receive per-unit cash distribution payable on or about January 31, 2023. Details of the per-unit cash distribution amount are as follow: Fund Name Ticker Cash Distribution per Unit PIMCO Monthly Income Fund (Canada) PMIF $0.04171 PIMCO Monthly Income Fund (Canada) US$ PMIF.U US $0.04364 PIMCO Investment Grade Credit Fund (Canada) IGCF $0.03088 PIMCO Global Short Maturity Fund (Canada) PMNT $0.03353 PIMCO Low Duration Monthly Income Fund (Canada) PLDI $0.05011 The Manager, PIMCO Canada administers and manages the PIMCO Canada ETFs, and retains Pacific Investment Management Company, LLC (PIMCO), to provide sub-advisory services to the Funds. About PIMCO PIMCO was founded in 1971 in Newport Beach, California and is one of the worlds premier fixed income investment managers. Today we have offices across the globe and 3,000+ professionals united by a single purpose: creating opportunities for investors in every environment. PIMCO is owned by Allianz S.E., a leading global diversified financial services provider. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements included in this news release constitute forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, those identified by the expressions expect, intend, will and similar expressions to the extent they relate to the Funds. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts but reflect the Funds, PIMCO Canadas and/or PIMCOs current expectations regarding future results or events. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, including, but not limited to, market factors. Although the Funds, PIMCO Canada and/or PIMCO believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and, accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein. 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Investments made by a Fund and the results achieved by a Fund are not expected to be the same as those made by any other PIMCO-advised Fund, including those with a similar name, investment objective or policies. A new or smaller Funds performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long-term. New Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies. A Fund may be forced to sell a comparatively large portion of its portfolio to meet significant shareholder redemptions for cash, or hold a comparatively large portion of its portfolio in cash due to significant share purchases for cash, in each case when the Fund otherwise would not seek to do so, which may adversely affect performance. 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Box 363, Toronto, ON, M5L 1G2, 416-368-3350 Contact: Agnes Crane PIMCO Media Relations Phone: +212 597.1054 New York, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Forage Seed Market - SIZE, SHARE, COVID-19 IMPACT & FORECASTS UP TO 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06381361/?utm_source=GNW Largest Segment by Country - United States : The United States forage market has increased due to factors such as the increasing livestock population in the country, and high demand from the dairy and meat industry. Fastest-growing Segment by Crop - Forage Corn : The increasing demand for forage corn is due to the development of dual-purpose varieties, preference for corn silage, and availability of highly nutritious varieties. Fastest-growing Segment by Country - Italy : Italy is having a high demand for Forage Cropss due to the high demand for better-quality meat, increasing cattle population, and awareness about quality feed among farmers. Forage Seed Market Trends Hybrids is the largest segment by Breeding Technology. The livestock population is increasing across the regions. The increase in livestock population needs an expansion of the area under forages and demands the use of varieties with high yield potential and a high feed value. This is one of the major factors leading to the growth of the hybrid and open-pollinated seed market. Major companies are investing in making seed quality better due to the rise in demand. For instance, in 2021, DLF Seeds, the worlds leading grass seed breeder, invested USD 4.6 million in new state-of-the-art mixing and distribution facilities. The investment will transform their current production facilities of OPVs and the hybrid seed of forage and bring much-needed additional capacity and efficiency to cope with the future market demands in the amenity, consumer, and environmental stewardship in the forage seed market. The hybrid seed segment dominates the market due to the increase in adoption because of increasing awareness about its benefits. The hybrid seed market share value is expected to increase by 6% from 2021 to 2022 due to the rise in the seed replacement rate and the availability of improved varieties in the market. The farmers preference for transgenic varieties is slowly rising in various forage-growing regions due to the increase in crop losses by weeds and diseases. The share value of the transgenic segment increased by 2% in 2021 from the previous year. The Asia-Pacific forage seed market using OPVs seeds is expected to be the fastest growing, at a CAGR of 4.6%, from 2022 to 2028 because open-pollinated varieties require fewer inputs, such as fertilizer and pesticides, and are less expensive and more affordable for small holding and low-income farmers. North America is the largest segment by Region. Globally, the North American region holds a major share, accounting for 38% of the global forage seeds market in terms of value in 2021 due to the increase in the demand for forage as feed, an increase in meat consumption, and weather conditions. In North America, the United States has the largest forage seed market, accounting for 41% of North Americas forage seed market due to the high demand for forage as feed and the increase in the cattle population in the country. In 2021, Europe was the primary producer of forages. It contributed 33.1% to the global forage seed market. The increase in livestock production and consumption is driving the forage market in the region. Germany is the largest producer of forage corn in Europe, with a market share value of 23% in the global forage corn seed market. In the Asia-Pacific region, India has the largest forage seed market, and it accounted for 30% of the Asia-Pacific forage seed market in terms of value in 2021. Forage Sorghum is leading in the forage seed segments, accounting for a 9% global market share in 2021. In 2021, South America had a market share of 9% of the global forage seed market. Alfalfa is the major forage crop grown in South America, which is associated with the availability of GM hybrids that are herbicide-resistant and tolerant to water stress and high lignin content for better digestibility, driving the transgenic alfalfa seed market at a CAGR of 8% in South America. Therefore, owing to increasing demand due to the increased livestock population and based on the aforementioned factors, the market is anticipated to grow during the forecast period.? Forage Seed Market Competitive Analysis The Global Forage Seed Market is fragmented, with the top five companies occupying 35.82%. The major players in this market are Bayer AG, Corteva Agriscience, DLF, Land OLakes, Inc. and Royal Barenbrug Group (sorted alphabetically). Additional Benefits: The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format 3 months of analyst support Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06381361/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Pittsburgh, PA, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FOMO WORLDWIDE, INC. (US OTC: FOMC) announces its wholly owned subsidiary SMARTSolution Technologies L.P. (SST) will attend the PETE&C trade show at Kalahari Resort in the Poconos on February 12-15, 2023 (Pennsylvania Education Technology Expo and Conference). PETE&C is a statewide event that provides quality programs focused on technology in the education field. Each year, hundreds of exhibitors showcase their latest technology products and services to a substantial audience of teachers, administrators, technology directors, school board members and more from the state of Pennsylvania and the surrounding region. At PETE&C, SST will be displaying and holding informal training on educational technology offerings to school districts, both parochial and public. SSTs offerings will include the latest interactive panels, associated interface tools, conferencing cameras, classroom sound reinforcement system, and more. The booth will be hosted by SST salespeople, operations personnel, and upper management. Further information on SSTs newest products, such as Smart Podium and Active Floor, which have applications beyond K12 customers to post-secondary education, enterprise, and other verticals and environments, can be found here: https://www.smarttech.com/en/business/products/interactive-displays/podium-624-product https://activefloor.com/en/interactive-learning/ SSTs sister business, CLEANSolution Technologies (CST), will also be represented at PETE&C illustrating the benefits of clean air disinfection including ultraviolet-C (UVC-C) and bipolar ionization, LED retrofit and HVAC management solutions for K12 customers and more. SST and CST will be located at PETE&C in Booth 201. To register for the show or for additional information, please visit: https://www.peteandc.org/. Separately, on February 13, 2023, FOMO will host an investor dinner at a venue within the PETE&C complex. FOMO management will update attendees on the Companys public company reporting status which is being brought SEC current, financial trajectory, merger and acquisition pipeline, and other developments. The dinner will be attended by management of acquisition targets under purchase contract by FOMO. To RSVP for the dinner, please contact investor relations at IR@fomoworldwide.com. About FOMO WORLDWIDE, INC. FOMO WORLDWIDE, INC. is a publicly traded company focused on business incubation and acceleration. The Company invests in and advises emerging companies aligned with a growth mandate. FOMO is developing direct investment and affiliations - majority- and minority-owned as well as in joint venture formats - that afford targets access to the public markets for expansion capital as well as spin-out options to become their own stand-alone public companies. About SMARTSolution Technologies L.P. SMARTSolution Technologies L.P. (https://smarterguys.com/), a wholly owned subsidiary of FOMO, is a Pittsburgh, PAbased audiovisual systems integration company that designs and builds presentation, teleconferencing and collaborative systems for businesses, education, and nonprofits including 200 school districts with hundreds of buildings and almost 200,000 students. SST is a leader in interactive display technologies for use in all type of curriculums and has been providing education technology solutions for over 27 years. About CLEANSolution Technologies CLEANSolution Technologies (https://www.cleansolutiontech.com/), also doing business as Energy Intelligence Center LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of FOMO, has over 10 years of experience in clean technology and energy efficiency technologies. CST offers clean air disinfection, LED retrofit, and HVAC management technologies and services with a focus on promoting clean air and higher energy efficiency levels in multi-family, commercial, and industrial buildings. Forward Looking Statements: Statements in this press release about our future expectations, including without limitation, the likelihood that FOMO WORLDWIDE, INC. will be able to meet minimum sales expectations, be successful and profitable in the market, bring significant value to FOMOs stockholders, and leverage capital markets to execute its growth strategy, constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and as that term is defined in the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time, and our actual results could differ materially from expected results. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this statement or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. FOMOs business strategy described in this press release is subject to innumerable risks, most significantly, whether the Company is successful in securing adequate financing. Additionally, although the Company has announced letters of intent to acquire additional companies, there is absolutely no assurances that any such transactions will result in a completed acquisition. No information in this press release should be construed in any form, shape, or manner as an indication of the Companys future revenues, financial condition, or stock price. Contact Information: SMARTSolution Technologies L.P. John Raymond President (412) 390-0803 info@smarterguys.com FOMO WORLDWIDE, INC. Vik Grover CEO (630) 708-0750 IR@fomoworldwide.com Wilmington, DE, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Apache Software Foundation (ASF) , the all-volunteer developers, stewards, and incubators of more than 350 open source projects and initiatives, announced today Apache NuttX 12.0, the latest release of the popular real-time operating system (RTOS) for embedded microcontroller applications. NuttX is used in appliances, wearables, satellites, drones, connectivity, rapid prototyping, industrial IoT, and much more, with support for numerous microcontroller architectures from 8-bit to 64-bit. NuttX is available on many microcontrollers and the community is engaging and helpful, which makes the RTOS a good choice for education and business, said Alin Jerpelea, Vice President of Apache NuttX. The first release following its recent graduation to ASF Top-Level Project, Apache NuttX 12.0 adds support for twelve new boards. Among these is the PINE64 PinePhone. PinePhone is the first ever ARM 64 platform for NuttX and a major milestone accomplishment, said TL Lim, founder of PINE64. We are excited to see NuttX as an education tool for learning the internals of smartphones. The twelve newly supported boards are: Espressif ESP32-LyraT - an audio and smart speaker application board Espressif LilyGO T-Beam - a LoRa and GPS application board Espressif ESP32-C3-DevKit-RUST-1 - a 6DoF IMU, temperature, and humidity sensing board Espressif ESP32-S2-Kaluga-1 - a board for human-computer interaction prototyping ESP32-SPARROW-KIT - a customized variant of ESP32-WROVERKIT for university coursework GigaDevice GD32F450ZK-EVAL board - a connectivity and general purpose I/O (GPIO) board Nordic nRF5340 Audio Development Kit - a Bluetooth LE audio application board Flipper Zero - a hardware exploration and development kit Raspberry Pi Pico W - an IoT platform with single-band 2.4GHz wireless 802.11n PINE64 PinePhone - an open source smartphone with 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 TI Tiva EK-TM4C129EXL Crypto Connected LaunchPad - a connectivity and GPIO board Zhuhai Orbita S698pm Dkit - an aerospace and industrial board with Sparc and SpaceWire NuttX Overview Small Footprint. Usable in all but the tightest micro-controller environments, the focus is on tiny-to-small, deeply embedded systems. Portable and Highly Scalable. Runs on hundreds of 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit, and 64-bit microcontrollers (MCUs) and Systems on Chip (SoCs) including ARM, ARM64, AVR, CEVA, HC, MIPS, Misoc, OpenRISC, Renesas, RISC-V, SPARC, x86, x86-64, Xtensa, Z16, and Z80. Supports 266 boards and can be easily ported to new ones. Standards Adoption. The primary governing standards are POSIX and ANSI standards. Additional standard APIs from Unix and other common RTOSes are adopted for functionality not available under these standards. Thanks to standard OS interfaces, software developed for other operating systems (such as Linux) should port easily to NuttX. Highly Configurable. Employs the Kconfig system used with prominent projects such as the Linux kernel, Buildroot, Das U-Boot, and BusyBox. Real-Time. Fully preemptible; fixed priority, round-robin, and sporadic scheduling. Supports zero-latency interrupts on selected architectures. Multiple Toolchains. Compatible with GCC, Clang, SDCC, ZiLOG ZDS-II (c89), and IAR. Apache NuttX can be developed on Linux, FreeBSD, Windows (MSYS, Cygwin, WSL, or native), macOS, and Solaris. Totally Open. Non-restrictive Apache license. Apache NuttX is more than code, its a community, said Nathan Hartman, Project Manager and Committer, Apache NuttX. As an open source and global community-driven effort, we thrive on participation from enthusiastic users, from hobbyists to large corporations worldwide, and we welcome their involvement in the future of NuttX. Additional Resources Availability and Oversight Apache NuttX software is released under the Apache License v2.0 and is overseen by a self-selected team of active contributors to the project. A Project Management Committee (PMC) guides the Projects day-to-day operations, including community development and product releases. For downloads, documentation, and ways to become involved with Apache NuttX, visit https://nuttx.apache.org/ . About The Apache Software Foundation (ASF) Founded in 1999, the Apache Software Foundation exists to provide software for the public good with support from more than 70 sponsors. ASFs open source software is used ubiquitously around the world with more than 8,400 committers contributing to 320+ active projects, including Apache Superset, Apache Camel, Apache Flink, Apache HTTP Server, Apache Kafka, and Apache Airflow. The Foundations open source projects and community practices are considered industry standards, including the widely adopted Apache License 2.0, the podling incubation process, and a consensus-driven decision model that enables projects to build strong communities and thrive. https://apache.org ASFs annual ApacheCon event is where open source technologists convene to share best practices and use cases, forge critical relationships, and learn about advancements in their field. https://www.apachecon.com/ The Apache Software Foundation. Apache, NuttX, Apache NuttX, and ApacheCon are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Apache Software Foundation in the United States and/or other countries. All other brands and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. TORONTO, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Yesterday, the Ford government announced plans to expand private, for-profit health care in Ontario. The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) is calling the move, entirely out of touch with what Ontarians want and need. According to polling conducted by Environics Research, nearly eight in ten Ontarians (78%) believe the Ford government should use public money to increase funding to public hospitals and clinics, so they can rebuild capacity, instead of redirecting funding to private, for-profit clinics. Six in ten Ontarians (59%) oppose more involvement by private for-profit health care providers, as a solution to the problems facing health care. Ontarians can clearly see that the Ford government has created a crisis to pursue their agenda of privatization, said Patty Coates, Ontario Federation of Labour President. Diverting funds from our public health care system to private, for-profit surgical clinics will not solve the staffing crisis and years of underfunding that have fueled the current crisis. The online poll of 1,000 Ontarians found that a strong majority of people believe that private companies offering health care services will lead to richer people jumping the queue (79%) and that the Ford government is leading Ontario to two-tier health care (61%). Ontarians understand that the priorities of for-profit providers are simply not the same as publicly delivered health care, added Coates. According to the poll, 81% of Ontarians believe the main objective of private for-profit health care companies is to make more money for their owners and shareholders. Coates added, The pandemic proved that a profit-driven approach to health care is bad for patients. Long-term care is the most haunting example, where deaths were significantly higher in for-profit homes. The OFL has pointed to the need for greater public funding into publicly delivered health care, and the repeal of Bill 124 as urgent measures that must be taken to address the health care crisis. Ontarians agree with these demands. Almost eight in ten (78%) support the Ontario government increasing public hospital funding to the Canadian average, even if this adds to the deficit or means higher taxes, and 70% of Ontarians oppose Bill 124. Enough is enough of Fords scheme to erode public health care for private gain, said Coates. Workers have lost confidence in the Ford government. We are united in the fight to defend public health care. The OFL will launch a new campaign on January 28 . Included among the five demands of the campaign is a call to keep health care public. This Environics Research poll was conducted online between November 29 and December 10 with a sample size of 1000. View the Opinion Survey referenced, here . The Ontario Federation of Labour represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. For information, visit www.OFL.ca and follow @OFLabour on Facebook and Twitter . For more information, please contact: Melissa Palermo Communications Director Ontario Federation of Labour mpalermo@ofl.ca | 416-894-3456 gh/COPE343 Gold grade of Indicated and Inferred resources at Fenelon improves by 85% and 84%, respectively Substantial new resources added at Martiniere TORONTO, Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wallbridge Mining Company Limited (TSX:WM, OTCQX:WLBMF) (Wallbridge or the Company) is pleased to announce an updated mineral resource estimate (MRE) for its Fenelon Gold (Fenelon) and Martiniere Gold (Martiniere) projects, located on the Companys Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend land package in Northern Abitibi, Quebec. Marz Kord, President & CEO of Wallbridge stated: Building on the success of our 2021 maiden MRE, the subsequent exploration program has delivered an MRE with significantly improved grade and a larger resource. This confirms our belief that a potential underground bulk mining scenario is the most attractive option at Fenelon, as it has the potential to deliver attractive economics with lower capex, a smaller footprint and faster permitting process than a large open pit. We believe a resource of this size, grade and zone thickness could be analogous to some of the large, bulk-mineable deposits that are already being successfully mined in the Abitibi region today. The updated MRE is a significant milestone as Wallbridge prepares to deliver a preliminary economic assessment for Fenelon in Q2 2023. Attila Pentek, Wallbridges Vice President, Exploration added: Todays updated mineral resource reflects the Companys focused and effective drilling and sampling program which has essentially replaced over 800,000 lower grade ounces with 1.3 million higher-grade ounces at Fenelon. This translated into significant increases in gold grade at Fenelon, with an 85% increase in the grade of the Indicated resources and an 84% increase in the grade of Inferred resources, compared to the 2021 Fenelon maiden MRE. We also achieved positive results at Martiniere, where we increased the resource ounces substantially, with a 26% increase in the Indicated category and a 146% increase in the Inferred category. We continue to pursue value-generating growth, with both deposits remaining open in multiple directions, and substantial potential for discoveries along our extensive, underexplored land package. We look forward to carrying our positive exploration momentum into 2023. Highlights Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend Indicated resources of 3.05 Moz at 3.09 g/t Au (14% increase in ounces and 62% increase in Au grade from 2021). Fenelon : Indicated resources are 2.37 Moz at 3.40 g/t Au (11% increase in ounces and 85% increase in Au grade from 2021). Martiniere : Indicated resources of 0.68 Moz at 2.35 g/t Au (26% increase in ounces and 5% increase in Au grade from 2021). of 3.05 Moz at 3.09 g/t Au (14% increase in ounces and 62% increase in Au grade from 2021). Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend Inferred resources of 2.35 Moz at 2.96 g/t Au (36% increase in ounces and 76% increase in Au grade from 2021). Fenelon : Inferred resources are 1.72 Moz at 2.89 g/t Au (17% increase in ounces and 84% increase in Au grade from 2021). Martiniere : Inferred resources of 0.63 Moz at 3.17 g/t Au (146% increase in ounces and 11% increase in Au grade from 2021). of 2.35 Moz at 2.96 g/t Au (36% increase in ounces and 76% increase in Au grade from 2021). 57% of the ounces of the Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend MRE are in the Indicated category. MRE will form the foundation for Wallbridges upcoming preliminary economic assessment (PEA) of Fenelon , which is expected to be completed in Q2 2023. , which is expected to be completed in Q2 2023. Significant expansion potential exists at Fenelon and Martiniere as both gold deposits are open in multiple directions. Table 1 Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend 2023 MRE compared to the 2021 MRE Mineral Resource Estimation Methodology The updated MRE for Fenelon is based on 1,350 recent and historic drill holes totaling approximately 537,000 m, variably spaced from 20 to 200 m on the Gabbro, Tabasco/Cayenne, Area 51 and Ripley/Reaper zones. This includes 917 drill holes totaling approximately 460,000 m drilled by Wallbridge since 2016. The updated MRE for Martiniere is based on 596 recent and historic drill holes totaling over 169,000 m, variably spaced from 20 to 150 m on the Martiniere North, Martiniere West, Martiniere Central, Bug Lake and Horsefly zones. A total of 54 holes drilled to date by Wallbridge since the acquisition of Balmoral have been incorporated into the Martiniere MRE. For both deposits, the geological, litho-structural, and 3D modelling of the mineralized zones was prepared in Leapfrog Geo and the MREs were prepared in Leapfrog Edge using a sub-block model of 4m x 4m x 4m parent blocks. Gold grades were calculated using the Inverse Distance squared interpolation method using hard boundaries for both deposits. The mineral resources are categorized as Indicated and Inferred based on drill spacing, as well as geological and grade continuity. For Fenelon, in the Tabasco/Cayenne Zones, a maximum distance to the closest composite of 35 m for Indicated and 70 m for Inferred while 25 m was used for Indicated and 50 m for Inferred in all other zones. For Martiniere, maximum distance to the closest composite was 35 m for Indicated and 70 m for Inferred. The reasonable prospect for an eventual economical extraction is met by having used reasonable cut-off grades both for a potential open pit and underground extraction scenarios, a minimum width (2 m), and constraining volumes (Deswik optimized shapes and Whittle optimized pit-shells). The reasonable prospect for an eventual economical extraction will be further evaluated in the upcoming PEA which is expected in Q2 2023. Table 2 Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend 2023 MRE (Economic Parameters) Table 3 Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend 2023 MRE (Results for the Fenelon deposit per zones) Table 4 Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend 2023 MRE (Results for the Martiniere deposit per zones) Notes: The independent and qualified persons for the current Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend 2023 MRE are Carl Pelletier, P.Geo.,Vincent Nadeau-Benoit, P.Geo., Simon Boudreau, P.Eng. and Marc R, Beauvais, P.Eng., of InnovExplo Inc. The Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend 2023 MRE follows 2014 CIM Definition Standards and 2019 CIM MRMR Best Practice Guidelines. The effective date of the Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend 2023 MRE is January 13, 2023. These mineral resources are not mineral reserves as they do not have demonstrated economic viability. The QPs are not aware of any known environmental, permitting, legal, title-related, taxation, sociopolitical or marketing issues, or any other relevant issue, that could materially affect the potential development of mineral resources other than those discussed in the Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend 2023 MRE. For Fenelon, 112 high-grade zones and seven (7) low-grade envelopes were modelled in 3D to the true thickness of the mineralization. Supported by measurements, a density value of 2.80 g/cm3 was applied to the blocks inside the high-grade zones, and 2.81 g/cm3 was applied to the blocks inside the low-grade envelopes. High-grade capping was done on raw assay data and established on a per-zone basis and ranges between 25 g/t and 100 g/t Au for the high-grade zones (except for the high-grade zones Chipotle and Cayenne 3 a high-grade capping values of 330 g/t Au was applied) and ranges between 4 g/t and 10 g/t Au for the low-grade envelopes. Composites (1.0 m) were calculated within the zones and envelopes using the grade of the adjacent material when assayed or a value of zero when not assayed. A minimum mining width of 2 metres was used for underground stope optimization. For Martiniere, 75 high-grade zones and nine (9) low-grade envelopes were modelled in 3D to the true thickness of the mineralization. Supported by measurements, a density value of 2.83 g/cm3 was applied to the blocks inside the high-grade zones (except for the high-grade zones associated with massive sulfide intersections where a value of 3.00 g/cm3 was applied), and 2.81 g/cm3 was applied to the blocks inside the low-grade envelopes. High-grade capping was done on raw assay data and established on a per-zone basis and ranges between 25 g/t and 100 g/t Au for the high-grade zones and ranges between 1 g/t and 6 g/t Au for the low-grade envelopes. Composites (1.0 m) were calculated within the zones and envelopes using the grade of the adjacent material when assayed or a value of zero when not assayed. A minimum mining width of 2 metres was used for underground stope optimization. The criterion of reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction has been met by having constraining volumes applied to any blocks (potential surface and underground extraction scenario) using Whittle and DSO and by the application of cut-off grades. The cut-off grade for the Fenelon deposit was calculated using a gold price of US$1,600 per ounce; a CA/US exchange rate of 1.30; a refining cost of $5.00/t; a processing cost of $18.15/t; a mining cost of $5.50/t (bedrock) or $2.15/t (overburden) for the surface portion, a mining cost of $65.00/t for the underground portion and a G&A cost of $9.20/t. Values of metallurgical recovery of 95.0% and royalty of 4.0% were applied during the cut-off grade calculation. The cut-off grade for the Martiniere deposit was calculated using a gold price of US$1,600 per ounce; a CA/US exchange rate of 1.30; a refining cost of $5.00/t; a processing cost of $18.15/t; a mining cost of $4.55/t (bedrock) or $2.15/t (overburden) for the surface portion, a mining cost of $118.80/t for the underground portion using the long-hole mining method (LH), a mining cost of $130.70/t for the underground portion using the cut and fill mining method (C & F), a G&A cost of $9.20/t and a transport to process cost of $6.50/t. Values of metallurgical recovery of 96.0% and royalty of 2.0% were applied during the cut-off grade calculation. The cut-off grades should be re-evaluated in light of future prevailing market conditions (metal prices, exchange rate, mining cost, etc.). Results are presented in-situ. Ounce (troy) = metric tons x grade/31.10348. The number of tonnes and ounces was rounded to the nearest thousand. Any discrepancies in the totals are due to rounding effects; rounding followed the recommendations as per NI 43-101. Table 5 Gold price sensitivity analysis for the Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend 2023 MRE (Fenelon Deposit) Table 6 Gold price sensitivity analysis for the Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend 2023 MRE (Martiniere Deposit) The tables above illustrate the sensitivity of each MRE to different gold prices for a potential open-pit and underground operation scenario with reasonable outlook for economic extraction. The reader is cautioned that the figures provided in these tables should not be interpreted as a statement of mineral resources. Quantities and estimated grades for different cut-off grades are presented for the sole purpose of demonstrating the sensitivity of the resource model to the choice of a specific cut-off grade. Figure 1. Wallbridges Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend land package Figure 2. Fenelon Gold, Plan View, 2023 MRE vs. 2021 MRE Figure 3. Fenelon Gold, Longitudinal Section, 2023 MRE vs. 2021 MRE Figure 4. Martiniere Gold, Plan View, 2023 MRE vs. 2021 MRE Figure 5. Martiniere Gold, Longitudinal Section, 2023 MRE vs. 2021 MRE Qualified Persons The independent qualified persons responsible for the MREs of the Fenelon and Martiniere projects, as defined in NI 43-101, are Mr. Carl Pelletier, P. Geo., Mr. Vincent Nadeau-Benoit, P. Geo., Mr. Simon Boudreau, P.Eng. and Mr. Marc R. Beauvais, P.Eng. of InnovExplo Inc. Mrs. Pelletier, Nadeau-Benoit, Boudreau and Beauvais have read and approved the scientific and technical information relating to the MREs contained in this press release. The scientific and technical information of the Company and of the Fenelon and Martiniere projects included in this news release have been reviewed and approved by Francois Chabot, Eng, Technical Studies Manager of Wallbridge and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. NI 43-101 Technical Report A technical report, which is being prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101), will be available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) under the Companys issuer profile within 45 days. The effective date of the current MRE is January 13, 2023. Webcast Wallbridge will host a webcast on Wednesday, January 18, 2023, at 10:00 am (Eastern Time). Marz Kord, President and Chief Executive Officer; Attila Pentek, Vice-President Exploration; and other members of the leadership team will provide an in-depth review of the MREs and be available to answer questions. Managements presentation for the webcast will be available on the Companys website at www.wallbridgemining.com. To participate in the webcast please register at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_n3F2-knpRYaZwJXRpt856g About Wallbridge Mining Wallbridge is focused on creating value through the exploration of gold projects along the Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend while respecting the environment and communities where it operates. Wallbridges flagship project, Fenelon Gold (Fenelon), is located on the highly prospective Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend Property (Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend Property) in Quebecs Northern Abitibi region. An updated mineral resource estimate completed in January 2023 yielded significantly improved grades and additional ounces at the 100%-owned Fenelon and Martiniere properties, incorporating a combined 3.05 million ounces of Indicated gold resources and 2.35 million ounces of Inferred gold resources. Fenelon and Martiniere are located within an approximate 830 km2 exploration land package controlled by Wallbridge. The Company believes that these two deposits have good potential for economic development, especially given their proximity to existing hydro-electric power and transportation infrastructure. In addition, Wallbridge believes that the extensive land package is extremely prospective for the discovery of additional gold deposits. Wallbridge also holds a 19.9% interest in the common shares of Archer Exploration Corp. (Archer). Archer holds a portfolio of nickel assets in Ontario and Quebec. Wallbridge will continue to focus on its core Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend Property while enabling shareholders to participate in the potential economic upside in Archer. Wallbridge Mining Company Limited Marz Kord, P. Eng., M. Sc., MBA President & CEO Tel: (705) 6829297 ext. 251 Email: mkord@wallbridgemining.com Victoria Vargas, B.Sc. (Hon.) Economics, MBA Capital Markets Advisor Email: vvargas@wallbridgemining.com Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information This press release contains forward-looking statements or information (collectively, FLI) within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. FLI is based on expectations, estimates, projections, and interpretations as at the date of this press release. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are FLI that involve various risks, assumptions, estimates and uncertainties. Generally, FLI can be identified by the use of statements that include words such as seeks, believes, anticipates, plans, continues, budget, scheduled, estimates, expects, forecasts, intends, projects, predicts, proposes, potential, targets and variations of such words and phrases, or by statements that certain actions, events or results may, will, could, would, should or might, be taken, occur or be achieved. FLI herein includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding the potential future performance of Archer common shares, future drill results; the Companys ability to convert inferred resources into measured and indicated resources; environmental matters; stakeholder engagement and relationships; parameters and methods used to estimate the mineral resource estimates (each an MRE) at the Fenelon and Martiniere properties (collectively the Deposits); the prospects, if any, of the Deposits; future drilling at the Deposits; and the significance of historic exploration activities and results.. FLI is designed to help you understand managements current views of its near- and longer-term prospects, and it may not be appropriate for other purposes. FLI by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such FLI. Although the FLI contained in this press release is based upon what management believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure shareholders and prospective purchasers of securities of the Company that actual results will be consistent with such FLI, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, and neither the Company nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any such FLI. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake, and assumes no obligation, to update or revise any such FLI contained herein to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required by law. Unless otherwise noted, this press release has been prepared based on information available as of the date of this press release. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on the FLI or information contained herein. Furthermore, should one or more of the risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in FLI. Assumptions upon which FLI is based, without limitation, include the results of exploration activities, the Companys financial position and general economic conditions, the ability of exploration activities to accurately predict mineralization; the accuracy of geological modelling; the ability of the Company to complete further exploration activities; the legitimacy of title and property interests in the Deposits; the accuracy of key assumptions, parameters or methods used to estimate the MREs; the ability of the Company to obtain required approvals; the evolution of the global economic climate; metal prices; environmental expectations; community and non-governmental actions; any impacts of COVID-19 on the Deposits; and, the Companys ability to secure required funding. Risks and uncertainties about Wallbridges business are more fully discussed in the disclosure materials filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada, which are available at www.sedar.com. Information Concerning Estimates of Mineral Resources The disclosure in this press release and referred to herein was prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 which differs significantly from the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). The terms measured mineral resource, indicated mineral resource and inferred mineral resource used in this press release are in reference to the mining terms defined in the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Standards (the CIM Definition Standards), which definitions have been adopted by NI 43-101. Accordingly, information contained in this press release providing descriptions of our mineral deposits in accordance with NI 43-101 may not be comparable to similar information made public by other U.S. companies subject to the United States federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral resources will ever be converted into reserves. Pursuant to CIM Definition Standards, inferred mineral resources are that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of limited geological evidence and sampling. Such geological evidence is sufficient to imply but not verify geological and grade or quality continuity. An inferred mineral resource has a lower level of confidence than that applying to an indicated mineral resource and must not be converted to a mineral reserve. However, it is reasonably expected that the majority of inferred mineral resources could be upgraded to indicated mineral resources with continued exploration. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies, except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource is economically or legally mineable. Disclosure of contained ounces in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute reserves by SEC standards as in place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. Canadian standards, including the CIM Definition Standards and NI 43-101, differ significantly from standards in the SEC Industry Guide 7. Effective February 25, 2019, the SEC adopted new mining disclosure rules under subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the SEC Modernization Rules), with compliance required for the first fiscal year beginning on or after January 1, 2021. The SEC Modernization Rules replace the historical property disclosure requirements included in SEC Industry Guide 7. As a result of the adoption of the SEC Modernization Rules, the SEC now recognizes estimates of measured mineral resources, indicated mineral resources and inferred mineral resources. Information regarding mineral resources contained or referenced in this press release may not be comparable to similar information made public by companies that report according to U.S. standards. While the SEC Modernization Rules are purported to be substantially similar to the CIM Definition Standards, readers are cautioned that there are differences between the SEC Modernization Rules and the CIM Definitions Standards. Accordingly, there is no assurance any mineral resources that the Company may report as measured mineral resources, indicated mineral resources and inferred mineral resources under NI 43-101 would be the same had the Company prepared the resource estimates under the standards adopted under the SEC Modernization Rules. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f93799af-e414-4ced-957d-37263c02869d https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/274c697a-04f1-4acc-bb08-1e9ae7919034 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8dffe650-64c2-441e-bfa3-c00c9e76f4c0 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a5765ef1-0ffe-4fa4-9995-ec9a68c63f40 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2cfaa030-d2a9-4263-af91-712093892d3c https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6e3390be-98eb-49f6-a5a9-7e2711672c1a https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/90b7c1a0-2038-4b31-b2a6-92e6f7306291 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/738ead1e-704a-4258-9f1b-d8b2b5d6b2b3 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ad67da79-2c84-4f56-b3dd-89961b957e27 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fc0647cc-e007-4c15-8cda-466519eee519 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8c7eb000-adde-4521-8512-334a9b01c52b SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- California Water Service Group (Group) (NYSE: CWT) announced the commencement of its 10th annual College Scholarship Program cycle today, reaffirming the utilitys commitment to improving lives in its communities. Students residing in areas served by its California, Hawaii, New Mexico, and Washington subsidiaries are encouraged to apply for a portion of the $80,000 available in awards. Four $10,000 grand-prize scholarships will be awarded, along with additional scholarships ranging from $2,500 to $5,000. Eligible applicants must plan to enroll in a full-time undergraduate study program at an accredited college, university, or vocational-technical school for the 2023-24 academic year. Scholarships will be awarded based on academic achievement, community service, and financial need. We are pleased to continue our college scholarship program for its 10th year and so proud of our previous recipients who are already making their mark on the world, said Martin A. Kropelnicki, President and Chief Executive Officer. Going to college can be expensive, so we want to help reduce that barrier for students in the communities we serve. I encourage any students who meet the eligibility criteria to apply. The annual scholarships are part of Groups stockholder-funded philanthropic giving program and do not affect customers rates. The program is administered by Scholarship America, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. To date, Group has provided $600,000 in scholarships to students through the program. To learn more about the scholarship program or to apply, students may visit learnmore.scholarsapply.org/calwaterscholarships. The application period will close on Thursday, March 30, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. PDT. Winners will be announced in the summer. About California Water Service Group California Water Service Group (NYSE: CWT) is the largest regulated water utility in the western United States. It provides high-quality, reliable water and/or wastewater services to more than 2 million people in California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Washington, and Texas through its regulated subsidiaries, California Water Service, Hawaii Water Service, New Mexico Water Service, and Washington Water Service, and its utility holding company, Texas Water Service. What sets Group apart is its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for its customers, communities, employees, and stockholders. Guided daily by their promise to provide quality, service, and value, Groups 1,100+ employees lead the way in protecting the planet, caring for people, and operating with the utmost integrity. Integral to Groups strategy is investing responsibly in water and wastewater infrastructure, sustainability initiatives, and community well-being. The company has been named one of Americas Most Responsible Companies by Newsweek and a Great Place to Work. More information is available at www.calwatergroup.com. Media Contact Yvonne Kingman ykingman@calwater.com 310-257-1434 As per the Business confidence study conducted nationwide by MSME-focused digital lender Neo-Growth Credit Findings, an overwhelming majority of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in India expect their profits to increase in 2023. The Indian MSME sector is a nursery of entrepreneurship driven by individual creativity and innovation. Prime Minister of India recently launched growth accelerator schemes like Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP), Capacity Building of First-Time Exporters (CBFTE) and new features of the Prime Minister Employment Generating Programme (PMEGP), giving impetus to growth. Following the adoption of the revised definition of MSMEs based on investments in plant and machinery and equipment and turnover, a whopping 10 million online registrations have been received on the Udyam Registration Portal towards Ease of Doing Business. Recently concluded India International Trade Fair 22 witnessed the encouraging participation of 73% of women entrepreneurs. An all-inclusive MSME Champions Scheme formulated with categories, namely MSME Sustainable, MSME Competitive, and MSME Innovative, is setting aspirations of Indias Small and Medium Businesses to be on a global roadmap. Handholding MSME entrepreneurs to leverage their expertise and translate the same to a wider audience empowers the business to leverage their true potential, says Rachana Chowdhary, CEO of MVW-MSME Development Centre, the Editor & Publisher at IndiaTechnologyNews.in, an MSME focused Magazine. In addition to the traditional financing schemes, an increasing community of family offices is looking to extend their support to MSMEs with promising solutions. Sunrise sector: Electric Vehicles As per the Fortune Business Insights Report, the Indian Electric Vehicle industry is estimated to grow to $113.9 billion by 2029. With a substantial shift in focus, India is shaping the next big dream of transforming with EVs. Sunrise sector: Warehouse Business CBRE reports for 2022 states over 32-34 million sq. ft of new warehouse spaces are expected to become operational. Investors are increasingly interested in warehousing and logistics, with logistics accounting for 20 per cent of the deal volume. Industrial and warehousing space leasing is spread across eight major tier-I and tier-II cities spanning the booming ecommerce market. Ravi Nandan Sinha, Director of Development and MSME Business Forum India, said, The increasing contribution of the MSME sector towards creating India as a global business hub is genuinely remarkable. With Industry 4.0 knowledge and technology penetration, more MSME owners are fast-forwarding their digital evolution. With an actively increasing membership base, MSME Business Forum India is enabling its members with opportunities to progress and communicate. Upcoming Opportunity Conclave 2023 in New Delhi will receive dignitaries from different genres to unleash the potential amongst the MSMEs. Interested Investors can join through the online link here. Dr Sindhu Bhaskar, Investor & New Age Technology Evangelist, Finance and Technology Expert, US, said, For MSMEs to achieve high growth, the two most significant interventions required are related to credit assistance and technology upgradation. Banks and financial institutions should be more willing to discern genuine exporters and demand less collateral. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires State Sen. Art Haywood held up a blank check as he referenced the promissory note Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of in his famous I Have a Dream speech. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir, Haywood told the crowd Monday at St. James A.M.E. Zion Church in Allentown, as he read from Kings famous address. This note was a promise that all men yes, Black men as well as white men would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Haywood, who represents parts of Philadelphia and Montgomery counties, gave the keynote speech at the Allentown NAACP branchs Martin Luther King Jr. Day event, which was attended by about 100 people, including a smattering of local and state officials. This was the first time the annual holiday event has been celebrated in person since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, Haywood continued, eliciting humming agreement from the crowd, which prompted him to remind everyone he was still only reciting Kings speech, and not yet sharing his own thoughts. This gave rise to knowing laughter as people in the audience realized Kings 1963 message from the March on Washington still holds true for many communities of color today. Haywood went on to talk about the violence civil rights activists faced and the reality of segregation in America before highlighting the modern-day challenges Black students face in higher education. (The Allentown NAACP said education will be a main focus for the organization in 2023.) Haywood said African American college students are trapped in a metaphorical box, closed in by four challenges: consistent peer harassment being protected as free speech, the failure of school administrators to enforce anti-discrimination laws, low academic expectations from teaching staff, and the requirement that they be endlessly resilient despite it all. The state senator went on to acknowledge other societal challenges Black Americans still face, including police brutality and housing discrimination. I do have to say there are some differences between 1963 and 2023, he said, segueing into a list of the positive changes hes seen. Education access and graduation rates for Black students have increased, he said, and poverty has been reduced. Statues of Confederate Civil War soldiers are coming down. There are also more visible Black leaders, including Vice President Kamala Harris and Austin Davis, who is set to be sworn in as Pennsylvanias first Black lieutenant governor Tuesday. With all this forward movement, Haywood asked, Is that check ready to be cashed? Unfortunately, no. Instead of relying on the bank of justice as King said, Haywood believes Americans may have to pool their funds to make good on whats owed Black people in this country. It will be modern-day freedom fighters, like those in the local NAACP, who bring the country closer to justice, he said. Branch Vice President Lisa Conover said the Allentown NAACP has accomplished a lot in the last year, including registering voters, working with Whitehall-Coplay and Parkland school districts to implement diverse programming, and urging the police to get involved when a local Black farmer was facing harassment from a white neighbor. Conover, who also sits on the Allentown School Board, said the organization continues to protect the firing rights of former Superintendent John Stanford, the districts second Black leader, who left the job in October. Stanford served just under a year of his five-year term, and the school board wont say why. Conover said the NAACP also continues to support a 30-year audit of the Allentown School District, though the school board hasnt publicly discussed the potential for a forensic audit since early December. After listening to Haywood speak, Allentown NAACP Secretary Barbara Redmond said she agrees theres still much work left to do when it comes to racial equity. Our kids cant go to school without someone saying something racist. Our kids cant drive cars without the police stopping them for no reason, Redmond said. A lot of things are still the same. Mahima Camara, a junior at Allen High School and vice president of its Black Student Union, said she hears students using the N-word daily, and Haywoods comments about verbal harassment felt salient to her. That really stood out to me, what he said about using the N-word, and students not feeling comfortable because they hear that word just coming out anywhere, she said. Camara also said Haywoods speech made her reflect on her own education and opportunities because of Kings work. I think its good that were still celebrating because without him, people of color, such as me, wouldnt be able to go to school and graduate, she said. I wouldnt be able to be in high school with teachers who are the opposite color. I wouldnt be able to have friends who arent the same color as me, and I wouldnt have opportunities, too. Debora Herring-McAllister, 57, of Allentown came to the MLK Day event because she was off from work and likes to attend church events, she said. She agrees with Haywood that police brutality and unfairness in education are some of the major challenges Black Americans still face. When it comes to Kings impact, Herring-McAllister said the reason we remember the civil rights icon annually is simple: He spoke truth, and he tried to help bring people together. Morning Call reporter Jenny Roberts can be reached at 484-903-1732 and jroberts@mcall.com. Debt exchange rumour caused cedi depreciation BoG Emmanuel Bonney & Yaa Kuffuor Senya Business News Jan - 17 - 2023 , 10:37 The Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Ernest Addison, has said that the rumour about the domestic debt exchange programme triggered the sharp depreciation of the Ghana cedi against the US dollar last year. Im sure you recollect that in October, there were rumours about the debt exchange; so this is what triggered a large depreciation of the cedi. Individuals who were holding bond instruments tried to rediscount their instruments. They got the cedis and they immediately invested in holding US dollars. So that pressure on the market drove the exchange rate to 15/16 (cedis for a dollar), and as soon as there were signals that we were going to conclude on the staff level agreement with the IMF, people started getting out of their dollar holdings, and really thats when the currency also appreciated during that period, he said. Response Mr Addison said that in response to a question at the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament sitting in Accra yesterday. This was when the BoG appeared at the PAC for the consideration of the Report of the Auditor General on the Consolidated Statement of Foreign Exchange Receipts and Payments of the central bank for the year ended December 31, 2020. It was also to consider the Report of the Auditor General on the Statement of Foreign Exchange Receipts and Payments of the BOG for the half year ended June 30, 2020. Cedis Mr Addison told the committee, Chaired by the Deputy Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Ketu North, Dr James Klutse Avedzi, that the cedi was now between 11 and 12 cedis to a dollar. On why the cedi was depreciating again, he said the market was a flexible one and would reflect movements on a day-to-day basis. If there is additional demand for cedis, the currency would reflect it. The central bank cannot fix the exchange rate; it depends on what transactions have taken place that week, and maybe there have been payments to contractors, and typically that type of payments can move the exchange rate because some of them immediately convert that into foreign exchange, he said. He said the exchange rate reflected a lot of day-to-day pressures on the economy. Mr Addison said the BoG did not have enough foreign exchange reserves, and that currently, there was around 1.5 months of import cover, but the government had announced a debt standstill which meant that the outflows - money that was being used to service foreign debt - would not go out any more. That, he said, gave the country a lot of room and took pressure off the foreign exchange market. He expressed the hope that because of the debt standstill, I can say that we should expect the currency to remain relatively stable. GIFMIS Earlier, the Deputy Minister of Finance, Abena Osei Asare, asked by the Chairman of the Committee about what the ministry was doing to ensure that all ministries, department and agencies (MDAs) used the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), she said the government was looking at upgrading the system. That, she said, was to ensure that every expenditure that was made by MDAs or a metropolitan, municipal or district assembly (MMDA) was done on the system. It hasnt been easy with some MMDAs and MDAs, but it is our quest that very soon almost all the MMDAs and MDAs will use the GIFMIS for all transactions, including internally generated fund transactions, she emphasised. Domestic Debt Exchange Programme: Banks suffer GH65bn losses Boahene Asamoah Business News Jan - 17 - 2023 , 13:47 Banks exposure to the ongoing debt restructuring exercise is estimated to be well over GHs 65 billion even though government says it has made available a GH15 billion fund to ensure financial sector stability. Banks Expected Credit Losses (ECL) on existing bonds and Treasury bills alone will hit GH15 billion on account of the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP), analysis of the banks books have revealed. In addition, the total banking losses before tax is also expected to reach GHS14.5billion; liquidity gap, which is the difference between the banks assets as against its liabilities is expected to be in excess of GHS20 billion. All the 23 banks also face additional capital requirement of about Gh16 billion. Capital requirements are standardised regulations in place for banks and other depository institutions that determine how much liquid capital (that is, easily sold securities) must be held as against a certain level of their assets. ECLs are an expected present value measure of losses that arise if a borrower defaults on its obligation throughout the life of the loan. Data available to Graphic Business also indicate that if the current accounting treatment as recommended by the Institute of Chartered Bankers were to apply to the books of banks in the country, 17 Banks will have capital adequacy ratio of less than 10 per cent. Per Bank of Ghana rule book all banks must have a minimum of 10 per cent adequacy ratio. Nine other banks will have negative Net Own Funds (NOF). This means the sum of paid-up equity capital, free reserves and securities premium account reduced by accumulated losses and book value of intangible assets will be in the red. Analysts believe the above factors may impair the financial position of domestic institutions to such a degree that financial stability will be threatened and put pressure on banks to recapitalise. Following from this, industry experts have revealed that the banks were also pushing back on the DDEP programme. IMF Bailout under threat Government is racing against time to conclude a US$3 billion facility that is hoped to stabilise the economy which is currently choked with debts, with total debt currently at GH467 billion as of December 2022. Analysts have warned that if the deadline for all creditors to sign up the governments DDE programme was not met, it would have dire consequences on the economy. Individual bond holders have rejected governments overtures to be roped onto the DDE programme and have threatened legal action which could put the whole programme into jeopardy. Already, the currency speculators are beginning to gain a head-start with regard to the countrys cedi. It has shown signs of picking up the pace again with regard to depreciation. At the turn of the year, the cedi was trading at GH7.9 to US$1. However, as of yesterday, it had reached over GH9 to the US$1 tumbling almost 20 per cent since December. The banking sector is the most dominant investor in Government of Ghana (GoG) debts instruments, a phenomenon induced by both regulatory and market economics. In 2017, only GH10 billion worth of GoG issued debt securities was held by the banks. As of 2021, banks held over GH55 billion in GoG debt securities, representing almost 30 per cent of total banking industry assets. Of this amount, about 80 per cent were in bonds. Data available indicate that interest income largely dominated by interest payment on government securities is the primary source of revenue for banks in the country. Financial Stability Fund Following the staff level agreement with the IMF in a record time, the government announced a road map on how it intended to negotiate with its lenders on the need to postpone interest payments on its bonds. Government recognising the impact of its DEP on the financial sector, then moved to establish a GH15 billion Financial Stability Fund meant to cater for justifiable liquidity needs of banks that might be affected by the programme. However, the banks, according to sources, are apprehensive about the fund as there was no clarity on the mechanics of the fund. Banks were also not clear about the cost in accessing. Data available to the Graphic Business indicate that as of September 2022, of the GH160 billion total domestic bond issued by the Government of Ghana, banks were the largest holders with 32 per cent, firms and institutions held 25 per cent, others including retail, 14 per cent, foreign investors-11 per cent, Bank of Ghana-10 per cent, Pensions- 5.6 per cent, Rural Banks- 1.4 per cent and Insurance Companies having 0.9 per cent. The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT)- 0.4 per cent; Treasury Bills-16.4 per cent; medium tenor bonds two-five years-49.5 per cent and long tenor bonds (six years and above represented 34.2 per cent). Maiden Western oil, gas awards recognises many entities Moses Dotsey Aklorbotu Business News Jan - 17 - 2023 , 14:22 The Vice-Chancellor of the Takoradi Technical University, Rev. Professor John Frank Eshun, has noted that the oil and gas industry has the capacity to spearhead the nations development. He said governments should, therefore, continue to invest in ways that would make the industry ensure equitable distribution of wealth. In a speech read on his behalf by the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Victor Bondzie Micah, at the maiden Western Regional Oil and Gas Excellence Awards in Takoradi, the Vice-Chancellor of the TTU said when oil production started about 13 years ago, many Ghanaians were skeptical as to whether the oil found would be a blessing or a curse to the country. This was because little or no effort was made at ensuring that Ghanaians had the requisite knowledge and skills to contribute to the growth and development of the oil and gas industry and the result has been that most of the related upstream and downstream activities have been left in the hands of expatriates, he said. Rev. Professor Eshun, therefore, commended the Petroleum Commission, as well as the National Petroleum Authority for taking the necessary steps to train Ghanaian youth to play a pivotal role in the exploration and management of the resource. Two weeks ago, Ghana Gas reported of how it had been making $3 million savings a month for replacing Chinese workers with Ghanaian experts who had completed their training to assume those roles. Prof. Eshun urged the government and other key stakeholders to continue to take lessons from best practices of oil producing countries. The awards, which was on the theme: Ghana: Towards Oil-led Economic Development, was to acknowledge the role of sector players to socio-economic development. It was organised by Top Brass Ghana under the auspices of the Western Regional Coordinating Council. Aside from Rev. Prof. Eshun, who chaired the occasion, other dignitaries included the Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, as well as the President of the Gwira Traditional Council and Vice-President of the Western Region House of Chiefs, Awulae Angama Tu-Agyan II. The Director of Top Brass, Isaac Dakwa, said the Western Regional Oil and Gas Excellence Awards scheme had been instituted with the objective of acknowledging the vital contribution of the oil and gas sector to the economic development of the Western Region and the entire country. He said the awards was also instituted to honour deserving oil and gas industry players. Mr Dakwa said the awards would be an annual event scheduled for every December 15, to coincide with the date oil was first discovered at Cape Three Points in the Western Region. Commendation The regional minister commended Top Brass Ghana for implementing the Western Regional Oil and Gas Excellence Awards Scheme, which he said, would serve as a platform for creating synergies and encouraging industry players to attain greater heights. Mr Darko-Mensah bemoaned the situation where local players sought partnership arrangements outside the country and urged them to seek partners internally for mutual benefit and also for the promotion of the growth of the economy. Awards Special Gold Awards were conferred on the Ghana National Gas Company (Processing and Sale of Gas); the National Petroleum Authority (Petroleum Downstream Oversight); the Petroleum Commission (Petroleum Upstream Oversight) and the Port of Takoradi (GPHA, Port Operation). Tullow Ghana Limited (Operator Production) and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (Overall Petroleum Upstream Exploration and Production Oversight) were the distinguished recipients of the topmost Platinum Award. Industry leaders who were honoured with the Gold Award were Amaja Oilfield Limited (Marine Construction and Production Services); Bollore Transport and Logistics Company Limited (Logistics/Freight Forwarding); Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (Petroleum Logistics) and the GNPC Foundation (Corporate Social Responsibility).Goil Plc (Oil Marketing); Mac Logistics Limited (Shipping Trucking); Medea Development Limited (Oil and Gas Exploration); Monpe Heavy Haulage Company Limited (Special Transport); OTS Ghana Limited (Lifting Engineering); Star Assurance Company Limited (Insurance Services) and Zeal Environmental Technologies Limited (Environmental Solutions), received silver awards. Gibson Safety Consult Limited (Quality, Environmental Health and Safety Consultancy); Glico General Insurance Company Limited (Insurance Services); Petrosol Ghana Limited (Oil Marketing); Safety World Engineering Limited (Marine Engineering, Offshore/Onshore) and Sagoe Interventions Limited (Fabrication Engineering) also received silver awards. Maltese investors to explore business opportunities in Ghana Elizabeth Nyaadu Adu Business News Jan - 17 - 2023 , 15:58 25 major Maltese companies are expected in Ghana this week to explore business opportunities. They will dig deep into the incentives and infrastructure available to support their investment. The delegation will also engage with officials in their respective sectors and get introduced to the potential local partners in the country. The Chairperson for TradeMalta, Elizabeth Barbaro Sant, who disclosed this in her speech at the 3rd Malta-Ghana Business Forum today (January 17) in Accra said as a nation that is boldly upholding its aspirations of economic development and political stability, Ghana has been central to Maltas roadmap for Africa. She said it was clear that there were countless opportunities for collaboration and growth between both countries. With our shared goals and complementary strengths, we are confident that our nations can form a powerful partnership that will drive socio-economic growth for both of us. Together, we can fuel Ghanas economic transformation and open new doors for Maltese businesses to invest in Ghanas thriving ecosystem, she said. Minority calls for suspension of debt exchange programme Justice Agbenorsi Business News Jan - 17 - 2023 , 13:27 The Minority in Parliament has called on the government to suspend the domestic debt exchange programme (DDEP) immediately and embark on a thorough dialogue with stakeholders. That will enable the state to achieve the best workable measures for a smooth operation of the debt exchange programme, the caucus said. Addressing a news conference in Accra yesterday, the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, said the debt exchange programme in its current form would create extreme hardships for millions of Ghanaians and financial institutions. The inclusion of individual bondholders in the DDEP is the biggest transfer of funds from the pockets of Ghanaians to the government and will leave affected persons, mainly the middle-class, impoverished while worsening the plight of the poor, and this must immediately be stopped, the Minority Leaders stated. Present at the news conference were the ranking Member on Parliaments Finance Committee, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson; the National Communications Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi; the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ketu North, James Klutse Avedzi and MP for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwami Dafeamekpor, among others. DDEP The government is seeking $3 billion in financial support from the IMF in a bid to stabilise the economy. As part of the deal which has come about as a result of unsustainable high debt levels, the government must show how it intends to reduce its debt burden to sustainable levels within three years. Meanwhile, as a precondition for the IMF management and board to approve the staff-level agreement with the country, the government must secure the approval of its creditors. As part of that arrangement, the government has proposed that all bondholders will not receive any interest on their bonds for the 2023 financial year. Since its announcement in December 2022, several experts and bodies have kicked against the Programme. Financial sector Touching on the potential impact of the programme on the entire financial and banking sector, Mr Iddrisu said restructuring domestic debts would undermine the health of the banking system, since capital adequacy would become a challenge. He explained that with over GH60 billion locked up in government bonds, the non-receipt of any interest this year and paltry sums in subsequent years, would prove the undoing of some banks. Not paying them any interest in 2023 would effectively sound the death knell to these banks with its attendant consequences on depositors and employees who would have to be laid off, Mr Iddrisu added. Pensions He said the programme would also affect the value of tier two and tier three pension funds. Pension as pay-outs were likely to drop further from their already low levels. We are at a loss as to why individual pension contributors have not been offered the same exemptions that tier one and two contributors have been given and this anomaly must immediately be rectified, Mr Iddrisu stated. On the effects of individual bondholders, the Minority Leader noted that the inclusion of individual bondholders in the Domestic Debt Exchange, contrary to initial assurances from both the President and the minister, would wipe out the countys middle-class and impose harsh suffering on them, their families and dependents. The government is simply imposing an almost 80 per cent tax in present value terms on the savings of Ghanaians and our bank balances without any consultations with affected individuals, the Minority Leader lamented. It is obvious that the government is transferring the responsibility to address the debt burden it has created through reckless borrowing and populist fiscal policies to only innocent Ghanaians and the financial sector, the Minority Leaders added. Difficulties Mr Iddrisu said the countrys economic difficulties could have been avoided if the government had heeded wise counsel from the opposition and civil society on prudent management of finances and the economy. We demand further demonstration of responsibility from government through more substantial cuts in non-essential expenditure and a reduction in the humongous size of government, he stated. He also announced the caucus intention to embark on a nationwide road show to foster deeper understanding of the matter and rally Ghanaians to demand a more favourable resolution of the unprecedented economic crisis the economic management team had plunged the country into. Deadline extended Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance has extended the deadline for voluntary uptake of the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) from yesterday to January 31, this year. The extension, according to the ministry, was to help deepen stakeholder engagement on the proposed policy. Sovereign bondholders call for negotiations Maclean Kwofi & Dickson Worlanyo Dotse Business News Jan - 17 - 2023 , 11:00 Retirees who hold sovereign bonds have called on the government to use the extension period for the domestic debt exchange programme (DDEP) to conduct in-depth negotiations with local bondholders. At a press conference in Accra yesterday by the group, the Pensioners Bondholders Forum (PBF), the retirees said thorough negotiations would help forge solutions in ways that could insulate investments of individual bondholders, especially pensioners from the proposed DDEP. We all want the programme to succeed and so we want the government to negotiate with us so that we can find solutions, the Convener of the forum, Dr Adu Anane Antwi, said. Programme extension The call came after the Ministry of Finance (MoF) announced through its social media handles that the government had extended the expiration of the domestic debt exchange programme (DDEP) to January 31, 2023. It said the extension was to help deepen stakeholder engagement on the proposed policy. Building consensus is key to a successful economic recovery for Ghana. Pending further stakeholder engagement with institutional and individual investors, recently invited to join the debt exchange programme, the government is extending the expiration of the DDE to Jan. 31, 2023, it added. Approach Dr Antwi said the government should use the same approach it used to negotiate with foreign creditors for the local bondholders, especially that of retirees. I have heard that foreign creditors have got a committee that negotiates with the government and so why cant local bondholders have the same. If you owe someone and cannot pay, why dont you tell them and find a solution together because we all want the programme to succeed, Dr Antwi added. According to him, the governments initial approach to the programme was flawed because it alienated the most vulnerable bondholders who are pensioners. The convenor further said that the retirees, numbering about 400, each of whom held government bonds, were united against the inclusion of their investments in the DDEP. He said capturing their investments in the debt swap programme would have a negative impact on their livelihoods and that of their families. According to him, they invested with the expectation that the coupons (interest payments) would supplement the pensions they received through the tier-one pension scheme under the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT). Petition Dr Antwi further said that the group intended to picket at the Ministry of Finance on Monday, January 23, 2023, against the inclusion of their investments in the programme. In line with that, he said, a letter had already been sent to the Ghana Police Service to seek permission to demonstrate outside the premises of the ministry. Dr Antwi, however, expressed hope that members would engage the sector minister before close of day yesterday, the initial deadline for individual bondholders to assent to the governments invitation to the debt swap. He said if the government heeded their calls and exempted pensioners from the programme, the demonstration would be called off. The convenor added that the PBF had also petitioned other stakeholders and institutions such as Parliament, the Council of State, the Christian Council of Ghana, the Office of the Chief Imam, the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference, the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council and the National Peace Council to intervene. Parliament, countervailing force for effective governance Daily Graphic Opinion Jan - 17 - 2023 , 14:43 Parliaments have been globally identified as the fulcrum around which functional democracies and effective governance revolve. As the Arm of Government that performs the triangular functions of making laws, overseeing the executive branch, and representing the people, parliaments are designed with the goal of providing the counterbalance needed to offset executive dominance. Ghanas Parliament was not established to be any different. As the most representative of the three branches of government, and the one closest to the people, many have questioned if it has lived to that expectation. Under the Fourth Republican dispensation, and cruising on the wings of the countrys most enduring Constitution (1992), eight Parliaments have been assembled since January 1993. Opinion is divided on which of these eight have been the best performing. The current Eighth Parliament, which is by far the most intriguing of them all, has the two dominant political parties in the country holding equal number of seats in the 275-member Chamber, with the only extra seat held by an independent Member of Parliament (MP) who caucuses with the ruling New Patriotic Partys (NPP) side of the aisle, thereby making it a narrow majority group. Conversely and in an unprecedented manner, the Speaker of the current Parliament, who is the Head of this co-equal Legislative Arm of Government, is a member of the other dominant political party the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that makes up the minority group in the House. Framers of the 1992 Constitution designed the kind of parliamentary system the country operates, having considered many historical episodes since our post-colonial era. For example, the quest to avoid the reoccurrence of a situation under the 1969 Constitution where the ruling Progress Party (PP) was constrained by the constitutional provision requiring that all ministers be selected from Parliament, resulting in a ministerial team that could not be described as inclusive and had negative political consequences for the PP. These unintended consequences partly influenced the decision not to have all ministers appointed from Parliament. Also, the difficult relationship between President Hilla Limann and the Parliament of the Third Republic under the 1979 Constitution, which led to a vote to reject President Limanns initial Budget submission, informed the current constitutional arrangement to appoint the majority of ministers from among MPs. These have produced a uniquely Ghanaian hybrid system of Government, with elements of both presidential and parliamentary systems. Both the President and Parliamentarians are popularly elected to four-year terms of office which run concurrently, with the functions of each branch of government clearly spelt out in the Constitution. Functions of Parliament Article 93 of the 1992 Constitution vests the legislative power of Ghana in Parliament, thereby enabling it to participate in the formulation of national policies. It also gave it huge oversight responsibilities, including the power to authorise the spending of government; approve or disapprove public expenditure, grants, loans and the national budget. Parliament also has the power to authorise the imposition of taxes, in that government is unable to collect any money from the citizenry without parliamentary endorsement. The recent brouhaha around the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-levy) law is a classic example of this function of Parliament. Additionally, Article 103 provides for the formation of standing committees and other committees which shall, among others, investigate and inquire into the activities and administration of ministries and departments as Parliament may determine; and such investigations and inquiries extend to proposals for legislation. To make these powers and functions meaningful, the committees are given certain procedural powers akin to the High Court. The Constitution also equips Parliament with political power that it may use to back its oversight responsibilities. These include the power to remove the President or Vice-President from office, and to pass vote of censure on ministers. Parliamentarians as representatives of the people have various tools at their disposal to bring the concerns of their constituents to the attention of duty-bearers. These include presenting Statements on the floor of Parliament, debating issues of public concern and subjecting Ministers to Parliamentary Questions. In the face of these huge oversight responsibilities, the Constitution adorned Parliament with lots of power to carry them out. For example, Parliament has the power to determine its own procedure and agenda, subject only to the Constitution. Neither the President nor the Courts may interfere with the internal affairs of Parliament, as the Legislature enjoys a wide scope of immunity, including from court processes in line with freedom of speech and of proceedings. Challenges and Prospects The question remains whether Parliament has meaningfully reaffirmed its role as the guardian of the nations democracy and contributed to effective governance. A Colloquium recently organised by the Ghana School of Law Class of 2002 to mark their 20th Anniversary after being called to the Bar, explored the challenges, prospects and recommendations towards getting Parliament to assert itself as a countervailing force for effective governance. The main speakers at that event were three members of the Class: the Minority Leader in Parliament and MP for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu ; Deputy Attorney-General and Deputy Minister for Justice, Alfred Tuah-Yeboah;and a private legal practitioner,Victoria Barth The Chairman of the National Media Commission and a member of the Class, Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh, moderated the Colloquium. The Colloquiums proceedings largely informed this article. The Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, law academics, civil society organisations and governance practitioners also shared their respective views at the Colloquium. Constitutional limitations Although the 1992 Constitution provided wide powers to Parliament, it is considered to have also limited the institution in many ways. For instance, whereas legislative power is vested in Parliament, Article 108 imposes some restrictions in the area of tax legislation and laws that have financial implications on the Consolidated Fund. This article was written by Ghana School of Law Class of 2002 Resolving Ghanas debt timely, orderly Henry Adjei Boadi Opinion Jan - 17 - 2023 , 12:10 Certainly, a tidy, vigorous and balanced development of Ghanas economy is not only the state and her citizens responsibility. It is undoubtedly of a prime concern for the United Nations and all of its component departments, agencies, programmes and funds. It is often literally said that a debtor eats. However, there cannot be an enjoyment of human rights and a guarantee for fundamental freedoms for any country consistently plagued with debts. The risk of significant disruption of economic activity and employment, because of inability to service public debt, is obvious. It was on this tangent that as then Chair of the G20, Japan made debt sustainability a priority issue on agenda. Ghana, unsurprisingly, has applied officially for debt forgiveness. The country graciously received $6 billion debt cancellation in the 2000s. My expectation is that the creditor community will appreciate the seriousness of Ghanas current predicament just as it was recognised by the official benevolent community in: 1987 when the Paris Club decided to apply for the first time more concessional rescheduling on so-called Venice terms. Furthermore, the 1989 generosity of the Toronto terms, granting highly indebted countries 33 per cent debt reduction, cannot be glossed over. The London terms in 1991 granted 50 per cent debt reduction, the Naples terms in 1994 gave 67 per cent debt reduction and recently the Lyons terms in 1998 giving of 80 per cent debt reduction are so fresh in our minds. Concessions of rescheduling terms has been increasing severally. Ghanas request is firmly grounded on several fronts in economic, social, political, legalities, and morality. All, notwithstanding competitiveness, recent scarcity and high cost of global funds. Debt forgiveness The last article concluded on the argument of symbiotic contributory failures lenders and borrowers in continuing loaning to (near) defaulting nations, which makes the former complicit in seeking recovery instead of closely scrutinising the possible consequences. Ghanas external debt has become so engulfing to wane her ability to service same. Its even precarious, looking at the cyclic nature of the debts and therefore nothing short of occasional debt forgiveness, (debt relief, debt alleviation, debt remission, or an outright cancellation of debt is arguably the choicest way). It is in the best economic interest for the bilateral, multilateral partners and developed world in general for Ghana to be a viable business and economic partner. On the parity of diminishing marginal utility of money, debt forgiveness would have positive re-distributive effect of global resources and do more good to developing nations like Ghana and the global economy than it would to the wealth of the richer nations. Socially, the poor is constrained of basic conditions of survival, let alone prosperity. Being free from debt will unleash the utmost potential of the teeming human capital towards development course. Enforcement of debt obligations risk the poor to starve, die of preventable diseases, or continue to lack basic education. Contrary, investors and the banks merely experience reduction in profits. Political, legal urgings There is an urgent need for world powers to partner Ghana in maintaining political legitimacy. Poverty and deprivation are not just critical sources of tensions and strife, but do greatly undermine stability and order. Legally, unsustainable debt poses high risk to international prosperity, peace and law, all of which offers great challenge to the world order. General principles of human dignity and self-determination is focal in the instance case. Conclusion A caution to borrowers, as it is commonly and arguably appropriated somewhere that the rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is a slave of the lender, should be a wakeup call for Ghana to wean herself off the intractable quagmire of debts. The Mirror's Health , Lifestyle and Fashion Use moisturisers, drink more water to cope with harmattan Dr Brifo Gloria Apprey Lifestyle Jan - 17 - 2023 , 14:12 A resident medical doctor at the Rabito Clinic and Skin Care Hospital in Accra, Dr Kofi Ansah Brifo, has recommended the use of moisturisers, drinking lots of water and use of lip balms as a way of protecting the skin from the harmattan. He explained that moisturising helps introduce minerals and vitamins to the skin to keep it healthy, help repair itself at a healthy rate, and prevent itchiness. Dr Brifo was speaking in Accra to The Mirror on how to maintain a healthy skin during the harmattan. He said a dehydrated or dry skin could cause cracks on the skins surface, making it susceptible to infections since microorganisms could easily enter the skin through the cracks. The elasticity and defence mechanisms of the skin also becomes limited. Facially, the dust and dryness can clog pores, the results; acne, black spots and whiteheads due to the production of sebum, he added. Dr Brifo described the skin as the largest organ of the body that offers three layers (epidermis, demis and subcutaneous) of protection from microbes, harsh environment, U.V radiation and infections, among others. He said the skin could tell how healthy or ill a person is through changes in colour, texture and outlook. Dr Brifo explained that it was imperative to give the skin utmost care to prevent harmful factors from affecting our internal organs. Different skin types, he said, reacted to the harmattan differently. Dr Kofi Ansah Brifo Whereas dry skin becomes drier, and more prone to cracks , oily and combination skin can escape by a slight margin. Harmattan also causes what is called pruritus, thus itching associated with dry skin and cheilitis, thus cracked or chapped lips, he said. The doctor said the skin glands began to lose its power and fighting ability with age as such, the elderly might suffer during this dry and dusty weather. He advised that if a child suffered chronic atopic dermatitis or eczema, a skin condition characterised by dry, itchy and sometimes inflamed skin that had no cure, their condition might worsen. The dust associated with harmattan also exacerbates the conditions of asthmatic patients and persons on certain medications such as acnotac, a medication that causes skin and lips dryness. This season can also be a problem for diabetic patients. Due to the low blood sugar associated with diabetes, a diabetic loses significant sensation on the skin. This means, they may not be able to immediately detect even the minutest of infection or injury when attacked by certain microbes, especially during this season, he said, adding that when not treated or poorly treated, that could develop into a severe case of infection such as cellulitis. He described cellulitis as a common bacterial skin infection that affected the deepest layer of the skin (subcutaneous) causing redness, swelling, and pain in the infected area of the skin. If untreated, it could spread and cause serious health problems. Dr Brifo said the use of moisturisers containing at least Sun Block Factor 30 (spf30), a mineral that protects the skin from sun damage were essential during this period. He recommended local products like authentic shea butter as a very good option saying that a trick to improve moisture was to apply lotions and moisturisers immediately after taking a shower while still wet. Eight Allentown students were slated to attend Josh Shapiros inauguration as Pennsylvania governor Tuesday in Harrisburg. Two students were selected each from Allen High School, Dieruff High School, Building 21 and Executive Education Charter School to attend the event at the state Capitol, along with designated school chaperones, according to a news release from city spokesperson Genesis Ortega. They were guests of Mayor Matt Tuerk. Not only did Governor-elect Shapiro want to make sure Allentown was represented, but he wanted to include those who normally wouldnt have the opportunity to attend an event like a governors inauguration, Tuerk said. Its a historic moment whenever we see a transition of power in government, and I wanted our citys youth to witness and live it. Councilwomen Cynthia Mota and Natalie Santos as well as Council of Youth Chair Zaleeae Sierra were also slated to attend, according to the release. Morning Call reporter Molly Bilinski can be reached at mbilinski@mcall.com. 3 Win 2022 Kuenyehia Prize for Contemporary Art Justice Agbenorsi Jan - 17 - 2023 , 13:49 Three contemporary artistes, including an indigenous self-taught textile artiste, have emerged winners of the 2022 Kuenyehia Prize for Contemporary Art. Daouda Traore, Odinakachi Okoroafor and Dela Anyah are the winner, first runner-up and second runner-up respectively of the coveted prize set up in 2014. They were among a pool of 178 artistes across West Africa who submitted their works to a five-person independent jury that analysed the entries based on the trajectory of the artistes work and their artistic statement. Traore, who was awarded a prize of $5,000 and a plaque, is contemporary artiste from Mali who prides his artworks by giving life to neglected materials such as worn sheets, boxes of preserves, sacks of millet, wire and wool. His work captures and reflects his daily life experiences, the experience of his society and the world at large, the major challenges facing the world, the multiple crises surrounding immigration and conflicts and the current situation of Malian education. Okoroafor, on the other hand, is a mixed media artiste from Nigeria whose work is an exploration of detailed and delicate lines, inspired by barcodes and lace patterns. He uses imagery from his childhood and community and as a point of departure, his paintings examine a Black figure through the lenses of daily life and social and political struggle. Anyah is a self-taught textile artiste from Ghana who uses the transformation of discarded tyres and tyre tubes to represent classic artworks. His work focuses on sculpture and installation, drilling, riveting, stitching and repurposing discarded tyres and tyre tubes as an act of sustainability. Investment The Founder of Kuenyehia Trust for Contemporary Art, Professor Elikem Nutifafa Kuenyehia, called on the public to invest more in art by purchasing artworks for their homes, offices and gifts for their loved ones. He said the African art ecosystem had a tremendous potential to bring more value to people who invested in it, hence instead of purchasing clothes and hampers as gifts, the public should rather buy artworks as their value increased with time. Art is an asset, and we need to invest more in it by buying artworks for our offices, homes and even as gifts for our friends and family instead of clothes, he said. That, he justified, was the surest way to support artists on the continent whose work received little recognition on the continent despite their infinite potential. Prof. Kuenyehia said the narrative about artworks on the continent was improving as demand for art globally began to increase; hence, the need for people to invest in the craft of artistes on the continent. Commendation The Paramount Chief of Essikado Traditional Area, Nana Kobina Nketsia IV, commended the Trust for its efforts in encouraging artistes to put out their best, adding: Africans like you are doing all kinds of things to uplift the continent and make Ghana distinct. The Head of Office and Representative of UNESCO to Ghana, Abdourahamane Diallo, pledged UNESCOs support to sustain the prize. About prize The Kuenyehia Prize for Contemporary Art is the flagship programme of the Kuenyehia Trust for Contemporary Art set up by Professor Kuenyehia in 2014 to, among others, promote and advance contemporary African art. Inspired by the worlds most famous art prize, UKs Turner Prize, Kuenyehia Prize for Contemporary Art aims to encourage talented West African artistes to pursue their dreams and to support them to build sustainable careers in art. The Trust provides its artistes with multiple platforms to showcase and promote their work. These include opportunities to participate in exhibitions, talks and publications. The prizes previous winners and shortlisted artistes had opportunities to showcase their works at leading art fairs such as FNB Johannesburg Art Fair and at events in the United States (US) and Spain. The prominence that the Trust gives to artists provides them with an accelerated career boost, direct financial gain and opportunity, both locally and internationally. The prize has also built collaborations with renowned cultural institutions, including ANO Gallery, British Council Accra, Alliance Francaise and the Dei Centre for Contemporary African Art. Abandoned project reawarded Samuel Kyei-Boateng Jan - 17 - 2023 , 14:10 A three-storey office accommodation for staff of the Birim Central Municipal Assembly started by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration over 20 years ago, which has been abandoned by successive governments, has been reactivated and awarded on contract by the current New Patriotic Party (NPP) government. Through the efforts of the Member of Parliament (MP) for Akyem Oda, Alexander Akwasi Acquah, the Common Fund Administration has awarded the project on contract to a Kumasi-based construction firm, Setalexidan Company Limited at a cost of GH4,430,299.65. The contract, which should be completed in seven months, involves the reconstruction and reroofing of the entire building, tiling and furnishing of the offices. Ceremony At a ceremony to hand over the project to the contractor at Oda last Friday, Mr Acquah advised the contractor not only to complete the building on schedule, but should also do quality work for the facility to last long. He appealed to the contractor to recruit some of the youth in the area to reduce the unemployment problem in the municipality. He was grateful to the NPP government, in particular, and the Common Fund Administration, in general, for investing heavily to complete the facility that had been neglected for years. He called for closer cooperation between MPs and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives nationwide to speed up the progress of the country. The MP urged public servants to bury their political affiliations and contribute their quota towards the national reconstruction programme, spearheaded by the governing NPP government. He stated that feasibility studies had been completed for the Common Fund Administration to reconstruct the Oda Central Market that was destroyed by a fire disaster last year. Assurance Mr Acquah gave an assurance that the Oda town roads, whose rehabilitation had come to a standstill, would soon be repackaged and re-awarded to a new contractor for tarring to bring relief to the residents. The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Birim Central, Victoria Adu, commended the MP for lobbying for many development projects to be undertaken in the municipality since he became the legislator for a short period of two years. She said the completion of the three-storey building would help solve office accommodation facing some of the decentralised departments in the municipality. The Managing Director of the construction firm, Jackson Agya Manu, gave an assurance that he would complete the facility on schedule and also execute it to the satisfaction of all. Among the dignitaries at the function, chaired by Nana Akyea Mensah III, a divisional Chief of Akyem Kotoku Traditional Area, was the Oda Congo Chief, Alhaji Sulemana Ademu. Central Region in retrospect: Year of hope, celebrations, wins and floods Shirley Asiedu-Addo Jan - 17 - 2023 , 13:36 Of the many things that the year 2022 was to the people of the Central Region, the year brought a renewed energy for the people to push the regions development forward. This was after the Ghana Living Standards survey of 2016/2017 estimates in 2021 put the Central Region as the fourth richest of the 16 regions. This was a sharp move for the region from surveys that put the region at the fourth poorest in 2006. The region, according to the surveys estimates in 2021, is also the most productive region per capita and the third in terms of per capita income levels for people engaged in farming, fishing, fish processing, public work and trading. Choicest host The Central Regional capital, Cape Coast, became the seat of almost all national celebrations this year. Its Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) took almost all the celebrations in the country this year. On the back of successfully hosting the 2021 Farmers Day, the region had the opportunity to host two major national programmes, the 65th independence anniversary celebrations in March and the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFAC) in December to the admiration of all. Health In the area of health, the Enterprise Group PLC refurbished the Sangmuah Male Ward and the courtyard of the Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital at Ankaful. The project undertaken at the cost of GHS2,026, 986.00 included the renovation of the four-block facility with five wards, a conference room, a pantry, a dining area, a treatment room, two nurse stations and other ancillary facilities. The Mankessim murder case The region had its share of gruesome crimes, distasteful for its residents. Three persons including the Tufuhen of Ekumfi Akwakrom, Christopher Clark Quansah, Michael Darko, a self-styled pastor and Jonathan Obeng, a mason, were arrested for the roles in the horrifying murder of Georgina Aso Botchwey, a prospective student nurse. Initial police investigations indicated that Ms Botchwey had come to Cape Coast from Yeji for admission into the Ankaful Nurses Training College but was lured and abducted by Darko who is also a fiance of her sister to Akwakrom near Mankessim. She was later taken to an uncompleted building belonging to Quansah also known as Nana Clark, killed and buried. June floods The region was also one of the hardest hit when the floods came with the rains in June. The floods claimed the life of a Prison Officer at Ankaful who was swept off by floodwaters while hundreds of people were displaced and properties and infrastructure running into millions of cedis destroyed. The region in the year under review recorded 1,037 accidents according to the Regional office of the National Road Safety Commission involving 1,628 vehicles. Politics In the area of politics, the Progressive Peoples Party held its 10th anniversary in Elmina in October 2022. The University of Cape Coast also played host to the Women and Youth delegates congress of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) later in the year while both the ruling New Patriotic Party 9NPP) and the NDC held congresses for branch, constituency and regional executives. Mr Robert Kutin was re-elected Regional Chairman of the NPP while Dr Richard Asiedu was elected chairman of the NDC. The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, inaugurated a 22- kilometre Cape Coast Inner city road project. The project included the Akotokyir, Kwaprow, Amamoma, Academy area and English Arabia roads. Others are the PPAG area, Ebubonko-Amissano-Besakrom-Dankwakrom, Eyifua and Kakumdo roads. President tour President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in September undertook a two-day tour of the Central Region. In the Awutu-Senya East constituency, President Akufo-Addo inspected the Kasoa Court Complex before proceeding to Awutu-Senya West constituency, where he paid a courtesy call on the Paramount Chief of Awutu in Breku, inspected work on the Kasoa-Bawjiase road and inaugurated the 1D1F Gas Cylinder Factory in Chochoe and a Lubricant Factory in the Gomoa East District at Fetteh. He also inspected an Agenda 111 Project in Gomoa Afransi in the Gomoa Central Constituency and met with chiefs in Mfantseman. President Akufo-Addo also called on the chiefs of Komenda and inspected the Komenda Sugar Factory giving the assurance that it would be inaugurated before the end of 2022 but it is yet to be inaugurated. He also paid a courtesy call on the Chief of Elmina and inspected the construction of the Fishing Harbour, all in the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abirem Constituency. In Cape Coast, President Akufo-Addo inspected the Infectious Disease Centre at Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, inaugurated the office complex of the Central Regional House of Chiefs, and attended the Oguaa Fetu Afahye to climax the tour of the region. Peace and security Earlier in April, Prof. Samuel Duncan of the Centre of Awareness (COA) unveiled a campaign as part of a five-year strategic action plan towards global peace which was attended by hundreds of people from across the country at COA's Fourth Public Lecture in He used the occasion to launch a fund towards funding activities that would engender peace. Business In October 2022, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation also commenced the decommissioning of the Saltpond oil field, one of the oldest in the country. The GNPC said the rationale behind the exercise was on safety grounds coupled with the fact that the oil field had seen a decline in production levels, producing not more than 200 barrels per day compared to its earlier production of 4,800 barrels a day. Festivals In 2022, festivals in the region all bounced back hard after being on COVID19 induced break. The Bakatue of Elmina, Fetu of Cape Coast, Aboakyir of Winneba, the Ahobaakese of Abeadze Dominase, the Okyir of Anomabo and the Odambea of the people of Saltpond were all celebrated in grand style. Education The University of Cape Coast maintained its position as the best university in Ghana, first in West Africa and 4th in Africa in the 2023 Times Higher Education annual rankings. The announcement added more impetus to the universitys 60th-anniversary celebration which was graced by the President. At the University of Education Winneba, Police used tear gas to disperse demonstrating students over discrepancies in examination results. Gender Ministry presents electronic devices to welfare officers Juliet Akyaa Safo & Diana Mensah Jan - 17 - 2023 , 11:25 Some selected district social welfare officers across the country have been presented with Samsung tablets to facilitate their work. The 61 tablets, which cost about GH175,000, will also enable them to effectively implement the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme aimed at reducing poverty in the country. The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), with support from the World Food Programmes (WFP), made the presentation in Accra. The Minister of the MoGCSP, Lariba Zuweira Abudu, said the tablets had come in handy since the LEAP programme had undergone some technological reforms. She said key among the reforms were the digitisation of the reporting systems and decentralisation of the programmes management information systems (MIS) and sub-national implementation structures. Through the digitisation, the ministry is assured of real-time electronic reporting and feedback on the implementation of field activities of the programme. The field activities include cash out of grants by beneficiary households and other activities at the community and district levels, the minister added. Significance According to Ms Abudu, since the start of the e-reporting system in 2019, the ministry had received reports from some officers that their electronic devices were not in good shape. As a result, they had to resort to the use of their mobile phones to access the e-reporting applications, thus affecting their output. The minister said her outfit procured the tablets for distribution to the officers after receiving support from the WFP. She, therefore, urged the officers to use the devices for its intended purpose to enhance programme delivery. The minister also expressed appreciation to the WFP for its support, and said the tablets would go a long way to improve the work of staff, while pledging to deepen collaboration with the programme. The Deputy Director of the LEAP Management Secretariat, Myles Ongoh, said the secretariat was working to improve the livelihood of the vulnerable while ensuring that their workers also had the necessary logistics. Rationale The Country Director and Representative of the WFP, Barbara Clemens, said the devices were meant to support the collection of accurate data on the field. Evidence creation is key for us and these tablets are to support the ministry to make sure that the right persons received the right benefit at the right time, she said. Ms Clemens said her outfit would continue to liaise with the ministry to identify gaps in the LEAP programme and help fix them. She commended the ministry for the initiative to support the vulnerable while pledging WFP support for the former to deliver on its mandate. Appreciation The social welfare officer for the Krowor Municipal Assembly, Evelyn Nanbigne, on behalf of his colleagues, expressed appreciation for the support. She said the devices would not only facilitate their work, but would also make them gather accurate data. Lands Commission to demolish properties on encroached state lands at Amrahia, Mpehuasem, Borteyman... Daily Graphic Jan - 17 - 2023 , 13:13 The Lands Commission has served notice that starting from today, it will undertake a demolition exercise to reclaim state lands that have been encroached upon. This is as a result of the urgent need for a more extensive exercise to recover and protect all encroached portions of the state lands, including demolition of unauthorised structures, following a reconnaissance inspection of sites by a joint team of Lands Administrators and police officers. The affected areas include Borteyman, Amrahia and Mpehuasem. A statement from the commission, signed by its Executive Secretary, James E. K. Dadson, said under section 236 of the Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036), it had engaged a private agent with the assistance of the Ghana Police Service to recover and protect such sites. Affected lands The commission identified the lands to be reclaimed as approximately 1,381.995 acres at Kweiman-Amrahia, which was a site for Modern Dairy Farm under Instrument, 1970 (E.I.47). Also, under Instrument 2009 (E. I. 16) an approximate area of 111.25 acres at Accra-Mpehuasem, a site for the Accra Training College as well as the site for Livestock farm located at Nungua, Accra, covering an approximate area of 2,570.05 acres and acquired with Certificate of Title 214/40) through Instrument, 1940. Persistent encroachment Mr Dadson said the commission had in recent times received a number of reports of encroachments on state lands within the said areas by unknown armed men. He indicated that the illegality started during the festive season in December, 2022 and continues to occur. He stressed that the said parcels under threat were part of government acquisitions with compensations paid and would, therefore, use every legal means to protect them. Also, the commission reminded the general public that all state-acquired and vested lands in the country were administered by the government through the Lands Commission. However, government acting on a goodwill, released parts of the acquired lands to the pre-acquisition owners and it was thus worrying that the rest of the state lands were being encroached upon by armed men. Following a reconnaissance inspection of the affected sites, the joint team of Lands Administrators and Police Officers agreed on the urgency of a more extensive exercise to recover and protect all the encroached portions. It is against this backdrop that the team, therefore, would be undertaking the demolishing exercise to recover and protect these state encroached lands, the statement emphasised. Man in court for selling broken tiles as phones Elizabeth Konadu-Boakye Jan - 17 - 2023 , 10:08 A self-professed phone trader, Mustapha Hamidu, has appeared before an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly selling packed broken tiles as phones. He has been charged with two counts of attempting to commit crime and defrauding by false pretence. Hamidu, who is also known as Abulley, appeared before the court presided over by Kwabena Kodua Obiri-Yeboah yesterday (January 16). His plea was however not taken by the court and is set to reappear on January 18 this year for his plea to be taken. Facts The facts of the case as read in court by the prosecutor, Chief Inspector Samuel Ahiabor, were that Abulley who lives at Odorkor, had consistently swindled unsuspecting victims by introducing them to observe original phones he displays for sale. After agreeing to specific prices through bargains, the defendant ends up changing the actual phones to phone cases packaged with pieces of broken tiles. The prosecutor said, victims who bought the phones got home and, in their attempt to use the newly acquired phones, came to the realisation that they had been made to exchange their money for decorated phone covers stacked with pieces of broken tiles. "Police on December 22, 2022, met accused at a place along a section of the Achimota overpass close to the old station with an original Tecno Camon 19 cellular phone in a phone cover, and two similar phone covers all packaged with broken tiles in his usual business, attempting to lure some victims to express interest in his business," he said. Chief Inspector Ahiabor said by introducing customers to his business, the accused would in the end make them to part with cash ranging from GHc500.00 to GHc1,000.00 in exchange for his packaged broken tiles. He added that a search on him revealed the fraudulent packages which caused his instant arrest to assist police investigations. "Accused was therefore arraigned before this Honourable Court while efforts are underway to apprehend his accomplice, currently at large," Chief Inspector Ahiabor said. New Year School opens today [LIVE VIDEO] Emelia Ennin Abbey Jan - 17 - 2023 , 10:46 The 2023 Annual New Year School and Conference (ANYSC) begins today at the University of Ghana, Legon. The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, will perform the opening ceremony which is on the theme: Positioning the African market for sustainable economic development through African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). This years event, the 74th, is aimed at exploring how to strengthen trade, industry and commerce, leveraging the AfCFTA agreement. The conference has since its inception in 1948, been the flagship programme of the university and attracts people from all walks of life who deliberate on topical issues of national and international interests. The conference will also focus on promoting and facilitating the preparedness and consolidation of AfCFTA gains by key stakeholders such as industry, the private sector, academia and the government through the organisation of the first Africa Regional Annual New Year School and Youth Conference. It will attract participation from some African universities, the private sector and industries from Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Botswana, Ethiopia, Egypt and ECOWAS member countries. Speakers Aside from the Vice-President, other dignitaries expected to speak at the conference include the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta; the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway; the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful; the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, and the Chairman of the McDan Group of Companies, Daniel McKorley. The Secretary-General of AfCFTA, Wamkele Keabetswe Mene, will deliver the keynote address at the conference which will be chaired by the Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Mary Chinery-Hesse, with the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, as the host. The four-day conference is under the auspices of the School of Continuing and Distance Education, College of Education of the university, in collaboration with the National AfCFTA Coordination Office. The others are the Ministries of Finance, Education, Communications and Digitisation, Trade and Industry, and Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration. Youth conference Other activities being organised at the conference is a youth school for students which is scheduled for Thursday, January 19, 2023, at the ISSER conference centre at the university. It is expected to attract keen participation of youth delegations from various African countries. The Director of the 74th conference, Dr Simon-Peter Kafui Aheto, expressed the hope that it would help contribute to the continents quest of advancing trade and industry to build a robust African economy that would contribute to the sustainable growth of member countries. He said the conference also had plans to establish a Digital Village complex on the Legon campus that would serve as a hub of youth training and development in the country and the continent at large. AfCFTA The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), headquartered in Accra, Ghana, is a flagship programme of the African Union under its Agenda 2063. It aims at accelerating intra-African trade and also boosting Africas trading position on the global market by strengthening Africas common voice and policy space in global trade negotiations. One of the special highlights of the conference will include an African continental hybrid trade show and exhibition, with special focus on a youth technology platform. Each year, the conference releases a communique at the end of the event which helps to shape policies and also provoke further discussions of the themes. Northern Regional Minister calls for peaceful coexistence Mohammed Fugu Jan - 17 - 2023 , 13:25 The Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Shani Alhassan Shaibu, has called for peaceful coexistence among the people to facilitate the accelerated development of the area. He, therefore, entreated the people to eschew tendencies that promote ethnic, chieftaincy, religious and political disturbances and rather come together to fight poverty, ignorance and disease which, the minister said, were their common enemies. According to Alhaji Shaibu, We need each other to prosecute the development agenda of our society and not divisions and conflicts. The minister made the call at the Silver Jubilee celebration of the 1998-year group of Ghana Senior High School (OGA 98) in Tamale, the Northern Regional capital. Commendation Alhaji Shaibu commended the staff and management of GHANASCO for producing industrious citizens, including a former President of Ghana, John Mahama. Ghanasco has written its name in golden letters ofsecondary education in the country by producing some of the finest professionals in every sphere of life, he added. The minister also lauded the leadership of the group for their organisational prowess that enable them to pull through the event successfully. He further urged all year groups to close their ranks and work towards the development of their alma mata by giving back to the school that had shaped their lives. For his part, a former Minister of Agriculture, Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna, also called on past students to embrace peace and work assiduously to improve upon their livelihood and that of the society. According to him, politics should be seen as a tool for development and not used to destroy societies, adding Lets see each other as brothers and sisters and work towards the upliftment of each other and our societies. A former Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Dr Ahmed Alhassan Yakubu, also cautioned against the negative use of social media, saying if not checked, it could threaten the security of the country. The negative use of social media on formal media platforms that is patronised by many people threatens the values that anchor our shared heritage as a people, he said. Dr Yakubu also recounted his days in Ghanasco and how the experience in the school had helped to shape his life and career and advised colleagues to strengthen the bond and not allow politics to destroy their association. Support The President of the group, Mohammed Baba Iddi, stressed the need for members to support the school in the face of inadequate state funding. The role of alumni in the development of an institution cannot be overemphasised. Nowadays, major developments in schools are anchored by alumni, given the paucity of funding from the government. Ours is no different, he added. Some deserving members were honoured with citations for their contributions towards the development of the school. They included the Head of Political Science Department of the University of Ghana, Dr Seidu Alidu Mahama; the Director of Administration (GIFFEC), Alhaji Issahaku Faisal Gbanjili, and the Dean of Allied Health Sciences, UDS, Tamale, Prof. Amadu Nafiu. Others included the Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna,a former Deputy Attorney-General, Dr Yakubu Ahmed Alhassan; Joseph Dindiok Kpemka, and a former Member of Parliament for Damongo, Alhaji Adam Mutawakillu, all alumni of the school. Okada rider, immigration officer shot at Aflao border Alberto Mario Noretti Jan - 17 - 2023 , 13:44 An argument between a Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) officer and a motorcycle rider (Okada) at the Aflao Beat 9 Border Post over the nationality of his pillion rider turned nasty and led to the shooting of the rider and another immigration officer. The rider and immigration officer were both hit in the leg by bullets from the gun of a soldier who turned up at the scene to quell the chaos. The two injured persons were rushed to the Aflao Municipal Hospital after the incident at about 9am on Sunday (January 15, 2023). The immigration officer has since been treated and discharged while the rider was transferred to the Ho Teaching Hospital. Tension The incident has led to a mounting tension between residents and the security agencies in the border town. The Ketu South Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Maxwell Lugudor told Graphic Online's Alberto Mario Noretti that an enquiry had begun into the matter. He did not disclose the names of the immigration officer and the rider off-hand, when he spoke to Graphic Online today. The MCE, who chairs the Municipal Security Council, said when the immigration officer spotted the motorcycle rider at the border spot that morning, he signaled the rider to stop for the pillion rider to be profiled. The immigration officer was said to have insisted that the pillion rider was a foreigner and not a Ghanaian. The rider maintained that he was carrying his brother on the bike and prevented the officer from subjecting him to scrutiny to establish his nationality, Mr Lugudor added. Exchanges He said that let to bitter exchanges and physical confrontations between the immigration officer and the rider. Sensing danger, the officer called the solder to the scene for reinforcement. Still, the rider would not allow the immigration officer to profile the pillion rider. The MCE said things then took a turn for the worse with a fierce physical struggle between the rider and the soldier, during which the soldier fired his duty weapon. In the process, the bullet(s) hit the rider and the immigration officer. As of Tuesday afternoon, some residents who spoke to Graphic Online identified the okada rider as Kwaku Tengey, 35. 2022 Health Sector in review Doreen Andoh Health Jan - 17 - 2023 , 12:44 This is the concluding part of the year in retrospect. The first part was published on Monday, January 16, 2023. In 2022, the health sector saw a number of interventions and initiatives, both from the public and private sector, towards building a healthy population, one of the pillars of sustainable socio-economic development. On April 27, during the year under review, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) reported that the countrys COVID-19 cases had continued to see a decline, with active cases dropping from 10,906, in December 29, 2021, to 40 as of April 26. The GHS said the active cases were in four regions, namely, Greater Accra, Ashanti, Upper East and Bono, with majority in the Greater Accra Region. According to the GHS, the development was an indication that the national response founded on preventive protocols and vaccination was yielding the desired result. During the year under review, the National COVID-19 Trust Fund, on July 22, revealed that it had, since its inception on March 27, 2020, accrued cash of GH62,329,941.98 as of June that year. The fund was set up by an Act of Parliament (Act 1013) to help mobilise funds to be used in complementing the governments efforts at addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. Record book Also featuring prominently in July during the year under review was the United States support to the GHS to print 139,000 copies of the countrys current and only Maternal and Child Health Record Book. It offered support through the Advancing Nutrition Ghana Project of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), one of the USA Government's flagship interventions, to help the country in the effort to address malnutrition. The GHS developed the combined Maternal and Child Health Record Book (MCH RB) with technical and financial support from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to improve maternal health care to abate maternal and neonatal mortality. Marburg Virus Disease On July 19, 2022, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared its intention to mobilise more resources for the Marburg Virus Disease response in the country. That was after the specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health had, through its facility, the Institut Pasteur in Dakar, Senegal, confirmed two suspected cases of the Marburg virus disease in the country. First to be recorded in the country However, on September 16, 2022, the World Health Organisation, the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service declared the country free of the Marburg Virus Disease after six weeks of recording the first outbreak in the country. The WHO attributed the success to the rigorous community surveillance mechanisms instituted by the country under the leadership of the Ghana Health Service, as well as intensified public education. Non-communicable diseases On September 1, data available to the Ministry of Health indicated that approximately 35 per cent of the adult population of the country were hypertensive, the disease described as a silent killer if not controlled, with many more affected people unaware of their condition or undiagnosed. Hypertension has been identified as the leading cause of premature preventable deaths locally, among other implications, as uncontrolled and undiagnosed hypertension is driving huge numbers of preventable deaths and disabilities from cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) locally and globally. In an effort to fight NCDs in the country, the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons (GCPS) on October 5, 2022, secured a 10-million funding to help boost the fight against non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in West Africa. The project will be executed mainly through high-level applied research. The funding was awarded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the UK governments major funder of clinical, public health, social care and translational research work in low and middle-income countries. Mental health Within the same month of October, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Mental Health Authority (MHA), Dr Akwasi Osei, observed that 10 years after the passage of the Mental Health Act 2012, Act 846, mental healthcare delivery in the country was nowhere near satisfactory. He, however, said the situation was far better than the years preceding the promulgation of the law. Speaking with the Daily Graphic in Accra, Dr Osei called on the government, which is the major stakeholder, to prioritise mental health. The interview was informed by the ongoing advocacy for mental health issues in the Global Mental Health Week. Dr Osei posited that regardless of the socio-economic impact of mental health on the general well-being of the population, it was not receiving the needed priority in terms of financing, infrastructure, human resource and logistics. Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin, the longest-serving chief prosecutor in county history, is ready to call it a career. Martin, who this month will mark his 25th year in office, said Tuesday that he wont seek reelection in November, wrapping up a tenure marked by some extraordinary benchmarks a 97.5% success rate in criminal homicide prosecutions and the rollout of innovative programs in criminal investigation and prevention. It just seemed like the right time to do it, Martin, 77, said in a phone interview from his Allentown office. People have been asking me if Im going to run for reelection and Ive been putting that off. I think in fairness to people who are interested in running for the position, it was time. The Lehigh County commissioners appointed Martin in 1998 to succeed Robert Steinberg, who became a Lehigh County judge. Martin, a Republican, was elected to a full term in 1999 and reelected five times, most recently in 2019. As the countys chief law enforcement officer, he oversees a staff of about 125 people and a budget of more than $13 million. Martin said he is proud of the offices record under his leadership, especially the homicide prosecutions 289 convictions in 296 cases. He credited the offices many assistant district attorneys and administrative employees for contributing to its success. He singled out Merrily Starkey his personal secretary of 28 years and head of administrative staff for 15 years for particular praise. Being district attorney is a little bit like being a baseball manager, he said. You get a lot of credit and youre not on the field playing the game. Martin also praised Lehigh Countys police chiefs and officers, and thanked residents for reelecting him so many times. Above all, he thanked his wife of more than 33 years, Patricia, for her tireless support and love. Allentown police Chief Charles Roca called Martin a stable force of justice throughout his career. I want to wish DA Martin the best in his next chapter in life and thank him for his guidance over the years, he said. In this file photo, Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin stands with his wife of more than 33 years, Patricia, and the Rev. Bernard F. OConnor, former president of DeSales University. In announcing his decision not to seek reelection, Martin thanked his wife for her love and support through his long career. Lehigh County Sheriff Joe Hanna a former Allentown police chief who worked for Martin as a county detective for a time said he considers the district attorney a mentor as well as a friend. Myself and Im sure many people in law enforcement have a heavy heart with his decision not to run, he said. The professionalism, the advancements you see in Lehigh County law enforcement today, are in many ways thanks to him. His tenure has been marked with just one advancement after another. Martins initiatives include the seating of the countys first investigating grand jury in 2001 and the creation of the Homicide Task Force in 2005. In 2012, he launched the Regional Intelligence and Investigation Center, an information clearinghouse that integrates crime data from all county departments and has expanded to include Northampton County. The center has been instrumental in tracking gang activity and human trafficking. In 2018, Martin helped establish the Blue Guardian Program, in which people who have been revived from narcotics overdoses through the use of naloxone receive a visit at their home within 72 hours by a police officer and recovery specialist. During the first two years of the program, more than 60 people entered treatment through the program. The office also runs Team MISA (Mental Illness/Substance Abuse), which helps people struggling with those issues find help and avoid court. The Veterans Mentoring Program, meanwhile, pairs veterans in the community with veterans who are charged with nonviolent crimes. All of these programs are based on intervention and prevention strategies intended to keep people from turning to crime in the first place. We cant really arrest our way out of the opioid problem, for example, Martin said. People benefit from treatment more than incarceration. Over the years, hes handled memorable cases. He recalled his frustration as he tried to build a case against nurse Charles Cullen, a serial killer who murdered dozens of patients and perhaps many more during a 16-year career including patients at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest and St. Lukes Hospital in Fountain Hill. We started investigating and unfortunately we didnt have any autopsies or toxicology results and we couldnt prove anything, he said. It stays with me. Martin hasnt been immune to criticism or controversy. In 2014, an attorney accused Martin of racial profiling after the arrest of former Allentown police Chief Joel Fitzgeralds son, Christopher Fitzgerald, who was accused of pointing a gun at two county detectives. Attorney Jack McMahon contended the detectives were tailing Fitzgerald because he is Black, an allegation Martin angrily denounced at a news conference. Fitzgerald was acquitted at trial. Last year, in the run-up to the May primary, the ACLU and some county officials accused Martin of voter intimidation for having detectives monitor the countys five ballot drop boxes, where voters deposit filled-out mail-in ballots. Martin announced the plan after an investigation in 2021 showed hundreds of people had dropped off multiple ballots, which is illegal except under certain circumstances. Martin graduated from Allentown Central Catholic High School and received a bachelors degree from Mount St. Marys University in Maryland. He received his law degree from Temple University School of Law. When he steps down on the first Monday of January next year, he will be just shy of his 26th anniversary in the office a long tenure in a high-pressure job. When people say You have a high-stress job, I say its nothing compared to private practice, he said. Ive enjoyed being DA. It was something I knew I liked doing when I was exposed to it the first time as an assistant DA and then first assistant. Martin will be missed, said Hanna, a 44-year law enforcement veteran who still consults the district attorney for advice now and again. Hes the quintessential public servant to put in that much time, he said. The public has more than gotten what they paid for in Jim Martin. Morning Call reporter Daniel Patrick Sheehan can be reached at 610-820-6598 or dsheehan@mcall.com. Chiana SHS girls case: NDC Upper East wing calls for reformation, not punishment Dickson Worlanyo Dotse Politics Jan - 17 - 2023 , 13:05 Members of the Upper East NDC wing who reside in the Greater Accra Region have called on the Ghana Education Service (GES) to put in place measures that would focus on reforming the eight Chiana Senior High School (SHS) girls rather than punishing them. They stressed that in spite of how condemnable the acts of the girls were, as juveniles, the Constitution required that they be protected. When it comes to children and juveniles, the emphasis is on reformation rather than punishment. See the Children's Act, 1998 (Act 560) and Juvenile Justice Act, 2003 (Act 653) that is why the saying goes you don't throw away the baby with the bathwater, a statement signed by the coordinator of the group, George Akaribo, said. Commendation The wing, therefore, lauded President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for directing the Ghana Education Service (GES) to consider other punitive measures as opposed to outright dismissal of the eight Chiana SHS girls. It said even though the act was completely condemnable, outright dismissal was harsh and could have long-lasting psychological effects on them and their parents. It also said the right to education was a fundamental human right of every citizen which could only be denied or taken away on the grounds of exceptional circumstances which border on crime. We wish to commend the President of the Republic for exhibiting the highest sense of leadership in the matter of the eight students of the Chiana SHS,the statement said. Call It called on the GES to heed to the intervention directives and suggestion of the President to initiate an alternative punishment rather than dismissal. We want to use this occasion to call on the GES, the child rights international and all other stakeholders within the educational ecosystem to, as a matter of priority, provide free counselling services to these affected students, it added. Condemning the act The group condemned the act of the girls saying it was gross misconduct and disrespect on the part of children to insult adults or the elderly in the society which the culture of the country frowned upon. It is even more grievous and reprehensible to insult the President of Ghana, who is the first gentleman of the land. We are not in any way condoning the conduct or act of the eight students, we condemned it in uncertain terms, However, the statement noted that the act of the students could be described as a reflection of the broken system in the country. It said the girls could have easily be mimicking what they saw the elderly do on television during discussions. Why should politicians sit on national radio and television and insult their political opponents? These kids could have taken mentorship lessons from those politicians who have made it a ritual of insulting their political opponents, it explained. Background Last week, the GES dismissed eight second-year students of the Chiana SHS in the Kassena Nankana West District in the Upper East Region for insulting President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in a video. The affected students, in a widely circulated video, misconducted themselves and used vulgar and unprintable words which were directed at President Akufo-Addo in November 2022. Subsequently, the students were identified and suspended and their parents were also invited to assist in investigations to unravel the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate utterances and gestures of the students. Consider Ghana first when venturing into business in Africa - Akufo-Addo to Emirates Graphic.com.gh Politics Jan - 17 - 2023 , 20:05 President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has urged investors especially those in the United Arab Emirates to make Ghana their first port of call when venturing into Africa for business. He said Ghana remained the best place to do business in West Africa because since 2017, the government had put instituted measures needed to reduce the cost of doing business, and improve the business environment. President Akufo-Addo made the call when he addressed the UAE-Ghana Business Forum held on Tuesday, January 17, 2023, on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. He said these measures made the Ghanaian economy not only one of the most business-friendly economies in Africa, but also one of the fastest growing economies in the world between 2017 and 2020, averaging 7 per cent GDP annual rate of growth, up from the 3.4 per cent rate it inherited in 2016. He added that government had been working to restore Ghana onto the path of high growth rates experienced prior to the onset of COVID-19 and the Russian/Ukraine war. President Akufo-Addo noted that Ghanas decision to seek the collaboration of the IMF to repair, in the short run, its public finances and give credibility to its balance of payments, which had taken a severe hit in very recent times as a result of these developments. Confidence I am confident that we will emerge from this with a stronger and more resilient economy, and advance towards our goal of reaching a Ghana Beyond Aid. Not only is Ghana the best place for doing business in West Africa, but she is also the preferred destination for a perfect blend of mineral resource potential, stable regulatory environment, favourable fiscal regime, and socially responsive mining in Africa, he added. President Akufo-Addo told the gathering that gold remained one of the pillars of the economy and continue to hold its own as both a commodity and a financial asset, was by far, the most commercially exploited mineral in Ghana, accounting for more than 90 per cent of the countrys mineral revenue. Indeed, in recent times until 2021, Ghana was the largest producer of gold in Africa and was 6th in the world. We are also major producers of bauxite and manganese, and are, indeed, the 3rd largest producer of these two minerals in Africa, he said. He said more recently, Ghana has been placed globally on the map of some few countries that have made significant discoveries of lithium, just as she has found also graphite and iron ore in significant quantities. Ghana is also working towards the net zero emission target, and collaborating with other relevant stakeholders in employing climate-friendly technologies and practices, to achieve the maximum developmental impact for the country. He explained that what his government is seeking to do is not just to exploit these minerals in their raw form to enhance our export earnings, but, more importantly, generate value added benefits, along the full value chain of the minerals, and create linkages with other sectors of the economy. The potentials created offer considerable opportunities for UAE investors, who possess the capacity to generate the value-added benefits, especially through the Governments local value-addition and processing drive, to partner Ghanaian companies in converting their natural comparative advantage into an enhanced, more valuable, sustainable and competitive advantage, President Akufo-Addo added. Assurance He assured that the standards for responsible environmental and social stewardship, maintained by Ghanas minerals and mining sector, is comparable to any found in the best of mining jurisdictions, stressing that the Minerals and Mining Act of 2006 (Act 703), supported by the Regulations passed in 2012, along with a few amendments and introductions that have been made, have stood the test of time. He maintained that despite the present challenges it was an exciting time to be in Ghana and do business in the country. So, I would urge the private sector in the UAE to take advantage of the business-friendly climate in the country to invest in Ghana. Regardless of where you choose to invest in Ghana, Government has instituted a number of fiscal incentives for the investor, depending on the nature of the activity or the location of the investment, President Akufo-Addo added. With Ghana considered a beacon of democracy and stability in Africa, with a modern democratic system of governance, with an independent Judiciary and a strong attachment to the rule of law the President stated that in the same vein, we are determined to make Ghana an example of rapid economic growth within the context of a well-developed market economy. We welcome greatly your contribution to this endeavour. Sweden-based international mining and minerals group LKAB has identified significant deposits of rare earth elements in the Kiruna area in the far north of Swedish Lapland (some 200 km north of the Arctic Circle). Following successful exploration, the company is reporting mineral resources of rare earth metals in the Per Geijer deposit exceeding one million tonnes of rare earth oxidesthe largest known deposit of its kind in Europe. This is good news, not only for LKAB, the region and the Swedish people, but also for Europe and the climate. This is the largest known deposit of rare earth elements in our part of the world, and it could become a significant building block for producing the critical raw materials that are absolutely crucial to enable the green transition. We face a supply problem. Without mines, there can be no electric vehicles. Jan Mostrom, President and Group CEO, LKAB LKAB already operates the worlds largest underground iron ore mine at Kiruna; since mining operations began there more than 100 years ago, LKAB has produced more than 950 Mt of ore. (LKAB was founded in 1890.) Results from LKABs ongoing exploration in Kiruna and Gallivare were presented last spring. The deposit Per Geijer is in close proximity to existing operations in Kiruna. More extensive studies show an increase from 400 million tonnes of mineral resources with high iron content to more than 500 million tonnes, and that the Per Geijer deposit contains up to seven times the grade of phosphorus as the orebodies that LKAB mines in Kiruna today. Phosphorus is one of three nutrients in mineral fertilizers necessary for food production and is on the EUs list of critical minerals. LKAB now reports a Mineral Resource and further extensive studies in Per Geijer of assets amounting to more than one million tonnes of rare earth metals in the form of Rare Earth Oxides, which are used to produce Rare Earth Elements (REE). This would be sufficient to meet a large part of the EUs future demand for manufacturing the permanent magnets that are needed for electric motors in, among other things, electric vehicles and windpower turbines. The results are presented in accordance with the reporting standard PERC 2021, which is the prevailing international standard for LKAB. The rare earth elements in Per Geijer occur together with phosphorus in the mineral apatite, in what is mainly an iron ore deposit and which may therefore be produced as by-products. It also creates completely different opportunities for possible competitive mining. No rare earth elements are currently mined in Europe, at the same time, demand is expected to increase dramatically as a result of electrification, which will lead to a global undersupplythis at a time of increasing geopolitical tensions. According to the European Commissions assessment, the demand for rare earth elements for electric cars and wind turbines, among others, is expected to increase more than fivefold by 2030. Europe is dependent on imports of these minerals, where China completely dominates the market, a factor which increases the vulnerability of European industry. Electrification, the EUs self-sufficiency and independence from Russia and China will begin in the mine. We need to strengthen industrial value chains in Europe and create real opportunities for the electrification of our societies. Politics must give the industry the conditions to switch to green and fossil-free production. Here, the Swedish mining industry have a lot to offer. The need for minerals to carry out the transition is great. Swedens Minister for Energy, Business and Industry, Ebba Busch At the same time, the road to possible mining of the deposit is long, where the first step is an application for an exploitation concession for the Per Geijer deposit in order to be able to investigate it further at depth and investigate the conditions for mining. The plan is to be able to submit an application for an exploitation concession in 2023. LKAB has already started to prepare a drift, several kilometers long, at a depth of approximately 700 meters in the existing Kiruna mine towards the new deposit in order to be able to investigate it at depth and in detail. We are already investing heavily to move forward, and we expect that it will take several years to investigate the deposit and the conditions for profitably and sustainably mining it. We are humbled by the challenges surrounding land use and impacts that exist to develop this into a mine and that will need to be analyzed to see how to avoid, minimize and compensate for it. Only then can we proceed with an environmental review application and apply for a permit. If we look at how other permit processes have worked within our industry, it will be at least 10-15 years before we can actually begin mining and deliver raw materials to the market. And then we are talking about Kiruna, where LKAB has been mining ore for more than 130 years. Here, the European Commissions focus on this issue, to secure access to critical materials, and the Critical Raw Materials Act the Commission is now working on, is decisive. We must change the permit processes to ensure increased mining of this type of raw material in Europe. Access is today a crucial risk factor for both the competitiveness of European industry and the climate transition. Jan Mostrom LKAB is already planning a circular industrial park in Lulea with new technology for the extraction and processing of phosphorus, rare earth elements and fluorine based on todays existing mining production. There, instead of landfilling the material, it can be used to create new, sustainable products. A production start is planned for 2027. Leif Bostrom, Senior Vice President, Business Area Special Products, LKAB Background. Phosphorus is one of three three essential nutrients added to mineral fertilizers used in agriculture. Approximately half of all world agricultural production is dependent on this. Europe is 90% dependent on imports of phosphorus and Russia has accounted for a significant share of phosphorus production. Since Russias invasion of Ukraine, the supply and prices of mineral fertilizer have become a major problem, which may result in high food prices globally and food shortages in poor countries. Phosphorus is included on the EUs list of critical raw materials. All of these raw materials are vital for Europes industry and economy, Europe is import-dependent on them and there is a great risk for disruptions in supply related, for example, to geopolitical risk factors. Rare earth elements are also included on the list of critical raw materials, none of which are mined in Europe. China dominates both mining and processing, while Europe is largely dependent on rare earth elements for manufacturing the permanent magnets which are necessary for electric vehicles and windpower turbines that are essential for the green transition. The EU is today virtually import-dependent when it comes to permanent magnets with rare earth elements, more than 90% of which are produced in China. As of 2035, sales of gasoline and diesel vehicles will be prohibited. An electric vehicle requires six times more minerals that a conventional automobile. With Per Geijer, LKAB has great potential to contribute to increasing the degree of European Union self-sufficiency and maintaining Europes competitive advantage within the vehicle industry. The powerful permanent magnets used in electric vehicles contain the rare earth elements neodymium and praseodymium; from 0.5 to a couple of kilos per vehicle, depending on the size of the motor and permanent magnet. Extraction and processing of phosphorus, rare earth elements and fluorine are part of LKABs ReeMAP project. Here, LKAB is developing technology for extracting phosphorus and rare earth elements as by-products from todays iron ore production and is planning a circular industrial park in Lulea. At this processing stage LKAB plans to produce a concentrate that must subsequently be separated. To meet the need both for extraction of raw materials and to increase Europes processing capacity LKAB has, as principal owner, recently entered into collaboration with Norwegian REEtec. They have developed an innovative and sustainable technology for separation of rare earth elements that can compete with Chinas dominating production of these materials. LKAB produces 80% of Europes iron ore and, backed by a strategy for producing sponge iron using hydrogen technology, is advancing the transformation of the iron and steel industry. Since the 1980s LKAB has also been active in the industrial minerals sector via its Special Products division, which produces and processes more than 30 minerals. Since the 1960s LKAB has reduced its carbon dioxide emissions per tonne finished product by 84% and invests heavily in research and development to further develop sustainable mining from a world-leading position. A Michigan Tech project to help mines in Michigans Upper Peninsula and Minnesota achieve net-zero emissions while extracting critical minerals from mine tailings has received $2.5 million from the US Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) MINER program. (Earlier post.) In addition to reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the Michigan Tech project aims to extract energy-relevant metals from silicate minerals for battery manufacturing. The DOE awarded grants to develop rapid carbon mineralization and critical mineral extraction technology to 16 projects nationwide, totaling $39 million. Michigan Techs project is the only one in the state to receive funding from Mining Innovations for Negative Emissions Resource Recovery (MINER). The MINER initiative funds technology research that increases mineral yield, while decreasing required energy and subsequent emissions, in order to mine and extract energy-relevant minerals. Principal project investigator (PI) is Lei Pan, an associate professor in Michigan Techs Department of Chemical Engineering. Chemical engineering professors Tim Eisele and David Shonnard are co-PIs on the three-year project, along with researchers from University of Utah and University of Nevada, Reno. Current methods used to sequester carbon dioxide through mineralization take several years. The Michigan Tech process will achieve a carbonization reaction in four hours. Mine tailings from mining operations plus carbon dioxide taken from the atmosphere combine in an accelerated carbonation reactor. The resulting carbonated productsminerals Magnesite and Sideritecan be permanently and safely stored in a subaqueous tailing pond. (Kobina Akyea Ofori graphic) In this project, we target kinetics. Mine tailings contain a substantial amount of carbon-dioxide-reactive minerals such as olivine, which can be used as a carbon sink. Its been done before, but at a much slower pace. Our method greatly accelerates the kinetics of carbon dioxide sequestration to achieve the result on an industrial scale in just four hours, rather than several years. Lei Pan The Michigan Tech team will work in partnership with Eagle Mine in upper Michigan, a subsidiary of Toronto-based Lundin Mining, and Polymet Mining in Minnesota. Lt. Gov. Austin Davis was sworn in Tuesday morning, the first Black person elected to the second-highest office in Pennsylvania and whose oath-taking marked the start of a new executive administration in the state. The ceremonies in the ornate Senate chamber were to be followed at midday in another location by the inauguration of Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro. Davis, a Democrat, is the son of a McKeesport hairdresser and a bus driver who grew up in the Mon Valley in western Pennsylvania. He later was elected to the state House of Representatives. The American dream is alive and well in Pennsylvania, Davis told the crowded Senate chamber. He said his grandparents who included a steelworker and a railroad foreman who moved to the state from the Jim Crow-era South would not in their wildest dreams believed their grandson would one day hold the second-highest office in the state. The oath of office was administered by Allegheny Judge Kim Berkeley Clark, who noted that he was a model for all the little boys and girls in Pennsylvania just like you and urged him to just be humble. Clark told Davis that everyone present got to where they are with the help of others. Davis studied political science at the University of Pittsburgh. He got a job in government as senior advisor to the Allegheny County executive, and then in 2018 mounted a successful run for the House from the 35th District. During his four years in the House, he was vice chair of the House Democratic Policy Committee and served on a number of committees, including Appropriations, Consumer Affairs, Insurance, and Transportation. Morning Call Capitol correspondent Ford Turner can be reached at fturner@mcall.com The smartphone market shrunk in 2022, which impacted the suppliers of image sensors. Some fared better than others though Sony was the only supplier to see its revenue grow on a yearly basis. And it was mostly thanks to Apple upgrading the cameras on the iPhone 14 series. The two Pro models brought new 48MP sensors in the main cameras and larger 12MP sensors in the ultra wide cameras. The selfie cam on all four models was upgraded with autofocus too. Apple exclusively uses Sony sensors, you can see the breakdown by camera type below:. The Sony sensors inside the last two generations of iPhones (source: Counterpoint BoM analysis service) Adding it all together, Sony made an extra $6 per unit for a total of around $300 million in the second half of 2022. The end result is that Sony took in 54% of the total revenue for the year, up 5 percentage points compared to 2021. Samsung LSI did well for itself, even though its revenue share contracted by 1 percentage point to 29%. The company raked in the benefits of high resolution, small pixel size sensors (sub-0.7m pixels). The affordable 50MP sensors proved quite popular and Samsung shipped an estimated 200 million of them in 2022. These are used in the main cameras of lower end phones and in the selfie cameras of more premium devices. The company still dominates the 100+ megapixel sensor market and shipped an estimated 150 million units since it launched the first one. Last year the smartphone image sensor market contracted by 6% compared to 2021, but the total revenue remained above $13 billion. Sony and Samsung took in the lions share of that, 83% in total. Source Last January Microsoft offered to buy Activision Blizzard in a $68.7 billion deal, but that's still facing various issues and it's not finalized. The latest obstacle comes from the EU commissions, which isn't convinced the acquisition will do the market any good. According to people familiar with the matter, EU's antitrust commission has serious concerns and is readying a statement of objections against the deal. The commission has set April 11 as the final deadline for its final decision on the deal. Here's what Microsoft had to say about this: We continue working with the European Commission to address any marketplace concerns. Our goal is to bring more games to more people, and this deal will further that goal. Rumors suggest that Microsoft and EU's antitrust watchdog are having informal talks about the deal and Microsoft is trying to offer some guarantees in order to speed up the acquisition process, but the EU commission is insisting on sending its so-called charge sheet first. In addition, the US Federal Trade Commission is going to court to block the deal, UK regulators are voicing their concerns and Sony is also wary of the deal. The Japanese company fears that Call of Duty, among other games, will be made exclusive to Xbox and PlayStation users won't have access to them anymore. Source Apple and Samsung launched location tags, and now Google is looking to join their company. According to a Kuba Wojciechowski and Mishaal Rahman's investigation of the developer's console of the Fast Pair feature it now has locator tag as a listed device. The codename of the product is Grogu, Groguaudio or GR10. Samsung Galaxy SmartTag The product is developed by the Nest team, but that does not necessarily mean it will be a Nest product. The gadget has an onboard speaker, and comes with support for UWB (ultra-wideband) and Bluetooth Low Energy - technologies used for radio-based communication for short-range usage scenarios. The Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro both have a UWB module which hasnt been utilized so far. It could be used for turning on and off Nest speakers, but the feature is still in development. Google is also working with chipset manufacturers to enable Fast Pair support for Android products, allowing every manufacturer to develop their own trackers. An eventual Google Grogu tag could be announced as early as Google I/O, traditionally taking place in May. Via Samsung is holding a big launch conference on February 1 where well see the debut of the Galaxy S23 series. The new phones will be joined by an all-new lineup of Galaxy Book laptops (which you can already reserve) and we now have more details on their specs as well as another leaked poster. Samsung will announce a five-model strong Galaxy Book3 lineup with the Book3, Book3 360, Book3 Pro, Book3 Pro 360 and Book3 Ultra. Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra design on FCC database Galaxy Book3 and Book3 360 will be available in 15-inch screen sizes while the Book3 Pro will be available in 14 and 16 variants. The top-end Book3 Pro 360 and Book3 Ultra will be offered exclusively with 16 screens. All of Samsungs new laptops will feature Intels 13th gen processors with the Book3 Pro 360 being offered in Core i5-1340P and Core i7-1360P trims alongside Intel Iris Xe graphics, 16GB DDR5 RAM and up to 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD. Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 will boast a 16 Super AMOLED display of 2880 x 1800px resolution and will also support stylus input via the bundled S-Pen. The laptop wont have a stylus slot for safekeeping though. The battery is expected to come in at 76WHr and youll get a bundled 65W charger. Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 will be just 13mm thick and weigh 1.6kg (3.5lbs). Source Last week, Samsung announced it would release software updates that would bring 360 Audio Recording to the Galaxy Buds2 Pro and camera zoom capability to the Galaxy Watch5 and Watch4 series. Well, the rollout has begun as the Galaxy Watch5 in the US has received a new software update with firmware version R900XXU1AWA3 that lets the smartwatch's users control the zoom level of the connected smartphone's camera through the Camera Controller on the wearable. This can be done with a simple pinch of the watch face or turning the rotating virtual bezel. However, this feature will only work with Galaxy smartphones, so you can't use it if you own a phone from a different brand. The update for the Galaxy Buds2 Pro has firmware version R510XXU0AWA5, which brings 360 Audio Recording to the TWS earphones. As evident from the name, this feature lets you record 360 audio using the microphone in each earbud. However, it only works with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 and Galaxy Z Flip4. Via 1, Via 2 Make-A-Wish Guam & CNMI granted 6-year-old Avan Ataligs wish for electronics on Sept. 16, 2022, at McDonalds in Tamuning. The organization has announced the launch of the first annual Bow Ties for Wishes event set for Feb. 16 in honor of the late Dr. Chris Perez. The event will feature live entertainment and a live and silent auction of luxury timepieces from Dr. Perezs collection. To donate money or airline miles to the regional chapter, visit their website at wish.org/guamcnmi. The commander of military forces in Guam says the Department of Defense is in a good position to deter any aggression from China and other regional threats. If a China-U.S. conflict erupts over Taiwan, Guam would be a very likely target of Chinese missile strikes, according to a war game report released by the Center for Strategic and International Studies last week. Rear Adm. Benjamin Nicholson, commander of Joint Region Marianas, provided a written statement when asked for comment about the results, and possible response efforts should war break out. With regard to our island home in Guam, as the senior military official here, my team and I have worked closely with our elected officials and stakeholders to ensure a deeper understanding of the militarys role in the region in defending the homeland against coercion and aggression, Nicholson stated. CSISs war game report anticipated Andersen Air Force Base generally being crippled by Chinese missile strikes, should a conflict break out in 2026. National security experts have pointed to conflict over the Taiwan question possibly breaking out within the next decade. Guam has always been a key strategic location for sustaining and maintaining U.S. power, military deterrence and responding to crises across the Indo-Pacific, Nicholson said. While our current forces are capable of defending Guam against todays threats, it is clear that the regional threat, including from China, continues to rapidly evolve. He said that the Department of Defense in the region remains well postured to provide the military forces if needed to deter aggression, reassure allies and partners, and to protect the security of our beautiful home in Guam and the region. Islands within Micronesia were strategically vital to ensuring the U.S. military can continue to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific, the admiral said. Guam Del. James Moylan will serve on the House Armed Services Committee, which oversees military construction, installations and readiness, among other responsibilities. The House Republican Steering Committee nominated Moylan to serve on the Armed Services Committee, and he was informed early Tuesday Guam time. Moylan arrived on island Sunday and plans to be here for about a week. Guam currently is in the middle of an $8 billion military buildup, including the construction of a new Marine Corps base, Camp Blaz, in Dededo. The military also plans to spend about $900 million to build a 360-degree missile defense system for the island. This is important for the island because we have a voice in the committee that affects our island greatly, Moylan said. Especially with the military buildup and making sure this buildup is done properly and the people of Guam are well-protected against the recurring threats that we have. Moylan, a Republican, said he lobbied for the highly competitive Armed Services seat, including a discussion with committee chairman Rep. Mike Rogers, R- Alaska, to make the case that having Guams delegate on the committee would be good for the nation and the island. Former Del. Madeleine Bordallo, a Democrat who represented Guam in Congress from 2003 to 2019, served on the Armed Services and Natural Resources committees during her 16 years in office. Former Del. Mike San Nicolas, a Democrat who did not run for Congress during last years elections, was not on the Armed Services Committee and instead served on the House Financial Services and Natural Resources committees during his four years in office. The Natural Resources Committee has jurisdiction over the Department of the Interior, which is responsible for federal policy in Guam and the other U.S. territories. Moylan, who has asked to serve on other committees, including the Natural Resources Committee, said he could learn about other selections later this week. The more committees were involved with, the better, Moylan said. Im looking forward to working as hard as I can. An official reprimand over election-related emails will remain on University of Guam professor Ron McNinchs file, and the university will move to update its email policies in response. UOGs Board of Regents on Tuesday unanimously denied a request from McNinch to have the reprimand, issued by UOG President Thomas Krise, struck from his record. McNinch late last year sent an email to the media and UOG students stating that whichever gubernatorial team did not participate in the schools Great Debate would lose the election. He also sent an internal email to faculty advising them to stay out of this election. The professor has denied any violation and called the reprimand a violation of his freedom of speech, and his right to speak to the media under the UOG Faculty Union contract. Specific violations will be struck from his reprimand letter, but it will be amended to state that it was issued over unrefined and undiplomatic emails and for McNinchs failure to explicitly state that he was not representing the university. McNinchs original reprimand letter said he: Misrepresented UOG by sending an unapproved, official press release. Was rude, insulting and belligerent toward political candidates. Violated the Mini-Hatch Act, a local law barring government employees from using their positions to influence how people will vote. Misused his university email. McNinch was not allowed to speak during the grievance hearing hosted Tuesday. The Board of Regents was generally in agreement that McNinchs conduct was unprofessional, according to findings read by Regent Pete Diaz. These emails are not from someone that I would consider a role model, a leader or professional certainly not representative of an academic who thinks highly of himself or herself or proud of his or her work, Regent Bernadette Valencia said. McNinch after the hearing said the reprimand and how UOG handles speech issues for faculty are not yet settled for him. He can still appeal the matter to a board of professors within the university. I think that a university committee of faculty and others should review this. I dont think its healthy for the Board of Regents to be reviewing these kinds of issues because theyre at the top of the organization. And if were going to really have opinions, that matter that has to be developed within the faculty, and administrators and staff, he said. His tone in the emails could have been interpreted in a number of ways, unlike in regular conversation, McNinch said, adding that UOGs rules and regulations were all over the place. President Krise told the newspaper he would not comment on the specifics of the decision, as it was UOG policy not to comment on personnel issues. While McNinch had waived all privacy rights, it was still a matter of policy, Krise said. The university has very strong policies defending academic freedom. And, you know, our university policy manual is very good about that. Our university faculty agreement is also very explicit about that, Krise said. When asked whether he stood by what he had done, Krise responded Absolutely, yes. Josh Shapiro assumed the role of Pennsylvania governor Tuesday. The 49-year-old Democrat from Montgomery County beat Republican challenger Doug Mastriano during the 2022 general election in a race that caught national attention. It does make me, and all of us in Montgomery County, very, very proud that one of our own is going to serve us so very well, said U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-4th District. Where it started Shapiro spent decades in politics, his road to the governors mansion beginning in Montgomery County. He grew up in Dresher, where he first met Marcel Groen, longtime chair of the county Democratic Party. Groens daughter Jennifer was friends with Shapiro and his now-wife, Lori, throughout his schooling at the Perelman Jewish Day School and the Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy. Groen characterized Shapiro as a serious, intelligent, well-mannered and respectful child. Believe it or not, he really hasnt changed, Groen said. Shapiro went on to the University of Rochester, graduating in 1995. He then headed to the nations capitol to work for congressional members on the Hill. There, he caught the attention of newly elected Rep. Joseph Hoeffel, D-13th Dist. When assembling his staff, Hoeffel directed Frank X. Custer, his communications director at the time, to meet with Shapiro about a legislative director position. We didnt have a lot in common, but we hit it off immediately, Custer said. It was clear to me from the minute I met him that this was a serious person and incredibly bright, and I came back, and I told Joe that, and he hired him. Dean met Shapiro years before she entered the political arena herself when she paid a visit to Hoeffels office to discuss a proposed piece of legislation focusing on bicycle safety. I just remember a bright, super bright young man that seemed like he was in a place where he ought to be, Dean said. Shapiro advanced after Custer recommended him for Hoeffels chief of staff. Custer said support for that promotion came from staff working in the Pennsylvania congressmans office. Custer recalled, it was just a recognition by a lot of people in a short period of time that he was special. Custer said Shapiro was a serious man with gravitas who exuded confidence at that young age while working for Hoeffel. From staff to officeholder In 2003, Shapiro decided to head back home to Montgomery County and run for a seat in the Pennsylvania General Assemblys 153rd House District. He won in 2004, going on to make an impression on other local legislators for his nonpartisan approach to politics. Todd Stephens, a former Republican representative for the 151st Legislative District, got a call from Shapiro the day after he won his seat. He and Shapiro had breakfast soon after. Shapiro gave Stephens some helpful tips and tricks to help him get settled in his role. He was just very helpful in terms of the practical side of what to expect as a new legislator, Stephens said of his meeting with Shapiro. They had some overlap in Harrisburg together for about a year. During that time, Republicans held control of the states House of Representatives. Stephens said he spoke with Shapiro early in his political career about criminal justice legislation that he recommended Stephens introduce. He understood the dynamics of the Legislature at the time, and it wasnt important to him whose name was on the bill, it was important to him to get the bill done, and so if it meant having a Republican on the top of the bill, then so be it. If thats what itll take to get it done, lets do it, Stephens said. I just think that really speaks volumes about the way he works. Personable from the start Former Montgomery County District Attorney and county Commissioner Bruce Castor met Shapiro at a government function in Harrisburg. Castor said Shapiro sat down at a table and started speaking with him like we were long-lost friends. They had some common ground, both growing up in Abington. I was impressed with his energy and his friendliness and that he would obtain a position of importance in the government at such a young age I liked him right away, Castor said. Shapiro was an early supporter of Barack Obama, whom he met while campaigning for Obama before the 2008 presidential election. At that time, much of the countys Democratic Party backed Hillary Clinton for the nomination. Josh was really the only well-known player in my opinion who supported President Obama, and I know they became friends very early on, and he had a really good relationship with him, Groen said. Back to Montco After years in Harrisburg, Shapiro contemplated returning to Montgomery County once again, this time to run for a seat on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. Josh had ambition, was looking ahead and he knew that an important aspect of being an attractive candidate in the future was that he needed executive experience, and you dont get that in a legislative body, Custer said. So when the opportunity came up to run for county commissioner in 2011, he took it. Shapiro campaigned with running mate Leslie Richards and won. It was very obvious from early on in the campaign how gifted he was, said Richards, who went on to become secretary of transportation in Gov. Tom Wolfs Cabinet and now heads SEPTA. The election created a Democratic majority for county government. Castor served as the minority Republican commissioner. He was very good at solving problems, and we had a lot of problems, so he never ran out of things to do. I was extraordinarily impressed by him as county commissioner, Castor said of Shapiro. Trust and teamwork Tackling the countys financial situation created a bond between the three commissioners. Castor recalled watching Shapiros problem-solving in action. He would identify a problem, or one of us would identify a problem, and he would come up with a way to deal with the problem, think it through, come up with a set of procedures that we would have to do to attack the problem, and defeat it, Castor said. He was a master at that, and I always figured that it had to do with him having been trained in the Legislature and having worked in committees and working across the aisle with groups of people. Castor and Richards recalled Shapiros governing strategy to assign areas of county government based on each commissioners interest and expertise. Richards had experience working with assets and infrastructure and the planning commission. As a former district attorney, Castor knew his way around public safety and court matters. Shapiro dealt with social services and other government reforms. I think that was really the recipe for the great relationship that we shared, Richards said, adding that strategy helped to build trust as each listened to the other and gave their recommendations for different subjects. We challenged each other, but we trusted each other, and I realized now how rare that is when you have three people governing, Richards said. Among other things, Shapiro sought to revamp operations and financial practices during his time as chair of the board. Custer was the countys communications director at the time. Hes an incredibly honest person with great character, and as a politician, he marries the ability to seek consensus but then also the courage to make tough decisions, Custer said. Shapiro also worked to set meeting agendas and ensure his colleagues were on track to accomplish their goals. Hes a very gifted chairman. Hes a very gifted executive, Richards said. Getting to consensus is not only something hes very gifted at but its very important to him, and so every time we would have a unanimous vote, which was pretty much every vote we took while the three of us governed together, very few exceptions, she continued. We all tried to work toward that, and we knew how important it was to Josh, and we also knew how important it was to Montgomery County. Fighting for the right things Working as chair essentially made Shapiro the mayor of a county of 800,000 people, Groen said. He loved it, and from that moment in, you could see the trajectory, Groen said. Seeking higher office, Shapiro was elected Pennsylvania attorney general in 2017. There he focused on fighting for the right things, Dean said, taking up a number of initiatives around child abuse and the opioid crisis. Taking the next step forward, he announced his campaign for governor in October 2021. Dean was with Shapiro at Penn State-Abington the day he kicked off his bus tour. I thought this is a man you want in public service because of his character, Dean said. He is somebody who is a man of his faith, and deeply rooted in the tenets of his faith that we must do for others. Im a Catholic, hes Jewish, and yet we both share that passion for our faith, for how it informs us, how we treat others, especially those with less than we have. I always admired that. Stephens agreed. His character is impeccable. I trust him, he said. I think hes an honest broker, and I think he genuinely wants to work to get things done, to improve the lives of people in Pennsylvania, and is willing to work with anybody who is willing to work with him to that end. While Shapiro, wife Lori and their four children live in Abington, Dean witnessed what she described as an enthusiasm to get a complete sense of Pennsylvanias 67 counties. You could see through the campaign that he wanted to know people of every county, to learn from people of every county and of every political persuasion, Dean said. Shapiro defeated his Republican challenger in November with 56.49% of the vote. Josh will take actions, Groen said. Josh will do things in the governors office that others have not been willing to tackle, and at the end of the day, you wont always agree with him, but you will realize that you have somebody actually at work in that position, in that office. Those who know him expect good things to come out of the governors mansion. Hes very bright, and hes a terrific strategic thinker, and that applies whether youre a state representative, a county commissioner, an attorney general, or a governor. Youve got to have a vision, and youve got to be able to develop the plan, and the strategy to achieve that vision, Stephens said. Josh has been able to do that at each step of the way along his career, and I think it served him well and Im hopeful it will serve the people of Pennsylvania well. Recalling Shapiro as a congressional aide back in 2003, Custer said, I thought he could be the first Jewish president. I still am in the running for that. Corrections and clarifications: The United Airlines career fair was held Tuesday is expected to continue through Thursday. Hundreds of applicants filled the Hyatt Regency Guam on the first of its two-day career fair hosted Tuesday by United Airlines so many that the airline is planning to extend the fair an extra day, starting at 8 a.m. Thursday to give residents another chance to join their company at the Denver hub. Fair extended Were actually going to expand and do a third day until Thursday, just given the overwhelming response for the opportunity, just really thrilled to be here, said Matt Miller, vice president of the United Airlines Denver hub, who's on Guam for the event. Denver is one of Uniteds seven hubs in the mainland U.S. and home to nearly 9,000 of the airlines employees. United is the largest private employer in Denver and in 2022, it increased the starting wage for ramp agent employees to nearly $20 an hour. Were specifically looking for ramp service employees, but we do have other job offers and job openings in Denver as well on our technician side, aircraft maintenance or GSE group as well. So weve got plenty of opportunity here," Miller said. "Basically the beginning of what were going to be doing in Denver, which is growing up to 1,800 jobs this year and across all workgroups. So, it is the fastest-growing hub we have in our network, and we look to continue to grow it and build over the coming years. Denver opportunities Last week, the airline announced the career fair to fill more than 1,800 jobs in Denver across various departments, including ramp services, aircraft technicians, facilities maintenance technicians and storekeepers. With proof of residency and the successful completion of the interview and clearance processes, the airline is offering a $25,000 relocation incentive for residents. A one-year commitment is required to be eligible to receive the incentive. Relocations a complicated process so the incentive is meant to really help with their one-time costs of moving and getting established in the community. Were also going to provide opportunities for apartment finding, transportation, guidance all the things you would need when moving to a new city, said Miller. So we want to be there to help folks out, ... and, hopefully, people will want to stay in Denver and if not, move around with United to other locations that we serve as well. Miller said the Denver hub is really proud" of its history with the island. Employees from Guam work across the airlines entire network. For us, its exciting to bring back some of our Guam residents that work for us in Denver and have them help us recruit the next tranche of United employees who call Guam home, but also call United their family. ... Were just excited to be here to offer these opportunities, said Miller. Former Mangilao resident Eric Alcantara, now a Denver-stationed trainer for United Airlines, has worked for the airline for over four years and was at the event. He spoke highly of the program and encourages residents to take advantage of the opportunity. Changed my life What can I say? Uniteds changed my life, Alcantara said Tuesday. Ive been able to do things and see things that I can only wish for other people to see in their lifetime, he explained. He said the opportunity has given him time to travel to places like the United Kingdom and Germany. Learning a lot about different cultures and different life forms has been such a great blessing for me. And its taught me so much, really about how to network and community with different walks of life. And thats what United has done for me, said Alcantara. Paul Yin-Lien Chen is director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Guam. This column has been edited for length. Read it in its entirety at guampdn.com. New Gov. Josh Shapiro was sworn in Tuesday with his wife and children beside him and the green dome of the Capitol above him, and part of his first message to Pennsylvanians was your problems have become my priorities. The former state House member, Montgomery County commissioner and attorney general became the 48th governor about two hours after his running mate, Austin Davis, was sworn in as the states first Black lieutenant governor. Shapiro, a Democrat, chose freedom as a main theme as he described his mindset in trying to improve the state. One definition for real freedom is where everyone gets a shot and no one is left behind, Shapiro said, and he credited the stories of everyday people with giving him tremendous motivation. Your problems have become my priorities, Shapiro said. Your stories and your courage stay with me. Lehigh Valley Democrats reacted with enthusiasm. Shapiros repeated references to inclusivity struck a chord with Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk. As a majority Latino city, we are looking for leaders who see us, Tuerk said, and he praised Shapiros understanding of urban areas. Allentown Democratic Rep. Peter Schweyer said Shapiro had a very clear vision of the commonwealth moving forward. Fellow Democratic Rep. Mike Schlossberg, of South Whitehall Township, said he liked the application of the message of freedom to people seeking the best education possible, to individuals seeking fulfilling jobs, and to businesses seeking opportunities. Democratic Rep. Josh Siegel of Allentown said the talented new governor could provide a pivot point away from tribal warfare among politicians. Newly elected Sen. Nick Miller of Allentown, another Democrat, said Shapiro showed energy and motivation. Republican Sen. Jarrett Coleman of Upper Macungie Township, who took office two weeks ago, said the devil is in the details for Shapiro. I am eager, as are many constituents of my district, to learn if Gov. Shapiro will make good on his campaign promises, Coleman said. I look forward to seeing Gov. Shapiro advance school choice in Pennsylvania, delivering power to parents, and delivering on his promises. Shapiro was sworn in by state Supreme Court Chief Justice Debra Todd under a cloudy sky, with several former governors, two U.S. senators, numerous state lawmakers and special guests in a seating area close to the podium. Pennsylvanians, he said, want good schools, safe communities, an economy that gives people a chance and uplifts them, and a stance against extremism. Citing the 150-year journey taken to win the right to vote for women and the many years it took to abolish slavery, Shapiro called the U.S. democracy a constant work in progress. He pointed to William Penns founding of the then-province of Pennsylvania on the concept of religious tolerance, and indicated the same tolerance must be kept at the forefront now. As a people, we are committed to progress, Shapiro said. Shapiros first words after he was sworn in included expressions of love for his wife and children. He told his wife, Lori, I love you, baby. He called his Cabinet led by Lehigh Valley native Chief of Staff Dana Fritz the most well-qualified and diverse set of public servants in our history. Lt. Gov. Davis Davis is the son of a McKeesport hairdresser and a bus driver who grew up in the Mon Valley in western Pennsylvania and eventually was elected to the state House of Representatives. After he took the oath as the states first Black lieutenant governor, Davis told the Senate, The American dream is alive and well in Pennsylvania. He said his grandparents who included a steelworker and a railroad foreman who moved to the state from the Jim Crow-era South would not in their wildest dreams have believed their grandson would one day hold the second-highest office in the state. The oath of office for Davis was administered by Allegheny Judge Kim Berkeley Clark, who noted that he was a model for all the little boys and girls in Pennsylvania just like you and urged him to just be humble. Clark told Davis that everyone present got to where they are with the help of others. Davis studied political science at the University of Pittsburgh. He got a job in government as senior adviser to the Allegheny County executive, and then in 2018 mounted a successful run for the House from the 35th District. During his four years in the House, he was vice chair of the House Democratic Policy Committee and served on a number of committees, including Appropriations, Consumer Affairs, Insurance and Transportation. The Shapiro-Davis administration takes control of the executive branch of state government as the legislative branch faces an unprecedented challenge. The state House has been rendered inactive by partisan disagreements since a new speaker, Democratic Rep. Mark Rozzi of Berks County, was sworn in Jan. 3. The Senate, on the other hand, has held results-producing debate and voting sessions. Without the House functioning, progress on potential laws of all types is slowed. An illustration of that fact came late Friday, when the Senate canceled sessions during the weeks of Jan. 23 and Jan. 30 in part because the House had not organized itself. Rozzi has appointed a small bipartisan work group, including Schweyer, to seek agreements between the clashing political parties, which have been unable to agree on rules for conducting business in the chamber. The group met Tuesday for the first time. Morning Call Capitol correspondent Ford Turner can be reached at fturner@mcall.com. Following his swearing-in as Pennsylvania governor Tuesday, Josh Shapiro delivered his inaugural address to Pennsylvania. The following is the address as prepared: I am humbled to stand before you today as Pennsylvanias 48th Governor. Along the winding road that led to this moment, Ive been grounded in my faith and family. And so I begin by saying to my high school sweetheart and Pennsylvanias First Lady I love you, babe. Lori and I are blessed with four amazing children Sophia, Jonah, Max and Reuben. Theyve sacrificed so much so we could serve and I am so grateful to each of them. We will work as hard for your children as we do ours. I appreciate our history making Chief Justice, Debra Todd, for doing me the honor of administering the oath of office. May wisdom and the pursuit of justice continue to guide you and your fellow Justices of the Supreme Court, several of whom are with us today. Im pleased to be joined by the legislative leaders and legislators of both parties another history maker, President Pro Tem Ward, Speaker Rozzi, Leader Pittman, Leader Costa, Leader McClinton and Leader Cutler I look forward to making progress together. And Im pleased to be joined by Acting Attorney General Henry, Treasurer Garrity, and Auditor General DeFoor. We say a special prayer today for our senior senator for a full and speedy recovery. There is no doubt that youll be stronger than ever and continue to do good for the people of Pennsylvania for many years to come. To our history making Lieutenant Governor, Austin Davis, and his wife, Blayre, thank you for joining Lori and me on this journey, for your partnership and for your commitment to service. I am particularly touched that several of our former Governors are with us today. Its an honor to have Governor Ridge, Governor Schweiker and Governor Corbett here and Governor Rendell watching from home. Your presence formally celebrates the peaceful transfer of power. It also reminds us that while I am now entrusted with this awesome responsibility it is just for a moment in the long history of our Commonwealth. Ill now do my part to build on your work and to leave this place better off the way that each of you did before me. And, of course, I want to recognize my dear friends, Governor Tom Wolf and First Lady Frances Wolf. Lori and I are so grateful for your friendship over nearly two decades and your guidance through this transition. Governor Wolf has led our Commonwealth and our residents through some of the most challenging times in our history and he has done so with integrity, acumen, and an unwavering commitment to service. Governor Wolf expanded health care to nearly 1 million Pennsylvanians, invested record amounts in our public schools, and modernized state government. Thanks to his leadership we now find ourselves in the strongest financial shape in the history of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, allowing us to make critical investments for tomorrow. Governor, you have exemplified what I spoke of a moment ago. You inherited the work of those who came before you, you served with honor, and you are leaving us in a better place than when you started. Thank you. I set out to build a Cabinet and senior team that looks like Pennsylvania, and reflects the people and the communities that I just took an oath to serve and protect. Led by our Chief of Staff, Dana Fritz, sitting behind me here today, is the most well-qualified and diverse set of public servants in our history. I look forward to doing this work, with them, for you. But most of all, I want to thank you, the good people of Pennsylvania. You inspired me. You taught me important lessons. You invited me into your homes, your union halls, your places of worship and your community centers. We walked our main streets together and I listened to you. I heard your stories. And those stories fuel my drive to serve. Your struggles give me purpose. Your smiles and your tears have filled my heart. Your problems have become my priorities. Your causes, my concerns. And together weve taken on the powerful and empowered the people. People like Alexis, who was ripped off by a predatory student lender and whose story inspired a fight to take on that powerful entity and bring real relief to thousands of Pennsylvanians. Like Tim, who did backbreaking work on our roadways for decades, just to have company executives steal his hard-earned benefits but whose courage led to accountability and change. Like the families Ive met who lost loved ones to the opioid crisis. Theyve shared their grief with me, but also their resolve to keep up the fight to protect others from the dangers of addiction made worse by corporate greed. And like the thousands of brave survivors Ive met, who come no matter where I am, and in hushed tones tell me their stories of abuse so that the institutions who cover it up can be held accountable. Your stories and your courage have stayed with me. And, they will motivate me each and every day as your Governor. Because ultimately, in a functioning democracy, its your voices that should be heard in the halls of government. The voices of people like Danielle, who has bravely told us her own story about her decision to have an abortion to save her life and who Im honored to have on this stage with me today. The voice of the grandma in Lawrence County who I met over 15 months ago in the first week of our campaign. She came up to me, grabbed me by my lapels, pulled me close, and in that stern voice that only comes from a grandma, looked me in the eye and said do not let us go back to what it was like before Roe. And thanks to so many of you, we wont. The small business owners like Jarrod Bets who owns a community barber shop in Lancaster and is with us on stage today. Like so many others, he told me about his dream and built it and now just needs a level playing field to thrive. I remember the voices of the grieving moms who have lost their children to gun violence. Your children mattered and so do you. Thank you for being on the stage with me today. I remember the students, brave enough to speak openly with me about their mental health struggles. Theyre the strong ones and its up to us to help them. The family farmer looking to leave his land to his daughter, but lacking the capital to make the investments to carry on the family legacy long enough to see her take over. And the voices of those who put on the uniform at home and abroad to keep us safe and those they leave behind in service to all of us. We are joined today by Stephanie Mack and Brittany Sisca, the wives of Trooper Martin Mack and Trooper Brandon Sisca, who were killed in the line of duty a few months ago. Thank you for being with us today. We continue to honor and respect your husbands. May their memories be a blessing. You, the good people of Pennsylvania, will always be my north star. Im mindful of the fact that youve shared those stories with me because you believe I can make a difference for you. And that is humbling humbling that youve entrusted me with such a great responsibility. Not just the honor to serve as your Governor, but the responsibility to stand up for whats right, to bring people together and to get things done for you. That is my covenant with you the people. That is our deal. You spoke up loud and clear and gave me direction with your voice and with your vote a record number of votes in fact. People from all different walks of life from rural, urban and suburban communities united to tell me what you think. You showed the underlying goodness within our Commonwealth that you want a society that creates opportunity for all people. From Gods Country to Gettysburg, I heard you when you said you want good schools for our kids, safe communities, and an economy that gives people a shot and lifts them up. You also sent a clear message Democrats, Republicans and Independents when you came together to resoundingly reject extremism. Together, hope defeated fear. Unity triumphed over division. We proved that we value our freedoms, and were willing to do the hard work necessary to protect our fundamental rights. And to those who didnt cast their vote for me, I heard you too. And I will do my best every day to be a Governor for all Pennsylvanians. Now is the time to join together behind the unifying strength of three simple truths that have sustained our nation over the past two-and-a-half centuries that above all else, beyond any momentary political differences we value our freedom, we cherish our democracy, and we love this country. Our democracy is indeed now stronger because that historic coalition came together and fought for it, voted for it. But our democracy is not a given. As our own Pennsylvania history shows, our democracy is a constant work in progress. Pennsylvanias first Constitution in 1776 was regarded as the most democratic of its time, but it still took another 150 years for women to gain the right to vote. Pennsylvania was the first state to pass a law abolishing slavery just four years later in 1780 but it took until 1847 for total abolition. We worked at it. Together. Because we value our freedom and we, as a people, are committed to progress. Consider this our Commonwealth was founded on the promise of religious tolerance. Pennsylvania, a place where Penn invited all to come and live and worship in peace and security. And now, in this place of tolerance, I stand before you, a proud American of Jewish faith who just took the oath of office to be the 48th Governor of this great Commonwealth on a bible from the Tree of Life synagogue, the scene just four years ago of the deadliest act of antisemitism in our nations history. Pennsylvanians can indeed find light in the midst of darkness and drown out the voices of hate and bigotry. You see, in every chapter of this Pennsylvania story, we got better. We got stronger. We got more tolerant. Our story is one of progress and prosperity, and today we come together under the banner of this new Administration to write our next chapter with a keen understanding of our history and the voices that will guide our future. It will require all of us to build on Penns promise. My own faith teaches me that no one is required to complete the task, but neither are we free to refrain from it. In this Capitol and throughout our Commonwealth, we have a unique responsibility to keep doing the hard and necessary work to strengthen the democracy that was born here 246 years ago. Each of us can make a contribution. And, in many different ways, weve shown that when it is all on the line, Pennsylvanians step up, and do their part. We rallied. Like Gen-Z who continue to make progress on climate change and gun violence and reproductive rights. Like the two women in Montgomery County who bravely walked into a county courthouse and asked for a marriage license before it was legal and sparked a movement. Like those who marched with Dr. King at Girard College during the Civil Rights movement to demand righteous change. Like the Pennsylvania service member who carried with him one of the other bibles I was sworn in on, when he fought to save the world from fascism and defeat the Nazis in World War II, and earned himself a Purple Heart in the process. They stepped up. The Pennsylvania way. We are all stewards of our democracy, and Im mindful that as we celebrate the peaceful transition of power, we are proving once again that our democracy endures and the collective work to strengthen it continues. This work is more important now than ever, because over the last several years, we have been reminded of the fragility of our democracy. How we have to keep working at it, keep fighting to protect it. Here in Pennsylvania, we didnt allow the extremists who peddle lies drown out the truth. We showed that our system works and that our elections are free and fair, safe and secure. We assume this obligation to defend democracy not merely to honor the work of our ancestors but rather to build on a foundation so we can make progress for our children. Only by setting the table of opportunity and inviting all to sit and partake, can we advance the cause of real freedom. The kind of real freedom that comes when we devote real resources to that young childs public school to make sure she has a shot. The kind of real freedom that comes when we invest in public safety to make sure she lives past her 18th birthday. The kind of real freedom that comes when we create pathways to new opportunities by investing in vo-tech and job training programs like the ones that prepared IATSE members to construct this very stage and trained apprentice cabinet makers from the Carpenters Union to craft this podium I now speak from. The kind of real freedom that comes when you live in a Commonwealth that respects you for who you are no matter what you look like, where you come from, who you love or who you pray to. Real freedom that makes government a productive force for good. That allows us to tackle big challenges again and dream of brighter, more prosperous tomorrows. Where our air is clean, our water pure and our communities healthier and our economy stronger. Where poverty doesnt get ignored and prosperity isnt limited to certain zip codes. Where political differences cause debate, but do not give rise to demagogues. The real freedom that leaves its citizens with the confidence of knowing that the doors of opportunity will swing open for them if they push through. Where everyone gets a shot and no one is left behind. That is real freedom. That is our challenge. That is our calling. And, that is the next chapter in our Pennsylvania story that we start writing today together. I honor the work of those who came before me, I affirm my pact with the people to listen and be your voice, and I accept the responsibility youve bestowed upon me to be the next link in the chain of progress with humility. And so, with my faith firmly rooted in we the people of Pennsylvania, with my heart open to others and my eyes fixed ahead, I am prepared to do my part to move our Commonwealth forward. Thank you for this honor. May god bless you and watch over the women and men of the Pennsylvania National Guard. Thank you. We're a family of seven living in Georgia where Andrew's working as a professor at GSU. You can read more about us here The thrice-weekly newspaper reported yesterday that 36 per cent of the survey respondents expressed their support and 42 per cent their opposition to removing obstacles to immigration. A little more than a fifth of respondents were unable or unwilling to comment on the issue. OVER A THIRD of Finns are of the opinion that the next government should make it easier to immigrate to Finland, finds a survey commissioned by Maaseudun Tulevaisuus. Men were more likely than women to both support and oppose the idea, with 38 per cent of them supporting and 47 per cent opposing the idea. Over a quarter (27%) of women were unable or unwilling to comment on the issue. One in two retirement-age respondents said they support making it easier to immigrate to Finland. The responses varied noticeably also based on place of residence. Respondents in Helsinki voiced their support for increasing immigration at a rate of 53 per cent, whereas the corresponding rate among respondents in other parts of the country was almost 20 percentage points lower. The idea was supported especially by supporters of the Green League (72%), Swedish Peoples Party (56%), Left Alliance (55%) and Social Democrats (52%). Supporters of the Finns Party and Christian Democrats had the most reservations about it, with 69 per cent and 61 per cent, respectively, viewing that the next government should not ease immigration. The survey did not specify whether immigration should be thought of as asylum, study or work based, for example. Altogether 1,096 people responded to the survey conducted in mid-December by Kantar TNS Agri. Aleksi Teivainen HT Unfortunately, they have yet to do this, the president was quoted saying at a youth rally by state news agency Anadolu. TURKISH PRESIDENT Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday demanded that Finland and Sweden hand over around 130 terrorists in order to gain the support of Turkey for their bids to join Nato, according to media reports in Turkey. Jussi Halla-aho, the chairperson of the Finnish Parliaments Foreign Affairs Committee, on Monday estimated on YLE A-studio that the number is not based on anything concrete. Its more or less a number that was pulled out of a hat, that was used to raise the stakes in response to the provocation that took place in Sweden, he analysed, referring to a recent incident where protesters hung an effigy of the president from its feet outside the Stockholm City Hall. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has described the incident as an act of sabotage aimed at complicating the countrys path to Nato. Halla-aho on Monday told the Finnish public broadcasting company that the Swedish policy makers he has talked to since the demand surfaced have no idea who the alleged terrorists are. They couldnt get to 130 with their own calculations, he said. Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto (Greens) on Monday similarly stated that Turkey has not submitted a new list of people it believes should be extradited. Speaker of the Parliament Matti Vanhanen (Centre), meanwhile, expressed his puzzlement with the continuous demands of Erdogan, arguing that Turkey is surely aware that the extraditions it is demanding are not possible. Maybe its that they arent yet ready to make the ratification decision. I dont know the reason for it, said Vanhanen. We meet all the criteria for Nato membership. Turkey and Hungary are the only Nato members that have yet to ratify the accession protocols of Finland and Sweden. Hungary, though, has indicated that it would give its backing to the defence alliances expansion and ratify the bids in early 2023. Aleksi Teivainen HT TWO brothers have taken over Henley post office. Sachin, 39, and Vinit Patel, 42, from London, had never visited the town before they began negotiations to buy the business in Reading Road. The pair have run a post office in Edgware for the past four years and will now run both branches. Sachin Patel said: When the opportunity came up we talked to the owner and got to know him a bit and he decided to sell. It all happened very quickly, in about 10 days or so. Id never been to Henley before we came for the first time to see the post office. Its a peaceful area and people are very softly spoken. Weve had a nice welcome and hopefully that will continue. The brothers are planning to keep the retail section of the shop, which sells stationery, cards, confectionery and drinks. Mr Patel said: We might also do things like flowers for Mothers Day. Its all in our head, so well see how it goes. We might have a bit of a change of layout. He said he enjoyed working with his brother, adding: Were very close. At the moment he is the head postmaster and I am the sub-postmaster but we might change that to me or someone else. We are not recruiting at the moment, we will have to wait and see. The brothers, who are both married with one son each, are originally from Gujarat in India. Their late father was a farmer, who died from covid-19. Mr Patel said that his 13-year-old son Krish was excited to visit Henley but hadnt been able to yet because he was at school. Hell probably pop in at the weekend, he said. Ill bring my wife, Lopa, and my nephew. Well clear out some things we dont need and put things in the right place. Mr Patel used to be a barista in London and said: I see there are lots of coffee shops in Henley. He has already met Lorraine Hillier, who runs Hot Gossip on the opposite side of the street from the post office. He said: We had a chat and I said to her, I need to try your coffee. She said, Youre welcome any time. Ms Hillier, who is also a town councillor, said she was pleased the post office had a guaranteed future. She added: [Mr Patel] was very nice and seemed very able with what he was doing. He said theyre going to make it so much smarter. Workers in E Chinas Anhui work hard to send fruit cans overseas before Chinese Lunar New Year People's Daily Online) 14:50, January 17, 2023 On January 11, just 10 days before the Chinese Lunar New Year, workers of Anhui Beibao Foods Co., Ltd. was busy sending out boxes of fruit cans for export to overseas markets. Workers of Anhui Beibao Foods Co., Ltd. deliver their orders in Huaibei City, east China's Anhui Province, Jan. 11, 2023. (People's Daily Online/Lyu Huanhuan) Since its establishment in the Xiangshan Economic Development Zone in Huaibei City, east China's Anhui Province in 2016, Beibao has established production fields for asparagus, mushrooms, apricots, strawberries, hawthorns, yellow peaches, pears and apples, and exports most of its products abroad, mainly to Europe and the Americas. Beibao has amassed annual sales exceeding 500 million yuan (about $74.25 million) in 2022. As the only major company in the fruit can production industry of Huaibei City, Anhui Province, Anhui Beibao applied a business model that connected fruit farmers with clients through the company. Workers of Anhui Beibao Foods Co., Ltd. sort ingredients in Huaibei City, east China's Anhui Province. (People's Daily Online/Lyu Huanhuan) Currently, we are in a peak period for sales, with orders for fruit cans reaching dozens of tons per day. The production schedule has been arranged until January 17, and our workers are working overtime to send out these products before Chinese Lunar New Year so that they can return home as early as possible to enjoy their New Year holidays, said Xu Chuanxiang, the general manager of Beibao. Workers of Anhui Beibao Foods Co., Ltd. pack fruit cans in Huaibei City, east China's Anhui Province. (People's Daily Online/Lyu Huanhuan) Xiangshan Economic Development Zone, where the company is located, has been issuing policies to support over 100 companies in the zone. During the pandemic control phase, as a company that relied on international trade, Beibao encountered many difficulties in delivering its products abroad, but received help from Xiangshan Zone. Our company was greatly supported by local officials in arranging logistics and connecting with customs, and helped us to remove the obstacles, making it easier to deliver our products abroad, said Xu. (Web editor: Tian Yi, Du Mingming) One of my dearest online friends, who well call Susan, put up a long post on social media last week. The gist of her diatribe, boiled down to one sentence: My mother-in-law insists on adding bacon to every potentially vegetarian item she makes. Susan and her son are strict vegetarians. Green beans? With bacon. Mashed potatoes? With bacon. Dinner rolls? With bacon. For Susan, this was pretty much a declaration of war. After trying to speak to her mother-in-law about it unsuccessfully, Susan turned to her 3,000 followers. I just dont know what to do anymore what do yall think? Should we start boycotting her dinners? She filtered her frustrations, writing only friends can see this post, and people I know wont talk to my husbands family. She didnt want to be rude, but she also didnt have an unbiased outlet to make sense of her in-laws actions. My mother would call this airing out dirty laundry. Today, its both derided and lauded demystifying family dynamics and revealing perhaps-too-much, all in the name of some big truth. Of course, theres a long history of people complaining about their families to the general public. All memoirs are pretty much built on this premise, as are most novels readers love misbehaving families, or at least the misbehaving families of strangers. Its a little different when the family under scrutiny is your own. Within two hours of hitting post, Susan had taken down her declaration against her bacon-wielding in-law. Someone referenced [the post] to my husband, who tried to find it, and then got super upset when he realized Id filtered him out too, she wrote to me after I asked what happened. Susan was able to delete the post and remove evidence that it ever existed. She decided to keep a screenshot in case anyone ever misquoted it, but she doesnt anticipate the situation escalating any further. No one really saw it. Just a handful of people. But that was enough to get me in trouble. Its hard to keep a secret on the internet, especially one about family. People find it exhilarating when family members turn on each other. Its hard not to imagine someone wanting to discuss the matter with Susans husband. We seem to never run out of opinions on how other people relate to their closest relatives; millions of words and think pieces have been dedicated to discussing family dynamics do we learn from other peoples dramas, have we normalized dysfunction, is it all cringe-worthy? and Im not sure we are all landing on the same page. But perhaps the conversations are helping us anyway. Consider recent headlines about Prince Harry, the duke of Sussex, or anything related to the Kardashian-West family are we more empathetic or better people for having discussed their petty squabbles? The answer might be yes, even though over-saturation makes us all weary. I know more than one person who has evoked the duke of Sussex in discussing their estrangement from their parents. We have a Prince Harry type situation, is shorthand for a whole lot of complex relationship issues. Its easy to see the schadenfreude and relief inherent to reading about and discussing others dysfunction. Thank goodness thats not my family, seems to be the prevailing sentiment, but is there more to it? Theres another pleasure to be had in the practice of publicly displaying our relatives soiled clothes the joy of telling the brutal and unvarnished truth. Ive often fantasized about standing up during a holiday dinner and telling everyone in my family what I actually think of them, what I know about who they are, how I feel about their cured meats and whatnot, but I also know how difficult, and embarrassing, it would be to sit through someone else doing that. Still the truths keep coming. Its titillating when the child of a politician unmasks their parent on TikTok, when a royal son complains, when a woman gets to shame her mother-in-law. The truth is cathartic, but the truth is also hard for those called out. Freedom of expression is not freedom from consequences. But Im not sure the Susans of the world have to face the consequences alone. Her mother-in-law should be held accountable as well. She could make one dish without bacon, after all. Perhaps this is the age of airing out dirty laundry. The best defense, though, is to keep your laundry as clean as possible, before it ever makes it outside. (c)2023 PG Publishing Co. Visit at post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. A car dealer from Mayambara, Seke who defrauded a client US$13 000 on the pretext that he bought a Mercedes Benz truck on his behalf from the United Kingdom has been slapped with a five-year jail term. Tatenda Magura(30) director of Tatpat Shipping Company, located at Chikwanha Shopping Centre was convicted of fraud by Chitungwiza magistrate Ms Barbra Mateko. Of the five-year sentence, Ms Mateko suspended one year on condition of good behaviour. Two years were suspended on condition he pays restitution of US$13 600 by 28 June 2023. He will serve two years effective. According to the State, sometime between May 10 and September 16, 2022 Tafadzwa Jani approached Magura at Tatpat Shipping Company seeking assistance to import a motor vehicle from the United Kingdom. Magura agreed to facilitate the importation of a Mercedes Benz Ateggo 1690 flatbed truck worth US$13 365 000 under UK registration number MFZ 6802 for a fee. They signed an affidavit on May 10 and Jani deposited US$8 000 and finished off balance in installments on July 24. The court heard on June 2, Magura sent a fake and blurry Whatsapp picture message showing a bill of landing insinuating that the car had been imported and was now on a ship headed for Walvis Bay Namibia under ship name Helois Ray under the NMT Shipping Company. Magura promised to deliver the vehicle on June 19 and failed to do so. Then on June 29, after further enquiries from Jani, he sent him a screenshot from MACS Maritime Carrier Shipping Company that their ship Bright Sky had been delayed coming to Namibia. Jani tracked the ship via the internet until July 23 when it showed that the ship had docked in Walvis Bay. Jani paid the last deposit of US$1 000 the following day which was meant to cover travelling expenses to and fro Namibia. Magure promised to deliver the truck after four days and later said that the vehicle had been held up at Namibian Customs and Exercise because it had undeclared spare parts belonging to Magure. Upon further enquiries with NMT and MACS Maritime Carrier Shipping via email, Jani was told that the truck which had been purportedly for them had never been on the ship as alleged. The bill of landing sent on Whatsapp was forgery and the ship Helois Ray had docked in Namibia in January 2022 and had never returned since. Jani then made a police case leading to his arrest. Herald RIPLE homicide suspect and ex-policeman, Jaison Muvevi, was yesterday afternoon extradited from Mozambique to Zimbabwe after spending Monday night in police holding cells in Manica town in the neighbouring country, following his arrest earlier that day. Muvevi was arrested across the border in Mozambique, three days after allegedly gunning down three people in Hwedza, Mashonaland East Province, in a bizarre incident which has shocked the whole nation. Heavily armed police were seen yesterday transferring Muvevi from Mutare Central Police Station to the capital pending his prosecution for the murder of the three people and attempted murder of at least two more. The murder victims are Crispen Mubvana Kanerusine (62) of Zinzombe Village, Hwedza, Inspector Maxwell Hove (43) of ZRP Hwedza Camp and Munashe Mujanhi (20) of Mujanhi Village, Hwedza. Detective Constable Tendai Mugova escaped with injuries sustained in the Hwedza shootings while a Mutare man, Raphael Nyahwema (23) narrowly escaped death when Muvevi shot at him and missed his target after a chance encounter at Mutare Boys High School where the fugitive was seeking food and possibly, refuge. There were initial indications that Muvevi was likely to first appear in a Mozambican court to answer to charges of illegal entry into that country and pointing a firearm at a police officer. However, the Mozambicans handed Muvevi over to the Zimbabwean authorities after extradition formalities were completed. He was taken to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) station in Mutare before being transferred to Harare for further management. National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the developments. He is now in Zimbabwe and also on his way to Harare for further investigations, he said. Muvevi is expected to appear in court soon facing three murder charges, two attempted murder charges, unlawful possession of firearms and border jumping, among others once investigations have been completed. Muvevi, a former CID detective who is understood to have been a gold dealer, killed an apostolic church leader, Kanerusine, in cold blood as he was preaching in front of congregants in Hwedza on Friday afternoon. He went on to fatally shoot the officer-in-charge of Hwedza Police Station, Inspector Hove and a male bartender, Mujanhi, while Constable Mugova was seriously injured in the gun fight with the rogue former cop. After killing the three in Hwedza, Muvevi escaped resulting in police launching a manhunt for him. Investigations revealed that Muvevi fled to Rusape and then Mutare where he bought a navy blue worksuit at a shop situated at Wasu Mall before he went to Mutare Boys High School premises. A team of detectives and other security agents remained on high alert when they received information that Muvevi was still in Mutare and was likely to cross the border into Mozambique. They then alerted their counterparts across the border and provided them with Muvevis pictures. His luck ran out on Monday morning after he was identified as he was about to board a commuter omnibus in Manica, Mozambique. He was then arrested, amid dramatic scenes, by police in the neighbouring country. A team of Zimbabwean detectives was immediately deployed to Mozambique to carry out the due processes of the law before Muvevi was taken back to the country for prosecution. Mozambican security details and their Zimbabwean counterparts, whose vehicles were allowed to cross into the eastern neighbouring country, escorted the suspect to Mutare around lunchtime where he was briefly detained before being whisked away under heavy police guard, to Harare. Herald Tucked away on a hillside along the south coast of Lombok, Indonesia, Somewhere Lombok is an unspoiled retreat conceived, designed, and run by sisters Valia and Claire Gontard. Communal areas open to unparalleled views of Are Guling Bay, a world-renowned surf spot, and 20 standalone villas feature mini plunge pools overlooking the lush greenery of the valley and village below. Everything from the building materials to the decor is regionally sourced and produced, with the Gontard sisters' overarching ethos being that of creating a sustainable and responsible destination for modern travelers. When sisters Valia and Claire Gontard joined forces in 2014 to rebrand the restaurant affiliated with their father's boutique hotel in Niseko, Japan, they realized a new goal: to create a destination of their own. Flash forward to today and the sisters are opening Somewhere Lombok, a conscious villa-only resort on the titular unspoiled Indonesian island, just a 30-minute flight east of Bali. Drawing on Valia and Claire's combined backgrounds in the hospitality industry and extensive travels, the property is a spirited retreatone that is inspired by and mindful of Indonesia's culture, environment, and local communities. The sisters grew up in Hong Kong, but they've spent much of their adult lives moving around the world in places ranging from Japan to Canada to the UK. Then, two years ago, Valia, 29, resettled in Lombok, while Claire, 31, moved almost a year ago with her two children and husband. From the very start, the sisters have led this project on every level, from the business side to the creative elements. Once they secured a 6,300-square-meter plot atop a steep hillside with stunning views of Are Guling Bay and Prabu Village in the valley below, they created what is now a luxe nature hideaway with a restaurant, spa, and 20 independent villas. Here, contemporary living is defined by notions of responsibility, conservation, and sustainability; architecture finds inspiration in the natural surroundings; and guests can unwind and relax but also explore untouched landscapes and surf world-class waves. Somewhere Lombok's architectural concept was developed by Claire and Valia in collaboration with SWDesign and the Hong Kong-based branding and design studio Eight Partnership. The central communal space features an open-plan indoor area with the reception, restaurant, bar, and lounge, as well as an outdoor lawn and infinity pool overlooking the bay. With sustainability a primary concern, this area and all of the villas are oriented towards the south to maximize natural light. Plus, floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the property offer unparalleled sunrise and sunset views. Other key features, conceived together with the consultancy Eco Mantra, include natural ventilation, high thermal performance building materials, and reflective building finishes. There are also onsite facilities for harvesting rainwater and compositing, and greywater is recycled and reused. Eight Partnership, Claire, and Valia also oversaw the interior design, with additional guidance from Studio Amal. The result is an elegantly simple and welcoming atmosphere filled with neutral tones and natural materials like wood, concrete, and local stones. Almost all of the furnishings throughout the property were sourced locally through the sisters' own network and in-depth research. Three standouts from regional artisans include intricate handwoven rugs and textiles by Kriyatex, handmade pottery and ceramic vessels by Casakaya, and woven baskets by Mami, whose workshop is less than a 15-minute drive from the property. In each of the serviced villas are additional locally produced objects, including natural marble trays by Maharani Decoration and linen bed skirts by La Luna Linen. Walls are adorned with prints of Valia's own photographs of Lombok's people, places, and landscapes. Bespoke furniture like poolside tables and umbrellas were also produced by artisans on the island. The villas themselves boast 35 square meters of indoor space alongside 16-square-meter terraces equipped with cushioned seating areas and mini private plunge pools. The 20 standalone buildings are spread across four rows staggered on the hillside, with privacy established via winding pathways and stairs lined with 100% indigenous, non-invasive vegetationover 50% of which was also specifically chosen and planted to prevent land erosion and reduce drainage. The marble bathroom trays hold amenities by Sensatia Botanicals, a popular Indonesian brand known for vegan, reef safe, and environmentally friendly products, and every bathroom has a Toto toilet suite. Guests are also welcomed with homey touches, like a basket filled with fruit, coffee, tea, and cookies, and a rattan beach bag to use during their stays. In the main building, the in-house restaurant is open all day and serves Indonesian fusion cuisine with a focus on fresh, locally sourced produce. The spa features two massage rooms, which can be connected for couples' treatments, an intimate outdoor plunge pool with a design inspired by rainwater collection tanks, and an outdoor shower. Additional amenities and services include a small boutique stocked with local products and Valia's photography prints, as well as regularly scheduled shuttles to and from the beach. Guests can also request shuttle rides to and from the nearby town of Kuta. Scooters are also available to rent, and if guests are looking for local tips, they can ask the staff, the majority of whom are from Lombok. Destination Somewhere Lombok is remotely situated on the south coast of Lombok, an Indonesian island east of Bali and west of Sumbawa known for its white-sand beaches and world-class surfing. Are Guling Bay, a renowned surf spot with 1.5 kilometers of stunning beachfront, is only two minutes away by car and the up-and-coming beach town Kuta is just a 10-minute drive. The island as a whole features unending breathtaking coastlines, lush mountains, and an abundance of preserved traditional Sasak culture. A number of surrounding smaller islands, locally called Gili, are motor-vehicle-free, offering undisturbed treks, pristine beaches, reefs, and even sea turtle hatcheries. Countless on- and off-water activities include surfing, fishing, hiking, rafting, paragliding, kite surfing, and mountain biking. The nearest airport is Lombok International Airport. Hotel website BANGKOK, THAILAND - As Thailands tourism industry powers its way into an accelerated period of recovery, with international arrivals pouring in and China poised to create the next big wave, whats the ensuing step for the Kingdom? The world has changed over the last three years so how is Thailand innovating to reshape the sector or is it back to the days of mass tourism? Thailand Tourism Forum (TTF 2023) returned to Bangkok on Monday 16th January 2023 for its 12th annual edition to debate the issues and inspire future concepts. Running under the theme Innovation in Hospitality, the creative half-day event featured top-level speakers and discussions on key issues set to influence the industry in the months and years to come. An 800-strong crowd of travel and hospitality professionals took part and heard how Thailands tourism machine needs to reinvent itself and become a pioneering force in branding, design and technology if it is to emerge stronger and more sustainable in the post-pandemic era. Following an opening address by Bill Barnett, Managing Director of C9 Hotelworks, the events organiser, who explained Why Thailand Must Innovate, the forums keynote speaker took to the stage. Wallapa Traisorat, CEO & President of Asset World Corporation (AWC), Thailands leading hotel owner and developer, tackled the topic of Creating a New Hospitality Landscape with Brands. Other important issues on the agenda included Disruption and Change in Hotel Technology & Distribution with Liz Perkins, Hiltons Vice President of Revenue Management & Commercial Services for Asia Pacific, Rethinking Thai Design Culture with Ho Ren Yung, Banyan Trees Senior Vice President of Brand & Commercial, and the Challenges of Being a Hotel Owner with Proudputh Liptapanlop, Executive Director of Proud Real Estate. Delegates were provided with an update on Thai hotel transactions and financing by JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group and an analysis of the competitiveness of the Thai hotel industry by STR Global, before Greenview founder Eric Ricaurte revealed his vision for the Hotel of the Future. The major challenge that demands attention, according to C9s Bill Barnett is people, or the lack of them wanting to return the hospitality industry post Covid when over 1.45 million tourism jobs were lost. Wheres our pipeline of people? This is what will create success for the next generation. Thais no longer want to work in hotels so our mission must be how can we innovate products and bring the best and brightest people back to the industry. We have to pay higher wages. Now is the time for Thailands hotels to change, said Mr Barnett. The point was reiterated by Proudputh Liptapanlop, Executive Director, Proud Real Estate PLC who said that Covid was a real wake-up call for owners about how to take care of their people. Ms. Wallapa Traisorat, CEO & President of AWC, argued that product and brand integration was the key innovation for the future. For us it is all about creating happiness, she said. We are all searching for how we can be fulfilled and I believe we need to look into partnerships with brands to create unique projects that are integrated with the destination and bring local communities into the hotel experience. It should be an integrated customer journey. For Liz Perkins, Vice President of Revenue Management & Commercial Services for Hilton APAC, the most important thing is to create the right balance between technology and people. The key is to successfully merge physical and digital to create seamless travel. During Covid we invested in technology. For example, we introduced digital keys for a fast track check-in. Customers can still go to reception but what we are doing differently is giving customers choice. For me innovation comes from constraints, added Ho Ren Yung, Senior Vice President Brand and Commercial, Banyan Tree Group. We created the pool villa concept as we were not on the beach 30 years ago. Now we are introducing a product with no walls or doors to bring nature in. For more information, please visit www.thailandtourismforum.com. For more photos TTF 2023, please click. About C9 Hotelworks C9 Hotelworks is led by founder and Managing Director Bill Barnett, who brings over 37 years' experience in the Asian hospitality and real estate sectors. Prior to founding C9 in 2003, Bill held senior executive roles in hotel operations, development and asset management. He is considered to be a leading global authority on hotel residences, and has sat at almost every seat around the hospitality and real estate table. Bill promotes industry insight through regular conference presentations at key events and contributes to numerous industry publications. For more information contact www.c9hotelworks.com Aiming to reach 10 hotels, 2000 rooms, and creating 1,500 jobs by 2025 in Malaysia, Swiss-Belhotel International embarks in a strategic joint venture with Nautical Insight Sdn Bhd. The hotel, tourism and leisure industry is one of the leading service industries and is a significant source of economic growth in Malaysias economy. Within Malaysia, the hospitality and tourism industry contributes 6% of Malaysias GDP and 23% of national employment (3.5 million jobs) and is the third-largest component of the service industry. Thus, it is a no-brainer for Swiss-Belhotel International to put a flag in one of the upcoming economies in Southeast Asia. Swiss-Belhotel International is bringing its 35 years of expertise in hospitality to drive its aggressive expansion in the Malaysian market. Established in 1987 with 16 well-positioned brands to serve any hospitality asset, Swiss-Belhotel International currently has a portfolio of 125 hotels, resorts and projects located in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland and Tanzania. The Group provides comprehensive and highly professional development and management services in all aspects of hotel, resort and serviced residences. The Group recently marked its 35th anniversary celebrating the special milestone and its accomplishments. Staying true to its commitment, togetherness lies at the heart of everything the Group does as it continues to grow. To fuel its robust expansion plans, the Group partners with Malaysian company Nautical Insight Sdn Bhd, the owner of LaCrista Hotel, a 5-star flagship hotel with 225 furnished rooms and focuses on the concept of Muslim travellers friendly accommodation. We are delighted to partner with Nautical Insight who understands this market well. We see tremendous growth potential for our respective companies in Malaysia and will be aggressively pursuing development opportunities throughout the country. Focused on high-growth markets in South East Asia, our expansion is driven by long-term sustainability while strengthening our diverse portfolio of brands. Mr. Gavin M. Faull, Chairman and President of Swiss-Belhotel International LaCrista Hotel Melaka adds to the charm of Melakas skyline, with its glass-domed ceilings and Roman pillars. It is a five-minute-drive from the local attractions in this UNESCO World Heritage Town. LaCrista by Swiss-Belhotel aims to deliver the best personalised service to each and every guest who wish to create memories in its beautiful Colonial-inspired architecture. Embodying its tagline Your Personalised Lifestyle Hotel, the property is perfect for leisure and business travellers. We are thrilled to partner with Swiss-Belhotel International and look forward to combining the strengths of both our companies. We believe that LaCristas better understanding of local culture and requirements can benefit the partnership in providing exquisite services to the customers. With the local knowledge and extensive networking that Nautical Insight has in Malaysia, we are confident that the partnership will deliver guests the exceptional hospitality with outstanding products perfectly suited for the local market. Dato Rosthman Ibrahim, Managing Director of Nautical Insight Swiss-Belhotel Internationals expansion in Malaysia forms part of a broader growth strategy in the country, and worldwide. The group is also planning to introduce new properties in the future to other key destinations within Malaysia, including Kuala Lumpur. Swiss-Belhotel International brings global travellers and discerning tourists right in front of Malaysias tourist attractions like beautiful islands, beaches, quaint towns, heritage sites, and adventure spots. About Swiss-Belhotel International Group Founded in 1987, Swiss-Belhotel International Group is headquartered in Hong Kong, and offers hotels, resort, serviced residences and property management services in Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, and Thailand. With full-service hotel brand concept, the Group's hotels cater to business & leisure travelers with hotels located in major city centers and resort destinations. The Group currently manages 125 properties in 16 countries under 16 brands. For further information visit https://www.swiss-belhotel.com. 'Cause We're Living in a Material World A study by Cloudwards found that, in 2021, a striking 37% of businesses and organizations worldwide underwent a ransomware attack. And, of these, 1/3 paid the ransom. But what are, exactly, ransomware? They are malicious software encrypting the victim's data and making them inaccessible until a ransom (hence the name) is paid. Usually, the perpetrators demand settlement in crypto, allowing them to receive compensation anonymously and avoid detection by law enforcement, with Bitcoin as the currency of preference (up to 98% of ransomware ransoms are paid in BTC). Ransomware attacks can be financially and operationally devastating for businesses because, let's put this straight up, there's no guarantee of getting your data back. Here's why it is generally advised not to pay ransoms, as there are no assurances that the attackers will actually decrypt or fully restore the affected data. Instead, all you're paying for is a vague commitment to unlocking the encrypted files. Moreover, paying victims of ransomware attacks may inadvertently encourage future attacks. Let me explain this: when attackers are successful in collecting ransoms, it kinda "proves" to them that their methods are effective and can be used to fund the development of more sophisticated malware and attack techniques. This reinforces the importance of focusing on prevention and recovery methods to mitigate the impact of ransomware attacks. Pretty cool, eh? Some History The most famous ransomware attack has to be 2017's WannaCry: it affected over 230,000 computers in more than 150 countries, causing billions of dollars in damages. The attack primarily concerned organizations that had not installed a Microsoft security update and/or using unsupported versions of Microsoft Windows. However, this is far from being a recent phenomenon. Ransomware have a long history, with one of the earliest recorded instances being the AIDS Trojan horse attack in 1989. This attack involved the distribution of a floppy disk (sic!) containing the ransomware to attendees of an AIDS conference (oh, the humanity...). When activated, it encrypted various files on the targeted hard drive and demanded that victims send $189 to a PO Box in Panama to retrieve their data... A Scalable Business Model The proliferation of ransomware attacks in recent years, however, can be primarily attributed to the emergence of what is usually known as Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS). Under this model, a developer creates a strain of ransomware and licenses it to other cybercriminals for their attacks. This model offers two primary benefits for hackers: first, the ransomware developer can earn money by collecting a percentage of each attack's revenue without having to carry out the attacks themselves, and second, attackers without a high level of technical expertise can utilize the "plug-and-play" RaaS model to focus on infecting victims and collecting payments. To use an analogy, it's like Booking.com for hackers. Not really but, hey, you got the picture. For the Watch! Ok, you may think this will never affect you. Well, you might want to hold that thought. According to a report from Datto, 85% of Managed Service Providers identified ransomware as the most common malware threat their small and medium business clients face. Moreover, if you believe that behind these attacks are hackers like those you see in 80's techno-thriller movies such as WarGames, the reality is that all it takes to f*ck your business up is falling for a juvenile phishing email. As much as 91% of cyberattacks begin with an email, so you're not only one click away from enlarging your, well, you get it... You're also one click away from destroying your business! Could you Print my Boarding Pass? Has a guest ever approached you and requested that you print a boarding pass from a USB stick that they provided? This is something else to be wary of. As a hotel worker, it is essential to be cautious when using USB devices, especially ones given to you by guests. These devices can potentially contain malicious software, which can infect your computer and compromise your network security. USB sticks are insidious because they can execute code, and it is possible to infect a computer simply by inserting them, without running any programs or clicking on any files. It is recommended to exercise caution when using USB devices and consider disabling the USB ports on the hotel computers tout court. Additionally, suppose a guest in your hotel can access the same network as your internal systems. In that case, they could potentially insert a malicious USB stick into their own device and compromise your network's security while having a coffee in room 214. If you are using a legacy PMS, this could potentially be a recipe for disaster. Property Management System is a mission-critical system for any hotel. If it is hacked or compromised, it could seriously disrupt your operations. Therefore, ensuring that the PMS is secure and protected from potential threats is essential. The best way to enhance the security of the PMS is to use a cloud-native system. By externalizing the PMS, the system becomes entirely resilient to attacks on the local network. Therefore, even if the local network is compromised or goes down due to an attack, the PMS can still operate normally because it is hosted on external servers. This ensures that the hotel can continue to operate smoothly, even in the face of a potential security threat. Give Me Ransom or Give Me Death! Ransomware may have a significant financial impact on your business, as the ransoms tend to be very high. It is a profitable business model for criminals, with the average ransom payment being around 1/4M$... Most victims of ransomware attacks choose to remain silent about the settlement they had with the hackers, so it's hard to evaluate precisely the amount of money involved in the activity. However, some decide to publicly disclose their ransomware payments, bringing attention to the issue and helping authorities and cybersecurity researchers in their efforts to combat the phenomenon. Over the past few years, several high-profile companies have been targeted with ransom demands. Some examples include Trenitalia, the Italian railway company, which was asked to pay a ransom of $5 million in Bitcoin; Nvidia, which was asked to pay $1 million; Accenture ($50 million); Apple ($50 million), MediaMarkt, ($240 million), and Ace ($50 million). And that's just the ransom! The recovery process after an attack can be way more expensive, with the average cost estimated at $1.85 million. This includes the ransom payment itself and expenses associated with downtime, lost data, and other financial impacts. How to Protect Your Business Effective prevention of ransomware attacks requires a combination of robust monitoring applications, frequent file backups, anti-malware software, and user training. While no cyber defenses can eliminate risk, implementing these measures can significantly reduce the chances of a successful attack. The use of cloud-based systems can also enhance resilience and protection against ransomware attacks. In contrast to on-premise systems, which a ransomware attack can completely halt, a cloud-based system can quickly be switched to a backup server in the event of an attack, minimizing downtime and allowing businesses to continue operating. This can be particularly beneficial for hotels, which rely on their PMSs to manage reservations and guest information daily. Even in the event of a longer-term outage, such as a server breakdown or an extended power outage, a cloud-based system can ensure that operations can continue without disruption, resulting in a better experience for guests and reduced financial losses for the hotel. It's worth remembering that, on average, a ransomware attack creates 21 days of downtime. For hotels, the inability to operate without a property management system for three weeks is pure nonsense. Using a legacy system, when it comes to cybersecurity, is like posting a sign that says, "this is the way, come inside!" to hackers. And if you think you're immune, remember what I've said before: you're just one click away... Wait! Before you go Please sign up for our Evening Digest and Breaking Newsletters Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Click here for a Print Subscription with Online Digital included. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. Below you will see test that reads Print Subscribe Access. Click this to then Get Started attaching your account number and zip code to you online user account. Click on the banner above if you would like to become a print subscriber with digital access. If you simply want online access without print click get started below. Subscribers to Register-Star or The Daily Mail are eligible to receive full access to HudsonValley360. If you have an existing print subscription, please make sure your email address on file matches your HudsonValley360 account email. 'Up and Adams' Wellness Initiative to Begin in February ADAMS, Mass. The town's "Up and Adams" wellness initiative, which seeks to improve health and wellness behaviors in the community, is slated to begin early next month. The initiative will feature several events and activities intended to promote cooperative and sustainable wellness practices. On Wednesday, the Board of Health officially approved a Berkshire Health Alliance mini-grant application for the 12-week program, worth just under $3,500, in addition to funding and donations already obtained from the Barrett Foundation and other sources. "This is hoping to build in a more sustainable stress reduction, peer connection, and then through all those things, wellness is really born," said program coordinator Erin Lenski, who explained she has reached out to several businesses and some of the largest employers in town to be involved, such as Hoosac Valley Regional School District, Adams Community Bank and Specialty Minerals. Program events, which Lenski said will be recorded for later viewing, are meant to be cooperative, so people encourage others to get involved. Lenski said feedback from initial outreach on the initiative so far has been favorable, with more planned outreach in the weeks to come. "They all had some really positive feedback in terms of how this wellness for employees aligns with their greater mission in their business," she said. Selectman Howard Rosenberg said the initiative should help spread community awareness about wellness. He said this year, being the first year of the initiative, will allow them to learn and improve the program for future years. "The people who need it the most are the most disenfranchised and the hardest to reach, actually. So our thinking is, given the budget we have, let's pilot something and then ask key questions, like how do we access people who need this but don't participate," he said. "That's a question. At this point, I don't have the answer to it. But we could use this as a way to learn more about it. And then, as this thing goes forward, now we know more about it." When asked why the program does not have as much of a competitive focus, Lenski said this model pushes people to continue with newly learned wellness practices after the initiative is over. "We did want it to feel more inclusive and sustainable. And not like a one-off, you win the prize now you're done," she said. "So kind of building in these strategic networks of wellness and well-being with people with whom they have encounters in that business model on a daily basis." In other business: The board welcomed Elias Masse, the town's new administrative assistant, who will do the minutes and other administrative duties on behalf of the board. Department of Public Works Administrative Assistant Michelle DeRose had previously done this for the board. Rhoads thanked DeRose for the time and effort she has given to help the board. The board briefly discussed its cannabis-related guidance on the town website. Rhoads said several establishments are coming into the town, and he hopes to be involved in public health outreach and any potential community impact fees. "You have to justify it, you have to track it track it. You have to show that it is directly related to the impact," he said. "Great Barrington has done a great job, because they're putting funds into addition resources and stuff like that." Rosenberg suggested the board canvas other boards of health for more information on what they do with community impact fees. Mount Greylock School Committee Hears Budget Requests, Budget Constraints Updated at 12:20 Tuesday with additional comments from the principal at Williamstown Elementary School WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. On the same night it heard about a challenging budget season ahead, the Mount Greylock Regional School Committee heard requests for as many as eight new full-time positions in the district. The first order of business on the schedule Thursday was a discussion of fiscal year 2024 funding priorities for Williamstown Elementary School and Mount Greylock Regional School. Middle-high school Principal Jacob Schutz gave a presentation from Mount Greylock's School Council that identified five priorities for FY24, including the addition of four positions: a Spanish teacher, visual arts teacher, a 504 coordinator and a behaviorist. The request from the WES School Council, as reported by Principal Cindy Sheehy, was more modest: level staffing from the current school year except for increasing the instrumental music teacher position from half-time to full-time. But during the public comment portion of the meeting, WES second grade teacher Kathleen Albano asked the School Committee to consider an FY24 budget that includes three new paraprofessional positions in the primary grades and a second technology teacher for the pre-K through 6th grade school. Last month , the principal at Lanesborough Elementary School gave that school's funding requests, which included an additional 1.5 paraprofessional positions. After hearing all those asks of the three district schools, the School Committee heard a preliminary budget discussion from the district's business administrator. Based on projected increases from level-staffing and increased supply costs (disposables and utilities), the district is projecting a 3.4 percent increase in its gross operating and capital budget for FY24. That is before the district and municipal entities around the county learn later this month whether the Berkshire Health Group will be raising premiums in FY24, whether the district will need to pay a higher rate to the Berkshire County Retirement System and the true impact of union negotiations underway for new three-year contracts that begin on July 1. The board of the retirement system is set to meet on Jan. 25; the Berkshire Health Group board meets on Jan. 30. As for the Mount Greylock district's labor contracts, Bergeron indicated their impact remains an unknown. "The $750,000 number that we're currently projecting for staff salary increases, the vast majority of that is within our union contracts," he said. "A lot of that is step and column progression, as well as percentage increases we think are responsible to budget for based on negotiations around the state and negotiations we're having. "That $750,000 is just a placeholder for me right now. The exact number will be different, but we need something to work with." The $750,000 number plus the $90,000 projected in increases for supplies like utilities leads to the 3.4 percent gross budget increase. Some of that could be offset by, for example, increased state aid or utilizing the district's reserve accounts (tuition, School Choice and excess and deficiency). But that $840,000 increase, again, is for level-funded services, not taking into account any of the funding requests from the district's three School Councils. Bergeron noted that the level of state funding likely is to be unknown later into the budget system than in recent years as a new administration takes over on Beacon Hill for the first time in eight years. In the spring, the School Committee will need to vote to approve a budget proposed by the administration and send that FY24 spending plan and requested assessments to pay for it to the member towns of Lanesborough and Williamstown. The Finance Committees in each town have the authority to review the budget, and it is town meeting in each town that has the final say on whether to pay the assessment. The seven members of the School Committee will bring to their own deliberations the appeals from the three School Councils, which are, by law, empowered to advocate for individual buildings in a regional school district. It also will carry the testimony of a few parents who logged into last week's virtual meeting to argue in favor of one of the funding requests from Mount Greylock, the addition of a middle school visual arts teacher. Briee Della Rocca was the first person to address the committee during the meeting's public comment section. "[R]esearch shows students experience greater social and emotional wellbeing when exposed to visual and performing arts, that they advance in their academic achievements and engagement and they gain economic and civil mobility when they have access to arts curriculum," Della Rocca said. "Those results are even more profound when they have access to the arts in middle school." She told the committee that arts programs in schools lead to, "fewer disciplinary actions, fewer absences and gains in overall academic engagement and aptitude." Schutz also lobbied for a new arts teacher, in addition to a few other positions advanced by the School Council and a software upgrade for Mount Greylock's PowerSchool system. An additional Spanish teacher would help reduce class sizes and add courses that would appeal to a greater number of students, Schutz said. A 504 coordinator would help handle the 100 current 504 plans for students at the middle-high school and the 50 referrals that the school has received this year. And a behaviorist would address higher needs students. "A behaviorist is someone who has a background in restorative justice, positive behavior intervention, and with dealing with students in crisis," Schutz said. "It's not necessarily to the level of a social worker, but it's someone whose main task and goal would be working with students who have behavior issues." Pressed by School Committee member Jose Constantine to prioritize the positions in his funding request, Schutz somewhat reluctantly picked one. "With my perspective, wanting all of them and a couple more, I would say the most bang for our buck and the position that would sort of holistically help the most would be the behaviorist position," Schutz told the committee. Albano, the second grade teacher at Williamstown Elementary, argued that additional paraprofessional support in the younger grades is a need at the school. Currently, she said, WES' pre-kindergarten and kindergarten grades have one "para" per classroom, but that number drops to one para for the four first-grade classrooms, one for the three second-grade classrooms and one for the three third-grade classrooms. "My reasons for suggesting some extra paras and help are mainly student needs," Albano said. "Since the pandemic, we have seen so many more social emotional needs coming out as well as academic need. As a second grade teacher, seeing the different levels as kids come into second grade and their abilities, they really start to vary. Having that extra body in the classroom to support those kids is really important." WES Principal Sheehy this week said that the School Council had discussed the idea of extra support for the primary grades. However, we are hoping to get additional data that would support the need, Sheehy wrote in response to an email asking for clarification. In light of all the funding requests (School Council-supported and otherwise) and the preliminary numbers for a level funded budget, School Committee member Carrie Greene asked Bergeron, the business administrator, what message supporters of visual arts programming at the middle school should take away from Thursdays meeting. "I hear those requests," Bergeron said. "I agree with them. ... I think it's really helpful to clearly articulate what you want and why that is a very reasonable want to have. But then that does need to balance into these discussions we're going to have over the next couple of months to try to figure out how we can achieve that, if we can achieve that. "I loved what was said, and I want it. Now we need to figure out if we need to sacrifice something else, or if we can find other ways to make it happen." In other business on Thursday, the School Committee voted unanimously to approve the "Secure Gun Storage Resolution ," advanced by the national Be SMART for Kids advocacy group. The resolution directs the district's superintendent and staff to, "inform parents and guardians of their legal obligations regarding the secure storage of firearms," and work with "local law enforcement agencies, health agencies and non-profit organizations" to advance those education efforts. Superintendent Jason McCandless told the School Committee that Mount Greylock became the first district in Western Massachusetts to adopt the resolution with the panel's vote on Thursday. Through economic and political collapse, the fundamental human rights the Sri Lankan government claims to uphold are frequently disrespected or ignored. In achieving legitimate democratic governance in Sri Lanka, the voice of protestors must be heard, writes Gayathri Nawarathne. Sri Lanka, a country that considers itself to have a democratic socialist government and has promised through a number of local and international laws the implementation of democratic practices through its governance. Its Constitution which is known as the supreme law of the country has emphasized in Article 03: In the Republic of Sri Lanka, sovereignty is in the People and is inalienable. Sovereignty includes the powers of government, fundamental rights and the franchise. In the 3rd chapter of the constitution (1978), it is said in Article 11: No person shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment Article 14: (1) Every citizen is entitled to- (a) the freedom of speech and expression including publication; (b) the freedom of peaceful assembly; (c) the freedom of association; 2022 is a year in which the political and socio-economic context of Sri Lanka has gone through a major upheaval. There has been widespread displeasure with the regime's illegal and corrupt actions, and their peaceful expression started in the first quarter of 2022. There, the public criticized and rejected the positions arbitrarily appointed by the government, and the right of speech and expression of opinion was not directly violated by the government, but the government media outlets published false and hateful statements about the said persons and events. A veteran and award-winning announcer working for a government-run television service were fired after the network was given a notice by the President's Secretariat because she had recorded a statement criticizing the government through her personal social media account. As well as clearly violating the aforementioned Articles 11 and 14 of the Constitution of Sri Lanka, dismissal from an organization as a journalist can be pointed out as an instance where the government acted in violation of her professional rights. With the rise of people's opposition to the existing regime, the method of suppressing those protests on the part of the government also became severe. There, the government seemed to adopt arbitrary measures to suppress the peaceful protests led by the public. This was seen on March 31, 2022; when peaceful protestors demonstrated in front of President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa's residence, police attacked not only the general public but also the journalists who went to report on the incident. Due to the impact, several journalists were injured and taken to hospital and the journalists who went to report the incident were also arrested by the police. It can be pointed out that this is a violation of the journalist's right to report and a serious threat to the freedom of speech and expression. In a situation like this, the police should have acted legally and not taken away the rights of professional journalists. Assembly and protest, expression of opinion is a constitutional right of the citizen. Therefore, the police, who are bound to act according to the law to protect the fundamental rights of the arrested journalists and other citizens, acted arbitrarily by attacking their responsibilities. On April 3, 2022, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission informed service providers to block all social media used in the country at the request of the Ministry of Defense, with the aim of preventing public protests against government corruption. Before that, the President declared a state of emergency and tried to stop the public protests by imposing a curfew across the country. Sri Lanka was going through a very dark period in its history economically and politically, and due to the government's failure to find solutions it used existing laws in an anti-democratic manner to suppress the voices of the people. Social media has now become an integral part of people's life and has become an essential tool for enjoying the above rights. Recently, it has also been used as a broad platform for professional journalism, and a media community engaged in professional journalism has been formed through Facebook pages and YouTube channels. This arbitrary step of the government is a deliberate disruption of the right of the people to know information and the professional rights of the above media community. In an atmosphere of crisis, the space for a the free flow of ideas and protest should be expanded, and the imposition of such repressive laws violates the people's democratic rights, including freedom of speech and expression. The Government and the Sri Lankan Police did not take any action regarding government supporters who, having left a meeting called by the Prime Minister on May 9 at his official residence, failed to prevent the brutal attack on the nearby demonstration and the 'Gothagogama' protest site. Violent supporters of the government have attacked and injured large numbers of peaceful protesters and caused extensive property damage. It is reported that journalists have been among the injured, and terrorists have targeted and attacked journalists. Clergy and women have been severely attacked. Police and Special Task Force (STF) officers attacked four Sirasa TV journalists who were engaged in reporting activities near the private residence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. This number rose by two, as police attacked two journalists coming to the aid of their colleagues. In such a crisis, the role of the media is to allow the free flow of information to the people. It is a duty performed in accordance with the fundamental rights mentioned in the Constitution. These journalists suffered an undeniable violation of their fundamental rights. At the time of the attack, the concerned journalists were legally protected by Articles 14(1)a and 14(1)g of the Constitution and should not be subjected to torture, cruel or inhuman or degrading treatment as mentioned in Article 11 of the Constitution. They were entitled to their basic rights. Sri Lanka is a signatory to the United Nations Convention against Torture, having ratified it in Act No. 22 of 1994. The police and STF officers who brutally attacked the journalists who were engaged in their reporting have also acted illegally according to that act. It can be pointed out that the forced entry of two people who introduced themselves as activists during the period of these protests into the Sri Lanka Television Corporation, a state media organization, is damage to the use of free media as well as a loss of the integrity of the peaceful struggle that has taken place in the country so far. The democratic, non-violent, pluralistic and advanced cultural expression reflected by the struggle was widely praised as a precedent for a future Sri Lanka. After Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed as the successor President, on July 22, 2022, the security forces launched a brutal and despicable attack on the Galle face struggle grounds. Local, foreign and citizen journalists who reported the incidents were attacked and their equipment was damaged. The journalists have not yet received complete information about the attacks and damages. All the access roads to the Galle face battleground have been blocked and journalists have not had the opportunity to enter there even in the morning. The attack was carried out despite the fact that the protesters had publicly announced that they would leave the premises of the Presidential Secretariat. It can be pointed out as a violation of basic rights launched by the Ranil Wickremesinghe government against the arrest of Joseph Stalin, a senior trade union leader and a front-line social activist. Also, several university students who were involved in the struggle have still been arrested by the government under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Finally, in the year 2022, Sri Lanka is facing the worst economic collapse in its history, and for that, the Public believed that the weaknesses in the economic and political management of the rulers who had ruled the country for more than a decade were the cause of this. The struggle started along a path, but the government tried to suppress the peaceful protests of the people by interpreting and implementing the legal provisions in an anti-democratic way. It can be pointed out that during the conflict between the government and the general population, arbitrary actions were taken by both the government side and the protestors' side. For example, the counterattack on Gota Go Gama on May 9, 2022, by the public, the burning of the then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's house on July 6, 2022, and the forced entry into the SLRCC. It should also be noted that the peaceful protest was defiled. Building a democratic society cannot be done by the ruler alone and the responsibility towards the general public cannot be underestimated. But we believe that if the people express their opinions in a peaceful manner, it is the responsibility and role of the ruler to listen to those opinions and respond to them in a responsible manner. Gayathri Nawarathne is the program coordinator for the Free Media Movement, Sri Lanka. Ukrainian journalists' organisations are sounding the alarm. The new Media Law signed by President Volodymir Zelensky on 29 December threatens media freedom. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) call on the European Commission and the Council of Europe to convince the Ukrainian authorities to review the law, in consultation with journalists' organisations and the media. The representative trade unions of Ukrainian journalists, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) and the Independent Media Trade Union of Ukraine (IMTUU), as well as the National Association of Media of Ukraine denounce multiple problematic provisions, starting with the political dependence of the state regulator and the widening of the spectrum of extrajudicial sanctions against the media. On 29 December, president Zelensky signed into law a controversial bill that expands the government's regulatory power over news media. The new law allows the state media regulator, the National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council(NTRBC), to regulate print and online media, as well as internet, television, radio and online platforms such as YouTube and social networks. It also provides the state media regulator with the right to fine media outlets, revoke their licenses, and temporarily block certain publications without a court ruling. The NTRBC is a constitutional body. Half of its members are appointed by the president, and half by the parliament, which is controlled by the pro-presidential majority. The state media regulator obviously falls under the total control of Ukrainian authorities. We welcome the implementation of the EU Audiovisual Directive, which is included in the new law, said NUJU President Sergiy Tomilenko. And we also welcome the modernization of Ukrainian media legislation. But at the same time, the authorities should conduct a broad dialogue with journalists and the real media sector when introducing new rules. In the past, Ukrainian journalists have always been the driving force behind new media laws, as they saw them as a tool to protect freedom of expression and the profession. Currently, we do not see active supporters of the law among journalists. Rather, it is a law that aims to strengthen state regulation of the media. Ukrainian officials, through the media they control, have launched a campaign to discredit those who constructively criticize certain provisions of the law, instead of working on the laws shortcomings and initiating the necessary dialogue with the professional sector, added IMTUU President Serhiy Shturkhetskyy. This makes us fear what awaits us after the full implementation of the law: government officials will declare those who disagree with their vision to be enemies of the country or foreign agents. This perspective of state and political regulation of the media is in total contradiction with the desire of Ukrainian civil society for European integration. A state regulator with such sanctioning powers, without even going through a court, cannot be under the full control of the government, said EFJ President Maja Sever. Journalists' unions were not consulted on the latest version of the law. We call on the European Commission and the Council of Europe to convince the Ukrainian authorities to enter into dialogue with journalists' organisations and with media organisations. The duty of solidarity with the Ukrainians, in the face of the Russian aggressor, should not prevent us from criticizing legal provisions which threaten freedom of the press and the right of citizens to access credible, pluralist and independent information. IFJ President Dominique Pradalie declared: "Media freedom and pluralism are in danger in Ukraine under the new media law, which could create systemic problems for democracy in the country, as it expands the state control over the media. It is very important for Ukrainians, who are suffering from a terrible war, to be able to rely on credible information". "The IFJ, together with its affiliates, NUJU and IMTUU, has already called on the Ukrainian government to revise the new law. Today, we join the EFJ in asking the European institutions to convince the Ukrainian authorities to reform the legislation and to start a broad inclusive dialogue with journalists' unions and the media sector. We must remember that there can be no democracy without independent journalism and a free press," Pradalie concluded. This publication is designed to introduce the fundamentals of investing in the Indian market and includes a gu... A multifaceted public personality, Biju Patnaik, was an industrialist and freedom fighter was a fearless and courageous pilot who never backed down from any dangerous assignment to fly. A proof of this is the iconic Dakota DC-3 in which the two-time Odisha Chief Minister flew to Delhi former Indonesian Vice President Muhammad Hatta and Prime Minister Sutan Sjahrir in July 1947 when the Dutch invaded the country. This 20-metre-long aircraft which at present is kept at Kolkatas Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, will be soon moved to Odishas capital city Bhubaneswar and displayed at Biju Patnaik International Airport. The dismantling of the craft is being completed though the process which started way back in October 2020 got delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The dismantled Dakota(DC-3) VT-AUI flown by late chief minister of Odisha, Biju Patnaik to rescue Indonesian PM Sutan Sjharir and vice president Mohammad Hatta to begin its journey from Kolkata to Bhubaneswar today. The parts weighing 8 tonnes are being carried in 2 open trucks. pic.twitter.com/d2ExondCtM (@debabrata2008) January 16, 2023 The aircraft parts which weigh more than eight tonnes will be transported to Bhubaneswar in two open trucks. The Transport and Commerce Department along with the Odisha Police is coordinating with their West Bengal counterparts for the safe passage of the trucks. In 1945 Indonesia freed itself from Dutch rule with President Sukarno and Prime Minister Sutan Sjahrir forming an independent Government. The Dutch in 1946 started invading the country and in July 1947 launched a full-fledged attack with their army placing Sjahrir under house arrest in Jakarta. Jawaharlal Nehru asked Patnaik to fly Sjahrir and the then Vice-President Mohammad Hatta to enable them to reach out to the world. Along with his wife Gyana Devi, Patnaik reached Jakarta on July 21 and brought back the two to India flying via Singapore. For this brave act in 1950, Patnaik was given an honorary citizenship of Indonesia and awarded the Bhoomi Putra, a recognition rarely granted to a foreigner. The Kalinga Airlines Patnaik founded had Dakota planes which were used to transport Army jawans when deployed in Kashmir and dropping supplies in north-eastern regions of the country. The United Nations Security Council on Monday puts Pakistan-based Abdul Rehman Makki on the global terrorist list under its ISIL (Daesh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee. The blacklisting has taken place despite Chinas attempt last year to block Indias proposal to name the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leader a global terrorist. In June 2022, India had exposed Chinas design to back Pakistan on the issue at the UN. India and the US have already blacklisted Makki as a terrorist under their domestic laws. He has been involved in raising funds, recruiting and radicalizing youth and planning terror attacks in India, especially in Jammu and Kashmir. On 16 January 2023, the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions concerning ISIL (Daesh), Al-Qaida, and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities approved the addition of the entry specified below to its ISIL (Daesh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List of individuals and entities subject to the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo set out in paragraph 1 of Security Council resolution 2610 (2021) and adopted under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, the UN said in a statement. UNSC ISIL (Daesh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee list Pakistan-based terrorist Abdul Rehman Makki as a global terrorist. pic.twitter.com/ttgDAr5iRi ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2023 Makki is the brother-in-law of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed. He has occupied various leadership roles within LeT, a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). He has also played a role in raising funds for LeT operations. In 2020, a Pakistani anti-terrorism court convicted Makki on one count of terrorism financing and sentenced him to prison, according to the US State Department. China has been opposing the listing of known Pakistani terrorists. It had repeatedly blocked proposals to designate Maulana Masood Azhar, chief of the Pakistan-based and UN-proscribed terrorist entity, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). The rogues gallery that Beijing has protected from blacklisting by the consensus based UNSCs 1267 committee includes Sajid Mir, Talah Saeed, the terror, son of LeT founder Hafez Saeed, and Jaish-e-Mohammed terror leader Mufti Rauf Azhar. Sajid Mir was the main handler of the 26/11 attacks. Pakistan had declared Mir dead, but had to acknowledge his presence on its soil under pressure from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). India also wants the UNSC to ban Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi the operational commander of the 26/11 attacks. With 26/11 attacks as the focus, Indias intent to launch a counter-narrative international campaign against terror is visible in plain sight. In October, India hosted a major UN Security Councils anti-terrorism meeting. Importantly, the conference was held at Mumbais Taj Mahal hotelthe scene of the carnage in 2008, fuelling fresh outrage against the horrendous crime. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on record saying that New Delhi was in no mood to forget 26/11 and move on. Instead, he stressed that, India cant forget the wounds of the Mumbai attacks. Now, todays India is combating terrorism with a new policy and new ways, he said as tweeted by the external affairs ministry. In a similar vein, defence minister Rajnath Singh has asserted that, This country has not forgotten the incident of 26/11, nor will it ever forget. Indias angst is now echoing across the globe. Timed with the anniversary of the 26/11 attacks, unprecedented protests were held outside Pakistani missions in many international metropolitan centres including New York and London. Also Read: New India turns the heat on Pak-global terror alliance Who doesn't love a good treasure hunt? From swash-buckling pirate adventures to gritty war dramas, these films are all about the long and risky journeys people take to find riches. If you're in the mood for fun and grandeur, few movies can beat the epic scale and action of a proper treasure hunt movie. Here is a list of the best treasure hunting adventure movies worth watching, perfect for when you're looking for a little cinematic escapism, whether by sea, jungle, or desert! 11. Gold IMDb Directed by Stephen Gaghan, Gold follows McConaughey through the jungle on a quest to find, you guessed it, gold. The crime-drama is loosely based on the Bre-X mining scandal in 1993, where the gold samples discovered by Bre-X Minerals Ltd. in Indonesia turned out to be a fraud. When Kenny (McConaughey) loses the family business, he treks out to the Asian jungle in search of a way out. 10. Treasure Island Google Play Based on a novel of the same name by R. L. Stevenson, Treasure Island is considered one of the most impressive movies about treasure hunt, corruption, greed, action, and adventure. One day, a former-pirate named Captain William Bones, a sickly tempered drunkard comes to the inn. He gives Jim a treasure map after being visited by two fellow pirates, a note marked with black spot. The same night, the Captain is found dead, and an attack takes place at the inn. 9. Armour of God Netflix Jackie Chan and Eric Tsang's Armour of God is deemed a cult classic nowadays, featuring some of Chan's early stunts and battle heroics. Chan stars as "Asian Hawk," a former musician-turned-treasure-hunter. The highest-grossing film in Hong Kong at the time, Armour of God tracks Asian Hawk and his buddy Alan (Alan Tam) as they set out to save a kidnapped woman. 8. Romancing The Stone IMDb Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner) spends her whole life writing whimsical fantasy novels, lost in a world of adventure and romance. Although successful, being an author leaves her pretty lonely, that is, until she's hurled into her own wild exploits. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, Romancing the Stone was followed by an equally successful sequel called The Jewel of the Nile in 1985. 7. The Mummy CinemaBlend A three-part franchise that began in 1999, The Mummy features your typical tanned American adventurer riding through the sands in search of treasure. Brendan Fraser stars as said-hero Rick O'Connell, who served as captain in the French Foreign Legion. Set in 1925, Rick guides aspiring Egyptologist Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) and her brother across the Sahara desert to the ancient lost city Hamunaptra. En route, however, the gang accidently sets free the reincarnation of a 3,000-year-old vengeful Egyptian priest. 6. National Treasure Variety Jon Turteltaub's two-part Disney adventure is a bit of a guilty pleasure. While the kids will enjoy the action-packed trail of clues and boobytraps, adults can tune into the dry sarcastic humor and, well, Nicolas Cage. Cage stars as Benjamin Franklin Gates: cryptographer, historian, and modern-day treasure hunter. His tech-savvy sidekick Riley (Justin Bartha) helps him to decipher the secret that "lies with Charlotte." 5. The Goonies IMDb Mikey (Sean Astin), Chunk (Jeff Cohen), Mouth (Corey Feldman), and Data (Jonathan Ke Quan) have all grown up together, but are forced to say goodbye when their town undergoes foreclosure. The gang decides to spend their last weekend treasure-hunting, following the discovery of a treasure map in Mikey's attic. This fun-but-dangerous mission gets them into a whole bunch of trouble, not just from deadly booby-traps but also the involvement of the Fratelli crime family. 4. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly IMDb When you see The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, you immediately think of it as a spaghetti Western, which, of course, is true. But it's also a treasure-hunting adventure! The Italian epic was directed by Sergio Leone, starring Clint Eastwood in his prime cowboy days. Blondie (Eastwood) is a mysterious and talented bounty hunter, who teams up with a Mexican outlaw to uncover $20,000 that a soldier buried in the desert. It might not be a pirate's chest of jewels, but it still counts as treasure nonetheless. 3. Pirates Of The Caribbean Popsugar We can all agree that Pirates of the Caribbean should stop with the sequels now, which haven't been particularly great since Jack sailed to the edge of the world. But the first three movies (directed by Gore Verbinski) are swash-buckling classics that deserve a place on this list. Johnny Depp stars as the iconic drunken English pirate, Jack Sparrow. He cares about nothing but himself, his treasure, and his rum, which lands Jack in many dodgy situations. 2. Blood Diamond IMDb Blood Diamond is a treasure-hunting tale from a different angle, taking place in a war-ravaged Sierra Leone of 1999. The not-so-family-friendly film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Danny Archer, a Rhodesian smuggler and mercenary who sets out to find a rare pink diamond. Directed by Edward Zwick, Blood Diamond is a gritty political thriller that doesn't shy away from the guts and gore of war. Though DiCaprio's South African accent has its holes, his performance is spot on alongside Djimon Hounsou and Jennifer Connelly. 1. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark IMDb The 80s dream team of Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg brought us Raiders of the Lost Ark, where archaeologist Indiana Jones seeks out the Ark of the Covenant to defeat the Nazis in 1936. This film was followed by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in 1984. The Indiana Jones series is perfect for all audiences: families, nerds, film scholars... anyone with a TV screen and sense of adventure. K-drama lovers credit Crash Landing On You for their fixation with Korean web series. For most of us, CLOY was probably the first series that started this tryst. Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bins ethereal chemistry made us root for this couple. So much so that fans were over the moon when the duo announced their relationship, followed by their wedding and recently, the birth of their son. Netflix Heres another piece of news that is likely to incite mixed emotions for fans. The hit Korean show Crash Landing On You is all set to get an American remake. However, theres a twist. It is being said that the show will be made into a sci-fi series for the American audience. The announcement of the remake was made two years back. During a press conference in 2021, hosted by CJ ENM, Kang Chul-ku, the CEO of production company Studio Dragon, had said that the details of the American remake are in the final stages of planning and development. netflix The potential concept was revealed by Netflixs global head of television, Bela Bajaria, and the head of drama development, Jinny Howe, during one of the interviews recently. During the interview, Bajaria was quizzed about the theme of the American remake of CLOY as the original revolves around the North and South Korean conflict. Jinny said, So, I think were gonna see if maybe we can make that divide a little bit more symbolic. Were looking into sci-fi. Bajaria added, Well, you need a world, right? Because it is the culture clash of two people who dont fit together but were meant for each other. Netflix For the unversed, Crash Landing On You was released in 2019. It revolves around a South Korean heiress Yoon Se-ri who unfortunately crash-lands in North Korea due to a paragliding accident. She was found by North Korean military captain Ri Jeong-hyeok. He takes it upon himself to send her back to her country safely without anyone discovering her identity. During this mission, the two fall in love. Netflix It was so loved by the fans that the series went on to become the highest-rated shows for tvN. Years after its release, fans still continue to discuss the show till date. Check it out: CLOY can be streamed on Netflix. To read more such stories related to movies and shows released on OTTs, keep reading Indiatimes BINGE) On June 13, 1997, 59 people were killed when a fire broke out during a screening of JP Dutta's epic war saga Border at the Uphaar Cinema in Green Park, Delhi. Although the movie had actors portraying war heroes at the Battle of Longewala in 1971, off-screen, Captain Manjinder Singh Bhinder became a real-life hero for many people who were caught in a catastrophic fire. 'Border' featured actors playing the roles of war heroes during the battle. But a real hero died while saving 150 people from the fire. Times Now While Netflix's recent series gives us a dark and painful reminder of what conspired on 13th June 1997, Capt. Manjinder Singh Bhinder's story wasn't a part of it. Netflix/Trial By Fire Capt. Bhinder emerged as the true hero of the fire at the Uphaar cinema. Trial By Fire on Netflix is a must watch, Eye-Opening account of the tragedy of Uphaar cinema fire, splendid performances from all the actors However it leaves out a key element out of story, not sure why? Capt. Manjinder Singh Bhinder of the 61st Cavalry of the Indian Army... pic.twitter.com/IUmJEK5Jy6 Capt Shashank (@Capt_Cool1) January 14, 2023 Through his bravery and sacrifice, he was able to rescue the lives of people who were trapped inside the burning building. Twitter Capt. Bhinder, his son Prabhsimran Singh, then age 4, and his wife, Jyot Saroop Kaur, were also killed in the tragic 1997 fire at the Uphaar cinema. https://www.ppsona.com/ As the fire spread, Captain Bhinder stayed behind to rescue whomever he could through the safe passage. A SOLDIER IS NEVER OFF DUTY On 13th June, 1997 Capt Manjinder Singh Bhinder of 61 CAVALRY with his wife Jyot-Roop and four years old son Ruskin, went to see the film Border in Uphaar Cinema in Green Park area, New Delhi. While the movie was on, the Hall caught fire. pic.twitter.com/tKxk4GTAnx Guardians_of_the_Nation (@love_for_nation) August 26, 2021 Before he sacrificed his life, the courageous officer saved many people's lives. Capt Manjinder Singh Bhinder sacrificed his life trying to save 150 people trapped in Uphaar Cinema fire tragedy even after realising that his 4 YO son & wife too were engulfed in the flames and couldnt be saved. An outstanding horseman he captained the NDA and IMA Equestrian+ pic.twitter.com/ntZ4DnApRy STAVKA (@Maverickmusafir) April 8, 2022 & Polo teams & was only rider to participate in all disciplines (show jumping,eventing & tent-pegging)& won medals in these events. He performed commendably in 4th National Games at Mysore,winning 03 Gold, 01 Silver & 01 Bronze, making him a strong prospect for 1998 Asian Games. pic.twitter.com/gfQ7VsT9MX STAVKA (@Maverickmusafir) April 8, 2022 Capt.(Retd) Vardeep Singh Bhinder, father of Capt Manjinder Singh Bhinder had to fight Ministry of Defence babus for the pension they were entitled to, who hung on to the technicality that Capt Bhinder had not been fighting enemies. pic.twitter.com/hbyEv0a772 STAVKA (@Maverickmusafir) April 8, 2022 After he died, his mother, Gurnam Kaur, and father, Capt. Vardeep Singh moved back to their home village, Chowk Mehta. In 2020, they passed away. In honor of him, the government at the time built a stadium at Udho Nangal Government School and a gate in his hometown, Mehta Chowk. Natives, residents, and prominent individuals in the village paid tribute to Capt. Bhinder's selfless act. TWENTY-THREE yrs ago this gallant #IndianBrave sacrificed his life selflessly saving 150 lives #LestWeForgetIndia gallant #IndianBrave Capt Manjinder Singh Bhinder, 61st Cavalry, and his selfless sacrifice #OnThisDay 13 June in 1997 in the #Uphaar cinema fire in New Delhi. pic.twitter.com/p2JBFDfPTm LestWeForgetIndia (@LestWeForgetIN) June 13, 2020 His three sisters, Sukhminder Kaur, who works as a district ayurvedic officer in Gurdaspur, Gursinder Kaur, who continues to live in Chandigarh; and Pritpal Kaur, who lives in Muscat. Because of the recent release of the Netflix web series 'Trial By Fire,' the Uphaar Fire Tragedy has become the nation's talk. The series took audiences on a hard-hitting yet compelling journey of two parents who fight powerful forces for justice for over two decades. The limited series showed their never-ending struggles to get justice, as well as the other people whose lives were changed or destroyed by the fire. Tracing the story of Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, the series portrays the grueling legal battle and the unbelievably trying journey that ensues when two parents lose their children. Based on the best-selling book, "Trial by Fire: The Tragic Tale of the Uphaar Fire Tragedy," written by Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy. The human drama was directed by Prashant Nair and made by Endemol Shine India and House of Talkies. Rajshri Deshpande, Abhay Deol, Rajesh Tailang, Ashish Vidyarthi, Anupam Kher, Ratna Pathak, Shilpa Shukla, and Shardul Bharadwaj are some of the actors who play important roles. Trial By Fire was released exclusively on Netflix on January 13. (To get the latest updates from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment) We spend a significant amount of time in our bathrooms during the colder months, taking long, hot showers. Many of us have gas geysers in our bathrooms. If proper safety precautions are not taken, one might suffer from CO2 poisoning, which can cause symptoms such as dizziness, seizures, unconsciousness, blackouts, coma, and even cardiac arrest. Twitter Even worse, you may put yourself at risk of losing your life as a result of the emissions. Divyanshu Asopa, Founder of 21 Fools, a homegrown brand that handcrafts sustainable stationery products, shared a much-needed cautionary reminder. A regular day for Divyanshu and his wife, Tripty, became no less than a nightmare. Instagram When his wife, who had gone to shower, did not respond after 20 minutes, Divyanshu became concerned. To his horror, he saw his wife lying on the floor, gasping for breath. He rushed his wife to a nearby hospital, only to discover that it was a case of carbon monoxide poisoning. Divyanshu Asopa/Instagram In a series of tweets, Divyanshu shared what he and his wife had to go through for days. Want to share details about a terrible accident that my wife went through so that anyone who reads this thread can take strong steps to avoid it from happening to them. On 5th Jan, She went to take a shower and when I checked on her in 20 min.. #GasGeyserSyndrome 1/n Divyanshu (@DivyanshuAsopa) January 15, 2023 I found her on floor, blacked out.. & breathing heavily. Losing consciousness with each passing second. Rushed her to @KDAHMumbai where the super efficient Docs identified within 1 min that its a case of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning & put her on Oxygen to flush out CO. 2/n Divyanshu (@DivyanshuAsopa) January 15, 2023 Tripty was in critical condition for three days. She fought back and was eventually taken off the ventilator. She was in critical condition for the next 3 days and I was on the verge of losing her. With constant prayers of every loved one around us & the Trauma Specialist of Kokilaben Hospital, she fought back miraculously and was taken off Ventilator. The CO poisoning happened coz 3/n Divyanshu (@DivyanshuAsopa) January 15, 2023 Coz of Gas Geyser installed inside the bathroom. We took this flat on rent couple of months back & the gas geyser was already there in one of the bathroom. A gas geyser uses oxygen from the atmosphere to burn the LPG gas & it shouldnt be installed in closed space. 4/n Divyanshu (@DivyanshuAsopa) January 15, 2023 The gas geyser depletes the oxygen available in the closed space and starts giving out CO which gets inside the body and causes poisoning which can further cause brains damage, cardiac arrest and multiple organ failure. #StopUsingGasGesyer 5/n Divyanshu (@DivyanshuAsopa) January 15, 2023 In his concluding thread, Divyanshu urged people to be more cautious while using gas geysers. Pls Pls Spread the word and ask people to stop using Gas Gesyer and uninstall if they have one. There are lacs of them installed in cities of Maharashtra & Gujarat which has gas pipelines connection available in buildings since decades. 6/n Divyanshu (@DivyanshuAsopa) January 15, 2023 Divyanshu's tweets evoked a series of responses from people. While many were grateful that such a cautionary tale could save many lives, some people shared there are steps required to be followed while using gas geysers. My daughters classmate had similar accident. Only she was not so lucky, she lost her vision, her memory and at 10 years of age had to relearn everything. dee sa (@dee_deesa) January 16, 2023 Good to know of the safe recovery of your wife. MGL has guidelines on installation of gas geysers unfortunately not many follow these guidelines especially since when installed by 3rd party or there is paucity of space https://t.co/rCC7178gnL Vivek (@viveksah) January 16, 2023 Sorry to ask but does your bathroom have openings or ventilation. Our bathroom window beside the geyser is the downward sloping glass which is never fully closed, hence there is always some ventilation going on.. does that make a difference? Omkar (@omi_2018) January 16, 2023 Wholly empathise with u & m glad ur wife is recovering well.I've a GG installed since 25+ yrs, but outside, in a well ventilated area.They're efficient & work fine.Hence, ur blanket statement abt nt using them is wrong.They're 2b used with precaution,like wth any gadget/appliance Khushrow Chinoy (@khushrow) January 16, 2023 Gas geysers are good however there are some precautions that should be taken. We have installed the gas geyser in the kitchen and the outlet goes to the bathroom. We ensure the exhaust fan in the kitchen is always on. Frequent checks on the pipes going brittle is a must. Pramod Farias (@pramodfarias) January 16, 2023 One of the main advantages of gas geysers over electric ones is that they can run off of LPG instead of a power source, which is ideal for large families. A tank sits on top of a gas burner, which warms the water. Because the gas geyser generates pressure as it becomes hotter, the pressure valve opens to release the tension. Many suggest putting it in the hall outside the bathrooms if you haven't done so before. If this is not an option, ensure the bathroom ventilation fans are on. Several cases of this kind have been reported throughout the years in various parts of the country. To make sure your home gas geyser is safe for your family, make a note of the following points: The model of the gas geyser should be checked: A gas geyser must be made and tested according to all the requirements of valid editions of IS 15558 and BS EN 26 standards. The manufacturer should have a valid BIS license for geysers according to IS 15558 standards. Buy only authorized gas geysers: A customer can purchase any BIS-approved gas geyser of any model/brand from an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) or their authorized distributor. It would be best if you only used authorized commercial gas cylinders. Double-check the gas geysers water capacity and working pressure. A gas geyser can send out up to 10 liters of water per minute and works best at a pressure of 21 mbar (g). Minimum safety features of a gas geyser? A flame-failure device controls gas flow to the main burner and perhaps the ignition pilot if the flame goes out. If the supplied water temperature hits 95 degrees Celsius, the water heater's overheat prevention feature will shut off the gas supply and manually restore it. With a tap fully open at 21 mbar (g) gas intake pressure, the appliance will operate without soot or flame extinguishing, blowing off, or striking back. It will detect oxygen and CO simultaneously. What is the safest place to install a gas geyser? Before installing a gas geyser in a bathroom, there should be plenty of airflow around it. You can put them in your bedroom or bed-sitting room if the space is at least 20 square meters and meets ventilation regulations. If you install a gas geyser, set the valve up high. Nobody is allowed to put a lid on a gas geyser. When selecting a location, the customer should consider the water pipeline's installation and connection to the geyser. Ventilation requirements for gas geysers? It's crucial to put gas geysers in well-ventilated areas. Ventilation areas should account for at least 4% of the room's total floor area. The rooms in a typical single-family home get enough fresh air through the cracks beneath and around the door, windows, and ventilators. (For the latest trending stories, keep reading Indiatimes) Cover Image Attribute: The file photo of Abdul Rehman Makki On January 17, China defended its move to lift a technical hold leading to the designation of Pakistan-based top Lashkar-e-Taiba leader Abdul Rehman Makki as a global terrorist, saying that listing terrorists is conducive to enhancing international counterterrorism cooperation. China also praised Islamabad for backing counterterrorism efforts. After China lifted its hold on a joint India-US proposal to blacklist the deputy chief of Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, the United Nations designated Makki, 68, the brother-in-law of Jamat-ud Dawa (JuD) chief and Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, as a global terrorist. In addition, Makki was designated a global terrorist by the UN (LeT). After years of work by India and its allies, the 1267 ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the United Nations Security Council added Makki to its list of designated terrorists on Monday (January 16). This means that his assets will be frozen, he will be prohibited from travelling, and an arms embargo will be placed on him. "Terrorism is the common enemy of humanity," Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing here when asked about China's decision to lift its objections to India and US move to declare Makki a global terrorist and whether Beijing will also back similar moves against four other Pakistan based terrorists pending with the Committee. "The 1267 Committee (of the UN Security Council) is an important international counterterrorism mechanism", and listing of terrorists or terror organisations under the aegis of the UN is conducive to enhancing international counterterrorism cooperation in response to terrorist threats, he said. "The relevant people have been convicted and sentenced by Pakistan. The listing also shows Pakistan's firm combat against terrorism, it is a recognition," he said, without elaborating why China, a close ally of Pakistan, decided to put a technical hurdle in the first place. According to him, China has always taken an active part in the work of the 1267 Committee in a way that is both responsible and constructive, and the standards and procedures of the Committee have always done this. China has worked over the years to prevent several terrorists with bases in Pakistan from being designated as global terrorists. Unfortunately, Makki was one of those terrorists. declared Masood Azhar, the leader of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist organisation, to be a "global terrorist" in May of 2019. This was a significant diplomatic win for India. After China withdrew its objections, the United Nations General AssemblyMasood Azhar, the leader of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist organisation, to be ain May of 2019. This was a significant diplomatic win for India. As China's new Foreign Minister Qin Gang started his tenure, the country decided to drop its objections to Makki's listing at the United Nations. Qin, who had previously served in the same capacity, took over for Wang Yi as China's Ambassador to the United States. Over the past several years, China's efforts to put a technical hold on the declaration of Pakistan-based terrorists have become a significant irritant in the already tense relations between Beijing and New Delhi. In addition, this development comes at a time when India and China attempted to resolve the military standoff in Eastern Ladakh through high-level military and diplomatic dialogue. There have been a total of seventeen negotiations between the two nations to work out the disengagement of troops from several points of contention in eastern Ladakh. Hong Kong: Leadership seminar held Around 110 civil servants in the directorate and senior ranks attended the third seminar of the Dialogue with Experts series held by the Civil Service College today. At the seminar, with "Leadership in New Era - Move with Times with Agility" as its topic, speakers shared their experiences in leading the organisations in public and private sectors to move with the ever-changing environment amid the pandemic. They also exchanged views with participants. Addressing the seminar, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung said Hong Kong is at a critical juncture in moving from stability to prosperity and that the public has rising demands and expectations on the civil service. Dedicated to fulfilling their duties, the civil service should also move with the times to provide new and enhanced services and thoroughly pursue the result-oriented approach to policy implementation suggested by the Chief Executive so as to open a new chapter for Hong Kong and contribute to the development of the country, she added. Mrs Yeung hoped that the seminar could help enlighten civil servants on how to devise policies and services that can flexibly cater for the needs of society and the public. This story has been published on: 2023-01-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Chinese FM's new year visit bolsters ties between China, developing countries Xinhua) 13:25, January 17, 2023 NAIROBI, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- For a Chinese foreign minister, visiting Africa at the start of a year has always been a tradition over the years. By carrying forth that tradition, Qin Gang, China's new foreign minister, is now on a trip to five African countries as well as the African Union (AU) Headquarters and the League of Arab States Headquarters upon invitation. The visit has demonstrated China's sincere, effective and pragmatic cooperation with Africa, as well as its consistent and unselfish friendship with the developing continent, showcasing China's commitment to the broader developing world, including Arab states, on development. The trip marks the 33rd consecutive year in which Africa has been the destination of Chinese foreign ministers' annual first overseas visits. During the trip, Qin met and held talks with leaders and his counterparts of the five African nations -- Ethiopia, Gabon, Angola, Benin and Egypt -- and other high-level officials, exchanging views on bilateral relations as well as international and regional issues of common interest. The eight-day visit on Jan. 9-16 coincided with the 10th year of the China-proposed principles of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, and of pursuing greater good and shared interests in China's relations with Africa. Over the past decade, China-Africa relations have made historic achievements that have impressed the world, and entered a new era of building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future. During the visit, China put forward four proposals on the development of China-Africa relations, including promoting China-Africa exchanges so as to achieve broader consensus in various fields, deepening the friendly relations between China and the AU, upgrading China-Africa cooperation, and safeguarding solidarity and cooperation among developing countries. Based on the principle of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith, China will also support South Africa in its BRICS presidency and Uganda in hosting a Non-Aligned Movement summit this year. China will continue to support the AU in leading African countries on a development path suited to their national conditions. China has taken the lead in supporting the AU's membership in the Group of 20 (G20). China also seeks to accelerate the implementation of cooperation initiatives under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), expand trade with Africa, and nurture new drivers of growth in areas such as health, green development, and digital economy. Furthermore, China vowed to speed up the implementation of the eight major cooperation initiatives proposed at the first China-Arab States Summit, including development support, food security, public health, green innovation, energy security, inter-civilizational dialogue, youth development, and security and stability, calling on the two sides to strengthen the building of mechanisms under the framework of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in order to elevate bilateral cooperation. China-Africa cooperation, fueled by the two engines of FOCAC and the Belt and Road Initiative, has produced tangible results over the years, showing the effectiveness of China's effort to seek common development with the developing countries. Earlier this month, the China-aided Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters project was completed, becoming another symbol of bilateral friendship. The year 2023 also marks the 60th year of China's medical assistance for Africa. All these, among others, have clearly shown that China has walked the talk. Meanwhile, Qin's visit boosted solidarity and confidence among nations to build a better world in the face of multiple challenges such as the pandemic and climate change by following the principles of mutual respect, equality and true multilateralism. While conducting cooperation with Africa and other developing countries, China always respects their will, considers their needs, never seeks political interests and attaches no political strings, insisting that no country or person has the right to force developing countries to pick sides, and believing that the developing world, including Africa and Arab states, should be a stage for international cooperation, not an arena for major-power rivalry. Qin's visit has once again proved that those intentions to smear China's cooperation with Africa and other developing countries over the years through misinformation and disinformation are futile. It is believed that China-Africa relations and the effort to build a community with a shared future will enjoy a bright future. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Cover Image Attribute: The file photo of Nguyen Xuan Phuc The Government of Vietnam-owned Vietnam News Agency announced on Tuesday that President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, 68, resigned after the ruling Communist Party blamed him for "violations and wrongdoing" by officials under his control, marking a significant escalation in the country's anti-corruption campaign. He is also removed from Politburo and the 13th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). Phuc, 68, a former prime minister (from 2016-2021), has held the largely ceremonial position for less than two years. It was not immediately clear who would replace him. Earlier this month, two deputy prime ministers, Pham Binh Minh and Vu uc am, also had their memberships at the 13th Central Committee of the CPV removed at an extraordinary meeting of the committee. Shortly thereafter, the highest legislative body approved their dismissal and the appointment of two new leaders. Last month, the party disciplined Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son over the alleged involvement of several ministry officials and diplomats in the scandal over repatriation flights. To become effective, Phuc's resignation requires National Assembly approval. Reuters reported Monday that a rare extraordinary legislative meeting would be held this week. Vietnam has no paramount ruler and is officially led by four "pillars": the powerful party's secretary, the president, the prime minister and the chair of the parliament. According to various political analysts, the hard-line General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, who was given an unprecedented third term at last year's party congress, appears to be consolidating his authority by ousting senior officials who are seen as more pro-Western and pro-business. Officially, this is all happening to fight corruption, a big problem in Vietnam. Still, it indicates a power struggle at the party's top, which permits no challenges to its monopoly on power. COPYRIGHT: This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ REPUBLISH: Republish our articles online or in print for free if you follow these guidelines. https://www.indrastra.com/p/republish-us.html Currently the co-head of client solutions & analytics in Swiss Res asset management unit, Velina also previously served as the head of the companys private equity investment mandate. Prior to joining Swiss Re in 2017, she worked for Bain & Company in the US, Australia, and Switzerland. At Bain & Company, she most recently served as partner and leader for the private equity and institutional investor practices in Zurich. But on January 06, 2023, the two companies filed a complaint against insurer New York Marine and General Insurance alleging breach of contract. According to the lawsuit they filed, the companies had two policies with New York Marine with a combined liability limit of $11 million. The companies additionally alleged in the suit that instead of helping settle the claim with Razo, New York Marine hired outside counsel to fight the claim for years. As the trial approached, the two companies demanded a settlement, but New York Marine allegedly refused and only made offers that were lower than appropriate. The number of super-rich in Ireland, with individual wealth over 46.6m, has more than doubled in the past decade according to Oxfam, as they called for new taxes on Irish wealth that could raise more than 8bn each year. Publishing its annual report on the eve of the World Economic Forum (WEF) gathering in Davos, Switzerland this week, Oxfam said the number of Irish people with individual wealth of over $50m has increased from 655 in 2012 to 1,435 people last year. Lone Star founder John Grayken, who took Irish citizenship in 1999, is Ireland's third richest person. File picture: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Despite a drop from nine to eight in the number of Irish billionaires following the death last year of Indian-Irish construction magnate Pallonji Mistry, Oxfam said the number of Irish people who earn more than $5m (4.6m) has also doubled in the past ten years. According to Forbes, which Oxfam uses to track global individual wealth, Limerick brothers John and Patrick Collison top Irelands rich list with individual wealth of $8.1bn (7.5bn) each. Oxfam said their combined wealth of 15bn is more than the 10.3bn in wealth held by the entire bottom 50% of the population. The Oxfam report said that, globally, the richest 1% have acquired nearly twice as much wealth as the rest of humanity over the past two years. The fourth person on Ireland's super-rich list is telecoms magnate Denis O'Brien. File picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews This rising wealth at the top and rising poverty for the rest are two sides of the same coin, proof that our economic system is functioning exactly how the rich and powerful designed it to, Oxfam Irelands CEO, Jim Clarken said. A wealth tax on elite Irish wealth at graduated rates of 2%, 3% and 5% above a high threshold of 4.7m would raise 8.2bn annually, with the potential to transform Irish public services in health, housing and education while also delivering on our international and climate commitments, he said. Forbes lists co-founder of Egerton Capital John Armitage as Ireland's fifth richest person. He became an Irish citizen in 1999. File picture: PA Third on Irelands rich list is US financier John Grayken who founded private equity firm Lone Star Funds and who took Irish citizenship in 1999. Telecoms magnate Denis OBrien is fourth, followed by British hedge-fund manager John Armitage who took Irish citizenship in 1999. Campbells Soup heir John Dorrance III is sixth followed by financier Dermot Desmond who Forbes says has an individual wealth of 1.9bn. Eugene Murtagh who founded building materials giant Kingspan is eighth on the list. Campbells Soup heir John Dorrance III is Ireland's sixth wealthiest person according to Forbes' list. According to Forbes, John Collison aged 32 remains one of the worlds youngest billionaires positioned 13th on the list. His 34-year-old brother Patrick is 20th on the list of youngest billionaires. Oxfam said money derived from new wealth taxes was urgently needed by ordinary people. "Entire countries are facing bankruptcy, with the poorest countries now spending four times more repaying debts to rich creditors than on healthcare," Mr Clarken said. "Three quarters of the worlds governments are planning austerity-driven public sector spending cuts including on healthcare and education of $7.8 trillion over the next five years, They said inequality has led to the World Bank announcing that the world has almost certainly lost its goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030. With an individual wealth of 1.9bn, financier Dermot Desmond is seventh in Forbes' billionaire list. File picture: Healy Racing The Oxfam report was published as economic leaders meet in Davos. The WEFs annual Global Risks Report showed the threat of recession, the cost-of-living crisis and mounting debt distress will dominate the outlook for the next two years. The World Bank this week slashed its growth forecasts for most countries and regions, and warned that new adverse occurrences could tip the global economy into a recession. The CEOs of Moderna and Pfizer will also be speaking at the summit, with one panel devoted to how fast vaccines can be created the next time a pandemic hits. Kingspan founder Eugene Murtagh is ireland's eighth billionaire. Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews The future of work will also feature. Whether to return to the office, as well as the rise of quiet quitting and the four-day week. The man found in a house in north Cork on Friday has been identified as a Kerry man who had moved to the property after returning from the UK. Tim OSullivan was a native of south Kerry and had lived for many years in the UK before moving back to Ireland to live in Mallow. The house on Beecher Street was purchased in 1989. Ukraines first lady will give a rare international address as the World Economic Forums annual gathering in the Swiss town of Davos gets into full swing. Her appearance is part of a push by President Volodymyr Zelensky and his government to acquire more foreign weapons to defend against Russias invasion. Security teams fanned out and snow ploughs cleared streets as Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska and hundreds of government officials, corporate titans, academics and activists from around the world descended on the town billed as Europes highest for the traditional winter gathering. The Covid-19 pandemic torpedoed the snow-covered event each of the last two years but a springtime version was held eight months ago. A police officer stands on the roof of a Davos hotel to monitor the area (Markus Schreiber/AP) Davos attendees are faced with global strife including Russias war in Ukraine, which has killed thousands of civilians, displaced millions, and disrupted food and fuel markets worldwide. Adding to the gloom are an economic slowdown and a warming world, with the week-long event of big ideas and backroom deal-making prioritising such problems but never making clear how much concrete action emerges to help reach the forums stated ambition of improving the state of the world. In a reminder of the fragility of the planet amid climate change, a giant illuminated wall featuring colourful, AI-conceived art derived from real images of coral reefs was one of the innovations welcoming attendees, showing how technology can immortalise images of natural beauty that might vanish one day. Dozens of sessions on Tuesday will take up issues as diverse as gender parity, the return of manufacturing, the green transition, efforts to end tuberculosis and the intersection of food, water and energy, which will feature actor Idris Elba. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He are also among the speakers. Actor Idris Elba was among those speaking at Davos (Markus Schreiber/AP) The gathering comes just days after a Russian missile hit an apartment building in the south-eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro, killing at least 40 people in one of the deadliest single attacks in months. Ukrainians have reacted to such tragedies during nearly a year of war with unbowed defiance, anger and determination to fight back. Ms Zelenskas speech will come after she told CNN through an interpreter on Sunday that despite Russia missile strikes that have pounded Ukrainian energy infrastructure and civilian areas in recent months, we understand that upon carrying on for a year, we are capable of persevering for even longer. The high-level Ukrainian diplomatic push in Davos in the spotlight of CEOs, global government officials and the media offers a new chance to enlist and ramp up international support that the Ukrainians have been clamouring for weapons like tanks and anti-rocket defences as well as greater pressure to further isolate and squeeze Russias economy. France, the UK, the US and other nations are vowing to send increasingly powerful weapons to Ukraine, such as tanks or armoured combat vehicles. Ms Zelenska asked Congress for more US air defence systems as she visited Washington for a week in July and met US first lady Jill Biden at the White House. Mr Zelensky, after traveling to Washington himself last month to reinvigorate support for Ukraine in his first known trip abroad since the invasion, will be beamed in by video on Wednesday to complement the in-person delegation of his wife and officials such as Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, who urged company leaders to shun business with Russia. Stop trade with Russia: Every dollar that you send to Russia is bloody money, he told reporters on Monday. Burma Bangladesh Police Extorting Rohingya in Camps: HRW Personnel from Bangladeshs Armed Police Battalion conduct a nighttime raid at a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar in October 2022. / APBn media wing DHAKA Bangladeshs Armed Police Battalion, better known as the APBn, is extorting, arbitrarily arresting, and harassing Rohingya refugees who are already facing violence from criminal gangs and armed groups, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday. The rights group urged donor governments to press Bangladesh authorities to investigate alleged abuses against Rohingya living in refugee camps in Coxs Bazar, ensure victims have effective remedy, and develop measures to better protect refugees. In a statement, HRW said it documented over 16 cases of serious abuse by APBn officers after interviewing more than 40 Rohingya refugees in October-November 2022 and reviewing police reports. These included abuse against 10 refugees who were detained on apparently fabricated charges of trafficking methamphetamine or perpetrating violence, according to HRW. Abuses by police in the Coxs Bazar camps have left Rohingya refugees suffering at the hands of the very forces who are supposed to protect them, said Shayna Bauchner, Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch. Bangladesh authorities should immediately investigate allegations of widespread extortion and wrongful detention by Armed Police Battalion officers and hold all those responsible to account. Rights groups including HRW say they have long documented the common practice by Bangladesh security forces of framing suspects with drugs or weapons. Police generally demanded 10,000-40,000 taka (US$100-400) to avoid arrest, and 50,000-100,000 taka ($500-1,000) for the release of a detained family member. Families often had to sell gold jewelry or borrow money for bribes or legal costs, HRW said. It added that the APBn had seemingly targeted Rohingya for sharing information about abuses on social media. Sayed Hossein, 27, a Rohingya citizen journalist and health volunteer with an international organisation, told HRW that about 30 APBn officers raided his house on July 25 last year, handcuffed him, and confiscated his laptop and flash drive. They took him to a police camp, demanded a bribe, and, when his family could not pay 50,000 taka ($500), they forcibly photographed him with meth tablets and sent him to nearby Ukhiya police station, HRW said. I asked them not to take any photos since it would impact my job and future, Hossein told HRW. They said that because Im Rohingya, I dont have any future. APBn posted the photos on their social media accounts and the man spent 41 days in jail on drug trafficking charges before making bail. He said most of his fellow inmates were Rohingya. APBn officers arrested Soyedul Hoque, 57, in his betel leaf shop on November 2, 2022, and demanded 100,000 takas ($1,000) for his release. Because we have such little income from the shop, we couldnt pay the police anything, his daughter told HRW. He was charged with possession of 2,000 meth tablets and remains in jail. The APBn crackdown has compounded fear and vulnerability among the one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, the majority of whom fled Myanmar military atrocities in late 2017. The police abuses have escalated amid tightening restrictions on livelihoods, movement, and education in the camps, including harassment at checkpoints and the closing of community schools and markets. In late October 2022, the APBn initiated Operation Root Out in response to a spike in targeted killings by armed groups. The police have arrested at least 900 Rohingya since mid-2022. But refugees allege that APBn corruption has allowed criminal activity to proliferate, while innocent Rohingya are targeted in police crackdowns. HRW noted that the 2022 Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis received less than half of the US$881 million needed for the year. It urged donors including the US, UK, European Union, and Australia to increase funding to meet the protection needs of the Rohingya refugee population while leaning on Bangladesh authorities to end police abuses in the camps. Bangladesh should do what Myanmar never has hold those responsible for abuses against Rohingya to account. When approached, APBn deputy inspector general (operations and intelligence) Mahbub Alam claimed they received hardly any formal complaints against their personnel on the ground and that most were fabricated. He claimed his troops were facing violent organised criminals supported by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army and needed to use tough measures. Bangladesh Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammed Mizanur Rahman said he would respond to HRWs report after examining it. The report also documents the case of a recently transferred APBn official who admitted that a camp leader (majhi) was tortured by security forces under the pretext of interrogation. Its a very complex situation inside the camps, the official said. A Rohingya rights campaigner living in a camp told the Irrawaddy there are frequent complaints against law enforcers and security agencies, especially over arbitrary arrests. Almost every case HRW investigated involved extortion directly by APBn officers or communicated through majhis. Burma Myanmar Junta Blamed for Deaths of Family of Eight in Sagaing Caption for Feature- Nyaung Kone village in Kantbalu Township after being torched by regime forces on Saturday. / Kyunhla Activists Group A family of eight, including three children, who were supporters of Myanmars ousted National League for Democracy (NLD), were found knifed to death at their home in Kantbalu Township, Sagaing Region, on Saturday. The Ngar Myaung village murders occurred in a village where most residents are the supporters of the military-proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party, according to media reports. The area has been under the control of junta forces and pro-regime Pyu Saw Htee militias, sources said. Resistance forces and residents blamed junta forces and militia allies for the murders. The Irrawaddy could not independently verify the reports. Regime forces and militia members attacked the house on Saturday morning, according to the Kyunhla Activists Group that helps displaced people fleeing junta raids. The victims, who all had their throats cut, were U Kyaw Hlaing, 70, his wife Daw Mya Nyunt, 65, U Tin Myo Win, 45, Daw Hnin Mya Khine, 40, Daw Hnin Mya Hlaing 42, Maung Khant Zayar Myo, six, Ma Thient Shwe Bon San, 12, and Ma Su Myat San,15, the rights group said. U Kyaw Hlaing and Daw Mya Nyunt were found in their kitchen. Jewellery and money were taken from the house. Before the 2021 coup, the family opened an NLD office at their house. On June 13 last year, a couple who supported the NLD had their throats cut by militia members at their nearby petrol shop. A motorbike, cash, gold earrings, fuel tanks and food were taken, according to the Kyunhla Activists Group. On Saturday, two male residents were killed and three female detainees escaped with serious injuries during a junta raid on Nyaung Kone village in the township, said the activist group. Around 100 Battalion 368 troops and militia allies raided the village and burned houses. U Than Lwin, 55, was tortured and burned alive after being abducted from Paluthar village as a guide along with Nyaung Kone villager U Nwar Tin, 77. The three women detainees, aged 58, 42 and 25, escaped after being stabbed in the abdomen or throat by regime forces, the activist group said. A resident told the group that the women fled while troops were preparing to burn them in a house. Two of the women are in a critical condition after abdomen stabbings. Faced with near-daily attacks the junta has been burning people alive, killing civilian detainees, using civilians as human shields, looting and burning houses, using artillery and airstrikes against residential areas and committing acts of sexual violence across the country. Burma Myanmar Military Launches Airstrike After Heavy Losses in Sagaing Battle A comrade holds a portrait of resistance fighter Yebaw Swan Pyae Maung, aka Harvat, at his funeral. Junta forces launched airstrikes in Salingyi Township, Sagaing Region after reportedly suffering heavy casualties during a clash with Local Defense Forces (LDFs) on Monday. The losses occurred when a column of more than 70 junta troops patrolling in Kani Township advanced to Sarhtone village in northern Salingyi on Monday morning. It was then attacked by an alliance of LDFs and incurred heavy losses, with a regime troop captain reportedly among the casualties. After more than two hours of battle, regime forces deployed an Mi-35 helicopter for airstrikes on positions around the village that lasted for 45 minutes. One LDF fighter was killed in the airstrikes. He was named as Yebaw Swan Pyae Maung, aka Harvat, 19, from Salingyi Special Task Force (SSTF). He was hit in the neck by shrapnel from the helicopter strike and died on the spot. His funeral was held today, SSTF spokesman Ko Phoe Zay told The Irrawaddy. The Anti-Dictatorship Peoples Revolution Army (DPRA), an ally of the SSTF, said the junta troops then retreated to Salingyi Township under air cover provided by the helicopter. The helicopter flew over the troops as they made their way back to Salingyi, said Ko Phoe Zay. We heard that barely more than 40 of the 70 soldiers returned to the Salingyi Township base camp, he added. The Irrawaddy was unable to independently verify his claim. On Saturday, the DPRA and allied forces attacked the Salingyi police station, where the regime soldiers were stationed, with 60mm heavy weapons. Thousands of civilians in and around 10 Salingyi villages, including Sarhtone, have been displaced by fighting in recent weeks. Sagaing is a stronghold of the anti-regime resistance in Myanmar. The junta has launched a massive offensive in the region, including frequent airstrikes. Nearly 1.5 million residents have been forced to flee their homes as a result of the offensive, according to the UN office for humanitarian affairs. Burma Myanmar Military Manufacturing Weapons With Help From Foreign Companies Myanmar military troops parade in Naypyitaw on Armed Forces Day in March 2021. Companies from at least 13 countries in Asia, Europe and North America have helped the Myanmar military manufacture weapons used to commit human rights violations amounting to the most serious crimes under international law, according to the Special Advisory Council-Myanmar (SAC-M), an independent group of former United Nations experts on Myanmar. SAC-Ms latest report identifies companies domiciled in Austria, France, China, Singapore, India, Israel, Ukraine, Germany, Taiwan, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States (US) as having provided raw materials to the Myanmar military for the production of weapons. Myanmar has been under military rule since the army seized power in a February 1, 2021 coup. Faced with nationwide opposition, the junta has cracked down brutally on civilian protests and armed resistance to the military regime with weapons manufactured with materials provided by the foreign companies named in the report. Up to now, the regime has killed over 2,700 people, while raiding and torching villages in the countrys anti-junta strongholds in an effort to terrorize the civilian population. Myanmars military has invested heavily over many years in building up its capacity to produce small arms, land mines and light weapons. As of 2022, the militarys Directorate of Defence Industries (DDI) operates 25 arms manufacturing factories commonly known as KaPaSa in nearly a dozen different locations across the country, according to the SAC-M report. In short, weapons produced by the Myanmar military in-country at its KaPaSa factories have been used in the militarys widespread and systematic attacks against civilian targets, prior to, during and after the 2021 attempted military coup, and continue to be so, stated the SAC-M report. Since the 2021 coup, the military regime and its arms brokers have been under international sanctions, including from the US Treasury. In their report SAC-M also identifies companies supplying raw materials, parts and components, end items and high-precision computer numerical control (CNC) machines and associated technology to the DDI for the production of weapons. Among the companies named, the state-owned Chinese company NORINCO appears to be playing an important role in the DDIs imports of raw materials for KaPaSa production. The raw materials are being exported to Myanmar by sea via Singapore. Last year, the DDI also purchased fuses for 84mm recoilless rifles through a Myanmar company, Creative Exploration Ltd, from the India-based Sandeep Metalcraft, an official vendor of Indias Ministry of Defence. Furthermore, the report said, companies legally domiciled in India and Japan exported raw materials, including iron, copper, aluminium, chromium and high-grade steel, to the DDI, while others in Austria, Germany, Taiwan and the US provided CNC machines for milling and grinding. The SAC-M report also names front companies, including companies based in Myanmar, and middlemen that enable the DDI to purchase products and services by brokering deals or otherwise acting as intermediaries for the DDI. One such company, the Myanmar-based Mottama Holdings, acts as an intermediary between the DDI and NORINCO in China, and plays a pivotal role in the DDIs purchases of high-precision CNC machines for KaPaSa factories. Chris Sidoti of SAC-M said that countries must investigate and initiate administrative or legal proceedings against companies enabling the DDI to produce weapons used by the Myanmar military in its indiscriminate attacks on civilians. Foreign companies that profit from the suffering of the Myanmar people must be held accountable, he added. Burma Myanmars Civilian Government Calls on Neighbors to Deny Junta Jets Airspace Access Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing celebrated the 75th anniversary of the founding of Myanmars Air Force on December 15 commissioning airplanes and helicopters, including Russian SU-30 and Chinese FTC-2000 fighter jets into service in Meiktila, Mandalay Region. Myanmars civilian National Unity Government (NUG) has called on neighboring countries to stop junta warplanes from using their airspace following last weeks air raids along the Indian border. On January 10 and 11, junta fighter jets attacked Camp Victoria, the headquarters of the Chin National Front (CNF), near the border, killing five Chin fighters, injuring many others and damaging a health clinic and civilian houses. The NUGs Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Tuesday that CNF and other sources reported seeing the jets entering Indian airspace during the attack amid claims that some bombs landed in Indian territory. This is not the first time the illegal junta has used the airspace of its neighbors while committing atrocities, with Bangladesh and Thailand earlier examples. Nor is it the first time that junta bombs have struck foreign soil during such air raids, the shadow ministry said. The NUG calls on Myanmars neighbors, in the interests of regional peace and security and the protection of civilians, to block junta use of their airspace for attacks, it said. The statement referred to the United Nations Security Councils condemnation of attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure in resolution 2669 while demanding an end to violence. Junta aircraft have also intruded into Thai and Bangladeshi airspace while launching airstrikes on resistance forces in Karen and Rakhine states. International human rights watchdog Fortify Rights last week called on India to prevent junta jets from accessing its airspace and take measures to protect Chin and Indian civilians along the border. New Delhi shouldnt tolerate the juntas incursions on its airspace, and Indian authorities should do everything in their power to ensure the security of civilians and border areas, said Matthew Smith of Fortify Rights. Regime airstrikes last year killed at least 155 civilians and injured 187. The Australian retail landscape will be significantly challenged in the year ahead. Limited stock, growing volumes of returns and increased customer expectations for online deliveries have substantially impacted local brands pushing them to innovate, said Manhattan Associates managing director Australia and New Zealand Raghav Sibal. As a result, retailers will find that they quickly need to adopt new systems and approaches to meet consumer demand for a seamless and more personalised shopping experience in 2023. Key retail technology trends for 2023 to watch include: Visibility at all times The importance of visibility will increase and expand to not only include products in motion, but also to product inventory in the store and warehouse. As market volatility continues, shippers will need to have the ability to react to ongoing disruption in near real-time; as knowing exactly where inventory is at any point in time is critical to their success. Consumers now expect store associates to know stock availability/inventory to be able to serve them effectively. But only 6% of retailers believed that they had an accurate overview of their inventory across their entire network (in-store and online) 100% of the time. It is likely that retailers will work on closing this inventory visibility gap fast in the new year or risk losing customer loyalty and company dollars. Automation and robotics As labour continues to be a significant constraint for organisations all over Australia, not least in the context of warehouses, automation and robotics proliferation will continue to accelerate as a result. While we dont expect robots to replace humans in key supply chain roles, we will see greater progress in man and machine collaboration, as more robots are developed that complement the human workforce by taking over mundane, repetitive tasks. Automation and robotics have been of great interest among our customers, but many have been held back due to supply chain and resource challenges among those automation/robotic vendors. We see those constraints loosening and the growth of the Robots as a Service model will likely increase in popularity in 2023 as customers catch up with their automation strategies. The rise of social platforms as marketplaces A lot of Australian consumers are increasingly interacting with brands and purchasing goods via social media, and using Google, Apple, Amazon, and Facebook Pay. Companies are fast expanding their reach to younger demographics by exploring social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram as sales channels, in addition to traditional marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay. We should expect the proliferation of different social shopping platforms to accelerate at pace in 2023. Unified commerce The traditional store and its role in the retail ecosystem is in for a renaissance in 2023, as they become multi-functional spaces, going beyond display and selling to micro fulfilment, returns and even customer service hubs. Retailers will need to look at technology and how they use it to connect their customers digital experience to the in-store retail experience seamlessly. Its expected that stores will handle a larger share of online returns as retailers look for cost optimisations across their supply chains. Also, as returns see an overall percentage increase, retailers will start increasing the fees/shipping charge associated with returning items bought online, leading to a rise in customers using physical stores for these returns far more. We can expect Buy Online Pickup in Store (Bopis) as a fulfilment method to continue to increase as well. With retailers optimising their logistics costs in efforts to maintain margins for online sales, they will find ways to incentivise BOPIS; either by passing on the shipping charge or providing some discounts for BOPIS with the hope that this can reduce their overall shipping costs and increase store footfall at the same time. An evolving payment landscape Lastly, we expect the appetite for cashless payment options, e-wallets and crypto to continue to grow in 2023. As it grows it will be critical for companies to adopt and leverage these new technologies into their in-store and online systems if they are to keep pace with increasingly digitally-savvy consumers. As the cost-of-living crisis really bites over the course of the year, retailers will look to provide their customers with more flexible payment options. As such, we can expect buy now pay later features to continue to increase strongly in 2023. Receive up-to-date product, customer and partner news directly from Manhattan Associates on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. About Manhattan Associates Manhattan Associates is a technology leader in supply chain and omnichannel commerce. We unite information across the enterprise, converging front-end sales with back-end supply chain execution. Our software, platform technology and unmatched experience help drive both top-line growth and bottom-line profitability for our customers. Manhattan Associates designs, builds and delivers leading edge cloud and on-premises solutions so that across the store, through your network or from your fulfilment centre, you are ready to reap the rewards of the omnichannel marketplace. Red Hat says that iIn his new role, Compagnoni will be responsible for leading the Red Hat business in ANZ, helping to drive the digital transformation success of customers and partners across the region. Compagnoni has over 25 years of experience in the enterprise IT industry under his belt and has been with Red Hat for more than six years, most recently as senior director for enterprise sales, ANZ. Prior to Red Hat, he has held various leadership roles in technology companies including EMC, PeopleSoft and PTC,notes Red Hat. Compagnoni spoke to creative agency Archetype and gave his perspective on open source and Red Hat, and how openness and authenticity can make for a stronger team : How has your journey been so far at Red Hat? One of the reasons why I joined Red Hat six and a half years ago was the company's openness and transparency, a natural trait for a business built around open source software. I felt as though I could turn up to work and be exactly who I am, which is an important factor for someone who values authenticity. Perhaps the greatest highlight for me since joining Red Hat has been seeing the people that were in the company when I first joined, along with newer recruits, grow and develop, along with the growing business. Red Hat enables and promotes an open culture where the best ideas always win, no matter where they come from. What do you most look forward to in your new role? As we continue to grow as a business, I will work to help bring different parts of the business closer together. It is my goal to create a fully aligned team so that we continue to be crystal clear on Red Hats mission in ANZ of providing industry-leading enterprise open source products and services to our customers. Im also looking forward to engaging with customers from different industries, and of course with our strong ecosystem of partners. From an internal perspective, I'm here to serve the teams across ANZ, not the other way around. The new role Im stepping into affords me the tools, resources and visibility to become a cheerleader for the local team. As I become more involved in Red Hats broader business across Asia Pacific, Im looking forward to becoming an outspoken advocate of the business and associates in ANZ. How can Red Hat and open source technology support the digital transformation of companies in Australia and New Zealand? Open source communities power everything Red Hat does, including the products we create, the culture we embrace, and the solutions we design, for and with our customers. The key thing about open source is that, if you use it, you have access to a literal world of innovation. There are so many open source developer communities around the globe, all of them continually innovating, working on refining the software. Red Hat draws upon that innovation and makes it ready for the enterprise, imbuing it with the additional safety, security, scale and usability to support open hybrid cloud that is essential for organizations in todays business landscape. This is one reason why were receiving increased interest from cyber security teams and CISOs, as open source softwares historical value proposition around safety and security becomes more important to enterprises. How would you define leadership, and what kind of a leader would you like to be? I believe in leading by example, by showing people the way through action. A good leader must also be a good communicator and be able to articulate a high-level vision to help people understand how they, as individuals, fit into an organizations broader goals. I am a big believer in prioritizing good execution focused around the success of our customers above all else. Im also driven by strong values around transparency and openness, which is what drew me to Red Hat in the first place, and I hope to use this drive to foster trust, communication and collaboration throughout the business as my remit expands. Today A mix of clouds and sun with gusty winds. High 78F. Winds W at 20 to 30 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph. Tonight Clear skies. Low 52F. Winds W at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible. Tomorrow Sunny. High 81F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. The toll from a devastating strike on the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro was expected to rise past 40 on Tuesday as rescuers searched the rubble for 25 people still missing after one of Russia's deadliest attacks since its invasion. President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the missile strike as a war crime. "There is no doubt: every person guilty of this war crime will be identified and brought to justice," Zelensky said in his nightly address late Monday. Kyiv has called for more weapons to defend itself and at the weekend received pledges of British tanks, but Russian President Vladimir Putin warned more armaments would only intensify fighting and the Kremlin vowed to burn the gear. With tensions high, a top US official, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, on Monday visited Kyiv where she expressed Washington's "steadfast commitment" to Ukraine and discussed ways to bolster the country's security posture with Zelensky. In Dnipro, residents gathered to get warm drinks and food next to the partially collapsed Soviet-style residential building that was ripped open by the strike on Saturday. Emergency services gave the new toll specifying that three children were among those dead, with 25 people still unaccounted for. Seventy-seven were wounded in the strike. "The rescue operation, the demolition of the rubble, will not end until the bodies of all the dead are found. So far, 40 people have died," said deputy head of the presidency Kyrylo Tymoshenko. The Kremlin claimed its forces were not responsible and pointed to an unsubstantiated theory circulating on social media that Ukrainian air defence systems had caused the damage. "The Russian armed forces do not strike residential buildings or social infrastructure. They strike military targets," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. EU presidency holder Sweden condemned the attack "in the strongest terms", with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson telling reporters that "intentional attacks against civilians are war crimes". UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the strike, with his spokesperson saying it was "another example of a suspected violation of the laws of war". - Nuclear watchdog mission - In a visit to the war-torn country, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said it was setting up a permanent presence at all five of Ukraine's nuclear facilities, including Chernobyl, which closed after the 1986 disaster. "So we are now leaving a group of experts who are going to stay here permanently," said Rafael Grossi, adding that agency staff will be "working hand to hand with our Ukrainian hosts, to facilitate some technical support, delivery of equipment, to make sure that all of these facilities... can continue running normally and without any problems." The decision marks a major expansion of the IAEA's activities in Ukraine. Until now, only the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia plant, which is near the frontline, had a permanent IAEA presence. - 'These tanks will burn' - To withstand Russian attacks, Ukraine has been pressing Western backers to supply it with advanced tanks, in particular the German-designed Leopard. Berlin has been heavily criticised over its stuttering response to the war in Ukraine. After months of criticism -- and a series of gaffes -- German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht resigned on Monday. It comes days before the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, which coordinates arms supplies to Kyiv, is due to meet in Germany. Britain this weekend pledged 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, which would make it the first Western country to supply the heavy tanks Kyiv has been calling for. Putin on Monday slammed Kyiv's "destructive" policies that "bet on the intensification of hostilities with the support of Western sponsors who are ramping up the supplies of weapons." His spokesperson told reporters that "these tanks are burning and will burn." A large team of Ukrainian ministers and officials headed by First Lady Olena Zelenska meanwhile began a major effort at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland to lobby for greater Western aid and weapons deliveries. "That's why I'm here," Kyiv mayor and former heavyweight champion boxer Vitali Klitschko, told reporters when asked about the need for fresh help. "That's why it's very important to talk directly... it's very important to have a personal connection." - 'Prosecute Russian leaders' - German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock meanwhile called for a special tribunal to prosecute Russian leaders, as Moscow faced war crimes accusations over the Dnipro attack. "We need to voice a clear message to the Russian leadership here and now that a war of aggression will not go unpunished," Baerbock said. Calls have grown for a way to try to punish Russian leaders for the crime of aggression, as the Hague-based International Criminal Court cannot do so under its rules. Ukrainian soldiers have arrived in the United States to learn how to use the Patriot system, the Pentagon's most advanced air defence system. Washington promised Kyiv a Patriot battery in a significant victory for Ukraine. The Patriot missiles can shoot down cruise missiles, short-range ballistic missiles and aircraft at a height significantly higher than the systems currently in place. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called Monday for a special tribunal to prosecute Russian leaders, as Moscow faced war crimes accusations over a strike in Ukraine's Dnipro. Baerbock called for a "new format" of court to "bring Russian leaders to justice" for their invasion of Ukraine, possibly using Ukrainian law but based abroad with international judges. "We need to voice a clear message to the Russian leadership here and now that a war of aggression will not go unpunished," Baerbock said in a speech to the Hague Academy of International Law. Calls have grown for a way to try to punish Russian leaders for the crime of aggression, as the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) cannot do so under its rules. Germany's top diplomat said she had discussed with Ukraine and other allies a "special solution" that could "derive its jurisdiction from Ukrainian criminal law." But she added that it was "important for us to have an international component, for example, a location outside Ukraine, with financial support from partners and with international prosecutors and judges," she added. "That would be a new format." The German Foreign Ministry later tweeted that Baerbock wanted to "support Ukraine internationally in setting up a special tribunal for aggression in The Hague." Baerbock also called for changes to the statute of the Hague-based ICC so it can eventually put the Russian leadership on trial for aggression. - 'Despicable crimes' - The ICC is investigating alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine. But under rules adopted in 2018 it cannot prosecute Russia for the separate crime of aggression, as it is not a member. The only way to do so at present is through a UN Security Council referral, which Russia as a permanent member would veto. In November, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen floated the idea of a "specialised court" to put Russian leaders on trial. During a news conference later, Baerbock and Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra raised the issue of children allegedly abducted from Ukraine and taken to Russia. "These children were kidnapped," Baerbock said, adding that Germany and the Netherlands had agreed to "consider further EU sanctions" against Russia over the matter. "These are despicable crimes," Hoekstra added. The German and Dutch ministers however skirted around the issue of Ukraine's call for its allies to deliver Leopard battle tanks, which Berlin has so far refused to approve. "Of course we're talking about tanks. We'll continue to see what is possible with our partners," said Hoekstra, whose country sold most of its Leopards a decade ago but now operates a joint battalion with Germany. Germany's call for a special court came as EU officials said that Russia's weekend strike on a residential block in Dnipro, which killed at least 40 people, constitutes a "war crime". Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, whose country holds the EU presidency, condemned the "horrific attack". "Intentional attacks against civilians are war crimes. Those responsible will be held to account", he said, speaking at a joint press conference in Stockholm with European Council President Charles Michel. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the Russian missile strike on an apartment building in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, with at least 40 dead, as a possible war crime, his spokesperson said Monday. "A strike hit a residential building in Dnipro on Saturday evening, in one of the deadliest attacks in Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion last February," Stephanie Tremblay told reporters. "The secretary-general condemned this attack, saying that this was another example of a suspected violation of the laws of war," she added. The UN coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, "called for an effective investigation of suspected war crimes and appropriate prosecution of suspects," Tremblay said. The toll from the attack in Dnipro rose to 40 on Monday, as more bodies were pulled from the debris of the partially collapsed Soviet-style apartment building. "The most advanced case is Fatima," said Deputy Special Prosecutor of the Central African Special Criminal Court (SCC) Alain Ouaby Bekai, a magistrate who plays a key role in relations with Central African authorities during arrests. In recent months, the UN-backed hybrid court, accused of serious delays since its creation in 2015, has arrested four suspects in the case. They are charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes in relation to the May 28, 2014 attack on the Catholic Church of Our Lady of Fatima, in the third district of Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic. This episode of violence is carved in peoples memories. Elements of the Seleka rebel movement, acting "apparently in retaliation for the killing of three young Muslims" according to a 2017 United Nations "Mapping" report, threw grenades into the church where thousands of people displaced by the armed conflict had taken refuge, killing 14 people. The trial of the defendants in this case (Hadiatou Gary, Abdel Kader Ali, Al Bachir Oumar and Amadou Yalo) could open in the first quarter of 2023. The SCC has also made several indictments against anti-Balaka militias that took up arms to oust the Seleka in a civil war that caused the death of at least 3,000 civilians between December 2013 and October 2014, according to the same UN report. The two most recent indictments - for crimes against humanity - concern officers serving in the Central African army, as underlined by members of the court, for acts allegedly committed in Bossembele (northwest of Bangui). They are Vianney Semndiro, indicted in September, and Firmin Junior Danboy, indicted in October. Another former anti-Balaka, Eugene Baret Ngaikosset (nicknamed the "Butcher of Paoua), a captain in the presidential guard of former President Francois Bozize, was arrested on September 4, 2021. He was first arrested in May 2014 in Bangui and managed to escape. He is now charged by the SCC with war crimes and crimes against humanity. The second most advanced case to date is that of Ndele (northeast). According to the public prosecutor's office, this case should go to trial in 2023. Initially, the investigation was opened by the ordinary courts in May 2020, following a massacre committed on April 29, 2020. Twenty-eight people including at least 21 civilians were killed, according to the UN mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), in fighting between two rival factions of the Front populaire pour la renaissance de la Centrafrique (FPRC), one of the main armed groups at the time. According to AFP, fighters of the goula and rounga ethnic groups, previously united in the FPRC, carried out the killings in an effort to control mining deposits and road taxation in the territory. The SCC, which has primacy over the ordinary national courts, quickly requested that the case be dismissed in its favour. The MINUSCA spokesperson told Justice Info at the time that nine people had been arrested in Ndele "at the request of the SCC. Their leader, Azor Kalite, a member of the Goula ethnic group whom Justice Info met in October that year in Camp de Roux prison, is a former member of the Central African Armed Forces (FACA) who joined the Seleka before becoming chief of staff of the FPRC. The identities of the eight other men arrested with him are not public. The number of people still charged in this case was not made known to us. Our sources say there are six. This number includes two arrests in May 2022 in Ndele during a MINUSCA-coordinated operation with the FACA that went wrong. The targeted suspect, Adam Moctar, was killed under circumstances described in a communique from the SCC prosecutor's office. The identities of the two others apprehended have not been made public. Support from the national gendarmerie It was after this particular incident that a rapprochement took place with the national gendarmerie. I had a meeting with the director general of the gendarmerie, to whom I explained the need for the SCC to be supported in the execution of our mandates," Ouaby Bekai told Justice Info. It worked very well. The general who heads the gendarmerie received me for a meeting. It is the SCC special unit of the judicial police, currently composed of 18 people from the Central African police and gendarmerie, which first investigates and locates the suspects. Then the national gendarmerie provides a team of eight agents "ready to intervene as soon as we locate the person, says Ouaby Bekai. "We no longer have to wait for MINUSCA and we don't rely solely on it," says an investigating magistrate with relief. And the results seem to be in. Members of the court told us of at least three additional people arrested (names not all made public) in the last half of 2022, in addition to the six actions mentioned above: ex-Seleka Abdel Kader Kalil in October; a former anti-Balaka leader accused of serious violence against Peulh people in the mining village of Gaga (northwest), also in October; and last but not least "General" Idriss Ibrahim Khalil alias "Bin Laden" in July in Bambari (central CAR). This arrest is highly symbolic for the SCC, since it is the same case as that of "escaped" minister Hassan Bouba, who is still in government. The two men are being prosecuted, among other things, for their alleged role in a massacre that caused the death of 112 people on November 15, 2018, in Alindao, according to the UN, committed by fighters from the rebel movement to which they belonged, the Union for Peace in Central Africa (UPC), along with other anti-Balaka militias. "Youthful errors on both sides The fact that no one opposed the arrest of this man that has been described as an "accomplice" of Bouba at the time of the alleged crime, as well as the collaboration in recent months of the gendarmerie and the Central African army, allows the president of the court to believe that there is no political blocking (or no longer). Following this incident, we were received by the head of state," the president of the Court Michel Landry Luanga told Justice Info. [According to] our exchanges, it was an incident deplored by both sides, youthful errors on both sides. Some thought that a member of the government could not be arrested. We explained the texts of the SCC, which are not those of the national law." A person from outside the court who wishes to remain anonymous describes a "lack of courtesy" on the part of the SCC, which, before detaining a minister, did not inform the head of government, the minister of justice nor the presidency. In any case, Bouba who is a dissident of the UPC, is probably too useful to the army and its Russian allies for informing about movements of Ali Darass's rebel group, because of the links he has retained within the UPC, this source suggests. This would explain the protection he has enjoyed so far. It is an unfortunate incident," Luanga insists. If he [Bouba] is not in detention, it does not mean that the investigation is not under way. We are serene, we continue to do our work. And the incident even produced some positive effects, according to the Court president. "We had issued warrants, but for a long time nothing moved, he says. After the Bouba incident, we took the opportunity to execute our mandates. We received a firm promise. Instructions were given. That's what led to the latest arrests. Luanga rejects the idea that both government and MINUSCA are trying to limit the number and level of responsibility of those arrested out of political expediency. "You can't conclude from one incident that the court is weakened and that it can't take on the authorities," he says. Obo: We had no choice Collaboration with the ordinary courts has also improved, according to the Court president. "We had problems, a tug-of-war, but today when we ask for a file we get it, he told Justice Info." He points to the case of an attack in 2020 on the town of Obo, in the southeast of the country. Nine individuals were arrested and presented as members of the UPC. At that time, when contacted by Justice Info, the UPC said they were shopkeepers, shepherds, artisans and motorcycle cab drivers. It is now half understood that this was probably the case. Obo was the choice of the Bangui public prosecutor's office, we had no choice," Luanga continues, before adding that, more generally, the SCC may have received "insufficient files. He says the court has not had any cases dismissed, although there have been provisional releases in cases where the person could not be charged such as in the Obo case. Distribution of cases between courts How is the distribution of cases decided between all the courts seized of the gravest crimes in the Central African Republic? "We all go fishing, and there are many fish to catch. If we see a fish that interests us, it is left to us," Luanga answers with a smile. And with the ICC? "We received the new officials," he said shortly after the ICC President visited Bangui at the end of November and shortly before the announcement by Prosecutor Karim Khan that he was closing his investigations in the Central African Republic. "We felt a pragmatism on their part, a willingness to cooperate and to give priority to the SCC in the Central African Republic instead of overburdening the ICC. This is a sign of confidence, it reflects the recognition of the work done, and it can lighten their load." There is still a lot of progress to be made, says one investigating magistrate, who describes "enormous potential for collaboration with the ICC, but almost nothing in practice. The SCC's investigating offices consult the ICC's online decisions and request documents. Two rogatory letters were sent in October 2021, which were still unanswered in early December 2022. A third, more recent request has been made. Things are changing, however, according to the court president, who said the judges that went to The Hague in early December for meetings on the sidelines of the ICC Assembly of States Parties "came back with the information they wanted. The fact remains that if the ICC discharges itself from the Central African Republic, there is a real risk of overburdening the SCC. To date, the SCC has only one trial chamber, which at best can only try two cases per year. According to our information, the 20 or so investigators of the judicial police unit are already overloaded with no less than 19 ongoing investigations, three preliminary inquiries (including one concerning the French company Castel, which required numerous hearings), 12 files under analysis and at least 20 direct complaints from victims, which do not go through the public prosecutor. Past years have shown that the SCC cannot make rapid recruitments. Its personnel are recruited through the United Nations system and, in the case of high-level international positions (including magistrates), must be supported (paid for) by the countries of origin of the persons concerned. "The black spot is resources The long-standing issue of the Court's management autonomy from its UN partners, who have managed its funds and human resources from the beginning, still needs to be resolved. The key man here is the deputy registrar, who, according to the regulations, "shall be responsible for the management of financial services. This internationally seconded position could not be filled for years. It is now occupied by a German of Cameroonian origin, Ousman Njikam, who arrived in Bangui in September, who has a personality and profile considered reassuring, as he has worked in the registries of several international courts. We asked him about the autonomy of the Court. "That is always the goal, he says. Is that where we are now? No," he answers. It needs to create a management structure, he says, and "we need to think carefully before we act. In the meantime, he has a number of other priorities, two of which seem more urgent than the others: setting up an internal computer system, which does not yet exist; and equipping the courtroom with sound and cameras in preparation for the trials. "The black spot is resources," admits Njikam, who has started to approach donors. Out of its 14 million Euro operating budget, the SCC received only half of it in 2022, mainly from MINUSCA and the United States. The European Union, because of the presence of the Russian private security company Wagner in the Central African Republic, had partially frozen its budget support. Financial means are a real problem," Luanga admits. If not for the convincing results, they [the donors] would probably have given up. The big concern now is whether the Court's partners will renew their trust in 2023. But the biggest expenses like building the Court have been made. It shouldn't be that difficult." Faustin Archange Touadera after his vote on 27 December 2020, at the last presidential elections in the Central African Republic. The president is escorted by his guard, Rwandan peacekeepers and Russian private security guards. Alexis huguet / AFP A Rwandan woman moving the goalposts "They want to get married with the Russians, but they are asking the West to pay for the wedding," says a person close to the Court about the Central African government, who is much less optimistic about the future of its finances. In recent months, the politico-judicial context in the Central African Republic has been marked by a shake-up in the judiciary, with the departure of some 20 of the most senior judges including the president of the Constitutional Court, Danielle Darlan. The opposition accuses the head of state of wanting to change the fundamental law to run for a third term. Nevertheless, the SCC appears to be serving a useful purpose for President Touadera. He formally gave his political endorsement to the renewal of the court's mandate following a November 21 meeting with Valentine Rugwabiza, a Rwandan diplomat and businesswoman who arrived in Bangui in April 2022 with the dual role of Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and head of MINUSCA. "Many things have changed since the arrival of the representative, the goalposts have moved," said Luanga. The Rwandans, other major allies of the government, are increasingly extending their influence in the country, and not only in the field of security. Will Rwanda's soft power move the lines, including in the area of justice? It remains that with the renewal of the SCC's mandate, Touadera should at least reaffirm the statements on justice that he has made since the beginning of his first term in 2016. The SCC is in agreement with the government's discourse on the fight against impunity," said the court president. There was [the peace agreement in] Khartoum [in 2019]. Some time ago, 80% of the country was in the hands of the rebels, uncontrolled. This is no longer the case. Before, it was not possible to arrest people in PK5 [Bangui's third district, with a Muslim majority]. We did it recently. Everything is linked to peace and security. If there is effectiveness [of the SCC], it is when peace has returned. If there are still difficulties, it is because peace is not fully there. If you believe the word of the authorities it is that they are making efforts to bring peace, and that we become a post-conflict jurisdiction." Park Eun Bin definitely made heads turn with her amazing look at the 2023 Critics Choice Awards Red Carpet. Following the huge success, the ENA series "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" was invited to the annual ceremony after scoring a nod for the category Best Foreign Language Drama along with Lee Min Ho and Youn Yuh Jung's "Pachinko." Unfortunately, the rom-com series lost to the Apple TV+ along with fellow nominees "1899," "Kleo" "Borgen," "Garcia!," "My Brilliant Friend," "Tehran," and "The Kingdom Exodus." Despite this, the "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" gained the crowd's attention after stepping on the red carpet looking like a Disney princess. Park Eun Bin's 2023 Critics Choice Awards Red Carpet Look At the 28th Critics Choice Awards red carpet, Park Eun Bin gave Queen Elsa of Arendelle a run for its money after stunning the ceremony with a princess-like style ensemble. The actress' red carpet look was from Jenny Packham featuring a wren crystal embellished cape gown in light blue which totally suits her skin tone. Joining Park Eun Bin at the annual event is the "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" director Yoo In Sik who looked dapper in a suit and bow tie. Interestingly, the South Korean star was also included in the 15 best dress stars cited by The Hollywood Reporter. Hollywood stars who were also named 2023 Critics Choice Awards best dress is Tehran star Niv Sultan in Yves Saint Laurent, Kate Hudson wearing Oscar de la Renta beaded beige dress, Aubrey Plaza in stunning LBD from Louis Vuitton and the gorgeous Kerry Washington in Giorgio Armani Prive IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Park Eun Bin Beats Song Joong Ki After Securing THIS Title Interestingly, after the annual ceremony, Park Eun Bin took the opportunity to thank viewers and fans who supported her and the K-drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo." As the actress went on live and read a bunch of messages from fans saying that she looked like Elsa, the South Korean star sang a line from "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" With this, fans lauded the actress saying that she "never fails to make everyone smile." Will Park Eun Bin Return in 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' Season 2? The hit K-drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" follows the story of the 27-year-old Woo Young Woo, played by Park Eun Bin), who is a rookie lawyer and Seoul National University law school graduate with an amazingly creative thought process, and impressive memory. Despite her autism diagnosis and lack of social skills and emotional intelligence, she was able to wow her colleagues with his incredible skills. After the series took the world by storm, officials confirmed that "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" will be back with season 2. However, as for the cast lineup, the CEO of AStory, Lee Sang Baek says the goal is to return in 2024 with the cast and crew remaining the same. The only thing that they have to consider right now is the difficulty of coordinating the busy schedules of its stars. Baek was also adamant that the cast and crew would remain the same in the second season; however, the difficulty of coordinating the busy schedules of its stars means that it could take a while before production resumes. It is said READ MORE: Park Eun Bin Opens Up About What Made her Continue Acting KDramastars owns this article Written by Geca Wills Kim Young Dae and Park Ju Hyun become more open to each other. The King promises to make her the queen, but the female con is still confused about their status as she doesn't want to be his concubine. 'The Forbidden Marriage' Episode 9: Lee Shin Won Goes Missing While Lady Won Decides To Leave the Palace King Lee Heon misses his best friend, Shin Won (Kim Woo Seok). Minister Sul Rok (Kim Min Sang) informs Se Jang (Lee Hyun Geol) that Lady Won is also leaving. Meanwhile, Ye So Rang (Park Ju Hyun) also shows her concerns to Shin Won about his poisoned arm. Se Jang confronts Lady Won (Hwang Jung Min) and asks why she's leaving. In response, she hopes to find her lost husband and son- otherwise she'll have regrets. He begs her to stay, but she refuses. So Rang and Lee Heon bicker as the two can't decide on how they'll put themselves to sleep. Meanwhile, Lady Seo and Minister Jo are in search of Shin Won. They want to convince Lee Heon that they don't need the marriage ban as he needs to get Hyeon Hee appointed as queen. Lee Heon Assures So Rang To Become His Consort His men bring up the bride selection at court and the King is worried about So Rang. Minister suggests getting So Rang pregnant is the only way for her to become a queen. He gets shy and feels like everything is moving too fast. However, the next day, he asks So Rang on a date to an hour market under the pretext that he wants to observe. She teaches him how to earn money. The two set up a stall and Lee Heon is impressed with her tactics. So Rang makes knot ornaments, while the King gets frustrated with the outcome of his work. They spend the day enjoying each other's company. Back in the palace, So Rang helps Lee Heon take off his royal robe for bed and gets flustered by her closeness. He is about to kiss her, but So Rang stops him and remembers what the Grand Queen Mother told her, that she will never be the queen. However, the King assures her that he will make her queen. But the female con is not satisfied with their conversation. Lee Shin Won Discovers So Rang's Past Meanwhile, Painter Jong continues to show his sincerity in pursuing Hae Young by giving her a storybook. He hopes to finally confess to her. So Rang and Lady Won bid farewell to each other. Se Jang looks at Won sadly from afar while Lee Heon thanks her and wishes her well. Seon Hyeok and Ji Hwal were able to find Shin Won but told them not to look for him. Jeong opens up about his feelings for Hae Young to Shin Won and asks how he could easily forget the bitterness of love. Sul Rok helps Lee Heon in preparing a surprise for So Rang. The King was stunned when she ran towards him and kissed him. They spend the night together talking about their memories and ended making out. Meanwhile, after Shin Won sees his belongings where So Rang's painting was kept he immediately went to Aedaldang and was wistful that So Rang knew who he was but didn't tell him. He heads in and sees that Gwang Yi is sick. The doctor says he is old and doesn't have much time. Hae Young tells Shin Won that they need to inform So Rang. So Rang is upset after knowing Gwang Yi's condition. She nurses him and informs Lee Heon that it will take time for her to return to the palace. Shin Won confronts her if she knows that he was supposed to be her husband. While in the middle of the conversation Lee Heon appears and was hurt by what he heard from the two. For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at Kdramastars. Kdramastars owns this article. Shai Collins wrote this. This celebrity was in talks to appear in the upcoming series "Bastard," alongside Park Ji Hoon. Unfortunately, she refused to take the offer. Can you guess who she is? Roh Yoon Seo Declines Starring in 'Bastard' Alongside Park Ji Hoon On January 16, people were ecstatic to see the news involving Park Ji Hoon as he is being courted to headline another webtoon-based series "Bastard," following his previous drama, "Weak Hero Class 1." In addition to the casting news, rising actress Roh Yoon Seo was reported to also participate in the project as his female counterpart. However, just a few hours on the day the possible casting was announced, Roh Yoon Seo's agency MAA released a statement saying that the "20th Century Girl" star declined to join the main cast. "Actress Roh Yoon Seo was offered to star in the upcoming webtoon-based drama 'Bastard,' but she decided not to appear." Though the agency stated that their artist will no longer participate in the project, MAA didn't specify the reason why Roh Yoon Seo refused the casting offer. She was supposed to star as Yoon Gyeon. 'Bastard' Might Be Park Ji Hoon's First Acting Project This 2023 Campus-thriller series follows the story of Seon Woo Jin, a high school student who lives and spends an unfortunate childhood with his psychopathic father. One day, when his dad selected the new student at the school as his next murder victim, Woo Jin steps in to protect her from his abusive dad. It has been said that the series is likely to be released on OTT. Furthermore, stay tuned to the details about the drama adaptation of "Bastard." Other actors and actresses are not yet revealed to the public. Roh Yoon Seo Stars in 'Crash Course in Romance' Meanwhile, Roh Yoon Seo is currently portraying the character of Nam Hee E in the newly debuted rom-com drama "Crash Course in Romance." For those who are familiar with the rookie star, she previously joined Kim Yoo Jung and Byeon Woo Seok in the famous Korean movie "20th Century Girl." The 23-year-old female star also appeared in tvN's "Our Blues." What can you say about the news? Share your thoughts/replies in the comments! For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, keep your tabs open here at KDramastars. KDramastars owns this article. Shai Collins wrote this. "Sweet Home" actress Lee Si Young is under fire for child abuse allegations and safety ignorance. What happened? Read on to know the full story. Lee Si Young Criticized For Safety Ignorance & Alleged Child Abuse The "Sweet Home" star is under controversy after her hiking milestone post gains attention over child abuse and safety ignorance. Known for being sporty and adventurous, Lee Si Young would go on a hike for recreational purposes. On January 2, Lee Si Young shared her hiking milestone on her personal Instagram account. In her post, the actress was captured climbing Mount Halla with her toddler on her back to welcome the new year. She captioned the post, "I came to Mount Halla with my son! He was so heavy that I thought I was going to die! But this is a meaningful milestone so I'm so happy!" Mount Halla is the second highest peak in South Korea. Lee Si Young added that her son weighed nearly 20kg, which was too heavy especially on her back. Because of this, she was subject to criticism over child abuse and insensitivity to safety. Hiking in the snow is known to be dangerous and Lee Si Young's reckless act of going up and down the mountain with a child weighing 20 kg on her back is dubbed as ignorance, according to the public. One comment expressed anger, saying, "You're a mother. You should know how dangerous this is, even if you're physically fit. This is an act of child abuse." Lee Si Young's son was stuck on his mother's back for more than eight hours in the cold. Even more so, the slippery slopes in the mountain could have made the actress stumble and injure both her and her child. The actress, who has almost 4 million subscribers on Instagram, hasn't addressed the issue up until this writing. At the moment, the actress is gearing up to return to the small screen with the new season of Netflix drama "Sweet Home." Lee Si Young Reprises Role in Netflix's 'Sweet Home' This 2023, Lee Si Young returns with the original cast of "Sweet Home" with a new season! "Sweet Home" is a thriller series which depicts the residents' psychological warfare and survival in an isolated apartment that houses hideous monsters. It stars Song Kang, Lee Jin Wook, Go Min Si and Park Gyu Young, and it received critical acclaim during its initial premiere in 2020. Earlier in 2022, the producers of the series confirmed that the work has been green-lit for a new season and more; "Sweet Home" will consecutively produce Season 2 and Season 3 this year. In the series, Lee Sin Young plays the role of a former firefighter who is an expert in martial arts. Along with the original cast of the series, Netflix guarantees a much more intense work that will reel in viewers with its cinematography and well-written plot. "Sweet Home" is currently under its production process, and it's expected to hit the screen in the first quarter of 2023! Watch the teaser of the drama here, ICYMI: KDramastars owns this article. Written by Elijah Mully. As some retailers look to tighten return policies, The Bay says it's making it easier for customers to return online purchases. A Hudson's Bay department store in Toronto, Friday, February 25, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tours the Vital Metals rare earth elements processing plant in Saskatoon during a media event on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says the Prime Minister's Office has apologized for leaving him off the invite list. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards Kennesaw State Field Station is a living laboratory KENNESAW, Ga. | Jan 17, 2023 Just a few minutes northwest of Kennesaw State University sits a 23-acre plot of land along Hickory Grove Road near Interstate 75 in Kennesaw, Ga. Eight years ago, the land was a concrete mixing plant owned by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). The KSU Field Station operates under the auspices of the Office of Research, led by Vice President for Research Phaedra Corso, who admitted being duly impressed with the facility upon first glance. When I first visited the Field Station, I thought it had so much potential for Kennesaw State, she said. It had the greenhouse, a functional hydroponics lab, and all that land. I just thought it was the perfect place for the Office of Research to turn into a living laboratory. Michael Blackwell, KSU's Field Station manager, led the efforts to remediate the land, which has allowed KSU to expand its faculty and student research, and provide hands-on, real-world experiences in a unique setting. In addition to giving faculty a chance to engage in interdisciplinary research projects, the Field Station also offers the community multiple activities to learn about sustainability. The projects happening at the Field Station span multiple colleges, from an ongoing study of European starlings by assistant professor of biology Sarah Guindre-Parker to a small farm with edible vegetables supervised by geography professors Jason Rhodes and Vanessa Slinger-Friedman. Rhodes and Slinger-Friedmans Food Forest hews closely to the original Field Station project culinary sustainability. It sits on a third of an acre near the entrance to the Field Station and serves as a model for urban cultivation. By growing vegetables, the project seeks to lead the way to a sustainable mode of urban agriculture. I knew there needed to be a hands-on model for the class, so in 2019, I visited the Field Station and realized it was a perfect spot for the Food Forest, said Rhodes, who teaches a class in sustainable agriculture each spring. The best thing about it is its replicable in any urban setting, and we do invite people from all over the Atlanta metro area to see what were teaching and learning at KSU. Assistant professor of biology Mario Bretfeld also works with growing food, only in a different way. In one of the clear-glass, Quonset-hut greenhouses, Bretfeld hydroponically grows tomatoes for an ongoing, externally funded project in his PlantEcoPhysiology laboratory. Before Bretfeld arrived at KSU in 2019, his research focused primarily on the interaction between trees and their environments, particularly regarding water uptake. Over time, he realized his research had an application to agriculture and collaborated with associate professor of mechanical engineering Sathish Gurupatham (an expert in thermodynamics) for the hydroponic tomato project. One of the big reasons why I came to KSU was the Field Station, Bretfeld said. I did most of my research in the Rocky Mountains, and I needed a local research spot. I realized I had access to the hydroponic greenhouse at the Field Station and could lean on the expertise of the Field Station staff; from there, the project just grew and grew. Guindre-Parker also joined Kennesaw State in 2019. Like Bretfeld, she says the Field Station was a major drawing point. Guindre-Parker studies European starlings and how theyve adapted successfully to different environments. She has around 50 nest boxes at the Field Station, which sits at the intersection of city and country for migratory birds a valuable spot for research. The Field Station is an important peri-urban site, granting us access to a unique intermediate between urban and rural spaces where we can work safely in a space dedicated for research, Guindre-Parker said. It is a great place for students new to field work to get the hang of things in a space that is secure and well equipped. It also supports large groups including field trips for my courses. Blackwell lists the various projects going on at the farm with a sense of pride, considering it had just one ongoing project when he arrived. The partnership with the Office of Research further solidified the Field Station as an integral part of KSUs sustained R2 status, and Corso said the Field Station perfectly illustrates the Universitys potential for growth. We have three priorities for the Field Station: research, students, and the community, she said. Our office is dedicated to making the Field Station a hub of not only research but also teaching, and we do host classes there frequently. And for the community, we provide workshops to see what were doing out there. The Field Station is really a jewel for KSU. Furthering this commitment, the Field Station offers community partners educational programming, activities, and special events related to sustainability. These activities have included a Beginner Beekeeping Workshop, Small Farms Tool demonstration, and the very popular workshop on Growing Culinary Mushrooms at home. In addition, the facility welcomes volunteers to participate in weekly community service opportunities assisting with field and ground maintenance, planting, harvesting, and helping with seasonal necessities. For his part, Blackwell said he welcomes inquiries from every corner of the university. He said professors from engineering and architecture have been in contact, though the most interesting collaboration came from the department of dance, where students performed an interpretive piece among the rows of trees. My answer is always yes, Blackwell said. Lets find a space that works for the project that you want and well make it happen. Story by Dave Shelles Photos by Judith Pishnery, Jason Getz Related Stories A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 43,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The universitys vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 7 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu. Kenosha police arrested a 40-year-old man who hid in the attic of a home in the citys Uptown neighborhood following a vehicle pursuit Monday. Just after 4:30 p.m., officers conducted a traffic stop of the suspect, who is known to authorities, and was wanted on felony domestic violence charges, according to Sgt. Joseph Nosalik of the Kenosha Police Department. The man, who is from Kenosha, fled the stop in his vehicle and a pursuit ensued, but was quickly terminated after police learned a child was in the suspects vehicle, according to Nosalik. Officers who continued the investigation then learned of the suspects likely whereabouts, convening in the 6200 block of 25th Avenue. There, they discovered the man had fled into a home after having handed the child off to a neighbor. After confirming the child was safe, the departments Special Weapons and Tactics unit and police negotiators arrived at the scene where the man was determined to have hidden in the homes attic underneath insulation. Two hours later, negotiators were able to successfully arrange his peaceful surrender. The man emerged and was taken into custody without further incident. He faces multiple felony charges that will be referred to the Kenosha County District Attorneys Office, according to authorities. PLEASANT PRAIRIE Family, friends and others who loved Lillian Jilk came together Monday to celebrate her life and her service in the country. Funeral services for Jilk, 103, of Kenosha, were held Monday at St. Peter Catholic Church. A procession then made its way to the mausoleum at All Saints Cemetery, where a brief ceremony was held. Jilk passed away on Friday, Jan. 6, at Casa Del Mare. Jilk, who was born in Gilmanton Township, Minn., began her military service in 1944 by joining the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps. During the war, Jilk was stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Hospital Base in North Chicago, Ill., and then at boot camp in Farragut, Idaho. At the end of her service, she worked at the Naval Hospital in Long Beach, Calif., and helped sailors who returned from the war with treatment of their injuries. She served 27 months in the Nursing Corps and was discharged as a LT (JG) Navy Nurse Corp-WWII, in May of 1946. The Kenosha Area Vietnam Honor Guard, which provides military honors for service members, took part in Mondays ceremony, playing taps, firing three rifle volleys and paying respects as the American flag that adorned her casket was folded and handed to her family. To be a nurse during WWII and live to 103 is very rare, said Honor Guard Commander Tim Green. It was a great honor to give her last goodbye. Mike Hellquist of the American Legion said Jilk was a member of the local American Legion Post 21, and it was an honor to share and participate in her legacy. I wouldnt miss it for the world, he said. Lillian was employed with St. Catherines Hospital as a nurse. She was a member St. Peters Catholic Church and the Womens League. She also volunteered at The Shalom Center, Hospice Alliance and was active in the Wisconsin Right to Life. Lillian is survived by her grandchildren, Peter (Roxanne) Jilk, Sarah (Alex) Rodriguez, Ryan Kahl, Kyle Kahl and Katie Kahl; her great-grandchildren, Joseph Jilk, Noah Jilk and Odin Kahl; her sister, Evelyn (Jerome) Scapanski of Foley, MN and her sister-in-law, Kathy Lewandowski of White Park, Minn. IN PHOTOS: Holy Rosary Parish celebrates woman's 75 years as church organist COOKIE'S DIAMOND JUBILEE AT HOLY ROSARY COOKIE'S DIAMOND JUBILEE AT HOLY ROSARY COOKIE'S DIAMOND JUBILEE AT HOLY ROSARY COOKIE'S DIAMOND JUBILEE AT HOLY ROSARY COOKIE'S DIAMOND JUBILEE AT HOLY ROSARY COOKIE'S DIAMOND JUBILEE AT HOLY ROSARY COOKIE'S DIAMOND JUBILEE AT HOLY ROSARY China urges Japan to safely dispose of nuclear-contaminated water Xinhua) 13:41, January 17, 2023 BEIJING, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- China once again urges Japan to take the reasonable concerns of relevant parties seriously and dispose of its nuclear-contaminated water in a science-based, open, transparent and safe manner, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Monday. Wang made the remarks at a daily news briefing here in response to reports that Japan would pipe nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power station into the ocean during the spring and summer this year. Wang said that over the past two years, the international community has strongly questioned and opposed the unilateral and erroneous decision of the Japanese government to discharge nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean, and expressed grave concerns over the impact such an action would have on the marine environment and public health. Wang said the majority of the Japanese public is also opposed to this irresponsible approach. When polled, 55 percent of respondents opposed the disposal of contaminated water into the ocean. "It is regrettable that the concerns of all parties have yet to be given due attention or be addressed by Japan," Wang said, adding that Japan has failed to provide scientific and credible explanations concerning the legitimacy of its plan, the accuracy of data on the nuclear-contaminated water, the effectiveness of the treatment system, and the uncertainties about the environmental impact. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has sent three technical task forces to Japan and so far, there has been no conclusive resolution on Japan's proposal, Wang said, noting that the agency has also issued many requests to Japan, seeking clarifications or making recommendations for improved disposal plans. "Under such circumstances, it is reckless and irresponsible for Japan to approve the discharge plan and proceed with the relevant construction project," he said. Wang said that China once again urges Japan to take the reasonable concerns of relevant parties seriously, and dispose of the nuclear-contaminated water in a science-based, open, transparent and safe manner. Japan should subject to the strict monitoring of the IAEA, and protect the marine environment, health rights and interests of all people, he added. "Without authorization and full consultation with its neighbors, other stakeholders and relevant international institutions, Japan should not begin the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean," Wang said. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) It was in 2012 that I started to realize that my wife Jennifers memory lapses were a significant sign to be taken seriously. That insight set us on a four-year journey, during which we engaged four neurologists in our quest for an answer. At last, Dr. Brent Fogel at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA diagnosed Jennifer with adult polyglucosan body disease (APBD), an ultra-rare, neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a deficiency of glycogen branching enzyme, resulting in the accumulation of polyglucosan bodies in muscles, nerves, and various other tissues. The polyglucosan bodies are particularly toxic to neurons, causing progressive central and peripheral nervous system degeneration. This manifests as trouble urinating (neurogenic bladder), stiff and weak legs that impair walking, numbness in the legs, fatigue, and in some cases, cognitive decline. Hearing this diagnosis felt like a punch in the stomach, especially when Dr. Fogel added, There is no cure. This did not fit with the vision Jennifer and I had for our future years together. We were in the prime of our lives, embracing our careers, raising our children, and living an active lifestyle. At the moment we received the diagnosis, I went into problem-solving mode. To this day, I still look for solutions and think I can solve the problem. At first, the issues were easily managed, but as time passed, the challenges have become greater. Weve gone from incontinence pads to catheters, walkers to wheelchairs. Each month, new symptoms arise. Now, Jennifers temperature is unstable, as is her gastrointestinal system. I hope I can always help my partner with whatever she needs. About two years ago, earlier than I expected, I retired from my work as an administrator in higher education so I could be more present with Jennifer and also take care of household needs. I spend my time making adjustments around our home to support my wifes diminishing mobility and cognition, keeping her comfortable, entertained, healthy, and safe, and solving the issues that arise as her symptoms evolve and progress. My caregiving role has two sides: The What-Can-I-Do, or the thinking part, and the How-Are-We-Feeling, or the emotional part. Both are equally important. When were together, I try not just to do something to get it done, but to be in the moment and aware of where we are and to be mindful, even if it is as simple as just holding Jennifers hand. I meet Jennifer where she is on each day. Our clinicians provided no social service resources, so I find support for both sides of caregiving from the APBD Research Foundations monthly Caregiver and Family Chats, where I connect with other caregivers. There is not a lot of information one can find anywhere else on APBD. Being a part of this Chat program helps me stay mindful and in the moment. Jennifer and I maintain a strong partnership. I often refer to APBD as our illness, and I refer to my wife as my hero because of her strength through all she has endured and continues to endure. However frustrated she may be, she is very accepting and figures out how to get through it. When new challenges arise, I meet them with creativity. For example, when our grandson was born in 2021, I helped Jennifer to remember his name by posting pictures of the baby all over the room. It was only recently, in the last year or so, that I have looked at the long-term, at the trajectory of what APBD is. I am learning that we can only live each day as it comes. I meet Jennifer where she is on each day. Jennifer and I have enjoyed many years of love and togetherness. I honor our partnership by living in the now and appreciating the little things when I care for my wifes struggles with APBD. I remind Jennifer often, You are as strong as you are today; and today, this is where we are. Bruce Rosky is a patient advocate. 1 Shares Share No, no, no! Im having a nightmare! She shrieked through the phone. I couldnt bear to hear it as words fell clumsily out of my mouth. Your husband couldnt breathe on his own. We had to put him on a ventilator. Im so sorry. I was apologizing already. Im sure she knew that it wasnt a good sign when a physician opened with an apology. What does that mean? she stuttered. I could hear in her voice that she didnt want the answer. Your husband has a large blood clot in his lungs. When patients cannot breathe on their own, in this situation, with this virus, it is usually a mortal event. I had five years of experience calling families with horrifying news; why did I feel so awkward? I became frustrated with myself. With each scathing statement, I cringed. I didnt know how to give her the truth without tearing the last shred of hope out of her heartbroken arms. Her painful sobbing ensued. For the first time in my life, I knew what people meant when they said they were numb. My hand held the phone lifelessly but I refused to cry in front of my colleagues, who were frantically rushing me for sign out. But the worst was yet to come. Another sound came shrieking across the line. Three daughters. One my age. They were listening in. I was on speakerphone. I had no idea. It was Good Friday. They needed their father for the major Catholic holiday that their Sicilian family celebrated in three short days. Easter was a holiday I spent with my Italian family every year in traditional style with flowers, chocolate, and multiple rounds of food. In fact, my birthday intermittently fell on Easter Sunday, so early April was an especially nostalgic time of year for me. For Italians, Easter marks the end of winter, the beginning of Spring. It is the celebration of our Saviors resurrection. This is the time of the year when what was dead comes back to life. But our holiday lost its promise this year. The three, I imagined beautiful, young women waled, sobbed and waled in terror on the other side of the phone. Their 55-year-old, healthy father wouldnt be home for the holiday. In fact, last Easter was their last Easter with him. I understood what the upcoming holiday meant. I understood having an Italian father who was born and raised in Brooklyn because mine was, too. I understood being the daughter of that kind of stubborn, old-school, independent man and I understood needing him in my life, for better or worse, but I couldnt share any of this with them. I need a miracle, I need a miracle, I need a miracle! Colloredos wife recited over and over in desperation. I felt their cutting cries in the makeshift ICU, but it was late in my shift, and there was more bad news to distribute to anxious families across the city. Time raced on. Please, please let my daughters see their father. Please let me see my husband. Im sorry, its just too dangerous, I regretfully replied. I wanted to break the doors open for them and every family who begged to say goodbye to their loved one. I glanced over and watched the ventilator force air into Colloredos stiff lungs. Once a strong and self-sufficient man, their husband and father was now lifeless, paralyzed. His skin crackled from pneumomediastinum that engulfed the entire left side of his neck and trunk. He was admitted 24 hours earlier. They were just with him, they insisted. How could this be? I didnt have answers. I wondered if I was having a nightmare, too. *** Dianas mother wanted to FaceTime with her beautiful daughter, a 32-year-old lawyer born and raised in Bay Ridge. A young, accomplished woman who made her way through the outer borough school system and achieved her professional dreams. I identified with her story because it was mine, too. She happened to become the lawyer; I happened to become the doctor who now watched her tumble into respiratory failure as the virus overwhelmed her body. Youre a nurse, correct? I asked her mother. Yes, I am. Is she OK? I was relieved. She seemed to be keeping it together. She was intubated this afternoon, I regretfully reported. Mrs. Aree knew what this meant. Please, let me see her. She begged. I will FaceTime with you as soon as I can. Abruptly, a blaring alarm intruded our call. Another code blue. I hurriedly hung up. I never did get the chance to call Dianas mother back, but I passed the message to a stronger nurse. I called six more patients families that evening, all of who had already passed. Men and women died one after the other over the course of that afternoon. Simultaneous codes didnt allow us to resuscitate any of them. Everyone I spoke to received the news that their beloved father, daughter, sister, or mother was gone. They died silently on a ventilator, alone. Furthermore, unable to hold memorial gatherings, families couldnt touch, hold or see their loved ones body again. They were just with them, but now they were gone. I was off that Easter weekend. I texted my friends who were on duty to see how Diana was doing on Easter morning. Is her kidney functioning improving? Did anyone call over to the main hospital and present her case for ECMO? Leo typed slowly, we didnt get a chance, Marissa. Unfortunately, she died this morning. I read the text and looked away. I sighed, paused, and then I looked her up. I found her LinkedIn and Instagram accounts. She seemed incredible. I dont know who called her mother that Easter morning, but my heart broke for both parties. She was young with no known medical history and was full of promise. We were rooting for her. When she made a full recovery, I wanted to become a friend of hers. But my hope was shattered now, too and all I could remember was failing her mother that night. I didnt realize she had 48 hours left. If youre reading this now, and you are Dinas mother, I want you to know I am so sorry. The streets of New York City were completely silent. I drove the variable reliable 2002 Toyota Camry my sister graciously lent me to avoid the devastated public transit system. I panicked every day at 6:30 a.m. and every night at 7:30 p.m. I knew that if I were to break down on the way to the hospital, I would be stranded. Emergency services were inundated with emergency calls. If I crashed and sustained any injury, I could very well be left for dead on the Brooklyn- Queens Expressway, a roadway usually so packed with cars it more often resembles a parking lot than a major highway. I was in isolation from friends and family for three weeks at this point. I went on to spend my birthday alone for fear that I may be an asymptomatic carrier. As a physician caring for these patients, I felt like a constant threat to others during a simple trip to the grocery store. No one knew how long the virus lived on surfaces or how it was transmitted yet. But I saw what this virus was capable of, so I obeyed diligent precautions. I never wanted to be the reason why another physician would have to make the calls that I had to make that day. The firetrucks applauded and celebrated with us at 7 p.m. every night. The city cheered audibly for the heroes, but I wasnt a hero at all. As a cardiologist, I was used to saving lives in an impactful way, but this was a different story entirely. I was no longer doing what I originally dreamed a doctor would do. One day, as the men and women of service cheered, the tears consumed me. I couldnt hide my despair any longer. It was uncontrollable. It took at least an hour to gather myself once I got into the cold car. It was as if every moment of strength I had during these phone calls melted into this unexpected moment of painful, overwhelming emotional expression. When the sirens rang out, and they cheered, I couldnt bear to think they were cheering for me. Rather, I imagined them celebrating patients lives lost, lives that families could not celebrate or commemorate in a proper fashion. I reasoned that the cheering and applause were a demonstration of support and encouragement for mourning families who desperately needed comfort. And so today, I thank you, families. Thank you for allowing me to be with your beloved at the end of their incredible lives. You all should hear that their lives touched mine in a way that will remain with me forever. Marissa Lombardo is a cardiologist. The prevailing party contract is not the only contract that can protect a doctor in medical malpractice litigation. There is also the doctor-defense counsel contract. Because of the risk of litigation, doctors often have a contract with a medical malpractice insurance carrier. The carrier offers to cover litigation costs in exchange for premiums, limits on liability, and other terms of coverage. The insurance company is then obligated to appoint and pay for an attorney to defend the doctor. This contract typically includes a cooperation clause requiring the doctor to work with the insurance carrier and the attorney it appoints in their defense plans. Essentially, there is an unnamed third party to this agreement the attorney. When a doctor is served with a complaint, they notify the medical malpractice insurance company. The company then appoints an attorney, who likely already has a contract with the carrier to offer representation to the insurance company for the defense of its clients. The carrier accepts this offer in exchange for a retainer and other compensation, and sets terms for how it expects the lawyer to defend its clients. The doctor can be defended unconditionally or with a reservation of rights. Most carriers defend with a reservation of rights, which means the carrier can deny the rights of the doctor if the doctors interests do not align with those of the carrier. This contract puts the doctor in a precarious position because the attorney has a conflict of interest they have two clients: the doctor and the insurance company. If claimants who sue doctors have contracts with their attorneys, why shouldnt doctors who are being sued have contracts with their attorneys, especially when the doctors attorney is appointed by the insurance carrier? A lawyer may argue that an oral contract exists with the doctor. This is true, but there is also a written contract between this lawyer and the insurance company. An oral contract is contestable, but a written contract is not. What if the doctor wants a written contract with the lawyer? The contract stipulates: In regards to the medical malpractice case in question, the doctor agrees to fully cooperate with defense counsel by providing a summary of the medical intervention in question that demonstrates the lack of merit in this case. This summary also tests the quality of evidence in this hypothesis with a level of significance of 0.05, corresponding to a 95% chance that this hypothesis is correct. It is expected that this hypothesis will be used to assist in the defense of this case. It is understood that the burden of proof is preponderance of evidence. It is also understood that the quality of evidence, specifically a level of significance of 0.05, as presented in the hypothesis, does not conflict with preponderance of evidence. This same quality of evidence will be reflected in the denials stated in the answer to the complaint and in the certificate of qualified expert (CQE) prepared by the medical expert. In consideration, the defendant doctor has no hesitation to accept representation by this defense counsel and no objection to appropriate compensation. Upon acceptance, defense counsel agrees to transmit this summary to the medical malpractice insurance carrier that appointed defense counsel and to the medical expert selected by defense counsel and approved by the medical malpractice carrier. Assuming all conditions regarding preponderance of evidence and quality of evidence are accurate, counsel will make a sincere effort to base this physicians defense on the aforementioned hypothesis. In these circumstances, the quality of evidence, specifically a level of significance of 0.05, will be reflected in the denials and in the certificate of qualified expert. For this consideration, defense counsel agrees to represent this doctor under the previously agreed upon terms of compensation. It goes without saying that any malpractice attorney and any medical expert should understand the concept of preponderance of evidence, the meaning of a level of significance of 0.05, and the concept of a type I error. The terms of this contract are entirely reasonable and completely compatible with all other existing contracts between the doctor and the insurance carrier and between the lawyer and the insurance carrier. Additionally, as a written contract, it is compatible with the oral contract that the attorney claims already exists. If the doctor believes there is a need for a contract, there is a need for a contract. A contract is not a contract until it is accepted. If the attorney rejects these terms, it is because the attorney understands that they have an irreconcilable conflict of interest between the doctor and the insurance company. Under these circumstances, the insurance company is obligated to provide the doctor with another attorney. To be legal and binding, contracts must be made in good faith and all parties must agree to an offer made by one party and accepted by another party. Something of value must be exchanged for something else of value. In this case, the items of value to be exchanged are: 1) the doctors pledge to fully cooperate and to accept representation by the lawyer without hesitation, even though the lawyer has a contract with the malpractice carrier and is directly paid by it, and 2) the lawyers pledge to be an unquestioned, zealous advocate for the doctor in a malpractice lawsuit. There is no coercion and all parties are competent and have the capacity to accept the terms. If a lawyer does not want a contract, another lawyer can be provided. The doctor-defense counsel contract fulfills the usual terms of contracts. Howard Smith is an obstetrics-gynecology physician. Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny-supported companies created 103 jobs in 2022 - up significantly from the 81 that were created by LEO Kilkenny in 2021. That's according to annual results for LEOs in 2022 announced today by Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Simon Coveney. The net jobs created by Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny supported clients in 2022 was 103, which takes into account businesses that amalgamated, ceased trading and those that transferred on to Enterprise Ireland. The new figures show that the LEO Kilkenny financially supported 182 small businesses in their portfolio across the county and these companies in turn employ 1,077 people. The total national figures for the Local Enterprise Offices across the country were announced with the LEOs now supporting 37,863 jobs across 7,221 companies. In 2022 there were 7,870 new jobs created by LEO clients companies with a net job creation figure of 3,447. This was up 10% nationally on 2021. From the jobs created, 84% were outside of the Dublin region. The LEOs also provide substantial funded supports to thousands of other small businesses across the country with programmes such as the Trading Online Voucher, Lean for Micro and Green for Micro along with training and mentoring. Minister Coveney said: These results show the significant role the Local Enterprise Offices are playing in not only creating new businesses and jobs but also in sustaining them. On the back of some of the most difficult years for small businesses we are still seeing growth across the country. During the pandemic we saw how essential the LEOs were to small businesses and they will be essential as we navigate the ongoing cost of living and energy crises. With 84% of new jobs being created outside of Dublin it reinforces the Governments strategy to strengthen employment throughout Ireland. As the remit of the Local Enterprise Offices has now broadened to companies up to 50 employees, even more SMEs will be able to avail of their supports, but also their expertise in growing enterprise in towns and villages across the country. The Local Enterprise Offices were to the fore in supporting small businesses across the country in 2022, helping thousands to pivot online or adapt their products and services through a large suite of supports. The Local Enterprise Offices offering training and mentoring in a range of areas from financial skills and product innovation to starting a business and maximising presence online. Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny Coun ty Council Pat Fitzpatrick says the results announced today are a testament to Kilkennys small business community. "When faced with adversity, they have adapted, pivoted, upskilled and did whatever it took to sustain themselves. We are seeing new opportunities for businesses here and as always with tough economic periods we see new ideas and businesses emerge and flourish," he said. Acting Head of Enterprise at LEO Kilkenny, Aileen McGrath said 2023 will be no different and LEO Kilkenny will continue to work closely with Enterprise Ireland and all partners to ensure small businesses get the best possible supports. Welcoming the strong employment results, Enterprise Ireland CEO, Leo Clancy said; These are very positive employment results from the Local Enterprise Offices. It demonstrates the close relationship that exists between the LEOs and the companies they support and how they are able to navigate a challenging business environment, such as we witnessed in 2022. Enterprise Ireland and the LEOs are engaged in an exciting work programme to increase alignment between both organisations so that we can better serve businesses at all stages of growth and development and help them to create prosperity and jobs throughout Ireland. I look forward to continuing to work on that agenda in 2023. The Local Enterprise Offices located in the local authorities and funded through Enterprise Ireland support thousands of small Irish businesses and entrepreneurs nationwide. Since their establishment in 2014 they have been the first stop shop for entrepreneurs and small businesses and providing a range of supports including financial, mentoring, training and sector specific expertise to help guide businesses at any stage of their development. They also run key initiatives to foster entrepreneurship across the country including Local Enterprise Week, National Womens Enterprise Day, the Student Enterprise Programme and the National Enterprise Awards. For more information on the Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny go to www.LocalEnterprise.ie/ Kilkenny. Some of Kilkennys best up and coming craft and design businesses will be part of over 100 companies from across Ireland who will get a chance to meet with buyers from all over the world as part of the Local Enterprise Showcase at the 2023 Showcase event in the RDS, running January 22-24. An initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices, the Local Enterprise Showcase, is a special area at Showcase that houses a range of Irelands newest design talent. Participating for the first time will be Geraldine Walsh, Geraldine Walsh Art displaying her original oil paintings, fine art prints and cards; Anne Healy, Biddys Good Luck Horse Shoes, a business creating good luck gifts for all occasions from genuine horseshoes; and Kristina Belejova, Amalka a linen brand with elegant clothing for everyday wear and for special occasions. Following a successful year, Cait Mackey Maher with her award winning, greeting card business Yellow Deer Designs will be participating for the second year in row. The Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny has been working with these clients on merchandising for their stands, marketing, and sales techniques to ensure they maximise opportunities at the three-day event. Showcase is presented on behalf of Design and Crafts Council Ireland, with support from Enterprise Ireland in promoting the trade show internationally through their network of offices overseas, and the Local Enterprise Offices nationwide. Other participants from County Kilkenny at Showcase 2023 will include Nicholas Mosse, Jerpoint Glass Studio, Dominka Stoppa, Kilkenny Silver and DFM Clothing. Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council, Cllr Pat Fitzpatrick said: Showcase provides small businesses with the opportunity to meet with buyers specific to their market from countries all over the world. He added This event shows the value of partnership with the Local Enterprise Offices, the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland and Enterprise Ireland working together to give these wonderfully talented designers and craftspeople the opportunity to bring their products to the world stage. Aileen McGrath, Acting Head of Local Enterprise believes this is an opportunity for up-and-coming craft and design clients looking to make that break through. To be exposed to this many high-quality buyers in one place is an incredible opportunity for any business starting out," she said. The Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny has been working with our clients on merchandising for their stands, marketing, and sales techniques to ensure they maximise opportunities at the three-day event. Rosemary Steen, CEO of Design and Crafts Council Ireland said: We at Design & Crafts Council Ireland are greatly looking forward to the return of our international trade fair, Showcase 2023. Showcase offers designers and makers the opportunity to not only meet and do business, but also the chance to come together to celebrate the creativity, the impact and the importance of the heritage of the Irish craft and design sector globally. Local Enterprise Showcase is one of several enterprise initiatives run by the Local Enterprise Offices across the year to foster entrepreneurship and help small businesses to start and grow. For more information on the Local Enterprise Offices and the supports they can provide, please visit localenterprise.ie/kilkenny. The Dutch Ambassador paid a flying visit to Kilkenny and praised recent developments in the business sector and also spoke of the ongoing local and national challenges with public representatives. The ambassador, Adriann Palm had a busy schedule during his visit to the Marble City and met with public representatives as well as members of Kilkenny Chamber of Commerce and Kilkenny County Council. I had productive meetings with Minister Michael Noonan and TDs Kathleen Funchion and John Paul Phelan on both national and local challenges including housing, the cost of living, the environment/sustainability and farming and where we can strengthen Dutch-Irish cooperation. Those local challenges I subsequently discussed with both the Kilkenny Chamber of Commerce and the Kilkenny County Council. Citizens in both Ireland and the Netherlands are confronted with challenges like housing and climate change, and we should look to see where we can learn from each other. My only regret is that I didnt have more time for this visit and see more of the diversity both the city and the county have to offer. But alas, thats another reason to come back. Ive seen some great changes since my last visit to Kilkenny pre-Covid, and I hope that at my next visit, the city and county will have it made even more attractive for citizens to use public transport and active travel. I have also been impressed by the developments in the business sector in County Kilkenny. In Dublin, we often talk about the need or desire to diversify the economic basis. Were already seeing that happen in Kilkenny, with numerous new investments taking place. And part of that is Dutch, like the joint venture between Tirlan and Royal A-ware, the largest dairy investment in Irish history. But its also local entrepreneurs who are creating positive news and putting smiles on peoples faces, like the Dutch master florist Lamber de Bie. At the Embassy, we not only focus on business and trade, but also on European cooperation. And it was a great pleasure for me to speak at the opening of the Leinster regional meeting of the European Youth Parliament in the Loreto Secondary School in Kilkenny. It was great to see so many young people actively engaged and debate how we can together work on European and national solutions for the problems we as citizens encounter, he added. One hundred young people from all across Europe, the majority coming from Kilkenny and Leinster attended the event. On Saturday morning the European Youth Parliament held the opening ceremony for the session. The Lord Mayor of Kilkenny, David Fitzgerald, and the Dutch Ambassador to Ireland attended at the Loreto Secondary School, along with our delegates and officials. On Sunday, the General Assembly took place, which consists of a Parliamentary Debate which will have young people discussing their resolutions on topical subjects such as unemployment, disability, housing and energy availability. This is the first Leinster Regional Session outside of Dublin since 2015, and we have officials travelling from Cyprus, Finland, Sweden, Portugal and many other countries. This is EYPs first event in Kilkenny, and the first EYP event of this size to have international delegates. James Bradshaw from Westcourt in Callan who was recently appointed as Politics & Europe Officer at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Ireland was also in attendance the Kilkenny visit. Overcrowding has spiked again at St Luke's Hospital in Kilkenny, with the INMO warning that 36 patients are waiting on a bed there today. There are 29 on trolleys and seven on a ward elsewhere. It is a rise from yesterday (Monday), when the figure was 32. Meanwhile, Sinn Fein TD for Carlow Kilkenny Kathleen Funchion has called on government to endorse and implement her partys proposals to end the constant crisis in our hospitals. Deputy Funchion was speaking ahead of Sinn Feins Dail motion on the issue, which will be debated on Wednesday. This winter must be a watershed moment in ending the constant crises in our hospitals. Overcrowding is inhumane, unsafe, and undignified. We need radical action," she said. The solutions are no secret and there are no more lessons to be learned. Sinn Fein has a plan to turn it around. Two decades of negligence have come home to roost. We have fewer acute inpatient beds in hospitals than 25 years ago and need at least 800 more acute and transitional care beds in place before next winter. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) reported just five days where there were fewer than 350 patients on trolleys in 2022. They recorded no day with under 300. Instead of ending the scandal of patients on trolleys, Fine Gael made it worse. The health service is only held together by the goodwill and hard labour of healthcare workers battling crises day in, day out. Overcrowding was declared a national emergency in 2006 but it has been allowed to become the new normal. But it is not normal, it is a national disgrace. In the short-term, government must make greater use of all public and private health care infrastructure to alleviate pressure on the public system." Sinn Fein TD for Carlow-Kilkenny Kathleen Funchion has called on government to implement Sinn Fein proposals to end the constant crisis in hospitals. Deputy Funchion was speaking ahead of Sinn Feins Dail motion on the issue, which will be debated on Wednesday. Funchion said that winter must be a watershed moment in ending the constant crises in our hospitals. "Overcrowding is inhumane, unsafe, and undignified," she said. "We need radical action. The solutions are no secret and there are no more lessons to be learned. Sinn Fein has a plan to turn it around. "Two decades of negligence have come home to roost. We have fewer acute inpatient beds in hospitals than 25 years ago and need at least 800 more acute and transitional care beds in place before next winter. "The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) reported just five days where there were fewer than 350 patients on trolleys in 2022. They recorded no day with under 300. "Overcrowding was declared a 'national emergency' in 2006 but it has been allowed to become the new normal. But it is not normal, it is a national disgrace." Teachta Funchion stated that in the short-term, government must make greater use of all public and private health care infrastructure to alleviate pressure on the public system. Sinn Fein has a multi-annual plan to increase the number of public beds, including more acute inpatient and sub-acute hospital beds and community step-down beds to speed up admissions and discharges to meet rising demand and demographic change, and to expedite the development of elective centres." The richest 1% of Irish people have more than a quarter of the countrys wealth, according to a report from anti-poverty charity Oxfam. The number of Irish people with individual wealth of more than 46.6 million euro has more than doubled between 2012 and 2022, from 655 to 1,435. Oxfam said that for every 93.15 euro of wealth created in the last ten years, 31.67 euro has gone to the richest 1% and less than 0.5 euro to the bottom 50%. According to the charity, this means that the richest 1% have gained 70 times more wealth than the bottom 50% in the last 10 years. Oxfam Ireland is calling for a tax on Irish wealth at graduated rates of 2%, 3% and 5% above a threshold of 4.7 million euro, which it said would raise billions annually with the potential to transform Irish public services. The charity said there should be an international approach to taxing the super-rich through permanent wealth taxes and temporary windfall taxes, and that governments should aim to halve the wealth of, and the number of, billionaires. Chief executive of Oxfam Ireland Jim Clarken said: This rising wealth at the top and rising poverty for the rest are two sides of the same coin, proof that our economic system is functioning exactly how the rich and powerful designed it to. It was 10 years ago when we first sounded the alarm about extreme inequality at the World Economic Forum and yet since then the worlds billionaires have almost doubled their wealth. As crisis after crisis hits the poorest people hardest, its time for governments, including Irelands, to tax the rich. The very existence of billionaires while out-of-control inequality rises, is damning proof of policy failure. Oxfams Survival of the Richest report is published to coincide with the gathering of world leaders and business elites in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Finance Minister Michael McGrath are among those attending the summit this week. After Mr McGrath attends a Eurogroup meeting in Brussels on Monday, and the Ecofin Council on Tuesday, he will travel to Davos where he will take part in a panel discussion called Jobs Consortium: Towards a New Vision for the Future of Work. Mr McGrath will also host a dinner with IDA client companies who are deemed to be key investors in Ireland. Speaking ahead of the trip, Mr McGrath said the World Economic Forum provides a valuable opportunity for Ireland to engage with senior political and business leaders from across the world. I will devote a lot of my time at the Forum to meeting current and potential job-creators in Ireland, with a view to promoting the expansion of existing investments and the establishment of new ones, he said. More than 30 people from most of the villages in the shadow of Slievenamon attended a very successful meeting in Kilcash Hall on Thursday evening. The aim was to look at celebrating the 175th anniversary of the Monster Meeting on Slievenamon in 1848 and the relaunching of The Queen of the Mountain womens race that was last held in the 1973. Chaired by Michael Kehoe of Kilcash, an excellent presentation on the history of the time in Ireland and the details of the mountain top meeting was made by Robert Duggan. In it he also outlined the historic significance of the sacred mountain that has featured in all aspects of life since the very first folklore stories began to the more hectic times of rebellion over that last 300 years. That meeting was attended by a crowd of thousands, who ascended the mountain from all sides and other events on Carraigadoon and Ballingarry at a time when it also marked the 50th anniversary of the 1798 rebellion on nearby Carrigmaclear. The gathering co-ordinated by The Lingaun Valley Tourism Group working with the Kilcash community and Tipperary County Council was also given additional historic information by Fr Jimmy Browne from Ballyneale and the logistical details by the Lingaun Valley secretary Tony Musiol. At it were residents from the local villages in alphabetical order that included Ahenny, Ballyneale, Ballypatrick, Ballyboe, Cloneen, Drangan, Kilcash, Kilmacow, Kilsheelan, Skough, Owning, Tullahought, and Windgap, along with representatives from Tipp Co Council, Kilkenny Co Council and an Garda Siochana. Following a lively discussion it was unanimously agreed to progress with both proposals on July 26. As a result a number of sub committees were created covering the Ladies Race, Arts, Village festival, Publicity and Promotion and Finance and Fundraising to organise them. The next meeting takes place in Kilcash Hall on Thursday, January 26 at 7.30pm Locals opposed to a planned wind farm just a few kilometres outside of Kilkenny City are continuing their campaign to stop the development by EDF Renewables Ireland, which is wholly owned by the French energy giant, EDF Group. The community was out in force last Thursday evening at a public meeting, organised by the Save Our Hills group, at Johnswell Hall. Local auctioneer, Michael Boyd, who lives just under one kilometre from a proposed wind turbine, told the meeting that in his opinion if the planned development goes ahead the scale of devaluation of property in the area will be on a scale of between 20% and 100%. Locals also outlined their concerns including the destruction of the scenic landscape, the social cost to the community with people leaving the area and the persistent noise and nuisance from the turbines. One of the organisers, Stephen Keogh told the meeting that the proposed development is about money and power for the big data centres in the country. Mr Keogh also said according the group it is believed that EDF have signed agreements with at least six landowners in the area. The meeting also heard that there were 600 objections from the locality to the recent County Development Plan regarding the zoning of lands as suitable for wind development. EDF Renewables Ireland has stated that it intends to submit a planning application and an Environmental Impact Assessment Report in support of the project to the relevant authority in late 2023. Subject to planning permission, the wind farm could be constructed and operational by 2028. The company also said that a Community Benefit Fund commensurate with the size of the final project will be established to provide funding for local community initiatives and activities. Shenandoah, IA (51601) Today Windy with a mix of clouds and sun. High around 85F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.. Tonight Clear. Windy this evening. Low 57F. Winds SSE at 20 to 30 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, here in Washington, DC, in 2022, issued an order in November 2021 that declared "sq---" derogatory and required the term to be removed from federal usage. Yes, by at least $1 Yes, by $2 or more No Vote View Results There were no injuries when this dump truck, carrying a load of limestone, hit an extension ladder along the roadway on Interstate 69 just north of the C.R. 11A exit around 9:30 a.m. Monday. The driver attempted to miss the ladder, causing the load to shift. New Delhi, January 17: India's fight against the Covid crisis has set a positive global example, said Mark Suzman, CEO of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, adding that it can be a model for others on how it addressed the manufacturing and distribution of vaccines at such a scale. "We were proud to be able to help work with the Indian government and with partners like the Serum Institute of India, to help manufacture some of the vaccines and to help with some of the primary health care facilities to help with distribution and in some of the states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar where we work closely, but it really is a model both because of the direct COVID response, but also because the infrastructure that's been put in place has lots of positive effects by other forms of healthcare," Suzman told ANI in an exclusive interview. Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 Nasal Vaccine Approved By Indian Govt For Use in Adults in Emergency Situations. According to India's health ministry's latest data, it has administered over 2.2 billion doses. Asked what challenges the foundation faced during and post-Covid, the pandemic has had a devastating impact, and more so the knock-on impact on economic growth on poverty and people's health. Intranasal COVID-19 Vaccine Approved in India: Bharat Biotech's Nasal Coronavirus Vaccine Gets DCGI Nod for Emergency Use. "Yes, well, globally COVID has had a devastating impact. And not just in terms of the direct impact of the disease itself, but the knock-on impact on economic growth on poverty on health. So across large parts, I think around a third of the developing world is likely to be in recession," he said. However, he believes India is in a "bright spot" as the country has accelerated its broader healthcare ecosystem. "From vaccination campaigns to nutrition campaigns to sanitation campaigns. And so in all of those areas, we're trying to sound the call to action and saying the world really needs to support and engage much more deeply so that we can start to accelerate progress again." Gates Foundation has been working in India for nearly two decades, and it works across a number of sectors from agriculture to financial services, and health, among others. Further, on India's G20 Presidency, he said the Indian government has already shown a strong commitment to driving forward in mitigating global health issues, and broader development issues like digital infrastructure, and financial services, which again can be examples of India addressing some of these issues. "And so I think at the government of India's stated ambition to try and tackle both those things, the issues of pandemic preparedness and global health response so that we can both finish the job on COVID and be ready to address the next pandemic, but also to think about these wider development challenges and using new tools like the digital financial infrastructure that India has developed through UPI, but also some of the new initiatives like the use of environment Digital Health Initiative, which we think again as some very positive models that we'll be able to use in Africa and other parts of the developing world," the CEO said. Meanwhile, on Monday, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced that it will spend USD 8.3 billion in 2023 in its continued efforts to fight poverty, disease, and inequity. By 2026, it aims to meet its commitment to reach an annual payout of USD 9 billion by 2026. On the pledge for 2023 and its commitment to fight malaria through equipping partner countries, Suzman said: "Malaria kills hundreds of thousands of people every year still and is responsible for many millions of cases. India has made great strides addressing some of the most serious incidents remaining in sort of central and west Africa, but they're also it's in South Asia and Latin America." He continued there have been a number of steps -- from the provision of new insecticides and mosquito nets and other treatments and tools in malarial areas, which have been very successful. "There are some new scientific advances using monoclonal antibodies, which is sort of complex and still expensive, but we've seen 80 to 90 per cent success rates in addressing malaria and we think those are going to be the tools that over the next decade or two, the world will actually move from containing and preventing malaria to eventually eradicating it. And that is our innovation," he further said. The foundation's mission is to see a world where every person should have the chance to lead a healthy and productive life. Finally, asked about is the foundation also working on reverse zoonosis, he said they are talking with the department of biotechnology in India, adding the foundation is aware of those challenges of how animal health is linked to human health. "We also are global supporters of an initiative called the Coalition for epidemic preparedness initiative (CEPI) which is a major global effort that is trying to develop protective vaccines against other diseases that could become future pandemics. And so, we work on all of those areas, but really in partnership, we don't take the lead on those research. We do it through coalitions with partnerships with governments like India or the United States." An infection or disease that is transmissible from humans to animals under natural conditions is called reverse zoonosis. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Art exhibition kicks off at Palace Museum in Beijing Xinhua) 13:52, January 17, 2023 Visitors watch a piece of calligraphy work at the Palace Museum in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 16, 2023. A Joint Exhibition on Jinshi Culture and Arts Through the Ages, featuring Chinese ancient imperial scholars, kicked off at the Wumen Exhibition Hall of the Palace Museum. Some 179 selected artworks since the Tang Dynasty (618-907) were on display. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) Two citizens walk past a poster of the Joint Exhibition on Jinshi Culture and Arts Through the Ages at the Palace Museum in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 16, 2023. A Joint Exhibition on Jinshi Culture and Arts Through the Ages, featuring Chinese ancient imperial scholars, kicked off at the Wumen Exhibition Hall of the Palace Museum. Some 179 selected artworks since the Tang Dynasty (618-907) were on display. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) A visitor looks at artworks displayed at an exhibition at the Palace Museum in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 16, 2023. A Joint Exhibition on Jinshi Culture and Arts Through the Ages, featuring Chinese ancient imperial scholars, kicked off at the Wumen Exhibition Hall of the Palace Museum. Some 179 selected artworks since the Tang Dynasty (618-907) were on display. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) Visitors watch an exhibition at the Palace Museum in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 16, 2023. A Joint Exhibition on Jinshi Culture and Arts Through the Ages, featuring Chinese ancient imperial scholars, kicked off at the Wumen Exhibition Hall of the Palace Museum. Some 179 selected artworks since the Tang Dynasty (618-907) were on display. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) A visitor takes photo of a jade carving artwork at the Palace Museum in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 16, 2023. A Joint Exhibition on Jinshi Culture and Arts Through the Ages, featuring Chinese ancient imperial scholars, kicked off at the Wumen Exhibition Hall of the Palace Museum. Some 179 selected artworks since the Tang Dynasty (618-907) were on display. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) Visitors watch the replica of an ancient study at the Palace Museum in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 16, 2023. A Joint Exhibition on Jinshi Culture and Arts Through the Ages, featuring Chinese ancient imperial scholars, kicked off at the Wumen Exhibition Hall of the Palace Museum. Some 179 selected artworks since the Tang Dynasty (618-907) were on display. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) New Delhi, Jan 17 (PTI) AAP MLAs on Tuesday accused the BJP of conspiring demolition of slums in the city after its defeat in the MCD polls, with Development Minister Gopal Rai asserting in the Assembly that the Kejriwal government stands with the slum dwellers. Rai said it was a clear view of the AAP government that unless rehabilitation is carried out, no new demolition can take place. Also Read | Delhi Riots Case 2020: Supreme Court Says Don't Believe in Unnecessarily Keeping People Behind Bars Over Delhi Police's Plea Challenging Bail Granted to Three Students. Hitting back, Leader of Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri charged that the AAP MLAs "lied" in the Assembly without presenting complete picture of the issue. He said there were court orders for removal of slums in Tughlaqabad village and Mehrauli area. Rai, participating in a debate in the House over a calling attention motion on "demolition notices received by residents of Tughlaqabad village", said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government will take up the issue and it will not hesitate to take to streets to stop demolition of slums if need be. Also Read | Kanjhawala Hit-and-Drag Case: Delhi Police Slaps Murder Charges Against 6 Accused. "We will stop it. The government stands with the slum dwellers. It was our view even in 2015 when the AAP formed government in Delhi that there should be no encroachment but no slums should be removed unless people living there are rehabilitated," he told the Assembly. Initiating discussion on the motion, Tughlaqabad MLA Sahiram demanded registration of FIRs against officers who allowed development of the affected colony in his constituency. "What were the officers doing when the colony was developing? Around 10,000 houses have been constructed there. There are 20,000 residents having voter ID cards and they have been given 15 days' time to vacate," Sahiram said urging the Speaker and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to take up the issue with the Centre to stop the demolition. Several other AAP MLAs complained of notices served on residents of slums under their constituencies by different agencies. Kalkaji MLA Atishi said the notices started being issued a few weeks after the BJP lost the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls, for demolition of slums in several parts of the city. "It is a pre-planned conspiracy of the BJP to clear slums in Delhi. I want to tell the BJP, LG and DDA no matter how many notices they issue, no bulldozers will be allowed by the Kejriwal government and the AAP," she asserted. She claimed that the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has served eviction notices on residents of even Subhash Camp slum under Bidhuri's constituency Badarpur. Bidhuri, however, said the Subhash Camp in his constituency was settled on a pond land and it was to be removed in compliance of a Supreme Court order. Naresh Yadav, AAP MLA from Mehrauli, said people are scared in his constituency because notices issued to them in connection with an archaeological park that is yet to come up. "The notices should be withdrawn. I appeal to the LG not to work against the people of Delhi," he said, adding that similar notices were issued to people in other constituencies as well. Ambedkar Nagar MLA Ajay Dutt said the slum in Khanpur ward of his constituency was to be removed for a Metro rail project and it was not clear whether the displaced people will be rehabilitated or not. Leader of Opposition Bidhuri alleged that the Kejriwal government wanted slums to exist in the city for "political reasons". "There is a court order regarding Tughlaqbad village. If AAP MLAs are so concerned, they should ask Chief Minister Kejriwal to withdraw an order by his government surrendering the land in question to the Archaeological Survey of India," he said. There are 50,000 flats lying with the Delhi government and instead of shifting slum dwellers there, the AAP government and party MLAs were indulging in politics over the issue, Bidhuri claimed. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Champhai (Mizoram) [India], January 17 (ANI): Asam Rifles (East) recovered heroin worth Rs 1.3 crore and apprehended two persons in this connection in Mizoram's Champhai village on Tuesday. As per the official statement, the recoveries were made in the General area of Mualkawi along the Champhai-Zokhawthar Road. Also Read | Madhya Pradesh: Teenager Abducted, Raped When Returning From Birthday Party in Bhopal. Assam Rifles recovered 98,000 Triprolidine HCL and Pseudoephedrine Tablets worth Rs 9.80 crore in the General Area Thuampui and apprehended two individuals on Sunday. The Aizawl Battalion of 23 Sector Assam Rifles under the aegis of Inspector General Assam Rifles (East) carried out the operation with CID (SB), Aizawl based on specific information. Also Read | Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot Appeals PM Narendra Modi To Restore Old Pension Scheme in Country. According to an official statement, the approximate cost of the recovered 98000 Triprolidine HCL & Pseudoephedrine Tablets is Rs 9,80,00,000. "The seized consignment and apprehended individuals were handed over to Special Narcotics Police Station CID (Crime), Aizawl on 15 January 2023 for further legal proceedings," the statement said. "Ongoing smuggling of illegal drugs is a major cause of concern for the state of Mizoram. Assam Rifles, rightly christened as the 'Sentinels of Northeast' have been successful in launching such operations against the smuggling activities in Mizoram," 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) Jaipur, Jan 17 (PTI) Bar-clubs in Rajasthan cannot operate beyond midnight, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced on Tuesday. He also said the Rajasthan cabinet has passed a resolution urging the Centre to make a law in parliament to give social security to the people of country. He said the resolution will be sent to the central government. Also Read | Madhya Pradesh: Teenager Abducted, Raped When Returning From Birthday Party in Bhopal. Talking to reporters on the second day of two-day 'Chintan Shivir' of the state government here on Tuesday, Gehlot said the issue of social security should be discussed at the national level. "The time has come when the right to social security act should be made in parliament. One crore people are getting social security in Rajasthan while this number in Uttar Pradesh, which is more populous than Rajasthan, is only 40-50 lakh," he said. Also Read | Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot Appeals PM Narendra Modi To Restore Old Pension Scheme in Country. The cabinet meeting was held on Monday before the two-day chintan shivir began. The chief minister reviewed the performance of all the departments in the shivir. Gehlot expressed displeasure with certain officials not cooperating in executing government schemes and programmes and they should be terminated from service. On bar-clubs remaining open till 34 am, Gehlot said he has directed officials to ensure they close by 12 am. The CM said that the opposition has no issue to raise in the state. Referring to National Crime Records Bureau data, Gehlot said the crime rate in Rajasthan has decreased by 5 percent in 2021 compared to 2019. On the performance of ministers, he said they have confidence and grip on their departments. (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], January 17 (ANI): Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday said that the BJP government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi doesn't believe in mere sloganeering, but in "taking actions and bringing results" with the spirit of 'Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikaas'. He said this while speaking to reporters on the second day of the National Executive meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party here. Also Read | 7th Pay Commission Latest News Today: Decision on DA Hike Likely on January 31, Increase of 3% Expected. "Our government does not believe in mere sloganeering, but in taking actions and bringing results. We work with passion; collective work for the welfare of all is our goal and underlying philosophy. In the last eight years, under the leadership of PM Modi, work is going on to create an inclusive society," said the minister. After coming to power in 2014, the Prime Minister had said that he would work with the spirit of 'Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikaas', and it has been proved with the works undertaken by the government. Also Read | Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Akhilesh Yadav, Left Leaders to Attend BRS Public Meeting in Telangana Tomorrow. Praising Prime Minister Modi for the efficient policies of the government, he said, "Even in the difficult situation of the world, the society is being empowered due to the clarity of thoughts and successful implementation of efficient policies of Modiji." He said that the Modi Government is very concerned about the development of the farmers and has ensured that they get appropriate prices for their produce. "The welfare of the farmers has been brought about through various policies and reform measures initiated by the government," he added. Commenting on the infrastructure development projects undertaken by the BJP government, Pradhan said that projects like Bharat Mala, Sagar Mala, Dedicated Freight Corridor, UDAAN Scheme, Bharat Broadband Network have upped the development and growth in the infrastructure capacities of 21st century India. "In New India, the one who wears Hawaai Chappal can also sit in the Hawaai Jahaaz," he said. The development of In-Land Waterways is also being done at a fast pace. "Cruise Tourism in India is not merely in the books anymore! It has now become a sheer reality!," said the Minister. Eklavya Vidyalayas are running educational courses for tribal children in remote areas. Reservation has also been arranged for economically weaker sections to empower them, he said. Thanking the PM for the ongoing construction of the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya, he also discussed the development of Kashi Vishwanath Corridor and the Kedarnath Dham. While speaking on the job and entrepreneur sector, the minister said, the youth of the country are becoming "job creators from job seekers through the initiative of Startup India." Praising the development of CoWIN App during covid duration, he said, "With the help of this app, you just receive the jab, and within seconds, you get the digital certificate in your gadget. It is an unprecedented kind of achievement in the digital world". Notably, an app like CoWIN nowhere existed in the world, he said "We sent Covid vaccines to foreign nations. In 2014, India's economy was at 10th spot, now it has come to 5th spot. During Covid pandemic we made sure that nobody should remain hungry & distributed grains", the minister said. Pradhan continued, "Direct Benefit transfers worth Rs 22.6 lakh crores were given to beneficiaries. India has been strengthened & became self-reliant due to our economic policy". He said that Vocal for Local, One District, One Product have now become the basic principle and policies of the government. (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, January 17: After the successful conclusion of the month-long cultural unity programme, Kashi-Tamil Sangamam in Varanasi last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi during BJP national execNa heritage with each other and the country unites culturally in the one thread of unity. "PM also stressed that there should be an exchange of languages and culture between states," sources said. According to party sources, other programmes like Mann Ki Baat, wherein PM Modi continuously connects with the public on topics of public concern and motivates them, were also discussed. National Executive Meet: BJP Chiefs of Poll-bound States Present Ground Report. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November last year inaugurated the 30-day long 'Kashi Tamil Sangamam' in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Reflecting the significance of PM Modi's efforts of 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat', the event aimed to celebrate, reaffirm and rediscover the age-old links between Kashi and Tamil Nadu - two of the country's most significant ancient origins for learning. Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday also told that the attendees of the BJP executive meeting thanked PM Modi for binding the nation firmly in a thread of unity through cultural heritage and cultural spirit. During the press briefing, about the first day of the national executive meeting, Union Minister and party leader Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters that the Kashi-Tamil Sangamam, held last year was also discussed. "Those who visited the Kashi-Tamil Sangamam have also been influenced and the program has also had an impact in Uttar Pradesh," Sitharaman told media persons. 9-point Political Resolution at BJP's' National Executive Meeting Targets Opposition. "And when the subject of Kashi-Tamil Sangam was discussed, the Prime Minister was congratulated for his cultural spirit to strengthen our heritage, whether it was the Kashi-Tamil Sangam or the fast progress in Ayodhya after the Supreme Court's decision. Be it the progress in Ujjain's Mahakaleshwar temple, the revival of the Buddha Circuit, work going on at Ram Circuit, for all these works, PM Modi was congratulated," Sitharaman said. She said that PM Modi's non-political programme related to the general public, Mann Ki Baat, where he incorporated the general public with a permanent bridge, a result of which people, across villages and the country, actively participated as a sense of service, whether it is of 'tree plantion', building roads, taking someone to hospitals, innovative photos, all these developments were discussed during the first day of the national executive meeting. (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], January 17 (ANI): Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on Tuesday claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party was resorting to 'theatrics' and protests against the Lieutenant Governor when the question over the control of services in the national capital was pending adjudication before a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court. The Solicitor General said that the "Constitutional functionaries are staging protests". Also Read | Gujarat: Forced for Sex and Blackmailed Over Nude Photos, Man Hacks Gay Partner to Death With Axe in Halol; Arrested. Mehta highlighted that "Protests and theatrics cannot substitute court proceedings", adding that such protests happening in Delhi are seen by the world and it becomes a matter of embarrassment. The hearing over who controls services in the national capital -- Delhi government or Centre - is underway before a five-judge Constitution Bench headed by DY Chandrachud. Also Read | Dawood Ibrahim Lied About His Divorce, Remarried Pakistani Woman Maizabin, Haseena Parkars Son Alishah Tells NIA. The Court had to decide on the legal issue concerning the scope of legislative and executive powers of the Centre and Delhi government over control of services in the national capital. The case was slated to be heard by a Constitution Bench after a three-judge bench in May last year had decided to send it to a larger bench on a request by the Central government. On February 14, 2019, a two-judge Bench of the top court delivered a split verdict on the question of powers of the Government of NCT of Delhi (GNCTD) and Union government over services and referred the matter to a three-judge Bench. Prior to February 2019 judgement, a five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court had on July 4, 2018, laid down the broad parameters for governance of the national capital. In the landmark verdict, it had unanimously held that Delhi cannot be accorded the status of a state but clipped the powers of the L-G saying he has no "independent decision-making power" and has to act on the aid and advice of the elected government. It had restricted the jurisdiction of the L-G to matters pertaining to land, police and public order and on all other matters, it held that the L-G would have to act on the aid and advice of the council of ministers. (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, Jan 17 (PTI) The Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed activist Shoma Sen, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case currently in judicial custody, to approach the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court for bail. A division bench of Justices A S Gadkari and P D Naik disposed of Sen's plea in the HC seeking bail and directed her to file a bail application in the special court, noting the trial court didn't have a chance to consider the plea post the filing of a chargesheet. Also Read | COVID-19 Infection During Pregnancy Increases Fatality Rate and Serious Health Risks Significantly: Study. The bench directed Sen to approach the special court so that the (special) court can consider the supplementary chargesheet. In the event of the court rejecting her bail plea, then the HC can take benefit of the observations of the lower court on the charge sheet, the bench said. Also Read | Bengaluru: Elderly Man Dragged by Two-Wheeler for One Kilometer on Magadi Road, Arrested After Video Goes Viral. The case relates to alleged inflammatory speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave held at Shaniwarwada in Pune city on December 31, 2017, which the police claimed triggered violence the next day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial located on the city's outskirts. The Pune police had claimed the conclave was backed by Maoists. The probe in the case, in which more than a dozen activists and academicians have been named as accused, was later transferred to the NIA. Sen, an English literature professor and Dalit and women's rights activist, was arrested on June 6, 2018. She is currently in judicial custody. She had applied for bail in the Pune sessions court in December 2018 before the chargesheet was filed. She moved a separate application after the chargesheet was filed. Both applications were rejected by the sessions court through a common order dated November 2019. After the investigation into the case was transferred to the NIA and the trial to the special NIA court, Sen approached the HC in 2020 seeking a default bail. Her plea was rejected in 2022 following which she filed a petition in the HC seeking regular bail. The HC bench on Tuesday noted the special NIA court did not have a chance to consider Sen's application after the chargesheet was filed in the case. In her plea, Sen had claimed she had been implicated in the case. She further said the letters and communications allegedly containing incriminating material against the accused in the case were neither in her possession, nor addressed to her, or by her. Merely because the name 'Shoma Sen' is mentioned in any of these so-called electronic letters (it) cannot be a reasonable ground to deny bail to the applicant (Sen), her plea stated. The accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case have been charged with waging a war against the nation, being active members of the banned terror outfit CPI (Maoist), criminal conspiracy and indulging in acts with an intent to strike terror in the minds of people using explosive substances. The NIA in draft charges sought to charge the 15 accused under various provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code. (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, Jan 17 (PTI) A fresh petition was filed before the Supreme Court on Tuesday against the Bihar government's decision to conduct a caste survey in the state, claiming the state's action was violative of the basic structure of the Constitution. The petition, filed by 'Hindu Sena' President Vishnu Gupta, alleged the notification was "discriminatory and unconstitutional". Also Read | Delhi Riots Case 2020: Supreme Court Says Don't Believe in Unnecessarily Keeping People Behind Bars Over Delhi Police's Plea Challenging Bail Granted to Three Students. Other similar petitions are likely to come up for hearing before a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha on January 20. The public interest litigation (PIL) filed on Tuesday sought quashing of the notification issued by deputy secretary, government of Bihar, in respect of conducting a caste survey in the state and to restrain the authorities concerned from conducting the exercise. Also Read | Kanjhawala Hit-and-Drag Case: Delhi Police Slaps Murder Charges Against 6 Accused. The petition alleged that the notification dated June 6, 2022 violated Article 14 of the Constitution, which provides for equality before law and equal protection of the law, adding the notification was illegal, arbitrary, irrational and unconstitutional. It said the notification was "illegal" since "the executive decision of Bihar government to issue the notification was without any sanction of authority/statute/ legislation". The Census Act empowers only the central government to take census and the state government has no authority to undertake it on its own, it said. "The decision of the State government of Bihar to conduct caste based census has no constitutional/ statutory sanction and is an attempt to strike at the unity and integrity of the country and to create social disharmony among the people on caste lines for petty vote bank politics," it alleged. Earlier, a PIL was filed in the apex court through advocate Barun Kumar Sinha seeking quashing of the notification and for restraining the authorities concerned from conducting the exercise. In another petition, a man named Akhilesh Kumar sought quashing of the notification, contending that the subject of the census falls in List 1 of the 7th Schedule of the Constitution and only the Centre has the power to hold the exercise. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Kohima, Jan 17 (PTI) Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio Tuesday said that the state government cannot allow any constitutional crisis in the event of civil societies remaining firm on not participating in the coming state assembly election if there is no solution to the Naga issue. Also Read | Delhi Riots Case 2020: Supreme Court Says Don't Believe in Unnecessarily Keeping People Behind Bars Over Delhi Police's Plea Challenging Bail Granted to Three Students. Solution to the protracted Naga Political Issue (NPI) depends on the negotiating parties and the legislators and general people can only put pressure for an early outcome, he told media persons at a programme after a programme at Meriema. Also Read | Kanjhawala Hit-and-Drag Case: Delhi Police Slaps Murder Charges Against 6 Accused. He welcomed the joint statement of the stakeholders NSCN-IM and Naga National Political Groups declaring "unconditional commitment" to collaborate for the resolution of Naga political issue with the Centre. Asked about the legislators' stand if the civil societies remain firm on its stand unless there is a solution to the protracted Naga political issue, Rio said "We cannot allow any constitutional crisis and create a law and order problem. Right thinking persons should pursue the issue by the rule." He has already said on several occasions that if there is no solution to the Naga political issue and the state election ois announced, the present legislators and political parties in the state will contest the poll. The state election is due by March. Rio said, "Everybody wants a solution. But that will depend on the negotiating parties and not the general public ... The general public can put pressure. The 60 legislators who are acting as facilitators are putting pressure too and are reasoning with everybody. But the outcome will depend on the negotiating parties." On state government's appeal to Eastern Nagaland Peoples' Organisation to reconsider its decision to boycott the state election to press for its 'Frontier Nagaland' state demand, Rio hoped that they would respond in a "positive manner". The Centre has been holding separate negotiations with NSCN-IM since 1997 and the Working Committee of Naga National Political Group (NNPG), comprising at least seven groups, since 2017. It inked the Framework Agreement with NSCN-IM in 2015 and Agreed Position with NNPGs in 2017. While NNPGs have agreed to accept a solution and continue negotiating further demands, the final solution is yet to be attained with NSCN-IM remaining adamant on its demand for separate flag and constitution for the Nagas. On Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's comment that there were some issues to be cleared with regard to the NDPP-BJP seat sharing agreement in Nagaland which could be finalised by BJP central leadership by January 19, Rio asserted that the 40:20 seat sharing formula between the NDPP and BJP for the ensuing state election is firm. The Nagaland chief minister is likely to leave for Delhi on Wednesday. (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, Jan 17 (PTI) Retired director general of the Border Security Force (BSF) Pankaj Kumar Singh was on Monday appointed as deputy national security adviser. According to an official order, Singh, a 1988-batch IPS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, has been appointed on a re-employment contract for a period of two years. Also Read | In Karnataka, PM Modi Will Visit the Districts Yadgiri and Kalaburagi to Lay the Latest Tweet by ANI. Singh retired as BSF chief on December 31, 2022 Also Read | Delhi Riots Case 2020: Supreme Court Says Don't Believe in Unnecessarily Keeping People Behind Bars Over Delhi Police's Plea Challenging Bail Granted to Three Students. When Singh took charge of the BSF on August 31, 2021, he had created history of a son and a father holding the top post of a paramilitary force during their services. His father and retired IPS officer of the 1959-batch, Prakash Singh, had also headed the BSF from June, 1993 to January, 1994. Prakash Singh is considered an architect of police reforms in the country. He had petitioned the Supreme Court in 1996 for carrying out reforms in the police establishment following which the government started giving a fixed tenure of two years at least to the chief of the Intelligence Bureau, the CBI, foreign secretary, the RAW chief and the Union home secretary. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Hyderabad, January 17: On Wednesday, the body of the last Nizam of Hyderabad will be laid to rest here along with many unanswered questions about his life, inherited riches and his life away from India. Described by some as the 'story of the decline of the grandest hereditary princedom', the recorded life story of Nawab Mir Barket Ali Khan Walashan Mukarram Jah Bahadur, the titular eighth Nizam of Hyderabad, who passed away in Turkey on Saturday, is sketchy at best. Mukarram Jah, the Prince was proclaimed as the successor designate in 1954 by his grandfather and the Seventh Nizam of the erstwhile Princely State of Hyderabad Mir Osman Ali Khan. Since then he has been identified as the eighth and the last Nizam of Hyderabad. "For years I had read stories of the eccentric ruler of a Muslim state who counted his diamonds by the Kilogram, his pearls by the acre, and his gold bars by the tonne, yet who was so frugal he would save on laundry bill by bathing in his clothes," wrote John Zubrzycki, the author of The Last Nizam: The Rise and Fall of India's Greatest Princely State, while describing Mukarram Jah. Mukarram Jah was born in 1933 in France. His mother Princess Durru Shewar was the daughter of the last Sultan of Turkey (Ottoman Empire) Sultan Abdul Mejid II. Prince Mukarram Jah was officially called the Prince of Hyderabad until 1971 when the titles and privy purses were abolished by the government, says senior journalist and a keen observer of Hyderabad's culture and its heritage, Mir Ayoob Ali Khan. Khan pointed out that Seventh Nizam made his grandson the successor to the gaddi instead of his first son Prince Azam Jah Bahadur. Therefore, Mukarram Jah succeeded as the eighth Nizam on the passing away of the last former reigning ruler of Hyderabad in 1967. After moving to Australia initially, for a good part of Prince Mukarram's latter half of his life, he had been residing in Turkey. VHP Wants Telangana Govt to Withdraw Official Honours Granted for Mukarram Jah's Funeral. "I had listened to improbably tales of a Darbar in the desert of Australia where an Indian Prince preferred driving diesel-belching bulldozers than riding in the howdah of an elegantly caparisoned, elephant. And I had heard rumours of a recluse living in Turkey who had arrived carrying two suitcases and a load of shattered dreams," the author John Zubrzycki wrote about the prince about their meeting at the latter's two-bedroom flat in Turkey. There is paucity of a record of the details of the modern day decline of the riches inherited by the Prince or even his grandfather. But, in his time, Mukarram Jah is never known to have taken kindly to anyone who recorded their lives in an undignified manner. According to Zubrzycki, when The Times ran a 1000 word obituary portraying the Seventh Nizam as a 'miser' and touched up on certain personal matters of his, "Jah shot back an equally long letter to the Editor. It was unjust to conjure up the image of a shabby man shuffling through his dream world, asserted Jah," writes Zubrzycki . Journalist Ayoob Ali Khan said people of Hyderabad had expected that Prince Mukarram Jah would do a lot of things, particularly for the poor, because he had inherited immense wealth from his grandfather who was the richest man in the world at one time. "However, it did not happen," he said. Mukarram Jah first married Princess Esra of Turkey in 1959. In an interview as told to Huma Bilgrami Latif published in Youandi.com, Princess Esra talks about her early married life in Hyderabad and how restoring inherited properties and palaces of family later became her passion. "I always wanted to do something for the city, but it was a bit difficult when I got married because my husband's grandfather was alive, and my life was very restricted back then. There was a certain way one had to behave, places one could go, and who one could see. After his death, however, we had the possibility to do things our way, but then we had enormous problems: the death duty, the tax was 98 per cent, etc." "Then our privileges were taken, and the land was taken; it was impossible to keep up one's dreams," Princess Esra is quoted as saying. "Later, I got divorced, and after 20 years, Mukarram Jah asked me to come back and help out in Hyderabad because everything was in a mess and there were big problems. When I came back, the whole place looked as if it was the loot of Delhi by Nader Shah. There was nothing left; everything was taken. It was terribly sad, and I thought to myself that I have to give something of the family back to Hyderabad." " It was our duty," the Princess is quoted as saying while describing her efforts to renovate and restore the Chowmahalla Palace and Falaknuma Palace. Decades after this interview was published, today, it is the same Chowmahalla Palace where Mukarram Jah's mortal remains will first be taken to after arriving here in a chartered flight. Jah's body would be kept at the Khilwat Palace from 8 AM to 1 PM on January 18 to enable people to pay their last respects. The burial would take place at the Asaf Jahi family tombs here, a statement issued by an office of Prince Mukarram Jah had said. As per his desire of being laid to rest in India, his children are scheduled to travel to Hyderabad with the mortal remains of the late Nizam on January 17, the statement added. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who condoled the death of Prince Mukarram Jah, directed officials to conduct his last rites with the highest State honours in recognition of his social services in the fields of education and medicine for the poor as the successor of the Nizam. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Jammu, Jan 17 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Congress spokesperson Deepika Pushkar Nath on Tuesday resigned from the party, citing its decision to "allow" former minister Lal Singh to join the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra which will enter the Union territory later this week. Nath said she is leaving the party on ideological grounds as Singh was responsible for sabotaging the 2018 Kathua rape case by "brazenly defending" rapists of an eight-year-old nomadic girl. Also Read | PM Narendra Modi Urges BJP Workers To Reach Out to People, Hold Gatherings at Every District. Singh, a two-time MP and three-time MLA, had switched from Congress to BJP in 2014 and was also a minister in the PDP-BJP government which collapsed in June, 2018 after the national party pulled out of the alliance. Several months before the fall of the government, Singh resigned from BJP and floated Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan Party (DSSP) following an uproar over his participation in a rally in support of the Kathua rape accused in January 2018. Also Read | Supreme Court Says Child Adopted by Widow After Death of Govt Servant Husband Not Entitled for Family Pension. He had defended his participation in the rally stating that he was there to "defuse the situation". "In view of Ch Lal Singh's proposal of joining @bharatjodo & @INCJammuKashmir allowing the same, I am left with no other option but to resign from @INCIndia(.) Lal Singh was responsible in sabotaging the Kathua rape case in 2018 by brazenly defending rapists. "Lal Singh divided the entire region of Jammu & Kashmir to protect the rapists and @bharatjodo is ideologically opposite. On ideological grounds, I cannot share the party platform with such a person," Nath wrote on Twitter. A lawyer by profession, Nath took the parents of the victim to the high court at Jammu for monitoring of the investigation and also guided them to approach the Supreme Court for seeking transfer of the trial to Pathankot (Punjab). Earlier in the day, AICC in-charge of J&K Rajni Patil told reporters here that any leader who believes in the ideology of Gandhi is welcome to join the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Responding to a question that Singh's joining the yatra might have a wrong impact, Patil said, "We are only focussed on our leader's march. If he believes that Gandhi is bridging the gap between different religions and castes, he is welcome." On the hoisting of national flag at Lal Chowk by Gandhi on January 30 when the yatra is scheduled to end, she said "the tricolour always flutters high in our party office there". "We are not moving with RSS agenda... We will unfurl the tricolour, which Gandhi is carrying from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, at our party office in Lal Chowk (instead of Clock Tower)," she said. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Kupwara (Jammu and Kashmir) [India] January 17 (ANI): A pregnant woman's life was saved by joint efforts of the Indian army, Indian air force and district administration after she was airlifted from snowbound Kupwara's Dudi Village in Machil sector on Tuesday. Officials said that at Kupwara Army Helipad, the Army Emergency Medical Response Team took charge, stabilised her vitals and subsequently transported her to District Hospital Kupwara for further medical assistance. Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Shocker: Man Arrested for Raping 11-Year-Old Minor Girl in Ballia. As per an army press release, the local army unit at Dudi, Macchal Sector received a distress call from the Sarpanch of the Village informing that 35-year-old Zareena Begum, wife of Mohd Rafiq Khan who is four months pregnant, was suffering from excessive bleeding and was in critical medical condition. "The entire Machil Sector is cut off following last week's snow thus surface transportation for providing specialist medical support was ruled out. Immediate joint planning was carried out by Indian Army, Indian Air Force and District Administration and speedy air evacuation was planned by diverting the IAF aircraft on operational duty in the Kashmir Valley for this urgent humanitarian effort," the statement said. Also Read | Jammu and Kashmir Encounter: Two LeT Terrorists Neutralized by Security Forces in Budgam. While the District administration initiated prompt requisition, keeping the urgent medical need, Air Officer Commanding (AOC) J&K granted immediate verbal clearance for the air evacuation, it said. The Army personnel at Dudi quickly transported the pregnant lady to Dudi Army Helipad, and the Air Force authorities immediately dispatched a Mi-17 helicopter piloted by Wing Commander N Chaudhary and Squadron Leader A Pandey to the site. The critically ill pregnant lady was flown to Army Helipad at Kupwara alongwith her husband and two lady relatives. "At Kupwara Army Helipad the Army Emergency Medical Response Team took charge, stabilised her vitals and transported her to District Hospital Kupwara for further medical attention," it added. "The timely joint efforts of the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and District Administration in carrying out this air evacuation of the critically ill pregnant lady were appreciated by the locals of Machil Sector and Kupwara," the statement said. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, Jan 17 (PTI) A Jawaharlal Nehru University associate professor on Tuesday alleged that he was "attacked" by a gang of six to seven men near RK Puram Marg last week. Dr Saitya Brata Das of the Centre for English Studies has lodged a complaint at Vasant Kunj police station. Also Read | The Archaeological Survey of India is All Set to Begin Excavation at Delhis Latest Tweet by IANS India. A senior police officer said, "We have received the complaint and are looking into the matter." Reacting to the alleged incident, the varsity's teachers' body has demanded the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration extend all support to Das and actively put pressure on Delhi Police to ensure that action against the criminal gang. Also Read | PM Narendra Modi Urges BJP Workers To Reach Out to People, Hold Gatherings at Every District. Narrating the incident to PTI, Das said a motorcycle rammed into his car from behind at a traffic signal in RK Puram on the afternoon of Saturday (January 14) and he was immediately surrounded by a group of six to seven men. "I was coming from DPS RK Puram on Palam Marg and stopped at the red light at Vasant Vihar (under the flyover near Vasant Vihar depot) around 3.20 pm. A motorcycle suddenly banged into my car from behind and I saw a man falling down," he told PTI. "I was shocked to see a motorcycle bang a car when the car is at a red light. Suddenly, out of nowhere, six more people surrounded my car, asked me to get out of my car and demanded money. I immediately recalled the fake accident incident with my colleague at JNU Sharad Bhaviskar a few months back. "I did not wait for the green signal and immediately drove fast and entered JNU. I stopped at the main gate to tell the security guards to call the police," he added. Das was referring to an incident involving JNU Assistant Professor Sharad Baviskar, who was allegedly held hostage for several hours by a group of people and subjected to physical assault, threats and extortion following a traffic altercation last June. Das went on to allege that the gang followed him to the varsity's North Gate and, in the presence of JNU security, surrounded his car in an attempt to get him to come out. They kept kicking the car and threatened to burn it, he alleged. Das said the gang allegedly obtained his phone number from JNU security and harassed him with threats and extortion demands for the rest of the night. Issuing a statement on Tuesday, the Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers' Association (JNUTA) said it was utterly dismayed at the state of law and order in Delhi. "The entire JNU community stands in full solidarity with Dr Saitya Brata Das, who has been subjected to this intensely traumatising experience, and share his anguish and outrage at this vicious and premeditated attack," the teachers' body said. "The JNUTA demands the university administration at the highest levels extends all support to Dr Saitya Brata Das, and actively puts pressure on Delhi Police to ensure that action is taken against the criminal gang behind this attack," 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) Joshimath (Uttarakhand), Jan 17 (PTI) Joshimath is a town on the edge. It's the very precipice for thousands of people, despairing as the lives they have always known slip away just as their mountain town sinks a little more each day and cracks on their homes get dangerously wider. Families are segregated, and pets and cattle remain unattended as people move out to safety. Many small businesses have shut shop or are in the process of doing so. The future looms dark and uncertain with residents saying they are not sure how long it will take for the earth to swallow their hometown. Also Read | For 4 Years BJP Was Sleeping, Now Since the Polls Are Nearby, They Want to Bring Up Latest Tweet by ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan. This is a disaster in the making. Many of its implications will unfold in the days to come. You will soon see an epidemic of mental issues cropping up in the town, Atul Sati, president of the Joshimath Bachao Sangarsh Samiti and environmental activist, told PTI. The fear of the unknown tomorrow is constant. Also Read | Kanjhawala Hit-and-Drag Case: Delhi Court Grants Bail to Ashutosh Bhardwaj. Two weeks after she woke up to a loud sound, akin to stones crumbling against each other, Nita Devi is still in a daze. The family has been evacuated to safety and she returns each day to see if her home is still intact. I have just one request from the government - provide us with a house. We just need a roof over our heads, she said, her eyes welling up. Next to a red cross, a stark contrast to the blue walls of what was once her home, is an orange sticker saying unusable. For the 65-year-old, the vivid colours are cruel irony for the gloom edging her life and that of her town. Where can we go from here? My son had a furniture business here which is now shut. My grandson used to go to school here, she said, pointing to gaping fissures that were not so long ago hairline cracks on the walls of her home. My son told me it is dangerous to live in the house as the land around the neighbourhood is sinking." Nita Devi and her family are not alone. Joshimath, a town of nearly 23,000 people in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district at a height of over 6,150 feet, is slowly sinking, said experts. Disaster response teams are on standby and officials ready plans to evacuate 40 per cent of the town if the situation worsens. Sati. however, fears all of Joshimath town might need to be evacuated as every life matters. Cracks have developed in nearly 850 buildings, including a temple and the Auli Ropeway, and on pavements and streets. An estimated 165 buildings are in danger zone. Some hotels now lean on each other. Over 600 people from 145 families have so far been shifted from their homes to schools, gurdwaras, hotels and homestays. A walk through the streets in some places tells the story of the slow devastation that the subsidence has caused. A team of experts from seven organisations has been constituted to study and give recommendations on the situation in Joshimath. So what is causing this Himalayan town to subside? "Joshimath is not suitable for a township", the government appointed Mishra Committee report had warned in 1976 and recommended a ban on heavy construction work in the area. The warning was not heeded. Over the decades, the place exploded into a busy gateway for thousands of pilgrims and tourists. Unchecked construction flourished on its fragile slopes, which experts said were formed from the debris of old landslides and are therefore prone to subsidence. The use of explosives for extensive drilling and digging during the construction of roads, dams and buildings in the area has made the slopes weaker. One of the primary reasons that man-made landslides happen in the Himalayas is because, while constructing roads, people cut away the toe of slopes. Consequently, the whole bunch of rocks that were being supported by the toe, are now totally destabilized and looking for opportunities to fall off, said Abhijit Mukherjee, professor of geology and geophysics at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. I would imagine the mega road constructions going on in the surrounding of Joshimath have certainly developed such ill-supported slopes which are absolutely prone to sliding and sinking, Mukherjee told PTI in an email interview. In addition to reckless construction, a number of hydroelectric power projects are also being built around the town. According to a 2010 paper titled Disaster looms large over Joshimath compiled by geologists MPS Bisht and Piyoosh Rautela, a major concern is the Tapovan Vishnugad hydropower project. The tunnel, it said, traverses "all through the geologically fragile area below Joshimath. There have been previous reports that tunnelling related to the Tapovan-Vishnughat project had pierced a large aquifer (underground water storage) in 2009 that led to a discharge of 60-70 million litres of water per day, said Kusala Rajendran, seismologist and professor at the Centre for Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. Imagine the surface effect of such instability. It can lead to readjustments in the subsurface and based on the nature of the rocks, the ground might subside, Rajendran told PTI over the phone. Activist Sati said there may be many reasons for making the region fragile but the current subsidence in Joshimath is to be blamed on the blasting caused for the 520 MW project developed by the National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC). NTPC has denied the link of the project to Joshimath's subsidence. The tunnel built by NTPC does not pass under Joshimath town. This tunnel is dug by a tunnel boring machine (TBM) and no blasting is being carried out presently, NTPC said in a statement last week. Satellite images of Joshimath released by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) show that the Himalayan town sank at a rapid pace of 5.4 cm in just 12 days, triggered by a possible subsidence event on January 2. The preliminary report by ISRO's National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), which has since been taken off its website, said the land subsidence was slow between April and November 2022, during which Joshimath had sunk by 8.9 cm. In the past week, hundreds of houses have been marked unsafe for living and many locals said living in shelter homes with big families is not sustainable. Cold weather, with a minimum of minus 3 degrees Celsius on average, has only compounded their woes. Uttarakhand has a long history of natural disasters. Earthquakes, landslides, cloud bursts, and flash floods have claimed thousands of lives in the past. Over 1,000 people were killed in such extreme weather events between 2010 and 2020. Many villages in the state have been marked unsafe for living. Joshimath is a gateway to several Himalayan mountain climbing expeditions, trekking trails, and pilgrim centres like Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib, and the Valley of Flowers, a UNESCO world heritage site. The town is also strategically important as it connects with the China border. (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, Jan 17 (PTI) Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday said the Kashmir problem will not die "unless we talk to our neighbour" and find a real solution to the issue that has been festering for decades. He also said India will not be able to progress and be strong "unless we are one". Also Read | PM Narendra Modi Urges BJP Workers To Reach Out to People, Hold Gatherings at Every District. The 85-year-old politician was speaking during a book release event. The book, "A Life in the Shadows A Memoir", has been written by former RAW chief A S Dulat who retired from service in 2000. "India is a unique country and it is that because we all think together...we have to return to Gandhi's India...the division has to end if the nation has to progress," Abdullah said. Also Read | Supreme Court Says Child Adopted by Widow After Death of Govt Servant Husband Not Entitled for Family Pension. "The country will never be strong unless we are one," he said. The "problem of Kashmir will not die...and I am sorry to say, terrorism will stay unless we talk to our neighbour and find a true solution," Abdullah said without taking the name of Pakistan. He said he had given the same message of both the countries being "united and of building bridges", when former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had sought his opinion before he travelled to Pakistan in 1999. The prime minister (Narendra Modi) of today has "said openly that war is not a solution for anything", he said, adding the Russia-Ukraine war was a case in point. The former CM of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir expressed unhappiness at some of the current developments taking place in the country. "Look at the institutions, Governors, look at the Lt Governor...how they are playing with the Constitution...I could never think of this," he said. Dulat, a retired IPS officer of the 1965 batch, reiterated the same feelings during the event as he said that "terrorism (in J&K) will not go away unless we engage with Pakistan." This (terrorism in J&K) will go on and on and on, the former head of the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency, said. He, however, added that he would "concede" that the level of militancy has come down due to the "muscular policy" adopted by the current dispensation. But there is a difference, militancy is local while terrorism comes from across the border, Dulat said. When asked what ails the relation between New Delhi and Kashmir, Dulat said the "disconnect with the people has always been there and there has been a lack of trust". (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Kollam (Ker), Jan 17 (PTI) Spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi has initiated a Rs 50 crore project for the welfare of people with disabilities and pregnant women who are malnourished. Also Read | Jammu and Kashmir Encounter: Two LeT Terrorists Neutralized by Security Forces in Budgam. The project would be implemented in underdeveloped districts across India, as well as in other developing nations, Mata Amritanandamayi Math said in a release. Also Read | Delhi Riots Case 2020: Supreme Court Says Don't Believe in Unnecessarily Keeping People Behind Bars Over Delhi Police's Plea Challenging Bail Granted to Three Students. The Math will work closely with local Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) with the purpose of bringing about a tangible change in the lives of its beneficiaries. The project was announced at the Inaugural Ceremony of India's Civil 20 Working Group (C20) that was held virtually on Monday, it said. C20's purpose is to bring the concerns of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) from around the world to the G20 Summit set to take place in New Delhi this September, the release said. The Group of 20 (G20) is the premier intergovernmental forum for the world's developed and emerging economies to address financial stability on a global basis. With India as this year's host country, the G20 theme is 'vasudhaiva ku?a?bakam' -- the whole world is one family. As India is the host country this year, Amritanandamayi, according to the release, said, "This is an auspicious occasion. We have embarked on a mission to restore the dwindling light of the world. This is a historic year in which India has received the opportunity to assume the presidency of the G20 nations. "The Indian Government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have given us the tremendous responsibility of successfully facilitating the process of Civil Society 20. May we be able to do justice to this endeavour." Speaking at the virtual inauguration on Monday, Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi is quoted as having said that community participation is essential for the success of any project, and C20 is playing a key role in ensuring society's fundamental needs are expressed to the G20 leaders. He said that today the world is going through increasingly challenging crises and collective actions are now necessary just to survive. Union Minister Anurag Thakur, who was also present at the event, expressed hope that the ideas emerging from the C20 working groups will solve the environmental challenges the world is facing today, the release said. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Hoshiarpur (Punjab) [India], January 17 (ANI): Lashing out at the "structure of media", Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday claimed that "hatred is being spread in the media", while also alleging that it is playing the role of "distraction instead of a watchdog". Gandhi called for an "independent media and institutions" citing his party's philosophy, and said that media is a "feedback channel" for the Congress governments. Also Read | 7th Pay Commission Latest News Today: Decision on DA Hike Likely on January 31, Increase of 3% Expected. "The media is being controlled and pressured. The reporters are not at much fault. You have constraints. You have to do what your owner tells you to do. I understand as you tell me. I'm not criticising you. I'm criticising the structure of media," he said. "Congress' philosophy is of an independent media and institutions. Even if Congress wants to control media, we do not have the capability of implementing it because our structure is not as centralised as the BJP. We want independent and fair media," Gandhi added. Also Read | Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Akhilesh Yadav, Left Leaders to Attend BRS Public Meeting in Telangana Tomorrow. Alleging that media is playing the "role of distraction", the Congress leader said that it should rather play the "role of a watchdog". "Hatred is being spread in the media. The media is playing the role of distraction instead of a watchdog. Your role should be of a watchdog. The small businessmen are being crushed, farmers are being looted, but you distract by doing Hindu-Muslim, Bollywood, sports," he said. Gandhi said that the media should put pressure on the government. "If you were given freedom, you would have asked about the data which we have presented here. You should be raising the issues like farmers' issues, and employment issues. We would like the media which puts pressure on the government. You are feedback channels for the Congress governments," he said. Gandhi, while responding to a question on his 'security lapse' during the Bharat Jodo Yatra today, said that he saw the person who came to hug him. "I could see a person who came to hug me, I don't know why you are calling it a lapse. There is a lot of enthusiasm in this Yatra and it happens. Security people checked him and he was just excited," he said. A man who tried to hug Rahul Gandhi during Bharat Jodo Yatra in Hoshiarpur was later pulled away by workers. The Congress leader also slammed the BJP and RSS alleging that both have "captured all the institutions of India". He said that there is a fight between the institutions which have been "captured" by the BJP and the opposition. "The BJP and RSS have captured all the institutions of India. This is not the political fight like it used to be earlier. Now there is a fight between the institutions which have been captured and the Opposition. EVM is one of those factors. The attacks on the Oppostion leaders through CBI, ED, and Pegasus. This is not a normal democratic functioning," he said. "There are attacks on farmers from multiple angles. They are not being given protection. We had given them protection during UPA through loan waivers and MSP," Gandhi added. Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra resumed at Jhingar Khurd village of Hoshiarpur's Tanda in Punjab on Tuesday. The Bharat Jodo Yatra, which started from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7 last year, will end in Srinagar on January 30, with Rahul hoisting the tricolour there. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Joshimath (Uttarakhand) [India], January 17 (ANI): The coming four days will be very tough for the residents of Joshimath in Uttarakhand which is already going through land subsidence rendering people homeless. Adding to the woes of the people, the meteorological department has predicted rain and snowfall in Joshimath, Chamoli and Pithoragarh on January 19, 20, 23 and 24. Also Read | Rahul Gandhi Security Breach: Man Attempts to Hug Congress Leader During Bharat Jodo Yatra in Hoshiarpur (Watch Video). According to meteorologists, there is a possibility of change in the weather pattern in the state due to the re-activation of Western Disturbance in these four days. "There is a possibility of rain on January 19 and 20, while on January 23 and 24, there is a possibility of snowfall along with rain," said Bikram Singh, director of Meteorological Center Dehradun. Also Read | Objectionable Remarks on Daughters of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, FIR Registered. In such a situation, the government, administration and district administration will have to be alert in the disaster-affected area of Joshimath, he added. Hundreds of residents have been shifted to relief centres in safe places after land subsidence began in Joshimath. The Uttarakhand government has already announced relief packages worth crores of rupees for the affected families of Joshimath. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the relief package has been released for nearly 3,000 families affected by gradual land subsidence in the Himalayan state. "For the time being, interim assistance of Rs 1.50 lakh per family is being given. An advance amount of Rs 1 lakh has been given to the affected land owners or families due to landslides in the affected area before the permanent settlement displacement policy is prepared," Dhami told reporters during his visit to Joshimath last week. The Chief Minister also announced that Rs 50,000 have been given by the state disaster authority to each family as a non-adjustable one-time special grant for the transportation of goods and immediate needs of their buildings. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Tikamgarh (MP), Jan 17 (PTI) A 16-year-old boy on Tuesday allegedly shot dead his mother in Tikamgarh city of Madhya Pradesh as he was apparently angry with her for scolding and beating him on several occasions, a police official said. The boy, a student of class 11, used his father's licensed rifle to shoot at his 43-year-old mother at their home, killing her on the spot, the official said. His father, who works as a security guard in a bank, was not home at the time. Also Read | India Has a Huge Edge with @IndiaY20 Grouping Under @g20org @BhatSakal Brings DD Latest Tweet by DD News. After committing the crime, the teenager informed the police and waited for them to arrive at the scene, the official said. "The boy was unhappy with his mother's attitude towards him as she used to scold him now and then and also beat him badly on several occasions which enraged him a lot, rural police station in-charge Preeti Bhargava said citing the preliminary investigation. A case of murder has been registered and the boy has been detained. Also Read | Delhi Riots Case 2020: Supreme Court Says Don't Believe in Unnecessarily Keeping People Behind Bars Over Delhi Police's Plea Challenging Bail Granted to Three Students. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Satna (Madhya Pradesh) [India], January 17 (ANI): The Municipal Council President of Satna district, Sadhna Patel, has thrashed a policeman with slippers when she was stopped from illegal mining in the district, a police official said on Tuesday. The incident occurred at Pathra village under Chitrakoot police station limits in the district on Monday night. The police have registered a case against eight persons, including Municipal Council President Sadhna Patel in the matter. Also Read | Mineral Production Goes Up by 9.7% in November 2022 Cumulative Growth for April-November, Latest Tweet by Prasar Bharati News Services. A purported video of the incident has also surfaced on social media in which Patel was spotted beating the police personnel. Chitrakoot Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Ashish Jain said, "Chitrakoot Naib Tehsildar, Sumit Gurjar lodged a complaint at the police station about the illegal mining in Pathra village. Acting on the complaint, the police along with tehsildar rushed to the spot and spotted a few people performing illegal mining." Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Shocker: Man Arrested for Raping 11-Year-Old Minor Girl in Ballia. "A JCB machine and two tractors were also spotted at the spot where soil was being extracted with the help of a JCB machine. When the police team tried to stop them, they started abusing the police team. After a few minutes, Sadhna Patel arrived there and she also started abusing and she beat up a police personnel with slippers," Jain said. " Later, the tehsildar submitted a written complaint in connection with the incident. Acting on the complaint, a case was registered under sections 147, 148, 149, 294, 186, 353, 332, 379 and 506 of the IPC against the eight persons, including Sadhna Patel and started investigation into the matter," he added. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], January 17 (ANI): Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann issued orders to close the Zira liquor factory on Tuesday. Mann made the announcement through his official Twitter handle and warned, "Anyone who tries to impair the purity of Punjab's land, air and water for their selfish measures and commercial benefits would not be spared. Be it anyone." Also Read | Mercedes Catches Fire on Delhi-Meerut Expressway in Ghaziabad, Passengers Safe (Watch Photos and Video). The order issued by the Chief Minister sought to close down the Marlboro liquor factory in Zira in the Ferozepur district of Punjab with immediate effect. In his statement, Mann said, "No one will be allowed to spoil the air of Punjab. Therefore, after consulting legal experts, a big decision has been taken in the public interest. I have issued orders to close the Zeera Liquor Factory; in the future, if anyone tries to spoil the environment, they will not be spared." Also Read | Madhya Pradesh: Teenager Abducted, Raped When Returning From Birthday Party in Bhopal. Several farmers under the banner of the Sanjha Morcha Zira had been protesting in front of the distillery "Malboros International Private Limited", owned by a Shiromani Akali Dal leader, demanding it is shut down as it was allegedly polluting groundwater in several villages besides causing air pollution. According to farmers, due to the water emanating from the Liquor factory, the groundwater of around 40 villages was getting polluted. The protesting farmers claimed that children were getting sick and infected with other life-threatening diseases and that the future of about 40 villages would be at stake. Earlier, on December 23, 2022, the Punjab and Haryana High Court adjourned the hearing and listed the matter for hearing in the last week of January. The court also directed the soil testing team from Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) high committee and the Gadhwasu high committee for animal husbandry to check the health hazards and complete its work in 2 weeks and submit the reports. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Kolkata, Jan 17 (PTI) A purported image of a Bengal school's model question paper, asking students to mark "Azad Kashmir" in a map, has gone viral on social media, with Union minister Subhas Sarkar on Tuesday calling for a state-level inquiry into the matter. He said that the issue should not be taken lightly by the state government. Also Read | Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann Orders Closure of Liquor Factory in Ferozepur After Months-Long Protest. Sarkar, when shown the widely circulated image during a press meet on the Narendra Modi government's 'Pariksha Pe Charcha 2023', told PTI that the Union government will also look into the issue. In the purported question paper, issued in an exercise book of a Bengali-medium school for students of Class 10, the paper setter has asked them to identify several places on the map Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (referred to as Azad Kashmir' in Pakistan), the place where Gandhiji had first undertaken the Satyagraha movement, and the Chittagong battle ground. Also Read | COVID-19 Infection During Pregnancy Increases Fatality Rate and Serious Health Risks Significantly: Study. The Bankura MP said,"I urge the state education minister to look into the issue. In case it is found to be true, appropriate action should be taken against the publisher and paper setter. The test paper should be immediately withdrawn and the question deleted." PTI did not independently verify the authenticity of the image. Sarkar further went on to say that the incident, if true, can be attributed to the "appeasement politics of the TMC-run government which has emboldened some people to insert a question with anti-national overtones in the test paper". West Bengal Board of Secondary Education President Ramanuj Ganguly said a probe will be conducted into the matter and necessary action will be taken accordingly. "We don't yet know what prompted the test paper setter to include a question like that. We will find it out and take necessary action," he added. Efforts to reach out to state education minister Bratya Basu proved futile. TMC state spokesperson Kunal Ghosh later told PTI his party doesn't support anything that is wrong. "If someone has set such a question, he has done the wrong thing. We don't support such acts. "The TMC is a secular party which does not believe in appeasing any particular community. Sarkar has made a baseless comment against our party," Ghosh stated. Various schools and teachers' association, as well as the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, issue individual model question papers every year to aid the preparations of board examinees. (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], January 17 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear on January 23 a plea filed by journalist Rana Ayyub challenging the summons issued to her by the Ghaziabad court in Uttar Pradesh in relation to a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The matter was mentioned before a bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud by advocate Vrinda Grover for an early listing. Also Read | Delhi Riots Case 2020: Supreme Court Says Don't Believe in Unnecessarily Keeping People Behind Bars Over Delhi Police's Plea Challenging Bail Granted to Three Students. Grover said that the Ghaziabad court has issued a summons against Ayyub for January 27 and therefore the matter requires urgent listing. In October 2022, the ED had filed a complaint against her before the Ghaziabad court over alleged violations in publicly raising funds. Also Read | Kanjhawala Hit-and-Drag Case: Delhi Police Slaps Murder Charges Against 6 Accused. ED had registered the case on the basis of a complaint registered in September 2021 in Ghaziabad under provisions of the Indian Penal Code, Information Technology Amendment Act and Black Money Act against Ayyub. It was alleged in the FIR that she illegally acquired funds from the general public in the name of charity by launching fundraiser campaigns. Ayyub received foreign contributions without registration under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), it was alleged. (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], January 17 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday said agreed to modify its 2018 guidelines on "living will", an advance medical directive on end-of-life treatment. A five-judge Constitution bench of Justices KM Joseph, Ajay Rastogi, Aniruddha Bose, Hrishikesh Roy and Justice CT Ravikumar observed that the legislature is much more endowed with "skills and sources of knowledge" to enact a relevant law for terminally ill patients choosing to stop treatment. Also Read | Supreme Court Says Child Adopted by Widow After Death of Govt Servant Husband Not Entitled for Family Pension. The bench said it will limit itself to improving the guidelines it had laid down on "living will". There can only be a little tweaking of the guidelines or else it will become a review of its own 2018 judgement, it added. Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Shocker: Man Arrested for Raping 11-Year-Old Minor Girl in Ballia. The top court's order notwithstanding, people wanting to get a "living will" registered have been facing problems due to cumbersome guidelines. The apex court was informed that the procedure under the Supreme Court guidelines had become unworkable due to the involvement of multiple stakeholders in the process. The Constitution bench was considering a plea seeking modification of the guidelines for living will/advance medical directive issued by it in 2018. Senior advocate Arvind Datar told the bench that as per the apex court's directions, a medical board has to first declare that the patient has no scope of recovery or is brain dead. He added that the procedure then enumerates that the district collector has to constitute an independent medical board to obtain a second opinion, after which the matter is referred to a judicial magistrate, first class. Datar suggested in a living will, there can be two witnesses and the role of the judicial magistrate can be done away with. The hearing will resume on Wednesday. On March 9, 2018, the apex court had in its judgment recognised that a terminally ill patient or a person in a persistent vegetative state may execute an advance medical directive or a "living will" to refuse medical treatment, holding the right to live with dignity also included "smoothening" the process of dying. The judgement of the apex court had come on a PIL filed by NGO Common Cause seeking recognition of the "living will" made by terminally-ill patients for passive euthanasia. The top court had laid down principles related to the procedure for execution of advance directives and spelt out guidelines and safeguards to give effect to passive euthanasia in both circumstances where there are advance directives and where there are none. It had said that directives and guidelines shall remain in force till Parliament brings a legislation in the field. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Aligarh, January 17: Two people suffered injuries during stone pelting, following a scuffle, which broke out between some people over buying meat from a shop in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh, officials said on Monday. As per police, a brawl happened between some people at a meat shop with the shop owner, near Sarai Sultani Police Chowki, under the Sasni Gate Police Station limits which escalated to stone pelting, leaving two injured. The injured persons were immediately rushed to the hospital. "Stones were pelted after a scuffle broke out between some people over buying meat from a shop in Aligarh Some people went to a meat shop. An argument happened between the people and the shopkeeper and later stone pelting happened in which two people were injured," Aligarh District Magistrate Indra Vikram Singh told ANI. Uttar Pradesh: Fight Over Buying Meat Leads To Stone Pelting In Aligarh; Two Injured. "The matter is being looked into from all angles. The shopkeeper and the customers are from different communities. Names of some people have come to the fore. The situation is under control and the investigation is being done," he added. Security Alert in Ayodhya City After Arrest of 2 Terrorists in Delhi. Notably, after getting the intimidation, teams from different police stations reached the spot and took the situation under control. Police's investigation into this matter is underway. Further information is awaited. (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, Jan 17 (PTI) The Centre on Tuesday raised in the Supreme Court the protest held by AAP MLAs against alleged interferences by the lieutenant governor's office in the Delhi government's works and termed the demonstration as "undesirable". The moment a five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud assembled to hear the vexatious Centre-Delhi government row over control of services, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the central government, raised the issue of the protest. Also Read | Thane Water Cut News Update: Water Supply To Be Disrupted for 24 Hours on January 18, Check List of Affected Areas. On Monday, led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs marched to the Lieutenant Governor (LG) office to protest against its alleged interferences in the elected government's functioning. "There is one caveat. I would confine myself to the legal submissions only. While I say this, certain events are happening in the national capital while your Lordships are in midst of the matter. Some protests are being held," the law officer said at the outset of the proceedings. Also Read | COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects: Vaccines or Villains? Government Admits Multiple Side-Effects of Coronavirus Jabs in RTI Reply. He termed the protests as "undesirable" and said events in the national capital are capable of being noticed everywhere. "Protests and theatrics can never take place when the Constitution bench is hearing...Certain things are happening in the capital," Mehta told the bench which also comprised justices M R Shah, Krishna Murari, Hima Kohli and P S Narasimha. Senior advocate AM Singhvi, appearing for the Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government, told the bench, "I have much more to say than he has." On Monday, during a protest by AAP MLAs, Chief Minister Kejriwal had attacked Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, saying the LG should not "behave like a headmaster" checking students' homework. The AAP has also claimed that the city government's proposal to send school teachers to Finland for training was rejected by Saxena, a charge refuted by the LG's office. The Delhi assembly session on Monday was adjourned for the entire day as AAP MLAs repeatedly entered the Well of the House, raising slogans against the LG. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Jamshedpur, Jan 17 (PTI) A tribal organisation Tuesday launched the country-wide 'Marang Buru Bachao Bharat Yatra' (Save Parasnath Hill) to free it from the alleged "clutches" of the Jain community. Also Read | Man Dragged Behind a Scooter in Bengaluru | The Man on the Scooter Has Been Identified as Latest Tweet by ANI. The month-long march by Adivasi Sengel Abhiyan (ASA) seeks to garner support from across the country to "free" Parasnath Hill or 'Marang Buru'. ASA president Salkhan Murmu said here that its members staged demonstrations in front of 50 tribal-dominated district collectorates in Assam, Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal and Jharkhand simultaneously to press for its demand. Also Read | Sex Racket Busted by Gurugram Police; 18 Women, Two Managers Among 27 Held. The ASA activists waved placards and staged dharnas during the day at Kokrajhar, Chirang and Baksa in Assam, Malda, Purulia and Bankura in West Bengal, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Balasore in Odisha, Kishanganj, Katihar and Purnea in Bihar and Jamshedpur, Bokaro and Dumka in Jharkhand, he said. The tribals consider Parasnath Hill as the holiest 'Jeherthan' (place of worship) by the tribals. Murmu, a former MP who led the dharna here during the day, said that meetings will be organised in other tribal pockets of the country by ASA to mobilise support for its demand. The Association will also submit a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu through district magistrates of all 50 districts in the five states in support of its demand before the Yatra ends in the last week of February. Murmu had earlier written to the president and appealed to her to restore the sanctity of the Parasnath Hill and hand it over to the tribals. He accused the Jharkhand government for handing over Marang Buru to the Jain community. "The government has betrayed the adivasi community. Marang Buru is an identity of the tribals who believe that it protects them," Murmu said. The Jain community is protesting against Jharkhand government's decision to turn the hill, which it considers among its holiest places, into a tourist destination. The Shri Sammed Shikharji in Parasnath hill in Jharkhand's Giridih district, about 160 km from Ranchi, is among the holiest places of the Jains, including both Digambara and Shwetambar sects. Twenty of the 24 Jain tirthankaras attained 'moksha' (salvation) on these hills. Murmu said Parasnath Hill to be as significant for the devout tribals as is Ayodhya Ram Mandir for Hindus, Mecca and Medina for Muslims, Vatican city for Christians and the Golden Temple for Sikhs. ASA, he said, will also raise the issue of inclusion of 'Sarna' religion in the census and its opposition to government's move to include the Kurmi caste in the category of schedule tribes. ASA will also hold a Marang Buru-Sarna Mahadharna on February 11 and Rashtrya Adivasi Ekta Mahasabha on February 14 in Ranchi. The Jain community across the country is demanding the scrapping of a 2019 Jharkhand government notification designating Parasnath Hills as a tourist place. It fears that it will otherwise lead to an influx of tourists who may consume non-vegetarian food and liquor at their holy site. While the Centre stayed the Jharkhand government's move to promote tourism at the Parasnath Hill after protests by Jains, tribals claimed the land and asked for it to be freed. The Santhal tribe has a sizeable population in Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, Assam and West Bengal and are nature worshippers. PTI bs (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Aligarh, Jan 17 (PTI) Members of two communities clashed here in Uttar Pradesh following a brawl at a shop selling meat products, said police which deployed a large number of its personnel to bring the situation under control early Tuesday. The clash was reported around midnight from the Sarai Sultani area, they said. Also Read | COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects: Vaccines or Villains? Government Admits Multiple Side-Effects of Coronavirus Jabs in RTI Reply. Police said two persons entered into an argument at the shop selling cooked chicken and meat products, and a brawl broke out on Monday night. As the news about the incident at the shop spread, members of two communities confronted each other and it turned violent with people throwing stones at each other, police said. Also Read | Jharkhand Shocker: Schools Train Students to Steal Mobile Phones With Consent of Parents in Sahibganj. They said as soon as information was received, a large deployment of personnel was made in the area, and the situation was brought under control. Senior Superintendent of Police Kalanidhi Naithani, who rushed to the spot along with other top district officials, told reporters early Tuesday that the situation is under control but a strict vigil is being maintained. He said a report is being filed, and strong action will be taken against the perpetrators. Security arrangements in the area have been tightened, the officer 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, Jan 17 (PTI) Diversified conglomerate ITC on Tuesday announced the acquisition of Sproutlife Foods Pvt Ltd (SFPL), which owns Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) brand Yoga Bar. ITC has signed a binding term sheet to acquire 100 per cent shares of SFPL over a period of three to four years, said a statement. Also Read | COVID-19 Infection During Pregnancy Increases Fatality Rate and Serious Health Risks Significantly: Study. It will initially acquire a 47.5 per cent stake in SFPL in tranches, by March 31, 2025 and the balance stake will be acquired, basis pre-defined valuation criteria, subject to other conditions agreed to in the binding documents, it added. An "initial investment of Rs 175 crore will be made through primary subscription and secondary purchases for the acquisition of 39.4 per cent of the paid-up share capital, which is expected to be completed by February 15 2023," said ITC in a regulatory filing. Also Read | Nepal Plane Crash: Can You Go Live on Facebook in Airplane While Landing Sans Wi-Fi, Mobile Data? Here's Everything You Need To Know. Further, a cash infusion of Rs 80 crore will be made through primary subscription, in one or more tranches, by March 31, 2025, it added. The purchase of the balance 52.5 per cent shares taking the shareholding to 100 per cent would be determined based on pre-agreed valuation criteria and subject to fulfilment of various terms and conditions, it added. According to ITC, it is "fortifying its presence in the Rs 45,000-crore, fast-growing, nutrition-led healthy foods space" with the proposed strategic investment in SFPL. In FY22 SFPL, the startup engaged in manufacturing and sale of products catering to health-conscious consumers under the new-age digital-first brand Yoga Bar, had a turnover of Rs 68 crore. According to ITC, this acquisition is "in line with the strategy to augment the company's future-ready portfolio, the proposed acquisition will strengthen and expand its reach with innovative food products for health-conscious consumers." The acquisition will enable ITC to augment its future-ready portfolio and enhance market presence in the 'good for you' space which currently includes Aashirvaad Multi-Grain Atta, Aashirvaad Nature's Super Foods, Farmlite range of biscuits, Sunfeast Protein Shake, B Natural Nutrilite ABC Beverage, among others. "Yoga Bar is expected to be rapidly scaled up, leveraging ITC's enterprise strengths in areas such as sales & distribution, sourcing, product development, and digital," it added. ITC divisional chief executive, Foods Division, Hemant Malik said: "We look forward to scaling the Yoga Bar brand offering superior and healthy consumer choices. Within a short span of time, Yoga Bar has established itself as a leading brand in the healthy foods space, driven by impactful market positioning and a range of innovative products." Suhasini Sampath Kumar and Anindita Sampath Kumar, co-founders, said: "We are confident that this partnership will add to Yoga Bar's competitive advantage and take it to the next level from the current annualised run rate of over Rs 100 crore." The health and wellbeing segment is a fast-evolving category in India and several FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) companies are entering the space. Last week, FMCG major Hindustan Unilever Ltd announced the completion of the acquisition of a 51 per cent stake in Zywie Ventures, a wellness company which owns OZiva brand, for a consideration of Rs 264.28 crore. Besides, HUL has also announced the acquisition of a 19.8 per cent stake in Nutritionalab Pvt Ltd (Wellbeing Nutrition) for a cash consideration of Rs 70 crore. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) 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 Jaipur, Jan 17 (PTI) Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot will present the state's budget for the financial year 2023-24 on February 8. The budget session of the state assembly is scheduled to begin on January 23. Also Read | COVID-19 Infection During Pregnancy Increases Fatality Rate and Serious Health Risks Significantly: Study. This will be the last full budget of the present Congress-led government in the state. Gehlot, who also holds the finance portfolio, said that the budget will be focused on youths. Also Read | Nepal Plane Crash: Can You Go Live on Facebook in Airplane While Landing Sans Wi-Fi, Mobile Data? Here's Everything You Need To Know. "The budget will be presented on February 8. Last year, a separate budget for agriculture was presented and this time the budget will be focused on youths and students," Gehlot told reporters here. (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, Jan 17 (PTI) Tata Investment Corporation Ltd on Tuesday reported a 12.55 per cent decline in consolidated profit after tax at Rs 34.74 crore for the third quarter ended December 31, 2022. The company had posted a consolidated profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 39.73 crore in the same quarter last fiscal, Tata Investment Corporation Ltd said in a regulatory filing. Also Read | COVID-19 Infection During Pregnancy Increases Fatality Rate and Serious Health Risks Significantly: Study. Consolidated total income during the quarter under review stood at Rs 37.69 crore as against Rs 50.97 crore in the year-ago period. The firm, which is a systemically important non-banking financial company and has no activities other than those of an investment entity, said its total expenses during the third quarter stood at Rs 9.45 crore as compared to Rs 6.01 crore in the same period of the last fiscal. Also Read | Nepal Plane Crash: Can You Go Live on Facebook in Airplane While Landing Sans Wi-Fi, Mobile Data? Here's Everything You Need To Know. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Kabul [Afghanistan], January 17 (ANI): Locals in Kabul have expressed their frustration over prolonged power cuts amid the freezing cold, adding to the miseries of people in Afghanistan, TOLOnews reported. The outages have resulted in leaving people with numerous challenges a result of which they urge the authorities to address the matter. According to the residents, electricity is supplied for four to five hours daily, which is not enough for them. Also Read | 'Pakistan Has Learned Its Lesson': Shehbaz Sharif Offers India To Resolve 'Burning Issues' Through Talks, Has This Message for PM Narendra Modi. "The issue of electricity has reached its peak, especially in the Makrorayan area because we cannot use gas and the heating system is not activated yet," a Kabul resident, Shabana lamented. People also complained that due to the unavailability of electricity, they fall short of water too. The business community said the power shortage has also affected factories in Kabul's industrial park. Also Read | Audi Car Mows Down Mother, Her Child Before Crashing Into Outside Wall of Jaguar Dealership in UKs West Yorkshire; Driver Arrested. "There is a water shortage. If we don't have electricity, we don't have water too," said Sherzai, a Kabul local. Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), the nation's power distributor, said that at least 30 per cent of Kabul's electricity comes from domestic sources. "We don't have electricity even for one hour. We should use thermal power resources until the transmission lines for power supply from Uzbekistan are reconnected," TOLOnews quoted Sakhi Ahmad Payman, first deputy of the Chamber of the Industry and Mine as saying. As Afghanistan imports, most of its needed power from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Iran, the already existing economic and humanitarian crisis has put regular lives of people in trouble since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan. Earlier in November, the operations director of DABS told the Taliban-run Bakhtar News Agency that Uzbekistan is one of Afghanistan's main electrical suppliers and that the problem with the blackouts would soon be resolved, Khaama Press reported. Since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in August of last year, power outages have continued. Periodic power outages caused by terror groups' regular demolition of electricity pylons in the northern provinces of the nation constituted a serious problem for power delivery. Time and again, the residents of Kabul expressed concerns over the power shortages as they complained of getting only seven to eight hours of electricity every day several times. In November last year, Kabul residents said they are living miserable lives as the authorities in the country do not pay heed to frequent power outages, Khaama Press reported. Afghanistan imports around 80 per cent of its electricity from neighbouring countries, mainly Central Asian nations. In January 2022, Uzbekistan reduced the import of electricity to Afghanistan, causing a disruption of electricity supply in a number of Afghan provinces. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Canberra [Australia], January 17 (ANI): Australia and Papua New Guinea announced that both governments have finalised a security agreement to deepen defence cooperation between the two countries. "We reaffirm our commitment to further enhance strategic cooperation between Papua New Guinea and Australia through the development of a Bilateral Security Treaty (BST), pursuant to the 2020 Comprehensive Strategic and Economic Partnership (CSEP)," the joint statement read, as quoted by Australian Prime Minister's Office. Also Read | Yeti Airlines Plane Crash: Death Toll Climbs to 70 After Rescuers Recover Two More Bodies. "As near neighbours, close friends and equal partners, Papua New Guinea's and Australia's defence and security is deeply connected. We share a mutual strategic interest in a safe, stable, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific. We have a proud history of working together in the interests of the region," the statement added. It added BST will provide an enabling framework for current and future traditional and non-traditional security cooperation. It would also facilitate the practical broadening and deepening of our security cooperation while sitting above existing arrangements, programs, and activities. Also Read | Nepal Plane Crash: Kin of Four UP Residents Killed in Yeti Airlines Flight Tragedy Leave for Kathmandu to Receive Bodies. Experts agree that the security agreement between the two countries will be viewed as a significant development and a countermeasure to China's growing influence in the region. China signed its own security agreement with Papua New Guinea's neighbouring Solomon Islands, causing Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and the US to follow suit. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said their relationship is essential and thier national security is "almost indivisible." "A more secure PNG is a more secure Australia and vice versa. We regard ourselves as family, not just as friends. And families need to always look after each other," he said. In the joint statement, both sides said BST strengthen their position as vital security partners and assist both countries to protect and enhance our sovereignty and resilience. The agreement also recognises that because their security interests are intertwined, including by virtue of our geography, decisions taken by one country affect the security of the other. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Davos, Jan 17 (AP) A trial in absentia opened Tuesday for Belarus' top opposition leader, who denounced the proceedings as a farce and urged the West to bolster support for the country's beleaguered opposition. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was the main challenger in the August 2020 presidential election that extended President Alexander Lukashenko's rule and was rejected by the Belarusian opposition and the West as a sham. Also Read | U.S. and European Airlines Will Benefit from Pent-up Demand for Travel to China After Its Latest Tweet by Reuters. Tsikhanouskaya, who left the ex-Soviet nation shortly after the vote under pressure from authorities, is being tried in absentia along with four other leading opposition figures. She is facing charges of high treason, conspiracy to seize power and undermining national security and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Tsikhanouskaya said that she learned from media reports about the trial, which is being held behind closed doors, adding that she was unable to reach her lawyer appointed by the Belarusian authorities. Also Read | UN Calls on Pakistan To Curb Forced Marriages of Teenage Girls From Minority Sections. "It looks like farce," Tsikhanouskaya told The Associated Press in an interview in Davos, Switzerland, where she is attending a global economic forum. I will be sentenced to years and years. The judge will give me so many years as he is ordered to do. In December 2021, Tsikhanouskaya's husband, Siarhei Tsikhanouski, was convicted and sentenced to 18 years in prison on charges of organising mass unrest and inciting hatred, which he rejected. On Monday, the authorities leveled new accusations against him. "The lawyer visits him once a week just to check if he's at least alive, because the conditions in prisons are awful," Tsikhanouskaya told the AP. He was put very often in punishment cells and when you are in prison, you do not have rights at all. Her husband, a popular video blogger and activist, planned to challenge Lukashenko in the August 2020 vote, but was arrested in May 2020, two days after he declared his candidacy. Tsikhanouskaya, a former English teacher, ran in his place. Tsikhanouskaya and other opposition activists rejected the official results that handed Lukashenko a sixth term in office as fraudulent. The vote triggered a months-long wave of unprecedented mass protests, the largest of which saw about 200,000 people taking to the streets of the Belarusian capital, Minsk. Lukashenko's government responded with a violent crackdown on demonstrations, arresting more than 35,000 and brutally beating thousands. The authorities have continued their repression, and 1,438 people in Belarus are currently in prisons on politically motivated charges, according to human rights groups. Tsikhanouskaya urged the West to come out with a clear strategy on Belarus and boost support for the country's opposition. She emphasized that backing the opposition is particularly important as Russia used Belarus' territory to invade Ukraine on Feb. 24 and continues to station its troops and weapons on the Belarusian territory. Tsikhanouskaya noted that opposition activists in Belarus help gather information about Russian troops movements in the country, adding that we deliver this information to Ukraine. I don't want the world to overlook Belarus, to explain once again why Belarus is important, that without a safe, free, democratic Belarus, there will not be stable peace in the region," Tsikhanouskaya said. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Beijing [China], January 17 (ANI): Even while being virtually forced to designate Abdul Rehman Makki as a global terrorist, the Chinese Government has tonight placated Pakistan by saying that 'this designation is a recognition of Pakistan's staunch fight against terrorism,' according to a statement released by China's Foreign Ministry site. Responding to a media query over China's decision to lift the hold on designating Lashkar-e-Taiba deputy chief Abdul Rehman Makki, Beijing's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, "The individual you mentioned has been convicted and sentenced by Pakistan, and this designation is a sign of recognition of Pakistan's staunch fight against terrorism." Also Read | Pakistan Has Learnt a 'Lesson', Wants Peace With India, Says PM Shehbaz Sharif. "Terrorism is a common scourge for humanity. As an important international counter-terrorism mechanism, the 1267 Committee of the Security Council is mandated by the UN body's resolution to put terrorists or terrorist organizations on its sanctions list, which is conducive to strengthening international counter-terrorism cooperation and the joint fight against terrorist threats," the statement quoted Wang Wenbin as saying. Interestingly, China has placed holds to prevent the listing of as many as five Pakistani terrorists including Makki, and now took a complete U-turn. Also Read | Nepal Plane Crash: Death Toll Rises to 71 As Authorities Handover Victims' Bodies to Family Members. Earlier, on Tuesday, China finally lifted its 'technical hold' on the designation of Makki as a global terrorist under the 1267 UN Sanctions Committee after the country was left isolated in the Security Council. "It also needs to be pointed out that the committee has clear guidelines regarding the designation of terrorist organizations and individuals and related procedures. China takes part in the work of the committee in a constructive and responsible manner in strict accordance with these rules and procedures," he further said. A total of five names were submitted by India for designation under 1267 in 2022: Abdul Rehman Makki (LeT), Abdul Rauf Asghar (Jaish-e-Mohammed, JeM), Sajid Mir (LeT), Shahid Mahmood (LeT), and Talha Saeed (LeT). And each of these five names was initially placed on technical hold by only one member state while all other 14 members of the Council agreed to their listing. This listing comes after China last year put a 'technical hold' on India's bid to name the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leader a global terrorist. In June 2022, India slammed China after it blocked the proposal to list terrorist Abdul Rehman Makki under the Sanctions Committee, also known as the UNSC 1267 Committee. "On 16 January 2023, the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning ISIL (Da'esh), Al-Qaida, and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities approved the addition of the entry specified below to its ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List of individuals and entities subject to the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo set out in paragraph 1 of Security Council resolution 2610 (2021) and adopted under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations," the UN said in a statement. India and the US have already listed Makki as a terrorist under their domestic laws. He has been involved in raising funds, recruiting and radicalizing youth to violence and planning attacks in India, especially in Jammu and Kashmir. Makki has performed various leadership roles within the LeT, a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), while also playing a role in raising funds for LeT operations, according to sources. In 2020, a Pakistani anti-terrorism court convicted Makki on one count of terrorism financing and sentenced him to prison, acccording to the US State Department. China had earlier placed hurdles to the listing of known terrorists, particularly from Pakistan. It had repeatedly blocked proposals to designate Maulana Masood Azhar, chief of the Pakistan-based and UN-proscribed terrorist entity, the JeM. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Davos, Jan 17 (PTI) Swiss President Alain Berset on Tuesday said the number of democracies worldwide has diminished very much and the world is at a tipping point with democratic institutions being weakened. "In certain places, the rule of law is under threat even in some democratically constituted states. And the rule of law is also at risk of eroding in the international system," Berset said in a special address at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2023 here. Also Read | UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman Orders Extradition of Arms Dealer Sanjay Bhandari to India. He said the post-war order is currently experiencing its greatest crisis and Russia's invasion of Ukraine constitutes a brutal attack on a peaceful country. "But it is also a brutal attack on international law and multilateralism. The war is causing great suffering. And it is playing a decisive role on the global development of democracy," he said. Also Read | Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Seeks Sincere Talks with PM Narendra Modi to Resolve Burning Issues; Says UAE Can Play an Important Role. He lauded the solidarity shown by democratic countries with Ukraine and rued that the aggression has come, of all countries, from a member of the UN Security Council, which as per the UN Charter: bears "primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security". Berset said Switzerland will make every effort to again strengthen international law and multilateralism in the UN Security Council. He also said inequality worldwide has continued to grow and inequality brings with it huge political and social collateral damage. "What we call populism is essentially a reaction to growing inequality. We all know that: Extreme inequality undermines social cohesion. It creates resentment, causing us to seek scapegoats. And it is politically toxic, eating away at our faith in democracy," he added. "The number of democracies worldwide has diminished very much. According to Freedom House, around 50 per cent of the world's population lived in democracies ten years ago Today, that figure is just 20 per cent. "Business as usual is no longer an option: We must take steps to defend steadfastly the foundations, that are a prerequisite for civilised coexistence," the president said. "Self-interest and supporting those weaker than ourselves We have long considered these to be two different things. Now we know: They are one and the same," Berset 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 [India], January 17 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will pay an official visit to the Maldives and Sri Lanka this week. He will sign agreements related to the bilateral development cooperation and launch several key India-supported projects in Male, according to the statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs. According to the statement, Jaishankar will visit to Maldives and Sri Lanka from January 18-20. During his visit to Maldives, Jaishankar would call on President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and will also hold discussions with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid. Also Read | Pakistan Has Learnt a 'Lesson', Wants Peace With India, Says PM Shehbaz Sharif. "EAM's visit will see the signing of agreements related to the bilateral development cooperation, ground-breaking/ inauguration/ handing-over and launch of a number of key India-supported projects that will contribute to the socio-economic development of the Maldives," the statement reads. Regarding Sri Lanka's tour, the ministry stated that Jaishankar's visit will follow his earlier trips to the bankrupt country in January 2021 and March 2022. Sri Lanka is a close friend and neighbour, and India has stood with the people of Sri Lanka at all times. Also Read | Nepal Plane Crash: Death Toll Rises to 71 As Authorities Handover Victims' Bodies to Family Members. "During the visit, EAM will call on President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and also hold discussions with Minister of Foreign Affairs MUM Ali Sabry on the entire gamut of close India-Sri Lanka partnership and steps to strengthen it in all spheres," the statement stated. "Both Maldives and Sri Lanka are India's key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region and occupy a special place in the Prime Minister's vision of 'SAGAR' (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and 'Neighbourhood First'. EAM's visit is testimony to the importance that India attaches to its close and friendly relations with the Maldives and Sri Lanka," the statement added. India and Sri Lanka share a good relationship. Under the "Neighbourhood First Policy," India had extended aid worth USD 3.9 billion to help Sri Lanka sustain itself in face of the acute economic and financial crisis and meet its immediate needs such as medicines, cooking gas, oil and food items, Sri Lanka based news publication News 19 reported. In February 2022, India in order to help Sri Lanka overcome its fuel shortage, signed an agreement for the supply of petroleum products worth USD 500 million from the Indian Oil Company through a credit line. This was expanded by an additional USD 200 million worth of petroleum products in April 2022. India's EXIM bank and State bank of India, for the import of essential commodities, extended export credit facilities worth USD 1,500 million to Sri Lanka. India also concluded a USD 400 million agreement with Sri Lanka to help preserve the country's forex reserves. (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, Jan 17 (AP) The final death toll from a weekend Russian missile strike on an apartment building in southeastern Ukraine reached 44, officials said on Tuesday, as the body of another child was pulled from the wreckage. The strike in the city of Dnipro was the war's deadliest attack since the spring on civilians at one location. Also Read | The First Tranche in a Long-awaited 18 Billion Euro Commitment, the Financing Will Help Latest Tweet by The Kyiv Independent. Those killed in the Saturday afternoon strike included five children, and 79 people were injured, according to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the Ukrainian president's office. The final toll included two dozen people initially listed as missing at the multistory building, which housed about 1,700, he said. Emergency crews cleared some 9 metric tons (9.9 tons) of rubble during a non-stop search and rescue operation, the Dnipro City Council said. Also Read | UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman Orders Extradition of Arms Dealer Sanjay Bhandari to India. Some 400 people lost their homes, with 72 apartments completely ruined and another 236 damaged beyond repair, it added. The latest deadly Russian strike on a civilian target in the almost 11-month war triggered outrage. It also prompted the surprise resignation on Tuesday of a Ukrainian presidential adviser who said the Russian missile exploded and fell after the Ukrainian air defence system shot it down, a version that would take some of the blame off the Kremlin's forces. Oleksii Arestovich's comments in a Saturday night interview caused an outcry. He said as he quit that his remarks were a fundamental mistake. Ukraine's air force had stressed that the country's military did not possess a system capable of downing Russia's Kh-22 missiles, which it said was the type that hit the apartment building. Since the beginning of Russia's military aggression, more than 210 missiles of this type have been launched on the territory of Ukraine. Not one was shot down by means of anti-aircraft defense, the air force said on Saturday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to bring those responsible for the strike to justice, saying it's a fundamental task for Ukraine and its Western allies. This strike at Dnipro, as well as other similar strikes, falls, in particular, under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, he said in a video address late on Monday. And we will use all available opportunities both national and international to ensure that all Russian murderers, everyone who gives and executes orders on missile terror against our people, face legal sentences. And to ensure that they serve their punishment, he said. The UK Defence Ministry said on Tuesday that the weekend barrage of long-range missiles, the first of its kind in two weeks, targeted Ukraine's power grid. The ministry noted that the Kh-22 is notoriously inaccurate when used against ground targets as its radar guidance system is poor at differentiating targets in urban areas, suggesting that might have been a factor in the deaths in the Dnipro. Similar missiles were used in other incidents that caused high civilian casualties, it said, including a strike on a shopping mall in Ukraine's central city of Kremenchuk in June. that officials said killed more than 20 people. The deadliest attack involving civilians before Saturday was an April 9 strike on a train station in the eastern city of Kramatorsk that left at least 52 people dead, according to The Associated Press-Frontline War Crimes Watch project. Such incidents have helped stiffen international support for Ukraine as it battles to fend off the Kremlin's invasion. The winter has brought a slowdown in fighting, but military analysts say a new push by both sides is likely once the weather improves. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that the country's military would increase its readiness from the current 1.15 million to 1.5 million in coming years. As part of the buildup, the military will form an army corps in the northwestern region of Karelia, near Finland, as well as three new motorised infantry and two airborne divisions. The military will also beef up seven existing motorised infantry brigades into divisions. That announcement came a day after US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and other US officials met in Kyiv with Zelenskyy. They reiterated Washington's strong and steadfast commitment to Ukraine, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said. US Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Monday visited Ukraine troops who are training at a military base in Germany under US commanders. More than 600 Ukrainian troops began the expanded training programme at the camp the previous day. This is not a run of the mill rotation, Milley told commanders. This is one of those moments in time where if you want to make a difference, this is it. Ukraine's first lady was also helping to cement Western support and acquire more foreign weapons, as she was scheduled to give a rare international address at the World Economic Forum's annual gathering in the Swiss town of Davos. Meanwhile, the head of the UN nuclear agency visited the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant on Monday and announced the organisation's permanent presence there to oversee operations and ensure safety. Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, tweeted late Monday that the agency's flag was flying over the power plant. We are here to stay to help ensure nuclear safety (and) security during ongoing conflict, Grossi said, adding that soon, IAEA will be permanently present at all of Ukraine's nuclear power plants. Ukraine has a total of four nuclear power plants with 16 reactors. One of them, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, is Europe's largest and was taken over by Russian forces in the first months of the war and remains under their control. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Houston, Jan 17 (PTI) Indian-American Krishna Vavilala has been honoured with the MLK Grande Parade Special Award for the community leader's contributions towards connecting the Indian diaspora with the mainstream America as the US celebrated the legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Vavilala, 86, a longtime Houstonian and the founder and chairman of the Foundation of India Studies (FIS), has in the past led several MLK Grande Parades, dressed as Mahatma Gandhi with the sole purpose of bringing the Indian community closer to the Black community, based on the principles of non-violence, which both Gandhi and MLK Jr. had followed. Also Read | UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman Orders Extradition of Arms Dealer Sanjay Bhandari to India. The award -- a trophy and a plaque -- was presented by Charles Stamps, the chairman and CEO of MLK Jr. Parade Foundation, at its glitzier gala night on Sunday amidst thunderous applause. Charles spoke highly of Vavilala and appreciated his dedication to spreading the message of both Mahatma Gandhi and MLK Jr, who were continents apart, yet shared the same vision and followed the same path. Also Read | Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Seeks Sincere Talks with PM Narendra Modi to Resolve Burning Issues; Says UAE Can Play an Important Role. Born in 1929 as Michael Luther King Jr. and later known as "Martin", King led a nonviolent movement in the late 1950s and 60s to achieve legal equality for African-Americans in the US. A strong believer in promoting peace and racial harmony, Vavilala while accepting the award said, Initially when I was called about this award, I thought it was a hoax." "Having lived in this country for over five decades, I have observed that there is very little social interaction between the Blacks and the Indian communities in our daily lives. So, I wanted to do something about it. I must be one of the very few people in America who has seen Gandhi in person, he said. The memory of me as a nine-year-old seeing Gandhi during his visit to Rajahmundry, my hometown in 1946, is still stuck in my mind, he narrated. "My grandmother took me and my two sisters on a bullock cart to see Mahatma Gandhi." My inspiration to participate in the MLK parades came after I got the Gandhi statue installed in Hermann park, in 2003-2004," he said. We all know, Martin Luther King Jr. had established a historic link between India and America, by adopting Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence in his civil rights movement. It is my belief that the Indian diaspora should participate in the annual MLK parades to help bring about social justice and racial harmony," he added. Meanwhile, members and supporters of the FIS on Monday morning braved the wintry weather and walked in the 29th Martin Luther King Jr. Grand Parade in midtown, Houston. FIS's participation in the MLK parades is purely to pay homage to the late civil rights leader who had adopted Gandhi's methods of passive resistance and non-violence in his struggle to achieve equal civil rights for the Black community, thus enabling permanent bondage between people of America and the people of India. This relationship is expected to endure the test of times for many generations to come," Vavilala told PTI. The 17-year-old organisation has routinely participated in MLK parades for 12 years and also won the parade's Grand Marshall Award in 2015. Vavilala, a BITS Pilani alumni, is a retired Electrical Engineer, originally from Andhra Pradesh and now a naturalised American citizen settled in Houston. Over the years, Vavilala has kept Gandhi's vision relevant in Houston and was instrumental in proposing the installation of a life-size Gandhi statue at Herman Park, a constant reminder of peace in a cowboy state of Texas. Vavilala was instrumental in 2006 in establishing the India studies programme at the University of Houston and responsible for initiating the India Studies programme at Texas Southern University in May 2022. King is the only non-president to have a national holiday dedicated in his honour and is the only non-president memorialised on the Great Mall in Washington. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) London [UK], January 17 (ANI): A serving officer of the London Metropolitan Police (Met) has admitted to dozens of rape and sexual offences after assaulting 12 women, UK media reported on Monday. David Carrick, a 48-year-old officer, pleaded guilty on 49 charges, including 24 counts of rape, for crimes committed over an 18-year period, the Sky News broadcaster said. Also Read | Yeti Airlines Plane Crash: Death Toll Climbs to 70 After Rescuers Recover Two More Bodies. Carrick joined the Met in 2001. He initially worked as a response officer in Merton and Barnet. In 2009 he transferred to what is now the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command where he remained until his arrest and suspension in October 2021. In a statement, London police condemned the appalling criminal actions of a serving officer after he pleaded guilty to multiple rapes and other serious sexual offences. Also Read | Nepal Plane Crash: Kin of Four UP Residents Killed in Yeti Airlines Flight Tragedy Leave for Kathmandu to Receive Bodies. David Carrick appeared at Southwark Crown Court on January 16 and entered guilty pleas to false imprisonment, indecent assault and four counts of rape. At a previous hearing at the Old Bailey on Tuesday, December 13 he pleaded guilty to 43 offences including 20 counts of rape, and further counts of controlling and coercive behaviour and sexual assault. He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced at a hearing to take place at Southwark Crown Court beginning on Monday, February 6. The Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner for Professionalism, Barbara Gray, apologized to Carrick's victims for failing to remove him from the force. "We should have spotted his pattern of abusive behaviour and because we didn't, we missed opportunities to remove him from the organization," the official was quoted as saying by Sky News. Downing Street said Carrick's crimes were "appalling" and urged the police to root out criminal officers "to restore the public's trust, which has been shattered," the broadcaster said. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Kathmandu, Jan 17 (PTI) A nine-member team of experts from France arrived here on Tuesday to help the Nepal government investigate a plane crash in which 71 people lost their lives. Yeti Airlines' 9N-ANC ATR-72 aircraft with 72 people on board, including five Indians, crashed minutes before landing on the bank of the Seti River in the resort city of Pokhara on Sunday. A total of 68 passengers and four crew members were on board the aircraft. Also Read | Thai Marine Conservation Officials Have Used Thermal Imaging Equipment Mounted on a Drone Latest Tweet by Reuters. The Nepal government has formed a five-member probe committee to investigate the crash. The probe panel headed by former aviation secretary Nagendra Ghimire has been asked to investigate the accident and submit its report within 45 days. A senior official at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, said that the expert team from the company that manufactures the ATR aircraft reached Kathmandu on Tuesday. Also Read | Pakistan Has Learnt a 'Lesson', Wants Peace With India, Says PM Shehbaz Sharif. The team has already reached Pokhara," Joint Secretary Lamichhane told PTI. The French team will assist the probe committee to investigate the matter. The committee has already started its investigation into the incident, he said. The ATR-72 is a twin-engine turboprop, short-haul regional airliner developed in France and Italy by aircraft manufacturer ATR, which is a joint venture between French aerospace company Aerospatiale and Italian aviation conglomerate Aeritalia. The number 72 in its name is derived from the aircraft's typical standard seating capacity of 72 passengers. The crashed ATR-72 Nepalese passenger plane was previously used by the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines owned by liquor baron Vijay Mallya, according to Cirium Fleets data. It was the first instance that such a model met with an accident in Nepal's chequered aviation history. Currently, only Buddha Air and Yeti Airlines employ ATR-72 aircraft in Nepal. According to Nepal's civil aviation body, 914 people have died in air crashes in the country since the first disaster was recorded in August 1955. The Yeti Airlines tragedy in Pokhara on Sunday is the 104th crash in Nepali skies and the third biggest in terms of casualties. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Kathmandu, Jan 17 (PTI) Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" on Tuesday expanded his Cabinet for the first time by inducting 12 ministers and three junior ministers and finalised a power-sharing deal, more than three weeks after assuming charge. Prachanda, the 68-year-old CPN-Maoist Centre leader was sworn in as the Nepal Prime Minister on December 25 last year, for the third time after he dramatically walked out of the pre-poll alliance led by the Nepali Congress and joined hands with opposition leader K P Sharma Oli. Also Read | UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman Orders Extradition of Arms Dealer Sanjay Bhandari to India. Top leaders from the ruling coalition, including the CPN (Maoist Centre), the CPN-UML, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and the Janata Samajbadi Party (JSB) met Prime Minister Prachanda at his residence here on Monday to finalise the power-sharing deal. Bimala Rai Paudel from the CPM (UML) was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs, while Hari Upreti, also from the same party, was elevated as the country's defence minister. Also Read | Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Seeks Sincere Talks with PM Narendra Modi to Resolve Burning Issues; Says UAE Can Play an Important Role. The newly appointed ministers took the oath of office and secrecy at an official ceremony at Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari's residence here. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Pokhara [Nepal], January 17 (ANI): Nepal's newly elected Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal also the chairman of Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Center is set to expand his cabinet, one month after getting appointed to the post. On Monday evening, the top leaders of the ruling coalition agreed on ministerial allocations. The meeting of the chiefs of four ruling parties the CPN (Maoist Centre), the CPN-UML, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), and the Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) held at the prime minister's residence at Baluwatar on Monday reached the power-sharing deal. Also Read | Yeti Airlines Plane Crash: Death Toll Climbs to 70 After Rescuers Recover Two More Bodies. As per the agreement, the largest party in the coalition, the UML, will get a total of eight ministers along with two ministers of state; the CPN (Maoist Centre), which is leading the government, will get five ministries including the prime minister; and the Rastriya Swatantra Party and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party will get three ministries each along with one deputy prime minister each. The RSP will lead the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, and will also get one state minister. The party already has its chairman Rabi Lamichhane as deputy prime minister and home minister. Also Read | Nepal Plane Crash: Kin of Four UP Residents Killed in Yeti Airlines Flight Tragedy Leave for Kathmandu to Receive Bodies. From the RPP, its chairman Rajendra Lingden will join the government as deputy prime minister and energy, water resources and irrigation minister. Besides finance, the UML will get foreign, health, defence, agriculture and land management, among other ministries. But, according to a leader who was present at the meeting, there could be last minute changes in ministerial allocations before the swearing-in ceremony, which is scheduled for 1 am Tuesday. After Monday's meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane said the ruling coalition partners have finalised the ministerial allocations. But he did not disclose which parties got what ministries. "We will make the names public only after discussing today's decision in our respective parties," Lamichhane told journalists after the meeting at Baluwatar, adding that the President's Office has already been informed about the swearing-in ceremony. When asked if the Nagarik Unmukti Party and Loktantrik Samajbadi Party would also be joining the government anytime soon, he said, "It is unlikely that they will join immediately, but discussions are ongoing." According to him, the prime minister has called an all-party meeting for 4 pm Tuesday. JSP Chairman Upendra Yadav, however, said his party will not join the government now because it is not happy with the ministries offered to the party. "We have expressed our dissatisfaction over the power sharing deal," he said. Dahal, who was appointed the prime minister on December 25, was administered the oath of office and secrecy on the next day along with three deputy prime ministers and four ministers. Among three deputy prime ministers, UML's Bishnu Poudel leads the Finance Ministry, Maoist Centre's Narayan Kaji Shrestha leads Physical Infrastructure and Transportation and RSP's Rabi Lamichhane the Home Ministry. However, the four ministers three from the UML including Rajendra Rai, Jwala Kumari Sah and Damodar Bhandari, and Janamat Party's Abdul Khan have not yet been assigned portfolios. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Atlanta, Jan 17 (AP) America has honoured Martin Luther King Jr with a federal holiday for nearly four decades yet still hasn't fully embraced and acted on the lessons from the slain civil rights leader, his youngest daughter said Monday. The Rev Bernice King, who leads The King Center in Atlanta, said leaders especially politicians too often cheapen her father's legacy into a comfortable and convenient King offering easy platitudes. Also Read | Yeti Airlines Plane Crash: Death Toll Climbs to 70 After Rescuers Recover Two More Bodies. We love to quote King in and around the holiday... But then we refuse to live King 365 days of the year, she declared at the commemorative service at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where her father once preached. The service, sponsored by the center and held at Ebenezer annually, headlined observances of the 38th federal King holiday. King, gunned down in Memphis in 1968 as he advocated for better pay and working conditions for the city's sanitation workers, would have celebrated his 94th birthday Sunday. Also Read | Nepal Plane Crash: Kin of Four UP Residents Killed in Yeti Airlines Flight Tragedy Leave for Kathmandu to Receive Bodies. Her voice rising and falling in cadences similar to her father's, Bernice King bemoaned institutional and individual racism, economic and health care inequities, police violence, a militarised international order, hardline immigration structures and the climate crisis. She said she's exhausted, exasperated and, frankly, disappointed to hear her father's words about justice quoted so extensively alongside so little progress addressing society's gravest problems. He was God's prophet sent to this nation and even the world to guide us and forewarn us. ... A prophetic word calls for an inconvenience because it challenges us to change our hearts, our minds and our behaviour, Bernice King said. Dr King, the inconvenient King, puts some demands on us to change our ways. President Joe Biden was scheduled Monday to address an MLK breakfast hosted in Washington by the Rev Al Sharpton's National Action Network. Sharpton got his start as a civil rights organiser in his teens as youth director of an anti-poverty project of King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference. This is a time for choosing, Biden said, repeating themes from a speech he delivered Sunday at Ebenezer at the invitation of Sen Raphael Warnock, the senior pastor at Ebenezer who recently won re-election to a full term as Georgia's first Black US senator. Will we choose democracy over autocracy, or community over chaos? Love over hate? Biden asked Monday. These are the questions of our time that I ran for president to try to help answer. ... Dr King's life and legacy in my view shows the way forward. Other commemorations echoed Bernice King's reminder and Biden's allusions that the Beloved Community Martin Luther King's descriptor for a world in which all people are free from fear, discrimination, hunger and violence remains elusive. In Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu talked about a fight for the truth in an era of hyper-partisanship and misinformation. We're battling not just two sides or left or right and a gradient in between that have to somehow come to compromise, but a growing movement of hate, abuse, extremism and white supremacy fuelled by misinformation, fuelled by conspiracy theories that are taking root at every level, she said. Wu, the first woman and person of colour elected mayor of Boston, said education restores trust. Quoting King, she called for overcoming the fatigue of despair to enact change. It is sometimes in those moments when we feel most tired, most despairing, that we are just about to break through, Wu told attendees at a memorial breakfast. Volunteers in Philadelphia held a day of service focused on gun violence prevention. The city has seen a surge in homicides that saw 516 people killed last year and 562 the year before, the highest total in at least six decades. Some participants in the effort's signature project, led by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, worked to assemble gun safety kits for public distribution. The kits include gun cable locks and additional safety devices for childproofing, according to organisers. They also include information about firearm storage, health and social services information, and coping in the aftermath of gun violence. Other kits being assembled highlighted Temple University Hospital's Fighting Chance programme and included materials to enable immediate response to victims at the scene of gunfire, organisers said. Recipients are to be trained in the use of the materials, which include tourniquets, gauze, chest seals and other items to treat critical wounds, they said. In Selma, Alabama, a seminal site in the civil rights movement, residents were commemorating King as they recover from a deadly storm system that moved across the South last week. King was not present at Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge for the initial march known as Bloody Sunday, when Alabama state troopers attacked and beat marchers in March 1965. But he joined a subsequent procession that successfully crossed the bridge toward the Capitol in Montgomery, punctuating efforts that pushed Congress to pass and President Lyndon Johnson to sign the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Pettus Bridge was unscathed by Thursday's storm. Maine's first Black House speaker urged residents Monday to honour King's memory by joining in acts of service. His unshakable faith, powerful nonviolent activism and his vision for peace and justice in our world altered the course of history, Rachel Talbot Ross said in a statement. Talbot Ross is also the daughter of Maine's first black lawmaker, and a former president of the Portland NAACP. We must follow his example of leading with light and love and recommit ourselves to building a more compassionate, just and equal community, she added. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) United Nations, Jan 17 (PTI) The UN peacekeeping chief on Monday welcomed the deployment of the largest contingent of women peacekeepers from India in Abyei, saying female troops mean efficient operations. Pleased to see the largest contingent of women peacekeepers from #India arriving in #Abyei where they will be #ServingForPeace with @UNISFA_1. More #WomenInPeacekeeping means more efficient operations and they help better reflect the people we serve, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said in a tweet. Also Read | Yeti Airlines Plane Crash: Death Toll Climbs to 70 After Rescuers Recover Two More Bodies. The women peacekeepers, the single largest all-women platoon from India in recent years, arrived in Abyei Saturday to begin their deployment with the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA). Abyei is disputed zone on the border of South Sudan and Sudan, and has been accorded a "special administrative status." "UNISFA is excited to welcome the deployment of the single largest all-women platoon of peacekeepers in recent years from #India. They join @IndBatt serving in #Abyei @UNISFA_1. The deployment reaffirms #India's continued commitment to implementation UNISFA mandate @UNPeacekeeping," the mission said in a tweet Monday. Also Read | Nepal Plane Crash: Kin of Four UP Residents Killed in Yeti Airlines Flight Tragedy Leave for Kathmandu to Receive Bodies. The platoon, comprising two officers and 25 other ranks, is part of an engagement platoon and specialises in community outreach. It will perform extensive security related tasks as well. The team was inducted to the mission area on January 14 and over the course of one year, the platoon will work along with their counterparts towards the goal of durable peace in Abyei. "Their presence will be especially welcome in Abyei, where a recent spurt in violence has triggered a spate of challenging humanitarian concerns for women and children in the conflict zone, India's Permanent Mission to the UN had said earlier this month. The platoon has been deployed in Abyei as part of the Indian Battalion in UNISFA and is India's largest single unit of women Peacekeepers in a UN Mission since it deployed the first-ever all women's contingent in Liberia in 2007. The team underwent training in all aspects related to its mission as peacekeepers including patrolling, functioning of UN, community engagement, language and was also briefed about the mission mandate. UNISFA said this step would prove to be groundbreaking towards better integration of genders into military peacekeeping. Deployment of female peacekeepers had a positive impact on peacekeeping environments in the past and has increased the overall peacekeeping performance, it said adding that due to their natural outreach to communities, female peacekeepers add greater diversity and broaden the skillset across activities to ensure success of the peacekeeping mission. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Rome, Jan 17 (AP) Pope Francis on Tuesday sent his condolences to the victims of a bombing on a Pentecostal church in eastern Congo, an attack claimed by Islamic militants two weeks before the pontiff is due to arrive in the country. Authorities say Sunday's bombing in Kasindi, a town in North Kivu province, killed at least 14 people and injured more than 60. The Islamic State group and its Aamaq news outlet said militants had planted an explosive device inside the church and detonated it while people were praying. Also Read | Pakistan Prime Ministers Office Says Negotiations With India Impossible Until Reversal of August 5 Action After Shehbaz Sharifs Dialogue Pitch. Francis addressed the telegram of condolence to the Rev. Andre Bokundoa-Bo-Likabe, whom the Vatican identified as the president of the Church of Christ in Congo. According to the telegram, Francis expressed his compassion and closeness to all the families hard hit by this tragedy and called for peace. Also Read | UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman Orders Extradition of Arms Dealer Sanjay Bhandari to India. Francis is due to arrive in the Congolese capital Kinshasa on Jan. 31 for a three-day visit. When it was originally scheduled for July, the trip was supposed to include a stop in Goma, the capital of North Kivu. The Vatican scrapped that leg of the trip, amid a new wave of attacks in parts of North Kivu. Violence has wracked eastern Congo for decades as more than 120 armed groups and self-defense militias fight for land and power. Nearly 6 million people are internally displaced, and hundreds of thousands are facing extreme food insecurity, according to the United Nations. While he won't be going to Goma, Francis will meet with some residents from the east and victims of the conflict in Kinshasa. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Colombo, Jan 17 (AP) Human rights groups urged Sri Lanka's government to release a prominent student activist who was arrested five months ago during anti-government protests triggered by the country's worst economic crisis and has been held without charges under harsh anti-terrorism laws. Wasantha Mudalige was brought before a magistrate in Colombo on Tuesday who ordered him to be remanded until Jan. 31. Also Read | Davos 2023: BlackRock U.S. Inflows Dwarf $4 Bln Lost in ESG Backlash -CEO Latest Tweet by Reuters. Seven human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, said that under the powerful Prevention of Terrorism Act, which has been used since 1979, courts routinely deny bail if it's opposed by the attorney general. Mudalige is the convenor of the Inter-University Students' Federation and was involved in months of anti-government demonstrations last year. The protesters demanded wide-ranging reforms to resolve the economic crisis that caused severe shortages of essential goods, fuel and medicine after Sri Lanka defaulted on its massive debt. Also Read | Nepal Plane Crash: Death Toll Rises to 71 As Authorities Handover Victims' Bodies to Family Members. The protests culminated in the flight and resignation of then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa after thousands of people stormed his residence in July. His successor, Ranil Wickremesinghe, initiated talks with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout package that is contingent on reforms and debt restructuring. Wickremesinghe's government also gave sweeping powers to the authorities to crack down on the protests, arresting scores of activists. Rights groups say the military has sought to curtail protests through intimidation, surveillance and arbitrary arrests since Wickremesinghe took office in July. Many of those detained have been released on bail, but the rights group say authorities have used extraordinary powers to keep Mudalige in detention despite having produced no evidence of his involvement in terrorism. The groups said in a statement Monday that for much of the time, Mudalige has been held in solitary confinement and poor conditions, which can violate the prohibition on torture or other ill-treatment under international human rights law. Mudalige was also arrested and jailed for more than three months in 2021 after protesting for the right to free education. For months, opposition lawmakers, rights and student activists have been demanding the release of Mudalige and an end to the government crackdown on demonstrations linked to the economic crisis. Government spokespeople did not immediately return a call seeking comment on Mudalige. The rights groups also urged the government to repeal the anti-terror law, which allows for up to a year of detention without charge on the orders of the defense minister, a position currently held by Wickremesinghe. In March, the government introduced some reforms to the anti-terror law. However, opposition and rights groups called them cosmetic and said the law still allows the detention of suspects without warrants and the use of confessions obtained through torture. They say the law, introduced during the country's civil war in 1979, has been widely abused, causing a large number of innocent people to spend years in prison without trial. Wickremesinghe was elected by Parliament to complete Rajapaksa's term, which ends in 2024. He is unpopular because he is supported by lawmakers who are still backed by the Rajapaksa family, which ruled Sri Lanka for most of the past two decades. Many accuse Wickremesinghe of protecting the Rajapaksas, who are widely blamed for corruption and misrule that led to the crisis. Sri Lanka is effectively bankrupt and has suspended repayment of nearly USD 7 billion in foreign debt due this year pending the outcome of talks with the IMF. The country's total foreign debt exceeds USD 51 billion, of which USD 28 billion has to be repaid by 2027. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New York [US], January 17 (ANI): United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for a probe into the killing of former Afghan parliamentarian Mursal Nabizada, who was shot dead in Kabul on Sunday. "I can tell you that the Secretary-General is shocked by the killings of Mursal Nabizada, a former member of the Afghan parliament, and a member of her security detail. This happened in Kabul yesterday," UN chief's Associate Spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay said during Monday's regular briefing for correspondents in New York. Also Read | Yeti Airlines Plane Crash: Death Toll Climbs to 70 After Rescuers Recover Two More Bodies. Guterres extended his condolences to the victims' families and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured. "The Secretary-General calls for a prompt, thorough, and transparent investigation and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice," Tremblay added. On Sunday, former Afghan lawmaker Mursal Nabizada and one of her security guards were killed in Kabul, Khaama Press reported. Kabul Security Department Spokesperson Khalid Zadran said that Nabizada, a former representative of Laghman province was killed by unknown gunmen in Kabul's 12th district. Also Read | Nepal Plane Crash: Kin of Four UP Residents Killed in Yeti Airlines Flight Tragedy Leave for Kathmandu to Receive Bodies. According to Zadar, unknown gunmen entered Mursal Nabizada's house in the "Ahmadsha Baba Mena" locality in the capital city. The gunmen shot dead two people, Khaama Press reported. Zadran said that those responsible had not been identified yet and the reason behind the killing remains unclear. During the attack, Nabizada's brother was also wounded. His family is, however, yet to comment on the incident. The Taliban representative said that further probe is underway into the killing of Nabizada. Nabizada, 32, was among the few female parliamentarians who stayed in the country after the Taliban seized power in August 2021. After the Taliban took over Afghanistan, it imposed policies severely restricting basic rights--particularly those of women and girls, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW). They dismissed all women from leadership posts in the civil service and prohibited girls in most provinces from attending secondary school. The radical Islamic outfit also imposed a ban on women from working in non-government organisations (NGOs). Several rights groups say Taliban forces have carried out revenge killings and enforced disappearances of former government officials and security force personnel. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) United Nations/Geneva, Jan 17 (PTI) A group of top independent UN human rights experts has expressed alarm at the reported rise in abductions, forced marriages and conversions of underage girls and young women from religious minorities in Pakistan. The group has called for immediate efforts to curtail such practices and ensure justice for victims. Also Read | Pakistan Has Learnt a 'Lesson', Wants Peace With India, Says PM Shehbaz Sharif. We urge the government to take immediate steps to prevent and thoroughly investigate these acts objectively and in line with domestic legislation and international human rights commitments. Perpetrators must be held fully accountable, the experts said. The experts said on Monday they are deeply troubled to hear that girls as young as 13 years are being kidnapped from their families, trafficked to locations far from their homes, made to marry men sometimes twice their age, and coerced to convert to Islam, all in violation of international human rights law, the experts said in a statement. Also Read | Nepal Plane Crash: Death Toll Rises to 71 As Authorities Handover Victims' Bodies to Family Members. We are very concerned that such marriages and conversions take place under threat of violence to these girls and women or their families, they said. The experts said it was imperative that all victims, regardless of religious background, are afforded access to justice and equal protection under the law. Pakistani authorities must adopt and enforce legislation prohibiting forced conversions, forced and child marriages, kidnapping, and trafficking, and abide by their international human rights commitments to combat slavery and human trafficking and uphold the rights of women and children, they said. While noting Pakistan's previous attempts to pass legislation that will prohibit forced conversions and protect religious minorities, the experts deplored the ongoing lack of access to justice for victims and their families. The statement said that reports suggest these so-called marriages and conversions take place with the involvement of religious authorities and the complicity of security forces and the justice system. Reports also indicate that the court system enables these offenses by accepting, without critical examination, fraudulent evidence from perpetrators regarding victims' adulthood, voluntary marriage, and conversion. Family members say that victims' complaints are rarely taken seriously by the police, either refusing to register these reports or arguing that no crime has been committed by labelling these abductions as love marriages', the experts said. They noted that abductors force their victims to sign documents that falsely attest to their being of legal age for marriage as well as marrying and converting of free will. These documents are cited by the police as evidence that no crime has occurred, they said. The experts are Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences Tomoya Obokata; Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material Mama Fatima Singhateh. The group also includes Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences Reem Alsalem; Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief Nazila Ghanea; Special Rapporteur on minority issues Fernand de Varennes. Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Siobhan Mullally, Dorothy Estrada-Tanck (Chair), Ivana Radacic (Vice-Chair), Elizabeth Broderick, Meskerem Geset Techane and Melissa Upreti, Working Group on discrimination against women and girls are also part of the group. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Davos, Jan 17 (PTI) The World Economic Forum will launch its first thematic centre on healthcare and life sciences in Telangana in collaboration with the state government. The centre will be an autonomous, non-profit organization, leading on policy and governance for healthcare and life sciences, the Forum announced here during its Annual Meeting 2023. Also Read | Florida Shooting: Eight People Shot, One Critical at MLK Jr Day Event in Fort Pierce (Watch Video). "India has a unique opportunity to spearhead healthcare and life sciences in South Asia. C4IR (Centre for Fourth Industrial Revolution) Telangana with the support of the Forum's global network of Fourth Industrial Revolution centres will be a key player in driving stakeholder engagement, building bridges between the public sector and SMEs and supporting job creation in the healthcare sector," WEF President Borge Brende said. The collaboration agreement was signed by WEF Managing Director Jeremy Jurgens and Shakthi Nagappan, CEO, Telangana Life Sciences Foundation, Government of Telangana. Also Read | China Population Declines First Time in Over Six Decades as Births Plunge. "I am delighted that the WEF has chosen Hyderabad as its India hub for establishing a Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution focused on healthcare and life sciences today. "I strongly believe the centre is a testament to the strong life sciences prowess of Telangana and is yet another step by the government to elevate the life sciences ecosystem in Telangana and globally," Telangana Minister K T Rama Rao said. Rao, the Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development, Industries and Commerce, and Information Technology, Telangana further said "life sciences is one of the priority sectors in Telangana and I firmly believe this partnership can leverage on the current ecosystem to further accelerate value and impact created by Telangana's life sciences sector globally". World Economic Forum Head of Healthcare Shyam Bishen said "With its strong track record in vaccine and medicines manufacturing and willingness to leverage Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, India is becoming a global powerhouse in healthcare". C4IR Telangana is the 18th centre to join the World Economic Forum's Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) Network, and the second centre in India. C4IR Telangana plans to facilitate, advance and accelerate the development and adoption of technologies in genomics, personalized medicine and healthcare manufacturing, with a focus on the intersection of life sciences and technology in the region and globally. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Chennai, January 17: Tragedy struck a family in Virugambakkam on Pongal as a one-year-old child died after drowning in a bucket of water inside the bathroom on Saturday, January 14. The deceased, identified as A Ilamaran, was playing in the bathroom when the incident happened and his mother was working in the kitchen while the other family members were watching TV. According to the report published by the Times of India, the incident came to light when the family noticed that the child was missing when it was time to feed him. The family began searching for him everywhere and found him unconscious inside the bucket in the bathroom. the family rushed the one-year-old to the hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. Thane Shocker: Six-Month-Old Baby Chokes to Death After He Accidentally Swallows Fish While Playing With It. As per the reports, Ilamarans mother Devaki is a homemaker, while his father owns a grocery store in the neighbourhood and is a traders association office bearer in Virugambakkam. The police said that they do not suspect any foul play and that the child accidentally fell into the bucket while playing in the bathroom. The Virugambakkam police have registered a case and further investigations are underway. UP Shocker: Infant Dies After Mother Rolls Over Him in Sleep in Amroha, Father Alleges Murder. In a similar incident, a four-year-old child died after falling into a bucket of boiling water in Bengaluru on December 30. The deceased was identified as Gulnaz. As per the reports, the childs mother took a bucket of hot water for bathing and Gulnaz accidentally slipped in the bucket of hot water. Hearing the daughters screams, her father rushed for help. The family then took her to a private hospital where she succumbed to her injuries. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 17, 2023 03:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Party exceeded Jagat Prakash Nadda's tenure as BJP National President till June 2024, according to the sources. The decision was taken during the BJP National Executive meeting held in Delhi on Tuesday, January 17. "The tenure of JP Nadda as national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party has been extended till June 2024", said BJP leader and Union minister Amit Shah. BJP National Executive Meet: PM Narendra Modi Asks Party Workers to Organize More Cultural-Unity Programmes Like Kashi-Tamil Sangamam. Check Tweet: Tenure of JP Nadda as BJP national president extended till June 2024: Sources pic.twitter.com/XAIh1n3SbB ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2023 Amit Shah Confirmed Extention: The tenure of JP Nadda as national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party has been extended till June 2024: BJP leader and Union minister Amit Shah pic.twitter.com/lxS7glDL2K ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2023 (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.) Islamabad, January 17: A day after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered to talk to India on "burning issues", the country's PMO clarified that it will not hold negotiations with its neighbour until it reverses the "August 5, 2019 illegal action" on Kashmir. On August 5, 2019, the Indian government had abrogated Article 370 of the country's Constitution which granted special status to the Jammu and Kashmir. "Without India's revocation of this step, negotiations are not possible," Dawn News reported quoting the PMO as saying. Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Seeks 'Sincere' Talks with PM Narendra Modi to Resolve 'Burning' Issues; Says UAE Can Play an Important Role. In an interview to Al-Arabiya television on Monday, Sharif had offered his Indian counterpart Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sit together and resolve issues including Kashmir. Pakistan Has Learned Its Lesson: Shehbaz Sharif Offers India To Resolve Burning Issues Through Talks, Has This Message for PM Narendra Modi. "My message to the Indian leadership and Prime Minister Modi is that let us sit down on the table and have serious and sincere talks to resolve our burning issues like Kashmir," he said. "In Kashmir, flagrant human rights violations are taking place day in and day out," he added. Sharif has asked the UAE to play its role in bringing both India and Pakistan to table talks. Emphasising the urgent need to find mutual grounds of understanding on the issue of Kashmir, Sharif said: "India had usurped any semblance of autonomy, given to the Kashmiris according to Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, as the autonomy was revoked in August 2019." Shehbaz Sharif said that the not only the world need to realise that India and Pakistan are neighbours, but both the countries need to understand the importance of co-existing peacefully. "It is up to us to live peacefully and make progress or quarrel with each other, and waste time and resources," he said. "We have three wars with India and it only brought more misery, poverty and unemployment to the people," he added. Sharif further said that Pakistan realises the past and has "learned its lesson", which is why it now wants to live in peace and resolve bilateral problems through table talks. "We want to alleviate poverty, achieve prosperity and provide education and health facilities and employment to our people and not waste our resources on bombs and ammunition, this is the message I want to give to Prime Minister Modi," he said. Sharif also highlighted the threats and fears of effects of the "strained ties" between India and Pakistan, stating that both countries are nuclear powers and if the conflict triggers a war, then there will be no one left to live and tell what happened. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 17, 2023 06:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). London, January 17: British Home Secretary Suella Braverman has ordered the extradition of Sanjay Bhandari, an accused middleman and consultant in arms deals, to India to face charges of tax evasion and money laundering. According to Home Office sources, the extradition was ordered last week and Bhandari now has 14 days until the end of this month to appeal against the order in the administrative division of the High Court in London. The 60-year-old faced two extradition requests from the Indian authorities, the first related to money laundering and the second to tax evasion. The development comes two months after a UK court in November ruled that Bhandari can be extradited to India to face charges of tax evasion and money laundering and paved the way for the British government to order his extradition. District Judge Michael Snow, who heard the case at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London last year, had concluded that there are no bars to him being extradited and decided to send the case to the Indian-origin Home Secretary Braverman. The judge concluded a prima facie case had been established with respect to both extradition requests. Sanjay Bhandari, Fugitive Arms Dealer, To Be Extradited to India, Rules UK Court. "He failed to declare his overseas income and assets...He benefited from the income and assets that had not been declared. A reasonable jury can properly infer benefit from his undeclared income and purchase of substantial assets overseas, the court said in its ruling. The Indian government's extradition request for Bhandari had been certified by then UK Home Secretary Priti Patel in June 2020 and he was arrested on an extradition warrant the following month that year. The London-based businessman has been on bail on security provided to the court as he fought extradition on the cases against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED). According to the court documents, Bhandari is wanted in India for intended prosecution for an offence of money laundering contrary to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2002 and for offences of tax evasion contrary to the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Asset), Imposition of Tax Act 2015 and Income Tax Act 1961. Bhandari, who was resident in India for tax purposes at the time in 2015, is accused of concealing overseas assets, using backdated documents, benefiting from the assets not declared to the Indian tax authorities and then falsely informing the authorities that he did not possess any overseas assets. He, however, denies the allegations. The UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), on behalf of the Indian authorities, argued that Bhandari's conduct amounts to "fraud by false representation" in the British jurisdiction. UK Court Hears Sanjay Bhandari Extradition Case. Bhandari's defence team had sought to argue against the prima facie case and also on human rights grounds, claiming a "real risk" that he would be subjected to torture by the police and of a breach of his Article 3 of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) rights because of the conditions in Indian prisons, from non-state agents and from the prison guards. "Assurances have been given in this case. It is the Government's case that the defendant will be held at ward No. 4 Central Jail No. 3, Tihar Jail Complex in New Delhi, the judgment noted. "India is a friendly country governed by the rule of law. I have not been made aware of any assurance that has not been honoured, it added. California state officials have issued a warning to SNAP benefits recipients to be wary of CalFresh scams after the frequency of benefits stolen increased by around 4,000% since 2021. Thousands of Californians have fallen victim to the EBT scam, with their Electronic Benefits Transfer card wiped out of their SNAP benefits. The California Department of Social Services paid around $92,000 in fraud claims in July 2022, as reported by CBS News. The agency has cashed out around $3.8 million to victims of CalFresh scams by the same time last year. California has lost around $24 million due to EBT scams in just a 12-month timeframe. California earlier announced that they intend to pay back all fraud claims. However, if a second claim is submitted within three years, they may not reimburse the lost funds. READ NEXT: SNAP Benefits 2023: $344.1 Million Approved for January Food Stamp Payments in Texas CalFresh Scam Activities related to the CalFresh scam persist in the state. The San Diego County spokesperson, Michael Workman, noted that the illegal activity is being conducted by a sophisticated crime ring. Workman added that the criminal activity is most frequent at the start of the month, just after the SNAP benefits are loaded onto the recipients' EBT cards. CalFresh recipients started alerting caseworkers a day after the funds were electronically deposited into their debit cards. County workers responded to most theft reports by requesting a client disclosure, which would have the recipient attest that specific charges were not incurred. They would then close out the accounts and issue new cards. However, the process could take days, and clients often struggle to pay for groceries and other expenses during the times of processing. The DSS said that it has been working to control the thefts and improve the systems it utilizes in delivering the benefits. Social Services spokesperson Jason Montiel said in a statement that a Card Verification Value functionality for all EBT cards was recently enabled in the past June. Montiel added that California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently included $50 million for EBT theft prevention in the new budget. EBT Scam Across the United States The U.S. Agriculture Department also received reports of an EBT scam wherein thieves use "card skimming" to steal SNAP benefits. Card skimming is the practice of fraudsters planting a device on a retailer's card-swiping machine to copy EBT card information. It can occur to anyone that uses a credit, debit, or EBT card. MLRI attorney Betsy Gwin said that skimming can be seen across the country, but the difference is that EBT users lack federal protections. Agriculture Department said criminals are posing as SNAP caseworkers to try to get recipients' EBT card information. To protect your benefits, the U.S. DA advised recipients to keep their PIN secret and avoid sharing it with anyone outside their household. In addition, EBT recipients should check their EBT accounts regularly for any irregular charges made to their accounts. If there are any unfamiliar purchases, it is advised to change your PIN immediately. Checking the card-reading machines can also prevent you from having your benefits stolen from you. READ MORE: Disaster SNAP Benefits Update: Are You Eligible for New Florida Payments? This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Fraud Alert for families receiving food stamps benefits - from KPRC 2 Click2Houston On the federal holiday honoring the late renowned civil rights hero, President Joe Biden forgot the name of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter-in-law when singing "Happy Birthday" to her on Monday. During his speech at the National Action Network's Martin Luther King Jr. Day breakfast, 49-year-old Arndrea Waters King was honored with the MLK Visionary Award. "Martin the third, we celebrate a legacy of your beloved father and mother. They worked for the beloved community. But congratulations today to the honorees, including your wife, who I understand it's her birthday today?" Biden said. Before singing the birthday song, Joe Biden explained that his wife has a rule in her family that if it is someone's birthday, you should sing "Happy Birthday." "You ready?" He asked. Martin Luther King III, age 65, and his wife led the crowd in singing "Happy Birthday" at the party hosted by Al Sharpton's National Action Network. Arndrea's name came out sounding like "Valz-dvit" after what seemed to be a moment of stuttering on Joe Biden's part, according to Yahoo. Singing Happy Birthday to the wife of MLK III, President Biden forgets Arndreas name. pic.twitter.com/Zj8u73HKAd The Bias (@thebias_news) January 16, 2023 It is unclear if the president apologized to the woman, but those at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. appeared to laugh and shake their heads in surprise. Martin Luther King III and Arndrea have been married since 2006, and they have one daughter, Yolanda Renee King. READ MORE: Joe Biden's Health Condition New Joe Biden Video Is Just One of His Many Gaffes To save face, Biden tried to console his middle-aged honoree by saying, "Well, it's hell turning 30. But you have to put up with it." As the oldest president in history, Biden's mental capacity is often questioned; nevertheless, his supporters insist that the president is simply prone to gaffes and stutter, New York Post noted. For instance, despite officially mourning Rep. Jackie Walorski's (R-Ind.) death and calling her family to offer his condolences in August, the president surprised viewers the following month by asking, "Where is Jackie?" as he looked for the deceased lawmaker. On at least six occasions, most recently on January 5, Joe Biden called his vice president, Kamala Harris, "President Harris." Biden has already announced his candidacy for reelection in 2024. If he finishes his second term in January 2029, he will be 86. Joe Biden Slams Republicans in His Speech During his speech on Monday, the president bragged about cutting the federal debt by $1 trillion while attacking Republicans, The Daily Mail reported. "Hear me, that's a fact," Biden said. "And there's going to be hundreds of billions reduced over the next decade." After that, he mumbled something about the GOP and started to slur his words: "But so what, these guys - well, they're fiscally demented, I think." On Sunday, he made history by becoming the first sitting president to preach at the same church where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. served as pastor from 1960 until he died in 1968: Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. READ MORE: Miss Universe 2022 R'Bonney Gabriel This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Bert Hoover WATCH: President Biden delivers remarks on MLK Day - From ABC News Tragedy has struck the Central California city of Visalia as a gunman shot and killed six people at a residence in unincorporated Goshen. Six people, including a 17-year-old teen mother and her 6-month-old baby, were killed in the California shooting. Deputies from the Tulare County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) responded to the shooting at 3:30 a.m. on Monday after multiple shots were reported. According to the Associated Press, two of the victims were found in the street, while a third was found fatally shot in the doorway of the residence. Sheriff Mike Boudreaux revealed that the other three fatalities were found inside the house, with one of them, a man, still alive when police arrived at the house. He later died at a hospital. Tulare County Sheriff's Office Looking For 2 California Shooting Suspects The Tulare County Sheriff's Office believes this was not a random act of violence and that the family the house belongs to was targeted. They also believe the killings were gang-related, as they conducted a narcotics-related search warrant at the residence last week. Sheriff Boudreaux then told the media at a press conference that they are now looking for two suspects in the fatal California shooting incident, according to PBS News. "We also believe this was not a random act of violence. We believe this was a targeted family," the sheriff stated during the press conference. The Sheriff's Office revealed via Facebook that the house was located in the 6800 Block of Harvest Road in Goshen. This is still an active investigation, and the TCSO is now asking anybody with information regarding this case to contact them and share whatever information they have. Whoever does so will remain anonymous. READ NEXT: Las Vegas Journalist Killed Outside His House Family of Teen Mother and Baby Killed in California Shooting Is in Shock Sheriff Mike Boudreaux also told reporters that the young teenage mother and her baby were both shot in the head. This has sent shockwaves not only to Goshen but also to the entire family. Samuel Pina, the grandfather of the teen mother, identified as Alissa Parraz, stated, "I can't wrap my head around what kind of monster would do this." Parraz's child was identified as Nycholas Nolan Parraz. The grandfather stated that Parraz and her baby were living with her father's side of the family in Goshen. He revealed that the California shooting incident also killed the teen mom's uncle, her dad's cousin, and her grandmother. Her great-grandmother was also killed. He admitted that the family is now in shock and that "It comes in big waves." Last September, a school shooting happened near Oakland, leaving six people hospitalized. Like this incident, authorities also believed it was gang-related. Goshen, which is located just 35 miles from Fresno, is a semi-rural community with around 3,000 residents. It is known to be an agricultural area found in the San Joaquin Valley. READ NEXT: California Cop Kills Married Couple With His Service Gun This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: 6 family members, including baby, shot dead at home in targeted 'massacre': Sheriff - ABC News Mexico's former security chief, Genaro Garcia Luna, is currently facing a corruption trial after he was accused of taking bribes from Mexican drug cartels. Garcia Luna's alleged taking of bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel was revealed during the cartel boss El Chapo's trial. One of the members of the Sinaloa Cartel testified that the group had given the ex-security chief "briefcases filled with cash," as reported by The Guardian. Seth DuCharme, acting U.S. attorney for the eastern district of New York, said that Garcia Luna betrayed "those he was sworn to protect" by accepting bribes from Sinaloa cartel members. The corruption trial against Mexico's former security chief will have the power to reveal the corrupt practices of Mexican security agencies while highlighting the failures of the U.S.-supported war against drugs. In exchange for the bribes to Garcia Luna, the cartel was allowed to have "safe passage for its drug shipment" while having sensitive law enforcement information on the cartel and info about rival drug cartels. Garcia Luna's corruption trial is expected to be a follow-up to El Chapos' trial, which resulted in a conviction in 2019. READ NEXT: 43 Alleged Mexican Drug Cartel Associates Charged in 'Las Senoritas' Drug Trafficking Case Mexico's Genaro Garcia Luna The case against the former security chief could pose further cases on two former top-ranking police officials, who were charged with him but stayed in Mexico. They were Luis Cardenas Palomino and Ramon Pequeno Garcia, according to The New York Times. Eduardo Guerrero, a Mexico City security analyst, noted that it could have consequences for the opposition in the presidential election in 2024, which could harm the conservative National Action Party that Garcia Luna served. Guerrero described the case of Garcia Luna as "a trunk filled with secrets" that could be released in public. He added that it seems people will learn a lot of things that the general public had no idea about. Mexico's Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that it is "very important" that everyone knows what is going on to prevent it from happening again. Lopez Obrador disbanded the agency Garcia Luna previously held, which is the Federal Police, in 2018 and replaced it with the National Guard. Lopez Obrador said that he does not want the National Guard to end up like the Federal Police in Mexico. Mexico's Officials and Mexican Drug Cartels In December, Deputy Security Minister Ricardo Mejia Berdeja showed the criminal structure that was employed during Garcia Luna's time as the country's Mexico chief. Mejia showed the photo of the individuals under the command of Garcia Luna. They called themselves "the seven horsemen of the apocalypse." Before the said "horsemen," the ex-security chief also oversaw a group called "The 12 Apostles" in 2001. Mejia noted that the members under Garcia Luna were part of the criminal structure inside the public security, which started in 2001 and lasted until 2018. The U.S. Department of Justice released more than one million pages of documents, with photos and videos, which showed Garcia Luna's connection to the Sinaloa Cartel. Mexico's ex-security chief was also accused of being involved in a money-laundering scheme. He allegedly moved $50 million worth of bribes to international havens. READ MORE: Rafael Caro Quintero's Wife Denies Legal Battle With Guadalajara Cartel Founder This article is owned by Latin Post Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Mexico's former top security chief accused of accepting bribes from cartel - from WFAA Latina actress Selena Gomez appeared to have gained some weight when she arrived at the Golden Globes. Body shamers quickly pounced and made fun of her weight gain. However, the former Disney star hit back with some body positivity. According to Page Six, the "Only Murders in the Building" actress could not care less what her body shamers had to say on social media. She admitted that she did gain weight but appeared to not really care that much. "I'm a little bit big right now because I enjoyed myself during the holidays," she said in a post on social media. She was still wearing her strapless Valentino gown at the Golden Globes and appeared alongside her little sister, Gracie Elliott Teefey, 9. Gracie appeared as her sister's "plus one" during the awards show. She added, "But we don't care," as she and her sister burst out into laughter. She also said, "B*tch, I am perfect the way I am." Selena Gomez Had Similar Response After She Was Previously Body-Shamed Her body shamers did not seem to learn from the last time they tried to body-shame the Latina actress and producer, as they also previously tried making fun of her gaining some weight back in 2022, according to CNN. After people started commenting on her appearance, she told fans that she did not really care much about her weight "because people b*tch about it anyway." READ MORE: Selena Gomez Catches COVID-19 She shot back at them by saying, "'You're too small,' 'you're too big,' 'that doesn't fit,' na-na-neh-nehhh... I am perfect the way I am. Moral of the story? Byyye!" Following this latest round of body-shaming from other people, her fans quickly came to her rescue. On social media, one fan wrote, "She shouldn't have to explain why her body looks how it does." Another also added, "She's perfect and doesn't need to give explanations." Selena Gomez Talks About Body Positivity Earlier this year, Selena Gomez was seen in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico enjoying a swim. Paparazzi snapped some swimsuit photos of her, but the public's response was body shaming her again. One respondent wrote, "OH SHES HUGEE," while another posted a more hurtful comment, saying, "The pop girlie who's aging the worst, I fear [sic]." The "Wizards of Waverly Place" actress recently spoke with GLAMOUR Magazine about the "relentless scrutiny of her body" during an interview. She admitted that it is hard to feel comfortable when she feels like "everyone is watching, judging, and commenting on the way you look." She said that she does not care about her weight, and in a TikTok story posted in April of last year, she said that she was trying to stay skinny but had to go to a local fast-food place to eat "four tacos, three egg rolls, onion rings, and a spicy chicken sandwich," shooting back at her body shamers. Selena Gomez remains body-positive even after thousands of people poked fun at her for gaining some weight. She had also recently talked about her mental health in a new documentary. READ NEXT: Selena Gomez Net Worth This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: Selena Gomez Responds to Body-Shaming Comments After Golden Globes | E! News CIA Director Bill Burns met Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a secret trip last year and warned the president of Ukraine about Russia's plot to assassinate him, which "appeared to surprise" him. According to Chris Whipple, author of the upcoming book, "The Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden's White House," it was in January 2022, ahead of the Russian invasion, when the two officials met, and Zelenskyy had been casting doubt on the U.S. intel at the time, Business Insider reported. The Ukrainian leader had reportedly been dismissing the idea that there would be an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russia. He also suggested that the U.S.' public warnings were creating a "panic." But weeks before the Russian invasion, Zelenskyy expressed concerns that such warnings would negatively affect the Ukrainian economy. He also emphasized that Kyiv was used to facing threats from Russia. Whipple wrote that Burns had come to give Zelenskyy "a reality check" as he shared with him that Russia's Special Forces were coming for him. He added that Biden told Burns to "share precise details of the Russian plots." The book's author noted that Zelenskyy was "taken aback" and "sobered by this news." The following month, Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. It became the biggest military conflict in Europe since World War II. The book is set to be released on January 17. READ NEXT: Joe Biden Under Scrutiny as Another Batch of Classified Documents Found at New Location Russia's Assassination Plot Against Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy A top Ukrainian official said on Wednesday that Volodymyr Zelenskyy had survived more than a dozen assassination plots against him since the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces started. Presidential adviser Mikhail Podolyak told a local news outlet that the country's foreign partners were reporting two or three attempts, but there were more than a dozen of such attempts. Podolyak noted that the Ukrainian government receives constant operational information regarding Russian agents and sabotage groups trying to enter government property. The presidential adviser said Ukraine has a "powerful network" of intelligence and counterintelligence. He added that the "risks" to the Ukrainian president's life had not been entirely removed, and no other information could be released to the public for security reasons. Zelenskyy recently turned down an offer from the U.S. for an evacuation. He noted that he needed ammunition and "not a ride." Russia's Invasion of Ukraine On Monday, the German and Dutch foreign ministers condemned the deportation of thousands of Ukrainian children by Russians. The ministers called it a "deliberate policy of cruel and inhumane abductions." Russia claims that the children do not have parents or guardians to look after them or that they cannot be reached. However, it was reported that officials had deported Ukrainian children to Russia or Russian-held territories without consent, even lying to them that their parents did not want them. Meanwhile, Ukraine is reportedly preparing for an attack near its border with Belarus. In Dnipro, the death toll has risen to 40 after a missile strike hit an apartment building, wherein 1,700 people lived in the multi-story building. Authorities recorded 75 injuries, with 30 more remaining missing. The regional administration said the number of rescued people reached 39. READ MORE: Classified Documents Found in Joe Biden's Former Office as U.S. Vice President Being Reviewed by DOJ This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Ukraine Hit With New Barrage of Russian Missile Strikes - From CBS Evening News The process to extradite Ovidio Guzman Lopez, the son of Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera, to the United States will reportedly proceed after a Mexican court declared that it lacked legal jurisdiction to hear and resolve this case. Local media reported that a Mexico City judge denied the definitive suspension in one of the injunction proceedings against Ovidio. On January 10, the lawyers of El Chapo's son filed a writ of amparo against his deportation, expulsion, or extradition to the U.S., where he will face charges in a Washington D.C. court accusing him of trafficking drugs. However, the judge junked the appeal, saying Ovidio is at the disposal of the control judge of the Federal Criminal Justice Center inside Altiplano maximum security federal prison at Almoloya de Juarez municipality in the state of Mexico, the Yucatan Times reported. El Chapo's son is currently being held in the Altiplano prison. He can reportedly challenge the decision before a court, which will decide whether to confirm, modify or revoke the ruling. On January 6, the Mexico City judge stopped Ovidio's extradition process to the U.S. after granting an amparo that also allowed him to contact his family and lawyers who requested the suspension of the extradition process. El Chapo's 32-year-old son was arrested by military troops in Culiacan, Sinaloa state, on January 5. READ NEXT: Jalisco Cartel Boss El Mencho's Brother 'El Tony Montana' Ordered to Stand Trial Extradition of El Chapo's Son Ovidio Guzman Lopez to U.S. May Take Years According to Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, there has been a request for the extradition of El Chapo's son by the U.S. since September 2019. However, he said that Ovidio faces legal proceedings in Mexico, and any extradition to the U.S. could take some time, Vice reported. Lawyers and former U.S. law enforcement officials involved in extraditions from Mexico told the outlet that the wait could vary from several months to years, or it may never even happen as the process is plagued by corruption and painfully slow, particularly in cases involving narco suspects with helpful information to share with investigators. Following Ovidio's arrest, Gregorio Salazar Hernandez, control judge of the Federal Criminal Justice Centre in Almoloya de Juarez, said the U.S. government has 60 days to submit the documents needed for Ovidio's extradition. Hernandez noted that the U.S. should formalize its extradition request before March 5. El Chapo's Sons: The Los Chapitos The four sons of El Chapo, known as Los Chapitos, had reportedly assumed leadership roles in the Sinaloa Cartel after their father was arrested and extradited to the U.S. The Los Chapitos are Ovidio Guzman Lopez, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar. Under their leadership, the Sinaloa Cartel has continued to be one of Mexico's most powerful drug cartels. The U.S. State Department has already offered $5 million rewards for any information that could help federal agents arrest El Chapo's four sons. The State Department said the Los Chapitos are high-ranking members of the Sinaloa Cartel and are each subject to a federal indictment for their involvement in the illegal drug trade. Their father's former right-hand man, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, was reportedly the Los Chapitos' internal enemy number one. El Chapo's sons have also been at odds with their uncle, Aureliano "El Guano" Guzman. El Chapo's brother is also a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel. READ MORE: Rafael Caro Quintero's Wife Denies Legal Battle With Guadalajara Cartel Founder Over Alimony Demand This article is owned by Latin Post Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Ovidio Guzman, Son of 'El Chapo,' Arrested in Mexican Military Operation - From CBS 8 San Diego Amid rigging allegations, an official of the Miss Universe Organization said that Miss USA 2022 R'Bonney Gabriel won the beauty pageant's crown fair and square. Amy Emmerich, CEO of the Miss Universe Organization, told TMZ that an independent party handled the results. Emmerich noted that "one of the top four accounting firms" in the U.S. handled the results and verified the process. Gabriel has made history by becoming the first Filipina-American to win the Miss Universe competition on Saturday night. According to Emmerich, R'bonney was the "rightful Miss Universe" because she was a "strong and dedicated contestant." The Miss Universe Organization further noted that the baseless rigging allegations were absurd and only distracted the "incredible milestones our organization and the delegates experienced this weekend." READ NEXT: Miss Universe 2023 to Be Held in El Salvador Conflict of Interest Caused the Miss Universe 2022 Rigging Allegations Many fans accused Anne Jakrajutatip, the new owner of Miss Universe, of rigging the beauty pageant for Miss USA R'Bonney Gabriel, who won the Miss Universe 2022 crown over runner-up Miss Venezuela. According to the fans, there was a conflict of interest since Jakrajutatip, the chief executive of JKN Global Group owns both the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants. They also believed that Gabriel won the crown because this year's Miss Universe was held in New Orleans, on U.S. soil. This was not the first time Gabriel's victory was met with rigging allegations. The 28-year-old fashion designer and model became the first Filipina-American to win Miss USA in October 2022 after she first became Miss Texas USA in December 2021. Many of Gabriel's rivals in Miss USA thought that the competition was rigged to favor her, Business Insider reported. According to Miss Missouri Mikala McGhee, many contestants felt it was the organization's plan from the beginning for Gabriel to win, regardless of who else was competing. McGhee and the other contenders left the platform after Gabriel was named Miss USA. McGhee told Insider that they did it "to send a statement that we all had an idea of what was really going on behind the scenes," adding that they felt "disrespected and paraded around for a show." Crystle Stewart, president of Miss USA, and her company, Miss Brand Corporation, were suspended by the Miss Universe Organization in late October, pending the outcome of an independent investigation into the rigging allegations, CNN reported. Many Miss USA contestants cited multiple conflicts of interest between Gabriel and the pageant's national sponsors. According to reports, two of Miss USA's national sponsors, namely Miss Academy, the pageant school owned by Stewart, and the med spa Mia Beaute, were also state sponsors for Miss Texas USA. Both companies are based in Houston, Texas, where Gabriel lived before winning the Miss USA title. Stewart earlier denied any claims that the pageant was rigged and that she was cooperating with the investigation. R'Bonney Gabriel, the First Filipina-American to Win Miss Universe 2022 R'Bonney Gabriel made history in December 2021 when she won the title of Miss Texas USA, being the first Asian American to do so, PEOPLE reported. The Houston native spoke with ABC News in October about how she felt a "big responsibility" to positively recognize her multicultural background while representing the state, hoping it could empower others to do the same. "My dad moved to America from the Philippines on a college scholarship with about $20 in his pocket. He wanted to pave a new life for himself. He met my mom in Texas, who is a country woman from Beaumont. I'm a very proud Filipina Texan," Gabriel told ABC News' local affiliate in Houston. The model and designer reportedly runs her own fashion company, R'Bonney Nola, which combines sustainable design techniques and a combination of reused and natural textiles for all its clothes. Gabriel is also a sewing instructor for the Houston-based nonprofit Magpies and Peacocks, which creates sustainable apparel using post-consumer clothing, scrap textiles, and accessories diverted from landfills. READ MORE: WNBA Star Maya Moore Officially Retires This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Bert Hoover WATCH: R'Bonney Gabriel Talks Historic Win in Miss Universe 2023 - From Good Morning America Laurel, MS (39440) Today Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. High 62F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall possibly over one inch. Locally heavier rainfall possible.. Tonight Showers early, then cloudy overnight. Low 54F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. 'Who is LG to stop', Kejriwal on tussle over teachers' training in Finland IANS New Delhi More 'Who is LG to stop', Kejriwal on tussle over teachers' training in Finland While addressing the winter session of Delhi Assembly on Tuesday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal lashed out at Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena over the ongoing tussle between the AAP government and the L-G office over sending government school teachers to Finland for training purposes. While addressing the winter session of Delhi Assembly on Tuesday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal lashed out at Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena over the ongoing tussle between the AAP government and the L-G office over sending government school teachers to Finland for training purposes. "We have the money of the people of Delhi who pay taxes. It is on taxpayers' money that the elected government of Delhi is sending teachers for training to Finland. Who is L-G to stop them," Kejriwal asked. "It seems like 'Begani Shaadi Mein Abdullah Deewana' (a person who takes too much interest in the affairs of others). Why is the L-G sitting on our head? The L-G is saying get the training done in the country itself... Why get it done here," the Chief Minister questioned. Kejriwal added that in a bid to motivate them and increase their efficiency, 30 teachers need to go to Finland for training. "This has been decided by the elected Chief Minister and the Education Minister. But strangely, all the files have go to the L-G for approval. The L-G has objected twice which reflects his bad intentions. "Repeated objections mean that the intention is bad and the teachers should not be allowed to go. Many MPs have studied abroad, their children have gone abroad to study. Was any cost-benefit analysis done then," Kejriwal asked, adding that it is a feudalistic mentality that the poor are not allowed to move ahead. "The L-G does not have the power to do this. The Supreme Court had clearly said in 2018 that the L-G does not have the right to take a decision in any matter other than the police, law and order, and services. I went to meet the L-G two-three days ago and told him the same, to which he said yes, this may be the opinion of the Supreme Court," Kejriwal said. "After this, I had nothing to say because a person sitting on such a big constitutional post is saying that this is the opinion of the Supreme Court. Every citizen of this country is bound to obey the orders of the Supreme Court," the Chief Minister told the House. For Latest Updates Please- Join us on Follow us on MORE... MORE... MORE... 172.31.16.186 Laois and Offaly's District Court Judge is concerned about the scale of legal aid costs incurred by the State where cases are adjourned on a number of occasions. He was commenting when Ozlet Muwaniri (35), Crann Nua, Portarlington, appeared before Tullamore District Court accused of not paying a 69 taxi fare to Taye Owoxeni on December 17 last. Judge Andrew Cody noted that Ms Muwaniri had also appeared before Portlaoise District Court and the Criminal Courts of Justice. She's popping up every week or fortnight at this stage, the judge remarked. Defending solicitor Patrick Martin said Ms Muwaniri had been going to court everywhere and most of the other matters had been dealt with. Mr Martin said he did not have instructions on the charge involving the taxi fare but there was likely to be a guilty plea and it could be marked as such. Judge Cody said the matters were taking up a lot of court time and the accused should have been able to instruct Mr Martin as to whether or not she had paid the taxi fare. When Mr Martin asked that legal aid be granted to Ms Muwaniri the judge questioned if he should keep throwing out legal aid and in this case it would be for a 69 offence. There has to come a stage where the public are entitled to say enough is enough, remarked Judge Cody. He assigned legal aid and adjourned the matter to March 20 next. Explainer If a charge carries a possible prison sentence and you, as the defendant, are not legally represented, District Court judge is required to inform you that you may be entitled to legal aid. If you wish to be legally represented and you claim that you can't afford it, the judge must consider whether you qualify for free legal aid. The former Director of Nursing at Portlaoise hospital is set to play a 'pivotal role' in her new position at one of Ireland's biggest and most important hospitals. Tallaght University Hospital has confirmed the appointment of Sandra McCarthy as the Director of Nursing & Integrated Care (interim) following her move from duties leading the nursing team in Portlaoise hospital. Ms McCarthy joins TUH from Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise where she was the Director of Nursing playing a vital role during the Covid-19 pandemic. She is originally from Nurney, in Co Kildare. Ms Lucy Nugent, Chief Executive of TUH welcome Ms McCarthy aboard. She highlighted the important role she will play in the west Dublin hospital. "She joins the organisation in an important year as we mark our 25th anniversary of the Hospital opening, the introduction of the Regional Health Authorities and implementation of the Enhanced Community Care Programme all of which will bring opportunities to our colleagues to collaborate, coordinate and support integrated care delivery to the benefit of our patients and their families. "Her role is pivotal to the organisation as we develop, not only in the diverse roles across the patient healthcare journey, but also in the ongoing development of our staff and environment, she said. Ms McCarthy trained in Meath Hospital in Dublin and transferred to Tallaght Hospital when it opened in 1998. She was a member of the senior nursing executive team and senior human resources management team in Tallaght hospital until her move to Portlaoise in 2018 where she stayed up near the the end of 2022. Ms McCarthy said she was delighted to return to the TUH team at a time of so much change. "The hospital has always valued nursing at all levels and nurtured nursing leadership from the bedside through to specialist and advanced practice and in nursing management of all grades. With such ambitious plans for both the hospital and healthcare system I am looking forward to working with my nursing colleagues and management in implementing continuous improvement and innovation at all levels, empowering the nursing team to deliver evidence based care and maximise patient outcomes, she said. Though she has moved on from Portlaoise, Ms McCarty will still be linked to the Laois hospital as Tallaght and Portlaoise are part of the HSE's Dublin Midlands Hospital Group. The group also includes hospitals in Offaly, Kildare and Dublin including St James's. A Registered General Nurse & Registered Nurse Tutor, Tallaght say she has extensive clinical, educational and managerial experience. She completed her Nurse Training in the Meath Hospital, Dublin and transferred to TUH upon its opening in 1998. During her time in TUH she was a member of the Senior Nursing Executive team and Senior Human Resources Management team as Head of Learning & Development. Her professional portfolio includes an Honours Degree in Nursing from Trinity College Dublin, an MSc in Nursing and a postgraduate qualification in Health Care Education from UCD, Diploma in Leadership from UCD Smurfit Business School and a Diploma in Quality from Royal College of Physicians. TUH says Ms McCarthy is an experienced health care provider with in-depth knowledge of operations management, administrative management and financial management. She has 28 years experience of effectively delivering in the health arena, including direct and indirect patient care, graduate and postgraduate education. Over 4 billion is to be invested by Danish companies for a stake in an Irish offshore project which will develop 2.2 gigawats of energy. The news comes after it was confirmed on Monday that over one third of Irish electricity last year came from renewable wind energy. Wind energy generation for 2022 was 34%, up 4% from 2021. Analysis showed that wind energy generation resulted in Irish consumers spending 2 billion less on gas last year. This included a saving of 340 million to the exchequer, which would have been spent on buying carbon credits for the gas. On Tuesday, Statkraft announced a major deal with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) fund Copenhagen Infrastructure IV K/S (CI IV) as part of its plans to develop up to 2.2 gigawatts of offshore wind in Ireland. This landmark partnership will see CIP acquire a 50% stake in Statkrafts offshore wind portfolio in Ireland. The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. The scope of the partnership includes the three phases of the North Irish Sea Array, or NISA, and the Bore Array. The proposed location for NISA is off the coast of counties Dublin, Louth, and Meath, while the site of the Bore Array has been proposed for the Celtic Sea. Developing and building these projects is expected to require an investment of more than 4 billion by Statkraft and CIP by 2030. The need for energy security and decarbonisation has never been as important, or urgent, as it is today. Ireland has a wealth of renewable energy resources right on its doorstep energy that has largely remained untapped. Statkraft and CIP will now work together to bring that clean, green power to the Irish people, said David Flood, Head of Offshore Wind at Statkraft. This deal marks a major development for Statkraft in Ireland as we scale up our offshore wind ambitions across Northern Europe. The countrys maritime area makes it ideal for large-scale offshore wind energy production energy we can deliver in partnership with CIP. The companys track record in offshore wind coupled with our development expertise will enable us to harness the energy of the wind in the Irish Sea to create a green energy system designed for a decarbonised future, he added. Nischal Agarwal, Partner in CIP, said: We are very pleased to be entering the Irish offshore market and look forward to developing these exciting projects together with Statkraft. In combining CIPs industrial background and international experience within offshore wind with Statkrafts experience of Irish renewables, the partnership will enable the provision of renewable power to Irish homes and businesses and contribute to reaching the governments ambitious decarbonisation targets. Within offshore wind, Statkraft is pursuing an industrial role in the North Sea and Ireland. This agreement is an important step in delivering on this ambition. Statkraft intends to play a major role in the development of an offshore wind industry in Norway. The company has ten years of experience from offshore wind in the UK and extensive expertise in developing and operating large renewable projects. Statkraft is taking part in two strong consortia pursuing bids to develop the first Norwegian offshore wind projects. Statkraft is Europes largest generator of renewable energy. The company entered the Irish market in 2018 and since then has almost tripled its workforce and tripled its development portfolio. A leading player in the Irish renewable energy market, it develops, owns, and operates renewable energy projects across the technologies of onshore wind, offshore wind, solar, battery storage and grid services. After a whirlwind week at the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, the only team representing Laois are back to the lessons in Mountrath. Transition Year Students Doireann OConnor and Sarah Phelan were given a proud reception by Mountrath Community School. The girls who have been friends since primary school and both come from family farms, had exhibited a fascinating study that proved the damage that overfeeding protein to dairy cows can do to the environment. Among those visiting their stand were the Tanaiste Micheal Martin, Minister Simon Coveney, Minister of State Sean Fleming from Laois (pictured below) and Senator Pippa Hackett. While it didn't win any overall prizes, they were delighted with the interest, and determined to follow the agri and science path. "It was an amazing experience to take part in such a prestigious competition. We really enjoyed working on our project for the last number of weeks and getting to learn new skills by reaching out to experts in the agricultural industry. We really enjoyed getting to meet students from all over Ireland," Sarah told the Leinster Express / Laois Live. "It was an honour to get the opportunity to represent our school and to get to meet so many influential people. We hope to continue our research and look forward to continuing our STEM journey," Doireann added. Their Science Teacher Kelly Walsh described how well the students did at the intense four day exhibition. "The students demonstrated exceptional initiative and successfully presented their project in a compelling and effective manner, impressing the judges and various political figures such as Tanaiste Micheal Martin, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment of Ireland Simon Coveney, Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs Sean Fleming and Member of the Seanad Eireann Pippa Hackett. "They should be very proud of their accomplishments. It is a great achievement for the school that out of 550 entries, their project was the only successful entry for a school in County Laois, considering the high level of competition and the standard of projects. "These girls have a bright future in the field of science, we are certain they will continue to make great strides in their research and make a positive impact in the field," Mountrath CS Science Teacher Ms Walshe said. It's going to stay 'chilly' says Met Eireann but the forecaster isn't expecting the cold snap to last as long as the frigid weather that hit before Christmas. An national Status Yellow low temperature/ice warning for Ireland expired at midday on Tuesday, December 17 but it is not going to get warmer than 4c through Tuesday. A new Status Yellow warning for snow ice for some midlands counties is valid from 5.30pm on Tuesday to 9am Friday. Met Eireann charts show that temperatures plunged to -7c in Roscommon on Monday night. The Winter Weather Advisory for Ireland continues to apply through to Friday, January 20. Laois Weather in Durrow captured some of the snow the snap brought to Laois during the spell. MORE BELOW TWEET. Met Eireann expects the weather to stay cold until later Thursday with an Arctic airflow in across the country, bringing sharp to severe frosts and icy stretches on roads and footpaths. It says some showers of hail, sleet and snow are expected with the potential for freezing fog. Further updates to the advisory and warnings are expected in the coming days. MORE BELOW TWEET. Very cold overnight Monday, the very cold weather continuing until Thursday Photo : Mullingar and Malin Head this morning pic.twitter.com/2xpvwqU7aJ Met Eireann (@MetEireann) January 17, 2023 The Met Eireann national outlook forecasts the weather to remain "chilly" with occasional wintry showers, although temperatures are expected to increase by the weekend. MORE BELOW TWEET. Continuing cold for the next few days with wintry showers & severe frosts & ice. Turning milder towards the end of the working week as rain from the west will bring milder conditions. https://t.co/9gKN6SVok4 pic.twitter.com/gqbF8sQvPO Met Eireann (@MetEireann) January 16, 2023 Met Eireann National Forecast issued at 8.53 am on Tuesday, January 17. Tuesday: Very cold today with a mix of sunny spells and wintry showers, falling as snow in places, especially across the northwest and later today across other areas. Isolated thunderstorms with hail will occur too. Driest and brightest across the south and east. Highest temperatures of just 1 to 4 degrees, in mostly moderate northwest breezes. Very cold tonight with frost and icy stretches developing in many areas. Scattered sleet and snow showers will continue, most frequent in the north and west. Isolated thunderstorms may occur too with the chance of hail. Lowest temperatures of -3 to +1 degrees in mainly moderate westerly winds, breezier all the while along Atlantic coasts. Wednesday: Some lying snow in parts early on Wednesday, which will be another cold day with mix of sunny spells and scattered wintry showers, most frequent across the north and northwest. Highest temperatures of 3 to 6 degrees in moderate to fresh northwesterly winds. Another cold night with scattered wintry showers, mainly affecting Atlantic coastal counties, and becoming persistent in parts of the southwest. Lowest temperatures of -3 to 0 degrees with frost and icy conditions developing. Winds easing light, westerly or variable. THURSDAY: Largely dry and bright, though there will be some cloud towards the west of the country with outbreaks of rain persisting in Munster. Maximum temperatures of 3 to 7 degrees, highest in the southwest. Winds very light and variable. Outbreaks of rain will gradually spread eastwards across the country on Thursday night, becoming widespread by morning. Temperatures will once again fall below freezing in Connacht, Ulster and Leinster with lows of -2 to 0 degrees. Milder in Munster with lows of 1 to 4 degrees. Southeasterly winds, remaining light. FRIDAY: Turning slightly warmer on Friday with generally dull and wet conditions expected. The morning will see widespread outbreaks of rain, clearing eastwards later in the day. Highest temperatures will generally range from 5 to 9 degrees in mainly light southeasterly breezes. SATURDAY: Remaining dull with occasional outbreaks of showery rain, mainly affecting the western half of the country. Highest temperatures of 8 to 11 degrees in mainly light southerly breezes. FURTHER OUTLOOK: Considerable uncertainty remains for the further outlook, although our weather is likely to remain unsettled into the beginning of next week. The next location and hero for RTE show Operation Transformation's Ad Break Challenge has been revealed. This Wednesday night Portlaoise will feature in the ad breaks, after a huge crowd gathered at the Civic Plaza last Friday night with fitness trainer Karl Henry. For the following week, the cameras are coming to Kilcavan GAA club near Mountmellick. The local hero who will join Karl in the fitness exercises, is Niamh McEvoy, who represents Laochra Gael Special Olympics Club in Laois. It all takes place next Friday, January 20 at 6.45pm in the club grounds. Kilcavan GAA is urging the community to come out in support of Niamh. "Operation Transformation is coming to Kilcavan. Our very own Niamh McEvoy is representing her Portlaoise Special Olympics Club and the cameras and crew will be in our grounds this coming Friday 20 January. "We need a big crowd down at the pitch. It kicks off at 6.45 pm. Tell your friends and grab your relations and lets make it an evening to remember. Well done Niamh," they said. Mountmellick Community School is also urging support. "Come out and support Niamh McEvoy next Friday. Niamh is a sister of past student Siobhan and current students Cathal and Aoibhinn," the school said. Page Content GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) On January 20 and 21, a unique conference on corporate governance will take place at the initiative of the Government of Sint Maarten. This two-day conference is organized by NR Governance and VANEPS; the conference venue is Sonesta Maho Beach Hotel. The conference is intended for everyone on Sint Maarten who holds or aspires a management or supervisory position and aims to further professionalize their knowledge and skills. Representatives from all sectors are invited: organizations ranging from the (semi-)public sector to financial institutions and organizations in tourism, welfare, and health. Questions that will be discussed at the conference are, for example: how should you, as a supervisor or supervisory director, properly fulfill your employer's role vis-a-vis the board? What is the best way to navigate when the organization is in dire straits? What skill requirements can you place on directors and supervisory directors and how should you evaluate supervisors and directors effectively? How can we on St. Maarten really take a step forward in governance and supervision in our corporate and semi-public sector? These types of questions will be addressed intensively and interactively (among others in break-out sessions/working groups) in the course of this conference. Ten eminent speakers have been invited by the Government of Sint Maarten from Sint Maarten, from the Netherlands and from Curacao. In this way, all the wide experience can be pooled and exchanged. There will be Opening addresses by Prime Minister, Ms. Silveria Jacobs and the Minister of Finance, Mr. Ardwell Irion. Keynote speeches will be given by former Governor drs. Eugene Holiday, by governance expert Miguel Mike Alexander and by Minister of State and former Minister of Justice, Winnie Sorgdrager. Working group leaders include Frank Kunneman (VAN EPS), Joane Dovale (Primarium), Hugo Reumkens (Van Doorne), Hans Bedet (EvaLite), Aubrich Bakhuis (Themis Institute for Governance & Leadership), Hans van der Molen (Berenschot) and Kamla Besancon (KB-legal). The investment for this intensive two-day course is $825 per person all-in. All participants will receive a copy of the recently published book Toolkit for supervisory directors Dutch Caribbean. In case an organization sends more than two persons, the investment is $750 per person. Boards and supervisory directors of small-size (social) foundations with very limited resources are invited to reach out to discuss possibilities for partial sponsorship of the participation fee. Participants will receive a certificate upon completion. Registration is available with Stephanie Kits (kits@vaneps.com). More information may be obtained from Frank Kunneman (kunneman@vaneps.com). Program Good Governance Conference SXM 20 en 21 January 2023.background info.pdf Naas District Court was told on Thursday, January 12, that a man allegedly threatened to murder a social worker. The court was told that Mark Doyle, who has an address listed as 32 Barnville Park, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10, County Dublin, but is currently serving a custodial sentence, allegedly committed the offence at 2.25pm on June 17, 2021 in Kildare. Gardai told Judge Desmond Zaidan that on this date, the 44-year-old allegedly became embroiled in an argument during a phone call with social workers regarding a juvenile relative of his in care. Speaking to the relative, Mr Doyle allegedly said: "If I know that anyone is hurting you, I will come down and kill everyone I see." When the relative named one of the social workers, it was claimed that Mr Doyle replied: "That's the first one on my list, I will kill that woman." Gardai said that this alleged threat put the social worker in fear. CONTESTED Defending solicitor Tim Kennelly told the judge that his client denies ever threatening the care staff. After hearing the allegations, the judge refused jurisdiction over the case, and adjourned the case to January 19, where a book of evidence is due to be served on Mr Doyle. The defendant also requested Judge Zaidan to revoke his bail, which he agreed to do. Pressure is mounting on Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe to give a statement in the Dail over his failure to declare expenses for hanging election posters. Mr Donohoe has indicated he is willing to take part in the Oireachtas process as early as possible. The statement marks a tumultuous beginning of the Dail term for the Government, after the resignation of a junior minister last week and as the senior Fine Gael minister comes under pressure to explain himself. Over the weekend it emerged that Mr Donohoe had not declared a payment made by an individual to six people to hang up his election posters ahead of the 2016 general election. The minister said he had believed the services were voluntary, but has learned in recent weeks that they were paid for, to the value of 917 euros. Mr Donohoe also admitted to learning in 2017 that a corporate van had been used to hang up posters, worth an estimated 140 euros, which had not been declared as an election expense. The minister apologised for the error, and said he had made a submission to amend his official expenses declaration. He has also argued that the expenses are within rules on maximum expenses allowed during a general election campaign. Ethics watchdog Sipo is reviewing the matter, with Mr Donohoe saying he would consider the consequences after a decision is made. Mr Donohoe has also recused himself from making decisions on ethics legislation and Sipo, which he is in charge of as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. Government ministers have backed their colleague, arguing that he has explained his actions and that the matter lies with Sipo. On Monday, opposition party whips wrote a letter to Ceann Comhairle Sean OFearghail asking that Mr Donohoe appear before the Dail at the earliest opportunity to make a statement, and to take questions over his failure to declare poster expenses. As it stands, the minister is already scheduled to take parliamentary questions at 10.30am on Thursday. Sinn Feins public expenditure spokesperson Mairead Farrell argued that the donation was not within the maximum limits, and that it should not have been accepted. The minister must come clean and thoroughly answer all of the outstanding issues, she said. The three-party coalition Government has stumbled into the new year, after junior enterprise minister Damien English was forced to resign following revelations that he did not declare already owning a property in a planning application to Meath County Council. Another junior minister for enterprise, Fianna Fail TD Robert Troy, resigned in August after he did not correctly declare properties on the parliamentary register of members interests, nor register a rented property with the Residential Tenancies Board. Following an underwhelming reshuffle in December, the Government is focusing on responding to the escalating housing crisis, after five consecutive months of record-breaking homeless numbers, rising house prices and unaffordable rents. Efforts to bolster supply have been squeezed further by a slowdown in commencements and the influx of thousands of Ukrainian nationals and other asylum seekers fleeing to Ireland. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he understands how the housing sector is holding the country back in so many different ways, and pledged that 2023 would be a year of delivery when it comes to housing. Among the other challenging issues the Government is facing are hospitals buckling under unprecedented demand for emergency care; whether the Government will extend cost-of-living measures beyond February; and a road map on PRSI increases needed over the next 10 years, which is due after the Government committed to keeping the pension age at 66. Four Catholic churches in the Oughteragh & Lower Drumreilly parish must prepare for big changes this year. Parishioners of Aughnasheelin, Aughawillan, Ballinamore and Coraleehan were informed last weekend that a series of reviews and meetings will be held to discuss changes going forward. Curate priest, Fr Johnny Cusack will retire this June following the Diamond Jubilee of his ordination to the priesthood. Fr Cusack will be 85 years old this year. This will leave just Fr Sean Mawn PP in control of four churches. Fr Mawn informed parishioners last weekend we have become aware of the shortage of priests in our diocese and how this will impact on the availability of pastoral and liturgical services in each parish. There is no guarantee that another priest will be available to come and minister here, Fr Mawn said it is actually unlikely. He said, this poses new challenges for myself, Martina our pastoral worker and for all parishioners. In an effort to keep our churches open into the future with the limited amount of clergy and resources; meetings will be held in each church area to highlight the changes and discuss plans. Martina Gilmartin, Director of Pastoral Development and Faith Formation for the diocese of Kilmore and Pastoral Worker will attend the meetings. All parishioners are asked to attend to help formulate how together we can best plan for cater for the spiritual needs of the people in the four church areas. Parish Meetings: Aughnasheelin Community Hall on Monday, January 23 at 8pm. Aughawillan Community Hall on Tuesday, January 24 at 8pm. Corraleehan Church on Wednesday, January 25 at 8pm. Ballinamore Island Theatre on Monday, January 30 at 8pm. Leitrim-based employers such as Cora Systems and VistMed are supporting a joined-up push by regional agencies and employers to attract more career-driven professionals based in Dublin and the East coast to the Northwest. Mid to senior level workers in Dublin will next month get the chance to learn more about life in the Northwest of Ireland and the array of exciting new opportunities open to them in the region. Northwest in the City is a collaboration organised by regional stakeholders to promote the Northwest and spotlight the many positive transformational changes made in recent years. The event, at Dublins Westbury Hotel on February 9th, will deliver a simple message: You can land a global career with a leading company and enjoy the best of local living by moving to the Northwest. The event will provide an opportunity to meet face to face with the executives leading the Northwests top multinational and indigenous companies. Mid to senior level professionals will learn about the global customer base serviced from the region along with the array of career opportunities available. Key agencies led by IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and the Western Development Commission (WDC), under the North West Regional Enterprise Plan, have teamed up with some of the Northwests biggest employers for the event. Industries represented include Tech, Biopharma, MedTech, Advanced Manufacturing and International Financial Services. More than 20 global multinationals and leading Irish companies are expected to attend Northwest in the City including Optum; Tata Consultancy Services (TCS); AbbVie, VistaMed, SL Controls; Cora Systems, Overstock, Avenue, FinTrU and many more. Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim are home to more than 50 multinational companies that have set up in the region and scaled their international operations. The Northwest is also home to indigenous entrepreneurs who have chosen to build and grow their own international companies of scale, including LotusWorks, King & Moffatt, E&I Engineering and Cora Systems. As well as showcasing senior roles including those in automation, biologics, machine learning and investor services; attendees at Northwest in the City will have the chance to network with senior industry leaders and hear from their peers who have previously relocated to the region. The regional agencies and local authorities will be on hand to offer more practical advice on connectivity, transport, relocating and educational options. Public sector organisations such as Atlantic Technological University (ATU) will also outline latest research and innovation projects and the current opportunities that exist. Working patterns have seen seismic changes in recent years, with a career and life in the Northwest proving increasingly attractive for senior professionals. A woman reads the Brazilian newspaper O Globo, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on January 10, 2023. NELSON ALMEIDA / AFP The office of Brazils prosecutor-general has presented its first charges against some of the thousands of people who authorities say stormed government buildings in an effort to overturn former President Jair Bolsonaro's loss in the October election. The prosecutors in the recently formed group to combat anti-democratic acts also have requested that the 39 defendants who ransacked Congress be imprisoned as a preventive measure, and that 40 million reais ($7.7 million) of their assets be frozen to help cover damages. Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes In Brazil, Lula must overcome challenges in a divided Republic The defendants have been charged with armed criminal association, violent attempt to subvert the democratic state of law, staging a coup and damage to public property, the prosecutor general's office said in a written statement on Monday, January 16. Their identities have not yet been released. More than a thousand people were arrested on the day of the January 8 riot, which bore strong similarities to the January 6, 2021, riots at the US Congress by mobs who wanted to overturn former President Donald Trump's loss in November's election. Rioters who stormed through the Brazilian Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court in the capital, Brasilia, sought to have the armed forces intervene and overturn Mr. Bolsonaro's loss to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Some Bolsonaro supporters point the finger after January 8 riots The rioters "attempted, with the use of violence and serious threat, to abolish the democratic rule of law, preventing or restricting the exercise of constitutional powers," according to an excerpt of charges included in a statement. "The ultimate objective of the attack ... was the installation of an alternative government regime." The attackers were not charged with terrorism because under Brazilian law such a charge must involve xenophobia or prejudice based on race, ethnicity or religion. The prosecutor-generals office sent its charges to the Supreme Court after the Senates president, Rodrigo Pacheco, last week provided a list of people accused of rampaging through Congress. Additional rioters are expected to be charged. Le Monde with AP Un conseiller du president ukrainien reconnait une grave erreur et presente sa demission Oleksiy Arestovych, le conseiller du president ukrainien qui a propose mardi sa demission apres avoir emis lors dun direct sur YouTube lhypothese selon laquelle le missile qui a fait quarante-quatre morts et vingt disparus, samedi a Dnipro, pouvait avoir ete tire par la defense antiaerienne, a fait son mea culpa lundi soir sur la meme plate-forme. Jai fait une grave erreur. Cest une faute grave et cest exactement comme ca quil faut la qualifier. En depit de toutes les formules que jai inserees comme tout porte a croire que, il faut verifier et reverifier, et ainsi de suite, aujourdhui [le Kremlin, en particulier Dmitri Peskov, le porte-parole de Vladimir Poutine] cite mes propos et dit que lUkraine elle-meme reconnait que cest un missile de la defense antiaerienne qui sest abattu sur cet immeuble , a-t-il deplore. Aujourdhui, je veux presenter mes excuses, tout dabord aux familles de ceux qui ont peri, aux habitants de Dnipro, qui subissent cette tragedie, qui ont entendu une seule explosion et savent donc quil ny a eu quun seul missile et qui ont personnellement ete heurtes par mes propos (). Mais tous ceux [Ukrainiens ou non] qui ont monte toute cette histoire en epingle, qui plus est en collusion avec la Russie, nauront aucune excuse de ma part , a ajoute Oleksiy Arestovych. LIMERICK senior hurling manager John Kiely says that he is 'very happy' with Cian Lynch's recovery from a leg operation last August. The procedure kept Lynch out of Patrickswell's entire Limerick SHC campaign. The 2021 Hurler of the Year missed out on Limerick's final victory over Kilkenny due to an ankle issue and then had the leg procedure the following month. Lynch tore his hamstring in the early stages of Limerick's Munster SHC win over Waterford last April and only returned as a substitute in the All-Ireland semi final. However, it appears that he is nearing a return according to Kiely. "Cian is doing really well. He has trained right throughout the block that we have done," the Galbally told the Limerick Leader/Limerick Live after their one-point Munster Hurling League defeat to Cork. "His recovery is pretty much what I would call complete at this stage. He is just like everyone else and getting on with his work. We are very happy with his recovery." The news is also positive about Mike Casey. The Na Piarsaigh defender was forced off due to injury in their Munster Club SHC semi final with Ballygunner but Kiely added that his recovery is on track. "Mikey is doing really well. Initially, we were fearful that it might have been a more serious injury but thankfully it wasnt. He had to have a minor procedure and that went really well and his rehab is going very well. "Thats all on track so we are very happy where thats at. Health wise we are in a good place and long may that last. We had enough of it last year," concluded the Limerick manager. STUDENTS hoping to head to America for a summer of work and fun have just a few weeks left to register for the J1 programme. USIT will be holding information events in Limerick this month for students to learn more about what the programme entails. The first info session will take place at the TUS Moylish Campus from 1pm to 2pm on Thursday, January 19. University of Limerick will host another on Wednesday, February 1 from 11am to 2pm in the Red Raisin and at 2:30pm in the Charles Parsons Theatre. Those intending to leave for their summer of a lifetime in May will need to apply for their J1 by January 31 with a February 28 deadline set for those looking to depart in June. The USIT jobs hub already has over 900 jobs available in US locations; Chicago, San Francisco, San Diego, New York, Boston, resorts such as Nantucket, Myrtle Beach, Ocean City, and more. The US Embassy has appointment dates set for as early as late January enabling students to have their J1 secured earlier than ever before. Speaking on the matter, a spokesperson from the Department of Foreign Affairs said: "The J1 visa programme is a valuable part of facilitating mutually beneficial and enriching exchanges between the US and Ireland, and we were happy to see participation return in strong numbers last summer. "Through the J1, thousands of Irish people have had the incredible opportunity to work and travel in the US. "This programme ensures the continuity of Irelands strong people-to-people relations with the United States, and we look forward to seeing continued high levels of interest for the upcoming J1 season." For more information and to learn more about J1 options visit www.usit.ie and follow @usittravel on social media. Page Content PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation & Telecommunication (TEATT), the honourable Arthur Leo Lambriex, says increasing the resilience of the Tourism Industry and repositioning St. Maarten as a competitive tourism destination will be his focus over the next 100-days. "My goal is to ensure that St. Maarten remains at the centre of the travel industry and rises once more to the top," said Lambriex. On Sunday, January 15, Lambriex issued a press release outlining the blueprint for his first 100 days in office. He said the only way to protect St. Maarten's economy is to protect the tourism sector, which must be a priority. "That means asking the hard questions about things that are not as they should be" According to Lambriex, the Ministry of TEATT must have a defensive approach to safeguard the tourism economy. "We cannot continue to attract Mega and even Giga Yachts to the island and squeeze them through the eye of a needle to get to our Marinas in the Simpson Bay lagoon. Already there is a high demand for our island to accommodate these larger-size yachts. Lambriex intends to work closely with SXM Harbour and the Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority SLAC to finalize the project for widening the bridge. He said he recognizes that we may not start the bridge widening project within the first hundred days, "but to achieve our objectives, we must make ambitious efforts." Widening the Simpson Bay Bridge will attract even larger Yachts to the island, safeguard the Marine sector, and prevent further mishaps. He said, "We have to do more to protect the Marine Sector and Cruise Tourism. However, Lambriex said the first steps must be to get a "handle" on rebuilding St. Maarten's Airport - Princess Juliana International. He said, without pointing fingers, we must identify the challenges that have created delays in reconstruction. "It is unclear why the repairs to PJIA have taken longer than the actual construction of the Airport. Delays in rebuilding the Airport damages St. Maarten's ability to attract new investments necessary for increasing economic activity. "I also recognize the hard work put into finalizing the project to rebuild the Philipsburg Marketplace. Since 2017, vendors have had to endure less-than-ideal conditions to earn a living. Therefore, I will be honoured to take the baton on the final leg to complete this project with the help of Royal Caribbean and Port St. Maarten. The Minister also intends to solidify all plans for the 2023-24 Tourism Season post haste during his meetings with Major Cruise Lines. Minister Lambriex's first 100 days in office will include formalizing Agricultural and Trade Agreements between St. Maarten, St. Kitts & Nevis and the Dominican Republic. Additional safety measures are also being worked on for the Simpson Bay, Causeway, and Philipsburg areas. Minister Lambriex said he looks forward to working with the Minister of VROMI (Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure) on a clean up and beautification plan for Philipsburg. "I believe that with collaborations from both Public and Private sector partners, we can polish up what we have and get a better idea of what we are working with and what is needed or not needed," said Lambriex. He also plans to work with the Department of Civil Aviation, Shipping, and Maritime to expand St. Maarten's registration of aircraft and seagoing vessels, providing increased revenue for St. Maarten. "The roadmap I have outlined with the help of my team and the support of the United People's Party is realistic and necessary. They will require dedication from everyone in the public and private sector, which should not be difficult to achieve considering we are all facing the challenges of a slowly rebounding economy and would like to see some improvements in that regard," said Lambriex. Minister Lambriex said he would also seek an audience with the Minister of Justice to find ways in which TEATT can contribute to increasing security in the Philipsburg area, especially during periods when there is increased tourist presence. The traffic congestion and difficulty for tour busses to find adequate parking when returning guests from island tours is also an area of concern. Lambriex will work towards a short-term solution until a permanent solution is established. "If we can identify an area in Philipsburg for tour buses to stop before returning visitors to the cruise ships, we can maximize opportunities for them to patronize the local businesses," said Lambriex. He said, "This should increase passenger flow through our city centre, and businesses will have the opportunity to showcase their product and services." A LIMERICK hostel that provides emergency accommodation for men experiencing homelessness has had a makeover thanks to a local retailer. Oaklodge on Clare Street in Limerick city, which is run by Mid-West Simon Community, has undergone a makeover thanks to furniture retailer DFS and designer Tullio Orlandi. Jackie Bonfield, CEO of Mid-West Simon, said: "Oaklodge is home to 50 men who are experiencing homelessness and improving the communal spaces and environment for them here is life changing for our clients. "Mid-West Simon relies on the generosity of the public for projects like this and is so appreciative of the support that Tullio, DFS, and the other suppliers have given us, to make this a welcoming space and a real home for the men living here." She continued: "Unfortunately, we now have record numbers of homeless people in Ireland. The latest count of 11,542 people in emergency accommodation was the highest number ever recorded. "Last year, we have provided emergency and transitional accommodation to over 750 individual people and permanent accommodation to over 200 people. "This makeover will make a real difference to men experiencing homelessness in our region and we are so appreciative of Tullio, DFS and all the suppliers who made this happen. We continue to appeal for funds and ask people to continue to support us in whatever way they can. Thanks also to our funders the HSE, Limerick County Council and DSP who help us greatly." Award winning local designer Tullio Orlandi said: "As a designer I really believe that your space has a strong bearing on how you feel, so this project has been very important to me. "People experiencing homelessness deserve an opportunity to get back on their feet in a warm, welcoming and relaxing environment. "Your home environment impacts your physical and mental health and has the ability to boost your mood and how you feel. I hope that the space in Oaklodge will provide just that for some of the most vulnerable people in our society, so I am so proud to have collaborated with some great suppliers here in Limerick. "Thanks to DFS, Fleetwood paint, Curtains Direct, our volunteer painters from Cook Medical/Northern Trust/Axa Partners, LK Flooring, Trade Electric and all who supported us with this project." AROUND 2,400 students will be conferred at University of Limerick this week. The first of the Winter Conferring ceremonies took place this Monday with further ceremonies scheduled to take place between now and Thursday. The President of UL, Professor Kerstin Mey has hailed the tenacity, focus and strength of character demonstrated by the students who are graduating this week. The students are graduating from the faculties of Science and Engineering, Kemmy Business School, Education and Health Sciences, and Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences in six ceremonies taking place this week. Among them number are 500 graduates of the Garda College, who have studied for a BA in Applied Policing as part of a collaboration between University of Limerick and An Garda Siochana. It has been a busy year for UL, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary and has conferred more than 8,000 students in the past 12 months. In an address this Monday, Professor Mey told the new graduates that their journey through education has been "exciting, challenging and indeed not without a great deal of effort and commitment". She said: "There is nothing quite like the feeling of success, especially when it comes at the cost of some self- sacrifice. You have earned your right to be here today and you have risen to meet the challenges before you. Taking your seat in the auditorium clearly indicates the tenacity, focus and strength of character you have shown all of these traits and characters will stay with you and guide you in the next phase of your lives. Prof Mey added: "Many of you will return to the workplace or begin a new career, some will pursue further study and others will look to research to add to the wealth and depth of knowledge that higher education offers. No matter what path you have chosen or where your journey takes you next, today is an occasion that brings with it many reasons to celebrate and indeed to look to the future. With your award in hand and the life-long experience that you bring to society, you have a chance to make a difference and you are equipped to do so thanks to the knowledge and experience you have attained during your time at UL. Click 'next' for more photos. MYSTERY surrounds a loud bang that was heard throughout a Limerick suburb on Monday night. Around 10:30pm, a number of people posted on social media that they had heard a loud noise in the Dooradoyle area. Residents of Ballyclough and Glencairin and as far as Father Russell Road reported the mystery sound with some people saying they heard one loud bang while others said they heard a number of them. Anyone else hear a huge #bang in the #Dooradoyle area about 10 mins ago (22:33)? #Limerick Susan BG (@SbgMrs) January 16, 2023 Councillor Daniel Butler said he had been contacted by numerous people to ask if he knew what the sound was. Mr Butler told Limerick Live that it sounded like the noise was close by while also being everywhere at the same time. Limerick Fire Service and An Garda Siochana confirmed that they did not attend any incidents in the area. Facebook users in various parts of Dooradoyle said they heard the noise while trying to figure out what could have caused it. Limerick City and County Council have been contacted to see if they can shed some light on the strange occurrence. Did you hear the bang last night? Let us know via email at news@limerickleader.ie LIMERICK is to be home to a new private facility designed to slash waiting lists for non-urgent day procedures. Addressing politicians from across the Mid-West amid the continued overcrowding crisis at University Hospital Limerick, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly outlined the plan, which he said he hoped can be delivered within 18 months. But local TD Willie ODea and Senator Paul Gavan have expressed doubt on this timeline, with the former Defence Minister saying: What Limerick needs is an elective hub operational later this year. As it stands, Limerick has not been earmarked for a new elective hospital, with Cork and Galway in line for these. Its led to disquiet among local TDs who have pointed out government forecasts which project Limericks population to grow in the next decade. While its understood Mr Donnelly has not completely closed the door on the idea of a new private hospital for the city, for the time being, a surgical hub is being planned, with staff able to carry out some procedures. A spokesperson for the Department of Health confirmed the news, saying: It will have a shorter-term impact on waiting times. This intervention will also support efforts to consider the necessary reforms and enablers needed to separate unscheduled and scheduled care pathways that will be required by the longer-term provision of the elective care programme. Fianna Fail TD Mr ODea said: I am concerned how long it would take to put this in place in view of the fact it would appear the minister has not yet identified a building. How long will this take? Presumably, it would need planning permission too. Sinn Feins Mr Gavan added: I've no faith in this government delivering it in any timely fashion. It was mentioned, but there were no details around how government would go about it, how long it would take. We are half way through the lifetime of this government, and now they are only mentioning these things. What we are getting are vague aspirations in response to an emergency situation in Limerick. LIMERICK woman Maeve McGrath has been appointed the new Director of Programming for the Galway Film Fleadh. Maeve will be taking over from Will Fitzgerald and will be responsible for curating the festivals annual line-up. The Glenosheen native is a former Fair City actress, producer and festival programmer that has previously worked as Artistic Director of Kerry International Film Festival, producer at Carlow Arts Festival and joint short film programmer at Dublin International Film Festival. Maeve is embedded in community arts practice with The GAFF in Limerick where she recently curated a community audio/visual project, Tiny Little Histories and she produced TravFest, a Traveller Wellness Festival as part of Guth na Minceiri. The actress completed her Masters in Media Studies at Mary Immaculate College in 2015 graduating with her thesis, Irish Short Film: The Road To Oscar which followed the route of Irish short films to the Academy Awards. "It is an honour to be joining the brilliant team at the Galway Film Fleadh," said Maeve. "The Fleadh has a very special place on the film festival circuit both nationally and internationally and I am delighted to be part of the team that will programme the 35th edition of the festival." "On behalf of the Board of Galway Film Fleadh I am delighted to welcome Maeve McGrath as Director of Programming," said Annie Doona, Chair of the Galway Film Fleadh. "Maeve brings a breadth of experience and creativity to the role and we look forward to working with her as we prepare for an exciting Fleadh 2023." "I have always loved watching films, since I was a child queueing outside the Royal Cinema in Limerick to see the latest release," said Maeve . "There is something very comforting in settling into a cinema seat and letting a film take you on a journey. To work in the film festival world is a joy for me and I I look forward to being part of the continued growth of the Galway Film Fleadh and supporting the development of both emerging and established film makers." THE UNIVERSITY of Limerick (UL) has conferred Irish archivist Dr Anthony Malcomson with an Honorary Doctorate of Letters. Dr Malcomson received his honorary doctorate this Tuesday in a week that will see a total of 2,400 students being conferred on the UL campus. Dr Malcomson led a vital effort in recovering and locating archival material across Ireland and Britain as a substitute for what had been lost in 1922 when the records of the Irish state going back to the twelfth century were destroyed as a result of the occupation of the Four Courts by anti-treaty insurgents. Head of ULs Department of History Dr David Fleming who read the citation for Dr Malcomson during the honorary doctorate ceremony, said: Anthony very quickly established a reputation as one of the best archivists in the country, and he was commissioned by both the National Library of Ireland and the Irish Manuscripts Commission to catalogue and calendar archival collections. His travels around Ireland rescuing vulnerable collections happened at a time when Irelands underfunded national archival institutions were unable or unwilling to take on the task. Today, scholars and students of all periods and themes are in his debt for the materials he found and made accessible, Dr Fleming said. Dr Fleming continued: The University of Limerick has also benefitted from Anthonys knowledge and expertise. One of the first historic manuscript collections acquired by UL were the papers of the Earls of Dunraven of Adare, County Limerick. The papers had been on deposit at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland since the sale of the Manor in the 1980s. In the late 1990s, Dr Malcomson, then just retired from the Record Office, visited UL and examined the newly instituted Special Collections department of the Library. He advised the Dunraven family that the University was an appropriate place for their papers and recommended that they be transferred from Belfast to Limerick. Since then, at least three UL PhD theses have drawn almost exclusively from these papers, and the collection has attracted many scholars to the University. Anthony also helped negotiate the transfer of the Knight of Glin papers from private family ownership into the Universitys custodianship, again highlighting how critical such resources are for scholarly endeavour, Dr Fleming added. UL will surpass 120,000 alumni worldwide as it celebrates the start of 2023 with its Winter Conferring Ceremonies which began on Monday, January 16. RENOWNED Irish chef Neven Maguire will showcase some of the best local food and drink offerings along the Limerick Greenway this Wednesday, for the latest episode in his new TV series. At 8.30pm on RTE One, the Cavan native will cycle the 39km Limerick Greenway, from Abbeyfeale to Rathkeale and experience some of the best food on offer, while getting a glimpse into the history of the 19th century railway line, which once operated for over a hundred years. Starting off the half-hour episode, Neven will start his journey in Abbeyfeale where he visits Nick Cotter at Cotter Organic Lamb, and takes a tour of the 70-acre farm and native woodland. Then, the foodie will put the pedal to the metal and cycle on to Springfield Castle in Dromcollogher, where he meets the Sykes family who run a venison farm, restaurant, and guest accommodation in the town. Jonathan Sykes gives Neven a tour of the venison farm, while at The Green Room in the castles restaurant, Jonathans son Dan cooks up a storm and serves Neven a unique dish of venison tacos. North of Adare, Neven will meet Brian OConnell, CEO of the Attyflin Estate, where around 250,000 apples are picked by hand every year to produce a variety of fruit juices, jams, and chutneys. At the Dunraven Arms Hotel, Neven meets Head Chef Adrian Neagu who shares his recipe with viewers for Pan-Fried John Dory with Doonbeg Mussels and other delights to conclude the route. In between the tasty dishes, the chef meets local historian Mary Kury in Barnagh where he learns more about the 19th century feat of engineering that was the Limerick to Tralee railway, which after opening in the 1880s, closed in the 1970s. Nevens Greenway Food Trails is produced and directed by David Hare of InProductionTV. The six-part series is sponsored by Bord Bia. Gaps still remain between London and Brussels over the Northern Ireland Protocol, Downing Street said, as the Foreign Secretary resumes talks with the European Commission vice-president. James Cleverly will speak to Maros Sefcovic on Monday over a proposal to iron out issues with post-Brexit trade arrangements affecting Northern Ireland and Great Britain. Speculation had mounted in recent days that the two sides could be edging towards a breakthrough on the Northern Ireland Protocol, amid suggestions that cross-Channel relations have improved since Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister. Irish MEP Barry Andrews told Times Radio on Sunday that there was an expectation that a political declaration could emerge out of the Cleverly-Sefcovic talks. Not an internationally binding agreement, but a political declaration and framework for the way forward, said the Fianna Fail politician. We had some positive announcements last week and generally I think theres been a build-up of trust between the parties. Downing Street on Monday appeared to play down hopes of an imminent breakthrough, saying issues remain outstanding in the negotiations. They will continue to look at any progress thats being made, the Prime Ministers official spokesman said of the meeting. But as weve said on a number of occasions, there are still gaps in our position that need to be resolved in order to address the full range of problems created by the protocol. The announcement last week that a deal had been reached on sharing real-time data on goods travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland was seen as a step towards an overall resolution. A UK Government source said the negotiations were proving complex and difficult but there was a desire to work together to reach an agreement. Labour said signs of progress were promising and urged Mr Sunak to ignore the right wing of his party to secure a protocol pact with Brussels. Talk of pushing through the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, heavily criticised by the EU for the way it would unilaterally override parts of the treaty signed by former prime minister Boris Johnson, has grown quieter in recent months. There has also been a flurry of activity in Northern Ireland, with Mr Cleverly and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmers Belfast appearances last week adding to speculation that a protocol announcement is moving nearer. Speaking about Mondays talks, a UK Government source said: Wed all prefer a negotiated solution but significant gaps remain. It is the conversations with the commission that will either bring that about or not. Nobody should be under any illusions that this is complex and difficult but the desire to work together on a solution seems to be there. Alongside the UK-EU talks, Labour will send a delegation to Derry to meet business leaders and learn about how the protocol has affected Northern Ireland trade. Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy, shadow Northern Ireland secretary Peter Kyle and shadow Cabinet Office minister Baroness Chapman will visit Foyle Port, a gateway that handles two million tonnes of cargo a year. Party officials said they were going to see first-hand how red tape from the Conservatives deal and ongoing uncertainty are affecting trade. The protocol was agreed to in 2019 by Mr Johnson as a way of breaking the Brexit deadlock. In order to avoid a hard border in Ireland, it moved customs and food safety checks and processes to the Irish Sea, creating economic and administrative barriers on the movement of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The protocol is vehemently opposed by many unionists and the DUP is blocking the functioning of a devolved government in Stormont in protest at the arrangements. Mr Lammy said: Recent signs of progress on the protocol are promising Rishi Sunak must press on and stand up to the ERG hardliners before this window of opportunity closes. With a UK Government showing determination, diplomatic skill and hard work, and flexibility on both sides, the problems with the protocol are resolvable. If the Government can reach a deal that delivers for our national interest and the people of Northern Ireland, the Labour Party stands ready to do what it takes to get it over the line. The Minister for Agriculture is calling for proposals for tourism initiatives related to the agri-food sector. Minister Charlie McConalogue made the call yesterday (Monday January 17) for the 2023 Rural Innovation and Development Fund, which offers a maximum payment of 25,000 to any one agri-food project from total funding worth 300,000. According to the Department of Agriculture, agri-food tourism includes a wide variety of activities involving the links between agriculture and the food produced at local or regional level. This may involve staying on a farm, touring food trails, and participation in agricultural endeavours. Minister McConalogue said, "There are many natural symmetries between tourism and the agri-food sector they complement each other well. 2022 proved a difficult year for the Agri Food industry. Building a business post-COVID-19 has been challenging. "We are delighted to be in a position to continue to provide support towards the development of agri-food tourism initiatives which will help rural businesses to develop their products and services, connect with the community and visitors and improve the rural experience." The minister continued: "One of the key actions in this strategy is to continue to develop linkages between local food and tourism offerings, including support for business development and marketing initiatives to support and promote food and drink visitor attractions including the distillery, brewery and tourism sector. "Irelands agri-food sector is engrained in the fabric of Irish society and is one of the main drivers of our economy, especially in rural and coastal areas. The closing date for receipt of applications is 12pm noon on February 23, 2023. Applications should be made via the Call for Proposals application form available here. Washington should disclose epidemic info (China Daily) 13:53, January 17, 2023 People walk on Times Square in New York, the United States, Nov 23, 2021. [PhotoXinhua] The XBB.1.5 subvariant of Omicron strain of the novel coronavirus has been spreading so quickly in the United States that infections caused by it now account for 43 percent of the fatal infections nationwide. According to the statistics of the Global Influenza Shared Database (GISAID), a publicly accessible database designed to improve the sharing of influenza data, almost all the variants of the virus have been prevalent in the US. Why is the US so attractive to the virus variants? How could XBB.1.5 spread so quickly? The US needs to share information and data about its epidemic situation timely and transparently with the world. It takes global efforts to fight the pandemic and every nation is responsible for sharing the information of any new variant they find. According to GISAID, the first reported XBB.1.5 infections can be traced back to New York and Connecticut in October, and now it has spread to at least 74 countries and regions. CNN quoted experts as saying that the variant highly possibly originated in the US. For three years, there have been countless blames against the US for its lack of transparency, even data fabrication. As early as July 2020, the British Medical Journal published an essay that said the novel coronavirus infections in the US neared 4 million, higher than the 2.67 million in the US government report. In March 2021, former director of the US Centers for Disease Control Tom Friedan said that lack of timely, accurate information is one of the US' biggest failures in coping with the pandemic. In May 2022, the NBC said that the number of COVID-19 infections might have been underestimated in the US. For three years, the US has always been insincere, irresponsible in publishing its pandemic information. For which, not only has it paid a huge price, but also the rest of the world. The World Health Organization has confirmed XBB.1.5 as being the most infectious among all Omicron subvariants and has warned about the danger of more people being infected. The US should stop concealing information and make everything transparent. The world has the right to know the truth. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun) Page Content Great Bay, Sint Maarten Twenty-four tenants of Buildings C, D, E and F of Low Estate, Belvedere received the keys to their apartments in a Key Giving Ceremony hosted by the Minister VROMI Egbert J Doran and the Sint Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF) on January 10, 2023. The keys were the second set handed over, following the finalization of Buildings A & B in October. Some of these units catered to the differently abled residents whose homes were modified to accommodate their accessibility needs. Concerning the handover ceremony, Minister Doran said, 'This is a great feeling to finally have the residents back in their homes. They (residents) were ecstatic as well to be back in their homes. According to Minister Doran, this is the first time since the initial construction of the buildings in Belvedere that they have received such a major overhaul. I would like to thank all the stakeholders involved, namely the Dutch Trust fund that is managed by the World Bank, the Ministry of VROMI, the NRPB staff, and every single stakeholder. A special mention must be given to the Sint Maarten Housing Development Foundation for the hard work that they put into making this a reality. The renovation and repairs to sixty-four (64) apartment units in the six residential towers officially began on January 26, 2022. To date, all 64 units have been completely renovated and returned to the residents while some others have received minor repairs and maintenance work. There are greater things to come. I mentioned that 2023 is a year of change and forward movement. That is the intention and the commitment from the Ministry of VROMI, stated Minister Doran. Based on a budget of almost US $5.5 million, the planned works include structural repairs, roof, and electrical work, and installation of doors, windows, ceiling tiles, and plumbing fixtures. Thirteen inquests into deaths in Northern Irelands troubled past are set to take place in the next four months. They will probe some of the most infamous atrocities that took place in the region, including the shooting of five people, including a priest and three teenagers at Springhill in west Belfast in July 1972. Last year a long-running inquest into the shooting of 10 people in Ballymurphy in 1971 found they were all innocent victims. It also concluded that the Army was responsible for nine of the 10 deaths, with not enough evidence to determine who fired the shot which killed the tenth victim. The latest inquests, which include a number of deaths in which the army are believed to have been involved, are progressing while a proposed UK government Bill aims to end legal proceedings concerning Troubles-related conduct. The inquests are part of a plan to progress more than 50 investigations involving 93 deaths between the 1970s and 2000 that had been mired in the coronial system for years. Inquests due to start in January include a probe into the killing of three IRA men in Coagh, Co Tyrone in 1991, the shooting of 14-year-old Dessie Healey in west Belfast in 1971, the death of John Moran in the Kellys Bar bombing in 1972 and the killing of John McKearney and his nephew Kevin McKearney and married couple Charlie and Tess Fox in two separate loyalist attacks in Moy, Co Tyrone in 1992. The first inquest into the death of Fergal McCusker from Maghera, believed to have been killed by the LVF in 1998, is also to open in January. Two inquests are due to open in February. They will be probes into the killing of Hugh Gerard Coney as he tried to escape the Long Kesh internment camp in 1974, and the Springhill shootings. An inquest into the killing of Sam Marshall outside Lurgan police station in 1990 is scheduled for March, while five inquests are planned to take place in April. These include an inquest into the deaths of William Fleming and Danny Doherty who were shot dead in the grounds of the Gransha Hospital in Derry in 1984, and an inquest into the death of Seamus Dillon who was killed outside the Glengannon Hotel in Dungannon, Co Tyrone in 1997. The other inquests to be heard in April include probes into the deaths of four IRA members killed in Clonoe, Co Tyrone in 1992 and the killing of Francis Bradley in Co Derry in 1986. Meanwhile, the Lady Chief Justices office said three inquests have concluded with findings awaited in two and the outcome of a legal challenge pending in the other. Those inquests are into the killing of Francis Rowntree in west Belfast in 1992, the killing of 10 protestant workmen by the Provisional IRA at Kingsmill in Co Armagh in 1976 and the killing of Leo Norney in west Belfast in 1975. An inquest into the killing of Patrick Crawford in the grounds of the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast has commenced and has been adjourned with a new date to be fixed. Meanwhile, 19 inquests have yet to listed, but preparatory work is ongoing in a number of these cases, the Lady Chief Justices office added. Work continues amid uncertainty over whether all the inquests will be heard before the governments legacy Bill is brought into law. The controversial legacy legislation, which has been opposed by victims groups and most political parties, is continuing through Parliament. The draft Bill would offer immunity from prosecution for people accused of Troubles offences as long as they co-operate with a new truth recovery body, and also halt future civil cases and inquests linked to killings during the conflict. New Delhi: Havmor Ice Cream, a subsidiary of the South Korean company Lotte Confectionary Ltd., on Tuesday said it is set to invest 450 crore over a five-year period to ramp up capacity in the country. As part of the investment, Havmor Ice Cream will set up a new manufacturing facility at MIDC Talegaon, Pune. This facility will be the brands first ever Korean technology-based facility in India. The facility that will be fully functional in 2024, will be made on a total area of 60,000 sq m leased from MIDC; it will significantly" ramp up the companys production capacity. To be sure, in December 2017, Lotte Confectionery acquired Havmor Ice Cream for 1,000 crore. Havmor Ice Cream is present in over 20 states and operates 216 exclusive ice cream parlours in India. Lotte sells the popular Choco Pie apart from other confectionery and chocolate brands. Lotte sees India as a strategic market and this investment decision demonstrates the confidence that the group has on the growth opportunity India has to offer," said Komal Anand, managing director, Havmor Ice Cream. The Pune facility will help the company expand its market share in South India as well as expand presence in western parts of the country. The facility will be an addition to Havmor Ice Creams existing manufacturing units in Ahmedabad and Faridabad. India is an important market for Lotte, said Choi, Chief Globalization Officer, Lotte Confectionery Korea. We are very excited to announce our first ever ice cream facility built with Korean expertise in manufacturing, supply chain metrics & processing in India. The new plant will be instrumental in strengthening and growing the brands reach in India," he said. With the new facility, Havmor Ice Cream will generate employment opportunities for 1,000 people from the communities around. Havmor, sells a range of ice-cream in over 20 states, with a network of over 60,000 dealers and 216 flagship parlors. Delhi Police is hunting for four terror suspects, besides the two who were arrested last week from the Jahangirpuri area in the national capital, sources said on Tuesday. The terror suspects received weapons from Pakistan through the drop-dead method and were in contact with their handlers on the other side of the border through a social media application, according to Delhi Police Special Cell sources as quoted by news agency ANI. This came after two terrorists were arrested from the Jahangirpuri area in Delhi earlier in January who, according to the police, were tasked to carry out the targeted attacks in various states. Police got information about the involvement of eight persons in the module. Presently, police suspect the possible presence of four suspects in India. The weapons recovered from the terrorists were found at an unknown location in Uttarakhand which is now being verified, sources told ANI. Meanwhile, the two terror suspects arrested from Delhi's Jahangirpuri on Thursday were assigned to carry out targeted killings of rightwing leaders on January 27 and January 31, sources claimed. The Delhi Police had earlier said it arrested two 'suspicious' men and recovered two hand grenades from their house in the Bhalswa Dairy area of Jahangirpuri. The Special cell of the Delhi Police had arrested the two suspects -- identified as Jagjit Singh (29) and Naushad (56). They were produced before the Patiala House Court on Friday and sent to police remand for 14 days, ANI reported. (More details are awaited) Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for sincere talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on burning points like Kashmir. He made the statement in an interview with Dubai-based AI Arabiya TV on Monday Pakistan has learned its lesson after three wars with India and now it wants peace with its neighbor. My message to the Indian leadership and PM Modi is that let's sit down on the table and have serious and sincere talks to resolve our burning points like Kashmir," Sharif said as quoted by news agency ANI. According to PM Sharif, the three wars between India and Pakistan have only brought misery, poverty, and unemployment to the people. Currently, Pakistan in battling a severe economic crisis, public discontent against the ruling regime due to flour crisis and fuel shortage among others. "We are neighbors. Let's be very blunt, even if we are not neighbors by choice we are there for ever and it is up to us to live peacefully and progress or quarrel with each other and waste time and resources," he added. He has also brought up the issue of Kashmir, saying that Pakistan wants peace and what is happening there should be stopped, as per ANI reports. "Pakistan does not want to waste resources on bombs and ammunition. We are nuclear powers, armed to the teeth, and if God forbids, a war breaks out, who will live to tell what happened?" he said. In last November, India had lashed out at Pakistan for raking up the issue of Kashmir during a United Nations debate terming it as desperate attempts to peddle falsehoods. Pratik Mathur, Permanent Mission of India to UN had earlier said, A representative of Pakistan has yet again made unwarranted references to Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir remains an integral and inalienable part of India irrespective of what Pakistan's representative believes." Pakistan Foreign Affairs Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had spoken about alleged human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir. India's response to Pakistan's claims came during a key UN General Assembly meeting on the United Nations Security Council. (With ANI inputs) Business leaders and economists gathered here this week for the World Economic Forums annual event say they see the world buffeted by inflation and the high interest rates that central banks have pushed through to combat itand the threat of recession as those rates choke at least some demand. That is leading some of the worlds biggest companies to hold their breathand their spendingahead of an uncertain year. The question they are raising is whether rising inflation, sparked in part by Russias invasion of Ukraine, has peaked. That could, as some business leaders hope, presage a soft economic landing. Alternatively, another rise in interest rates could lead to a more prolonged downturn. Many businesses are cutting costsand in some cases jobsto be prudent, several business leaders said. But a number are also holding out hope that they wont need to cut too deeply to take advantage of what some expect could be a rebound this year if major economies skirt a recession. The mood is somber," said Nick Studer, CEO of the Oliver Wyman Group consultancy, who has attended meetings in Davos for years. At the same time, youve got a lot of people hoping that the U.S. and the U.K. environmentif its recessionaryis either short or shallow." Whether the U.S. dips into a recession this year remains an open question, many business leaders say. Executives have been preparing for the possibility for months, even as consumer spending has remained fairly strong and the unemployment rate stood at a historically low 3.5% in December. I havent heard in 30 years being in business of people talking about the recession for so long," said Christophe Beck, chairman and chief executive officer of Ecolab Inc., a provider of services and products used in water treatment, cleaning and infection prevention. We will get ready for it in a way and it might not even happen." Business leaders also are watching a handful of risks that could reset their calculus. Those include the potential for conflict between China and the U.S. over Taiwan and the possibility of an impasse in the divided U.S. Congress over raising the countrys debt ceilingthreatening a U.S. government default. Issues that caused headaches for business leaders throughout the pandemic, such as supply-chain snarls or construction delays, arent fully resolved, either, said Stanley Bergman, CEO of dental-products supplier Henry Schein Inc. Managing through the current economic climate is also complicated by the fact that some in business have little experience operating in periods of rising interest rates. If you talk to people on Wall Street who are 35 years and younger, they think its the end of the world," Mr. Bergman said. You talk to people 50 and over, weve been through this many times." Wage inflation is also stabilizing, making it less of an issue than earlier in the pandemic, said Annette Clayton, chief executive of North American operations at Schneider Electric SE, a Europe-headquartered energy-management and automation company. A slowdown in hiring in tech has also made it easier for other companies to woo workers, she added. Youre competing a lot less with an Amazon factory, Amazon distribution center than you were just a year ago," Ms. Clayton said. In talking with clients, executives at McKinsey & Co. say they have noticed a shift. Last summer, with high oil prices and inflation rippling through the economy, many business leaders considered whether they should pause some projects and priorities, said Bob Sternfels, the firms global managing partner. The sentiment now is: I have to move," Mr. Sternfels said. Many want to take action to seize on new technology or respond to climate change, he said. Some see the downturn getting worseparticularly for big tech companies that grew into juggernauts in a free-money era and are now pivoting to austerity and layoffs. Those companies are striking a more subdued tone at Davos this year. Davos was built on the idea that the world was getting better and more global and more honest and more tolerant and the economy worked better because of that," said Alex Karp, chief executive of Palantir Technologies Inc. Well, it doesnt look like were living there anymore," he said, adding that you see the results of that in firing and restructuring." Though political tensions remain between Washington and Beijing, some executives say they have underappreciated how Chinas reopening could help their businesses. Those with operations on the ground in China have expressed optimism to peers that results there this year could be better than forecast. There is without doubt a view that China will open up faster than some people anticipated," said Tim Ryan, U.S. chairman at professional-services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, who has had conversations with executives across industries in recent days. At the same time, many executives realize that war in Ukraine and other geopolitical issues remain out of their control. That gets them down," Mr. Ryan said. Not all executives hold a dour outlook about the global economy at the annual confab. The economies of India and countries in the Middle East are performing well, and in the U.S., unemployment remains low and many households are still able to book flights and travel, said C.P. Gurnani, chief executive of India-based information-technology company Tech Mahindra Ltd. Mr. Gurnani said he traveled to Europe expecting people to be more downbeat about their economic prospects, but its not that negative." I think we are talking ourselves into recession," he said. I look at the data, and its not bad." Bowdeya Tweh and Greg Ip contributed to this article. DAVOS (SWITZERLAND) : Microsoft Corp. plans to incorporate artificial-intelligence tools like ChatGPT into all of its products and make them available as platforms for other businesses to build on, Chief Executive Satya Nadella said. In 2023 Israel introduced another upgrade for its Spyder (Surface-to-air PYthon and DERby) mobile air defense system that enables the Derby LR missile to intercept ballistic missiles. Spyder entered service in 2005. Spyder was initially available as a truck mounted version where one or more trucks carried a launcher (with four missiles) and another truck carried the radar and fire control system. In 2016 the Israeli manufacturer of Spyder revealed an even more mobile version that uses tracked vehicles instead of wheeled ones. Each tracked vehicle carries four missiles plus the radar and fire control system. Spyder launchers can carry either the Python 5 heat seeking missile (3.2 meters/ten feet long, 105 kg/231 pounds, with a range of 15 kilometers) or the Derby radar guided missile (3.6 meter/11.2 feet long, 121.4 kg/267 pounds, with a range of 35 kilometers). The Derby is actually a larger Python, with more fuel and a radar-controlled guidance system. Python has an 11 kg (23 pound) warhead while the one on Derby is 23 kg (51 pound). The Israeli Spyder radar system has a maximum range of 110 kilometers. The missiles can hit targets as high as 16,000 meters (51,000 feet) and as low as 20 meters (63 feet). Spyder can be used with other radar systems as well as a variety of truck models. Only the Derby is capable of intercepting missiles, and then only short-range ones. Spyder is regularly upgraded as there are improvements in the Derby and Python missiles as well as associated radar and control systems. The new ABM (anti-ballistic missile) upgrade is typical of the numerous improvements introduced since 2005. So far Spyder has been sold to ten (UAE, Ethiopia, Czech Republic, Azerbaijan, Philippines, India, Vietnam, Georgia, Peru and Singapore) export customers but not the Israeli military. Israel depends on Iron Dome and Davids Sling (an improved Patriot system) as well as the Arrow (for defense against long range ballistic missiles). Spyder is a budget system that can handle most aerial threats that Iron Dome and Davids sling deal with in Israel. Iron Dome has not been exported because it specializes in intercepting unguided rockets fired from Gaza or Lebanon. Commissioners approved resolutions during last Wednesday's meeting to fund legal fees for the county commission and County Attorney Rheubin Taylor but excluded County Mayor Weston Wamp's office. The HSE chief executive has said his preference was to encourage health workers to stay in Ireland rather than force them, because that brings its own problems. High demand for emergency care in Ireland has prompted debate on how to retain staff. A Canadian health minister is travelling to Irish cities this week as part of a recruitment drive to encourage its citizens to return and answer questions Irish doctors may have about emigrating. Fianna Fail TD Cathal Crowe asked whether nurses and doctors should be mandated to stay after graduating from medical or nursing school, adding that he didnt want a stick approach, I want more of a carrot approach. The HSEs Stephen Mulvany responded: Our preference, like yourself, is to encourage them rather than force them, because that brings its own problems. We know we are losing too many, were not retaining sufficient numbers, and were trying to work on how do you encourage staff to (stay), including by getting the staffing levels increased and by training more, Stephen Mulvany told TDs and senators. "We dont always know whos at risk from COVID-19 and other viruses but we do know how to protect them.Stay at home if you are unwell.#StaySafe https://t.co/exwkqHde9E pic.twitter.com/0xlq5YoBkZ HSE Ireland (@HSELive) January 17, 2023 The interim chief executive of the HSE apologised to people who have been forced to wait on trolleys for hospital care this winter, while emphasising that similar pressures are in other countries due to the flu, RSV and Covid. Mr Mulvany and other representatives of the HSE appeared before the Oireachtas Health Committee on Tuesday as the demand for emergency care surged to record highs in recent weeks. As of Tuesday, the INMO said it counted 561 people waiting on trolleys, while the HSE recorded a 26% increase in people waiting to be admitted to emergency departments compared to the same time last year. Mr Mulvany said that flu trends were giving indications that its peaked, and that it would remain high for a number of other weeks before it starts to come down. Dr Colm Henry, HSE chief clinical officer, told the committee the flu season this year started earlier, its been climbing for longer, and its peaked higher than any for many years. Flu seasons can go on not just to February/ March, but sometimes to early April. So while it seems to have peaked now, and itll take another week before were certain that its peaked, it will take some time before those flu figures fall down, along with Covid-19, to the levels where unscheduled-care pressures that we witnessed the past few weeks wont be nearly as severe. Mr Mulvany said that while the pressure on GPs is bad every winter, it has been more severe this winter due to RSV and Covid. When asked whether the HSEs response to the pressures in recent weeks was urgent enough, he said: I wouldnt accept the response was lacklustre. In fairness, a number of other jurisdictions are experiencing very similar issues. We put in place a winter plan. What we are currently experiencing, as I said, is in excess of the most pessimistic modelling we had in our plan. Mr Mulvany said he could not give a guarantee that no-one had died as a result of the recent pressures on hospital. I cant give you a certainty on that because I dont have certainty on that, he said, repeating previous comments on deaths as a result of the hundreds of people waiting daily for hospital admission. What we have certainly on is that health systems across the world, it can lead to patients suffering avoidable preventable harm, in some cases death. And we also know that delays to admission are associated with excess mortality. In response to Labour senator Annie Hoeys question on whether a conservative estimate of 50 people a week are dying as a result of admission delays, Mr Mulvany said those figures were based on a large NHS study that indicated for every 82 delays of over five to 12 hours for admission, it was associated with excess death. What could you say to anyone whose loved ones are caught up in it? What else could you say other than: Its just completely unacceptable? But our words are going to be meaningless to anyone in that situation, in fairness, he added. Mr Mulvany is in situ until the new CEO of the HSE Bernard Gloster, former CEO of the child and family agency Tusla, takes up his role in the coming weeks. Dr Henry had said the HSE had been emphasising advice for people to wear masks, but said that peoples acceptance of that advice has waned as the worst of the pandemic passed over. But what theyve experienced in the past few weeks shows how important that public health advice is that prevention is actually much more effective than the treatment of problems once they emerge. Responding to questions from Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan, Mr Mulvany said that he himself has sat in Temple Street (childrens hospital) myself with young children for far too many hours, so we agree thats not acceptable. The number of workers enrolled in the Near Zero Energy Building and Retrofit upskilling programmes has jumped from 363 in 2020 to a record 2,034 in 2022. This has been described as a major advance in creating new green jobs and as an important step towards halving Irelands carbon emissions by 2030. Near Zero Energy Buildings are so energy efficient that their net energy usage is nearly zero and use renewable sources as their dominant energy source. The government has set a target to retrofit 500,000 homes by 2030 and 29m was allocated to retrofitting skills training programmes in March 2022 as part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan TD praised the success of the courses: This year the government met our target to retrofit 27,000 homes and next year we will retrofit 37,000 homes. People across the country are seizing this opportunity to make their homes warmer, healthier and cheaper to run. Im delighted to see such a strong uptake of skilled people to meet this demand. Not only does this save people money and make their homes more comfortable, it also provides thousands of workers with valuable green skills that will provide them with a career for years to come. Green jobs are sustainable jobs for the long-term. The retrofitting training is provided in a number of further education facilities including Centres of Excellence in Cork, Mayo, Wexford, Offaly and Limerick, with further provision later this year and in 2024. The courses are free with flexible schedules including evening and weekend classes. Francis Noel Duffy TD, Green Party Spokesperson for Housing, said: Retrofitting is both an important economic activity, and critical in meeting Irelands climate targets. As we move forward with the housing challenge, it is essential that we encourage environmentally responsible and sustainable builds. These schemes will make homes more energy efficient and reduce household bills, benefitting both the environment and people struggling with the rising cost of living. These free, flexible courses allow people to learn new skills quickly and the surge in participants shows how valued the courses are. Local News By Chris Boyle Published: January 17 2023 We're honored to host such a distinguished individual as Prof. Mayewski to present such an exceptional educational opportunity, said the Observatory's Director Donna L. McCormick. Hamptons Observatory (HO) has teamed up with Suffolk County Community College to present a free, virtual lecture by multi-disciplinary scientist, climatologist, polar explorer and Director of the University of Maines Institute for Climate Change, Prof. Paul Andrew Mayewski. We're honored to host such a distinguished individual as Prof. Mayewski and to collaborate with one of Long Islands prominent academic institutions to present such an exceptional educational opportunity, said Donna L. McCormick, Hamptons Observatory's Executive Director. She went on to say Prof. Mayewski has made highly significant contributions to science that will affect policy and, therefore, our planet for generations to come. Sean Tvelia, Academic Chair of Physical Sciences at Suffolk County Community College and a founding Board member of Hamptons Observatory, agrees with McCormick: Were honored and deeply grateful to Prof. Mayewski for taking the time to share his personal and professional insights intothese vital concerns. About the lecture Journey Into Climate covers over five decades of expeditions filled with adventure, exploration, discovery, and contributions to the understanding of climate change. The story is told through the personal experiences of the internationally-acclaimed glaciologist, climate scientist, and polar explorer, Paul Andrew Mayewski. Prof. Mayewski and his teams have traveled throughout Antarctica, the Himalayas, Greenland, the Andes, and the Southern Ocean in search of answers to how and why climate changes. By living and working in some of earths most remote places, their journey not only documents the role played by past changes but sheds light on the transition from a gradualist to a fast-changing physical and chemical climate system in which human activity goes from having a relatively minor to a remarkably consequential impact. The lessons learned are now clear: we have entered the age of climate decision where our actions will define the course of civilization and the health of our planet. In this virtual presentation, which will begin at 7:00 PM. on February 2, 2023. Sean Tvelia will introduce Prof. Mayewski. Admission is free but reservations are required: https://journeyintoclimate.eventbrite.com More about Prof. Mayewski Prof. Paul Andrew Mayewski is an internationally-acclaimed glaciologist, climate scientist, polar explorer and Director of the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine, where he is also a Distinguished Professor in the Schools of Earth Sciences, Marine Sciences, Policy and International Affairs, as well as in the Business and Law Schools. He has led more than 60 expeditions to the remotest polar and the high elevations of the planet resulting in transformative contributions to climate science. In 2019, he led the placement of the highest automatic weather station on Mt. Everest. Prof. Mayewski has received several prestigious international awards, and has made numerous scientific discoveries. He has made hundreds of media appearances including several on the CBS show, 60 Minutes, and the Emmy Award-Winning documentary series, Years of Living Dangerously. Prof. Mayewski has authored more than 500 scientific articles and has published two popular books: The Ice Chronicles and Journey into Climate. More about the significance of this event It is the mission of Hamptons Observatory to bring knowledge-enriching events to our community for the benefit of all, but especially to educate and inspire the youth of this and future generations. Prof. Mayewski is in a unique position to do both. His research is enlightening and has impacted environmental policy around the world. His life is inspirational not only because of his achievements, but also because of the exciting adventures he has hadwhile doing such significant work. As former U.S. President, Barack Obama said We are the first generation to feel the effect of climate change and the last generation who can do something about it. It is our hope that a lecture such as this one will touch all bases:educate, inspire and, by so doing, get something done said Donna L. McCormick, Hamptons Observatory Executive Director. Hamptons Observatory is deeply grateful to Prof. Mayewski and to our co-host, Suffolk County Community College. About Hamptons Observatory (Alliance News) - Inchcape PLC on Tuesday announced a joint venture agreement with the Cats Group of Companies in the Philippines, including the acquisition of a controlling stake in Cats. The London-based automotive distributor said the agreement will expand the company's distribution footprint into the Philippines, building on its "well-established" presence in the Asia-Pacific region. Cats is the leading luxury vehicle distributor in the Philippines, according to Inchcape. The company said the joint venture will strengthen its partnerships with Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Jaguar and Land Rover. Inchcape will acquire a 60% stake in Cats, with the remainder remaining under the ownership of the founding Ang family and its associates. Felix Ang will represent the family on the Cats board. The deal, which Inchcape said is expected to be completed in the second half of 2023, could add about GBP120 million of annualised revenue, and improve the UK group's overall operating margin. Inchcape Apac Chief Executive Officer Ruslan Kinebas said: "The Ang family has built long-standing successful relationships with its OEM brand partners and its customers. We are looking forward to building on their achievements and accelerating the company's digitalisation journey, driving the business to further success. "This acquisition is a significant milestone for Inchcape in Apac and an excellent example of our 'accelerate' strategy in action; extending our global distribution leadership by expanding our [original equipment manufacturer] brand footprint in markets where vehicle penetration is low but expected to grow quickly." Inchcape shares were down 0.3% trading at 923.00 pence per share on Tuesday morning in London. By Harvey Dorset, Alliance News reporter Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - The following stocks are the leading risers and fallers among London Main Market small-caps on Tuesday. ---------- SMALL-CAP - WINNERS ---------- National World PLC, up 24% at 22.96 pence, 12-month range 14.90p - 30.80p. Proposes a maiden dividend in conjunction with the release of its full-year results on March 16, thanks to its 2022 performance and a strong outlook. The Leeds-based multi-media company said it expects revenue in 2022 to be no less than GBP84.0 million. In 2021, revenue totalled GBP86.0 million. National World said the revenue performance was underpinned by robust digital revenue growth of 25% against the previous year. Full-year adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation is expected at no less than GBP9.4 million, which would be down from GBP10.1 million the year prior. ---------- Esken Ltd, up 6.0% at 5.51 pence, 12-month range 4.41p - 14.98p. The aviation and energy infrastructure firm announces a multi-year agreement with low-cost airline easyJet to operate from London Southend Airport. It explains the agreement allows easyJet to develop its network and capacity at London Southend Airport, including a newly announced route from London Southend to Amsterdam. This route will operate up to four times a week from May 24. It will be the fourth destination easyJet serves from London Southend. Esken says that easyJet also has announced up to an additional four flights a week to Faro, Portugal. ---------- SMALL-CAP - LOSERS ---------- Grand Vision Media Holdings PLC, down 27% at 3.99 pence, 12-month range 0.10p - 8.95p. The Hong Kong-based out-of-home advertising and digital marketing company notes the movement in its share price and confirms it knows of no commercial or operation reason for the change. Adds it continues to navigate through the disruption caused by Covid, which it notes have been more pronounced in China due to the lifting of restrictions. Firm is working towards finalising its full-year results which are due to be released before April 30. ---------- By Heather Rydings, Alliance News senior economics reporter Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - Experian PLC on Tuesday said it delivered a financial third-quarter performance in line with expectations thanks to new products, new business wins and consumer expansion. The consumer credit checker said organic revenue growth in the three months ended December 31 was 6% from a year prior, and total revenue growth was 7%. The climbing revenue was due to 16% growth in Latin America and 5% growth in North America. Meanwhile, in UK & Ireland, quarterly organic revenue grew by 6%, while the Europe, Middle East & Africa & Asia Pacific region revenue increased by 1%. For total revenue at actual exchange rates, Latin America was up 21% and North America was 5% higher, while UK & Ireland revenue was 7% lower, amid a 10% decline in EMEA & Pacific revenue. Experian said, in Latin America, it benefited from acquisitions in consumer services and new bureaux in Chile and Panama, amid business-to-business revenue growth of 11% in the region. North America constitutes 68% of the company's revenue, Latin America 14%, UK & Ireland 12% and EMEA & Pacific 6%. "While pressures in the global economy are likely to continue for some time, we expect to remain resilient, supported by the delivery of our growth strategy and growth in countercyclical revenue streams," it said. For financial year 2023, ending March 31, Experian left its expectations for revenue unchanged at growth between 8% and 10%. The company will release its financial year 2023 results on May 17. Experian shares were 1.0% lower at 2,926.00 pence each in London on Tuesday morning. By Tom Budszus, Alliance News reporter Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance news) - The following is a round-up of updates by London-listed companies, issued on Tuesday and not separately reported by Alliance News: ------------ Sequoia Economic Infrastructure Income Fund Ltd - London-based income fund - Reports a net asset value per share of 93.71 pence each as at December 31, up 0.5% from 93.25 pence each on November 30. "As the company is approximately 100% currency hedged, it does not expect to realise any material FX gains or losses over the life of its investments. However, the company's NAV may include unrealised short-term FX gains or losses, driven by differences in the valuation methodologies of its FX hedges and the underlying investments - such movements will typically reverse over time," it says. ------------ Revolution Bars Group PLC - Ashton-under-Lyne, England-based bar chain - In the first half of 2022, reports like-for-like sales 9.4% below the same period pre-pandemic. As a result, the board reassess its expectations for financial 2023, which ends in June, assuming that industrial action subsides and energy prices hold at their current levels. It now expects earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation for the year lower than previously anticipated. Anticipates the figure at the bottom end of market expectations, which it puts between GBP6.7 million to GBP10.5 million. More positively, in the Christmas trading period, sees like-for-like sales rise by double-digits against the previous year thanks to strong corporate party bookings. Like-for-like sales grow by 17% in the five weeks to December 31. The Christmas trading period was hurt by industrial action across the UK, Revolution Bars adds. ------------ Medica Group PLC - Hastings, England-based company which provides services such as x-ray and MRI scan analysis to hospitals - Says it has had a strong performance for the second half of 2022, driven by UK Elective revenue returning to expected levels due to a "strong recovery in radiologist reporting capacity from September onwards". Overall, group revenue amounts to GBP77.0 million for 2022, in line with market expectations, up 24% year-on-year. Gross margins remain resilient at 48%. Expects underlying operating profit to be in line with market expectations. ------------ Naked Wines PLC - Norwich-based online wine seller - Expects adjusted earnings before interest and tax for financial 2023 to be in the range of GBP13 million to GBP17 million at the top end of expectations. This is up from previous guidance of GBP9 million to GBP13 million. Reports solid third quarter trading performance with flat reported revenue compared to the prior year. ------------ National World PLC - Leeds-based multimedia company - Proposes a maiden dividend in conjunction with the release of its full-year results on March 16, thanks to its 2022 performance and a strong outlook. Expects revenue in 2022 to be no less than GBP84.0 million. In 2021, revenue totalled GBP86.0 million. National World says the revenue performance was underpinned by robust digital revenue growth of 25% against the previous year. Full-year adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation is expected at no less than GBP9.4 million, which would be down from GBP10.1 million the year prior. ------------ By Xindi Wei, Alliance News reporter Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - Britain's top diplomat said Tuesday that talks with the EU had made improvements in a row over Northern Ireland that has triggered a political crisis. Britain on leaving the EU agreed to a protocol that lets Northern Ireland remain in the EU common market avoiding the reimposition of a hard border in Ireland that could have scuttled the peace that has largely prevailed since the 1998 Good Friday accord. But disagreements on the implementation over trade prompted pro-UK parties to walk out of the Northern Ireland assembly last year and there has been no breakthrough on restoring a power-sharing government ahead of a Thursday deadline. On a visit to the US, which champions the Good Friday agreement, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly indicated progress but declined to predict if institutions would be up and running again by the accord's 25th anniversary in April. "The conversation is happening in good faith, very discreetly and that discretion I think has helped us make real improvements," Cleverly said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "We want to get this result as soon as possible," he said. Cleverly a day earlier held new virtual talks with the EU on the protocol. A week earlier, the two sides said they had reached an agreement regarding information technology systems. The Conservative diplomat voiced solidarity for Northern Ireland businesses which say they are having trouble buying from the British mainland. "This is about making sure that a part of my country is able to be a meaningful part of my country. Northern Ireland is part of the UK," he said. source: AFP Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - The top UK diplomat warned Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that Britain will support Ukraine until they win the war, after Moscow was angered by London's decision to send tanks. "The message we're sending to Putin and, frankly, anyone else that cares to be watching is that we made a commitment to support Ukrainians until they are victorious," Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on a visit to Washington. "What Putin should understand is we are going to have the strategic endurance to stick with them until the job is done and the best thing that he can do to preserve the lives of his own troops is to recognize that," he said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Cleverly, who will later Tuesday hold talks with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, is visiting the US and Canada after Britain became the first country to meet Ukraine's request for Western heavy tanks. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said his government would provide 14 Challenger 2 tanks. European countries have previously supplied Kyiv with modernized versions of Soviet tanks and the US and France have committed to lighter versions, with Washington sending Bradley armored vehicles. Cleverly said that Britain decided to send tanks to the Ukrainians because "what we recognize they need is the ability to push back hard in the east and the in the south," areas which Russia has tried to seize since its invasion launched nearly 11 months ago. Cleverly said that Britain was committed to looking at other assistance to Ukraine as its needs evolve. source: AFP Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Turkey wants to stuff Mallorca this summer after a massive fall in Russian tourists which has left its hotels almost empty and the Turkish tourist industry has gone in search of new markets. The Turkish government is also helping. As one British travel source said, Turkey has plenty of new hotels and holiday bargains will be on offer. Tourism is vital to the Turkish economy. Steve Heapy, Chief Executive of British travel giant Jet2, told Bulletin Online that Mallorca should be concerned and he added that this summer, more than ever, price would be key. So far the alarm bells are not ringing in Mallorca with Jet2 announcing a six percent increase in aircraft seats to the Balearics for summer 2023, with 259 weekly departures from 10 UK airports. They will be operating out of 565 hotels and have 276 villas. Mallorca takes the lions share of the Jet2 market with 146 weekly flights during the summer months. Jet2 is upbeat about the prospects for summer 2023 and they are now the leading tour firm in the Mediterranean. This week they gathered in Madrid to celebreate 20 years in Spain. Will you still holiday in Mallorca, even if you have to pay an extra 6.20 for a ETIAS visa? From the end of this year, UK travellers looking to go to certain countries will need to get a ETIAS visa. The changes mean an extra 6.20 will be added to the cost of travel. The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will be a mandatory requirement for many travellers going to Schengen member states. They include countries like Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Italy and more. Form 5695 is used to apply for tax deduction of certain residential energy credits, there are a couple that are deductible in 2023. The ones that you need to file are generally used in either big or small businesses. However, there are some energy credits that apply for tax deduction and two of them are worth looking at. These two apply for 2023 and will help your tax filing become a little less stressful. Using Form 5695 has become a tradition amongst folks who use renewable energy on their day-to-day whether it's business or at home. Take a look at the two credits that do apply for 2023. The nonbusiness energy property credit This one provides a nonrefundable personal tax credit for federal income tax purposes. It applies for making a home energy efficient through the usage of solar panels or other energy-saving components that don't affect the environment as much as other means. A credit that was added to the Internal Revenue Code by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and remained active until 2017. It was also extended in 2018 and 2019 but hasn't been active for the last three years. This credit's limit goes up to $500 and those eligible must have placed their energy-saving component in service before December 31, 2022. The residential energy efficient property credit This credit offers the tax payer a credit claim of 30% of qualified expenditures for a system that serves a dwelling unit located anywhere in the United States. It only applies when used inside a residence of any tax payer. If this installation is at a new home, the 'place in service' date is when the home owner first started living at the residence. However, the excess amount could be carried forward to the succeeding taxable year if the federal tax credit exceeds tax liability. Maximum allowable credit, equipment requirements and other details vary by technology. MBABANE Civil servants salaries will remain the same even in the next financial year as the salary review timelines have to be shifted. This comes after Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Public Service, Sipho Tsabedze, in a letter dated January 12, 2023, told the public sector unions (PSUs) secretariat that following the advert that was issued on November 22, 2022, where firms were invited to show interest in conducting the salary review exercise, there were no service providers who showed interest in the tender. Tsabedze said they would re-advertise the tender with the hope that this time around, firms would show interest. Process The PS explained that since the tendering process had started afresh, it would not follow the initial timelines but it would be shifted. He said the reason they would not force the consultant to stick to the initial timelines, was because they did not want to rush the exercise as it was bulky. The salary review exercise is bulky, therefore, we will not rush the consultant to finish the exercise, he said. Tsabedze said the consultant that would eventually be engaged would be given enough time to conduct the exercise. He said the exercise was scheduled to take 12 months and that would be the case even with the consultant that would be engaged after the re-advertisement. The PS said for that reason, the findings or recommendations of the exercise were likely not to be implemented in the next financial year as the consultant would be busy with the consultations. The exercise includes job evaluation, which might result in some vacancies being scrapped, as well as the normal salary review. This means civil servants are likely to reap the fruits of the exercise after the next financial year. The PS explained that the tender would be advertised without any changes because the consensus they got was that firms missed the advert, not that they were unhappy with certain aspects of the tender. The agreement to conduct a salary review exercise was reached last year July during the Joint Negotiation Forum (JNF), which is formed by the Government Negotiating Team (GNT) and the four PSUs made up of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU), National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU) and the Swaziland National Association of Government Accounting Personnel (SNAGAP). The salary review was eventually the first on the JNF agenda after the Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration Commisions (CMAC) intervention. The PSUs leaders wanted the salary review to be first of the JNF agenda while the GNT prioritised cost-of-living adjustment (CoLA). The parties reached a deadlock and ended up at CMAC but were sent back to resolve the matter amicably, which saw the PSUs winning the order of the agenda items. Worth noting, the last salary review was in 2016 and was conducted by LCC Capital Consultant. The team leader was Enziwe Dube. Some of the findings of that review were not implemented and as a result they formed part of this years JNF. These included travelling and housing allowances adjustments. The Air Force is temporarily moving fighter jets from Germany to Okinawa, Japan, after the Pentagon announced it was pulling older F-15 Eagles from Kadena Air Base in an attempt to bring more modern aircraft to the Pacific. F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, arrived at Kadena on Monday, even as the installation continues to slowly return its fleet of F-15C/D fighters to the United States. The decision to move the fighter jets out of Europe comes as Russia's war in Ukraine continues. Read Next: Air Force Returns Land Used for Apollo Program to State of Hawaii David Ochmanek, a senior international and defense researcher at the nonprofit Rand Corp., told Military.com in an interview Tuesday that moving the F-16s out of Germany shouldnt meaningfully diminish the Air Force's presence around Ukraine. "Although F-16s are going from Europe to Kadena, it doesn't mean there will be less U.S. combat airpower deployed in Europe," Ochmanek said. "The Air Force has been rotationally deploying squadrons to Europe since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, and I think that's likely to continue for quite some time." Last week in a meeting with Japan's ministers for foreign affairs and defense, the Pentagon and State Department announced a renewed alliance with the country; the U.S. and Japanese officials also reiterated their fears about China's military expansion in the Pacific. Those announcements didnt include a specific change to U.S. forces stationed in Japan, and Mondays announcement from the Air Force described the repositioning as part of the Pentagons broader Asia strategy. "As the F-16s begin operations, they too will integrate their unique strengths to help Team Kadena deter and, if necessary, prevail over acts of aggression that threaten peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific," the Air Force said Monday in a press release. There have been notable recent provocations by China. On Dec. 21, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command issued a statement admonishing a Chinese fighter jet's "unsafe maneuver during an intercept" of an Air Force RC-135 Combat Sent aircraft in international airspace. In August, China launched missile strikes near Taiwan during a military exercise shortly after a visit by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "The Ministers concurred that China's foreign policy seeks to reshape the international order to its benefit and to employ China's growing political, economic, military, and technological power to that end," the Pentagon said in a statement after last week's meeting. "This behavior is of serious concern to the Alliance and the entire international community, and represents the greatest strategic challenge in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond." Republican lawmakers publicly blasted the Pentagon's decision to replace the permanent F-15 fleets in Japan with rotational aircraft, namely F-16 and F-22 fighters sent for limited duration deployments, arguing it was not a wise move as tensions rise with China. In November, Republican lawmakers -- led by Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida -- asked the Pentagon to provide a briefing "articulating specific steps to replace the deterrent value and combat capability of any assets removed from the Indo-Pacific region, as well as the administration's plan to establish a force posture in the Indo-Pacific that would be resilient to a [Chinese] attack and capable of deterring an invasion of Taiwan." That same month, F-22 Raptors assigned to the 3rd Wing at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, were moved to Japan shortly after Kadena announced it was removing its fleet of F-15s, many of which are upward of 30 years old. "Modernizing our capabilities in the Indo-Pacific theater remains a top priority for the U.S.," the base said in an October press release. "This transition to more capable aircraft at Kadena exemplifies our continued commitment to enhancing our posture and building on the strong foundation of our Alliance with Japan." Ochmanek told Military.com that the F-16s and F-22s are a "net gain in modernization" for Kadena. But he said arguments over which type of manned aircraft to send to the base ignore some of the larger problems, such as defending installations in Japan from Chinese missile attacks. "Whether you've got an F-16 or F-15 or F-22 sitting at Kadena, they're all vulnerable to attack by Chinese missiles," Ochmanek said. "Arguments about the details of what manned aircraft are where, to me, are less interesting than how they're going to evolve the overall posture not just to Kadena but in the region." The 52nd Fighter Wing did not detail how many F-16s were moved from Germany to Japan. "We are excited to be here supporting our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region," Lt. Col. Shaun Loomis, 480th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron commander, said in Monday's press release. "We look forward to training and operating in this uniquely complex and strategically vital region." -- Thomas Novelly can be reached at thomas.novelly@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomNovelly. Related: GOP Lawmakers Sound Alarm over Pulling F-15s from Japan MANZINI - The member of the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) who was shot dead at Bulembu Army Base on Sunday morning, was the army base commander. The deceased is Lance Corporal Zakhele Magwaza and he was reportedly killed on Sunday, at around 9am by three unknown gunmen who invaded Bulembu Army Base, which is under Nsingizini Army Barracks (Camp) in the Hhohho Region. The military man died five years before he reached his retirement age. He joined the army in 1978 and his regiment is Lusikinyane. This is according to the deceaseds elder brother, Sergeant Japhter, who is also a soldier under the Indlezane Regiment of 1977, which is also known as i-2000. Chest The elder brother, who was found at the deceaseds home at Luve under Mkhiweni Inkhundla in the Manzini Region, also revealed that the lance corporal was shot several times in the chest. However, he said they did not have the exact number of bullets which were lodged in his chest as they were still waiting for a formal report from the army. Japhter said the army had promised to visit the family today. He said according to their analysis, the brutal killing of their loved one was politically motivated. He said this was because if his killers were his enemies, they would have left a message or had a brief conversation with him before gunning him down. For example, he said they would have reminded him of the incident or day on which they became enemies. In this case, he said the three unknown gunmen did not say a word. Instead, he said they opened fire at his unsuspecting brother, who was in a relaxed mood at the army base. In fact, these people are not political activists, but are what we refer to as tiphekula tikhuni or emavukelambuso (terrorists), the deceaseds elder brother said. He said this was because the killers had killed a family man for no apparent reason and without thinking about his innocent family, mainly the children, who would suffer after the death of their father. Again, he said as a soldier, he knew their tactic that if their target was a military man, they would attack him when he was relaxing and unsuspecting. He added that, just like they did to his brother, they would shoot him without saying a word that would alert him that he was under attack. He said as a family, they were still shocked because the deceased was a peoples person, as apart from taking care of his family, he was contributing a lot to the community. Personally, the killers angingcunulile, angishiya nemtfwalo (left me with a huge load) to take care of my family and that of my brother. Lunya lolu (its meanness), he said. On another note, he said the deceased was survived by his wife and nine children, some of whom were still schooling. Shocked Mkhiweni Member of Parliament (MP) Michael Masuku said as a community, they were equally shocked when they received the sad news on Sunday afternoon. He said even though he was old, Magwaza was a sociable man. He said when he was at home, he used to spend time with community members at one of the car washes at Luve. He added that if there was a problem at Luve, mainly noise, they would call him to calm and resolve the matter. During the attack, it was reported that there were about two soldiers at the base and after gunning down Magwaza, who tried to run after being shot but fell, the shooters tried to shoot the other soldier, but failed. Thereafter, they fled the scene. The gunmen were reportedly armed with a rifle and two pistols. There are also claims that they tried to search for the area where the army arsenals are kept within the base, before fleeing. It is worth noting that this is not the first time an army base is attacked in the Hhohho Region as in December 2022, unknown gunmen opened fire at Zibonele Army Base. The base is situated near Eswatinis boundary with South Africa and it is an area usually used by dagga dealers to smuggle dagga into the neighbouring country. During the attack, several gunshots were fired at the camp, but no one was injured. More than 300 acres of land on Molokai once used by the federal government to support Apollo space missions have been returned to the state after a years-long decommissioning. The 363-acre parcel, owned by the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and long leased to the U.S. Air Force, is expected to be made available to DHHL beneficiaries, most likely for ranching and possibly farming. Gov. Josh Green announced the transfer Friday in his office's ceremonial room at the state Capitol following a mele honoring Molokai sung by kumu hula Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu. Green described the deal as a relatively rare instance of the federal government relinquishing use of state land. "How long has it been since land was given back? It's not very darn frequent, " he said. The lease for the parcel in Hoolehua dates back to the 1960s when the Federal Aviation Administration used it for telecommunications facilities supporting the then-new Apollo missions. It later shifted to the Air Force in 1981 for high-frequency radio communications, according to Air Force Col. Michal Holliday, an installation and mission support commander at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Holliday said the Air Force determined in 2017 that it no longer needed the facility, and since then extensive work to remove facilities and clean up the site has been carried out under at least one extension of the lease that expired at the end of 2022. The Air Force was paying $40,000 a year to use the land, Green said. U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Mark Hashimoto, mobilization assistant to the commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command directing all military operations in the region, said the military completed "an exhaustive and comprehensive cleanup " of the parcel with the approval of the state Department of Health and DHHL. He also said the Department of Defense is grateful for the use of the parcel. "Mahalo to the people of Hawaii, and a special mahalo to the people of Molokai, " he said during the announcement event. Ikaika Anderson, DHHL's recently appointed director under the Green administration, which began in December, said he is thankful to receive the parcel back on behalf of the agency's beneficiaries. "We are honored to have it back in our inventory again, " he said. State Sen. Lynn DeCoite, a Molokai resident and farmer, said the parcel is ideal for grazing cattle and can support feedstock even during droughts. "It provides us with opportunity, " said DeCoite (D, East and Upcountry Maui-Molokai-Lanai ). "It (enables Native Hawaiians ) to meet the vision of Kuhio to rehabilitate our Native Hawaiians." Prince Jonah Kuhio Ka lanianaole is considered the author of the Hawaiian Homes program, and as Hawaii's then-nonvoting delegate helped Congress enact the program in 1921 to return Hawaiians to their ancestral lands. In 1959 the state took over the program that affords beneficiaries, who must be at least 50 % Hawaiian, opportunities to receive 99-year land leases for $1 a year. Leases can be residential, agricultural or pastoral. Beneficiaries pay for their own homes, but it is difficult to obtain land leases. About 28, 700 applicants are on a waitlist for homesteads. On Molokai, DHHL owns about 26, 000 acres of land. About 19, 000 acres are for agricultural or pastoral use, with only 742 acres for residential homesteads including future development, according to the agency's most recent island plan. According to DHHL's most recent annual report from 2021, the agency has 837 homestead leases on Molokai, of which 418 are agricultural, 392 are for residences and 27 are pastoral. From 2005 to 2021, DHHL added only four homestead leases on Molokai, though the agency had a goal to develop and deliver at least 400 residential homesteads on the island by 2025, or an average of 20 lots per year. The agency, which owns about 203, 000 acres statewide, has been hampered by relatively meager funding from the Legislature and high infrastructure costs to develop its land, which is often outside urban areas. In 2022 lawmakers appropriated a historic $600 million for DHHL to serve more beneficiaries, largely with expanded homestead development. The agency's plan to spend the $600 million includes two projects on Molokai20 residential lots and a 16-lot agricultural subdivisionprojected to cost $9.5 million. Anderson said beneficiaries on Molokai will be consulted before deciding how to make the 363-acre parcel available for their use. A timetable for issuing leases has yet to be determined. ___ (c)2023 The Honolulu Star-Advertiser Visit The Honolulu Star-Advertiser at www.staradvertiser.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. A Navy training plane with two pilots aboard crashed near Foley, Alabama, the sea service confirmed in a statement Tuesday. Lt. John Lobkowicz, a spokesman for the Navy, told Military.com that the plane -- a T6-B Texan II -- took off from Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Florida, on Tuesday morning. The two occupants, a Navy instructor pilot and a student aviator, were forced to eject at around 10:50 a.m. local time. "The aircrew successfully ejected from the aircraft and are in the process of receiving medical attention," Lobkowicz said in an email, adding that "no significant injuries have been reported at this time." Read Next: The Army's Long-Awaited New Pay and HR System Is Here The T-6B Texan II is a two-seat turboprop used to train Navy and Marine Corps pilots in flight school. The Navy operates almost the entirety of its 245-plane fleet out of Whiting Field and Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas. The current version of the aircraft entered service with the Navy in 2010, a relatively recent addition for the military services, which frequently rely on aircraft that are decades old. Textron, the company that makes the plane, announced in the fall of 2022 that it had made 1,000 of the trainers for "13 nations and two North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) flight schools." The last time this plane model crashed was in 2020 when a T-6B also crashed in the same area of Alabama -- about 45 miles southwest of Whiting Field -- killing both pilots and starting a house fire. Lobkowicz said the cause of Tuesday's crash is under investigation. According to the most recently released safety statistics, the Navy suffered 11 "Class A" mishaps involving manned aircraft last year -- the highest total since 2014's 15 mishaps. The services typically define a Class-A mishap as an incident where someone is killed or the damages exceed $2.5 million. Tuesday's crash comes one month after a mishap with an F-35B Lightning II at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas. The pilot in that incident, an Air Force major who had been doing performance quality checks on behalf of the Defense Contract Management Agency, had to eject from the craft when a vertical landing attempt went haywire. That jet had not yet been transferred to the government, according to the Pentagon. Deliveries of new F-35 Lightning II engines, as well as the modern stealth aircraft itself, have been paused as the military investigates what happened at the naval air station. -- Thomas Novelly contributed to this report. -- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin. Related: F-35 Crashes on Runway in North Texas, Forcing Pilot to Eject For more than 50 years, Navy pilot Royce Williams couldn't talk about his epic Korean War dogfight with seven Soviet fighter jets. He'd been sworn to secrecy because of Cold War sensitivities, and all mention of the battle was scrubbed from the official records. Now the 97-year-old Escondido resident is going to receive the Navy Cross, the second-highest award for combat valor. He said Friday afternoon that he's pleased to get the recognition. "My friends have been trying to get this for me for a long time," he said. The ceremony is scheduled for Jan. 20 at noon at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park. "The heroism and valor he demonstrated for 35 harrowing minutes 70 years ago in the skies over the North Pacific and the coast of North Korea saved the lives of his fellow pilots, shipmates, and crew," U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa said in a statement Friday announcing the ceremony. "His story is one for the ages, but is now being fully told." Issa and the other members of San Diego's congressional delegation have been part of an effort, launched almost a decade ago, to get the Pentagon to acknowledge Williams' exploits and to upgrade his Silver Star to something more appropriate. Called "Operation Just Reward," the campaign has been aimed at bringing Williams the Medal of Honor, the military's top award. But the Navy Cross is a big step in the right direction, according to Steve Lewandowski, a Navy veteran and former commander of a local American Legion post. "For the first time, Royce is being officially recognized for that incredible air battle," Lewandowski said. "That makes him happy. And it doesn't preclude him from getting the Medal of Honor later." The upgrade was approved last month by U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. "Having reviewed the findings of now numerous investigations related to the case of Capt. Royce Williams, I have determined this case to be special and extraordinary," Del Toro said in a press release dated Dec. 22. "His actions clearly distinguished himself during a high-risk mission and deserve proper recognition." On Nov. 18, 1952, Williams was in a F9F-5 Panther jet patrolling the Yalu River, which separated North Korean and Soviet territories. The Soviets weren't directly involved in the war, but they had planes in the sky, protecting their airspace. Williams and three other Americans, also in Panthers, encountered seven hostile Soviet MiG-15s. The other U.S. planes were soon scattered by engine trouble and enemy fire, and Williams found himself in the dogfight alone. He shot down at least four of them before escaping to a U.S. aircraft carrier. "A lot of it was awareness of where they were and how I had to maneuver to avoid them," he told the Union-Tribune in an interview last year. "They were taking turns. I decided if I concentrated on shooting them down, then I'd become an easy target. So my initial goal was to look for defensive opportunities when they made mistakes." When he landed, he counted 263 holes in his plane. He was uninjured. Worried about drawing the Soviets into the Korean War, U.S. military commanders hushed any public mention of the battle. Williams got pats on the back and shared a cocktail with President-elect Dwight Eisenhower but was ordered not to tell anyone, not even his wife. He served another 23 years in the Navy, including 110 flight missions over Vietnam. In the early 2000s, U.S. records from the Korean War were declassified, and word of the dogfight spread, especially in military aviation circles. A 2014 book by a Russian military historian mentions the encounter. It said that seven MiGs left a base in Vladivostik that morning, and only one returned. Four were shot down by a single U.S. aircraft, another was shot up and crashed, and the seventh plane was never found. This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune. 2023 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Visit sandiegouniontribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Tucked inside the recently passed Defense Department budget for 2023 is funding for a new kind of Navy medical ship one built to operate more like an ambulance than a hospital. The ship's builders and Navy officials say this reimagined vessel, the Expeditionary Medical Ship, is especially designed for easy movement and rapid response in the shallow littorals and vast expanses of a future operating theater like the Pacific. And the service is working to develop a complement of skilled medical personnel trained and ready to deploy onboard these ships to provide triage care almost anywhere in the world. To be built by Austal USA, the Expeditionary Medical Ship will be based on the Expeditionary Fast Transport, or EPF, a catamaran used by the Navy for personnel transit within coastal operational theaters such as Central and South America. The first EMS, EPF-17, is supposed to be delivered to the Navy by December 2026, according to budget documents; the service so far has greenlighted funding for three of them. Ultimately, the Navy wants to have a trio of platforms that work together to provide seamless care anywhere in the world. The service is developing a concept, T-AH(X), to replace its aging hospital ships, and, in the meantime, adding EMS and an even quicker connector platform, the EPF Flight II. These updates to Navy medicine afloat are all in anticipation of a future, high-stakes conflict against a peer adversary in a place where resources are scarce and rapid response is essential. This future environment will require what the Navy calls "Distributed Maritime Operations," or DMO. "Combat in a contested maritime environment will generate casualty rates both at sea and ashore much higher than recent experiences and a different mix of casualties. Mass casualties will require large-scale patient movement," a briefing slide provided by the Navy's Bureau of Medicine (BUMED) states. "Longer patient movement timelines will require medical care en route. The medical logistics system will be disrupted. Blood supplies will need to be readily available and rapidly distributable." Austal previously contracted with the Navy in 2021 for the EPF Flight II, which is expected to deliver the first of at least three hulls, USNS Cody (EPF-14), later this year. While the Flight II will be fast, traveling at up to 33 knots or 37 miles per hour, and capable of receiving and treating patients, with a short flight deck for the MV-22 Osprey and space for more than 100 medical personnel and 18 intensive care unit beds, the EMS will provide even greater and more sustained medical capability, Larry Ryder, vice president of business development at Austal, told Sandboxx News. In an interview earlier this year, Rear Adm. Darin Via, deputy chief of BUMED, said the service was developing a new expeditionary medical unit, EMU-28, that will deploy on the EPF Flight II and go ashore as needed. This will help facilitate the smaller, faster ship's role as a roll-on, roll-off connector platform that can provide vital medical care while transporting patients to a larger facility, he said. "We're developing the people, the training, people to deploy on that ship to be able to meet its mission," he said. "With the mission being a surgical and medical capability, but then it also serves as a ship again to get across those long distances." According to specifics provided by Austal, EMS will be slightly larger than the EPF, about 110 meters to its 103. A slightly redesigned hull will provide additional stability, and a shallow draft of 15 feet, or about 4.5 meters, will allow for "direct access to shallow, austere ports," according to the builder. "As the Navy continues to move to distributed operations, a smaller, faster, more agile platform like the EMS provides that linkage between the forward operating forces and a rear echelon, a medical facility or potentially another platform with more medical capability," Ryder said. "So we think it's really delivering something that is critical to support the warfighters." Expeditionary Fast Transport vessels, USNS Spearhead (T-EPF 1), USNS Choctaw County (T-EPF 2) and USNS Fall River (T-EPF 4) at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story. (U.S. Navy photo by Brian Suriani) It's a vastly different capability than exists on the service's two hospital ships, which have deployed around the world for humanitarian missions since their commissioning in 1986. The USNS Mercy and Comfort, which originated as San Clemente-class oil tankers, are designed to maximize capacity and stability. With 1,000 beds apiece, they're the largest ships serving the Navy apart from its nuclear-powered carriers. And they move at average speeds of less than 12 knots, or about 14 miles per hour. "You can think of the current Comfort and Mercy being the big downtown city hospital. They're extremely capable, but they are relatively slow," Ryder said, adding that the ships' deep 10-meter draft prevents them from entering some ports and that they're getting more expensive to deploy as they age. The hospital ship USNS Mercy in port in Hawaii. (Courtesy photo via U.S. Navy) Current factsheets for EMS indicate fully loaded top speeds of more than 18 knots, or about 20 miles per hour. The ship can maintain that speed, according to provided specifications, over more than 5,000 nautical miles, nearly the distance from Beijing to San Francisco. According to provided specs, EMS will have three operating rooms and 60 medical beds, separated into acute care, acute isolation, ICU, and ICU isolation spaces. Two 11-meter rigid-hulled inflatable boats allow for the transfer of patients from other ships or water rescue; the flight deck has room for a single V-22, or an H-53 or H-60 helicopter. Medical spaces, according to Austal, will be equipped for needs ranging from rapid stabilization of multiple trauma casualties; OB/GYN care; combat search-and-rescue; and blood banking, among other services. In addition to the humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and non-combatant evacuation missions currently supported by today's hospital ships, EMS will be able to support special operations and at-sea personnel recovery from damaged warships. Members of the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) 7-meter rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) crew lift a simulated casualty onto the boat during a rescue drill. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Veronica Mammina) At-sea personnel recovery represents "a critical capability for potential engagements at sea under the DMO concept," Austal states. Ryder emphasized that EMS would function as a key element of future medical operations at sea. "The EMS, consider it trauma care on wheels, for running around the city," he said. "It's high speed, it's got a lot of the capabilities that are on the hospital ships, but it's not designed to handle large volumes of patients for an extended period of time. It provides a link and a continuum of care, but it puts a high degree of medical capability forward to where it can do the most good, saving lives for our operating forces." Read the original article on Sandboxx. Gary Anderson is a retired Marine Corps colonel who served as a civilian adviser In Iraq and Afghanistan. The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com. If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration. Russia's most recent debacle, the latest in a long string caused by tactical incompetence in the Ukraine, highlights the lack of leadership, training and combat discipline that plagues the Russian army from top down. Soldiers were apparently housed by the hundreds in a building where ammunition was also stored. Whether through a lack of proper command discipline or simple inattention to security, many were making cell phone calls home. That made it fairly simple for Ukrainian electronic warfare personnel to triangulate an ideal target for an M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, rocket attack that resulted in anywhere from 60 to 400 Russian deaths, depending on whose counting one trusts. The number of casualties suffered by Russian troops since last February, when the invasion began, has exceeded by multiples those suffered in two decades by American forces in Afghanistan. Pentagon officials gleefully point out the superiority of the discipline, training and weaponry of U.S. forces. All that is true, but it is also irrelevant. Our exit from Afghanistan was as humiliating as that of the Russians from Ukraine will likely be. Great tactics cannot make up for bad strategy and flawed operational art. In this, both Russian and American political-military leadership has shown amazing incompetence. At the strategic level, the Russians miscalculated Ukrainian national will. At first, they tried to execute shock and awe by decapitating the Kyiv government. After failing, they have tried terror bombing and the destruction of Ukrainian infrastructure to compel a loss of will; that has not worked either. Instead of dividing Ukraine, they brought it together in ways that political action never could. In Afghanistan, the American strategy was nation-building. We wanted to turn a country with an 80% illiteracy rate that excluded women from any public role into a western-style liberal inclusive democracy. The majority of Afghan men might have accepted our money, but few accepted our vision as something to die for. The concept was flawed from the start. The idea of negotiating for a one nation-two systems agreement with the Taliban might have worked, or at least bought time for our allies, but was never seriously considered. By 2021, it was too late to seek alternatives. At the operational level of war, the critical vulnerability of both nations was logistics. In the case of the Russians, it was the fact that, since World War II, they have never developed an army capable of operating much more than 70 miles from its railheads. That, combined with systemic corruption in the defense logistics community, ensured that Russian troops would not be properly supported. Ammunition, fuel, food and even medical care remains in critically short supply. It adds to a justifiable sense among rank-and-file soldiers that they are led by incompetents. To fix this, the Russian leadership would need to do two things that it currently cannot do. The first would be to totally reform the logistics system, an incredibly difficult undertaking in the midst of a war. The second problem makes the first impossible. The very people who run the corrupt defense industrial complex are also the elites that Russian President Vladimir Putin needs to retain power. They would resist reform to the point of throwing Putin to the wolves and even actively working against him if a serious reform movement were ever undertaken. America's operational art problem was never fully recognized at the highest levels of command. Or if it was, it was papered over. By 2012, it should have become obvious to anyone looking closely that the Obama administration's efforts to "Afghanize" the war were only an attempt to create a decent interval between our withdrawal and ultimate failure. In the remote district where I was a civilian interagency team leader, this reality was particularly stark. Our only resupply in winter was by helicopter or airdrop because roads were nonexistent. However, we were on a strict timeline to turn over operations to the Afghans by September of that year. It was obvious to us that the Afghan battalion supported by a U.S. Marine Special Operations Team and their Italian partners would not be resupplied by the Afghan air force once we had departed. Our coalition military commanders and I sent reports to higher headquarters that were universally met by the explanation that "orders are orders." Within weeks of our leaving, the local Afghan military had cut deals with the Taliban to live and let live, and the district reverted to effective Taliban control. This situation would be played out on a grand scale in the summer of 2021 when the Biden administration finally gave up the ghost. The original sin of the whole Afghan debacle was a bipartisan effort when the decision was made to implement the nation-building strategy by creating a military in our image. That was initially a Republican project. If any of our generals saw the fallacy of that, they lacked the moral courage to question it. To some extent, it worked in Iraq, which had the road and administrative infrastructure to implement it. A reasonably mechanized and motorized army could be resupplied using those networks. Trying to implement a similar approach in the 15th-century environment of Afghanistan was a fool's errand. The proper operational approach would have been to build a national army on a decentralized, regional basis. Troops should have been recruited and based locally, where they could fall back on tribal support when needed. Supplies, with the exception of ammunition, could have been procured locally as well. Such a system would have helped local economies and increased support for the government. As it was, only the Taliban were buying locally. This would have cut out the need for resupply over roads that did not exist or by an air force that would never have been up to the task. Instead of pay going through layers of national and regional army headquarters, where each level took its cut before some or any reached the troops in the field, there could have been two or three levels within which accountability against graft could have been monitored more closely. Unfortunately, a decentralized system would have diminished the power of national politicians. Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his successors resisted this, and few senior American military leaders had the moral courage to wage the political battles that reform would have entailed. To his credit, U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus made an effort with the creation of the Afghan Local Police, but it soon became obvious that the Afghan national kleptocracy was only going to wait him out. The concept never got the support it deserved. At the end, soldiers from Kabul were defending Herat and troops from Herat were in Kandahar, often unable to send home what little money that trickled down to them. With the exception of Petraeus, most of the revolving door of generals who commanded in Afghanistan chose to go along to get along. The strategic failure in Afghanistan was truly a bipartisan civilian and joint military venture. We lost Afghanistan, and the Russians will very likely lose in their attempt to dominate Ukraine. The Russians will probably try to pin the blame for poor performance entirely on their troops. American civilian and military leaders -- former and present -- do not have that luxury. They need only look in the mirror. Green and sustainable debt issuance has been growing rapidly in the Middle East, despite the comparative lack of regulation of green financial instruments, according to Boston Consulting Group (BCG). During the 2016-2020 period, the green bonds in the region grew by 38%, and in 2020 alone, Middle Eastern governments drove 97% of green bonds compared to a mere 13% four years prior, stated BCG in its latest sustainability report titled 'Financing a Net-Zero Middle East'. In 2021, the total issuance of green and sustainability-linked debt in the region increased more than four times compared to the previous year. In these early stages of the climate transition, there is a critical need for patient, high-risk capital for investments in sectors whose paths to decarbonisation are dependent on technologies that are still in the early stages of development, such as iron and steel, heavy road transport, and shipping, it stated. The BCG report shows how regulatory pressure in most Middle East countries is not yet strong enough to compel banks to take immediate action on climate issues, even though climate change poses an array of risks to their portfolio. Larger banks in fossil fuel-exporting countries typically have high exposures to the oil and gas industry and other high-emitting sectors of the economy such as transportation, construction and infrastructure, and shipping, it added. Shelly Trench, the Managing Director and Partner at BCG and co-author of the report, said the Middle East banking sector has an opportunity to benefit significantly from financing the transition of the oil and gas industry and other strategically important sectors to cleaner, more sustainable technologies. "Regulators and policymakers could address this challenge by establishing carbon prices that adequately represent the cost of greenhouse gases and are aligned with international carbon price levels. In addition, they could create financial and other incentives to support decarbonization and develop environmental and industrial policies that align with climate objectives," noted Trench. Considering development banks and funds have a critical role to play in supporting green investments, BCGs report offers three core recommendations to meet the above mandate. These are: *Providing financing for non-bankable green projects with lower risk-adjusted returns or higher investment risks, such as supporting research and development of innovative technologies such as renewable power and CCUS. *Mobilizing private capital investments in green projects by improving their risk-adjusted returns with various risk mitigation instruments. *Using their expertise to provide support and advice to policymakers and regulators on the reforms needed to scale up climate finance. Regional bank alliances prove key to this end, such as the Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) and the science-based targets initiative (SBTi), as well as joining working groups such as the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials, to influence the global standard-setters. The report further draws on the need for key regulatory interventions to drive climate action through climate reporting and disclosure to then create taxonomies of sustainable activities. The Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS), an association of central banks and supervisors, is a key forum for coordinating these efforts and exchanging best practices among regulators. Currently, several of the Middle East regions financial services regulators have already joined NGFS, including the Abu Dhabi Financial Services Regulatory Authority, the Dubai Financial Services Authority, the Financial Regulatory Authority of Egypt, and the central banks of Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia. The report highlights another potential intervention such as the creation of carbon pricing structures that could stimulate demand for investments in renewables and low-carbon technologies while reducing subsidies for high-carbon projects, leveling the playing field and making cleaner projects more economically attractive. For instance, Abu Dhabi Global Markets (ADGM), one of the UAEs international financial centers, is working on a regulatory framework for the first-ever regulated voluntary carbon market and supporting the UAEs transition to net zero greenhouse gas emissions. The Financial Services Regulatory Authority at ADGM is facilitating, through a proposed comprehensive sustainable finance regulatory framework, the ability to establish the worlds first regulated voluntary carbon exchange and clearing house, where carbon offsets, while traded and settled as spot commodities, are treated as regulated financial instruments," remarked its CEO Emmanuel Givanakis. "ADGM and the Authority are dedicated to fostering a sustainable finance ecosystem. We are strongly positioned to host financial products and services that will make a positive impact on the UAEs and global efforts to achieve net zero," he added. Aytech Pseunokov, Project Leader at BCG, said in the initial stage, the roles of regulators and development finance will be key, with the former developing the policies and regulations needed to stimulate demand for climate finance in the region, while development finance institutions can help attract private sector investment by de-risking investment in climate projects via blended finance solutions. With time, as climate finance regulation is rolled out and green projects become more bankable, banks and financial institutions will become the key source of funding for the climate transition," noted Pseunokov. "Until then, Middle Eastern banks would benefit from reviewing the impact of transition risk on their portfolios and preparing themselves for the future by declaring portfolio emissions reduction targets and joining global alliances to exchange best practices. Doing nothing means maintaining their portfolios ever-increasing exposure to the impacts of climate changea far riskier option, he added. -TradeArabia News Service The Pensioner Bondholders Forum has threatened to picket at the Ministry of Finance on January 23, 2023, if government fails to exempt them from the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme. The Forum said it had written to the District Commander of the Ghana Police Service at the Ministries in Accra to notify the police of their intended action. Dr Adu A. Antwi, the Convener, Pensioner Bondholders Forum, speaking at a press briefing in Accra, said the Forum had petitioned the government to exempt its members from the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme. Dr Antwi said the Forum on January 13, 2023, presented a petition to Mr Ken Ofori Atta, the Finance Minister, for the exclusion of pensioners and requested a meeting with him, but had not gotten any response. We have also petitioned key stakeholders in the country, including the Speaker of Parliament, the Council of State, the National House of Chiefs , the Christian Council of Ghana, the Office of the Chief Imam, the National Peace Council, and the Catholic Bishops Conference, about our displeasure on the issue, he said. Dr Antwi said the executive of the Forum had requested to meet Mr Ofori-Atta for discussion before the deadline of the Debt Exchange Programme. He assured the pensioners that the Forum would engage with the government to address the issue, stressing, We are not tendering in our bonds. The Convener said if the Government failed to exempt pensioners bonds, it would have serious consequences on (Pensioners) their lives. Government last year announced Ghana's Domestic Debt Exchange Programme to invite holders of bonds to voluntarily exchange approximately GH137 billion domestic notes and bonds of the Republic, including ESLA and Daakye for a package of new bonds. As a result, existing domestic bonds were to be exchanged as of December 1, 2022, for a set of four new bonds maturing in 2027, 2029, 2032, and 2037. The annual coupon on all these new bonds will be set at zero per cent in 2023, five per cent in 2024 and 10 per cent from 2025 until maturity. Coupon payments will be semi-annual. Meanwhile, a statement on the Ministry of Finance website Monday said the deadline for the Domestic Debt Exchange had been extended to January 31, 2023 from January 16, 2023. It said, Building consensus is key to a successful economic recovery of Ghana. Pending further stakeholders engagement with institutional and individual investors recently invited to join the debt exchange programme, government is extending the expiration of the programme to January 31, 2023. GNA Government Communications Team Member, Eric Okyei Baffour has warned party faithfuls about the candidate they support ahead of the partys flagbearership contest. As they are ready to compete in the flagbearership race ahead of the general elections in 2024, many party members have been supporting contenders like Alan Kyerematen, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and Kennedy Agyapong. Eric Okyei Baffour says though any party member has the right to support his or her preferred candidate, all should be extra careful about who to follow because in Ghanaian politics, the person you support determines your future. He emphasized that in order to secure victory for their candidates, NPP members should refrain from verbal abuse. Support your candidate without any insults, but remember we all cannot support one candidate, what you will say today will be used against you tomorrow, "Eric Okyei Baffour exclusively told Kwaku Owusu Adjei (Patoo) on Adwenekasa on Accra-based Original FM 91.9. Watch Full Video Here: 16.01.2023 LISTEN I would like to draw the attention of the good people of Ghana to a shady contract orchestrated and executed by the immediate past Minister of Trade and Industry, the Akufo Addo led NPP Government and the Board of Directors of the Komenda Sugar Development Company Limited (KSDCL). The government, through the Board of Directors of the Komenda Sugar Development Company Limited (KSDCL) has entered into a ten (10) year management contract agreement with West Africa Agro-Tech Company Ghana Limited (WAATCO), a foreign company based in Ghana. In the intercepted contract documents, one would wonder why a company should be paid huge sums of money with no work done. The West Africa Agro-Tech Company Ghana Limited (WAATCO) has already been paid about Gh30 million to carry out paintings and sandblasting at the sugar factory. WAATCO brought in some Indian expatriates who were also paid huge sums of dollars without any work done, but have been repatriated to India. Their managerial staff are still around doing nothing, but receiving salaries and allowances aside the US$50,000 being paid every month as management service fee. The Komenda Sugar Factory is not in operation despite the countless promises and timelines given by Mr. Alan Kyerematen and President Akufo Addo. Meanwhile, their collaborators (WAATCO) are comfortably taking their remuneration. But they have failed to pay the Ghanaian labourers at the factory as well as some of the sugarcane farmers whose canes were bought for the test run in July, 2022. Excerpts of the contract documents are provided below; 5. REMUNERATION TO WAATCO As remuneration for the services to be provided, the Company agrees to pay WAATCO the following Management Fees: 5.1 Professional Fees 5.1.1 Management Services Fee: WAATCO shall be paid a monthly professional Management Service Fee of US$50,000 for the management and coordination of all the technical and administrative functions of the Company. 5.1.2 Performance-based Profit Sharing Incentive: As an incentive to optimise the profitability of the Company, WAATCO shall be paid a performance-based profit sharing incentive, equivalent to 20% of the net profits of the Company per annum. 5.2 The payments above do not include the payments made to the expatriate Hiring Consultant for expatriates monthly charges, hiring fee and other amenities provided to the expatriates based on their contract with the expatriates Hiring Consultant. For the purpose of clarification, the respective monthly charges for the expatriates are indicated in Schedule E (Factory Admin and Administrative expenses.) 5.3 The charges mentioned in the expenses are indicative and may be subject to variation to be consensually reached by the parties where the circumstances so demand. 5.4 All payments to suppliers, contractors or service providers will be done as per their respective contracts. 5.5 All payments shall be subject to annual management and financial audits by the external auditors appointed by the Board. 6. OBLIGATIONS OF THE COMPANY 6.1 General Obligations (a) The Company shall hand over the Factory to WAATCO on the effective date. (b) An initial technical audit and assessment of the Factory shall be conducted jointly by representatives of the Company and WAATCO in respect of the state of the Factory before the effective date. (c) The Company shall not grant any rights or interests to any third party that may interfere with the exclusivity of this Agreement and the performance of WAATCOs obligations under it. (d) The Company shall not take any actions or decisions to impede WAATCO in the performance of its obligations under this Agreement. (e) Upon the signing of this Agreement, the Company shall not have right to dispose of, either by way of sale, mortgage, loan or otherwise, any part of the Plant and Equipment without the written consent of WAATCO. 6.2 Permits (a) The Company shall assist WAATCO to obtain the necessary permits and licenses that may be required to be obtained by WAATCO for the performance of its obligations under this Agreement. This obligation includes issuing letters of recommendations for obtaining any immigration clearances and work permits for any foreign personnel engaged or employed by WAATCO in connection with the Project. (b) The Company shall ensure that approvals and consents sought by WAATCO for the execution of this Project are promptly granted to WAATCO. The facts provided above would inform the well-meaning Ghanaians to ask Mr. Alan Kyerematen why he failed to operationalise the factory after uninterrupted six (6) years of administration. The only achievements of Mr. Alan Kyerematen at the Komenda Sugar Factory were to sell sugarcanes on the 125 acre nursery farm to akpeteshie distillers in 2018 and turn around to develop only 3 acre sugarcane nursery which has not seen the light of day. And also to sign a management contract with WAATCO to draw monies from the idling company. The NPP Government has proven to be insensitive to the plight of the people of Ghana. I shall return with the other parts of the management contract agreement. _Signed_ Ransford Chatman Vanni-Amoah (Former Member/ Secretary Komenda Sugar Project Management Board) A prominent dissident in Equatorial Guinea has died in prison after being taken from South Sudan in a suspected kidnapping and handed a 60-year jail sentence, his opposition group said Monday. Julio Obama Mefuman, 51, who also had Spanish nationality, "died in Oveng Azem prison" in the eastern city of Mongomo, the MLGE3R movement said late Sunday. It gave no date for Obama Mefuman's death but accused the country's hardline regime, without elaborating, of "torture." The MLGE3R group's name stands for the Movement for the Liberation of the Third Equatorial Guinea and is based in Spain, the central African state's former colony. Equatorial Guinea Foreign Minister Simeon Oyono Esono Angue confirmed in a tweet Monday that Obama Mefuman "died in a Mongomo hospital following illness," but refuted any accusation of torture. A spokesman for the Spanish foreign ministry on Monday confirmed the death, but declined to give details. Andres Esono Ondo, head of Equatorial Guinea's only authorised opposition party, the Convergence for Social Democracy, published a tweet in which he condemned "Julio Obama's death in prison." He called for an international inquiry "to clarify what happened and ensure that all prisoners have the right to family visits." Ondo took part in presidential elections last November in which 80-year-old President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo was credited with 94.9 percent of the vote. Obiang came to power in a coup in 1979, ruling since then with what rights campaigners say is one of the most hardline regimes in Africa. Amnesty International urged Obiang to "ensure an independent and urgent investigation" is opened into Obama Mefuman's death. The organisation also said Malabo must "ensure prisoners are treated with dignity, have access to legal assistance and are free from torture and other ill-treatment." Obama Mefuman's death came less than two weeks after Spain's High Court announced an investigation into his suspected kidnapping and torture and that of a second dissident, Feliciano Efa Mangue, who also has Spanish nationality. Equatorial Guinea. By (AFP) A judicial source said that those two, along with two Equatorial Guinea nationals who reside in Spain, were seized in South Sudan in late 2019 and flown to Equatorial Guinea. Three individuals are being targeted in the Spanish probe, according to the source. They are one of Obiang's sons, Carmelo Ovono Obiang, his security director Isaac Nguema Endo and Security Minister Nicolas Obama Nchama. El Pais newspaper said the dissidents were flown to Equatorial Guinea aboard a "presidential plane" and were repeatedly tortured to extract confessions. In March 2020, Mangue was handed a 90-year term and Obama Mefuman 60 years for allegedly having taken part in an attempted coup against Obiang in 2017. On January 4, another of President Obiang's sons, Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, accused Spain of seeking to "humiliate, interfere with and disrespect our sovereignty." "These terrorists were detained by Sudanese authorities and extradited to Equatorial Guinea" under an "international arrest warrant," he wrote. Hon. Alhaji Baba Lamin Abu Sadat has kick started his campaign for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) ahead of the 2024 general election. The steward after his defeat at the just ended NDC delegates Congress has branded his Nissan pickup vehicle with the pictures of former President John Dramani Mahama and his 2020 running mate Madam Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang to drum home his readiness to campaign for John Mahama and the party victory come 2024. The NDC branded Nissan Pickup vehicle was spotted around Kosoa, Nyanyano, Bodwase and its environ. The team was cheered on by drivers, passengers, passers-by as well as vendors who were shouting the NDC slogan 'Edey bee keke'. In an interview, with some of the passers-by and vendors along the shoulders of the road, they stated that anytime Alhaji Baba Lamin passes by with the branded NDC vehicle, the traders heave a sigh of relief and hope that very soon the current state of the country will change for the better. According to them, the NDC has remained the only source of hope for Ghanaians and called on the leadership of the party to be more vigilant in the upcoming Presidential and Parliamentary Elections to prevent the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) from rigging the election. They added that the enthusiasm and energy with which the NPP leaders are shouting " break the eight " despite the unprecedented economic hardship and poor performance should tell one how prepared they are desperate for power. The traders expressed the hope that John Mahama being tried and tested will use his experience to turn the misfortune of the country around. Frank Annoh-Dompreh, Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri has urged all financial institutions and individuals to come together to restore the ailing economy. In a tweet on Monday, January 16, the legislator called on Bank of Ghana (BoG), to also play its part in the government's plan to relieve Ghanaians of the economic hardship. "Let's prove our prowess when it comes to economic management. Yes,we can. BOG. Play your role effectively. "Let's do it now!" his tweet read. His comment follows the Domestic Debt Exchange Program which has been keenly resisted by many bondholders on grounds that it will plunge individual bondholders into extreme poverty. Frenchman Jonathan Geffroy is accused of terrorist offences in Syria, as are his wife and mother. Geoffroy has provided valuable information for French anti-terrorism investigators. Geffroy, 40, sits alone in the prisoner's box at the Paris Special Criminal Court. His two co-accused - his wife, Latifa Chadli, and his mother - are under judicial control and are free to sit in the open court, on the seats just outside the glass-walled high security box. The couple's now eight-year-old child is a civil plaintiff in the case, and is represented by a victims' support organisation. Geffroy and Chadli, who arrived in the Syrian war zone in early 2015 with their then 2-month-old child, were arrested by members of the anti-Assad Free Syrian Army in 2017, and subsequently handed over to the French authorities. Links to Bataclan killers Originally from Toulouse, Geoffroy converted to Islam in 2007, and met and married Chaddi in Morocco. On their arrival in Syria in February 2015, Geffroy was assigned to the fighting brigade known as Anwar al-Awlaki. Members were predominantly French-speaking, and the group was dominated by the brothers Jean-Michel and Fabien Clain, also from Toulouse, who worked as propagandists for the Islamic State armed group and were both sentenced to life in prison for their part in planning and promoting the November 2015 Paris attacks. Geoffroy fought in the city of Ramadi under another French leader, Abdelilah Himich, who helped plan the Bataclan attack, where 90 people were killed. Child soldiers In November 2016, Geffroy contacted French anti-terrorist police, saying he wanted to escape with his family from Syria. He has since been described as a precious source of information for French investigators. He revealed Islamic State plans to use child soldiers, the so-called "Caliphate cubs", to undertake suicide terrorist missions in Europe. He also detailed plans for an attack targeting a French nuclear reactor and provided the police with the names of dozens of French nationals who had joined the ranks of Islamic State. The trial got underway on Monday and will wrap up on 23 January. Geffroy and Chadli face thirty years in jail if found guilty of associating with terrorists. Geoffroy's 59-year-old mother could go to prison for ten years for allegedly sending her son thousands of euros while he was fighting in Syria. The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has said it has sufficient quantity of gold reserves to sustain the gold for oil policy. The government took delivery of the first consignment of the gold for oil deal on Monday as part of efforts to reduce fuel prices and reserve the countrys forex. Many have however raised concerns about the governments ability to sustain the policy. Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee, the Director of Financial Market at the Bank of Ghana, Stephen Opata says the Central Bank is well positioned to meet the demand of 160,000 ounces of gold per month under the transaction. As for the quantities, based on the production numbers we saw last year, gold has picked up. We believe that, we can buy enough gold to sustain the program. I must say that the numbers we are currently looking at is about 160,000 ounces per month and that will represent about 50 to 60 percent of the consumption of the country. According to what PMMC indicates, I think we have volumes to support the program. 40,000 metric tons of oil from the United Arab Emirates arrived at the Tema port on Sunday, January 15, 2023, according to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources. The Energy Ministry, the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation and Oil Marketing Companies are to formulate plans for its distribution and sale. This according to the Lands Ministry will help reduce fuel prices in the country. The Vice President, last year announced plans by government to purchase oil from the UEA with gold to keep the country's forex. Though many have kicked against the move and questioned its sustainability, the Lands and Natural Resources Ministry says measures have been put in place to sustain it. By Citi Newsroom The Minority in Parliament is predicting the collapse of some five commercial banks if government goes ahead with its controversial Domestic Debt Exchange Programme. It says a chunk of the liquidity of these banks is locked up in government bonds. The banks will collapse. In fact, I project a minimum of five banks collapsing if this [debt exchange] goes ahead. Not only that, a number of banks will have to lay off staff and close some of their branches, says Minority Spokesperson on Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson. He adds more people will be impoverished if the programme is carried out. The monies that banks have invested is not their money. It is depositors' money, so there will be liquidity issues. When you go to the banks and ask for your money, there is a possibility that, you won't get your money. The caucus has already called on the government to immediately suspend the Debt Exchange Programme and engage various stakeholders in the exercise. This comes after the government announced plans to extend the deadline for bondholders to sign onto the Domestic Debt Exchange Program to January 31, 2023, as part of efforts to address the countrys economic challenges. Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu said the Akufo-Addo governments reckless borrowing contributed to the seeming failure of the debt exchange programme. How did we get to this pit? Simple. Reckless borrowing! Sadly, the NPP Government led by Nana Akufo-Addo-Bawumia has not learned any lesson. The NPP was not only reckless in borrowing, but it has been reckless in announcing and implementing the Debt Exchange Programme. It is clear that the NPP Government did not properly think through this whole idea of a debt exchange programme. This has led to manifest confusion in the implementation of the ongoing debt exchange programme. The Minority group called on government to immediately suspend the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme and engage in more comprehensive consultation on the matter with all stakeholders and the Ghanaian people. It is called on all stakeholders for a national dialogue on the state of the economy and debt exchange programme with the view to achieving the most workable and least punitive steps that protect Ghanaians and households from the disastrous effects of the Domestic Exchange Program as currently received. By Citi Newsroom Achieving win-win, multi-win results through mutually beneficial cooperation 13:54, January 17, 2023 By Qu Song ( People's Daily Technicians work at an innovation center of Cytiva. (Photo provided by Cytiva) "We have tangibly felt the constant optimization of China's business environment in the recent years," said Edward Zhou, president of Cytiva China, a subsidiary of the global life sciences leader, recalling how the company settled in Lingang new area of the Shanghai free trade zone (FTZ). According to him, Cytiva China received its business license in just three days after applying for it and finished all registration work in two months. "After we started official operation, the streamlined international settlement services and preferential policies of talent attraction provided by Lingang new area have significantly improved our operational efficiency and lowered operational cost. They contributed a lot to our rapid development achieved in such a short period of time," Zhou noted. Cytiva is part of the Danaher Corporation Life Sciences platform. It has about 10,000 employees in some 40 countries and regions around the world and focuses on the research of a series of innovative technologies such as biomedicine, and cell and gene therapies. In 2021, the company established its first R&D Center of Excellence in Asia in Shanghai, which aims to remove the barriers between technologies and their commercialization and align global technologies with local demands. Last year, it built a new production line of bioprocess disposables with its Chinese partners, which serves the Chinese and Asia-Pacific markets. The production line is able to lift production capacity about three times. Zhou called the Chinese market a huge magnetic field that attracts global innovative enterprises and partners. He believes that the Chinese biomedicine industry had witnessed drastic changes in the past 10 years and still enjoys infinite possibilities. According to a report recently issued by the company, the Chinese biomedicine sector is performing well in terms of production vitality and supply chain resilience. The report also indicated the high enthusiasm of Chinese enterprises for innovative technologies and highly-qualified talents, which lay the foundation for the market's long-term growth. "As China further expands opening up, the cooperation between Chinese and foreign enterprises will become closer," Zhou pointed out, adding that as the second largest economy in the world, China plays a crucial role in the world economy. China's continuous opening up will effectively promote international sci-tech exchanges and the global flow of talents and capital in the biotech and biomedicine industry, he said. A development plan for the biological economy during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period issued by China in 2022 proposed to accelerate the development of biological technologies and the biological industry, which indicates that the biological economy has become a strong force driving the country's high-quality development. Last November, Cytiva announced to invest 60 million yuan ($8.92 million) more in building an innovation center in China, which raised the total investment to 100 million yuan. The company hopes to provide products, technologies, services and innovative solutions for the entire biological industry in bioprocessing and clinical production, incubation of new therapies, talent training, smart manufacturing and compliance validation. The innovation center is currently under construction and will be put into use this year. Zhou is quite optimistic about the future development of his company. "On one hand, Chinese enterprises will enhance their capability in overseas operation, which helps realize cross-border development of more innovative medicines, accelerates the return on innovation investment and benefits more patients. On the other hand, foreign enterprises, by further advancing their investment and cooperation in China, will better share the results of China's economic development and achieve win-win and even multi-win results," Zhou said. He told People's Daily that Cytiva will step up its efforts to advance localization, and work with more Chinese partners to push for intelligent, standardized and massive development of China's biomedicine industry, so as to benefit more patients around the world with Chinese innovative medicines. (Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun) Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will spend $8.3 billion this year, a 15% increase over the 2022 forecast payout, to continue its work fighting poverty, disease and inequity. In his annual letter, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman also shared examples of how the foundation uses its resources, voice, and convening power to call attention to and help find solutions for problems that otherwise might be neglected. The budgetthe largest in the foundations historyis a response to multiple crises that threaten to stall or reverse global progress on the Sustainable Development Goals since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. These include war, economic turmoil, climate-related disasters, and large decreases in vaccinations for preventable infectious diseases, all of which have taken a significant toll on the worlds poorest people. On track The board of trustees approval of the budget puts the foundation on track to meet its commitment to reach an annual payout of $9 billion by 2026. This is the toughest period for global health and development in recent memory, but in some ways, it's also the reason we exist, Suzman said. To help meet the great needs ahead, we are doubling down on our commitment to our core mission: ensuring everyone can live a healthy and productive life. People in low- and middle-income countries, particularly women and girls, are facing the severe consequences of intersecting global crises, yet the world has so far failed to step up with the necessary political will and resources to respond. Catalyses and advocates Suzman addressed questions about the scale of the foundations influence and its access to global leaders. Using examples from the foundations work on climate adaptation, malaria, and US education, he detailed how the foundation catalyses and advocates for solutions, brings diverse voices to decision-making tables, and fills market gaps. He also discussed the role the foundation plays in setting global health and development priorities. The foundation doesnt set the worlds agendawe respond to it, Suzman said, referencing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Highlighting areas where the foundation makes big bets, Suzman reflected on the unique role of philanthropic capital, particularly in times of crisis. From improving vaccination rates to advancing womens economic power, the foundation uses its funds, expertise, relationships, and voice where it can make the biggest impact measured in lives saved and opportunities created for all to reach their full potential. It does so by funding innovations that may not be financially attractive or feasible for the private sector or governments, stepping in where markets fail, and investing in R&D that would otherwise never leave the lab. Our role is to ensure that decision-makersbe they school board members or cassava growers or health ministershave the best possible options to choose from and the best possible data to inform their decisions, Suzman said. And where theres a solution that can improve livelihoods and save lives, well advocate persistently for it.-- TradeArabia News Service North Tongu Member of Parliament Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has said the statement which was issued by the National Cathedral Secretariat responding to his revelation on an alleged illegal payments totaling GHC 2.6m to a company called JNS actually confirms his revelation that Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng is indeed Kwabena Adu Gyamfi despite the different dates of birth, multiple TINs and addresses. Mr Ablakwa tweeted that The Cathedral Sect. by this statement confirms that Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng is indeed Kwabena Adu Gyamfi despite the different dates of birth, multiple TINs & addresses. Too many juvenile lies! Why claim the Board is focused when the respected Bishop Dag Heward-Mills has left? On Monday January 16, the National Cathedral Secretariat said in a statement that following the January 7 memo that it issued to refute a 'false' claim made against the National Cathedral, its attention has been drawn to yet another false accusation. This time, and using information from the same documentation submitted by the Secretariat to Parliament on December 15, 2022, the Secretariat noted, the National Cathedral is said to have made illegal payments totaling GHC 2.6m to a company called JNS. This accusation was made by Mr Ablakwa after he presented what he describes as unimpeachable and incontrovertible evidence against the Secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Reverend Victor Kusi Boateng. According to him, Rev Kusi Boateng is the third mystery director of JNS Talent Cantre Limited, a firm he had earlier accused of receiving GH2.6 million illegal cash transfer from the Secretariat. Unimpeachable and incontrovertible evidence confirms that Mr. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi is the famous Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng who still serves on the National Cathedral Board as an Executive Council Member/Director, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP disclosed. For the avoidance of doubt, there is no distinct Kwabena Adu Gyamfi. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi is a criminal creation of Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng. The two are therefore one and the same. Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng AKA Kwabena Adu Gyamfi thought he had outwitted every Ghanaian, particularly our authorities whom he dribbled for many years; but the day of reckoning is finally here. But responding to him in a statement, the Secretariat said As a normal verification expected of a Member of Parliament would have revealed, this was not an illegal payment but rather a refund of a short-term interest free loan made by JNS to top up the payments to the contractors of the National Cathedral. This support was sought from a National Cathedral Trustee Member, Rev Kusi Boateng, in a letter dated August 26, 2021 due to a delay in the receipt of funds to pay the Contractors on time. The GHC 2.6m was paid from the JNS account to the National Cathedral account on August 27, 2021, following a request from Rev Kusi Boateng to his bankers, ADB. The GHC 2.6m was refunded to Rev Kusi Boateng, and JNS, by the National Cathedral on September 8, 2021. It added So, this is not an illegal payment! As we have stressed, consistently, a project of this nature that significantly raises the issues of faith and national development will always have its discontents, malcontents, as well as those who would use lies, and reckless populist statements to give the impression of wanting accountability. In our vibrant democracy, this is to be expected. However, we do expect that the basic values of verification, particularly by Members of Parliament, would be followed. The Board and Management of the National Cathedral Project remains focused and committed to the completion of the National Cathedral, and would continue to do so with diligence, integrity, excellence, and accountability. 3news.com A group of people with links to a French far-right group go on trial Tuesday accused of planning a series of violent acts, including the planned assassination of President Emmanuel Macron. The 13 defendants 11 men and two women, aged 26 to 66 years old allegedly planned to attack Macron during the 2018 WWI armistice commemoration ceremony. They have been charged conspiring to commit a terrorist act. Citing evidence collected online from monitored phone calls and meetings, prosecutors say the 13 also planned to kill migrants and attack mosques. They have been presented as members of the Barjols (Crazies), an extreme-right nationalist and anti-immigration group formed on Facebook in 2017 that held secret meetings. A defence lawyer, Lucile Collot, said the prosecution's case was based "on the fiction that a violent act was going to happen", calling the accusation of a planned terrorist act "misplaced". Because none of the alleged plots were ever carried out, prosecutors downgraded some of the initial charges over the course of their four-year investigation. Four-year investigation The investigation started in 2018, when France's domestic intelligence services received a tip about a far-right militant based in the French Alps. Jean-Pierre Bouyer was allegedly planning to attack Macron during the armistice commemoration ceremony in November of that year. Bouyer was arrested on 6 November along with three others suspected of far-right links in the eastern French Moselle region. A search of Bouyer's car revealed a commando-style knife and a military vest. They discovered firearms and ammunition in his home. In posts on Facebook, Bouyer had called on his followers to "eliminate those who want to harm you" and called Macron "a little hysterical dictator". During his detention, Bouyer told police that he had wanted to kill Macron, and hinted that one of his co-accused had hoped to approach the president during a meet-and-greet and stab him with a ceramic-bladed knife though later he said the remarks had just been talk. Police later arrested other members of the Barjols including its presumed leader, Denis Collinet, who is a proponent of the white supremacist "great replacement" theory that falsely claims that France's native white, Catholic population is being replaced by non-white immigrants. Plans to disrupt France During their meetings, Barjols members allegedly planned to blow up mosques and kill Macron, as well as kidnap members of parliament and overthrow the government. During some meetings group members conducted target practice and trained in first aid techniques. Investigating magistrates filing their findings to the court said that it was "an established fact" that the group's plans "were entirely aimed at seriously disrupting the public order by intimidation and terror". Defence lawyers have argued that someone who holds dissenting views of the government even extreme ones will actually go through with any attack or assassination. The trial is set to run through 3 February. (with AFP) The online French-language film festival, My French Film Festival, is back from 13 January to 13 February. Fans of French and francophone cinema can enjoy 29 features and short films on 70 partner platforms, including some that are unreleased in many countries. All films will be subtitled in 12 languages. For a month, internet users will have access to 29 films and will be able to choose between comedies, romances, dramas, documentaries, animation, heritage films. All films will be subtitled in 12 languages, and for the first time, they will also be subtitled in Arabic, Mandarin Chinese and Ukrainian. My French Film Festival will be entirely free in Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, South Korea, Poland, Romania, Russia and Ukraine. My French Film Festival was the first fully online festival to appear in France. Since 2019, the festival has exceeded ten million film views every year. In 2021, it reached 13 million, with the Covid epidemic driving people to the platforms. "French films are very present on platforms. Last October we published a study showing that French cinema is the leading European film industry available on platforms. It is also the leading non-English-speaking film industry", Leo Tisseau of Unifrance, the organisation in charge of promoting French cinema throughout the world, told RFI. The festival is also a competition. The Grand Prize of the Jury and the International Press Awards will be revealed on 10 February 2023. The Audience Awards will be announced at the end of the festival. Nana Agradaa 17.01.2023 LISTEN Founder and leader of Heaven Way Champion International Ministry, Patricia Asieduaa Koranteng, aka Nana Agradaa, has landed herself in fresh trouble as she has once again been arrested by the police. The embattled former fetish priestess was rearrested yesterday at the forecourt of the Accra Circuit Court by officers of the Ghana Police Service when she appeared for one of her cases. Although it was not clear why she was arrested, information available indicate that the arrest related to a case she has with a pastor by name Appiah Biblical. Agradaa is currently before two different Circuit Courts facing charges of charlatanic advertisement and defrauding by false pretences. It was one of the cases that she had appeared for when she was arrested after the court proceedings. The accused, who according to sources initially resisted arrest, was captured on video saying, I am going with them (the police) so when you go, tell them that the case with Appiah which is in court was called today, it was adjourned but they are arresting me again because of the case with Appiah, as she was escorted into a police vehicle. The police at the time of writing this story did not provide any official information regarding the arrest. Agradaa escaped arrest last week after an Accra Circuit Court turned down a request by the prosecution to issue a bench warrant for her arrest, after she failed to show up for one of her trials. The accused person has refused to meet all the bail conditions. She has not been reporting to the police as she has been directed. The only way to get her to comply is to issue a bench warrant for her arrest, DSP Sylvester Asare had told the court. The court rejected the request but urged counsel for Agradaa to advise her. Agradaa is before the court on charges of defrauding by false pretences and charlatanic advertisements. The accused, according to court documents, defrauded her victims by promising to double any amount they gave her. Nana Agradaa, according to court documents, through an advertisement on her Today TV and other social media platforms urged her victims to give out any amount of money, which she will in return double for them. The documents said the six complainants in the instant case as well as over one thousand other persons, came from far and near and attended the all-night service and gave out various sums of money as requested by Nana Agradaa for doubling. She failed to deliver on her promise, the documents allege. She has pleaded not guilty to the seven charges levelled against her by the police and was remanded on two separate occasions. She was later granted a bail of GH50,000 and GH100,000 respectively. -DGN online Al-Shabaab launched a deadly attack on a Somali military base on Tuesday, just a day after the government claimed a "historic victory" over the jihadists with the capture of a strategic coastal town. There were conflicting reports about the death toll after the Islamist fighters stormed the camp in the town of Hawadley north of the capital Mogadishu. Army chief Odowaa Yusuf Rage said on national radio that five soldiers including a senior officer had died in the attack claimed by the Al-Qaeda-allied militant group. A clan militia commander near Hawadley, which lies in the central Hirshabelle state, said 11 soldiers had died. The Islamists detonated a car packed with explosives outside the camp 60 kilometres (37 miles) north of Mogadishu before gunmen stormed the compound, witnesses and security officials said. Al-Shabaab, which controls swathes of countryside in Somalia, claimed responsibility for the attack via its communication channels. In recent months, the army and local clan militias have retaken chunks of territory from the militants in Galmudug and Hirshabelle states in an operation backed by US air strikes and an African Union force. But despite the gains, Al-Shabaab has demonstrated the ability to strike back with lethal force against civilian and military targets. Map of Somalia locating the capital, Mogadishu, and Hawadley.. By (AFP) The Hawadley base had only been recaptured from Al-Shabaab in October last year by the Somali National Army (SNA) and allied militias. Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre on Monday proclaimed a "historic victory" over Al-Shabaab after the army took control of the strategic city of Haradhere in central Galmudug state without a fight. "The brave members of the national armed forces... have destroyed the enemy of the nation and liberated the strategic port town of Haradhere," he said in a statement. Haradhere had been a key supply route for Al-Shabaab for both people and goods after it seized the port in 2010, dislodging local militias and pirates. 'Attempt to distract' Tuesday's attack "demonstrates Al-Shabaab's continued ability to produce explosive devices and deploy them within Hirshabelle state, where the offensive originally began", said International Crisis Group's senior analyst for eastern Africa, Omar Mahmood. "The group has mounted a number of similar assaults recently, likely an attempt to distract the government by attacking multiple locations," he told AFP in a message. On Saturday, eight people were killed in a roadside bombing claimed by Al-Shabaab in central Somalia, police said. Earlier this month, 19 people were killed in twin car bombings in Mahas, a town in Hiran district in Hirshabelle. Rage said the army had repelled the assault in Hawadley and was pursuing the militants who got away. "Five members of the army were martyred, including a senior military officer," he said, adding that the army had killed 21 Al-Shabaab fighters. Ahmed Mohamud, an SNA military commander in the nearby town of Balcad, said more than 10 people had died, but added that it was not clear how many were soldiers and that the toll was provisional. He said the army was "in full control" of the area. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud had declared "all-out war" on the jihadists after taking office in May last year. Last week, he called on ordinary Somalis to help flush out members of the jihadist group he described as "bedbugs". Although forced out of Mogadishu and other main urban centres more than a decade ago, Al-Shabaab remains entrenched in parts of rural central and southern Somalia. Former President, John Agyekum Kufuor is looking forward to seeing the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) holding onto power beyond 2024. According to him, he is confident the NPP remains a better option for Ghana as far as governance is concerned. He has called on the party to work hard to ensure it wins the 2024 general elections. Im confident that the NPP is a better option when it comes to governance of this country. I hope the NPP will work hard to win the next election, John Agyekum Kufuor said. The ex-President often called the gentle giant shared these thoughts during an engagement with Mr. Joe Ghartey at his residence. Mr. Ghartey, former Attorney General and Minister for Justice in the then Kufuor Administration has this month declared his intentions to contest the flagbearership race of the NPP. He is focused on winning the presidential primaries of the NPP to lead the party into the 2024 general elections in his bid to become President of Ghana. He faces a tough contest from former Trade and Industry Minister Alan Kyerematen and ex-Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Akoto Afriyie. Meanwhile, it is understood that Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will also be contesting the NPP flagbearership race. The reasons why the founder and leader of the Lighthouse Chapel International, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills resigned from the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral project have finally come to light. The renowned man of God resigned in August 2022 over his opposition to some fundamental issues in relation to the project. Among the issues, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills in a letter of resignation expressed concern over how the price of the construction of the project had ballooned from $100 million to over $400 million on his blindside although he was a Trustee. In 2021 this same project was estimated to cost $200 million, another board member told the media that the estimated cost of the construction was $200 million in 2021. Then in June this year (2022), it was said on GTV that the estimated cost was $350 million. "Im unaware and not involved in how the price of the project moved from an initial cost of $100 million to eventually become $400 million, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills said in a letter read on Citi News on Tuesday, January 17, 2023. In the said letter, the Founder of Lighthouse Chapel International also noted that he has never been involved in a conversation about a foreign loan to finance the National Cathedral Project. During his time as a Member of the Board of Trustees, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills reportedly made it clear that he is fundamentally opposed to such a move. Some other reasons that forced Bishop Dag Heward-Mills to resign from the board of trustees were the fact that he felt sidelined when concerns raised were not addressed by the board. He pointed out that there was a need to look at fundraising especially when the approach used in the past had not yielded results. In his letters to the board, he pointed out that the board is spending more than it is earning from fundraisers which were not the best economically at a time when the country is faced with hardships. Despite the many concerns, the man of God stressed in his resignation letter that he is open to helping in the National Cathedral Project if called upon. According to him, he is not against the project. I would like to state clearly that if in the future, there is more clarity to my role and function in the building of the Cathedral, I remain open, available, and willing to serve at the pleasure of the President and the nation. Regardless of your response to my resignation and inputs, I remain a supporter of the National Cathedral project and will endeavour to be present to rejoice with the nation when this project is completed, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills said in his letter. Two non-profit-making organisations, G2 Foundation and Sankofa International have jointly held a get-together programme for several widows, orphans, physically-challenged persons and the aged at Aburaso in Kumasi to put some smiles on their faces. As part of the event, there was a free health screening with medication for blood pressure, hepatitis B, malaria and breast cancer, among others. Their body mass index, eye problems, and other ailments of beneficiaries were given free medication. Ms Gifty Nyarko, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of G2 Foundation advised families to demonstrate love and support to widows and orphans and avoid leaving them to their fate. "Widowhood is part of stages in life, not a curse, therefore don't neglect them", she said, adding that "most widows are amongst the most vulnerable in society". Ms Nyarko was speaking over the weekend at a durbar organized by the G2 foundation for widows, orphans, persons with disabilities, the aged and fatherless at Aburaso in Kumasi. She emphasized that widowhood is a natural phenomenon that a married couple would surely encounter at a point in time since it is not likely both partners would die at the same time. Ms Nyarko encouraged them not to give up, saying "though the distraction and traumatic experience is very serious, God himself is the defender of the widow". Ms Nyarko later presented bags of rice, sugar, assorted drinks, cooking oil, clothes, hampers and other package items for more than 300 people including fatherless pupils who also received books, boxes of pens, pencils, school bags and scholarships for deserving ones. The beneficiaries thanked the foundation for the kind gesture. The founder of the Ghana Union Movement (GUM), Rev. Christian Kwabena Andrews, also known as Osofo Kyiri Abosom is against former Trade and Industry Minister Alan Kyerematen's presidential ambition. According to the GUM leader, someone who failed to manage the Komenda Sugar factory placed under his supervision as Trade Minister will never be able to manage the entire country. The 2020 presidential candidate claimed that the former minister accomplished nothing but failure in all of his dealings. The priest cum politician also hinted that if he had any ideas for reforming the country, Alan Kyerematen could have shared them with President Akufo-Addo to restore the ailing economy. Theres no hope in Alan Kyerematen for Ghana. Because I, Osofo Kyiri Abosom, my hope is to see a better Ghana someday, so, I have established one, two, or three things to help Ghanaians. Since he (Alan Kyerematen) entered politics in Ghana, he should show us how many factories or jobs he has opened, he stated. He continued, The sole factory that was supposed to supply us with sugar and save us the enormous sum of money we spent on sugar imports was the Komenda Sugar factory. When he joined the government, he oversaw its operations as a Trade and Industry Minister, but he couldnt manage the factory and collapsed it. Osofo Kyiri Abosom argued that If he (Alan Kyerematen) is having any idea, then he should have been able to manage the factory as a minister, but he was unable to do so and rather suggested to Akuffo-Addo that the factory be sold to foreigners. The GUM leader stressed, So, it means that he has no ideas, hes just following the ideas of others because if he had any idea, he could have used it to help Akufo Addos administration. Sammy Gyamfi, the National Communications Director of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has slammed the Akufo-Addo-led NPP government over the domestic debt exchange program. He stated that negative impact the debt-swapping policy will have on bondholders will be no different from what the gold investment firm Menzgold did to its customers. Contributing to the matter on Accra-based Metro TVs "Good Morning Ghana" show, Sammy Gyamfi asserted that the same reason the government embarked on the financial sector clean-up, including NAM 1s defunct Menzgold, is what is currently looming. He claimed that the Finance Ministry headed by Ken Ofori-Atta was not able to pay its creditors, hence their move to force Ghanaians to carry the cross of overborrowing and high spending. "...Menzgold is better than this government. The financial companies that you shut down, what was the reason? You shut them down because they were unable to pay their depositors. Today, you can't pay your creditors, are you better them," he stated. His statement comes amid countless protests from Ghanaians, both at home and abroad, over the debt restructuring program. Kuwait-based aircraft lessor Alafco has signed a framework agreement with Macquarie AirFinance under which an order for 20 Boeing 737 Max 8 jets would be transferred to the latter, potentially paving the way for a $2.2 billion acquisition by the Australian aircraft leasing firm. Macquarie AirFinance is a leading provider of aircraft leasing and financing solutions, with a portfolio comprised of 189 aircraft leased to 77 airlines across 47 countries and an existing orderbook of 59 Airbus A320neo and A220-300 aircraft. As per the deal, the Macquarie AirFinance shareholders will collectively contribute up to $600 million of new equity to the business to facilitate its purchase of 53 current and next-generation commercial passenger aircraft as well as an order for 20 Boeing 737 Max aircraft from the Kuwaiti government-backed Alafco. This transaction will enable the business to further expand and diversify its fleet of aircraft while improving the emissions profile, scale, average age, remaining lease term, and orderbook size of Macquarie AirFinance as the recovery of the aviation sector gains pace. In a separate statement, Macquarie Asset Management, PGGM Infrastructure Fund and Australian Retirement Trust (ART) who together own Macquarie AirFinance, said they would support the $2.2 billion acquisition of Alafco's aircraft portfolio. The transaction will be supported with a $1.65 billion acquisition facility, underwritten by BNP Paribas, Citibank, MUFG Bank, and Natixis, it added. Jonathan Watkinson-Hall, Head of Asset Finance at Macquarie Asset Management, said: "This strategic acquisition will enable Macquarie AirFinance to grow its network of customers globally while increasing its exposure to more efficient aircraft." "As passengers return to the skies and investor appetite for transportation assets strengthens, we are excited to support Macquarie AirFinance as it acquires this attractive portfolio and positions for future growth," he noted. Dennis van Alphen, Head of Infrastructure Investments at PGGM, said: "With this investment, PGGM Infrastructure Fund follows through on its commitment made at the time of becoming a shareholder in Macquarie AirFinance in 2019 to finance the acquisition of young aircraft and to provide an attractive risk-return to our clients." Alphen pointed out that in the next few decades, the global aviation industry will demand aircraft with an increasingly lower carbon footprint as the industry works towards its 2050 net zero target, as formulated by IATA member airlines in 2021. "In that context, PGGM Infrastructure Fund will expect all of its investee companies to develop a credible long-term CO2 reduction strategy before 2030 to align themselves with the Paris Climate Agreement, so they meet our client PFZWs climate ambition," he added. Michael Weaver, the Head of Global Real Assets at ART, said: "The diversification of Macquarie AirFinances fleet into more efficient and lower emissions aircraft is consistent with our broader strategies to lower net emissions across our portfolio, while never compromising on our members best financial interests." "Our partnership with Macquarie and PGGM in Macquarie AirFinance continues to provide ARTs members an attractive investment into a unique asset with diversification benefits across our portfolio," he added.-TradeArabia News Service The resignation of the founder and presiding Bishop of the Lighthouse Group of Churches, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills from the board of Trustees of the National Cathedral has been confirmed. This is contained in a resignation letter tendered by the renowned man of God in August 2022. Among many other reasons that forced his decision to resign, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills explains how he was sidelined. According to him, discussions about the National Cathedral were taken outside of Trustees meeting. He explains that if they were taken by Trustees at their meetings, then he was never invited to such meetings. I have been a reachable and available trustee and attended every single meeting of trustees since the pandemic began, in person and by zoom, and the records will show that. If I say that I, as a trustee, do not know many of the financial and technical issues concerning the Cathedral, it means the discussions about the National Cathedral were held by some people outside the trustees meeting or perhaps in a forum that I was not present or invited to, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills said in letters sent to the board last year. He further explains, On the one hand, the National Cathedral is said to be a Government of Ghana project, with the government taking financial decisions. Yet, on another hand, at meetings, it is implied that the trustees have taken or participated in taking some decisions. If I say that I, as a trustee, do not know many of the financial and technical issues concerning the Cathedral, it means the discussions about the National Cathedral were held by some people outside the trustees meeting or perhaps in a forum that I was not present or invited to. Bishop Dag Heward-Mills also shared that the lack of clarity on the project and how much it will cost is not helpful. He noted that the change in the price of the National Cathedral Project from $100 million to over $400 million was shocking. In a number of concerns raised, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills made it clear that spending more on fundraisers that raked in less money did not make financial sense, and the approach to solicit funds should be looked at and changed. Despite raising these concerns in letters to the board, they were not addressed. This left him with no choice but to resign as a member of the board of Trustees. Regardless, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills says he will be open to helping in the National Cathedral Project in any capacity in future if there is more clarity on the issues. A former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Petroleum Commission (GNPC), Alex Mould and Gavivina Tamakloe may be forced to execute a bail bond of GH5 million they stood as surety for former MASLOC boss Madam Sedinam Tamakloe who has absented herself from trial since October 2021. The former MASLOc boss who is standing trial with Daniel Axim former operations manager of MASLOC for 78 counts of willfully causing financial loss to the state and stealing among others has not made herself available for trial since she was granted bail to seek medical attention outside the country. Efforts to get her to attend trial have failed as Alex mould and the other surety have not been able to provide her in court as mandated by the bail bond. The state prosecutors have thus filed for forfeiture of recognizance which when agreed upon by the court will make the sureties liable for executing the bail bond. However, lawyers of Alex Mould and the other surety in court today presented a medical document for the accused. But the trial judge who doubted the legitimacy of the document adjourned the hearing for a week to allow the lawyers to prove its authenticity. Justice Afia Serwaa Asare Botwe indicated that she will deliver her ruling on the forfeiture of recognizance application after considering the document. The case has been adjourned to January 24. Six years after President Akufo-Addo cut sod for the construction of the National Cathedral, all that has been done is the excavation of a huge pit at the centre of the city using $30 million of public funds, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills has observed in his resignation letter as a trustee of the Board of the National Cathedral Secretariat. I am a firm believer in the presidents vision. I believe that the public can see and is questioning the fact that we have spent almost six years since the sod-cutting of this project as well as over $30m (thirty million dollars) of public funds, to excavate a massive pit in the centre of the city, he noted. I do believe that many of the questions that are being asked and hurled at the National Cathedral Project are reasonable and legitimate questions by objective citizens who just want answers to their questions, the founder of Lighthouse Chapel International, said. His resignation, which has been copiously quoted by Accra-based Citi FM, also questioned the fund-raising techniques being used by the Secretariat as non-effective yet expensive. I do believe that the fund-raising methods we have attempted have not yielded much. Indeed, some of the programmes we have held have cost more than the monies we have raised from them. I suggest another form of fund-raising where we would be guaranteed more donations from denominations, churches, individuals, businessmen and corporate bodies. I would be happy to discuss these if the committee is interested in that, portions of the letter read. He suggested there be an adjustment in strategy so that we can achieve our goal of building a National Cathedral even in these difficult times. In his view, continuing to pay contractors $40,000 (forty thousand dollars) a month, as we wait to procure a huge loan in this hostile atmosphere sounds dicey to me. I do believe that almost six years down the line, we need to look at a different approach to achieve our goal of building Gods house in Ghana. Bishop Heward-Mills, who resigned in August 2022, said in his letter that he felt certain concerns and opinions he had expressed about the project were trivialised and set aside. I feel that the treatment of the issues I have raised in my several letters has been unfortunate, he said in his resignation letter, explaining: My letters have been ignored in the past, not attended to for years, and, at best, addressed flippantly. You may recall I have spoken passionately and written extensively about the costs, the design, the location, the fundraising, the mobilisation of the churches, and the role of the trustees. These, if heeded, would have made our project more achievable. Generally speaking, my inputs, my opinions, and my letters have been trivialised and set aside. Bishop Heward-Mills also complained that despite his appointment by President Nana Akufo-Addo as a trustee, he was never registered as a Director of the Company of the National Cathedral of Ghana, a company limited by guarantee. I do not believe this is an oversight but a deliberate exclusion from the Board, he noted, pointing out: Six years is a long time to correct this failure to register me if it was indeed an administrative lapse. l have, therefore, accepted for some time now that I am not a trustee of the National Cathedral, but I have still sought to help with the Cathedral because I believe in the Presidents vision and I do not have to be a legally registered trustee to do so. I refer to myself in this letter as a trustee because even though l am not privy to most of the weighty decisions of the Board I am referred to as such. This lack of clarity is robbing our vision of the validity it needs. Over and over, I have asked that we address this appropriately and urgently because there are many dire implications to the trustees and the individuals involved in this project. I have been a reachable and available trustee and attended every single meeting of trustees since the pandemic began, in person and by zoom, and the records will show that. If I say that I, as a trustee, do not know many of the financial and technical issues concerning the Cathedral, it means the discussions about the National Cathedral were held by some people outside the trustees meeting or perhaps in a forum that I was not present or invited to. On the one hand, the National Cathedral is said to be a government of Ghana project, with the government taking financial decisions. Yet, on another hand, at meetings, it is implied that the trustees have taken or participated in taking some decisions. I would like to state clearly that if in the future, there is more clarity to my role and function in the building of the Cathedral, I remain open, available and willing to serve at the pleasure of the President and the nation. Regardless of your response to my resignation and inputs, I remain a supporter of the National Cathedral project and will endeavour to be present to rejoice with the nation when this project is completed. Bishop Heward-Mills said he did not wish the media or general public to construe my withdrawal as a sign of a lack of support or belief in the building of the National Cathedral. The National Cathedral project has been the subject of one controversy after another. Just recently, the secretariat jumped to the defence of one of its board members, Rev Victor Kusi Boateng, who, according to opposition lawmaker Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, had the board pay some GH2.6 million paid to a company he owns JNS Talent Centre Ltd, which allegedly runs a creche in Dawhenya. In his expose, Mr Ablakwa said the company is owned by one Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, who, according to him per documents available to him is the same person as Rev r Kusi-Boateng, who serves on the board of the National Cathedral as executive council member/director. The secretariat explained in its statement: As a normal verification expected of a Member of Parliament would have revealed, this was not an illegal payment but rather a refund of a short-term interest-free loan made by JNS to top up the payments to the contractors of the National Cathedral. This support was sought from a National Cathedral Trustee Member, Rev Kusi Boateng, in a letter dated August 26, 2021, due to a delay in the receipt of funds to pay the Contractors on time, the statement said. In his expose, Mr Ablakwa claimed that not only does Rev Kusi Boateng have a double identity, but also holds multiple passports with different dates of birth. Mr Ablakwa, in an earlier expose, had said the National Cathedral Secretariat had transferred a cash sum of GHS2.6 million to a company called JNS Talent Centre Limited for no work done. The directors of the company, he said, were Johannes Eshun, Sheila Eshun and Kwabena Adu Gyamfi. In his latest expose posted on Facebook on Monday, 16 January 2023, the North Tongu legislator disclosed that there is no distinct Kwabena Adu Gyamfi. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi is a criminal creation of Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng. The two are, therefore, one and the same. Rev. Kwabena Kusi-Boateng AKA Kwabena Adu Gyamfi sat on the Cathedral board and literally paid his own company a staggering GHS2.6million for no work done, he said. Mr Ablakwa is wondering why the Founder of Power Chapel Worldwide keeps two personalities one as Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng and the other as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi. Two personalities with different dates of birth; different passports; different TINs; different professions (Business Man and Prophet) and different addresses. What is he running from? Who is he hiding from? Does he suffer from Dissociative Identity Disorder or Multiple Personality Disorder? he quizzed. The legislator, among other demands, wants Rev. Victor Adu Gyamfi AKA Kwabena Adu Gyamfi to be subjected to thorough credible investigations and prosecution for his many other offences which have now come to light. He further said he intends to petition the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) at 1 pm today, Monday, 16 January 2023, invoking its mandate under Article 218 of the 1992 Constitution to investigate the odious conflict of interest. Find details of Mr Ablakwas statement below: Painstaking and diligent parliamentary oversight with the gracious guidance of the omniscient and omnipotent has led to what can only be akin to Tsar Bomba findings. Blatant corruption, conflict of interest, self-dealing and grand fraud have never been this majestic. It couldnt have ever occurred to us that the conduct of an exalted man of God during the sacred construction of the Lords temple would leave an entire nation utterly dumbfounded. You will recall that in my earlier expose of the scandalous GHS2.6million cash transfer from the National Cathedral Secretariat to JNS Talent Centre Limited, I pointed out that incorporation documents reveal that the three directors of JNS Talent Centre Limited are Johannes Eshun, Sheila Eshun and Kwabena Adu Gyamfi. I also later revealed that Rev. Johannes Eshun is a branch pastor of National Cathedral Executive Council Member/Director, Rev. Victor Kusi-Boatengs Power Chapel Worldwide. Hitherto, the third director Mr Kwabena Adu Gyamfi has remained a mysterious figure. I am now able to reveal the true identity of this mystery director of JNS, Kwabena Adu Gyamfi. Definitely, the code has finally been cracked and it shocks to the marrow! Unimpeachable and incontrovertible evidence confirms that Mr Kwabena Adu Gyamfi is the famous Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng who still serves on the National Cathedral Board as an Executive Council Member/Director. For the avoidance of doubt, there is no distinct Kwabena Adu Gyamfi. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi is a criminal creation of Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng. The two are therefore one and the same. Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng AKA Kwabena Adu Gyamfi thought he had outwitted every Ghanaian, particularly our authorities whom he dribbled for many years; but the day of reckoning is finally here. From unassailable and irreproachable documents in my possession, Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng AKA Kwabena Adu Gyamfi uses multiple passports and multiple identification cards with different names and different dates of birth as his special modus operandi. When JNS Talent Centre Limited was being incorporated, he submitted a passport with the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi. The passports number is G0886001. At the time, he claimed his date of birth was 30th December 1969. Instructively, the passport bears his unmistakable picture. (See passport in issue attached). Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng has used other Kwabena Adu Gyamfi passports. Their passport numbers are G1262918; G0390695 and G3415693. (All duly attached). Curiously, on 25th November 2021, the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration granted Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng a diplomatic passport. The diplomatic passport which expires on 24th November 2026 rather carries the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi and not Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng. Theres no indication its for the use of a reverend minister. Its diplomatic passport number is DX006845. (Accordingly attached). The story gets even more fascinating. When the National Cathedral of Ghana was being incorporated on the 19th of July, 2019; Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng used his driving license for the registration. For his driving license, he uses the name Boateng Victor Kusi. In a more bizarre twist, he uses a different date of birth which is captured as 07/09/1971. This date of birth makes him about two years younger than whats contained in his numerous Kwabena Adu Gyamfi passports. (Driving License is duly attached). Its been very puzzling to further discover that the acclaimed man of God and confidant of President Akufo-Addo illegally has two Taxpayer Identification Numbers (TINs)P0002502682 and P000627241X. The Ghana Revenue Authority has made clear that each Ghanaian can only have one unique TIN and proceeds to prohibit individuals from having multiple TINs. Deeper investigations expose a host of companies which Rev. Kusi-Boateng operates as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi on the blind side of many. These businesses are Y-CV Construction Ltd.; Qharis Consortium Ltd.; Kharis Football Academy FC Ltd.; El Dunamis Media Limited; Onpoint 1 Laundry Ltd.; Vibrant Generation Chapel Worldwide LBG; Dunamis Chapel Worldwide LBG; El-Dunamis Enterprise and Duna Media Foundation. Some of these entities are registered to engage in small-scale mining. My latest tracking of Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng AKA Kwabena Adu Gyamfis travels reveals that he used his diplomatic Kwabena Adu Gyamfi passport on the 12th of January, 2023 aboard flight KP021 from Accra to Lome. He used the same diplomatic passport to Dubai on December 9, 2022, aboard flight EK787. Earlier on 20th November 2022 he used his ordinary passport on a similar Dubai trip. This shows that he is still actively using the two identities. It remains exceedingly baffling why he keeps two personalities one as Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng and the other as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi. Two personalities with different dates of birth; different passports; different TINs; different professions (Business Man and Prophet) and different addresses. What is he running from? Who is he hiding from? Does he suffer from Dissociative Identity Disorder or Multiple Personality Disorder? Having established beyond any scintilla of doubt that Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng is Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/Ofori-Atta government and the Executive Council Members of the National Cathedral of Ghana owe the Ghanaian people some serious explanations. It would be extremely surprising if they claim they didnt know this dark side of Kusi Boateng AKA Adu Gyamfi. These explosive findings make the conflict of interest charge in the GHS2.6 million scandalous payment by the National Cathedral of Ghana to the shady JNS Talent Centre Limited even more blatant, direct, offensive and absolutely embarrassing. Clearly, Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng AKA Kwabena Adu Gyamfi sat on the Cathedral board and literally paid his own company a staggering GHS2.6 million for no work done. When the siphoning was completed, they captured the same as Contractors Mobilization and presented it to Parliament hoping that they would legitimize the dubious transaction and therefore get away with murder. It has also emerged from a JNS Bank Statement put out by puerile NPP propagandists that Rev. Kusi-Boateng Adu Gyamfis JNS Talent Centre Limited received a whopping GHS3.5million from the government through payment by Controller with swift code CODGGHAC on 23rd August 2021. Many are asking what Kusi-Boateng Adu Gyamfis JNS which operated a zero account for many months (since February 26, 2021, when the account was opened) before the sudden government transfer did for government to warrant that huge payment? This appears to confirm justifiable criticisms that the cathedral project has blasphemously become an avenue for money laundering. Having stripped Kusi-Boateng naked, the earlier ridiculous concoction that JNS is a benevolent lending institution collapses. JNS must therefore refund our GHS3.5 million and our GHS2.6 million without further delay. DEMANDS 1. The immediate resignation of Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng AKA Kwabena Adu Gyamfi from the Board of the National Cathedral of Ghana; 2. Rev. Victor Adu Gyamfi AKA Kwabena Adu Gyamfi must be compelled to refund all taxpayer funds diverted into his company, JNS; 3. Rev. Victor Adu Gyamfi AKA Kwabena Adu Gyamfi must be subjected to thorough credible investigations and prosecution for his many other offences which have now come to light; 4. President Akufo-Addo must outrightly dissolve the Board of the National Cathedral of Ghana; 5. A special forensic audit must be expeditiously commissioned into the National Cathedral project. FURTHER ACTIONS 1. I shall be petitioning CHRAJ at 1 pm today invoking its mandate under Article 218 of the 1992 Constitution to investigate the odious conflict of interest; 2. I intend to file an urgent question when Parliament resumes for the Honourable Minister for Foreign Affairs to inform Ghanaians why Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng qualified for a diplomatic passport and the nature of due diligence, if any her ministry may have carried out; 3. I also intend to file an urgent question for the Finance Minister on exactly what work JNS did to warrant a colossal transfer of GHS3.5million from our taxes and why that transaction did not find expression in his GHS339million unconstitutional cathedral withdrawals as presented to the Vote of Censure Committee. God save our Republic. Ghana first. Source: ClassFMonline.com Dr Beatrice Wiafe-Addai, the Chief Executive Officer of Breast Care International, has underscored the need for health authorities to constantly take screening of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) to the communities. She said that was the way to go to curb the rising morbidities of NCDs, which were needlessly killing many people. Speaking at an end-of-year review meeting on NCDs, organised by the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate in Kumasi, Dr Wiafe-Addai said because NCDs did not usually start as acute cases, nothing compelled people to seek medical help until the situation was dire. That was why it was important for health authorities to take proactive steps to screen people at the community level to ensure early detection and treatment, she said. A lot of women are dying from cancers and other NCDs because they report late to health facilities when very little could be done to save them, she noted. Dr Wiafe-Addai said fighting NCDs required Public Private Partnership (PPP) approach to reach many Ghanaians suffering from diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, cancers, and mental health. Fortunately, there was a lot of collaboration between the private sector and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in 2022 and we need to sustain it to be able to tackle NCDs effectively, Dr Wiafe-Addae maintained. She said the private sector in collaboration with the GHS undertook a lot of research into NCDs last year and reiterated the need to take it a step further to improve the health of the people. She praised the Regional Health Directorate for recognising efforts of the private sector in the implementation of health programmes and interventions across the region. Dr Emmanuel Tinkorang, Ashanti Regional Director of Health Services, said NCDs were lifestyle diseases, and urged the public to adopt healthy lifestyles, especially what they consumed. He said the Directorate would step up public education and screening on NCDs this year as part of strategies to bring down the rising cases of NCDs in the region. He acknowledged the critical role of the media in propagating the activities of the GHS and called for their continued support in educating the public on NCDs. Madam Lydia Owusu Ansah, the Regional NCD Coordinator, said the mortality rate of NCDs in the region in the last 10 years was frightening and urged stakeholders to join the fight against those diseases. She reiterated plans to embark on massive public screening this year to collectively reduce the mortality rate of NCDs and called for public cooperation. GNA Lands Commission is set to embark on a demolition exercise to reclaim encroached government lands in parts of the capital, Accra. This comes after the Commission received a number of reports with great contestation, of encroachments on state lands within Amrahia, Mpehuasem and Nungua (Borteyman) by unknown armed men. The illegality started during the festive season in December 2022 and continues to occur. The Commission with the assistance of the Ghana Police Service will officially start the exercise today, Tuesday, January 17, 2023, to recover and protect the sites and other state-acquired areas in accordance with section 236 of the Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036). The parcels under threat are parts of Government acquisitions with compensations paid and include: 1. State Lands (Kweiman-Amrahia Site for Modern Diary Farm) Instrument, 1970 (E.I.47) with an approximate area of 1,381.995 acres. 2. State Lands (Accra-Mpehuasem Site for Accra Training College) Instrument, 2009 (E. I. 16) with an approximate area of 111.25 acres. 3. State Lands (Accra-Nungua Site for Livestock Farm) Instrument, 1940 (Certificate of Title 214/40) with an approximate area of 2,570.05 acres. In all the acquisitions above, on the goodwill of Government, some portions of the sites have been released to the pre-acquisition owners. Following a reconnaissance inspection of sites in Borteyman, Amahria and Mphehuasem, the joint team of Lands Administrators and Police Officers agreed on the urgency of a more extensive exercise to recover and protect all the encroached portions including demolishing of unauthorized structures, the Lands Commission said in a statement issued and signed by its Executive Secretary, James E. K. Dadson. According to the Commission, it expects the public to offer maximum support as it undertakes this mandate. The Government of Ghana, through the Lands Commission, administers all stateacquired and vested lands in the country. By Citi Newsroom Cocoa farmers at Ohiampeanika in the Amenfi West District of the Western Region have denied using child labour on their farms. They have, therefore, threatened to sue Al Jazeera, an international media organization that published a television story to the effect that cocoa farmers in the area engage children to work on their farms. The TV report by the Qatar-based media organization which went viral indicated, among others, that a visit to the farming community revealed children working on cocoa farms. The farmers, who are infuriated by the video circulating, have described the news item as stage-managed. The Al Jazeera video circulating is false. They visited us and told us they were from Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and that they were to listen to our problems to help solve them not knowing they had ulterior motives , they lamented. The visibly angry farmers asserted that what the international media organization did has dented the countrys cocoa sector in the eyes of the international community, adding: We will go all out to sue them. A former Assembly member for the area, Samuel Ofori Asare, who featured in the Al Jazeera video, said the media house never told them they were going to do a news story. We were here one Sunday when they came and said they were from COCOBOD and that they want to meet the farmers to know their challenges and the kind of support they (the visitors) could offer. After listening to the farmers, the Al Jazeera pressman indicated that they wanted some of the farmers whose farms were nearby to go with them to demonstrate how the cocoa is planted and harvested, he noted. He said one of the farmers called Owusu Gyan alias Daffa, whose farm was nearby, opted to go with them. As they were going, the pressmen from Al Jazeera asked if they could get some children to go with them so they can carry the baskets into which the cocoa pods would be harvested, he added. He said Daffas brothers three children who are all in school and had closed from church on that Sunday were asked to change quickly and went to the farm with them. He continued: So in the farm, the Al Jazeera journalists who spoke through a Ghanaian interpreter, would tell the farmers what to do as they were filming. So they will tell a farmer to use the cutlass to harvest the pods from the tree and give it to the children to open them and the journalists were filming. So as for us, we are here waiting for the support they promised only to hear that there had been an Al Jazeera TV report indicating that farmers in this community use child labour on their farms. In fact, we were surprised and we want the whole world to know that cocoa farmers here do not engage children to work on their farms and so all should disregard that report. Ghanaian cocoa farmers dont use child labour on their farms, he stressed. The Director of Special Services at COCOBOD, Charles Amenyaglo said what transpired was criminal and that a report had subsequently been lodged with the police. He appealed to all those who played a part in the story to cooperate with the police particularly when they are called to give their statements. -3news.com A Senegalese soldier was killed and four were wounded during an operation against separatist rebels in the southern region of Casamance, the latest clash in the decades-long conflict, an army official said Tuesday. The soldier died Monday when the army moved against an attempt by the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) to install a new base near the border with The Gambia, and also destroy hemp fields, according to press reports. Casamance, Senegal's southernmost region, is almost separated from the rest of the country by the tiny state of The Gambia, with a distinct culture and language stemming from its past as a Portuguese colony. The MFDC has waged its campaign to break away since 1982 but signed a peace deal with the government last August, hailed as a first step toward a permanent end one of Africa's oldest active rebellions. Senegal's President Macky Sall has said that ending the rebellion is a priority, and in recent years the government has begun returning Casamance residents displaced by the conflict. Officials also accuse the rebels of illicit trafficking of cannabis and wood, and of seeking refuge in The Gambia or in Guinea-Bissau to the south. The President of the Republic, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is using his time in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to woo investors. On Monday, January 16, the President led Ghana's delegation to the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in the United Arab Emirates. During an address, to the UAE-Ghana Business Forum on Tuesday, January 17, President Akufo-Addo maintained that, in spite of Ghanas present challenges, it is an exciting time to be in the country and do business. The President also urged the private sector in the UAE to take advantage of the business-friendly climate in the country to invest in Ghana. Ghana is, rightly, considered a beacon of democracy and stability in Africa, with a modern democratic system of governance, with an independent Judiciary and a strong attachment to the rule of law. In the same vein, we are determined to make Ghana an example of rapid economic growth within the context of a well-developed market economy, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said. President Akufo-Addo is out of the country to attend the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW). The Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week is a global initiative championed by the UAE and its clean energy powerhouse Masdar to accelerate sustainable development and advance economic, social, and environmental progress. The Upper East NDC wing in the Greater Accra region has praised President Akufo-Addo following his intervention in the dismissed students of Chiana SHS. The students were dismissed by the Ghana Education Service for allegedly insulting the President in a video that went viral in 2022. However, after several pleas for the President to pardon the students and get them back to class, the Ministry of Education, in a statement released on Friday, January 13, said the President intervened as soon as he was informed about the GES decision. He directed GES to reverse the dismissal and instead give them an alternative punishment. On that score, the Upper East NDC wing, which before the Presidents intervention petitioned him to intervene, said in a release, "We wish to commend and thank H.E. excellency the president of the republic for exhibiting the highest sense of leadership in the matter of the eight (8) students of the Chiana SHS in the Upper East Region." The release added, "in as much as we commend the President for the fatherly intervention, we want to condemn the actions of the said SHS girls. The group call on educational bodies to organise free counselling sections for students in various educational institutions to conscientise them about similar behaviours. Read full statement below: PRESS RELEASE UPPER EAST NDC WING IN GREATER ACCRA REGION COMMEND PRESIDENT AKUFO -ADDO ON HIS INTERVENTION ON THE MATTER OF THE EIGHT (8) STUDENTS OF THE CHIANA SHS OF THE UPPER EAST REGION OF GHANA 12th January,2023. Accra-Ghana We the members of the Upper East NDC wing in Greater Accra have observed with outer shocked and dismay recent video making rounds on social media about eight (8) of the Chiana SHS in the Upper East Region. We must admit that we were shocked and dumbfounded to have hear the unsavory and unprintable words used against the president by these girls to the extent that we wondered if our fine societal morals have suddenly vanished. We wish to vehemently condemned the act and conduct of the students in no uncertain terms. In fact, just as we were about to issue a statement to plead for clemency on the harsh decision of the Ghana Education Service (GES), H.E Excellency the president has directed that the GES should consider an alternative punishment rather dismissal. We wish to commend and thank H.E excellency the president of the republic for exhibiting the highest sense of leadership in the matter of the eight (8) students of the Chiana SHS in the Upper East Region. In as much as we commend the president for the fatherly intervention, we want to condemn the act of the said SHS girls. As we know, in our Ghanaian culture, it's an act of gross misconduct and disrespect on the part of children to insult adults or elderly in our society. It's even more grievous and reprehensible to insult the President of Ghana, who is the first gentleman of the land. We are not in any way condoning the conduct or act of the eight (8) students, we condemned it in all uncertainty terms, we are of the firm believe and conviction that such action should not be tolerated and we welcome any punishment that is punitive enough to serve as deterrent to others, but we consider the outright dismissal as harsh and concrete which could have a long psychological effect on them and their parents. It is against this background that we commend the president for the timely intervention. The president is a lawyer and a celebrated human right activist so he is familiar that the right to education is a fundamental human right of every Ghanaian whose rights can only be denied or taken away on the grounds of exceptional circumstances which borders on crimes. when it comes children and juveniles, the emphasis is on reformation rather than punishment. See the Children's Act, 1998 (Act 560) and Juvenile Justice Act, 2003 (Act 653). As the saying goes you don't throw away the baby with the bathwater. While we are by this press statement calling on the Ghana Education Service(GES) to heed to the intervention directivesand suggestion of the president to initiate an alternative punishment rather than dismissal, we want to use this occasion to call on the GES,the child rights international and all other stakeholders within the educational ecosystem to as a matter of priority provide free counselling services to these affected student. It is important to note that the act of the students is a reflection of the broken system we have. How will politicians sit on national radio and TV and insult their political opponent, these kids could have taken mentorship lessons from those politicians who have made it a ritual of insulting political opponent. This goes to confirm the saying that if the chief of the town comes home with a weird haircut, what do you expect his subjects to do. END George Akaribo Coordinator, Upper East NDC Wing in Accra 0244388097 17.01.2023 LISTEN The Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has expressed optimism about the success of the Gold-for-Oil initiative. Following the arrival of the first supply of oil in the country, the Vice President says it is clear the framework will work to address the stress on the countrys demand for forex exchange. With this idea, we said, let us do something that the textbooks dont teach you, let us do something that is out of the box and this is why we said gold-for-oil. We quickly looked at this and we negotiated with the suppliers of oil who were very excited and happy to receive gold in payment. Thankfully, yesterday, Monday, Ghana took its first delivery of oil under the gold-for-oil programme. This is the cargo to test the framework to see if everything that has been put in place will work and by the grace of God, it is clear that the framework will work and if that should happen we are going to save a lot of foreign exchange and reduce the pressure on our currency, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia said. The Vice President shared this while delivering a speech at the 74th annual New Year school of the University of Ghana on Tuesday, January 17. To explain how government came up with the Gold-for-Oil initiative, Dr. Bawumia noted, Take the case of gold in Ghana, we have mined gold for over 200 years, and when I looked at the data I realized that our total reserves of gold in Ghana was just 8.7 tonnes at the end of 2021. One of the largest gold mining countries, we are in the top 10 in the world but we have not accumulated gold to build our reserves. The Vice President added, We looked at the other side of the balance sheet, we export gold and we import oil. The cost of oil import is about 3 billion dollars a year. So we ask the simple question, why dont we, since we have always got pressure in finding US Dollars to buy oil, rather reach an agreement to change our gold for oil and then, sell the oil in Cedis and then, use the Cedis to buy more gold, use that gold to pay for oil, sell the oil in Cedis and then you dont need to look for the scarce foreign exchange to buy oil, which always leads to depreciation on the currency. While there are concerns from the Minority on the benefits of the gold-for-oil initiative, government is confident that it is on the right path to address the challenges of the local currency. Srinagar, Jan 17 (UNI) Two suspected militants of Lashkar-e-Taiba were killed in a brief shooting in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam district on Tuesday morning. Police said the duo had escaped from an encounter site at Rudbugh Budgam on Sunday. The brief firing took place this morning when a suspected vehicle was asked to stop in Budgam town by a joint team of police and Army. "On specific input, the joint area domination party of Army & Police tried to stop one suspected vehicle, terrorists fired upon and in retaliation two terrorists were killed," a police statement said. It added that arms and ammunition was recovered from the area. Additional Director General of Police, Kashmir Vijay Kumar identified the two as Arbaaz Mir and Shahid Sheikh of Pulwama. " They were linked with the proscribed terror outfit LeT. Both the terrorists earlier escaped from recent encounter," ADGP Kumar said UNI MJR GNK Co-Founder and Associate Overseer of the Crystal Grace Chapel International, Prophetess Mrs Lina Biney has disclosed the best way Christians can overcome their challenges. The woman of God noted that no anointed Christian will ever go through a life of struggles. In a sermon titled "Anointing," delivered on Sunday, January 15, at the churchs auditorium at Sarpeiman, near Amasaman, Accra, Mrs. Biney explained that anointing has the power of defeating every evil spirit. Explaining the act of anointing, the prophetess contended that "the anointing is a symbol for the spirit of God that is poured on those who seek the glory of God." When the anointing is housed in an individual, the revered prophetess disclosed that evil spirits and bad luck will be banished from such a person, urging Christians to make it a must to receive the anointing. According to her, even when the problem comes, it shall never succeed in ruining the life of the person due to his anointing. Throwing more light on the benefits of anointing and why it is crucial for everyone (a Christian) who seeks success to look for it, prophetess Biney asserted that without it, a persons daily struggles will be in vain. "The anointing is very critical in everyones life because it brings fruit and prosperity to your hard work, but without it, all of it will be vanity because it is God who blesses the fruit of one's labour," she said. "You can work all night and all day, but it takes the anointing to give you what you desire; without it, you can't succeed because the anointing is a burden remover," Prophetess Lina Biney added. The skills, knowledge, and looks of an individual will be all worthless, according to the prophetess, if the anointing has not taken centre stage in the persons life. She buttressed her claim by citing Acts 10:38, which reads: "And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him." By the reference, she inferred that even Jesus Christ, who was said to be 100 percent man and a spirit, could not work without the anointing. The sermon was also founded on Luke 4:18 and Psalm 23;5 which says, Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. The church is currently in a seven-day extensive fasting and prayer programme, themed, 7 days of power. I think we can all agree that being a President is not an easy job. Being a President means often having: Working days of 10-12 hours Working weeks of 6-7 days Short and often interrupted holidays All kinds of social events to attend on your formal off days Always being prepared to be contacted and interrupted from the day in office until the day you leave. There are additional responsibilities especially in Africa where being a President also gives you other duties like attending funerals and church / mosque visits. To me this sounds like a job for the fittest only who are prepared for 4-8 or 5-10 years to put their family aside to give their abilities to the job. I have worked long days, weeks months and years but being on standby 24/7 for 365 days a year sounds to me like a nightmare. At my height of business performance at an age between 30 and 45, my normal working weeks were mostly between 10-15 hours daily, but I have never been able to function 100% without uninterrupted sleep of at least 7 hours a night and periods of rest and relaxation every few months. I cant imagine how a 60-70 or 70-80 year-old person, even if he/she is in general very fit can function well in a very demanding job like being a President. Looking at the current problems with forgotten state documents by two old Presidents, it also exposes that elderly people forget and dont remember what they are doing. One could say knowledge of an older president can be compensated by strength of the people around him. I remember an old President, Ronald Reagans mental state declined so much that his not democratically elected nor appointed wife was actually advising state affairs. Looking at Ghana, we have a history of young, elderly and older presidents. In our 1992 Constitution, we also have a minimum age to become a president. And although we have maximum age (retirement age) for public servants and judges, we lack a maximum age for Members of Parliament, ministers and the president. At this moment, we have presidential candidates on both sides of the political arena aged between 65 and 73 years of age. But our elections are still 2 years ahead of us. I am 65 years-old, still business wise and politically interested and involved, I follow the local and international news and consider myself quit well informed. I retired at the age of 60 from the European Business Organisation and at the age of 61 from my part-time job as a director on the board of the Ghana State Enterprises Commission. Currently, I am also a part-time active as Honorary Consul for 2 days a week. But I wonder, will I still be interested to work after the next 2 years? Will I be able to work in the next 2 years ? Will I still be enough computer and social media literate after the next 2 years ? I have 2 children age 26 and 28, they are telling me Papa you are getting too old, you are using only 10% of the capacity of your computer, mobile phone, smart TV, vehicle intelligence etc. So I conclude, I have a certain disconnect with younger people. I am sure most people of my age are the same way disconnected from younger people. So my question is, why do people my age group and older still have the ambition to run for president of a country where the majority of our population is under 25? Can a president in his 70s connect with our youthful Ghanaian population? I also wonder, what motivates our youth to vote for all these old people? I conclude with blaming our constitution and the way elections of a flagbearer within parties is internally handled. Both are not only blocking Ghana from having younger presidential candidates but also blocking a president that represents and understands the majority of the Ghanaian population: THE YOUTH ! Author, Nicolaas C.M. van Staalduinen, is a Dutch-Ghanaian businessman Tracy Stanton, a black American Poet and Community leader expressed her thoughts about leadership in a poem. A line of her piece that I found profound, true and communicating my feelings is the one quoted in the above topic. I am saddened by the state of affairs in Ghana and I cannot agree more with the statement that indeed "those who give directive are missing direction". An Anas investigation revealed that some Judges took goats and other form of bribes to give orders that implicate the innocent and or free the guilty. Unbelievable that "My Lords" can turn out to be missing direction in the clear directives they give. Again, the Security services who are mandated to protect citizens have been used to assassinate citizens in broad day light. I tell my eyes not to cry when I remember the assassination of Kaaka and the shooting to death of protestors at Ejura who were only calling on justice to be served. It is clear that those who give directive are clearly missing direction. Those officers are usually promoted. Reminds me of the Caleb Kudah episode. The President of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Addo gave several directives in his quest to become President. Amongst those directives were a Ghana Beyond Aid and Stop Galamsey. I have not only been shocked by the excessive borrowing by our President, but I have been more shocked by the care less attitude of the President with regards to the stifling effects of the borrowing on Ghanaians. Also, the President of Ghana who put his Presidency on the line in the fight against Galamsey has recently told Ghanaians that Akonta Mining, a mining company that regulatory bodies indicated were mining illegally (Galamsey) in some forests was declared legal by the President. It is important to note that subsequent investigations had not even been concluded. Just in is an explosive shocking revelation by the North Tongu legislature, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa that even men in Cassock are missing direction in the directives they give. Reverend Kusi Boateng, the secretary to the board of Trustees of the National Cathedral and founder of Power Chapel Worldwide operated with the Pseudonym, Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, a director of JNS Talent Centre and paid 2.6 million from the secretariat to his company for no work done. If representatives of God can engage in this corruption and thievery then truly those who give directive are missing direction. Cry, my beloved country, things fall apart, the centre cannot hold. Abraham Lartey Concerned Citizen. Nuhu Sulley, a 33-year-old scrap dealer who allegedly stole American rapper Meek Mills' iPhone 14 Pro Max during a programme at the Independence Square a couple of weeks ago, has been granted bail by an Accra Circuit Court. Appearing before an Accra Circuit Court, Sulley was granted bail in the sum of GHS50,000 with two sureties. Sulley who is being held on a charge of stealing has pleaded not guilty. He is expected to reappear on February 6, 2023. The prosecution led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Maxwell Oppong earlier on narrated that the complainant Akwasi Agyeman, the Chief Executive Officer, Ghana Tourism Authority, resides at Abelemkpe, Accra. The prosecution said on December 29, 2022, the complainant organised a musical show at the independence Square which hosted Meek Mills. It said at about 8:20 pm, on the same day, while Mills was making his way through the heavy crowd on to the stage, the accused person who was among the crowd, allegedly stole the iPhone 14 Pro Max phone valued GHS22,000 from Mills pocket. The prosecution said the accused persons after stealing the phone left the scene. It said the complainant reported the matter to the Police and through intelligence, the phone was tracked and traced to the residence of the accused persons at Madina in Accra. The prosecution further told the court that Sulley was arrested on December 30, 2022. During investigations, the accused admitted the offence, the prosecution said. GNA The body of a 20-year-old man, who was reported missing on January 7 from his home at Zanlerigu in the Nabdam District of the Upper East Region, was at the weekend found at the Bolgatanga Hospital Mortuary. Bugbil Roger Adaboo Toure, a native of the Zanlerigu Community in Nabdam, got missing on January 2, 2023, when he left home for his daily Ndomie business at the Zanlerigu market. An announcement was made on social media on January 7, but nothing was heard about him. According to a family source, a friend who went to the morgue to retrieve his father's body for burial alerted the family about a body having a semblance with their son's. A visit by family members to the morgue confirmed the body was really that of their son. A Mortuary attendant told the family that it was brought in by police officers from the Nangodi Police Command. He said the police indicated they were called by residents of Kong Na-Boug, a suburb of Kongo, about the lifeless body in their community about 0800 hours on January 3. A police source said the body was found with the face bruised and covered with clotted blood and found wearing a female dress, a brassiere and black underwear. Eyewitnesses told the Ghana News Agency that they believed he was stoned to death as stones were seen scattered around the body. Mr Mark Toure, a relative of the deceased, said he last saw Roger on January 2 at about 1600 hours when he (Toure) had returned from Accra. The family said they were saddened by the turn of events and demanded justice for their son. At the time of filing the report, the family was planning to meet the police for briefing and further investigations for the body to be released for burial. GNA 17.01.2023 LISTEN The Secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral, Rev Kusi Boateng has threatened to defend himself over supposed investigations that will be conducted by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) into the allegation made against him by the Member of Parliament for Noth Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. According to him, he is fully prepared to make his case when he appears before the Commission. I wish to assure the public that the statements made by Mr Ablakwa are a twisted narration of events to pursue a malicious political agenda. There has never been any criminal intent nor any crime committed in my dealings with the government of Ghana or National Cathedral, Rev Kusi Boateng said when responding to Mr. Ablakwa in a statement. Rev Kusi Boateng rejected the allegations and said he looks forward to CHRAJ's probe. This follows allegations by Ablakwa in what he described as unimpeachable and incontrovertible evidence against Rev. Kusi Boateng. The North Tongu lawmaker alleged that, Rev Kusi Boateng is the third mystery director of JNS Talent Cantre Limited, a firm he had earlier accused of receiving GH2.6 million illegal cash transfer from the Secretariat. Unimpeachable and incontrovertible evidence confirms that Mr. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi is the famous Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng who still serves on the National Cathedral Board as an Executive Council Member/Director, he said. He strongly alleged there is no distinct Kwabena Adu Gyamfi and Rev. Kusi Boateng saying that Kwabena Adu Gyamfi is a criminal creation of Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng because the two are therefore one and the same, he said. Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng AKA Kwabena Adu Gyamfi thought he had outwitted every Ghanaian, particularly our authorities whom he dribbled for many years; but the day of reckoning is finally here. Mr Ablakwa has further petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice ( CHRAJ) to look into the matter. -DGN online Algeria, Morocco, South Africa, Zambia and Benin-Nigeria want to replace Guinea as hosts of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, CAF president Patrice Motsepe confirmed on Saturday. Guinea, chosen in 2014 to stage the premier African national team tournament, withdrew last year after little progress had been made in preparing for the biennial event. CAF officials will do inspection tours of all the candidates this month with the winners to be announced on February 10. South African billionaire businessman Motsepe said the successful country or countries would offer the best "transport, logistics, hotels and beautiful stadiums". "Each region will have a chance to organise a CAN (Cup of Nations). We cannot assign the organisation of the CAN successively to the same region." Benin and Nigeria are in west Africa, as are the Ivory Coast, who will host the 2023 Cup of Nations. Dhaka, Jan 17 (UNI) In a tragic accident, an ambulance with six people aboard crashed into a truck in Shariatpur district, some 101 km south of Bangladesh's capital Dhaka, early on Tuesday. The collision was so massive that all six people including the driver died on the spot. Rescuers say they had to carry out the rescue work for hours to rescue the bodies from the mangled ambulance. Md Selim Miah, deputy director of the district's Fire Service and Civil Defence, told journalists that the Dhaka-bound ambulance rammed into the compressed natural gas truck at around 4:20 a.m. local time due to poor visibility caused by dense fog. The patient and ambulance driver and a helper were among the deceased, he said, adding that their identities could not be known immediately. The ambulance was taking the patient to a hospital in Dhaka and crashed into the truck coming from the opposite direction. Bangladesh has a higher fatality rate for road accidents in the world due to shoddy highways, poorly maintained vehicles, violation of traffic rules by inept drivers and lack of monitoring by the traffic department. A total of 10,858 people were killed, and 12,875 others injured in 7,617 road, railway and waterway accidents across the country in 2022, according to a report of Bangladesh Passengers' Welfare Association, a local organization. UNI/XINHUA GNK New Delhi, Jan 17 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the concluding session of the BJP National Executive meeting on Tuesday. The two-day National Executive meeting began at NDMC Convention Centre in New Delhi yesterday, to deliberate upon future course of action on the upcoming assembly elections in 9 states. BJP President J. P. Nadda inaugurated the meeting. In his inaugural address on the first day of the meeting, Mr. Nadda called upon the Party leaders and workers to leave no stone unturned to ensure BJP's victory in the upcoming assembly elections in nine States this year. The Party President noted that the ongoing year is very important in the prelude to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. He also asked them to learn from Prime Minister Narendra Modi the way he worked in the recently held Gujarat Assembly polls. Briefing the media about the first day of the meeting, senior party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad quoted Mr. Nadda said that the BJP's victory in the Gujarat Assembly elections is historic and extraordinary. "72 thousand booths were marked in 100 Lok Sabha constituencies across the country where BJP was weak, but the party had reached 1 lakh 30 thousand booths and spread the policies of the party" said Prasad. During the meeting Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju also proposed a nine-point political resolution on the first day of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national executive meeting. In the resolution, Rijiju highlighted several instances accusing the opposition parties of running a negative campaign against the party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Late evening addressing a press conference at NDMC Convention Centre here, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that various topics were discussed during the meeting today which included the discussion on the Opposition's derogatory remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, G20, and Assembly elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president JP Nadda, Union Ministers including Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled States and other senior party leaders a participated at the key meeting. BJP conducted the first national executive meeting after the recent assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. UNI JA Walr Hires Lamia Lee for AsiaPac Expansion UK-based 'data creation' platform Walr has expanded in the Asia Pacific region with the appointment of Lamia Lee as General Manager, tasked with heading up its operations in the region. She is based in Sydney, Australia. Walr opened at the end of 2020 and the following September acquired research software business QuenchTec. The company offers the research industry data creation solutions, drawing on an audience of millions, combined with data visualisation; and a platform featuring a survey builder, a panel manager, analysis and reporting. As well as its headquarters in the UK, the firm has a presence in the USA, Norway, India, Canada, North Macedonia, and now Australia. Lee (pictured) joins with fifteen years of MR industry experience, most recently from sample management platform Lucid (acquired by Cint in 2021), where she latterly served as VP of Measurement, APAC Region. Earlier she held senior roles at TEG Insights, Lightspeed GMI, Dynata, Verve and Pureprofile. Commenting on the news, CCO Ben Walton said: 'Kickstarting the year by expanding into the APAC region has been an outstanding achievement. Lamia's deep understanding and practical experience have already been incredibly valuable to the company's worldwide growth, and I am confident that she will continue to make a significant impact'. Web site: www.walr.com . A method that dramatically speeds up carbon dioxide sequestration and also aids in the extraction of critical minerals from mine tailings will make its way from a Michigan Technological University lab to regional mines. The project, to help mines in Michigans Upper Peninsula and Minnesota achieve net-zero emissions while extracting critical minerals from mine tailings, has received $2.5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The DOE awarded grants to develop rapid carbon mineralization and critical mineral extraction technology to 16 projects nationwide, totaling $39 million. Michigan Techs project is the only one in the state to receive funding from Mining Innovations for Negative Emissions Resource Recovery (MINER), a new initiative through the DOEs Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). The MINER initiative funds technology research that increases mineral yield, while decreasing required energy and subsequent emissions, in order to mine and extract energy-relevant minerals. Michigan Techs project is titled Energy Reduction and Improved Critical Mineral Recovery from Low-Grade Disseminated Sulfide Deposits and Mine Tailings. It seeks to permanently and cleanly mineralize and store carbon dioxide, potentially enabling the mining industry in Michigans Upper Peninsula and Minnesota to achieve net carbon zero while extracting critical minerals from low-grade ores, said principal project investigator (PI) Lei Pan, an associate professor in Michigan Techs Department of Chemical Engineering. Chemical engineering professors Tim Eisele and David Shonnard are co-PIs on the three-year project, along with researchers from University of Utah and University of Nevada, Reno. Kobina Ofori, a Ph.D. student in chemical engineering, serves as student investigator. Chemical engineering undergraduate student Katie Liberman is also assisting in the work, which takes place in Pans Lab for Separation Technologies (LAST) at Michigan Tech. Mine tailings from mining operations plus carbon dioxide taken from the atmosphere combine in an accelerated carbonation reactor. The resulting carbonated productsminerals Magnesite and Sideritecan be permanently and safely stored in a subaqueous tailing pond. (Kobina Akyea Ofori graphic) MINER research targets potential carbon-dioxide-reactive ores to unlock net-zero or net-negative emission technologies, Pan explained. We will take carbon dioxide from the mining operation and store it safely and permanently in minerals. With our technology, we estimate 2.2 million tons of carbon dioxide per year can be sequestered in mine tailings. In this project, we target kinetics, Pan said. Mine tailings contain a substantial amount of carbon-dioxide-reactive minerals such as olivine, which can be used as a carbon sink. Its been done before, but at a much slower pace. Our method greatly accelerates the kinetics of carbon dioxide sequestration to achieve the result on an industrial scale in just four hours, rather than several years. The Michigan Tech team will work in partnership with Eagle Mine in upper Michigan, a subsidiary of Toronto-based Lundin Mining, and Polymet Mining in Minnesota. ARPA-E is looking for disruptive and scalable technologies, and then deploying them at an industrial site, Pan said. This is why two major mining companies, both with nickel mining operations, have agreed to join us in this effort. Were glad to have both of them as supporters of this project. Carbon sinks can absorb and store more carbon dioxide than they release, keeping what is the most prevalent greenhouse gas emitted by human activity from entering the atmosphere with the goal to reduce global climate change. In addition to reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, MINER initiatives like the Michigan Tech project aim for a second goal that solves another important world challenge: extracting energy-relevant metals from silicate minerals for battery manufacturing. Eventually, our new methods could be put into practice in all types of mining if the ore mineralogy is favorable for carbon mineralization, Pan said. The outcome will not only be useful in the U.S. but in mining operations globally. ARPA-E seeks to develop market-ready technologies that will increase domestic supplies of critical elements required for the clean energy transition. Selected projects, led by universities, national laboratories and the private sector, aim to develop commercially scalable technologies that will enable greater domestic supplies of copper, nickel, lithium, cobalt, rare earth elements and other critical elements. The project aligns with the state of Michigans plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Minnesotas Climate Action Framework calls for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% between 2005-2050. Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigans flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure. He who is different from me does not impoverish me he enriches me. Our unity is constituted in something higher than ourselves in Man For no man seeks to hear his own echo, or to find his reflection in the glass. Antoine de Saint-Exupery The child stared at the man who looked so different than he did. Mommy, whats wrong with him? he asked. The mans skin was discolored, not completely brown or white. The child looked frightened of the difference in him. How many times had people stared at him and children pointed at him? If youve ever felt that you (or your child) were different, you need to hear de Saint-Exuperys words. If youve ever been bothered by people who dont look like you or walk like you or dress like you, you need to hear de Saint-Exuperys words. People who are different than we are do not impoverish us, but instead enrich us. Standing at the service window, I was very aware of how different I sounded and possibly looked. Why are you entering the country? the woman asked me. With the long line of people behind me, I felt hurried to respond and simply said, Just to enjoy your country. I wish I had had de Saint-Exuperys quote in hand, and I could have said that I wanted to be enriched as I sought something other than my own reflection. Ireland was, indeed, a place to be enriched, and in her borders, I found something higher than myself. I knew I was different and being different doesnt mean being wrong. If you say the sky is blue, half of Facebook will argue that it is not. Its a common statement from my family because whatever I share on social media seems to draw such a mixture of responses. That makes me happy most of the time because I dont want to hear just my voice. I want to hear from people and know people who think differently than I do because I believe I can learn from them. It is uncomfortable at times because, after all, who wants to think that their way of thinking might be wrong? But being different doesnt mean being wrong. Wrong is a word too easily used when people dont think or behave as we do. I could tell you that in Ireland they drive on the wrong side of the road, but that wouldnt be a fair statement. People in Ireland drive on the other side of the road and from the other side of the car, and that is simply different from what we do in the United States. I loved being in a place where things are different (and was thankful we had someone else doing the driving). Being different doesnt mean being wrong. It took me a lot of years to be brave enough to obtain a passport and a couple more years to agree to leave the country all because I was afraid of what I didnt know, of how different things would be, but then I remembered what matters so much to me that being different doesnt mean being wrong. Finally, I knew I must travel because: I was tired of being surrounded by people just like me (Americanized) I wanted to be exposed to a culture that was different than mine (Democrat and Republican) I wanted to see and hear the richer history we dont have yet in the United States (though we have much, I know) I wanted to walk on land settled several thousand years ago I wanted to challenge myself not to be afraid of being different Im so glad we went, so thankful I could move beyond my fears to allow myself the opportunity to experience so much that enriched me, that took me out of the echo chamber and away from my reflection. Oddly enough, you and I can do much of that right here where we are. We can let go of fears of people and cultures who are different within our own communities and within our own country and know that people can be different without being wrong. You and I are not experiencing fears that are new to people. Antoine de Saint-Exupery lived in France in the early 1900s and penned his words at a time much different than we live in today, yet he knew even then that we are not impoverished by those who are different but are enriched, and that is why we cannot give in to the mindset that our way of anything is the only right way. If leaving the country isnt an option, open a history book, watch a documentary, try foods of another culture, find ways to know people who are different from you instead of feeling threatened by them, and discover the unity that is constituted in something larger than yourself. Note: After an unusual couple of weeks, I decided to share this piece with you I wrote several years ago. For this week, it seemed perfect. Its a little shorter (youre welcome), and as Im developing my plan to approach what commonality looks like, this piece seems perfect to share to help remind us of the things we often see as differences that we often discover unite us. And, as I sometimes laugh at myself about, I really loved being in Ireland! Ill have a fresh piece for you next week as we dive into commonality in the perfect place birth, the beginning of all of our lives. Susan Black Steen is a writer and photographer, a native Tennessean and a graduate of Austin Peay State University. With a firm belief that words matter, she writes and speaks to bring joy, comfort and understanding into each life. Always, she writes from her heart in hopes of speaking to the hearts of others. She can be reached at stories@susanbsteen.com. Jerusalem, Jan 17 (UNI) Thousands of students held protests across Israel against the government's newly proposed judicial reform, Israeli media reported. The protests were held on Monday at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University, the University of Haifa and dozens of other educational institutions. At the same time, some students held alternative actions in support of the government's plans, the Times of Israel newspaper said. "We students are unwilling to stay silent in light of the dangerous liquidation of the justice system. This is a fight for our future against a government that in the name of the tyranny of the majority is threatening to trample democracy and later, without restraint, to harm equality and the liberties of many groups in Israels population. We are determined to stop this madness, and this is just the beginning," the Student Protest, a newly set-up organization which has initiated several protests, was quoted as saying by the newspaper. Four students at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem were arrested after blocking a road and refusing to comply with police instructions, the Haaretz newspaper said, citing authorities. On January 4, Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin rolled out a legal reform package that would limit the authority of the High Court of Justice and give the cabinet control over the selection of new judges. The planned overhaul sparked public criticism and prompted a wave of protests. On Saturday, around 80,000 Israelis took to the streets of Tel Aviv to protest the contested judicial reform plan. A similar rally last week was attended by over 10,000 people. UNI/SPUTNIK GNK UP govt inks MoUs of Rs 7K cr in Kolkata ahead of GIS Lucknow, Jan 17 (UNI) In yet another successful roadshow held in West Bengals capital Kolkata on Tuesday in run up to the Global Investors Summit to be held next month, the Uttar Pradesh Government headed by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) worth around Rs 7,000 crore in projects belonging to different sectors, which are projected to provide employment opportunities for 14,000 youths of the state. The agreements were signed in the presence of UP's Industrial Development Minister Nand Gopal Gupta 'Nandi', Labor and Employment Minister Anil Rajbhar, Transport Minister Daya Shankar Singh and Minister of State for IT Ajit Pal Singh among others. The Government signed MoUs with Greentech Environment Private Limited and Captain Steel worth Rs 2,000 and Rs 1,650 crore respectively. An agreement worth Rs 630 crore was also signed with Shyam Metallics, Rs 500 crore each with Haldiram Bhujiawala and Balaji Wafers and Rs 250 crore each with Tata Steel Downstream Products Limited and SRMB. Besides, MoUs worth Rs 50 crore, Rs 200 crore, Rs 25 crore and Rs 50 crore were signed with Anmol Feeds for Fish Farming, Allenberry (Medical Gas), Eastern Equipment ENT and Lux Industry Limited 50 crores in textile respectively. The government also signed MoUs worth Rs 400 crore, Rs 200 crore and Rs 150 crore with Infinity Infotech Park, Char Nauk Hospital (SKM Group) and Meghdootam Travels signed respectively. Tata Steel Downstream Products Limited has agreed to provide employment opportunities to 300 people, Haldiram Bhujiawala to 1500 youths, Anmol Feeds to 200, Greentech Environment Private Limited to 5,000, Allenberry (Medical Gas) to 200, Shyam Metalics to 720, Eastern Equipment ENT to 50 and Lux Industries Limited to 500. Captain Steel will provide 1,800, Char Nauk Hospital (SKM Group) 1,700 jobs, SRMB 750 jobs in steel manufacturing, Infinity Infotech Park 500, Balaji Wafers 1,500 for food processing and Meghdootam Travels 5,000 jobs. In a video message to the investors on the occasion, CM Yogi invited the investor to the Global Investors Summit to be held in Lucknow in February this year as well as to invest in the state and be part of the speed of Indias growth engine. The CM said that even during the Covid pandemic the state attracted investment of Rs 4 lakh crore which reflected the trust that the state has been able to build among investors in recent times with better law and order and infrastructure in the state. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has emerged as a favourite investment destination for investors abroad and by following the PMs mantra of 'Reform, Perform and Transform' UP has emerged as the new growth engine of the country. He said, "UP boasts of good governance, sound law and order, ease of doing business in which the state is number two in the country, robust infrastructure and largest consumer market and is on its way to becoming the second largest economy in the country." Yogi said, "Six expressways have been completed while seven are under construction in the state. Nine airports, including three international, are operational while construction of 10 others, including two international ones, is underway. The national waterway between Haldia and Varanasi has been opened. The government has launched a single window portal Nivesh Mitra to facilitate setting up of units and provide online incentive management for investors." The CM said the GSDP of the UP is estimated at 21 lakh crore in the 2022-23 financial year, which is 65 percent higher than the figure in 2016-17. He said that UP was contributing 8 per cent to the GDP while the average annual growth rate of its economy is 11 percent. Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Industrial Development Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi said that the UP government has provided incentives of Rs 1,800 crore to he investors since 2018. Chairman of CII, West Bengal Prashant Sharma said that the target of 1 trillion dollar economy set by the Yogi government was a lofty one, but achievable because of the states robust infrastructure, multi-industrial base, agricultural growth, skilled development programme for workers and remunerative employment opportunities and above all the industry-friendly policies. UNI AB RKM Women beekeepers astonished by global response to world record attempt ABC Australia Scientists Gave Penguins a Mirror, And We Have Lots of Questions Science Alert The Who-Ate-Whom of Terms in Biology: Virovory Small Things Considered. Fascinating. Keep reading Why Was King Tut Buried with a Trumpet? The Honest Broker MLK A Collection of Rare Color Photographs Depicts MLK Leading the Chicago Freedom Movement Smithsonian Davos Belarus opposition leader warns of massive disobedience if Lukashenko mobilises for Ukraine war FT. A-a-a-a-a-n-d the deck: Dictator is more vulnerable than he looks, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya tells FT in Davos. The subtext here is not hard to read. Climate Water #COVID19 SARS-CoV-2 Reinfection is Preceded by Unique Biomarkers and Related to Initial Infection Timing and Severity: an N3C RECOVER EHR-Based Cohort Study (preprint) medRxiv. From the Discussion: However, it is notable that in Figure 1, initial infection during Delta appeared to be more protective against reinfection during Omicron than initial infection during WT COVID or Alpha, Beta, Gamma. This difference disappeared during Omicron BA. And: This study contributes novel findings of the relationship of reinfection with Long COVID diagnosis. The largest proportion of Long COVID diagnoses occur among individuals with a first reinfection in the Omicron BA epoch. Long COVID diagnoses also occurred much closer to the index date following both initial or first reinfection in the Omicron BA epoch as compared to earlier Delta and Omicron epochs. The rate of Long COVID diagnoses has been increasing for reinfections in more recent variants. * * * Data Snapshot: Are we overcounting Covid-19 deaths? No. Inside Medicine Chinas COVID Death Data Underestimates Actual Toll; Might be Just the Tip of the Iceberg: Report Bloomberg * * * Airplane lavatories deliver new hope for the CDCs variant hunt Politico. Im imagining the next William Gibson trilogy, where one of the protagonists is paid to travel the world er, gaming wastewater detection systems with engineered viral loads. Several celebrities test positive for COVID after Golden Globes ABC. They just cant quit the superspreading. The timing is convenient coming just as Mastercard is piloting a biometric-authenticated payments system in the UK, which will require digital, not physical, wallets. In the almost total absence of public debate and in many cases, even public awareness about the roll out of biometrically enabled digital identity and payment systems, what little debate that does occur is largely informed by surveys and opinion polls commissioned by the very firms that stand to benefit most from the roll out of the new systems. A case in point: Mastercard, the worlds second largest payment processing company, recently announced the findings of a survey it had commissioned into payment trends in the UK, one of Europes most cashless economies. Unsurprisingly, those findings point to a yet further decrease in cash usage in the UK, which aligns perfectly with Mastercards broader goals, exemplified by its current slogan: World Beyond Cash. Around 60% of payments in the UK were made using cash a decade ago. By 2021, with the COVID-19 pandemic raging, that figure had slumped to 15% and could fall as low as 6% by 2031, according to estimates from banking lobby group UK Finance.* The Mastercard survey highlights a corresponding increase in the adoption of digital payment methods globally, with 93% of survey respondents saying they will consider using alternative means of payment such as contactless, QR code, biometrics, and cryptocurrency transactions in the next year. Shrinking Wallets Apparently one of the main findings of the survey is that 51% of consumers believe that physical wallets those leathery or faux leathery things we keep our cash and cards in will lose relevance in the coming years as digital payment alternatives gain further traction. Twenty-one percent said they dont expect to carry a wallet or purse within the next five years. This increased to 38% among Millennial respondents. For the moment, generational trends are not on cashs side. A third (31%) of the 18-24 year-old respondents said that the digital wallet on their phone is their preferred way to pay, compared to just 5% of those aged 55+, more than half (55%) of 18-34 year olds would rather just carry their phone in place of a wallet or purse, and 41% of Gen Z say they dont expect to ever buy a physical wallet or purse again. In contrast to a decade ago, many who still carry wallets are now seeing them more as a site of personal archive rather than a vessel for physical cash and cards, said Kelly Devine, president of UK and Ireland at Mastercard. As technology continues to evolve, wallets shrink, and people increasingly embrace digital methods of payment, our focus remains on delivering choice, convenience, and speed for people around the country. Given Mastercards main line of business since its founding in 1966 has been credit and debit cards, which are invariably stored in non-digital wallets, one might assume that this would be bad news for the company. But apparently not, for Mastercard is in the process of reinventing itself, and indeed has been for years. As part of that process, it is piloting a biometric-authenticated payments system in the UK, albeit after first testing the system in Brazil, the Middle East and Asia. As I reported in Mastercard Pushes Biometrics Even Harder on Consumers in Increasingly Cashless UK, the company ultimately wants to roll the program out worldwide to small and large retailers. Card payment giant Mastercard appears to be determined to wean consumers off not only cash, its eternal rival, but also credit and debit cards, its main line of business until now. To that end, it is about to launch a pilot biometric checkout program in the UK. The so-called Smile to Pay system will allow shoppers to purchase goods and services in store by smiling into a camera or waving their hand over a reader and is optional for the moment. The UK is already the fourth most cashless economy in Europe, according to research by personal finance website money.co.uk. In 2017, debit card payments overtook cash for the first time. Mastercard is also staking a claim to a wider role in the emerging biometrics payments ecosystem. Ajay Bhalla, Mastercards president of cyber and intelligence, told the FT that Mastercard could act as the enabler of the ecosystem, setting unified privacy and security standards for a technology that has raised concerns among privacy activists and data protection campaigners. Biometric Payments Ecosystems in Africa Mastercard already has extensive experience of developing biometric payments ecosystems in other parts of the globe most notably Africa. In December, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) pledged $50 million to support financial institutions and service providers that work with Mastercards Community Pass network, which is already up and running in remote areas of Mauritania, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique. At the same time, the company has been helping to fund the activities of the Better Than Cash Alliance, a UN-hosted partnership of governments (all of them in the so-called Global South), companies and international organizations. Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Citi, the Ford Foundation, Omidyar Network, the U.S. Agency for International Development and Visa Inc., its mission, in its own words, is to accelerate the transition from cash to digital payments globally. Mastercard has also played a key role in developing the Nigerian governments all-encompassing digital ID system. The so-called National Identification Number (NIN) is ostensibly intended to enable easier access to public and private services as well as tackle the insurgency in the north east of the country. Much of the funding for the program, initiated in 2014, came from the World Banks Identity for Development (ID4D) program, founded with seed money from the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (again!), the French, British and Norweigan governments and the Omidyar Network (again!). As of March 31, 2022, some 73 million adults did not have a national identity number, with many citing privacy concerns. A month later, the government barred all 73 million of them from being able to make outgoing calls or send outgoing texts from their mobile phones, until they got with the program. Yet citizens concerns are more than warranted. As the NYU School of Laws Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ) warned in a report last year titled, Paving the Digital Road to Hell: A Primer on the Role of the World Bank and Global Networks in Promoting Digital ID, digital ID systems can lead to a wide range of urgent human rights issues. They include, but are not limited to, the violation of the right to nationality; limiting access to health care, food, and social security; a multitude of concerns about privacy and data protection, surveillance, and cybersecurity; and fundamental changes to models of democracy, participation, and citizen-state relationship. Nigerias government is yet to enact a data protection law, despite having had access to and control over the biometric data of tens of millions of Nigerian citizens for the past eight years. So too, for that matter, has Mastercard. In September last year, the World Bank finally made the enactment of a data protection law a prerequisite for release of further funds for the program a mere eight years too late. Backlash Begins in UK? The roll out of biometric-authenticated payments is just the latest example of the accelerating encroachment of biometrics into everyday life. Most national passports these days include biometric identifiers. Meanwhile, hundreds of millions perhaps even billions of people have volunteered their digital fingerprints or face scans to log into their smartphones and other digital devices. In other words, people are already offering up their most private data to communicate, work, cross borders, or board planes. Governments across the Global North, from the EU to the UK, to the US, Canada and Russia, are now scrambling to roll out biometric-enabled digital identity programs. But are consumers in the UK (and elsewhere) ready to ditch cash and the contactless cards to which they have grown so accustomed, not to mention the wallets they use to store them in, and begin transacting with parts of their body instead? Mastercard would certainly like to think so, arguing that the gains in time and convenience will be well worth the sacrifice: No more fumbling for your phone or hunting for your wallet when you have your hands full the next generation of in-person payments will only need a quick smile or wave of your hand. The trusted technology that uses your face or fingerprint to unlock your phone can now be used to help consumers speed through the checkout. With Mastercards new Biometric Checkout Programme, all you will need is yourself. But the minor gains in convenience and time may be losing their allure while the negative effects of replacing humans with (imperfect) technology grow ever larger. Payments using gestures have struggled to gain widespread traction among consumers in the UK, the Financial Times reported in 2021. Last year, even Amazon paused its roll out of self-service stores in the UK due to lagging sales. Many of the Fresh stores already in existence had been under-performing, and the costs of building new ones ended up being too much, Business Insider reported in August. A backlash has also begun against the proliferation of self-checkout tills in other supermarkets. In September last year big-4 grocer Tesco came under fire after announcing plans to ditch the majority of its manned checkouts from many of its larger stores. An online petition with nearly a quarter of a million signatures demanded that the company stop replacing people with machines. According to the Guardian, a similar backlash has been sweeping the US (would be great if US-based readers could share their experiences). Public frustration is seemingly on the rise with technologies that are being used to turn customers into unpaid employees, with little in the way of actual benefit to themselves. Then there are the myriad unintended consequences, such as inaccessibility issues for disabled customers and a sharp increase in shoplifting and fraud. This, in turn, has prompted desperate measures from retailers. In December, the supermarket chain Sainsburys sparked outrage among customers after installing barriers and receipt scanners that required customers to show proof of purchase to leave the store. As one customer seethed, Essentially they are holding [people] hostage against their will as they refuse to let people leave without scanning a receipt that not everyone chooses to get in the first place. What will they do? Hold someone hostage and rifle through bags before releasing you? The ultimate irony is that self-checkout was meant to make the shopping experience quicker and easier as well as make shoplifting more difficult. It is also supposed to be more hygienic, yet a recent study by the UK-based Infection Innovation Consortium found that self-checkout samples had one of the highest bacterial loads. * Worth noting that the UK Finance data does not reflect a slight resurgence in the use of cash in 2022. New data published today (Jan 17) by LINK, the UKs cash access and ATM network, reveals that cash withdrawals from ATMs in 2022 increased by 4bn to 83bn. But they are still sharply down on the 115bn withdrawn in 2019. The level of creative story-telling about Russias progress in the Ukraine War has reached the point where the scenario below is not entirely impossible. Sadly yours truly lacks the literary skills to execute a Philip K. Dick rendering of this sketch: A man in his late 30s, in mud-spattered combat gear at the outskirts of a Mitteleuropaish city, watches as six helicopters roar overhead. He stumbles after them and then steadies his gait. Eventually he runs into a county road and is able to determine which direction is not the way he came. He keeps walking. Eventually, he flags down a truck. He succeeds in explaining in broken Polish that hes an American and asks if they can they drop him off closer to a military base or the US embassy. In a bed in a VA hospital back home, Eric speaks to a visitor, his sister Sarah: Cousin Harry has agreed to let me live with him for a few months while I look for work. But you have contacts in publishing. I have a story that needs to be told, even if theres no money in it. The last American in Ukraine. The lowly soldier there during the dying days of the government in Kiev, who saw some of the final actions, including watching the official helicopters fly away to safety. Do you think you can make some introductions? Do you know any magazine editors? Sarah apparently had a word with the doctors. A series of men in white coats come to speak to Eric about what he thought he saw when he fancied he was in Lviv and hiked into Poland. Its not too long before he is committed. In a testament to modern medicine, it takes only a year to free Eric of his delusions and return him to society. As Lambert, a battle-scarred veteran of the War in Iraq information wars has repeatedly volunteered, the propaganda shrouding the Ukraine conflict is far more intense and truth-disengaged than anything has encountered. I agree. And as readers and colleagues have attested, its also turned plenty of formerly-thinking people into narrative wind-up dolls. A big reason for the orgy of hype has been that, as Alexander Vershinin pointed out in a recent article in Russia Matters, it is essential for Ukraine to maintain the appearance of success to keep aid flowing: Ukraines second constraint is the coalition nature of its warfare. Since running out of its own stocks, Ukraine is increasingly reliant on Western weaponry. Maintaining the Western coalition is crucial to the Ukrainian war effort. Without a constant string of victories, domestic economic concern may cause coalition members to defect. If Western support dries up due to depletion of stock or of political will, Ukraines war effort collapses for lack of supplies. In some ways, Ukraine has no choice but to launch attacks no matter the human and material cost. Mind you, the level of outside backing is greater than Vershinin suggests. The US and its allies are funding Ukraines budget deficit. The West has also been providing more manpower support. Ursula von der Leyen had to try to walk back an end-of-November scripted remark that Russia had killed 100,000 Ukraine soldiers. More recently, Douglas Macgregor put the deaths in Ukraine forces at 150,000 and casualties at 450,000.1 Remember at the start of the war, Ukraines total forces, including reservists, were roughly 600,000. So reports from Russian forces even as of a couple of months ago, based on radio chatter, that estimated some opposing units were as much as 70% foreign based on chatter in Polish, Romanian, and English seems entirely possible. Remember also that at the beginning, most Western military experts expected Russia to quickly dispatch Ukraine and were surprised to work out that Russia had not only gone in with comparatively light forces but didnt have large reserved ready to go. Even so, independent experts often observe that Russia did dispatch most of Ukraines initial equipment and much of its manpower. Even so, the West, having spent decades fighting wars against insurgents, wasnt prepared for the burn rate of this conflict. So it has been imperative to keep thumping that Russia is being beaten to keep the money flowing long enough to make that a realityas if the Wests defense misspending could be solved by throwing more money at the problem. Ukraines Mighty Wurlitzer has been dutifully amplified by the Western media: the ghost of Kiev, Snake Island, the insinuations that Russia bombed itself at both the Zaporzhizhia nuclear plant and the Nord Stream pipelines and specific claims that Russia engaging in human wave tactics to horrific losses. We also see hoary old fables like Russia having primitive everything equipment, technology, training, leadership predisposing broad swathes of the public to accept derivative spin like the neverending, nevertrue claims that Russia was running out of artillery and missiles. And weve seen an unrelenting deluge of Big Lies, like Putins incredible roster of heath problems, his supposed weak hold on power and resulting paranoia, that feeds another oft-told tale, that Putins ouster is just in sight by implication would lead to him being replaced by someone more tractable. And as a corollary Russia is generally bad at everything comes the claims that Russias conscript army is suffering from terrible morale and desertions because they are losing so many men compared to the highly motivated, well-trained and equipped, and more blonde Ukrainians. Russia has made errors, like initially conceptualizing the Special Military Operation as a way to bring Ukraine to the negotiating table, and not anticipating the ferocity of Collective West opposition, or optimistically assuming contract soldiers whose terms of duty ended in August would re-up for the good of Mother Russia. The latter miscalculation thinned out manning across a very long line of contact, setting up the strategically not very consequential but still very bad looking Kharkiv retreat. But theyve typically recognized problems and made efforts to correct them. Nevertheless, Soledar has fallen and the loss of Bakhmut looks baked in, absent horrific Russian errors. The so-called Zelensky line is breaking even before Russia has put its recently-mobilized forces to work in a serious way. Regular commentators are waiting for the Russian hammer to fall, although Russia may simply grind more forcefully by pressing harder at more points along the very long line of contact. Remember one concern on the Russian side is avoiding winning in a way that leads to NATO panic and desperate actionnot that the Collective Wests fragile emotional state can be readily managed. With that context, youd expect some members of the press to have worked out that things are not going very well for Ukraine and the classic cowboy movie rescue of the calvary riding over the hill (here in the form of tanks and artillery) will be too little, too late. Instead, the media seems to be trying to integrate snippets of facts on the ground with the heroic tale of inevitable Ukraine victory. Well stick to headlines since they have an impact regardless of whether the rest of the story gets read. Lambert and others flagged the Financial Times story below as an extreme form of flipping facts: So instead of the common spin, that Soledar and Bakhumt are not consequential (despite Zelensky demonstrating the reverse by carting a flag from Bakhmut to present to Pelosi), the pink paper is doing that one better by depicting Ukraine as cleverly out attritting Russia. Confirming what we are seeing in the English language media: Erich Vad, ex-brigadier General of Germanys army: To a large extent, we are witnessing a media conformity that I have never seen before in the Federal Republic of Germany. This is pure opinion mongering.#Germany #ukraine #ukrainerussiawar https://t.co/tADgQ0TPIp Dimitri Lascaris (@dimitrilascaris) January 14, 2023 Despite this being a holiday weekend, and hence international news often filling in for the domestic slow-down, my impression is that the Anglo press is averting its eyes from Ukraine. For instance, yesterday morning, there was not a single Ukraine story on Bloombergs landing page. Ditto today. The only headline at the Journal is below the fold: And the only story on the landing page of the BBC: At the same time, we also see charges that Ukraine is plotting yet more stunts, like its Kerch Bridge attack, or its scary-seeming but ultimately ineffective drone attacks on Engels Air base, where Russia stations its nuclear bombers. Recall wed predicted more terrorist attempts as Ukraine battlefield success looked more remote. From the Ministry of Defenses Telegram channel Monday morning:2 Finally, what is particularly disturbing is Ukraine nationals and their allies trying to silence opponents of Banderitism in the US, specifically Scott Ritter: Youll note that Ritter had agreed to talk only about his experience as an weapons inspector and keep well away from current events. Yet Ukrainian loyalists vowed to put the restaurant out of business if the owner didnt cancel Ritters appearance. (which I assume means somehow physically destroy it or threaten patrons). This development followed hard on the heels of this presentation. Ive sometimes watched Ritter talk to peaceniks and other local groups. They usually skew geriatric and follow instructions, as in ask questions in the Q&A (although there is often a garrulous exception who manages to wrap his query in an over-long anecdote. In this talk, the first speaker, Dan Kovalik, had been to Donbass and showed photos of daily life, memorials to dead children, shelling damage, reconstruction, and victims of Ukraine torture, including one whod had all his teeth broken off at the gum line to inflict maximum pain. Ritter was second and used himself as a case example of how First Amendment rights were being restricted to stifle debate about the Ukraine conflict. He focuses on how his name was on the Ukraine hit list. Ritter was particularly upset that US tax dollars appear to be funding it: The Q&A section was a radical departure from the norm for these events. See in particular the woman who starts speaking at 1:06, charges Kovalik with offering propaganda, and loudly insists that Russian war crimes in Bucha and Kherson were investigated and confirmed by UN inspectors. Ritter didnt have the opportunity to say hed called for that from the outset, in writing, and no such thing happened. She also tried to hijack the Q&A at several later points. Another questioner at 1:16 presented himself as of Russian descent3 and proceeded to argue for facts that are false, like saying Russia blocked the implementation of the Minsk accord.4 He tried to talk over the moderator when the moderator corrected some of the ethnic Russians information. Even though their actions may not have been coordinated, both these speakers hogged air time and stridently maintained they had facts that conclusively disproved what the speakers had said.even though those facts were falsehoods. The start of in-person intimidation of anti-Ukraine war voices is a troubling development. This is harder to follow than big media stories but bears watching. _____ 1 Macgregor seems to be applying the classic rule of thumb in modern wars of 3 casualties for every death. But other reports about Ukraine suggest its ratio of dead to injured is way way high due to not having enough field hospitals close to the front so as to be able to treat the wounded in the crucial first hour. So I would assume that Macgregors estimate of total Ukraine dead, at 150,000, is pretty good, but the casualties are much lower, at say 150,000. To put it another way, Ukraines high level of deaths is due in part to not being prepared to accept the level of casualties it is suffering, 2 Douglas Macgregor dismissed the idea that Ukraine would become the ground for an insurgent war. He explained why the terrain and population distribution worked strongly against that. 3 Entirely possible. For instance, Victoria Nulands paternal grandfather was a Russian Jew. .4 To add: the Maidan coup was not in conformity with constitutional processes, for instance, there were too few votes in the legislature for the legal ouster of Yanukovich; the early 1930s Soviet famine did not target Ukraine even though Ukraine did suffer the most. The evolution of my position with the Post dates to 2000, when I began work with The City Paper. In 2008, SouthComm Inc. bought the Post and TCP, with the latter ceasing operations in 2013. In 2018, FW Publishing acquired the Post, for which I have served as managing editor since 2011. Follow William Williams Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today (Natural News) A recent article published in Nature Geoscience revealed that Spanish emergency management officers knew about the magma accumulation underneath the La Palma volcano three and a half months before the eruption, but did not warn people about it. The question now is whether the United States Geological Survey and similar offices around the globe are doing the same thing by hiding critical information and showing only what they wanted the people to see. Officials were lucky in the case of La Palma since the eruption took place in a remote area and claimed only one life that of a 72-year-old man who died after inhaling toxic gases from the volcano. The man was found in November 2021 in the municipality of El Paso in an exclusion zone, a region that was off-limits to the public without expressed permission because of the eruption. Initial reports said the man possibly climbed on the roof of his home to clear volcanic ash when the roof collapsed, but officials said the cause of death could only be determined when autopsy results are released. A Canary Islands court said the autopsy confirmed the man died after inhaling toxic gases. More than three months before the eruption, scientists highlighted a shallow magma accumulation that started in a crustal volume characterized by low density and fractured rocks at a depth of about 2.5 kilometers (1.55 miles) from the surface. Two months before the eruption, vertical fracturing sources started to appear at a depth of about three kilometers (1.86 miles), indicating a brittle crustal response because of a stronger magma ascent. The appearance of these sources of fracturing and tension increases along with seismic activity prior to the eruption. More than 7,000 people evacuated during La Palma volcanic eruption The La Palma volcanic eruption started on September 19, 2021, on the western slope of Cumbre Vieja. It was active for 85 days and caused the evacuation of more than 7,000 people, many of whom lost their homes and livelihoods. It also destroyed roads and basic infrastructure. (Related: Thousands of La Palma residents forced to evacuate after volcanic eruption.) The volcano ejected ash and rivers of lava that swallowed over a thousand homes in La Palma, part of the Canary Islands located outside western Africa. Aside from destroying schools, churches and highways, it smothered the abundant banana plantations that drive the islands economy. The volcano did not have a name before the eruption, but it was popularly called Cumbre Vieja after the name of the surrounding national park. Citizens of the island voted to call it Tajogaite last year, which was the name of the region in the ancient Guanche language. Other long-lasting impacts of the eruption are continuous gas emissions leading to respiratory problems, skin pathologies and mental and anxiety problems among people. The new technique presented in the study can aid in the detection of possible volcanic eruptions. But the most important thing is to spread the information gathered through studies. In the La Palma case, it appears that critical information was hidden from the public. Follow Disaster.news for more news about volcanic eruptions and other natural disasters. Watch the video below showing the lava from the volcanic eruption in La Palma. This video is from the The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: At least 700 tremors recorded off La Palma, Spain: New magma may be rising, warn experts. Volcanic eption triggered worst mass extinction in Earths history study. A single volcanic eruption caused one of the planets most devastating mass extinctions, scientists discover. Underwater volcano eruption caused global dimming that deprived crops of sunlight; more famine and starvation to come. Larger than first believed: Massive tsunami nearly destroys Pacific island nation of Tonga following volcanic eruption equal to 10 megatons of TNT. Sources include: StrangeSounds.org Phys.org (Natural News) Ukraines minister of defense claimed in a recent interview that his country is a de facto member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). In an interview with the BBC, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Ukraine has become an unofficial member of the organization because of the massive arms shipments it has received from NATO members. (Related: Playing with FIRE: US to send Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine.) Ukraine as a country, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine, became [a] member of NATO. De facto, not de jure [by law]. Because we have weaponry, and the understanding of how to use it. Reznikov added that he is certain his country will receive the additional weapons it has been lobbying NATO for months to provide, including tanks and fighter jets, as both Ukraine and Russia are gearing up for new offensives this coming spring as part of a new phase in this protracted conflict. This concern about the next level of escalation, for me, is some kind of protocol, he said. Reznikovs admission essentially confirmed Russian President Vladimir Putins claims right before the beginning of his countrys special military operation that he was trying to prevent NATO from expanding further east. Other Russian figures have been arguing since the beginning of the conflict that the countrys fight is not just with Ukraine but with NATO, as it views the Wests provision of military aid to Ukraine as an act of aggression that will threaten the strength and continued existence of Russia. When asked if he feels concerned about claiming that Ukraine is a de facto member of NATO, Reznikov pushed back by saying neither Russia nor NATO should view his comments as anything out of the ordinary. Why [would it be] controversial? Its true. Its a fact, said Reznikov. Im sure that in the near future, well become a member of NATO, de jure. Official NATO membership unlikely unless Ukraine agrees to peace with Russia Ukraine formally applied for NATO membership in September last year and was immediately recognized by the military alliance as an aspiring member. Formal membership would require the entire military bloc to come to Ukraines aid in defense of its territorial integrity. But it could take years for Ukraine to become an official member, regardless of how many billions of dollars worth of NATO weapons flood into the country. Furthermore, NATO is unlikely to accept Ukraine while it continues to refuse to settle ethnic disputes or external territorial disputes, including irredentist claims through peaceful means, according to the blocs 1995 Enlargement Study, which laid out a set of measures that aspiring members must abide by. This directive is a precautionary measure to prevent newly-inducted NATO members from dragging the entire organization into ongoing conflicts. This means that NATO membership remains unlikely for Ukraine unless it agrees to come to the negotiating table with Russia. Read more stories about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine at WWIII.news. Watch this BBC clip featuring Reznikovs admission that Ukraine is a de facto member of NATO. This video is from the PureTrauma357 channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Autonomous KILLER ROBOTS to dominate battlefield soon as war in Ukraine leads to significant advances in drone technology. Zelensky pressed Biden, Congress for more offensive weapons to provoke Russia into war with NATO. Ukrainian drone strikes deep within Russia could spark a bigger war involving the US. US arms sales to Europe have SKYROCKETED since Ukraine invasion. Russian defense minister warns situation in Ukraine trending towards uncontrolled escalation. Sources include: Breitbart.com BBC.com BusinessInsider.com NATO.int France24.com MarshallCenter.org Brighteon.com (Natural News) How do you trust a government that continuously sidesteps the Constitution and undermines our rights? You cant. (Article by John and Nisha Whitehead republished from Rutherford.org) When you consider all the ways we the people are being bullied, beaten, bamboozled, targeted, tracked, repressed, robbed, impoverished, imprisoned and killed by the government, one can only conclude that you shouldnt trust the government with your privacy, your property, your life, or your freedoms. Consider for yourself. Dont trust the government with your privacy, digital or otherwise. In the two decades since 9/11, the military-security industrial complex has operated under a permanent state of emergency that, in turn, has given rise to a digital prison that grows more confining and inescapable by the day. Wall-to wall surveillance, monitored by AI software and fed to a growing network of fusion centers, render the twin concepts of privacy and anonymity almost void. By conspiring with corporations, the Department of Homeland Security fueled a massive influx of money into surveillance and policing in our cities, under a banner of emergency response and counterterrorism. For instance, all across the country, police are installing Flock Safety license plate readers as part of a public-private partnership program between police and the surveillance industry. These cameras, which upload data in real time to fusion crime centers, signal a turning point in the transition from a police state to a police-driven surveillance state. Dont trust the government with your property. In yet another effort to legitimize warrantless searches, police are employing hit-and-hold tactics in which police enter a home, carry out an initial sweep of the property, handcuff the occupants, then wait for official search warrants to be secured and applied retroactively. In the meantime, police have managed to bypass the Fourth Amendment. The rationale, to prevent possible destruction of evidence, is the same one used to deadly effect with no-knock raids. If government agents can invade your home, break down your doors, kill your dog, damage your furnishings and terrorize your family, your property is no longer private and secureit belongs to the government. Hard-working Americans are having their bank accounts, homes, cars electronics and cash seized by police under the assumption that they have allegedly been associated with some criminal scheme. Dont trust the government with your finances. The U.S. governmentand that includes the current administrationis spending money it doesnt have on programs it cant afford, and we the taxpayers are being forced to foot the bill for the governments fiscal insanity. The national debt is $31.3 trillion and growing, and were paying more than $300 billion in interest every year on that public debt, yet there seems to be no end in sight when it comes to the governments fiscal insanity. According to Forbes, Congress has raised, extended or revised the definition of the debt limit 78 times since 1960 in order to allow the government to essentially fund its existence with a credit card. Dont trust the government with your health. For all intents and purposes, we the people have become lab rats in the governments secret experiments, which include MKULTRA and the U.S. militarys secret race-based testing of mustard gas on more than 60,000 enlisted men. Indeed, you dont have to dig very deep or go very back in the nations history to uncover numerous cases in which the government deliberately conducted secret experiments on an unsuspecting populacecitizens and noncitizens alikemaking healthy people sick by spraying them with chemicals, injecting them with infectious diseases and exposing them to airborne toxins. Unfortunately, the public has become so easily distracted by the political spectacle out of Washington, DC, that they are altogether oblivious to the grisly experiments, barbaric behavior and inhumane conditions that have become synonymous with the U.S. government, which has meted out untold horrors against humans and animals alike. Dont trust the government with your life: At a time when growing numbers of unarmed people have been shot and killed for just standing a certain way, or moving a certain way, or holding somethinganythingthat police could misinterpret to be a gun, or igniting some trigger-centric fear in a police officers mind that has nothing to do with an actual threat to their safety, even the most benign encounters with police can have fatal consequences. The number of Americans killed by police continues to grow, with the majority of those killed as a result of police encounters having been suspected of a non-violent offense or no crime at all, or during a traffic violation. According a report by Mapping Police Violence, police killed more people in 2022 than any other year within the past decade. In 98% of those killings, police were not charged with a crime. Dont trust the government with your freedoms. For years now, the government has been playing a cat-and-mouse game with the American people, letting us enjoy just enough freedom to think we are free but not enough to actually allow us to live as a free people. Freedom no longer means what it once did. This holds true whether youre talking about the right to criticize the government in word or deed, the right to be free from government surveillance, the right to not have your person or your property subjected to warrantless searches by government agents, the right to due process, the right to be safe from militarized police invading your home, the right to be innocent until proven guilty and every other right that once reinforced the founders belief that this would be a government of the people, by the people and for the people. On paper, we may be technically free, but in reality, we are only as free as a government official may allow. Whatever else it may bea danger, a menace, a threatthe U.S. government is certainly not looking out for our best interests, nor is it in any way a friend to freedom. Remember the purpose of a good government is to protect the lives and liberties of its people. Unfortunately, what we have been saddled with is, in almost every regard, the exact opposite of an institution dedicated to protecting the lives and liberties of its people. Read more at: Rutherford.org (Natural News) A nonprofit organization headed by an FBI analyst-turned-Democrat operative & vociferous Russiagater, Daniel Jones, has funded both Fusion GPS the firm that laundered Hillary Clintons funding of the infamous Steele Dossier and a study which found an increase in climate change misinformation on Twitter since Elon Musk bought the company. (Article by Tyler Durden republished from ZeroHedge.com) Jones, a former staffer for Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein (of Chinese spy driver fame), founded Advanced Democracy, through which he shared a study with USA Today which claims that instances of climate fraud, climate hoax, and climate scam jumped over 300% in 2022. As the Daily Caller notes, however, Advance Democracy has also funded groups pushing now-debunked claims involving the 2016 US election, as well as a group which pushed a disinformation campaign in the 2017 Alabama special Senate election. The non-profit in 2020 paid $140,000 to Bean LLC, the parent company of Fusion GPS, for research consulting services. Fusion GPS was hired by Perkins Coie, a Democrat-linked law firm retained by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee, to conduct opposition research on the Trump campaign between April 2016 and October 2016; Fusion GPS commissioned Christopher Steele to produce a now-discredited opposition research report on the Trump campaign, according to public tax filings. Many of the Steele dossiers allegations have been subsequently debunked and proven false. Advance Democracy has previously funded Fusions parent company to the tune of $6,051,251 as of 2020, according to the Washington Examiners review of earlier tax filings. Additionally, Advance Democracy paid $540,000 to the research firm Yonder, according to public tax filings; Yonder was previously known as New Knowledge, the Daily Caller News Foundation previously reported. New Knowledge CEO Jonathon Morgan reportedly participated in a disinformation operation during the 2017 Alabama special Senate election between Doug Jones and Roy Moore, ostensibly to study how Russian disinformation campaigns during the 2016 election operated, according to The New York Times. -Daily Caller We orchestrated an elaborate false flag operation that planted the idea that the Moore campaign was amplified on social media by a Russian botnet, read an internal report, according to the NY Times. Jones group has also provided reports on online misinformation and disinformation to sites such as Politico and The Washington Post to push narratives involving election misinformation and threats to democracy. Read more at: ZeroHedge.com (Natural News) Author Richard Proctor told Doug Hagmann that the international banking establishment is controlling the lives of people through money. He made this assertion during the Jan. 11 episode of The Hagmann Report. Proctor, also the founder and CEO the Provis Institute of Political Economics, explained that banks make a profit every time a person takes out a loan or signs a credit card. He elaborated: Every dime you do on a credit card, the bank keeps as profit. Every dime you sent when you pay for a car or a home or anything, the bank keeps the credit all as profit. They keep it all. These banks also send the extra money to the Federal Reserve, which then remits the amount to the globalist owners such as George Soros, Bill Gates and the Rothschild and Rockefeller families. They then use the money remitted by the Fed to do what they want. In the U.S., this money is spent to buy American politicians both at the state and federal levels. (Related: Paul McGuire: Marxist and communist revolutionaries are bankrolled by international banking families.) According to Proctor, everything is controlled by the banking establishment behind the scenes including the politicians. Thus, he remarked that Americans are not really represented by its government since the people they elected to serve as their voice are being paid by the system. Banks make a profit when Washington borrows from the Fed Proctor told Hagmann that every time the federal government in Washington, D.C. borrows money from the Fed, the banks make a profit as the amount is put through the banking system. The government is also able to give this money to Americans by means of checks issued by the same banks. When a person takes out a loan for any amount, the banks pay with a check they have in their capital investment program. The banks capitalize all the payments made every month to obtain capital gains, Proctor added. Its all profit. Its all money they can do with what they want and thats banking today, right now. He added that public citizens banks controlled by the Federal Reserve via the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) are not really public citizens banks. According to Proctor, the FDIC is not insurance but a risk since the Federal Reserve needs to use its money. Thus, Americans must not think their money is protected because it is not really protected. Proctor also talked about the concept of the bank owning itself with Hagmann. He said investors who provided the capital have shares and ownership in the bank aside from receiving the dividends and profits. The caveat in all the shares that were bought, however, is that the bank can and will buy them back whenever they want. According to Proctor, every corporation can buy all of its stock back and be completely owned by itself. Proctor said a bank can do it because there is enough money to do it and the profit goes to the state that authorized the bank. He added the state has an auditor who makes sure the bank is following proper banking rules. The state does not own the bank since it is not state-chartered, but the bank is state-authorized, he explained. Follow MoneySupply.News for more news about international banks. Watch the full segment of The Hagmann Report with Richard Proctor below. This video is from the Hagmann Report channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Central banks are the main source of instability in the world and their collapse is NECESSARY. Gregory Mannarino: Central banks are about to issue even more debt to make society more dependent on them. Bank failures coming: Raft of federally insured banks compromised by unwise over-investment in failing cryptocurrencies and exchanges. The next Great Depression begins: Bank run in China being ignored by Western media could be precursor to massive economic collapse. Central banks continue adding gold to their net holdings as fears rise of a global collapse. Sources include: Brighteon.com CaravanToMidnight.com (Natural News) A Member of Parliament (MP) in the U.K. was suspended and put under investigation for merely posting an article about the dangers of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines, which was backed by actual data. North West Leicestershire MP Andrew Bridgen of the Conservative Party, also known as the Tory Party, was punished with a suspension from sitting in the House of Commons as a member. Under the suspension, Bridgen will serve without a party affiliation essentially rendering him independent until a formal investigation is completed. The Tory MPs suspension stemmed from his Jan. 11 tweet, which included a Jan. 9 article from ZeroHedge. The piece, written by professor Joshua Guetzkow of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, detailed how COVID-19 vaccines are far more dangerous than previously reported, based on more than 700 safety signals. Guetzkow also added statistics from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System operated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to back up his claims. A safety signal does not necessarily mean there is a problem, or that the vaccine caused the adverse event, he explained in the article. But it is supposed to set off alarm bells to prompt closer inspection. How can the CDC say that these safety signals are meaningless if almost none of them have been studied any further? And yet we are assured that these vaccines have undergone the most intensive safety monitoring effort in history? Its complete and utter hogwash. Bridgen then tweeted the article on Jan. 11 with this caption: As one consultant cardiologist said to me, this is the biggest crime against humanity since the Holocaust. (Related: MP Christopher Chope urges British government to support individuals suffering from COVID vaccine injuries.) The Jan. 11 tweet that caused his suspension came amid the MPs earlier tweets that exposed the dangers of COVID-19 vaccines. Fellow Tories denounce Bridgen, others defend him Former British Health Secretary Matt Hancock blasted Bridgens deeply offensive tweet. Incidentally, the MP for West Suffolk had also been slapped with the same sanction as Bridgen in November 2022, being prohibited from sitting in the House of Commons as a Tory. The disgusting and dangerous, antisemitic, [anti-vaccine and] anti-scientific conspiracy theories spouted by a sitting MP are unacceptable and have absolutely no place in our society, Hancock wrote. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, also a Tory, agreed with the former health secretary. Sunak condemned Bridgens unacceptable language and pledged to eradicate the scourge of antisemitism. But several conservative figures took to Twitter to side with Bridgen. Avi Yemini of Rebel News issued a challenge to both Sunak and Hancock to point out what exactly is antisemitic about [Bridgens] statement. He continued: Stop pretending to care about [the] Jewish community in your cheap political point-scoring. Andrew Bridgen is right. Meanwhile, cardiologist Dr. Assem Malhotra replied to Hancock in a tweet: With the greatest respect, Matt, theres no conspiracy theory here. Its the product of a system failure of which we are all victims the corporate capture of public health. Conservative commentator Dominique Samuels also sided with Brigden in two tweets. Bridgen has had the whip removed over telling the truth about the COVID-19 vaccine. His statements are backed up by the opinions of eminent scientists, she wrote. Samuels also pointed out that the British government, which doesnt give a damn, is on the side of Big Pharma and the globalist World Economic Forum. As usual, the mob [is] deciding to focus on one specific tweet because they cant get him on the facts. Watch Andrew Bridgen criticize the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in the House of Commons below. This video is from the Perfect Society channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: British MP: Scale of COVID vaccine damage a NIGHTMARE. Australian MP says unvaccinated people need to be controlled and restricted. British government faces police investigation over covid vaccine safety violations. Former Australian MP warns 75% of COVID-19 vaccinated women are experiencing miscarriages. MEDICAL TYRANNY: Police question Australian doctor who wrote MP letters about COVID-19 vaccine concerns. Sources include: NewsWars.com ZeroHedge.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) Pfizer targeted Nigerias federal attorney general (AG) in 2009, pressuring him to cease legal action and drop any complaints in relation to the companys disastrous trials of its meningitis drug Trovan. Back in 1996, amid an outbreak of meningitis in the northern Nigerian state of Kano, Pfizer conducted an unauthorized trial of Trovan involving 200 children. Eleven children died, while many more suffered serious injuries. It was later discovered that the trial was done without the consent of the childrens parents. The Nigerian federal government then filed a criminal and civil lawsuit against Pfizer, demanding $7 billion in damages. Separately, the state government of Kano filed a $2 billion lawsuit. Both lawsuits were dropped and eventually settled out of court, with the state government of Kano agreeing to a $75 million settlement with the drug manufacturer. (Related: NEVER FORGET: Pfizer sued for $7B over illegal drug trials on kids.) But an April 2009 cable published by WikiLeaks revealed that Enrico Liggeri, Pfizers country manager for Nigeria, admitted that the company did not want to pay to settle the two lawsuits filed by Abuja. For the Kano lawsuits, however, the company came to the conclusion that the $75 million figure was reasonable because the suits had been ongoing for many years [and had been] costing Pfizer more than $15 million a year in legal and investigative fees. The same cable stated that according to Liggeri, Pfizer had hired investigators to uncover corruption links to then-Federal AG Michael Aondoakaa to expose him and put pressure on him to drop the federal cases. The top Pfizer official continued that investigators hired by the company were passing this information to local media. A series of damaging articles detailing Aondokaas alleged corruption ties were published in February and March, the WikiLeaks cable indicated. Liggeri contended that Pfizer had much more damaging information on Aondoakaa and that [the federal AGs] cronies were pressuring him to drop the suit for fear of further negative articles. Aondoakaa accused of dropping federal lawsuits against Pfizer The two lawsuits being dropped raised suspicions in the West African nation, given that Aondoakaa served as the legal counsel for the federal government. In November 2010, Nigerian newspaper Next ran a story about the federal AGs supposed secret deal with Pfizer. The piece stated that the terms of the agreement that caused Abuja to drop its two lawsuits remain unknown because of the nature of [the] deal brokered by Aondoakaa. It continued: The withdrawal of the case, as well as the terms of settlement, is a highly guarded secret by the parties involved in the negotiation. Meanwhile, the WikiLeaks cable referenced an April 2 meeting between Leggeri, Pfizer lawyers Joe Petrosinelli and Atiba Adams and officials at the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria. During the meeting, the two attorneys mentioned the role of Gen. Yakubu Gowon the former Nigerian head of state from 1966 to 1975 in interceding on Pfizers behalf. Petroselli noted that Pfizer has worked closely with Gowon, and that he has played a positive mediation role with Kano state and the federal government. Gowon spoke with Kano Gov. Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, who directed the Kano AG to reduce the settlement demand from $150 million to $75 million. Adams reported that Gowon met with President [Umaru Musa] YarAdua and convinced him to drop the two federal high court cases against Pfizer, the WikiLeaks cable stated. Aondoakaa, formerly the countrys justice minister from 2007 until 2010, expressed astonishment at the WikiLeaks cable claims. Im very surprised to see I became a subject, which is very shocking to me, he told the Guardian. I was not aware of Pfizer looking into my past. For them to have done that is a very serious thing. Pfizer denied the accusations in a statement, claiming that any notion that the company hired investigators in connection to the former AG is simply preposterous. It added that it negotiated the settlement with the federal government of Nigeria in good faith, and its conduct in reaching that agreement was proper. Visit BigPharmaNews.com for more about Pfizers corruption. Watch this video that explains how Pfizer targeted former Nigerian Federal AG Michael Aondoakaa. This video is from the SILVIEW.media channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Pfizer to Pay Tens of Millions for Deaths of Nigerian Children in Drug Trial Experiment. Pfizer has a shockingly long history of engaging in illegal activities and human experimentation. THREAD #PfizerFiles the true history of Pfizers repeated criminal behavior and destruction of human lives. NEVER FORGET: In 1994, Pfizer paid $20 million after LYING about defective heart valve that killed hundreds. Pfizer, which ran vaccine experiments on Nigerian children, gets fast track approval for its coronavirus vaccines by the FDA. Sources include: Reuters.com TheGuardian.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) New research published in the peer-reviewed journal Circulation shows that adolescents and young adults who get vaccinated for covid suffer a massive spike protein invasion that often leads to a heart attack. Researchers from Harvard Medical School looked at a cohort of children who were hospitalized at either Massachusetts General Hospital or Boston Childrens Hospital between January 2021 and February 2022 due to their having developed post-injection myocarditis. The research team found that the subjects had markedly elevated levels of full-length spike protein in their blood that was unbounded by antibodies. A publication of the American Heart Association (AHA), Circulation published this damning research on January 4 of this year, adding to a growing body of evidence linking covid injections to heart destruction. The control group in the study, which was described as healthy, asymptomatic, age-matched vaccinated control subjects meaning vaccinated with other vaccines but not covid vaccines showed no signs of free-floating spike antigens, despite essentially indistinguishable antibody profiling and T-cell responses between the two groups. In other words, covid injections are uniquely damaging to the heart, triggering an inflammatory response so severe that associated spike proteins outsmart the antibodies and flood the bloodstream. (Related: Remember when the AMA tried to blame cannabis legalization for the massive increase in heart disease?) Immunoprofiling of vaccinated adolescents and young adults revealed that the mRNA vaccineinduced immune responses did not differ between individuals who developed myocarditis and individuals who did not, the researchers explained. However, free spike antigen was detected in the blood of adolescents and young adults who developed post-mRNA vaccine myocarditis, advancing insight into its potential underlying cause. Simply put, covid injections destroy the human heart and cardiovascular system The findings corroborate the decision made by Florida State Health Officer and Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo, MD, back in the fall to recommend that healthy adults not take any mRNA (messenger RNA) injections. Ladapo and his team informed the public that, following an analysis involving a self-controlled case series, described as a technique originally developed to evaluate vaccine safety, it was determined that covid shots are unsafe for the heart. This analysis found that there is an 84% increase in the relative incidence of cardiac-related death among males 18-39 years old within 28 days following mRNA vaccination, the announcement from Ladapo explains. With a high level of global immunity to COVID-19, the benefit of vaccination is likely outweighed by this abnormally high risk of cardiac-related death among men in this age group. Non-mRNA vaccines were not found to have these increased risks. Those with preexisting heart issues such as myocarditis and pericarditis are especially advised to forego the injection(s) unless, of course, they want to risk sudden death. So far, there have been at least 270 professional athletes who have suffered heart-related issues after getting vaccinated for the Fauci Flu. This was confirmed in a peer-reviewed letter authored by structural biologist Panagis Polykretis and cardiologist Dr. Peter McCullough, and published in the Scandinavian Journal of Immunology. Im surprised that this cabal organization is telling the truth, wrote a commenter about the AHAs involvement in publishing such a study, which completely destroys the safe and effective narrative surrounding covid injections. There are tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of individuals who have helped spin the health narrative, the shot, and they will never, ever, undo their lies, only perpetuate more lies! wrote another about the many other organizations that are still aggressively promoting these death jabs. They cant undo this without themselves becoming hunted criminals. To learn more about why you and your family should avoid getting vaccinated, visit Vaccines.news. Sources for this article include: AHAJournals.org Newspunch.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) Just days after Tesla announced significant price cuts on its electric vehicles, the company announced a big investment in its Gigafactory in Austin, Texas. The automaker has unveiled a $775.7 million plan that will see four new buildings being constructed at the site, where it currently produces electric vehicles and their batteries. The new facilities will include one for cathode and drive unit manufacturing, a die shop, and battery cell testing and manufacturing. According to filings made by the company with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, the construction will amount to 1.4 million square feet overall. The biggest building will be a 693,000-square-foot facility known as Cell 1, which is being built at an expected cost of $368 million. Construction is set to get underway next week and should be finished by the end of next year. The facility for drive units will measure 423,000 square feet, while the cathode manufacturing facility will be 321,000 square feet and the cell testing lab will be 2560 square feet. The Gigafactory was opened last April in Austin and is currently responsible for producing the companys Model Y electric vehicle. Tesla has also announced that it will start making Model 3 vehicles as well as its Cybertruck at the facility. In the future, they will also reportedly build their humanoid robot, the Tesla Bot, at the site. The news comes not long after it was reported that the company had promoted its China production chief, Tom Zhu, to be in charge of their American assembly plants. In addition to the Texas plant, Tesla also has manufacturing facilities in California, Germany, China and Nevada and is reportedly planning to open up a new factory in Mexico. Investment comes after price cuts that angered some customers The news of this huge investment comes at a time when Tesla has cut its prices by up to 20 percent throughout the U.S. and Europe in hopes of boosting demand for electric vehicles as the company deals with an economic slowdown as well as strong competition from more established competitors. These cuts have brought prices to their lowest level in two years. The company says that dropping supply chain costs and reduced costs arising from shifting components closer to their factories are behind the move. Just a few days ago, the brand implemented price reductions in China, prompting complaints from customers who had already pre-ordered their cars at higher prices or saw their vehicles lose a considerable amount of value essentially overnight. Some angry customers even protested the price cuts outside of Chinese showrooms. Tesla appears to have learned from the reaction in China, as the company has said that it will pass the price cuts along to customers in Europe who have already placed orders for vehicles. The price savings for American customers amount to as much as $13,000 across their model range. Meanwhile, shares of Tesla have dropped more than two thirds in the last year in response to concerns over slowing demand at a time when rivals such as Hyundai and Volkswagen have been enjoying impressive jumps in electric vehicle sales. Wedbush Analyst Dan Ives said the cuts were the right medicine at the right time. He added: Its no secret that demand for Tesla is starting to see some cracks in this global slowdown for 2023. He believes the cuts are an offensive move on Teslas part that could ultimately lead to greater demand. Sources for this article include: FreightWaves.com FT.com (Natural News) A new installment of the Twitter Files series indicates that even as Democrats were claiming in public that pushback against the Russiagate probe was coming out of Russia, Twitter was telling them something different. (Article by Jack Davis republished from WesternJournal.com) Allegations that the 2016 campaign of former President Donald Trump was in some form colluding with Russia have long been discredited. However, from 2017 through the spring of 2019, when the Mueller Report pulverized the claims, these allegations were a long-running subplot in American politics that at times overshadowed the Trump administration. Called The Russiagate Lies this installment goes into exhaustive detail about Twitters effort to find a Russia connection to support Democratic claims that anything not condemning Trump was being put forward by Russian interests. The Russian bot claim was always a lie. Twitter knew it. Democrat politicians knew it. But they pushed it anyways. Enemies of the people. All of them.https://t.co/sXn9KJXS9a Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 12, 2023 If you give a mouse a cookie @ElonMusk @Twitter files highlight ever-increasing and dishonest Democratic demands to suppress questions about their abuse of Trump. #RussiaGate https://t.co/MFVdPjR8Kr Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) January 12, 2023 Journalist Matt Taibbi summed up the issue by writing, at a crucial moment in a years-long furor, Democrats denounced a report about flaws in the Trump-Russia investigation, saying it was boosted by Russian bots and trolls. Twitter officials were aghast, finding no evidence of Russian influence, he wrote, adding that Twitter warned politicians and media [they] not only lacked evidence but had evidence the accounts werent Russian and were roundly ignored. https://t.co/0PUOm212iv a crucial moment in a years-long furor, Democrats denounced a report about flaws in the Trump-Russia investigation, saying it was boosted by Russian bots and trolls. Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) January 12, 2023 4.Twitter warned politicians and media the not only lacked evidence, but had evidence the accounts werent Russian and were roundly ignored. Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) January 12, 2023 The files show Twitter tried to warn Democrats including Rep. Adam Schiff of California and Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. But Schiff and Feinstein instead went public with the specter of Russian influence operations. Blumenthal wrote, We find it reprehensible that Russian agents have so eagerly manipulated innocent Americans, Taibbi wrote. In the meantime, and long before the American public was certain whom to believe, Twitter drilled down to find that a common source was linked to many claims, and there was not a lot of detail about where its information came from, to the extent that a Twitter executive calls the rush to judgment a comms play. 14.I encourage you to be skeptical of Hamilton 68s take on this, which as far as I can tell is the only source for these stories, said Global Policy Communications Chief (and future WH and NSC spokesperson) Emily Horne. She added: Its a comms play for ASD. pic.twitter.com/PZRZC51K7f Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) January 12, 2023 The files make it clear that Twitter did try to tell Democrats including Blumenthal that they were wrong. However, rather than go public that the claims being cited were wrong, Twitter kept silent. https://t.co/eOqNK7yE15 the story, if you give a mouse a cookie, hell want a glass of milk, which will lead to a wave of other exhausting requests, at the end of which hell want a glass of milk. And one more cookie. pic.twitter.com/ySlFfzGt1y Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) January 12, 2023 21.Added another: It might be worth nudging Blumenthals staffer that it could be in his boss best interest not to go out there because it could come back to make him look silly. pic.twitter.com/tP6VZF0PPC Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) January 12, 2023 30.Despite universal internal conviction that there were no Russians in the story, Twitter went on to follow a slavish pattern of not challenging Russia claims on the record. Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) January 12, 2023 https://t.co/OlWGsft3ut a result, reporters from the AP to Politico to NBC to Rolling Stone continued to hammer the Russian bots theme, despite a total lack of evidence. pic.twitter.com/4oPFHjJ4Rh Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) January 12, 2023 Despite universal internal conviction that there were no Russians in the story, Twitter went on to follow a slavish pattern of not challenging Russia claims on the record, Taibbi wrote, later adding, As a result, reporters from the AP to Politico to NBC to Rolling Stone continued to hammer the Russian bots theme, despite a total lack of evidence. At the end of the tangled tale, Taibii summed up his opinion of the scandal that was hollow from the start. The Russiagate scandal was built on the craven dishonesty of politicians and reporters, who for years ignored the absence of data to fictional scare headlines, he wrote. Read more at: WesternJournal.com (Natural News) Joe Bidens administration is continuing its war on the Second Amendment and lawful gun owners even as members of his party continue to adopt soft-on-crime policies that have turned large sections of major cities into shooting galleries, putting decent people more at risk. Most recently, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives implemented a new rule banning so-called pistol stabilizing devices which they claim transform short-barreled semi-automatic pistols into rifles without changing anything else about the gun itself (like rate of fire, for instance). The new rule (ATF final rule 2021R-08F) was published on the ATFs website today and is set to be posted on the Federal Register on Monday, one day before the industrys largest trade show, SHOT Show, Ammoland reported late last week. The regulation will affect millions of Americans that currently own pistol stabilizing devices. What has been considered pistols for years will now be regarded as short barreled rifles (SBR) and be subjected to the National Firearms Act. The proposed rule used a form known as Worksheet 4999 to determine if a firearm equipped with a pistol brace would be considered an SBR by using a point system. The ATF ditched the form in favor of a widespread declaration that almost every pistol equipped with a brace of any kind would be considered an SBR, the outlet continued. The final rule says: Worksheet 4999 was intended to ensure uniform consideration and application of the statutory definition of those terms. Based on the comments received, the Department agrees that the proposed Worksheet 4999 and point system did not achieve these intended purposes. Under the rule, any gun that is designed or redesigned, made or remade, and is intended to be fired from the shoulder will be considered an SBR. The designation now includes any device including the stabilizing braces which the agency has to assume was installed by the owner to shoulder-fire the weapon. In addition, if a firearm simply has the surface area that may allow it to be fired from the shoulder, the ATF could consider it an SBR if it has a length or a weight that is consistent among rifles. Whether the surface area that allows the weapon to be fired from the shoulder is created by a buffer tube, receiver extension, or any other accessory, component, or other rearward attachment that is necessary for the cycle of operations, says the rule. Meanwhile, a rule put into place by the Trump administration has just been soundly rejected by a federal appeals court, and not by a little but by a lot. During the previous administration and after a madman used rifles equipped with bump stocks to massacre nearly 60 people attending an outdoor concert in Las Vegas on Oct. 1, 2017, then-President Donald Trump, responding to a tidal wave of public pressure, acquiesced to the gun control left and ordered his Justice Department to pronounce the stocks verboten. Suddenly, millions of Americans who owned the pieces of equipment, which are used to create the appearance and function of a fully automatic weapon, were in violation of the law. But as is most often the case, one of those owners who did nothing wrong on Oct. 1, 2017, filed a lawsuit alleging that the previous administration mischaracterized the bump stock and thus, under the guise of current federal law, had no authority to issue the ban. And now, a federal appeals court has agreed overwhelmingly. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit handed down a 13-3 decision Friday striking down the regulatory gun control that banned bump stocks under former President Donald Trump, reported Breitbart News last week. In its ruling, the court intimated that actions on guns should be taken by Congress rather than the executive branch, the outlet added. With all the problems our country has under the current regime, why is it so focused on attacking a fundamental constitutional guarantee? Sources include: Ammoland.com Breitbart.com (Natural News) A two-year-old girl who was injected with both the vaccines for influenza and the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) died the following day. According to the Gateway Pundit (GP), the child from New Hampshire was injected with the two shots on Dec. 15, 2022. She received one dose of Modernas mRNA COVID-19 vaccine and another dose of the Flulaval quadrivalent vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline. The girl died the following day, Dec. 16, 2022, without being hospitalized. Her death was reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) on Dec. 19, 2022 three days after her passing. An online obituary published by Brookside Chapel & Funeral Home in Plaistow, New Hampshire matches the details posted on the VAERS website. This was later taken down. GP reached out to the girls parents earlier in January via their Facebook accounts, but received no response. As of writing, the accounts of both are no longer searchable. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), giving the flu vaccine alongside another vaccine called co-administration is a common clinical practice. It stated that both vaccines for the flu and COVID-19 can be given at the same visit if one is due for them. Studies conducted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic indicate that it is safe to get both a flu vaccine and a COVID-19 vaccine at the same visit, the public health agency argued. The CDC cited a study showing that people who get the flu shot and a COVID-19 booster in one go are eight to 11 percent more likely to experience immediate reactions such as fatigue, headache and muscle pain than those who got a COVID-19 booster alone. USSA News remarked about the childs untimely death due to the vaccines. This incident raises serious concerns about the safety of vaccinating such young children and the potential risks associated with administering multiple vaccines at ones, it said. The outlet also pointed out that the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration have yet to release a statement on the matter, and it is unclear if any further investigation into the childs death will be conducted. (Related: COVID vaccines killing more children than the virus, but the government does not care.) Died suddenly: Other kids also passed away after getting COVID shots The two-year-old girl from New Hampshire is not the only one who has fallen victim to the COVID-19 vaccine ever since it was authorized for children and teenagers. Back in June 2021, 13-year-old Jacob Clynick of Michigan died in his sleep three days after being injected with the second dose of Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine. He was vaccinated on June 13, 2021 and experienced a stomachache two days later. Clynick slept that night, but did not wake up the following morning. He passed away in the middle of the night at home, said Tammy Burages, Clynicks aunt. She added that her nephew was very healthy and had no known underlying medical conditions. Later, 18-year-old Kayla Rose Lumpkins of Texas received her COVID-19 booster dose on Sept. 8, 2022. She had previously received two standard doses, and got a third one for good measure. Kayla Rose went to bed happy on that day, but did not wake up the morning after. I found her dead in her bed the next morning, her mother Renee said. According to Renee, her child was physically healthy until she received her booster shot. Head over to VaccineDeaths.com for more stories about children dying due to vaccines. Watch this video of a mother, whose daughter died five hours after getting vaccinated, warning against the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. This video is from the Watchmen Incorporated channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: More children die from the COVID shot than from COVID. Teen girl dies hours after receiving second Pfizer COVID vaccine. Healthy teen dies in her sleep after getting COVID-19 booster shot. COVID-19 vaccines linked to sudden deaths, warns Dr. Peter McCullough. 13-year-old dies in his sleep three days after receiving second dose of Pfizer vaccine. Sources include: TheGatewayPundit.com CDC.gov USSANews.com DailyMail.co.uk NewsPunch.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) In the truly free society that our founding fathers envisioned, the central government was relatively weak in terms of day-to-day governance, responsible for macro things like national defense, border security, delivering the mail, and ensuring that the countrys institutions were protected. But fast-forward a couple of hundred years, and todays federal government has become every bit the tyrannical leviathan that our founders feared, thanks in large part to a combination of voter apathy and self-appropriation of power. How else, then, could government engage in what amounts to daily psychological warfare against the American people and get away with it, were it not for alliances with certain corporate and government entities? Thanks to billionaire Elon Musk, we now know just how pervasive the governments efforts were to merge with big tech companies in order to a) push misinformation under the guise of combatting misinformation; b) have counternarratives (a.k.a. the truth) suppressed; and c) have pesky spreaders of counternarratives (a.k.a. real journalists) banned from platforms, thereby denying them their voice. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security were especially involved, as was the CIA. Now, however, we learn that the effort to continue subverting the American people is ongoing and widening, as WorldNetDaily reports: Joe Bidens director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines, has confirmed the White House has worked hard to debunk what it believes to be disinformation and false narratives. And the recommendation to her from a leading British intelligence officer is that to do more, the government, and tech companies, should pre-bunk that disinformation so that people come to believe that government-backed narratives can be trusted. A report at Warroom.org explained it was a stunning admission that came during a conversation involving Jeremy Fleming, chief of the Government Communications Headquarters in the United Kingdom, and Haines on BBC Radio 4. Fleming recommended that intelligence agencies ought to be in the business of preemptively destroying certain narratives which is literally no different than what those same agencies do in other countries in attempts to undermine and topple their governments. Haines discussed how the White House has been influencing the information landscape about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war under the pretense of minimizing the spread of disinformation.' She explained, about the Russian agenda, We saw that they were looking to create a pretext for the invasion and we wanted to sort of debunk that and help people understand that this was a false narrative. We were able to have an impact in a sense on the conversation about this. Continuing, she elaborated, So we recognize that we were able to have impact in countering disinformation but that there were limits on what we were able to do and that we needed to understand that in order to really understand how we can counter this moving forward. The report went on to say that Fleming insisted bluntly that intelligence agencies should deploy information in a manner to pre-bunk other information governments do not want their people to see or accept. Youve put a lot of effort into getting secret intelligence, but I always think its no point collecting it unless you use it. The sea change weve seen during this conflict of getting the intelligence out there and using it to pre bunk,' Fleming explained, while encouraging collusion between government agencies and private big tech companies in order to shape narratives (i.e. create lies and false narratives). It cant just be government and intelligence voices out there. There have got to be other voices. One of the critical things from this conflict has been the way the private sector has played a part. Big Tech, he said, must be part of the equation. Our democratic governments and institutions now lie to us just like the tyrannical governments we are told to hate. Sources include: WND.com Propaganda.news (Natural News) The same guy behind the infamous Steel Dossier that was released during Hillary Clintons second failed attempt at capturing the White House is also behind a new study claiming that climate change misinformation has ramped up on Twitter ever since billionaire electric vehicle (EV) guru Elon Musk took over the company. Daniel Jones, a former FBI analyst who became a Democrat operative and Russiagate promoter, is the founder of an organization called Advance Democracy that recently published a study via USA Today claiming that the rate of climate fraud, climate hoax, and climate scam content jumped 300 percent on Twitter in 2022 as a result of Musks takeover. A former staffer for Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein of China spy driver fame, Jones and his Advance Democracy group paid $140,000 in 2020 to Bean LLC, the parent company of Fusion GPS, for research consulting services. You may recall that Fusion GPS used that money to conduct opposition research on the Trump campaign between April 2016 and October 2016. Public tax filings show that after being hired by Perkins Coie, a Democrat-linked law firm retained by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Fusion GPS produced the now-discredited Steele Dossier, which the Clinton campaign had hoped would derail the Trump campaign and help her win it, of course, did not. Previously, Advance Democracy had given Bean LLC more than $6 million to conduct other hits. The Jones-led group also spent $540,000 at a research firm called Yonder to spread disinformation during the 2017 Alabama special Senate election between Doug Jones and Roy Moore. We orchestrated an elaborate false flag operation that planted the idea that the Moore campaign was amplified on social media by a Russian botnet, an internal report from Advance Democracy reads, according to The New York Times. (Related: Check out this complete timeline of deep state collusion and treason against Trump.) Democrats dont want you talking about election fraud or their climate hoax It turns out that a driving force behind the Russia, Russia, Russia! talk that was blared at us throughout 2016 and 2017 stemmed from Jones and his work. And now the guy is spearheading a crusade against climate misinformation on social media because apparently this is also part of the same leftist agenda. Already, Jones and his group have published several reports about online misinformation and disinformation that have been published by the likes of Politico and The Washington Post to push the narrative that even just talking about election fraud and the various holes in climate mythology somehow constitutes threats to democracy even though the United States is a constitutional republic, just to clarify. It is safe to say that anything this little clown says is a lie, and anything his scam factory is involved in is a fraud, wrote a commenter about Jones and his work. What a lot of the climate change folks dont seem to understand is that the biggest influencer of our climate is the sun itself, suggested another. Its absolutely of no use to try to stop it. Others joked that the same Democrats who are whining about free speech on Twitter today were the same ones telling Republicans to leave Twitter and start their own social media network back in 2021 pre-Musk if they did not like the direction the platform was taking then. To illustrate this point, one of them wrote about the hypocrisy: 2021: Its a private tech company and they can publish or censor as they see fit. If you dont like it, go get your own social media site. 2023: How dare you! More stories like this one concerning the social media wars can be found at Censorship.news. Sources for this article include: ZeroHedge.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) For a limited time, junk food connoisseurs can purchase all-female M&Ms in three colors: green and brown, which represent lesbians and LGBT, and purple, which represents obesity. Todays women apparently come in just two flavors, according to Mars, Inc.: gay and fat. The purple M&Ms in the new female-only candy bags come in a larger size to represent body positivity, while the green and brown ones are meant to depict a same-sex female couple. Straight, thin women are not represented in the new all-female M&Ms candy bags because these kinds of women are not considered to be a cultural success. The three-colored female M&Ms do, however, come with a flipped upside-down logo to represent how todays women are flipping how they define success, according to a press release. (Related: Remember in 2006 when a Chicago-based M&Ms candy factory had to be shut down due to an infestation of mice and cockroaches?) Mars makes M&Ms mascots fatter and uglier to embrace a more modern take on how people look these days The new M&Ms come as promised amid a woke transformation at Mars, which is pushing the limits on how inclusive it can be. Earlier in 2022, the company also announced alterations to its mascots to reflect the more dynamic, progressive world that we live in. The refreshed M&Ms brand, as the company called it, will include a more modern take on the looks of our beloved characters to make them fatter, uglier, and less pleasing to the eyes. In 2017, the year Donald Trump was elected president of the United States, Mars also announced a billion-dollar spending initiative to reduce the companys carbon footprint. Women all over the world are flipping how they define success and happiness while challenging the status quo, so were thrilled to be able to recognize and celebrate them, announced Mars Wrigley North American chief marketing officer Gabrielle Wesley about the new obese lesbian M&Ms branding. And who better to help us on that mission than our own powerhouse spokescandies Green, Brown and Purple? For every package of obese lesbian M&Ms that are purchased in the North American market, Mars will reportedly donate $1, up to $500,000, to two nonprofit organizations that support women in the music industry: She Is the Music and We Are Moving the Needle.' Mars also plans to donate another $300,000 to other female-only nonprofits that are flipping the status quo. Jane Hwang, global vice president at Mars Wrigley, added in her own statement that these new spokescandy M&Ms have so much about them that people can relate to and appreciate. One thing Hwang pointed out as an example is the fat lesbian M&Ms willingness to embrace her true self. Our new character reminds us to celebrate what makes us unique, Hwang added. In the comments, someone wrote that none of this is dynamic or progressive as Mars claims, but rather it is more woke and misled. Glad this story was shared, this person added. Now I know what not to buy! Another wrote that when even candy goes woke, it is a sign of just how bad things have become. It reminds me to be exclusive, this person added. I am excluding M&Ms from my grocery list. It turns out that M&Ms are among the least-healthy candies on the American market, emphasized another. Between the petroleum-based food colorings to the preservatives to the genetically modified (GMO) oils and beet sugar, M&Ms are not worth your time. Though more expensive, these smaller brands (Ghirardelli and your local chocolatiers, as well as practically all European brands) have a much better taste and texture, this individual further wrote. More stories like this one can be found at Wokies.news. Sources for this article include: FoxNews.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) For the past six years, BioNTech, with the help of Bayer, has been working on novel, first-in-class messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines and other therapeutics for animals. And according to Dr. Robert Malone, they are just about ready for public release. More than four years prior to the appearance of covid, these two drug companies had begun developing mRNA therapeutics for livestock and even companion animals though there is no publicly available clinical trial data for these new drugs. For whatever reason, the only available information includes press releases, conference notes, grant and contract notifications from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the occasional peer-reviewed paper, as Dr. Malone writes, and other tidbits. (Related: An Australian study already found that mRNA injections are deadly to livestock, having caused 18 percent of them to die immediately in tests.) None of this, he says, is adequate, nor is it transparent. By law, Big Pharma has an obligation to release clinical trial data, especially when American tax dollars are used to fund the research behind them. Malone was able to piece together the information that is available to present a clearer outline of what is really going on at the current time. In essence, everyone who consumes commercially produced meat could soon be exposed to mRNA poisons on their dinner plate. Bayers mRNA manufacturing facilities were also used to manufacture covid vaccines There are three mRNA therapy platforms that BioNTech-Bayer has been working on for animals: infectious disease vaccines, cancer immunotherapies, and protein replacement. We also know that while this research has been taking place for the past six-plus years, Bayer lent out its mRNA vaccine manufacturing facilities for use in the production covid vaccines for humans. Since the globalists view the general public as human cattle, it is only fitting that mRNA technologies designed for animals were also developed for the human herd under Operation Warp Speed. Merck & Co., which played a minimal role in the covid scamdemic, has been quietly manufacturing and selling mRNA vaccines for swine, Malone also found. For whatever reason, they are selling these products as customized prescription vaccines against strains of influenza A virus in swine, porcine circovirus (PCV), rotavirus and beyond,' he writes. This is an interesting market segment. Mercks reason to limit the production of mRNA vaccines in the customized prescription market is unclear. Production facility size and scaleability [sic] of the RNA product could be factors. Around 2014 or 2015, the USDA issued a conditional license to Merck Animal Health to start using these mRNA injections in pigs. That conditional license is similar to the Emergency Use Authorization (EUC) status the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued to covid vaccines for humans at the height of the plandemic. Just like with the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, full licensure was not granted but the conditional license remains in place, Malone writes. Is this a strategy to circumvent the USDA vaccine licensing and/or authorization process? Then we have Pfizer, the animal health division of which is known as Zoetis. Zoetis keeps its animal vaccine development activities close to the chest, so very little is known about what this company has been up to lately. There are also wildlife mRNA jabs currently in the works. It would seem as though the plan is to inject everything that lives with mRNA, which we know alters the natural genetic code. Apparently they havent killed or injured enough of humanity, one commenter wrote about all these drug abominations that are being unleashed. Now they are taking aim at animals. More related news coverage can be found at Vaccines.news. Sources for this article include: RWMaloneMD.substack.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) (The Center Square) Congress recent $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill increased the budget for medical research funding at the National Institutes of Health to nearly $50 billion in 2023 alone. A closer look at the agency reveals that NIH is increasingly spending its time, and funds, on equity and LGBT issues as well as systemic racism and inequities. (Article by Casey Harper republished from TheCenterSquare.com) The National Institutes of Health has devoted millions of taxpayer dollars toward these kinds of issues for their research, taxpayer money that did not go to the federal health agencys primary research goal of finding cures and medical treatments. The fact that NIH is doing this is very worrisome, said Mike Gonzalez, an expert on racial issues at the Heritage Foundation. This is actually a danger now, the fact that it is entering medicine because these are life and death issues, and if we are going to be making these decisions based on these hocus pocus ideas of [Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion] in order to satisfy some virtue signaling that our government seems to be at this point completely suffused with, we are going to start putting peoples lives in danger. The latest omnibus increased NIHs 2023 budget by about $2.5 billion, or 5.6%, totaling $47.5 billion. NIHs budget 10 years ago was less than $30 billion. This kind of focus comes in part because the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities was upgraded from a center to an institute during the Obama administration. Racial disparities do exist in certain health conditions, but the research grants awarded by NIH go beyond those standard health conditions. In 2020, the agency created a new category for research alongside its list of illnesses called social determinants of health, one of several funding vehicles for these kinds of grants. For example, NIH funded a $1.2 million grant to find evidence that racism is to blame for poor sleep in minority communities. The studies are based on the hypothesis that the disparity in sleep health in the Black community is thought to be explained partially by experiences of interpersonal racial discrimination. The central hypothesis is that police use of deadly force on unarmed black Americans leads to unhealthy sleep among other black Americans in the general U.S. population, the grant summary in the NIH database reads. The NIH is the nations self-proclaimed medical research agency, making important discoveries that improve health and save lives. This idea that the way to deal with the disparities that we have is not by addressing root causes but by addressing outcomes is bizarre, Gonazalez said. Equity has become the functional opposite of equality. It just means that we are going to treat people differently according to their race in order to affect outcomes. NIH also awarded $232,500 in 2015 and $193,750 in 2016 to the University of California, San Diego to develop an interactive and tailored text-messages system to encourage Latino men to exercise. Mexican American (MA) men report particularly low rates of physical activity (PA) and are disproportionately burdened by conditions related to sedentary lifestyle (e.g., diabetes, obesity), the grant description in the NIH database reads. Due to cultural, SES, educational, and language differences, MA men may have limited access to public health interventions promoting PA. For NIH, any kind of disparity could end up justifying more tax dollars in racially-tailored research. The same goes for LGBT issues. NIH spent $432,000 on a study of Grindr, an app for gay men to find romantic and sexual encounters in 2012 and 2013. The study pledged to investigate the process by which MSM use smartphone applications to find sexual partners (i.e., who they look for, how they present themselves, how they communicate, extent of safer sex negotiation, and disclosure) as well as investigate the sexual and emotional states (e.g., more/less urgency, arousal, impulsivity) the men experience when using the apps to see how if affects sexually risky behavior. That kind of research has continued, including a 2023 grant awarding $614,775 to study an HIV prevention intervention into a widely-used geosocial app for Chinese [men who have sex with men]. The funds would be used to prevent the spread of HIV in China via outreach through a romantic hookup app to help individuals understand when they should be using certain prevention services, and to make accessing services less burdensome. These are just a few of many more examples. We all have a responsibility to correct systemic racism and inequities, NIH says on its website. The researchers tout the public health benefits of their research. Dr. Alexander Tsai, an associate professor at Harvard University, is conducting the aforementioned sleep research through Massachusetts General Hospital, where he works as a psychiatrist. Tsai has touted the program to The Center Square, saying the study seems neither unsubstantiated nor grounded in racial ideology. And, given the public health significance, it falls well within the purview of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, so neither would it be a poor use of taxpayer dollars, he added. Read more at: TheCenterSquare.com (Natural News) Cardiologist Dr. Peter McCullough accused Pfizer and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of colluding to censor concerns regarding the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines. The Texas physicians allegation stemmed from a revelation by former New York Times (NYT) reporter Alex Berenson as part of the Twitter Files made public by Twitter CEO Elon Musk. It outlined how Pfizer director and former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb tipped the Big Tech firm to suppress a tweet casting doubt on the Pfizer mRNA vaccines effectiveness. Gottlieb emailed Twitter executive Todd OBoyle to complain about a tweet by Adm. Brett Giroir, an assistant secretary of health in the Trump administration. Aside from questioning the Pfizer vaccine, Giroirs post endorsed the superiority of natural immunity over the injections. But according to the Pfizer board member, the former assistant secretary was corrosive and could end up going viral and driving news coverage negatively. Gottlieb defrauded America for the profits of Pfizer, McCullough told Clayton Morris of Redacted News. Being a former FDA commissioner now is used as a false title. Its used as a pretext that he would carry honesty and integrity from a government position into a paid board member position. Aside from Gottlieb, the well-known cardiologist also cited other former government officials who later joined entities with vested interests in COVID-19 pandemic revenues. Among those he cited include former FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn and Rick Bright, former director of the Department of Health and Human Services Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). Hahn later joined Flagship Pioneering the venture capital firm behind vaccine maker Moderna as its chief medical officer. Meanwhile, Bright joined the Rockefeller Foundation to serve as its senior vice president of pandemic prevention and response. Berenson: Gottlieb financially motivated to censor Giroirs tweet In a piece published on his Substack, Berenson argued that the Pfizer board member was financially motivated to have Giroirs tweet suppressed. The tweet from the U.S. Public Health Service admiral that emphasized the superiority of natural immunity was putting the New York-based drug manufacturers profits in jeopardy, he continued. Moreover, the former NYT science reporter said Gottlieb later complained about a tweet from lockdown and vaccine skeptic Justin Hart. Gottlieb targeted Berenson himself as the Pfizer director reported the journalists article tackling the failure of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. Berenson reminded his readers how Pfizer has a long history of violating drug industry laws and ethics rules. In 2009, it agreed to pay $2.3 billion to resolve criminal and civil liability arising from the illegal promotion of certain pharmaceutical products such as the painkiller Bextra, the antipsychotic drug Geodon, the anti-epileptic drug Lyrica and the antibiotic Zyvox. In 1996, it conducted a clinical trial of an antibiotic in Nigeria in which 11 children died and many others were left with serious injuries. The parents of four Nigerian children who died in the drug trial were the first awardees of a $175,000 compensation in 2009 after more than a decade legal battle against the drug company. The payout was issued after the parents submitted DNA samples to prove that the four casualties were indeed their children. (Related: NEVER FORGET: Pfizer drug trial that killed 11 Nigerian children exposed Big Pharmas MURDEROUS experiments.) There is a very deep, corrupt collusion and conflict of interest between industry and our public health agencies. And the mechanism is basically these interrelationships that occur when people are in office to get their next job after they leave office, McCullough emphasized. Watch the entire segment of Dr. Peter McCulloughs interview with Clayton Morris below. This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Medical board moves to revoke certification of Dr. Peter McCullough who dared question COVID vaccine narratives. DHS engaged in treasonous collusion with Twitter and Facebook to censor Americans, bombshell report reveals. Elon Musk fires former FBI counsel James Baker for blocking release of Twitter Files. Latest Twitter Files drop proves Twitter has SECRET BLACKLISTS of prominent conservatives. Sources include: Brighteon.com DailyMail.co.uk AlexBerenson.Substack.com TheGuardian.com COVID-related deaths still counted in a scientific way 13:55, January 17, 2023 By Wang Xiaoyu ( China Daily Mainland recorded a toll of 59,938 at hospitals between Dec 8 and Jan 12 China will continue to strengthen treatment of severe cases and count fatalities in a scientific and fact-based manner, as the Chinese mainland recorded about 60,000 COVID-related deaths at hospitals since the optimization of its virus control strategy on Dec 8, a senior health official said on Saturday. Jiao Yahui, head of the National Health Commission's medical administration bureau, said that 59,938 deaths associated with COVID-19 were reported at hospitals across the mainland between Dec 8 and Thursday. Of these deaths, 5,503 were caused by respiratory failure due to COVID-19, and the remainder resulted from a combination of the infection and preexisting illnesses, she said at a news briefing on Saturday. Jiao added that the average age of patients who died was 80.3 years, and over 90 percent of them had underlying conditions such as cardiovascular or metabolic diseases, late-stage tumors or kidney failure. "Winter is also the peak season of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases among the elderly. With the spread of COVID-19, the number of elderly deaths is relatively high, and we are attaching greater significance to protecting elderly patients and saving their lives," she said. On Dec 7, China announced that it was upgrading its coronavirus control measures by allowing asymptomatic patients and those with mild infections to quarantine at home and was scrapping mass nucleic acid testing. On Jan 8, the management of the disease was downgraded to Class B from Class A, and the quarantine and testing requirements for inbound travelers were lifted. For scientific and fact-based death counts, Jiao said that a national platform aimed at collecting and analyzing deaths linked to COVID-19 was established. Starting on Dec 31, medical institutions across the country were required to report related deaths for the previous day to the platform. In addition, they were asked to gather and submit information on COVID-related deaths from Dec 8 to 29. "As the amount of data and information was massive and we were striving to count the number of deaths in a scientific, objective and responsible manner, it took us a relatively long period of time to consult experts and analyze the causes behind the deaths," the senior health official said. Since the initial phase of the epidemic, China has been counting the deaths of patients whose nucleic acid test results were positive as COVID-19 related deaths, Jiao said. The criterion, she said, is basically in line with standards adopted by the World Health Organization and major countries. According to data released during the news briefing, the numbers of patients visiting fever clinics, needing emergency care and being hospitalized had reached their peaks and were now declining. While the number of severe COVID-19 cases at hospitals has been slowly declining since Jan 5, the figure is still on the higher side at around 105,000 as of Thursday, Jiao said. The occupancy rate of critical-care beds was 75.3 percent on Thursday, lower than the alarming threshold of 80 percent. "The country's capacity of critical-care beds can meet demands," she said. As trips made by migrant workers during the Spring Festival holiday have triggered concerns over the medical capacity in rural areas, Jiao said the country is beefing up its stock of drugs, oxygen cylinders, pulse oximeters and other medical equipment at grassroots health clinics. "County-level authorities are required to set up a task force dedicated to transferring severe cases to higher-level hospitals, and each township-level health clinic must have an ambulance," she said. Jiao added that progress is being made in building inventories of antiviral pills and strengthening treatment capabilities at grassroots health clinics. On Saturday, Health Minister Ma Xiaowei spoke by telephone with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, during which they exchanged views on the current virus control work, according to a statement released by the National Health Commission. China has engaged in multiple technical briefings with the WHO since adjustments were made to its virus control policy and will continue to unite with the international community to fight the disease, Ma said. He added that China has been sharing information with the WHO and other countries since the early phase of the epidemic, and was the first to identify the pathogen causing the disease and share its genome sequence with the world. Tedros said he highly appreciated the Chinese government's efforts in handling the epidemic, and thanked the country for conducting long-term exchanges and sharing epidemic information with the WHO. They agreed to strengthen their technical communication and join efforts to safeguard global health. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun) (Natural News) Pfizer, a major manufacturer of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, paid $2.3 billion back in 2009 to settle a healthcare fraud case involving illegal promotion of some of its drugs. Back in September 2009, Pfizer and its subsidiary Pharmacia & Upjohn Co. Inc. agreed to a $2.3 billion penalty to resolve criminal and civil liability arising from the illegal promotion of its drugs for off-label purposes. Some of the drugs involved were the painkiller Bextra, the anti-psychotic drug Geodon, the antibiotic Zyvox and the anti-epileptic drug Lyrica. (Related: Pfizer pleads guilty to felony crime in fraudulent marketing of Bextra, pays billions in fines.) Federal officials touted the settlement as a model for tough and effective enforcement with Kevin Perkins, assistant director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Criminal Investigative Division at the time, saying it sends a clear message to the pharmaceutical industry. But an investigation by CNNs special investigations unit showed that one of the agencys officials downplayed the story of Big Pharmas influence and power even in cases where it breaks the laws intended to protect patients. Any company convicted of a major health care fraud is automatically excluded from Medicare and Medicaid, the mainstream media outlet said. Convicting Pfizer on Bextra would prevent the company from billing federal health programs for any of its products. It would be a corporate death sentence. CNN added that Pfizers conviction would disrupt the flow of Pfizer products to Medicare and Medicaid recipients. It would also negatively affect Pfizer employees, including those uninvolved in the case, and company shareholders. The New York-based company then exploited a loophole. Pfizer and the federal government cut a deal. Instead of charging Pfizer itself, Pharmacia & Upjohn the subsidiary it acquired in 2003 would take the blame. This essentially rendered the subsidiary, which was itself a product of a 1995 merger, as a shell company whose only function is to plead guilty. As a result, the subsidiary was excluded from Medicare without ever having sold so much as a single pill. [Meanwhile], Pfizer was free to sell its products to federally-funded health programs. Only GlaxoSmithKlines 2012 settlement of $3 billion over hiding the risks of its diabetes drug Avandia dwarfed Pfizers penalty. Nevertheless, Pfizer denied wrongdoing on all the allegations and still maintains its ability to do business with the federal government until this very day. Doctors pitched in for Bextra despite cardiovascular risks Bextra was among a family of painkillers known as COX-2 inhibitors that were supposed to be safer than generic drugs. However, it was priced 20 times higher than ibuprofen, which was a perfect opportunity for Pfizer to make money. Thus, it planned to sell Bextra as a treatment for acute pain with marketing managers and sales managers from Pfizer targeting anesthesiologists and surgeons. A manager in Florida emailed his sales [representatives] a scripted sales pitch that falsely claimed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had given Bextra a clean bill of health all the way up to a 40mg dose, which is twice what the FDA actually said was safe, CNNs investigation team claimed. The team also unearthed internal documents showing how Pfizer and its subsidiary used a medical education budget amounting to millions of dollars to pay hundreds of doctors. The medical professionals were reportedly paid to tout Bextra. The FDA deemed Bextra unsafe for patients at high risks of heart attacks and strokes in 2001. However, it allowed the use of Bextra to treat arthritis and menstrual cramps. Promoting drugs for off-label uses puts patients at risk and what Pfizer did with Bextra is tantamount to breaking the law. Lewis Morris, chief counsel at the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, remarked that Pfizer pushed the envelope so far past any reasonable interpretation of the law that its simply outrageous. BigPharmaNews.com has more stories about Pfizer and other drug companies. Watch this video that discusses Pfizers fraud, negligence and criminal acts. This video is from the Wake Up to Reality channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: BUSTED: Top medical fraud and illegal health care schemes of 2022. NEVER FORGET: Pfizer manipulated studies to convince doctors to prescribe seizure drug Neurontin for off-label use. Look whos talking: Skeptics of COVID-19 vaccine safety branded criminals by nefarious Pfizer CEO. NEVER FORGET: Pfizer drug trial that killed 11 Nigerian children exposed Big Pharmas MURDEROUS experiments. Sources include: Edition.CNN.com Justice.gov DrugWatch.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol warned that his country will acquire tactical nuclear weapons if tension with North Korea escalates. Yoon issued the warning in response to an earlier statement by North Koreas supreme leader Kim Jong-un that his country will develop a new intercontinental ballistic missile due to the collaboration of Washington and Seoul to isolate and stifle Pyongyang. If the [North Korean nuclear] problem becomes more serious, the Republic of Korea may deploy tactical nuclear weapons or come to possess its own nuclear weapons, Yoon said during a government meeting on Jan. 11. Yoon noted that it wont take long, and with our science and technology, we could have [nuclear weapons] sooner as time passes. America withdrew all of its nuclear weapons from South Korea in 1991 as part of its global nuclear arms reduction efforts. North Korea reportedly launched missile tests last year, enshrining the right to use nuclear weapons into national law in September. The escalation apparently rattled Seoul, which is now seeking to strengthen its military alliance with the U.S. and deepen cooperation with Japan. According to Yoon, the allies were discussing holding new joint military drills, including tabletop and computer simulations, as well as exercises involving the delivery means for nuclear weapons. However, the White House repudiated that it was considering joint nuclear drills with South Korea. Nevertheless, Kims administration insisted that the multiple ballistic missiles that they launched back in November are a response to U.S.-South Korean exercises. (Related: North Koreas launch of multiple ballistic missiles threatens South Korea.) Meanwhile, White Houses national security spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. received information that North Korea is covertly supplying Russia with a significant number of artillery shells for its conflict in Ukraine. He also noted that North Korea was trying to hide the shipments by passing them through nations in the Middle East and North Africa. Majority of South Koreans in favor of having nuclear weapons Policymakers in Seoul rejected the option? to build nuclear weaponry for decades. But things are different now. President Yoons comment could turn out to be a watershed moment in the history of South Koreas national security, said Cheon Seong-whun, a former head of the Korea Institute for National Unification, a government-funded research think tank in Seoul.? ?It could shift its paradigm in how to deal with the North Korean nuclear threat. A recent study also found that most South Koreans are actually in favor of going nuclear. A February 2022 study by the Carnegie Endowment for Regional Peace showed that 71 percent of the South Korean public favors having their own nuclear weapons, with 56 percent supporting the U.S. deploying nuclear weapons in their territory. Additionally, the poll found that 67 percent preferred South Korea to have its own independent nuclear arsenal, with only nine percent supporting the deployment of U.S. nukes. In terms of opposing nuclear weapons, the study revealed that 40 percent oppose U.S. nuclear weapons deployment, while only 26 percent oppose having an independent nuclear arsenal. Furthermore, the study showed that North Korea remains the primary driver for pro-nuclear South Korean sentiment, with 82 percent believing Pyongyang wont give up its nuclear weapons. Visit NuclearWar.news for more stories related to impending nuclear wars worldwide. Watch the video below that talks about Kim wanting to develop new intercontinental ballistic missiles. This video is from the Puretrauma357 channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: South Korea ready to parry North Koreas military threat with $2.6B Iron Dome defense system. South Korea unveils new ballistic missile that can penetrate North Korean underground military facilities. South Korea requests Interpol red notice in search for disgraced crypto developer Do Kwon. PrepWithMike: Surviving radioactive exposure following a nuclear explosion is NOT impossible. Sources include: RT.com JapanTimes.co.jp AsiaTimes.com GlobalAffairs.org Brighteon.com (Natural News) Special Forces operators at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, N.C. were stunned in recent weeks after Army Criminal Investigative Unit personnel and FBI agents launched a probe into alleged drug and human smuggling by members of the 3rd Special Forces Group and Delta Force, the latter one of the U.S. militarys most elite groups. According to Audacity, more than a dozen current and former military members told the outlet that a number of arrests have already been made, and culminated with a 100% recall and accountability formation for 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group. Continuing, the site explained: It is unknown when the investigation into drug and human trafficking in the Fort Bragg area began, but it is known that the FBI became involved in investigating the deaths of Timothy Dumas and Delta Force operator Billy Lavigne in 2020 when both were found shot to death at a training site on Bragg. Last weeks arrests began with investigators receiving more evidence after an undercover law enforcement officer posing as an underage girl helped arrest a member of 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group back in December. That individual was known to moonlight as a bouncer at a bar in Southern Pines frequented by the Special Forces community, a military source close to the situation explained to Connecting Vets. The Green Beret is alleged to have been pimping underaged girls to the Special Forces community at drug-fueled parties in Southern Pines. This is what happens when there is no war, no direction, and an 18-month red cycle with no mission, a Special Forces soldier told the site. So dudes are f**king around with young kids and the craziest drugs. All these lives ruined because people are just bored. In an alert regarding the shooting deaths, the FBI noted: Dumas, Sr., 44, and Lavigne, 37, were found dead on Fort Bragg near Manchester Road in Cumberland County, North Carolina, on December 2, 2020. Investigators are seeking to create a timeline of their location and activities on December 1 and 2, 2020. A gray 2016 Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck belonging to Lavigne was found at the crime scene near Manchester Road. A dark-colored 2015 Dodge Ram pickup truck belonging to Dumas, Sr., was found abandoned at another location. It does not appear as though the FBI or the Army CID have any suspects, or if they do, they arent saying. To that point, Audacity noted that its also not clear if an individual contacted authorities and spilled the beans on his accomplices or if the agencies managed to intercept electronic communications. But whatever the source, another Green Beret allegedly involved in drug trafficking who belongs to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, was recently arrested as well. With the information, the CID and FBI set up a checkpoint at one of the main thoroughfares into Fort Bragg, which is the Longstreet gate between Southern Pines and the base. It was a trail of tears and douche bag cars, a Special Forces member who witnessed the scene late last week told the outlet as each soldier who had been stopped for questioning by agents was told to park their vehicles along the street. One of those stopped at the gate was a member of the Armys elite counter-terrorism unit called Delta Force who had recently been picked up by the unit after serving in 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group. A Physicians Assistant assigned to the unit was also questioned, according to the source, Audacity reported, adding that, in all, some 15 members across various special ops commands on the post were questioned. The U.S. Army Special Operations Command is aware of the allegations of drug involvement from Soldiers assigned to USASOC units on Fort Bragg, USASOC Public Affairs Officer Lt. Col. Mike Burns noted in a statement to Connecting Vets. We take all allegations seriously and are fully cooperating with the Criminal Investigation Division. CIDs investigation is ongoing, and it would be inappropriate to discuss the status of their investigation, the statement said. All Soldiers have the right to due process, including the presumption of innocence under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. What in the world is happening to our military under Biden and his woke commanders? Sources include: Audacity.com FBI.gov (Natural News) There can be no doubt at this point that the various social media giants are not really free speech platforms or even private companies but front organizations for the deep state to control narratives and spread propaganda and disinformation. So its no wonder that the professional political class and the elite media hate billionaire Elon Musk and are trying to destroy his reputation and his companies: Hes been releasing one file after another through investigative journalists exposing the corrupt interaction between Twitter and various mysterious federal agencies. According to The Epoch Times this week, Mysterious government agencies were involved in censoring content along with Twitter Inc. on the social media platform, journalist Matt Taibbi said in newly-released Twitter Files. The outlet added: The fileswhich mostly were internal communications among Twitter executives and employeesshow that unspecified agencies worked with Twitter before Elon Musk bought the company. The report stated that the internal communications noted that platform officials would refer to them as Other Government Agencies, or OGA, within the platform itself. In an email dated June 29, 2020, FBI San Francisco Field Office official Elvis Chan asked Twitter executives if it was okay to ask an OGA to attend an event that was planned. I wanted to follow up to see if I could forward this invitation to an OGA? he queried. 8.On June 29th, 2020, San Francisco FBI agent Elvis Chan wrote to pair of Twitter execs asking if he could invite an OGA to an upcoming conference: pic.twitter.com/hj5xZiXvg2 Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 24, 2022 In addition, according to the latest files dump, OGA Briefing is frequently seen mentioned in meetings between the platforms officials and the Foreign Influence Task Force, or TITF. In one meeting, that reference was made under the Russia Status agenda. 19.The FITF meeting agendas virtually always included, at or near the beginning, an OGA briefing, usually about foreign matters (hold that thought). pic.twitter.com/Yx0721VyXI Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 24, 2022 Its not clear which agency or agencies fell under OGA, but unsurprisingly journalist Matt Taibbi, who posted the latest file dump, said sources told him the CIA was certainly one of them. That said, Taibbi shared tweets with messages indicating that the FBI and CIA often joined in meetings with Twitter officials, most of the time to get content censored. Email after email came from the San Francisco office heading into the election, often adorned with an Excel attachment, he wrote. There were so many government requests, Twitter employees had to improvise a system for prioritizing/triaging them. An earlier massive drop of internal Twitter communications revealed evidence that under old management, the platform was a tool of the far-left authoritarian deep state weaponized against right-thinking conservative points of view. The drop was revealed by another investigative journalist, Bari Weiss after receiving the information from platform boss Musk. Twitter is working on a software update that will show your true account status, so you know clearly if youve been shadowbanned, the reason why and how to appeal, Musk tweeted ahead of the data dump. He also said Twitter will start freeing the name space of 1.5 billion accounts in the near future, noting further: These are obvious account deletions with no tweets & no log in for years. These are obvious account deletions with no tweets & no log in for years Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 9, 2022 Twitter once had a mission to give everyone the power to create and share ideas and information instantly, without barriers. Along the way, barriers nevertheless were erected, Weiss wrote. She pointed to Stanford Universitys Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a longstanding opponent of COVID groupthink during the pandemic, expressing opposition to lockdowns. Twitter secretly placed him on a Trends Blacklist, which prevented his tweets from trending, Weiss continued, going on to report that Fox News host Dan Bongino was placed on a Search Blacklist and had Turning Point USAs Charlie Kirk on Do Not Amplify. Sources include: ConservativeBrief.com TheEpochTimes.com Revolver.news (Natural News) In the very near future, according to Chinese researchers, advancements in quantum computing could lead to a Quantum Apocalypse that breaks everything from online banking to secure government platforms filled with state secrets. An academic paper on the subject warns that the current encryption keeping all of our data safe will quickly become vulnerable, and possibly collapse entirely, as a result of quantum computing becoming too smart for the current iteration of the internet. Researchers from The University of Chicago say they are working on an un-hackable quantum internet for the future a Web 3.0, as many are calling it but will it work? Computers today use a system called public key encryption to protect information. Text messages, for instance, are transferred on phones containing two keys: one that is public, and the other that is private. The device making contact uses a public key to encrypt the message, while the recipients private key opens it up. This ensures that nobody else outside the two devices can intercept and unencrypt the message. According to Tim Callan, a chief experience officer at the cybersecurity company Sectigo, quantum computers currently in development could one day make the encryption we use today no longer fit for purpose. (Related: Remember when loony leftists slammed the Nature journal for publishing a study about the supremacy of quantum computing, arguing that the word supremacy conjures up racist imagery?) Will all secrets eventually be unencrypted and made accessible to everyone through quantum computing? With todays computers, this is not an issue. It would take about 300 trillion years to crack the key codes aforementioned. But with quantum computer soon making its debut, existing encryption technologies could soon become obsolete. Perhaps you are familiar with the current binary of zeros and ones that make up electronic and optical pulses. This is how data is created, saved, and transferred on existing computers. Quantum computing, on the other hand, uses photons, or light particles, which can be set to zero, one, or both one and zero. This added flexibility of including both a zero and a one in the same photon could allow quantum computers to rapidly code and crack all possible solutions to an encryption, eliminating computer and online security as we have long known it. The evolution of quantum computers creates a significant threat to data security, Callan warns. Their immense processing power is capable of breaking encryption at great speed, leaving important data vulnerable, everything from bank account details to medical records to state secrets. This scenario is so alarming that specialists refer to it as the Quantum Apocalypse.' Callan would go on in a statement to explain that quantum computing will also be millions of times faster than classical computers thanks to the use of ones, zeros, or both ones and zeros at the same time a technology known as qubits. Once this happens, it will be Q-Day a wordplay on D-Day allowing all of the worlds secrets to become vulnerable. This is especially concerning to governments, which are hiding all sorts of things that they do not want the general public to know. The Biden regime is one such government that is concerned about quantum computing, having been hacked last year with a quantum attack. Corporations like IBM and Google are working feverishly to release more advanced quantum computers, though their widespread release is still a few years off perhaps 8-20 years from now, according to Chinese experts. The recent claim that researchers have broken encryption invites us to wonder if the quantum apocalypse is already here, Callan says. However, at present this breakthrough remains theoretical. More stories like this one can be found at Collapse.news. Sources for this article include: DailyMail.co.uk NaturalNews.com As water temperatures rise in northern and central California, bottlenose dolphins migrate to the Bay Area, as confirmed by scientists for the first time. After spending their entire lives in Southern California and Baja, Mexico, bottlenose dolphins have made the Bay Area their permanent home. At all different times of the year, they have explored the boundaries of San Francisco Bay, joined surfers in catching waves at Ocean Beach, and been spotted by hikers with their gray-mottled backs at Stinson and Montara Beach. Adapting to Water Temperature Rise The animals' intelligence may be assisting them in modifying their behavior to climate change. They are a part of a population known as California coastal bottlenose dolphins. A new study has for the first time documented their decades-long migration north, which started when water temperatures in Central and Northern California increased. They might end up being a success story in the midst of global warming due to their capacity for adaptation and the discovery of new habitats. David Weller, the director of the Southwest Fisheries Science Center marine mammal and turtle division, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said that Bottlenose dolphins are a prime illustration of a few species that are likely to be more successful than other species when it comes to adaptation and the capacity to endure in the changing environment. He explains that if sea ice disappears, for example, polar bears and walruses are in serious trouble. In contrast, bottlenose dolphins can successfully adapt to, invade, and use habitats that they have not previously had. Weller is a co-author of the study published recently in the Aquatic Mammals Journal. Weller adds that although there are some fossil records of bottlenose dolphins in San Francisco Bay, they have probably been absent from the area for hundreds of years. Also Read: Noise Pollution From Shipping Makes Dolphins Whistle Louder But Less Effectively, Research Reveals Ernestina the Bottlenose Dolphin Similar to how whales can be located by distinctive markings on their tails, dolphins can be recognized in photographs by distinctive patterns of notches seen on their dorsal fins. The majority of the dolphins in the study are still roving, regularly moving between the Bay Area, San Diego, Monterey Bay, and Ensenada in the hunt for food. Based on photographic evidence, some dolphins appear to be Bay Area regulars. In 2017, a pair that had also been spotted in San Diego broke the world distance record held by a bottlenose shark that had circled Italy by swimming more than 1,500 miles to Puget Sound. Bill Keener, the lead author of the study, said that the time it takes them to swim from Montara Beach, where he was using binoculars to try and spot dolphins in the surf in November, to Half Moon Bay, is only a couple of hours. Two days prior, a group that included Ernestina the dolphin had been spotted there. The dolphins are constantly traveling up and down the coast. Keener, a Marine Mammal Center cetacean field researcher in Sausalito, later learned that a few weeks later, the distinctive notch pattern on Ernestina, a female dolphin sighted in the Bay Area for 15 years, allowed for her identification. Ernestina had most likely spent time on the Mendocino Coast. Dolphin Notches As opposed to a distinct offshore dolphin population of the same species, coastal bottlenose dolphins have a limited habitat range of about 500 to 1,000 yards from the shore, according to Keener. Over time, they develop their notches as a result of aggressive play and sex with one another which causes tears in the delicate skin on their dorsal fins. According to Sonar, North of Santa Barbara had not previously been reported as a range of coastal bottlenose dolphins. During the 1983 El Nio, which brought warm water to Monterey Bay and a group of daring dolphins along with it. In the Bay Area, sightings were few until around 2006. During this time, a group of dolphins was flagged up swimming past San Francisco's Ocean Beach, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. At the same time, one was spotted for the first time on the San Mateo coast. Related Article: Dolphins Recognize Their Friends By Drinking Each Other's Pee This week's latest weather forecast in the United Kingdom showed that residents and motorists could expect frigid conditions, as snow and ice warnings are present across the country. Meanwhile, a report said that Europe could experience a warm January. The beginning of this week in the United Kingdom resulted in more heavy rain and flooding concerns. Unfortunately, as many residents looked forward to Monday, rain and snow continued to unfold in the country. Heavy snow and freezing conditions The wintry weather conditions become problematic for many motorists and commuters in the United Kingdom. According to the The Guardian's recent weather report this January 17, significant travel delays occurred in portions of Southern England due to rail disruptions. Furthermore, the report also added that freezing weather conditions unleashed in the country, and yellow warnings were declared to alert residents for possible ice and snow. The forecast explained that Central Scotland could experience temperature drops and colder temperatures. Portions of Scotland are under yellow warnings until Wednesday. Meanwhile, northern Island, north Wales and north-west England could expect the yellow warnings until Tuesday. Met's UK Weather Forecast On the other hand, the Met Office added that flood warnings are present in portions of England and Wales. Residents in the affected areas should check for small flooding. The weather forecast could expect rain and snow in parts of the north and west. On Monday, the weather in the United Kingdom could expect wintry showers on the northern and northwestern coasts. Residents should monitor for possible widespread frosts and rounds of rain. On Tuesday, the weather conditions could expand to western Scotland, Wales, Western England and Northern Ireland. The forecast said snow and frost could unload in portions of North Eastern Scotland from Wednesday to Friday. On Friday, Northern Ireland could expect milder weather conditions. The colder weather and freezing conditions could lead to health risks to vulnerable people, including adults and babies. However, according to the BBC report, the report explained that pets and vulnerable individuals should remain warm during frigid conditions. Also Read: Weather Updates: Temperatures Drop To Unleash At Night; Met Office Issues Snow and Ice Warnings Hypothermia and frostbites are common during a cold snap, which could result in a life-threatening situation. Meanwhile, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that the cold weather alert could result in health concerns for people with pre-existing conditions. In addition, homeowners should also look for frozen pipes during freezing conditions to avoid the expensive cost of repairs. Keeping the heating system on would be helpful to cope with colder temperatures, especially at night. Warmer January in Europe Meanwhile, a different report from the The Guardian revealed that Europe could experience a warmer climate this month. The warm weather in Europe has been challenging for many ski resorts that decided to shut down due to a lack of snow. The rise of global heating contributed to warm weather in portions of Europe, although it is currently winter. However, experts noted that the warm weather and increasing global temperatures had been concerning. The hot weather could intensify as the La Nina is expected to end this year. Related Article: Weather Updates: Temperatures Drop To Unleash At Night; Met Office Issues Snow and Ice Warnings For more similar stories, don't forget to follow Nature News. The global bird flu outbreak as seen over the past two years has become the world's deadliest flu outbreak in history, as well as the largest one, according to reports. As it reaches unprecedented global reach, the spreading pathogen shows no sign of slowing down, which has killed millions of birds worldwide, including in the United States and the United Kingdom. Latest Global Bird Flu Outbreak Record-breaking death toll of birds infected with the flu has been reported in different parts of the world, including in Japan where officials planned to cull over 10 million chickens at risk of exposure to the deadly virus. In the US, more states have reported cases of bird flu with almost 58 million poultry infected as of January 2023, according to a report by France 24 news. Majority of infected birds are killed since they can also pose a threat to the larger society, through their meat and eggs, which can be sold and consumed by consumers in the market. With this, scientists, wildlife advocates, and legislators are planning to create new solutions to address the global pandemic affecting birds. Also Read: 38 Premises in the UK Face a 'Phenomenal Level' of Bird Flu What is Bird Flu? The avian influenza, also called bird flu, pertains to the disease caused by the infection of avian (bird) influenza (flu) Type A viruses amongst different bird species. These viruses, in particular, naturally spread to wild aquatic birds worldwide, infecting domestic poultry, as well as other bird and animal species, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In the past, there have been cases of zoonotic transmissions or human to animal transmission of the disease, even if bird flue viruses do not normally infect us, the CDC said. In the 21st century, related outbreaks have been reported from 2003 to 2005 in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Other cases were also seen from 2014 to 2015. Avian Influenza Virus The World Health Organization (WHO) also confirms humans can be infected with diseases from different pathogens like avian, swine (pig), and other zoonotic influenza viruses. For bird flu, the avian influenza virus has the following subtypes: A(H5N1), A(H7N9), and A(H9N2). Meanwhile, the swine influenza virus subtypes: A(H5N1), A(H1N2), and A(H3N2). The different virus variation types is a result of mutations and zoonosis transmission or animal to animal transmission. In the ones mentioned above, said pathogen can be found not only in birds but also in pigs, especially those animals in the poultry sector. In the case of Homo sapiens, the WHO said human infections are mainly acquired through direct physical contact with infected animals or contaminated environments. However, the viruses are not able to sustain transmission among humans. Bird Flu Symptoms According to the WHO, the following symptoms may occur in humans during avian, swine, and other zoonotic influenza virus infections: Fever Cough Pneumonia Sepsis Acute respiratory distress syndrome Conjunctivitis Gastrointestinal symptoms Encephalitis Encephalopathy If left untreated, the infection can result in health complications, disability, or even death among humans. The WHO isdued its Avian Influenza Weekly Update Number 877 report on January 6, stating that from January 2003 to 25 November 2022, there have been 868 cases of avian influenza A(H5N1) virus recorded from 21 countries. Out of these cases, 457 people died. Related Article: 37,000 Birds on Chicken Farm Slaughtered in Peru to Control Bird Flu Disease Outbreak Magma hotspots can create volcanic islands like Hawaii, Iceland, and other island countries that we know of today. However, knowledge on the exact geological mechanism on how it works remain limited, even to scientists. Now, a new study by researchers from Yale University suggests they have a new theory to explain the geochemical journey of the magma plumes. Magma Hotspots New Theory The Yale researchers published their study in the journal PNAS, where they answer questions about the origins and nature of magma hotspots, suggesting natural processes led to measurable geochemical signals or clues from deep beneath the Earth's metallic core. The study's lead author, Amy Ferrick, said the questions about where hotspots come from and what makes them unique is not fully understood, but the clues reside on studying their geochemistry, as cited by Phys.org. One of these clues reportedly involves isotopes of tungsten and helium found inside crystallized magmas at these magma plumes. Isotopes are known as two or more types of an atom with the same atomic number but with different numbers of neutrons. Also Read: New Volcanic Island Consumes Nearby Island off Japan Coast [VIDEO] What is a Hotspot Volcano? In the field of geology, a hot spot is located in an area of the Earth's mantle where magma plumes or hot plumes rise upward, leading to the formation of volcanoes on the overlying crust, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In addition to Iceland and Hawaii, the country Samoa has a chain of volcanic islands above the Pacific tectonic plate. Plumes of mantle magma or molten rock have long been theorized to rise buoyantly from a never-before-seen source deep inside our planet's mantle. When the plume rises into the shallow mantle, it partially melts and can rise to the surface where it can erupt as a hotspot volcano, the NOAA explains. In relation to the new study, the Yale researchers theorize its geochemical journey from the center of the Earth. Over time, this geologic processes generate lines of islands, atolls, and seamounts, also called as hotspot tracks or chains. The youngest and most active volcanoes are situated in a region of the tectonic plate that overlies the mantle plume. For instance, the Hawaiian Islands and the chain of seamounts which spans into the northwest Pacific Ocean are an example of a hotspot track, the US agency adds. Hotspots in Earth Most scientists believe that 40 to 50 hotspots exist on Earth, although this number varies significantly because of differing definitions of "what a hot spot is," according to the National Geographic Society. Major magma plumes around the world include the following: Iceland hot spot, located under the island of Iceland in the North Atlantic Ocean The Reunion hot spot, located under the island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean The Afar hot spot, located under northeast Ethiopia Although not every hot spot can create volcanoes, there are instances where they can create submarine mountains or seamounts, as mentioned earlier. Some scientists estimate that seamounts make up 28.8 million square kilometers of Earth's surface, an area larger than any known habitat, as cited by Nat Geo. Related Article: New Volcanic Island Rising Out of Pacific Could Cause Tsunami Covid Was a Tipping Point for Telehealth. If Some Have Their Way, Virtual Visits Are Here to Stay If you have an event you'd like to list on the site, submit it now! Submit Download Now The News-Gazette mobile app brings you the latest local breaking news, updates, and more. Read the News-Gazette on your mobile device just as it appears in print. Norman Davis is the supervisor for Champaign Township, which covers the area outside the Champaign city limits bounded by Cardinal Road on the north, Old Church Road on the south, First Street on the east and Barker Road on the west. Negative emotions, anxiety and depression are thought to promote the onset of neurodegenerative diseases and dementia. But what is their impact on the brain and can their deleterious effects be limited? Neuroscientists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) observed the activation of the brains of young and older adults when confronted with the psychological suffering of others. The neuronal connections of the older adults show significant emotional inertia: negative emotions modify them excessively and over a long period of time, particularly in the posterior cingulate cortex and the amygdala, two brain regions strongly involved in the management of emotions and autobiographical memory. These results, to be published in Nature Aging, indicate that a better management of these emotions - through meditation for example - could help limit neurodegeneration. For the past 20 years, neuroscientists have been looking at how the brain reacts to emotions. ''We are beginning to understand what happens at the moment of perception of an emotional stimulus,'' explains Dr Olga Klimecki, a researcher at the UNIGE's Swiss Centre for Affective Sciences and at the Deutsches Zentrum fur Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen, who is last author of this study carried out as part of a European research project co-directed by the UNIGE. ''However, what happens afterwards remains a mystery. How does the brain switch from one emotion to another? How does it return to its initial state? Does emotional variability change with age? What are the consequences for the brain of mismanagement of emotions?'' Previous studies in psychology have shown that an ability to change emotions quickly is beneficial for mental health. Conversely, people who are unable to regulate their emotions and remain in the same emotional state for a long time are at higher risks of depression. ''Our aim was to determine what cerebral trace remains after the viewing of emotional scenes, in order to evaluate the brain's reaction, and, above all, its recovery mechanisms. We focused on the older adults, in order to identify possible differences between normal and pathological ageing,'' says Patrik Vuilleumier, professor in the Department of Basic Neurosciences at the Faculty of Medicine and at the Swiss Centre for Affective Sciences at the UNIGE, who co-directed this work. Not all brains are created equal The scientists showed volunteers short television clips showing people in a state of emotional suffering - during a natural disaster or distress situation for example - as well as videos with neutral emotional content, in order to observe their brain activity using functional MRI. First, the team compared a group of 27 people over 65 years of age with a group of 29 people aged around 25 years. The same experiment was then repeated with 127 older adults. 'Older people generally show a different pattern of brain activity and connectivity from younger people. This is particularly noticeable in the level of activation of the default mode network, a brain network that is highly activated in resting state. Its activity is frequently disrupted by depression or anxiety, suggesting that it is involved in the regulation of emotions. In the older adults, part of this network, the posterior cingulate cortex, which processes autobiographical memory, shows an increase in its connections with the amygdala, which processes important emotional stimuli. These connections are stronger in subjects with high anxiety scores, with rumination, or with negative thoughts.'' Sebastian Baez Lugo, researcher in Patrik Vuilleumier's laboratory and first author Empathy and aging However, older people tend to regulate their emotions better than younger people, and focus more easily on positive details, even during a negative event. But changes in connectivity between the posterior cingulate cortex and the amygdala could indicate a deviation from the normal aging phenomenon, accentuated in people who show more anxiety, rumination and negative emotions. The posterior cingulate cortex is one of the regions most affected by dementia, suggesting that the presence of these symptoms could increase the risk of neurodegenerative disease. ''Is it poor emotional regulation and anxiety that increases the risk of dementia or the other way around? We still don't know,'' says Sebastian Baez Lugo. ''Our hypothesis is that more anxious people would have no or less capacity for emotional distancing. The mechanism of emotional inertia in the context of ageing would then be explained by the fact that the brain of these people remains 'frozen' in a negative state by relating the suffering of others to their own emotional memories." Could meditation be a solution? Could it be possible to prevent dementia by acting on the mechanism of emotional inertia? The research team is currently conducting an 18-month interventional study to evaluate the effects of foreign language learning on the one hand, and meditation practice on the other. ''In order to further refine our results, we will also compare the effects of two types of meditation: mindfulness, which consists of anchoring oneself in the present in order to concentrate on one's own feelings, and what is known as 'compassionate' meditation, which aims to actively increase positive emotions towards others,'' the authors add. This research is part of a large European study, MEDIT-AGEING, which aims to evaluate the impact of non-pharmacological interventions for better ageing. Childhood asthma is a condition that may be affected by different types of factors. These include the state of the infant's gut microbiome, environmental factors, and genetic factors. A recent study attempted to shed more light on how asthma risk is linked to a combination of these factors, some of which are modifiable. Study: Environmental and genetic associations with aberrant early-life gut microbial maturation in childhood asthma. Image Credit: Troyan / Shutterstock Introduction The gut microbiome is now known to mediate or contribute to a significant proportion of cases of atopy. This includes the composition and maturation of the microbiome at birth and during infancy. The risk of atopy has also been linked to the 7q12-21 gene locus, associated with factors that drive the gut microbiome composition, such as growing up on a farm or having older siblings. It is necessary to identify the factors that determine how the gut microbiome matures in infancy to potentially prevent the future development of atopy. In the current study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the scientists examined samples of the gut microbiome from >460 infants aged 3-6 months and one year of age. These were the children of parents who had participated in the Vitamin D Antenatal Reduction Trial (VDAART). They looked for potential links between the gut microbiome and genetic factors in these infants and the risk of asthma at the age of three years. The researchers used longitudinal fecal 16s rRNA (ribosomal ribonucleic acid) samples from these children, taken at 3-6 months, one year, or both. They also examined the presence of wildtype or mutational 17q12-21 genotypes in association with asthma risk and microbial maturation in the above cohort and the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Childhood Asthma 2010 (COPSAC). These cohorts differ in that the biological mother in the former cohort had atopy or asthma. The child had to be diagnosed with asthma or recurrent wheezing by this time point by a physician to be eligible for this study. The study also explored contributions by the differences in the genera Bifidobacterium and Bacteroides, which have been reported to be linked with the mode of delivery and breastfeeding. What does the study show? Children more likely to have asthma were less likely to be from the San Diego arm of the study, to have pet dogs, or to be breastfed, and more likely to be Black and to have been given antibiotics around the time of childbirth compared to those without asthma (53% vs. 39%, respectively). The findings of this study show that children at a higher risk of childhood asthma at three years were more likely to show rapid maturation of the fecal microbiome at 3-6 months or a lag in the maturation of this microbiome at one year. Increased and decreased Bifidobacterium abundance at 3-6 months was linked to breastfeeding and higher microbial maturity. This supports the observation of this study that breastfed infants show delayed microbial maturation at this time point. Similarly, Bacteroides abundance at 3-6 months was associated with breastfeeding and lower abundance with Cesarean section at both time points. Bacteroides abundance was thus linked to faster maturation of the gut microbiome at one year of age. Children with asthma at three years were 70% less likely to have had Bacteroides in their fecal samples at 3-6 months and >30% less likely at one year. They were also more likely to have low Bacteroides abundance at 3-6 months than those without asthma. Slow maturation at 3- 6 months was more likely among breastfed infants. Over 60% of the association of asthma risk with breastfeeding was found to be due to the association of the latter with better microbial maturation at 3-6 months. Babies born by Cesarean section rather than vaginally were more likely to show delayed maturation of the microbiome at one year, though not at the earlier time point. These results seem to buttress the favorable role of breastfeeding and vaginal delivery in reducing the risk of asthma. Antibiotic exposure and having owned pets were not significantly linked to microbial maturation. Environmental effects mediated by the maturation of the fecal microbiome were found to act independently of but in addition to genetic factors. The 17q12-21 risk alleles rs12936231 and rs8076131 carried a 30% and 25% increased risk of asthma when adjusted for race and ethnicity. When both alleles were present with increasing microbial maturation at 3-6 months, the risk of childhood asthma was increased by over threefold. At this age, half the subjects with at least one risk allele at rs12936231 and accelerated maturation developed asthma, but only 6% with neither of these factors, showed an increase in risk by almost 20 times. The risk was increased by 6.5-fold if an rs8076131 risk allele was present along with aberrant maturation vs. no risk factors. If only microbiome or genetic factors were present, the risk was six-fold and 3.5-fold, respectively, compared to no risk factor. These patterns were repeated for one year. The order of increase in risk goes from no genetic or microbiome risk